Author: Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

Retired writer and teacher, now living outside Lisbon, Portugal. I was born in Chicago and have lived overseas for about 25 years in: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Egypt, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, France, and most recently, Turkey. I earned my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and a teacher's license from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. I am presently writing THE EXPATS: DAYS & NIGHTS IN ARABIA, condensing my overseas experiences into one book.
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Cultural Reflections: Life in the Gulf vs. America

Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

So there I was in college last summer, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Everything was normal.  No separation of the sexes, easily availability for any and all shopping.  No problem communicating in English. No foreign-currency conversion although I found myself doing it backwards a few times to compare American and Gulf prices. I even got used to everyone wearing shorts, although I didn’t wear them. I also realized American men wear baseball hats for the same reason Arabian men and women cover their heads:  protection from the sun. It was a relief to sit in the student desk and not at the … Continue reading Cultural Reflections: Life in the Gulf vs. America

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Embracing Reverse Culture Shock in America – 9

Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

Last summer I returned to the States.  The Midwestern oaks, maples and elm trees were in glorious green-leaf flower on streets and surrounding unwalled houses while grass was everywhere. No wonder American money is green!  Most everyone spoke English. I loved the overflow of conversations on airplanes, in stores and while standing in movie lines but I soon tired of eavesdropping after hearing one too many, “He don’t….”  Companies have 1-800 telephone numbers:  free long-distance phone calls to sort out plane reservations or to order products.  Summer school registration with computers was quick and easy. Dormitory living became tolerable.  I … Continue reading Embracing Reverse Culture Shock in America – 9

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Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: Chicago’s Irish Heritage – 8 March 15, 1990

Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

  For St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green, a leprechaun and green-hats parade down State Street and Michigan Avenue. It will be broadcasted throughout the day while a lot of drinking of green-dyed refreshment accompanies … Continue reading Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: Chicago’s Irish Heritage – 8 March 15, 1990

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75-Day Summer Break – 7

Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

    March 8, 1990   Remember planning last year’s summer holiday?  We teachers have the lavish leisure of a 75-day paid summer holiday. But wait!  Like swamp lots sold in Florida or some property in India, such a lengthy holiday may be a golden time to destroy one’s finances and wreck one’s nerves. Staying home in the Gulf isn’t my first choice. My friends leave town and there aren’t any movies playing at wide-screen theatres.  Bicycling, jogging, camping or Hashing don’t seem inviting. One summer I spent a month on the French Riviera. The franc was nine to a … Continue reading 75-Day Summer Break – 7

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Embracing Life Over 30: A Journey of Freedom – 5

Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

  I’m an unmarried woman over 30, sometimes happy, sometimes not so happy, just like many of my married friends, but I am always over 30. Magazines periodically interview rich and famous women over 30 who revel in being over 30.  Actually, they are mostly reveling in being rich and famous. A few years ago, having been over 30 for a while, I realized, with a shrug, “Hey, I’m over 30! I don’t have to do that!”  This new viewpoint gave me a freedom that 18, 21 and 27 had never known. I was teaching in America when I applied … Continue reading Embracing Life Over 30: A Journey of Freedom – 5

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Tax-free Income! – 4

Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

Those magic words encouraged my move here, yet a year later zero savings!  “No one saves the first year,” fellow teachers console me.  “You’re too busy paying for the essentials.”  Like a car, computer and credit card.  Before I came here, I speculated an exotic future, but worried about my 110 voltage computer.  It could, like me, adapt, but the problem was the Hertz.  Many feverish phone calls illuminated me that my 60-Hertz-only computer wouldn’t work in a 50-Hertz-only country.  Ever buy a computer in the Gulf?  The prices and experience just aren’t the same as in America.  Then there … Continue reading Tax-free Income! – 4

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Navigating New Beginnings in a Foreign Land

Alice Delaney Walker, aka Dana Walker

Aunt Alice – 1, 1990 “Are you new in town?” people have been asking me. “No, I know where Safeway is, the bank, the hotels and a few friends. I even found a great place for cheeseburgers last week and of course I know where Kentucky Fried Chicken is!  I’m not sure where to buy clothes that will last longer than one wash but my favorite tailor will be returning from Pakistan next month.” “I haven’t seen you before?” they say puzzled.  I’m polite and don’t respond in kind.  I’m delighted they speak English and only throw in a few … Continue reading Navigating New Beginnings in a Foreign Land