Essays

A selection of my personal writing.

 

Saudi Days, Saudi Nights

In Saudi Arabia the heat is baked into your skin, which is always coated with a thin layer of dust. The first month we are there a massive dust storm whips through Riyadh and I find piles of sand on my window sills and on the leaves of the basil plant that struggles valiantly to survive in our scrap of a yard.

Home is Where You Make It

It occurs to me that the place I lived longest, with the exception of my childhood, was my San Francisco apartment, on my mind this morning because it’s coming up to four years now since we moved out. (Surely I’ve lived several different lives since then; feels like it anyway.)

A Year in Riyadh

A year ago today (tonight) we arrived in Riyadh and now, as then, I find it difficult to write about this place. Saudi Arabia is a country that makes many Americans uncomfortable: there is a lot that’s negative about the policies and enforced ways of living here that chafe against our notions of independence and freedom. And yet, the day-to-day in Saudi is much like anywhere else.

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