Arrows from the Bow of Exile

Background photo by author, in Casbah of Algiers.

Life in North Africa can feel far from home and its many comforts. On the tough days—of which there are many—I sometimes recall this quote I came across last year from Paradiso, the third volume of Dante's Divine Comedy. Somehow, I draw strength from the words, perhaps because they are a reminder that the daily difficulties of life abroad are inevitable, and have always been so.