I AM STANDING in the December cold in Boston along the route of the Olympic torch relay. My flight attendant friend, Mel, a woman in her mid-fifties, has been chosen to carry the torch for 200 yards, a torch lit in Athens

I AM ACCEPTING a pile of freshly laundered clothes, a hotel employee delivering it to my room. Jeans, shirts, socks, undies. Everything ls so cheap here in Kathmandu so I have the hotel do my laundry

I AM WAITING in the jetway in New Orleans with a young passenger and her mother. A motorized wheelchair will be brought up from the cargo hold for this young girl. She has very closely cropped hair,

IT IS LATE and we are serving dinner on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to the USA. The food catered out of Germany is delicious, crispy schnitzel with fluffy mashed potatoes,

I AM DRINKING in the Officers Club on Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. I am with my flight attendant crew, having worked a military charter the day before, bringing troops and their dependents to Japan.

I AM WALKING through the fish market in Nagoya, Japan with my guide Takako. I got up early, met her at 7 am, the better to watch the activity in the bustling market. This fish market is more accessible

I AM LOOKING at the menu in a little restaurant in Doha, Qatar. I wanted local food so my hotel suggested this Yemeni place on the fringes of the souk, the bustling marketplace found in every Middle Eastern city.