The Fig

One last trip to Lake Issyk Kul to round out our time in Kyrgyzstan. Spoiler: it's not cool. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

We're down to two months left before our move, and my brain has too many tabs open. Please pardon the jumble. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

SHENANIGANS! How to DoorDash in Kyrgyzstan, what Nora’s looking forward to about India (pools), and thoughts on leaving government work for freelancing.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

First newsletter of the year—let’s kick off with WHERE WE ARE MOVING THIS SUMMER! And also my 2026 word for the year, because I know you’re dying to know.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

Come with me to Korea, land of tigers and magpies, Instagram temples, and so many demands for ice cream! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

Thoughts on a summer overabundant with good things—new friends and reunions with old; taking Nora to Oxford for the first time; and hating on cruise ship shore excursions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

A short check-in this week. I managed to survive throwing a community 4th of July party AND leading a yurt camping trip in the same weekend. And now we’re in the delicious in-between before heading off on vacation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

A short update today. Things have been busy and uncertain, but spring has arrived in Bishkek, and with it I'm thinking about all the usual narrative conflicts. Man vs. nature. Man vs. man. Man vs. self. And man vs...robot? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

No news is good news (maybe?) in the world of federal employee layoffs. So in the spirit of inventing my own good news, I’m launching a felted tapestry collection! And questioning my millennial hobby tendency. And celebrating my inheritance as a third generation artist. All the things! With ribbons and branding on top! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers...

Our colleagues at USAID have been laid off, and the rest of us at the Embassy are living in the in-between, waiting to see what will happen to us. But before all of this, we booked a vacation--might as well take it. Join us on a cruise of the Mediterranean--me, Jake, Nora, and the Dudebros of Italy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bon...

What to do in uncertain times? It's a question that began plaguing me in 2018 after my father's death. And now, a year after starting this newsletter, it's back again. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

This week on The Fig, we're talking all fun things: pollution, strep throat, and the week's internet bad vibes. But also my new felting hobby! Don't go! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

This week on The Fig, everything's in transition: landscapes, jobs, and new administrations. Also, Jake and I go to an art museum where we're convinced they filmed the movie Saw. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

This week on The Fig, America appears in unexpected places, and my Russian isn't getting any better. Plus election reflections for someone who is restricted by The Hatch Act. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

In this week's episode of The Fig, I am thinking of all the things I miss about being back in the States…but also feeling like Beyonce here in Bishkek. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

We made it to Bishkek! In this week's episode of The Fig, we've got a heat wave, delayed flights, power outages, and car engine failure. But hey! We're here! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

The Fig is back from vacation! I'm unpacking one suitcase and getting ready to pack about ten more. In this week's letter, I'm sharing all the latest on our monthlong tour of the south, as well as how I'm feeling in the midst of moving-chaos. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s newsletter, I tackle the most difficult part of moving: trying to figure out how to get a lithium e-bike battery shipped to Kyrgyzstan. (Spoiler: it’s impossible.) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of the Fig, the countdown-to-moving ticks ever-louder. It's easy to live in the fantasy future, thinking about our Bishkek Barbie Dream House and Nora starting full-time school. But what of the here and now? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of the Fig, I'm remembering the life of a dear friend and reflecting on our upcoming move through the lens of, you guessed it, the new Bluey episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe

Introducing The Fig, the podcast version of Public Figment, a newsletter by Dot Dannenberg. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicfigment.substack.com/subscribe