Hello dear followers. It’s been a busy time for learning and growing in this new country. As my husband and I have been getting used to daily life here, far away from our family and friends, I’ve found myself simultaneously  reflecting on family—the roles we play, who we include, how we structure it, and how we make it thrive. The first seven years of my life were spent among two boisterous multi-generational households, the homes of my maternal and paternal grandparents. Weekdays were usually spent at my paternal grandparents’ flat – a three-bedroom apartment in the Bombay suburb of Khar ..read more

People have been wondering where in the world I’ve recently moved. I will address that in a future post, but this week, I want to circle back to an earlier topic. A few months ago, when I started this journey, people reached out to express thought-provoking reactions to the title I had chosen for the website and blog.  Some said I could “see” more with my “heart” than many could with their “eyes.”  Others said they would have preferred a title like “Sightless Visionary.” These reactions came from a well-intentioned place.  For these individuals who have gotten to know me well ov ..read more

What began as a short hiatus away from blogging during the summer turned into a longer gap, because of all of the hustle and bustle of an international move! Now that I’m on the other side of it, and slowly settling into a new country, a new home, a new environment, I hope I will be able to resume my exchanges with you more regularly. Some of you have asked, “Where are you? To which country have you moved?” I will answer that question another time, but for now, I want to share something universal I have learned nearly every time I pick up and move. I was only seven when we moved from India to ..read more

As the title says, this week I’m vlogging more in-depth about how I manage an international move! This was shot over a period of several days. As always, to my d/Deaf and hard of hearing followers, the transcript is below. Please let me know if the captions work in the video! We tried really hard to get them in there this time. Hopefully soon we can get some descriptive video in these videos too! TRANSCRIPT (MARIYAM) Hello, lovely people. I hope you’ve had a great weekend and a start, a beautiful start to another lovely week. I am in the throes, the final throes of what has become an epic int ..read more

In lieu of a traditional blog post, I made a vlog instead this week! Come learn why there is no written post this week. For my d/Deaf/Hard of Hearing followers, I’ve included the transcript for the video below. Please bear with us as we figure out how to put captions in. We’re still learning! TRANSCRIPT MARIYAM: 0:00      So, this week’s edition is special. Instead of doing a traditional blog, I am doing a video post. 0:09      And you’ll see more of this as we go into a new exploration and adventure of podcasting and YouTubing down the road ..read more

In the midst of my Ramadan fast, I found myself on a water taxi with my two favorite people–my husband and sister. They had surprised me for my birthday with an activity they knew I’d love: enjoying a breezy spring day gliding on the Potomac as we passed the majestic monuments that adorn our nation’s capital. The magnificence and magic of Washington, DC never gets old for me, no matter how old I get! I fell in love with Washington and its rich history when I first visited days after graduating high school, not knowing then as a native Californian that I’d end up living in the DC metro area som ..read more

Earlier this Spring, my husband and I spent a week in a small, sleepy town in the middle of Virginia with a population of just over 3,000. We had gone for work, but I ended up learning a few lessons about leisure and life there, which can occasionally include a round of Corn Hole    Now, most people – especially happy city-dwellers like us – have this idyllic conception about small town America (or small towns generally):  the people are especially friendly and hospitable, houses and buildings are picturesque and cute, you can walk just about anywhere, the surroundings are green ..read more

One of my most memorable law school readings was about bobblehead dolls. Famous actors and politicians whose faces were fashioned into bobbleheads weren’t always flattered by the comedic attention, and as public figures, did they have a right of action to sue because of an unfavorable depiction? How many issues could public figures who had entered the limelight by their own personal choice really complain about? In many instances, courts had ruled that public figures were fair game for the media, other industries, and society at large. Public figures’ allegations of libel or slander could be d ..read more

Today, I’m writing from Houston, at the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind – an event I attended for the first time 26 years ago in New Orleans. Then, I was a bright-eyed national scholarship winner, amazed in my teenage years at the people I met who embodied the limitless possibilities of the employment, education, and empowerment of blind Americans. One of those individuals is now my husband, “Ali” (Chris) Foster. This blog post is a collaboration between the two of us because he is the geeky techie among us who is giddy about new discoveries and technological ingenuit ..read more