I, along with Nadezhda Shulga, have just produced our third cover page in the local newspaper. Nadya handles the drafts, while I edit and help out with small details. I also do a bit of “moonlighting” as a photographer: all photos accompanying the articles are mine. Unlike my blog, this local newspaper covers a wide range of very localized topics. Whether to install solar panels, what to do with a problematic intersection, the benefits of the farmers’ market, the current state of schools. Besides being simply interesting, this venture allows me to better understand the place and the people with whom we share this space, and, of course, it helps improve my language skills.
Yesterday, we released an article about charity dinners hosted by a former CIA officer every month. People gather in an Irish pub, all very homely. A portion of the bill goes to help families of law enforcement, the CIA, or soldiers deployed to hot spots.
At the dinner, we met Bob Shaun, aged 99. A veteran of three wars (WWII, Korea, and Vietnam), and a participant in D-Day. We also met sapper Rob Jones. He lost both legs in Afghanistan, and rode his bike across America on prosthetics, covering 5,000 miles. He also ran 31 marathons in 31 days across 31 different cities, and in 2012, he won a bronze medal at the Paralympics in London. He is currently running for Congress in Virginia.
That’s how we live 🙂 The full newspaper is available in PDF at mcleanconnection.com and greatfallsconnection.com.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 