Transylvania. The very name conjures a cinematic mash-up of monster iconography: deep black forests, spiky medieval lairs. Even seasoned travellers are apt to ask if it’s a real place. It is – this region of Romania extends from Brasov in the east to Cluj Napoca in the north, and almost as far west as Hungary. It comes by its horror-genre… Read More Far from the Vlad-ding Crowd
Years ago, Staples had a back-to-school ad campaign that made my mother laugh out loud every time it aired. The commercial featured parents shopping for their kids’ school supplies in the style of a Broadway dance number – gliding their shopping carts down store aisles as if they were winged chariots, gleefully flinging notebooks and… Read More Getting Schooled
Maybe we’ve made it sound like one big adventure on Facebook, but that’s hard to avoid doing: expatriation really is an opportunity to be a tourist in your own life. US-based, my family wouldn’t have traveled to seven countries in the span of 12 months, learning how to say “hello,” “thank you” and “excuse me”… Read More One Year Later
Dear England: As an American, I have often wondered if there’s anything more awkward and oxymoronic than celebrating July 4th on your shores.
It isn’t always wise to follow the time-honored axiom “Just Be Yourself.” The reason is simple: my family is from the U.S. Northeast, but now we live in England. If that doesn’t boil it down enough, imagine this: Tony Soprano of the Sopranos and Lady Mary of Downton Abbey seated next to each other at… Read More To the Manners (Not) Born
Mommy Goes Mummy 