Why do I spend so much time online? Simba can't quite figure this one out, to him the internet is used only to check email for work and to maybe spend 5 minutes every couple days on Facebook. But I definitely spend a good chunk of my day on the computer - during the day it's to do work, but in the evenings I also spend a couple hours in front of the screen. I have come to the conclusion that it is mostly because it makes me feel connected to friends and family that I can't actually see or keep in touch with in any meaningful manner. Because I live in Sudan, explaining what my life is like and what I'm thinking and feeling is very very difficult because there is no way I can accurately put words to my situation. I try on this blog with pictures and stories, and I try through skype and phone conversations with people, but I am often left with not much to say. People want to know where I live, what I eat, who I hang out with, how my job is going, and that's easy to communicate, but the larger issues of what I feel and how living here will (inevitably) change me (I'm sure it already has)? Now that is a challenge.
Through writing a blog, you get to read other people's blogs, and there are some out there that are pretty darn good - better at I am anyway in putting to words their experiences. Here are a few that I read, in no particular order:
NYGRINGAINCHILE:
Written by my dear friend Beatrice, who is living in Santiago, Chile with her Chilean Hubby and writes resturant reviews, comments about her life in Chile, and all things in between
The Wind in your Vagina:
This blog will stay one of my all-time favorites. Don't be scared off by the name. A self-identified "Daddy Blog", this GORGEOUS writing comes from a Dad who writes about raising kids, his past demons, with a health dose of existential ramblings (including *conversations* with his dead friends and comments about music thrown in. Oh, and also discussions about why people refuse to refer to parts of the human anatomy by their "official" names.
Diary of a Mad DC Cabbie:
Helps me keep tabs on what is going on in my former home, Washignton, DC, (things both in and out of the news) as told by someone who knows his shit and is not afraid to speak his mind or call people out. Plus the stories about his cab fares are great.
Life's an Adventure:
In August 2006 my Mom and I had the privilege of attending a Women-only Writing and Rafting trip in Colorado, facilitated by writer Page Lambert. Page has a book called In Search of Kinship which is a beautiful account of her years raising her son and daughter on a ranch in Wyoming. Page captures life in the West of the United States with such color, warmth, and sereneness. I highly recommend reading it.
Attack of the Redneck Mommy:
Tanis, who writes from Canada, tells it like it is about most things in life: the death of one of her children, whatever is on her mind, and lots about boobs. I love this one.
Enjoy!
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