A poem
Ruby red tea thick with sugar
served hot on the train from Luxor to Cairo
in little hourglass-shaped cups.
Men grasp their middles and sip,
others gulp down the sweet tonic between
their thick moustaches and thicker chins. …
I am interested in paradoxes, contradictions, people, culture, and being human. I write and translate DE-EN | MFA student Non-Fiction. www.bettinahindes.com
A contemplation on aging and materiality
During my freshman year at St. John’s College, our biology class went to a medical school to examine dissected cadavers after the medical students were done with them. This was a unique privilege, as our professor knew someone and got us special access to…
All Souls' Day Contemplation
I find two trees entwined in a wood, past the chestnuts littering the forest floor like nature’s prickly confetti. At first glance, they appear as one tree split in half at the base, but they grow apart as they seek sunlight. Only digging up their roots could prove trunk autonomy.
…
Tough but worth it! Why the German language can be so fun
Compound Words
Germans are known for having a word for everything. This is not only due to the observant and intelligent culture of the German-speaking world, but the ingeniousness of German grammar. You can play mix n’ match with nouns, adjectives, verbs, and prepositions to create neologisms all day long! …
A year of adventures in Berlin — from dates to public transportation snafus
December
On my way to see a lover, I must walk past the fenced-in Christmas tree business near the Landsberger Allee S-Bahn station. It covers almost a square kilometer with over one hundred pine trees on display, pointing…
Observations on a Baseball Game from a Non-sporty American
Section 214, seat number 5 at the Kaufman Stadium, Kansas City in July for a game between the Kansas Royals versus the Baltimore Orioles.
We are sitting in the second to last row from the top. I smell hot dogs and beer. Immediately the sweating begins. My butt is sweating…
On Breakdowns and Books
In the autumn of 2017, I fell into myself. Humbly returning to my center with a flag of defeat dragging behind me like a party streamer after a summer storm. Collapse was inevitable. I had sought myself — and a home — all over the globe…
How I learned that my writing skills are in high demand for digital content.
What is UX Writing?
If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “What?” when I told them I was taking a course in UX writing and they gave me that look, well, I’d have a good chunk of change by now.
Berlin Unicorns
I miss the gypsies feeding their children ice-cream and Coke Cola in the subway. The traditional, pink, flowery scarves covering half their round dark heads, and their dangly golden earrings add color to Berlin’s dreary winters. I could learn a lot from these women. Roma is what they are called…
Lived Through This
Finding my voice as a woman and veteran
When I was 25, I enlisted in the U.S. Army. During basic training, I wrote “It is a privilege to be oneself” in my journal. I scribbled those words under incredible physical and emotional distress, stripped of all indicators and standards of selfhood. Face-down in the muddy soil of Fort…
