Update: Since the Libyan uprising began, Internet access in Tripoli has been cut, and phone lines have been disrupted, so our contact with family has been intermittent. A month ago one of my sisters-in-law told us she had used her entire savings to stock up on food for her family. As this article was going to press, she told us fuel supplies in Tripoli were dwindling, grocery shelves were bare, and the city sat under a cloud of fear, with only glimpses of hope. During this difficult time, my relatives have been relying heavily on one another, visiting regularly, sharing child care and dreams of peace.

KRISTA BREMER writes for various publications and is a regular contributor to NPR. She is currently at work on a memoir.

Click here to read Margaret Roach's Memoir on trading a CEO lifestyle for country living.

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