Somewhere, anywhere, any place or destination.
By Jeffrey the Barak. Nomadic tribes move independently of each other and occasionally come together to interact through trade, war, sport, cultural exchange, intermarriage, murder etc. In the dense jungles of South America and Africa and Asia, the boundaries formed by geographical features such as ridges and valleys are all it takes to keep two… Read More The hazards of imagining countries
By Cherie Magnus What is it about trains? We all love them–the waiting, the leaving, the whistles. Who can hear the distant “woo-woo” of a train without feeling something’s longing, nostalgia, the urge to hop on and leave your old life behind? Literature abounds with romantic train symbols: The Polar Express, Streetcar Named Desire, Train… Read More Taking the “A” Train
Leaving San Miguel By Cherie Magnus If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else. –Yogi Berra That terrible ache and nostalgia for home when home is gone, and this isnt it. And the sun so white like an onion. And who the hell thought of placing a city here with no… Read More An American Diary from Mexico – Episode 12
The Worlds of Xochimilco By Cherie Magnus A lake carries you into recesses of feeling otherwise impenetrable. ~William Wordsworth In gardens, beauty is a by-product. The main business is sex and death. ~Sam Llewelyn Xochimilco, the place of the flower fields (in Nahuatl), is at once an ancient Aztec dream, a modern Mexican fiesta, and… Read More An American Diary from Mexico – Episode 11
Tango Magic in Oaxaca By Cherie Magnus Imagine a large leafy square with fountains and huge trees, surrounded on four sides by the colorful arcades of ancient colonial buildings. Imagine the kiss of a chocolate scented breeze on your skin. Imagine a concert band playing a classical concert with elderly couples rising casually from their… Read More An American Diary from Mexico – Episode 10
Dancing Down The Aisle By Cherie Magnus I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance. ~Friedrich Nietzsche I dance down the aisle of Saint Pauls Anglican Church in San Miguel twice a month, carrying my cross. Like most people, Ive always had a cross to bear, except for that brief perfect… Read More An American Diary from Mexico – Episode 9
Corpus Christi in San Miguel By Cherie Magnus My first day back in San Miguel de Allende after three weeks, I ran around doing errands, unpacking, organizing, but I wasnt too busy to notice the hanging of red and gold satin and velvet banners from balconies along the main streets. Thinking a weekend fiesta was… Read More An American Diary from Mexico – Episode 8
The Field Trip By Cherie Magnus Early on Saturday morning, I climbed into the minivan, found the last seat, and introduced myself to the seven women and one man filling the cramped interior. Buenos dias! Wont it be fun to see another state, archeological ruins, a lake? All of us on the tour to Michoacan… Read More An American Diary from Mexico – Episode 7
The Monarch Milagro By Cherie Magnus Dear Ones Back Home, Well you know me, a real Type A. Hopefully I will eventually learn to take it easy and be on Mexican Time. Thats one of the benefits of living here and one of my goals. But in the meantime, I like to accomplish things, quickly… Read More An American Diary from Mexico – Episode 6
By Nicola Pittam He’s the biggest director in the world and the mastermind such box office hits as ET, Jurassic Park, Jaws and Indiana Jones. But while Steven Spielberg makes movies that pull in hundreds of millions of dollars, his mum still runs the tiny restaurant she began 25 years ago. Petite Leah Adler, who… Read More Spielberg’s Mom and The Milky Way
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