Hussain Raza

College was a really formative time in my life. I know that this was the case for Zeke. That he embraced the freedom to rediscover himself is signaled most obviously by the fact that all of us who met him in Hanover know him as Zeke, not as Chris or Christopher. In fact, because the…

“Wohin können wir denn sterben, wenn nicht in immer höheres, größeres, schwersterblicheres – Leben hinein!” (Christian Morgenstern)  Vom 17.-31.8.2001 war ich als Krankenschwester beim “annual Summer Therapeutic Retreat at Lake Huron Retreat Center, Michigan”. Das war initiiert durch Molly und Quentin McMullen und Christopher war so etwas wie ein merkurieller Multimanager, kannte sich immer aus,…

I met Christopher in 2003 when we were both placed in Mainz, Germany for a year of study abroad on scholarships from the Federation of German-American Clubs. We were introduced by our dear caretaker and contact person at the university, Frau Ursula Bell-Köhler. Christopher became such a dear friend. He shared his beautiful soul and…

Mein lieber Christopher, es ist ein schöner Sommerabend und eigentlich fände das 2. Hauptereignis der Stadt Mainz, die Johannisnacht statt. Nun schließt  Corona solche Großveranstaltungen aus. Die Spargelsaison endet traditionell an Johannis, dem 24. Juni und es war Spargelzeit vor 17 Jahren. Wir hatten einen Gast, einen ehemaligen VDAC Stipendiaten aus der UT in Austin,…

Caro Zeke, un dolore cosí grande non lo potevo certo immaginare. Dal primo giorno che ti ho conosciuto, quando sei venuto a Bologna a trovare Rebecca dopo il suo anno al Dartmouth, ti ho voluto un bene dell’anima e ti chiamavo il mio bimbo americano. Non riesco ancora a crederci e mi sento paralizzata. Sei…

September 2004: first time I met you, joyfully welcoming me at Dartmouth. January 2020: last time I hugged you, after celebrating my mother’s Befana in Italy. In between, too much for now, but I’ll share more. I’m shocked and I cry. Romeo is not informed, but he asked me: “Mamma, hai bisogno di un’abbracciatona?”. I’m splitting it…