Morjes!

Welcome to my blog. I write about fitting in, sticking out, and missing the motherland as a serial foreigner.

October 14th, outsourced

RAIN MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER. I need to find a computer screen the size of my kitchen window and set it to this website at all times. [HT Steven]

There is so much to enjoy (from a safe distance) about this story involving two women who got involved in a bleach-and-chlorine battle at - wait for it - Wal*Mart. The funniest part may be that Wal*Mart released a statement saying that it does not expect this type of behavior from customers. Um, you guys? Have you ever been in one of your own stores?

Here's your chance to eavesdrop on what writers around the world are saying about the United States.

I am so grateful for the internet, if for no other reason than that it makes old photos like these (from WWII) available for everyone to see and appreciate. Seriously, some of them almost brought me to tears.

Have you met Feminist Ryan Gosling yet? You should. [HT a few people - it's one of those things I saw everywhere at once]

Psst: Haiti doesn't need your yoga mat. Speaking of donations to other countries, I once saw a guy in Jordan wearing a shirt from Sequent, a company in Oregon my dad used to work at.

I am considering printing this (You Don't Need the New iPhone) out and having Jeremy recite it as a calming and preventative mantra each morning. [HT Tim]

Perhaps there is such a thing as The Declining Hotness of Flight Attendants. But not at Emirates Airlines, where (the partially substantiated) rumors are that you have to be a certain age/weight/height to be hired, and you can't be married, and you have to reapply lipstick every two hours, and you are encouraged to flirt subtly with the male passengers.

I'll leave you with this video of two Mormon missionaries singing a (truly atrocious, sorry, it needs to be said) version of "A Child's Prayer." Sometimes we forget that missionaries are just regular 19-, 20-, and 21-year-old guys. This video really reminded me of that, right down to the fact that they were driving while they recorded this. [HT Kyler]

Rethinking bilingual acquisition

Sometimes it's nice to be a woman in the UAE