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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No news is good news (maybe?) in the world of federal employee layoffs. So in the spirit of inventing my own good news, I’m launching a felted tapestry collection! And questioning my millennial hobby tendency. And celebrating my inheritance as a third generation artist. All the things! With ribbons and branding on top!

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Our colleagues at USAID have been laid off, and the rest of us at the Embassy are living in the in-between, waiting to see what will happen to us. But before all of this, we booked a vacation--might as well take it. Join us on a cruise of the Mediterranean--me, Jake, Nora, and the Dudebros of Italy.

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What to do in uncertain times? It's a question that began plaguing me in 2018 after my father's death. And now, a year after starting this newsletter, it's back again.

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This week on The Fig, we're talking all fun things: pollution, strep throat, and the week's internet bad vibes. But also my new felting hobby! Don't go!

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This week on The Fig, everything's in transition: landscapes, jobs, and new administrations. Also, Jake and I go to an art museum where we're convinced they filmed the movie Saw.

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This week on The Fig, America appears in unexpected places, and my Russian isn't getting any better. Plus election reflections for someone who is restricted by The Hatch Act.

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