Nineteen - A collection of stories by women

Published 2003

Excerpt from Heavy Mettle:

Maggie opened the door of her '72 lime-green VW Beetle and dropped into the seat. She jammed the keys into the ignition and prayed that it would start on the first try. There was no one else in the parking lot and she was glad. She didn't want anyone else to see her cry and if she didn't get out of here soon it was going to happen. The car started. She put it in gear and swung into traffic. She burst into tears at the first red light.

 Board of Pensions, ELCA, Minnesota, USA

My Year of Hard Truths 

July 2008 

What I discovered last year was that unless I was breathing really hard and sweating a lot for at least 30 minutes, I wasn't doing much to move my fitness goals forward. It was only when I started running, something I've said repeatedly that I would never do, that my body really started rewarding me for my efforts. I can't say that I like it. Most of the time, I'm pretty miserable during exercise. However, I can't deny the feeling of well-being that accompanies me for the rest of the day after a good workout.

The Lutheran Magazine Chicago, Illinois, USA

Cross Traffic

July 2001

When I was growing up in the Midwest, I thought everyone was Lutheran. Much later I realized that not everyone believed the same things my family and members of my congregation did. Some of my friends belonged to other denominations, and I even knew of one or two people who weren't Christian. But I never really thought about it much and took my belieft system for granted.

Tension Grows in Malaysia

December 2001

My knee aches, and I blame Osama bin Laden. Along with many other changes in my life since the "Attack on America," the daily walk required to keep my arthritic knee limber has been interrupted. Make no mistake, it's my intention to make light of this. If I dwell on the actuality of my situation, I won't be able to cope.

Into the Jungle (Cover story)

August 2002

Using blowpipes and poisonous darts, the men scour the jungle for small game and birds to provide essential proteins for survival. Although regarded primarily as hunters, they eat mainly wild roots and vegetables gathered in the jungle. Historically, the Jahai have moved between Malaysia and Thailand in a nomadic lifestyle that has no regard for international borders.

Call to Prayer

September 2002

For the past years, my day has begun with an Arabic "call to prayer." Long before Sept. 11, 2001, this morning intrusion started me thinking about the Muslim faith.

Having it All?

June 2005

I never planned on having a baby. I didn't subscribe to the modern-day myth that women can "have it all." Frankly, I never understood why anyone would want to put herself under that sort of pressure. More by circumstance than planning, I pursued a career.

Away with the Manger?

November 2007

I love Christmas cards. They ignite the Yuletide spirit in me each year. I cherish childhood memories of sorting through my grandparents' bulging pile of holiday mail. They received too many cards to display and kept most in a deep, flat-bottomed bowl. I would study them all, judging them on the merit of their artwork but also on the content of the message. I'm positive that time spent reviewing my grandpartent's annual collection contributed to my lifelong enthusiasm for sending my own cards.

Why Weight?

June 2008

I'm a foodie. I love everyting that food represents. I like cooking and trying new recipes. I like kitchen gadgets and cookware. I appreciate the nurturing qualities of food and the social aspects it presents. I've always rewarded and comforted myself with food. I eat when I'm happy and when I'm sad. I eat when I'm bored or depressed or sick or under stress. I eat to celebrate, and I eat to grieve. I don't think I've ever lost my appetite.

Next to Godliness

June 2008

Several months agao it was announced in our church that the weekly cleaning roster had a lot of empty spots on it. The elder reading the announcement impishly suggested that some of the younger members of the congregation might enjoy this opportunity to get involved. It wasn't meant as a chastisement, but that's how I took it. Sheepishly, if not begrudgingly, I put my name down for two cleaning sessions.

Washington Flyer Magazine, Washington D.C., USA

Tokyo Time

September/October 2002

Jet lag has me prowling a lonely subway station at 5 a.m. Although it's nearly impossible to experience Tokyo without a crush of people, catching the first train of the day seems to work. I step over a few well-dressed businessmen, drunk from the night before, who decided to sleep it off on the subway floor. They're curled up - perfectly comfortable in their spots - like children during a sleepover. It's odd and refreshing, knowing they're just as safe here as at home.

Hemisphere Kids Magazine, Singapore 

Safari Africa (Cover story)

2002

"Bush" is a shortened version of the Afrikaans word bushveld (pronounced "bush felt"). The bushveld landscape is dry and brown. It consists of open plains carpeted with tall, dry grass. It also has dense thickets of scrubby brush, largely acacia thorn, which provide cover for the game. Few large trees grow in the bushveld and do not dominate the landscape. 

