In Part 2 of this newsletter series, Jake wants to know what’s up with everyone in America saying “Welcome in!” and Nora goes to war with a claw machine. 

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Thank you for your patience during my newsletter hiatus as my family moved from Kyrgyzstan to India! We spent the summer doing the usual grand tour of hugging necks (seven states in six weeks), and I’ve spent these early weeks in New Delhi writing about our summer, as well as about how we are settling in in our new home. This has turned into a long collection of vignettes, which I’ll be sending out a few at a time over the next several weeks. 

So here is Part 1 of “LIVE MAS”: Lantern Fly, Jumanji, Robot Teeth, & Big Speakers. 

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One last trip to Lake Issyk Kul to round out our time in Kyrgyzstan. Spoiler: it's not cool.

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We're down to two months left before our move, and my brain has too many tabs open. Please pardon the jumble.

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SHENANIGANS! How to DoorDash in Kyrgyzstan, what Nora’s looking forward to about India (pools), and thoughts on leaving government work for freelancing. 

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First newsletter of the year—let’s kick off with WHERE WE ARE MOVING THIS SUMMER! And also my 2026 word for the year, because I know you’re dying to know. 

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Come with me to Korea, land of tigers and magpies, Instagram temples, and so many demands for ice cream!

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Thoughts on a summer overabundant with good things—new friends and reunions with old; taking Nora to Oxford for the first time; and hating on cruise ship shore excursions.

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A short check-in this week. I managed to survive throwing a community 4th of July party AND leading a yurt camping trip in the same weekend. And now we’re in the delicious in-between before heading off on vacation.

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A short update today. Things have been busy and uncertain, but spring has arrived in Bishkek, and with it I'm thinking about all the usual narrative conflicts. Man vs. nature. Man vs. man. Man vs. self. And man vs...robot?

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