July 2019 – LISTENING TO THE WORLD

A small time travel in Kyiv @ Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, July 17, 2019

A small time travel in Kyiv In the apartment where I am staying in Kyiv, there is a small playground. Often I see many kids playing there in the evening, probably because it is not too hot and it’s still bright outside (the Sun sets later than 9 pm these days). One day I came home after having reviewed my car and drone in the city, and I saw these kids having an exciting time constantly jumping off a mere bench. In general, I don’t find...

Moldovan Countryside @ Văsieni, Moldova, July 2, 2019

Moldovan Countryside I’ve been in the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, for almost two weeks. A typical vacation traveler would spend only a couple of days here, but I have been ‘taking it easy’ and getting some work done at my pace. As much as I like the comfortable and modestly urban vibe of Chisinau, I knew that my impression of Moldova would not be balanced without visiting the countryside, where they say that there are far fewer people and not much progress has been made since...

Listening to Tina @ American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, January 2019

Although I stayed in Lebanon for a relatively long period of time, I cannot claim that I achieved a good level of understanding of the country. It is a lot to learn about. Lebanon has been shaped by several major civilizations of the world spanning thousands of years, and it is known for being the most religiously diverse in the Middle East. If the country is a book, I only had a few glances at the table of contents. But listening to Tina’s stories helped breathe...