KL American Magazine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Cirque du Soleil

March 2000

It was happening again. My attention was focused wholly on center stage. I was glued to my chair, unwilling to miss one single second of what was unfolding in front of me. Rational belief had been suspended and I had totally abandoned any idea of being able to predict what would come next. After an hour of much the same sort of wonderment, all I knew was that it was going to be unimaginable and I couldn't wait.

Motorbike Maneuvers

May 2000

I recently experienced a true Malaysian moment. It was one of those times when an incident is so definitive that you know it will always be etched in your mind as unique to a specific place or time.

Hong Kong Shopping for Deals

June/July 2000

I recently spent a week in Hong Kong with a friend who fancies herself a master shopper. I understood that Kathy had a passion for shopping and also an eye for a good deal so I was looking forward to a trip to the city that is definitely a shopper's paradise. I also had a secret suspicion that her idea of a good deal was influenced by the fact that she earns well into a 6-figure income every year. Since I am on a new found austerity program with my recent retirement from the rat race, I was convinced that I could out bargain, out deal and basically, out shop her.

Defining Halal

August 2000

Food that is approved by Islam for consumption by people of the Muslim faith is considered to be halal. While this word is unknown to many Americans, halal designation for Muslims is similar in concept to kosher food for people of the Jewish faith.

Deepavali and More

October 2000

When I arrived in Kuala Lumpur last September, one of the first Asian holidays to be celebrated was Deepavali. I was impressed with the amount of decoration and celebrating that occurred but was mystified what, exactly, Deepavali was. I understood that it was the "festival of light" but what did it mean to the Hindu religion and why is it so important to people of that faith?

The Ramayana

October 2000

To better appreciate the Deepavali holiday, it is important to understand the story of the Ramayana. As stated earlier, the Ramayana is an epic story that, over the centuries, has spawned many versions and tons of literature. It is one of the backbones for the beliefs celebrated during Deepavali. It is rich with characters and symbolism of which only the most basic will be described.

African Women

November 2000 

Struggling with my groceries up 4 flights of stairs in the Malaysian heat had left me in a grumpy mood. I was feeling very sorry for myself as everything we eat is hauled up these steps by yours truly on an almost daily basis. While I enjoy the close proximity of my apartment to the grocery store, there are times when I could do without it. I had to reflect on the African women of South Africa and I quit feeling sorry for myself.

All About the Tea in China (Cover story)

December 2000/January 2001

Next to water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. Legend has it that tea was first discovered in 2737 B.C. by Emperor Shen Nong, a scholar, herbalist, scientist and patron of the arts. A real "renaissance man", the Emperor had concluded that, for health reasons, all drinking water must be boiled. One afternoon, during a camping expedition, the leaves of a nearby camellia bush fell into the boiling water. The Emperor drank the new liquid because he found the aroma very satisfying. Pleased with the flavor and its refreshing qualities, he declared that tea gives vigor to the body.

Ramadan – The Holiday of Fasting

December 2000/January 2001

Christmas is right around the corner and like millions of people of the Christian faith I'm finishing my preparation for the big holiday. This won't be my first Christmas away from the USA and my family. It won't even be the first time that I've been in a non-Christian country during the holiday season. What makes it all the more poignant for me is that this year Ramadan occurs in December. Believe me, it would be hard to imagine two more diverse religious observances. Ramadan is the fasting month. While I'm busy shopping and baking and looking forward to a feasting holiday, the majority of the people in Malaysia are focused on not eating anything.

South African Christmas

December 2000/January 2001

From 1996 to 1999 I lived and worked in South Africa. Having been an expat for several years at that time, I had become accustomed to spending the holiday season away from my family. Coming from Michigan, we never had to dream of a white Christmas, it was pretty much a guarantee. But December 25th arrives right smack in the middle of the summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Because of this, Christmas celebrations in South Africa are warm and green.

Basic Feng Shui

February 2001

As a veteran of the expat lifestyle, more than once over the last 10 years I lived in a home that was arranged for me before I arrived. In every instance, I gave the same instructions to the person assigned to find me a place to live. When I asked for "big open rooms, lots of natural light and a large kitchen", I was unknowingly supporting some of the most basic concepts of feng shui.

In a State of Disarray (poetry) 

March 2001

In a state of disarray

In my bed is where I lay.

Covered in sheets and books and mags,

Dressed in nightshirt close to rags.

Procrastination is the name

Of this dirty little game.

Don't go to write or work or gym,

Indulge my every little whim.

