Category Archives: The Adventures of Xenogirl
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Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal
7November 14, 2012 by Xenogirl
This week’s photo theme is “Renewal,” which reminded of a picture I took in Pakistan while working as a grant writer. This little girl and her family had been made homeless by the devastating 2005 Kashmir earthquake (7.6 magnitude), which killed an estimated 75,000 people and destroyed her village. Most families were still living in tents and emergency shelters throughout the winter and into…
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Kabul to Taloqan, Overland
18October 12, 2012 by Xenogirl
This is a favorite, epic tale involving adventure, exotic lands, danger, and courage. Yet my friends usually refer to it as “the pee story,” for reasons that will soon become clear.
My arrival to the office in Kabul that spring had been bittersweet. The welcoming and genuine smiles of my dear Afghan colleagues filled me with a sense of belonging, reminiscent of those days of returning to my hometown after several months away at college. But this stay in Kabul was to be brief, with only one day to adjust to the 10 1/2 hour time zone difference and the mile high altitude. The following day I was anticipating a journey like no other I had taken before…
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Culture Shock
10July 30, 2012 by Xenogirl
Everyone experiences culture shock in different ways, and no one is immune. Even for the bravest and most adventurous traveler, feelings of discomfort and anxiety become all too familiar. For me, the shock of life in Afghanistan is not so much a matter of adjusting to a new landscape, food, language, sights, smells, and sounds… although this is certainly part of it. Such differences seem exciting, novel, and exotic, all characteristics that I consider to be positive. What has been the most upsetting is…
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Cabernet on a Kayak
4June 20, 2012 by Xenogirl
So my uber-fabulous friend “M” invited my husband and I on a weekend trip paddling the Wisconsin River. This was their sixth annual paddling expedition, fondly referred to as “Kegs on Canoes.” The group consists of about 40 intrepid adventurers from around the midwest…
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