Being Grateful
I am sitting on my comfy couch in our warm apartment while it’s good and cold outside at –1°C. I am listening to one of my favorite singers, Josh Groban, sing Christmas songs while fighting off a food coma after a splendid meal. Tigger is on Skype with one of his good friends, a fellow nomad who is currently in Egypt, while they play games online. And suddenly I’m overcome with such an immense feeling of gratitude and joy that I just...
Confessions of a Scrooge
For most of my adult life, I have absolutely despised Christmas and the whole holiday season. As a child, it was a bit different because my maternal family are Jewish, so I grew up with Channukah. While my cousin, who had wanted to become a rabbi instead of an attorney, would become angry with his wife for serving green and red Jell-O (“They don’t make it in white and blue!”) and would seethe as me and the other kids sang Christmas...
Prejmer’s fortified medieval church
I really adore visiting cathedrals, basilicas, and old churches, but I had never had the opportunity to visit a fortified medieval church before coming to Romania. So many of these older churches have such fascinating stories behind them. The church in Prejmer was built in the early 13th century. The town was invaded many times by various groups, but the fortress was only captured once, in 1611. This church is one of the best...
Just what the f&#^ is a “real man”?
One time I was leaving a friend’s house after a party. It had been a small affair full of people I knew well. As I was departing, he called down to me from the rooftop balcony: “Sorry we were too busy doing manly stuff tonight!” He was apologizing because he had spent most of the night playing video games, drinking, and trash talking with his drinking buddies. When one of his friends returned after dropping his wife at home and...
Antarctica for kids (and their parents)
This south polar continent is on many people’s bucket list and rightly so. It’s the only continent we haven’t visited yet, and it’s high on our list. It’s also an extremely expensive visit, so it’s going to be a while before we can make it happen. With the expense of travel and its extremely remote location, it isn’t exactly a hot family destination spot, but there is a way to experience Antarctica for kids and their families. While...
