We boarded the elevator after returning home from school last Friday, crammed in with two men having an intense conversation in panicked German.  They were obviously new to the hotel, likely there for a few nights tops, on business, travelling light with cute carry-on luggage on wheels, white knuckle grips on the extended handles.  If steam could actually come out

You know you’re starting to get familiar with an area when the mid-sized, almost-teenaged passenger in the back seat recognizes where he is and exclaims,”Hey!!  There’s the cement median we almost drove you into the first time out in the car, Mom!”  Yes, true story.  Saw my life flash before my eyes as my side of the car careened toward

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us as we celebrate in our Happy, Happy, HAPPY Hotel home (perhaps you can hear the edge in my voice get grittier with each repetition of “happy”?)   🙂   Hope you had a lovely day with your special people.  And Happy Family Day to all of you Ontarians!  Honestly, never thought we would

“Mom, it’s funny to think that not too long ago, I was SO wishing we were still going to Hillsdale.  And NOW, I love it here!” It’s worth noting, that is the sentiment today.  I am under NO illusions that this exchange will repeat itself tomorrow, or heck, even later this SAME day… That was a bubbly conversation with Caleigh

Waxing a bit philosophical today… reflecting on this thing we call “the human condition”… Arriving here, almost six weeks ago now, thousands of miles away from our familiar people, I felt acutely aware that we stand out as so different.  We felt very vulnerable; standing out as a visible minority made me feel that “blending-in” and belonging was an impossible

Some days you just want to make the clatter of sound and stimuli bombarding you stop. Sometimes you don’t want to have to try so hard.  Yesterday was a blessing of a day because I went for lunch with another expat Mom that I met at the school who is from Michigan.  Actually kind of a cool story that we

  Guess what!?!  We looked up one day and saw the moon, full and white-bright and stunning.  We were excited that the sky was so clear that we could even see some stars!! And what’s more thrilling was the moment when we realized that we are STILL on planet EARTH!!!  As far as I know, it was Earth’s moon –

Any change, no matter how positive it may ultimately prove to be, sets us grieving for what was.  We are such creatures of habit and we crave routine and “knowing”.  We stress when our world as we think it is or should have been is turned upside down.  Shifting gears from familiarity and safety is hard.  Stepping out of comfort