This 1995 photo shows a lighter moment in my fifth form classroom at School #97 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. We were learning how to make rabbit ears on ourselves and our neighbors while posing for photos.
This photo shows the view from my apartment in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Winters are long, cold and snowy there but kids enjoy playing hockey in the courtyard no matter what the weather is like.
Celebrations; Ceremonies; Weddings; Host community friends
I was honored when my friend Lyuba asked me to be the maid of honor at her wedding in October, 1994. This photo shows the newlyweds in the center with the best man on the left and me on the right.
Celebrations; Ceremonies; Weddings; Host community friends
Between my friend Lyuba's wedding ceremony and the wedding reception we drove a few miles out into the steppe surrounding the city of Karaganda and tied a red ribbon to a pole. The red ribbon symbolizes anger and unpleasantness, which the newlyweds...
This is a photo of me with my neighbor, Maria Yegorovna. I would visit her often to drink tea and hear her stories about life as a teenager working in the coal mines of Karaganda during the Great Patriotic War (World War II). She didn't have...
As a school we walked to this widow's house to give her a live pig, bags of rice, bags of fruit, and our money donation (from the faculty). The widow was the wife of a respected member of the school board. She in return gave all the visitors a...
The Head of the English Department of our school, Cape Rodney, asked me to serve as one of the judges of the school's Culture Day. The students performed dances and songs from their own cultural heritage - there were about 8 different language...
The Headmaster sent some students - only from his tribe - home to collect ancestral headwear, dress, and artifacts for the Culture Day competition. The rest of the students had to forage in the nearby forest for their attire. The young men are...
Santa is asking the children whether they have been good. He rewards them with small candies. We were on Loloato Island for an in-service training near Christmastime. The proprietors of the place we stayed arranged for Santa to visit during our...
This is taken in front of the American Embassy in Port Morseby just after Jean was sworn-in. Clayton was sworn-in 10 days earlier with the rest of the cohort. Jean's security clearance was delayed - Jean received an individual swearing in from the...
This is a photo of morning assembly at the flag pole where students received their daily "pep" talk (sometimes a scolding - such as "no more trysts at the dump pit"). The girls are in yellow and the boys in green.
Welcome to my family in Papua New Guinea. My mother and father are standing in the background with all my cousins, grandpa and "Wontoks"sitting. Kinda fun learning about the "thumbs up" sign as one boy is doing but even more fun to have your...
It took a couple of hours, but I finally put together my traditional dress for a very special affair. Now I just need to learn how to shoot the bow and arrow.
I visited a village near my school and found some wonderful kids. They wanted me to stay but I needed more than just sugar cane and sweet potatoes for dinner. Though they were fun they also showed signs of malnourishment.