It had started to snow and I put the kettle on to boil some water for tea while I put on my snow boots and a heavy winter coat. It felt like a snow specific for me; just a few nights before, I had stood next to my car after I parked in my driveway, …
In winter, the wharf turns quiet and still. Tired couples walk strollers as ice snaps And the elderly make tea with rose hips. School buses follow the coast and turn orange In the sharp sunrise. And I can hear horses, That quiet way the estuary shifts and steams. I sit at Cynthia’s table and watch …
When I was sixteen, my dad bought me a book for Christmas called Anna and the French Kiss. “Dadddd,” I groaned. My name, paired with French kissing, on the cover of a book, given to me by my dad. How embarrassing. But also, sweet. My dad had been raising me without my mom since she …
Explore Paris on a Literary Tour of “Anna and the French Kiss” Read More »
Two years ago today, I flew to Copenhagen to meet my new family and home for the next four months. I remember the date because it was burned into my mind. I was very nervous about the people I would live with. I had filled out a housing form a few months earlier, in which …
When I chose to study abroad in Denmark, I only knew that it was once ranked the happiest country in the world. I didn’t know its population size, or its cuisine, or its traditions, or even its location. I wasn’t alone in this boat either. The day that I left to study abroad in January …
Last spring I worked on a collection of poetry about my hometown. Here is the preface and a few poems. This is their public debut – hope you enjoy. —- Ipswich, Massachusetts, was founded in 1634 by John Winthrop’s son. This is the story I know: John Winthrop (who founded Boston) wanted to create “a …
Every December I hunker down for my annual viewing of – no, not Rudolph. Not the Grinch, nor Charlie Brown. None of these, yet a classic in its own right: “A Christmas Kiss” (2011). The movie follows an interior design assistant who is working late one night when her elevator falls and she finds herself …
Tis the Season for “Wildly Sentimental Christmas Chick Flicks” Read More »
The emails start with “thank you,” and the gratitude comes from knowing I don’t need to open them to see what’s inside, until when inevitably I do I look only for the word “unfortunately”:
Note: These packing suggestions are specific to Iracambi Centro in Minas Gerais, Brazil, but many would still be relevant to other rainforest/tropical experiences. Hope travelers find this helpful! Packing is hard. Packing for the rainforest is even harder. What do rainforest-appropriate clothes look like? What do you wear to protect skin from sunburn and bugs …
Raising a baby animal isn’t over with its release. They have to learn to fend for themselves; in the meantime, it’s important that they have a guaranteed source of food, water, and shelter – much like a college student venturing out into the world on their own. Hazelnut was released pretty late in the year, …