Morjes!

Welcome to my blog. I write about fitting in, sticking out, and missing the motherland as a serial foreigner.

March 18th, outsourced

The internet was chock full of things this week. Let's have a look!

The superior social skills of bilinguals. I'm glad that research continues to show benefits of bilingualism. It wasn't always that way! [HT Anna]

Perhaps you've heard about an Instagram account featuring hot male refugees? Foreign Policy isn't sure what to make of this, and I'm not either.

Quit your job (says The Atlantic). [HT Jeremy]

ISIS, kidnapped women, and birth control - a heartbreaking investigation by The New York Times.

I've often wondered whose amazing houses those are in movies and TV, so I found this article about them to be very interesting.

The Syrian crisis and small-town Canada. Auto-play video warning. [HT Suzanne]

What Syrians want you to know - images and stories of Syrians, five years after the war started.

What generation do you belong to? I had thought the pithy generation-makers had ignored us early 80s babies, but apparently we're...X, Y, or Milennials! Thanks a lot!

If birth photos are not your thing, do not click here to see some truly amazing images of a baby born in the caul (with amniotic sac still intact).

I loved the tone and the message and the warmth of this article: Some babies are just easier than others. THANK YOU.

Hottest Heads of State shows you their best search terms. [HT Liz]

Maybe this needs its own post, but I cannot figure out the vitriol spewed at this student who has just been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea for ALLEGEDLY stealing a poster. The first misconception is that tourism in North Korea is not a thing (all those "who even GOES to NK??" comments) - it totally is and we know some people who have been there. The second misconception seems to be that welp, he DID steal that poster, so. UM. The third misconception is that even if he DID steal the poster, that...somehow justifies 15 years of hard labor. This thing is just bizarre all around and I think maybe, just maybe, we should ask for our countryman back, please, and he can reflect on his possibly poor life choices for the rest of his life in the USA. HMPH.

Easter in Finland

Adventure Saturday