Category Archives: America

Bubble Trouble

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Liz Barron

I have been trying to make the perfect bubble mix in preparation for a community event on Sunday. The recipe promises giant, long-lasting rainbowed spheres and calls for ingredients including baking powder, cornstarch and glycerine in addition to liquid detergent … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Armenia, Beauty, Cross-cultural understanding, errors of judgement, friendship, Games, Great weekends, joy, Language, Language learning, Peace Corps, personal failings, Things that gladden the heart, Village life | 3 Comments

Congested in the Caucasus 

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Liz Barron

I blame the blossom. And then there’s the dust and the mould. What started as seasonal sneezing due to inhaling pesky pollen, motes of dried mud, and creeping black spores quickly led to sinus havoc. My ears popped crossing the … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Armenia, Bronchitis, Cooking, Cross-cultural understanding, family, Food, friendship, travel, Village life, Vodka, Women | 2 Comments

From Anne Arundel County to Armenia: Week One as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Liz Barron

I have a view of Mount Ararat from my bedroom near Artashat in Armenia. The mountain, the national icon of Armenia, is now in territory claimed by Turkey, but the people here still consider it very much their own. The … Continue reading →

Posted in America, apricots, Armenia, family, Food, friendship, Mount Ararat, Peace Corps, personal failings, travel | 4 Comments

Home thoughts from abroad

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Liz Barron

  I didn’t hear about the Westminster bombing until 24 hours after it happened. I was in transit, and then in a place without papers, TV or internet. This saved me hours of worry because the dead and maimed had … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Northern Ireland, Politics, Terrorism | Leave a comment

From Washington DC to Yerevan

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Liz Barron

You’ll have heard of the Smithsonian of course. And the Lincoln Memorial. And the US Capitol. These are the icons and institutions for which Washington DC is rightly famous. You will not have heard of the Hyatt Place hotel, built … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Armenia, eating out, Peace Corps, travel, Washington DC | 2 Comments

Learning to Travel Light

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Liz Barron

My straight-talking sister, having requested an update on my whereabouts, texted me just one word: gypsy. My guess is that she did not mean this in a “respect for the Romanies”, or even a “banjo-playing, gaily- coloured flounces, and horse-drawn … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Armenia, clothes, know thyself, packing, Peace Corps, personal failings, shopping, straight-talking sister, travel, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

On being American 

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Liz Barron

  I am back in America and am in language rehab, trying to practice US pronunciation (to-MAY-to)  and to remember to say sweater instead of jumper. I have landed not far from Plymouth Rock and am staying with a descendant … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Politics, Washington DC | 2 Comments

You’ll probably hate this, but…

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Liz Barron

My Thanksgiving day lunch was a Veggie Christmas sandwich, eaten at my desk in London where the holiday is not celebrated. Bleak, with a side of bathos. Three thousand miles away, my friends and family tucked into turkey, mashed potato, mac … Continue reading →

Posted in America, know thyself, personal failings, Politics, Washington DC | 3 Comments