One of my best friend's father is dying and even though she's miles away, I can feel the sorrow behind the funny emails she sends me. Because she doesn't work and her kids are grown, she's had the time to go out and stay with her parents as they've moved...

Is it just me, or does it seem like charges of sexism have recently been flying around faster than fleas on a pound dog? Now, I'm proud to be a woman and nobody's ever accused me of being too accommodating, but it feels that feminism is being used like a...

Khalida Brohi is a sweet-faced young Pakistani woman with the giggle of a little girl and the heart of a warrior for justice. At the tender age of 24, she has seen more of life (and death) than any young woman should; she's been shot at, bombed, stalked, filmed, lauded...

My grandnephew Kieren is nine and lives outside Chicago. I've never met him in person, but when he was home sick from camp this summer, he and his mom, Kara, read the blog I've been writing as I travel to 12 countries in 12...

When I told people I was going to Armenia with Heifer International, the most frequent response was, "Wow, um.. where is that?"

So first, the geography lesson: Armenia is just east of Turkey and bordered by Georgia to the North, Azerbaijan...

After seven months into my global blogging journey with Heifer International, I've seen a lot of Passing on the Gift ceremonies. Passing on the Gift (where people who have been given an animal are required to give the first-born...

Ever since I was a little kid, nothing made me feel better than lying on my back and looking up at the clouds.

Only difference now is that sometimes I have to spy...

When you're in the Highlands of Peru, it's easy to fall head over heels for the alpaca, while paying precious little attention to its camelid cousin. The llama doesn't get much respect in many places in Peru -- it's the shaggy, blue-collar...

I was just informed that I am one of five finalists in my region (the South) competing for a CLASSY Award in the category of Volunteer of the Year. I'm deeply honored and happy about this, but somewhere inside I'm...

If I were a (queen) bee, I can tell you where I'd be hiving out: in the lush, green highlands around Vrancioaia, Romania. First of all, the place is packed with orchards of apples, plums, pears, huckleberries and wild cherries, flowers, acacia trees,...

I was a tiny bit afraid of eating in China (because I'm a food wimp) but since I was going to Sichuan, China's spiciest province, (as the Global Blogging Ambassador for Heifer International) I knew at least my vegetables and tofu would be full of flavor and kick....

The day we drove up from the overwhelming crush and chaos of Port au Prince to the quiet rural town of Degand, Haiti, it was like taking blissful step back in time -- except that life isn't quite so blissful for the...

(This post is from my first trip -- of 12 trips to 12 countries in 2012 -- as Global Blogging Ambassador for Heifer International, visiting some of the most poorest and most remote places on the planet. Best non-paying job ever!)

My first day visiting Heifer projects in...