This is a story of a woman I met on a train in Iran and a letter she wrote to me — a letter I now read through tears.
My heart sank as I watched the news from Iran this morning, scenes of the British Embassy being charged by an angry mob in Tehran. It saddens me – angers me, really – that narrow groups like this who define the world’s perception of Iran and the Iranian people are in reality such a small percentage of the country’s population.
My experience tells me they are the outliers, yet circumstances conspire to convince us on the outside to see them as the norm. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Iran, Middle East, Perspectives by: Audrey Scott
33 Comments | 29 November 2011
This is a very short story about music. In Iran.
I dont know that I’ve ever been so happy — or oddly surprised — to hear Stevie Wonder in my entire life.
I should explain. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Iran, Middle East, Perspectives by: Daniel Noll
12 Comments | 18 November 2011
We offer the following slideshow of girls we’ve met during our around the world travels in support of The Girl Effect, an organization whose goal is to promote awareness of girls’ issues around the world and to highlight the benefits of investing in girls as a means to poverty alleviation, better public health and community development.
The more we travel and see the world, the more I realize how fortunate I am. I grew up in a family that valued me as a female. They supported my education, encouraged me to pursue whatever profession I could possibly imagine and never pressured me to get married.
This favorable circumstance and social flexibility is still a rarity in many parts of the world.
With a group of school girls at a mission school outside Srimongal, Bangladesh
Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Hope for Humanity, Perspectives by: Audrey Scott
17 Comments | 4 October 2011
Oh, if our passports could talk! A quick look at the numbers and some stories and lessons behind my newly-fattened American passport.
This is it. After this, no more.
– An American embassy employee in Berlin hands back my passport with a third – and undoubtedly final – set of extra pages.
What do you think of when flip through your passport? Countries visited? Number of visas and passport stamps? Possibilities? Continue Reading »
- My Big Fat American Passport
- Protect Thy Passport
Filed Under: Perspectives, Travel by: Audrey Scott
75 Comments | 29 July 2011
My real guru to teach me the value of compassion is my mother.
– The Dalai Lama
The other night, we enjoyed a screening of the film Happy. During the film, the Dalai Lama is seen speaking on the topic of mothers and compassion.
He continues: Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Perspectives by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
7 Comments | 7 May 2011
Stay safe in this post Bin Laden world. There is sure to be some backlash; work on your Canadian accent 
– A friend offers us some advice in light of recent events.
We’ve lived outside of the United States for almost 10 years, with more than four of them on this around-the-world journey. In that time, we’ve consumed our share of U.S. State Department travel warnings.
So what do those advisories mean to me? Do I pay attention to them? As an American traveling abroad, am I frightened? Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Perspectives, Travel by: Audrey Scott
16 Comments | 3 May 2011
On occasion, we are fortunate enough to have an experience or conversation that sends chills for its human quality. Our time with Zikra Initiative and the women of Ghor al Mazra’a was one such experience.
From the moment I passed into the courtyard, Um Atallah took control and led me to a seat on the ground near her. Two other women swapped their attention between their work and us, offering encouraging smiles. These were the women of Ghor al Mazra’a near Jordan’s Dead Sea. And for a few hours, they shared a bit of their lives with us.
Continue Reading »
- Women in Jordan Snapshots: Coffee to Courage
- Women in Jordan: The Once Forgotten Women of the Dead Sea
Filed Under: Jordan, Middle East, Perspectives by: Audrey Scott
13 Comments | 15 March 2011
In Jordan, I spent a lot of time with men. Not only did my immediate company consist of men (our driver and host were both men and I had Dan by my side), but many of our in-home social and cultural experiences were dominated by them, too. Tea and coffee in Bedouin tents was served by and among men, dinners in homes — outside of some interactions with the women of the house – were largely a male affair.
Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy spending time with men and learning about their world, but I also look forward to sharing time with women so that I may get a glimpse into their lives and appreciate their work.
And so I did in Jordan. And for me, three stories stood out. The women I met and their pride as individuals, as mothers, and as breadwinners left an impression on me. Continue Reading »
- Women in Jordan Snapshots: Coffee to Courage
- Women in Jordan: The Once Forgotten Women of the Dead Sea
Filed Under: Jordan, Middle East, Perspectives by: Audrey Scott
15 Comments | 13 March 2011
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
We often share stories of ordinary people who humble us by showing resilience and kindness in the face of challenges. In doing so, we highlight the positive — so much so that you might be thinking: “Do these guys only run into good people on their travels? Is the world really like that? Are all people around the world really that good?”
Not always. Sometimes you meet people who grind you to the edge.
And then, you must find your way back. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Perspectives, Thailand, Travel by: Daniel Noll
24 Comments | 22 December 2010
Q: What’s the proper way to greet family you’ve never met before?
A: In Argentina: with kisses, warmth — and a heck of a lot of steak.
Earlier this year, with a visit to relatives in Argentina only days away, I received my first email in Spanish from my grandmother. This may not sound noteworthy, but the fact that she wrote it in her mother tongue transformed it for me from a simple letter into a welcome to a part of my family I hadn’t known before: the Argentine side.
Author’s note: Our visit to Argentina was months ago, so why am I writing about this now? With the holidays coming, I began to reflect on tradition, family and what it means to be “far away.” Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Argentina, Perspectives by: Audrey Scott
20 Comments | 17 December 2010
