august: cleveland county

2016 is finally coming to an end. I know that I'm not sad to see it go, even though I had some amazing experiences this year. Austria has a good month, but Germany ended the year on a terror-filled note that brought further (in my opinion, unmerited) criticism to the country's asylum system. Alexander Van der Bellen won the second presidential election in...

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Every time something awful and violent happens in Germany, I am surprised. At this point, I've become pretty desensitized to violent acts that happen here in the US; gun violence hardly makes the news anymore. But I always felt safe when I was in Germany. Even if I was lost. Even the time my train got in after the last tram and I...

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I’ve read a lot of books this year, much like every year since I finished my BA. So here are a few of my favorites, in the order that I read them. I've also added why I love the book and tried to avoid just saying "It's a fantastic book!" as the answer to that point. The File by Timothy Garton Ash Somehow...

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Advent is one of my favorite times of the year. It's not common to observe Advent as a season here in Oklahoma, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Advent is a major part of Christmas in Germany. Every brand makes its own Advent calendar with 24 little doors. The best ones have fancy German chocolate behind each one. Since it isn't...

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I remember first hearing about the “East Coast Liberal Media Elite” when I was 17 and Sarah Palin was running for Vice President. This was part of her wider point that “real America” was not represented by the media and people in the central and southern parts of the country were not being given a fair shake. I’ve been thinking more about this...

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