“Mapping is a way of helping to understand the bigger picture” my geography teacher for Religion, Environment, and Society said today. “What makes a study geographical?” “Its the study of a phenomenon in a spatial way.” The discussion centered around the relationship between religion, environment, and society in the middle east. I’m just remembering all the maps in the Travel Bug, again, and how looking at those maps helped me make better sense of relationships between things. Coincidentally, I’m on my 2nd book in a row set in the middle east, I finished 3 cups of Tea, and am nearly done The Storyteller’s Daughter. The author tells of the beautiful myths and ancient fables her father and grand-father passed on to her. Many have the same allegory/moral undertone as the Afghan tale of the king I laid out/illustrated recently. The author expresses her dream for her country that, “we’d export apricots and karakul lambskin instead of war” (201)