Hindu Gods 

April 2001

If you have ever watched a Bollywood movie, visited a Hindu temple or eaten in an Indian restaurant, you've come in contact with gods and godesses of the Hindu faith. Hinduism is the oldest organized religion in the world and supports as many as 333 million different gods. A believer of Hinduism will worship one or many different gods depending on what sort of problems they want solved or prayers they need answered.

A Mother’s Influence

May 2001

When I think of a significant contribution my mother has made to my life, through her own force of nature and personality, I have to count my love of reading as one of the more important, if not the most important, gift she imparted to me.

The Roots of Patriotism

June 2001

Last July, my brother sent me an email entitled "The 4th of July". It was a compelling document that represented itself as a history lesson to those of us that have forgotten the lesser-known founding fathers.

Charitable Contributions

August 2001

In the beginning it felt guilty, like I was stealing. I was definitely taking things that I did not need or use. I had my own. The hotel rooms I used for business were always full of them. Why shouldn't I take them? I would hoard them. I filled paper grocery bags with them. I guarded them from use. I protected them from the curious and the stingy. They were mine and I had plans.

Bullying in our Schools

August 2001

While it's safe to say the word "bully" has never been used in a positive way, traditionally bullying was considered a mild form of harassment. A kind of trouble, in fact, that each and every one of us suffered at some point in our school life unless we were remarkably lucky or living in a bubble.

The Ingham County Community News - Michigan, USA

Weather in Malaysia Dictates Light, Casual Clothing

26 December 1999

The first thing you notice about Malaysia is the weather.

After living in South Africa for three years, I had become accustomed to hot weather. After living in Michigan for the better part of 30 years, I had become accustomed to humid summers. What I am not accustomed to, however, is the marriage of the two.

Leslie Native Experiences Holiday of a Different Sort

2 January 2000

Fasting is decreed for all Muslims who have reached the age of puberty. For the most part, only the sick, elderly or pregnant are excused from the fast. Those people who can not fast are required to pay a ransom, of sorts, by giving food to the poor. If the fast is broken intentionally, the person must make amends, which can be anything from giving food to the poor to observing a two-month fast after Ramadan is over.

Clothing in Malaysia is Colorful, Dramatic 

09 January 2000

Malaysia is a land of many cultures. Nothing defines this more clearly than the clothes that people wear. At any given hour of the day, I will encounter people in Western clothes, traditional Malaysian garb, Indian saris, sarongs, Chinese silk pajamas, turbans, tunics and sometimes, a mixture of all.

Motorbikes a Malaysian Mainstay 

16 January 2000 

The motorbikes in Kuala Lumpur are amazing. When I first arrived, I was convinced the drivers were reckless at best and suicidal at worst. Even as a passenger, I spent all my time in the car flinching at their driving.

You have to understand that this country airs public service announcements on the TV advising drivers to "practice driving in your lane" and "enjoy the peacefulness of slow speeding".

Imagine Living Without Chocolate Chip Cookies 

23 January 2000 

On of the hazards of living overseas is the lack of availability of products that many of us take for granted. So many of these things are a part of our everyday life in the USA.

Imagine life without a Ziploc bag.

Foreign Countries Offer Exciting Food Selections 

30 January 2000 

The early Afrikaans cooks in South Africa developed one of the most delicious sausages I have ever tasted; the "boerewor". The English pubs hae mastered hese lovely meat pies in rich gravy and tender, flaky pastry. When served with oven-roasted potatoes, there is no British rain that can seep into your bones.

Women of South Africa are Incredible People 

06 February 2000

This enough would have impressed me but I would be remiss not to give you the whole picture. She was on her way home from her job as a domestic servant, and had stopped to do some grocery shopping for dinner. In each hand she had plastic bags full of potatoes that didn't seem to slow her in the least. On her back, tied with a large colorful towel, she had a small toddler, about 12 months old, fast asleep.

Most astonishing was what she had on her head - a large white plastic bucket in which appeared to be about five gallons of corn meal. As she passed me in my high tech Reeboks and super stretchy Lycra walking clothes, I marveled at the fact that she hadn't even worked up a sweat, let alone missed a note.

Mom Instilled the Love of Reading for Leslie Graduate

13 May 2001

I remember vividly the anticipation of getting the Weekly Reader Book Club catalog. I would take it home and my mom and I would go over the book and pick out which ones I could have. When the books finally arrived, I carried them home with a trembling excitement. As the oldest of four kids that were born within four years, books were my first taste of privacy and also my first real guilty pleasure.