She ran to the Middle East to escape herself. A decade later, she finally caught up.
WHEN THE BAHRAINI POLICE OFFICER asked Michelle Ray to get out of the car, she stumbled, trying not to sway. This was worse than giving someone a middle finger, worse than being seen eating during Ramadan. Much worse.
Her adventure hadn’t started like this. She’d left Kansas at 26, looking for a bigger life. She hadn’t planned on the Middle East, but it was big, different, and best of all, far, far away. Collecting experiences like coins, she rarely considered what she’d do with them. Even with traveling a world away, it was the people around her who changed: finding partners and finding professional fulfillment. Meanwhile, her life kept circling: another dark club, another questionable relationship. Another stamp in the passport: You Are Here.
Tender, funny, and unflinching, Lesson (Un)Planned is for anyone who has ever set their plans ablaze and picked through the ashes for what was worth keeping.
