Life in the West Archives

Being Culturally, Not Religiously, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim…

Here in Turkey, where I live, we are currently subject to weeknight curfews and weekend lockdowns. They began at the

I didn’t believe in reverse culture shock until I experienced it for myself. Everyone knows about culture shock — that

It has been more than two months since I arrived back to the US. Some days it feels like I’ve

Experiencing Pregnancy in Two Cultures Having your first baby is a paradigm shift for any couple. A mixture of excitement

Sometimes leaving is harder than arriving. Though often temporary, you build your life in a new city. New apartment, new

Nature has never been of an utmost importance in my life. Being outdoors lacks appeal to me; could be due

Years ago, when I went to have my fortune read at the Shihlin Night Market in Taipei, the fortune-teller gave

Years ago, when I made the serendipitous – and seemingly accidental – decision to come to China, I actually had

When I had first met my husband, I knew that sharing our cultural traditions would be memorable. We came from

During my days as a university student, I traveled quite a bit. Not overseas per se, however, moving from city