Back home

_ScannedMedia = Kodak VPS III 160_ImageColorType = ICTypeSceneAfter a long, 14-hour flight, I am back at home. On the left is the mysterious photo taken by Tamara W. Hill in Meknes that I look at every day as I leave the house. It appears to be two images superimposed on each other, which is why it looks so jarring–as though there is something a little bit off kilter. I don’t have any mementoes of this trip to Saudi Arabia, probably because I never really got enough of an understanding of Riyadh. I don’t take photos on my trips–except to post on Facebook as a modern version of postcards–and I rely on physical objects to jog my memory. I did, however, bring back Arabic clothing, colorfully patterned and loose, which I will wear. I also have an abaya, the long black coat that Arab women wear, which was made in Clifton, New Jersey, in a shop run by Palestinian women from Jordan. Something about the cut reminds me of the clothes worn by women here in the 1950s. I can see in my mind’s eye all sorts of uses for that coat, but I think it is best left, folded and put away in the closet. One of the wonderful things about taking a trip–any trip–is coming back and seeing ordinary things in  different way. I came back with a desire to think about technology and interconnectedness. About how communities can be formed through electronic media and mediation and how small opportunities and ideas can grow exponentially through crowd-sourcing. That’s all for now…..

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