Stories happen to be shared
Getting off the plane in Geneva, I expected to encounter a city that reigns international affairs, business, and education. My first impression was instead of a seaside resort. The air was warm and inviting. The relaxing atmosphere seemed to order the visitors to take it easy ‘there is plenty of time,’ it seemed to say, … Continue reading From Geneva to Montreux
In the south of the Appalachian Mountains, about two hours’ drive north from Atlanta, lies a magical forest. The mountains are becoming higher and steeper than around us in Pennsylvania, the mixed forest is becoming denser, the creeks are faster and larger. A wooden deck on the third floor of the old building served as … Continue reading Magical Forest
San Francisco was a bit underwhelming this time around. The city vibrated at a frequency that I could not connect to; not the way it happened on previous visits. The encounters, personal and professional, were meaningful, and at times moving. But my relationship with the place felt stuck. We got in the car and an … Continue reading The Gems of Northern California
Окна моей комнаты в отеле Нового Орлеана выходят на Миссиссипи. Река плещется всего в нескольких метрах. Паром отчалил от берега и пересек реку. Ему на встречу движется баржа, в противоположном направлении идёт прогулочный кораблик. Огни на реке, на другом берегу, на мосту сбоку, как когда-то. Странная машина времени, будто улыбка Судьбы, приоткрывает завесу прошлого или … Continue reading Реки текут
The train from London took a little more than an hour but it felt like we had gone back two hundred years. Exiting the train station, we stepped onto the streets, purposefully preserved from the 1800s. Yellow-beige buildings, cobbled streets running up and along the hill. A river casually flowing under the bridge. I was … Continue reading Bath
"Destiny itself is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakably tender hand, placed beside another thread, and held and carried by a hundred others." Rainer Maria Rilke, "Letters to a Yong Poet" I was in New York City to give a talk at the Teachers College, Columbia University. It … Continue reading Baltic and Other Shores
Drops of champagne fall into the dark waters of the Pacific Ocean. The sunset just slightly touches the surface before diving right in. The silence is interrupted only by waves hitting the cliff, obeying their own rhythm. The shore submissively accepts the firm massage. The miniature charm of the Japanese garden, with every little bridge, … Continue reading The Colors of Passion (San Francisco)
Last summer I gave a talk at the University of Oxford, sharing my work on the comparison of childhood and education between Russia and the US. My husband and I decided to prolong our European stay and spent a week in Switzerland. We were sitting inside a small cafe in Bern named “Einstein” on a … Continue reading From Einstein to Lenin
In August 2015 I was attending a conference at the University of Pennsylvania. Whenever I travel for professional meetings, I always look for something “for the soul.” My default plan for Philadelphia was visiting the Barnes collection. I’d seen it in its old location and it was breathtaking, so I wanted to check out their … Continue reading The Temple of the Attainment of Happiness
