Dispatches from Elsewhere

Tiny Terrors of Boarding School

Tiny Terrors of Boarding School

Nothing terrible happened during my first twenty-four hours at boarding school. But nearly every moment was terrifying. Now, I’m not talking about Faces of Death moments. So get that out of...

Tiny Terrors of Boarding School

Nothing terrible happened during my first twenty-four hours at boarding school. But nearly every moment was terrifying. Now, I’m not talking about Faces of Death moments. So get that out of...

The Night I Got Trapped in Japan

The Night I Got Trapped in Japan

When I was nineteen, I almost ended up living inside the terminal at Narita Airport. I had flown to Japan to meet up with my dad, who was a flight...

The Night I Got Trapped in Japan

When I was nineteen, I almost ended up living inside the terminal at Narita Airport. I had flown to Japan to meet up with my dad, who was a flight...

The Half-Naked Man in Laos

The Half-Naked Man in Laos

I was in Vientiane, Laos. I’d woken up early one morning and was sitting outside a small coffee shop, facing a single-lane road. It was early, quiet, cool—that time of...

The Half-Naked Man in Laos

I was in Vientiane, Laos. I’d woken up early one morning and was sitting outside a small coffee shop, facing a single-lane road. It was early, quiet, cool—that time of...

The Most Dangerous People Are the Ones You Trust

The Most Dangerous People Are the Ones You Trust

When I was a kid, I hated going to the dentist. Not because I had cavities. But because my dentist didn’t believe in numbing. I’m not kidding. He would just...

The Most Dangerous People Are the Ones You Trust

When I was a kid, I hated going to the dentist. Not because I had cavities. But because my dentist didn’t believe in numbing. I’m not kidding. He would just...

A Terrible Place to Wake Up

A Terrible Place to Wake Up

The engine was off, and the car wasn’t moving. I lifted my head and looked out the window. We weren’t at a temple. We were parked in the driveway of...

1 comment

A Terrible Place to Wake Up

The engine was off, and the car wasn’t moving. I lifted my head and looked out the window. We weren’t at a temple. We were parked in the driveway of...

1 comment
The Night I Tried to Use a Book to Get a Girl

The Night I Tried to Use a Book to Get a Girl

When I was in college, I once tried to impress a girl I had somehow convinced to come back to my bedroom. I was pumped. I figured all I had...

The Night I Tried to Use a Book to Get a Girl

When I was in college, I once tried to impress a girl I had somehow convinced to come back to my bedroom. I was pumped. I figured all I had...