Missionary service is the only way to truly prove your dedication to Jesus Christ. Or so I mistakenly thought—and upon which I built two decades of my life. To not be overseas was to be living in rebellion against prayers prayed and commitments made. To not be overseas meant ignoring a calling, …
Coming home again.
Coming home? Fondly called the RE-ENTRY PROCESS, reverse culture shock is a formidable minefield. The unsuspecting could definitely be caught off guard. When our family returned from our five years abroad, there was a simple exit-interview with one of the personnel directors at mission headquarters …
Are there ethics that should apply to our writing?
A school teacher has an ethical approach to her teaching. We could call it her PHILOSOPHY of teaching. Written or not, she acts out her philosophy over and over again, the EVIDENCE found in the MOMENTS that make up a school day. As a teacher myself, I respect the individual and his or her right to …
Twain–a world traveler
The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume One, lies open before me. These 467 pages represent just a portion of the extensive memoir of Samuel Clemens who wrote under the pen-name of Mark Twain. I close the volume to study the cover. Twain is presented in his later years in this photograph of black …
The Classic 5-Paragraph Essay
Typical 5 Essay format: Introduction (hook, background, thesis) Body (transition statements and details), Conclusion (with a quick reference to the opposition, repeat of thesis, and an inspirational appeal) To Love Your Job Teaching is a wonderful profession. Where else can you hangout with …
Color–Culturally loaded?
< Physically speaking, color may affect mood as interior and industrial designers have proven. Take for example the hotel that I recently stayed. The huge lobby was decorated in muted orange, clay, and silver. The wall sconces shed soft light on the surroundings, the waterfall added the gentle …
Asphalt Nation
During the '90s there was an anti-car book called Asphalt Nation that mentioned a kid taunting people who couldn't afford cars and had to ride the bus as being on the "Loser Cruiser". I'm against the taunting, but I love cars for their attractiveness and I really like driving. The book Asphalt …
How dare you Compare one culture to another?
It's risky business. I mean to compare one culture to another. In this post, I would like to show how David Casarett tastefully handles COMPARING ONE CULTURE TO ANOTHER in his novel Murder at the House of Rooster Happiness. How do we do that at the risk of offending our readers? Today, …
TONE SETTING–an illustrated explanation
David Casarett’s novel, Murder at the House of Rooster Happiness, is a showcase for Thai culture. In our last discussion on “cultural” references in fiction, we focused on the author’s addition of Thai food and descriptions. From him, we can learn how to incorporate foreign food in our …
Mouth-Watering Fiction teaches what it means to be THAI
It’s not often I actually finish a book. It’s true of both my writing and reading habits. It takes me a year or many years to finish writing a book and to prepare it for publishing. For reading, I confess there are so many distractions, and I rarely find a book that I love. Recently I found, …