Sometimes you just have to let them talk.
"I am an Ebola survivor.”
I always have questions. But this time, I just had to listen quietly, while this Ebola survivor in Gbarnga, Liberia, talked to us about why electricity is important for people's health. All I could hear was him telling me that when Ebola came, no one in his village believed it was real.
I didn't know where to put my hands...
“Bueno?”
Narda invited us to her home to talk. She came with her granddaughter for me, and her teenage grandson arrived on another motorbike for Noah, who defied gravity and balanced his camera equipment. I climbed on and felt like I was breaking all kinds of rules. Which was fine. But I just didn't know where to put my hands.
"Fly with me!!" And they did.
"They just want to run. Or maybe fly!”
We planned to play soccer with the kids, but like any other group of kids in the world, the bigger kids didn't want the little ones to ruin their fun. So what to do? I said, "Fly with me!" And they did. So did Mary. This was one of the brighter moments working with a marginalized group of children with albinism in eastern Tanzania. Because who wouldn't want to fly?
“That’s life.”
Last year, I helped 40 Miles Home, a local band, pull together a video of their original songs for the 2020 Arlington County Fair, a beloved annual event where they would usually take the stage for a live performance. Not this time. I shot and edited a special performance in my back yard (my husband is one of the guitarists/singers), and it soothed my soul for months. This was one of many pre-recorded music performances at the virtual Fair. This video had the most views that day. Grab a beer, take a listen.
Can you pass the U.S. citizenship test?
"Would you like to register to vote today?" Why yes.
On September 2, 2016, I became a U.S. citizen. For months I studied the citizenship study guide and carried it with me everywhere. I passed with flying colors (could you?), and my interviewer made my day when he told me that he really enjoys his job. I was sworn in at a very emotional ceremony with a few hundred other people from so many countries. To this day, I cry when the US national anthem is played. That day, my daughter gave me a copy of the US Constitution. I'm a proud immigrant, I love the country that has been my home for three decades, and so excited to vote each and every time.