From the cold north...

I figured that I'd write a little something here in the post holiday aftermath. It's been wondrous to be back home again, although I don't feel like I've really stopped moving since mid-December. Somehow Christmas was celebrated six times among my various family branches, I saw a good number of old friends, whisked Mike around Bloomington and tried not to overwhelm him with people (although think that I might have failed). I had to explain that Serbia isn't Saudi Arabia (which was more than a bit silly) one night as well.... don't even ask.

The trip north has been grand as well. My sister Cassie and I went and saw The Phantom of the Opera in Chicago, a fabulous production with lights that made me want to get back into tech theatre. It's been cool to walk around cities again, I also now am the proud owner of red cowboy boots and ridiculously excited about that fact. New Year's Eve rocked with silliness and a ton of food at Gray's house with Katie and Jim, a Night Club reunion from Greece that included way too many jokes made about Thunderball... As if that's possible.

Another fun thing is that my summer appears to be set - I'll be working on a dig in Turkey! Will go end of June to mid-September, check out the site because it's incredible. Met with the director in Chicago and looks like I'll be helping out with some photography work, assisting the ceramics specialist, and actually digging. So that'll be rad even though bug bites and heat aren't my favorite companions ever.

So yes, puns and fun have abounded over the past few weeks. I'm not sure why I'm so into the passive voice right now, but I'll admit that I'm very glad to finally be in Minneapolis and not having to drive for at least a week. Saw Elly in Madison yesterday, we chatted with random people as she tried to convince Mike and I to move there. I'm validated that others also talk to strangers much as I do.

Hope you've been enjoying the holidays and the transition back to "real life" - if you're around the twin cities in the next week and a half let me know! Stay warm!

Sadness

I showed up for my class with Vuk, the 16 year-old pianist who wants to study in US next year, only to learn that his father Dušan had died on Tuesday. He had cancer that they'd discovered only 2 months ago, apparently it was faster than they'd imagined. The funeral's on Friday. Vuk's taking the TOEFL on Saturday. Please keep the Jovanović family (Vuk's younger brother and mother) in your thoughts and prayers, they need it.

Since we've established that France is a country... is Europe?

Just as I'm getting all excited and ready to head back to the states, I see this:



And suddenly I'm a bit a feared. And inspired to brush up my geography once again.

Thanksgiving and the aftermath

I actually found a pie plate and fresh ginger, allowing me to begin my Thanksgiving the wee smalls of the morning with apple pie making. (Kate couldn't resist the pun that she was glad it panned out.) I'd gotten good news Wednesday night - one of my students wants class 5 days a week, 2 hours a day! - and had gone to Dragana's to gush a bit, ended up chatting with folks there, going for cevap... yes, yes, you've heard this all before. What was different though was getting home at midnight with a pie to make for a dinner that started at 3 p.m. that day. So I watched "Funny Face" as I peeled apples, talked to some folks back home and had a pie ready to go around 3:30 a.m. or so. The joys of night baking.

I had a class with my printer student, then came home with the TV he's loaned me (super rad) before gathering things to go pick up Cassandra, my Thanksgiving date. Once again the taxi had no idea where Eric's street was but managed to get there nonetheless. It was a crowd of mostly embassy types, Cassie and I were exceptions since she's running a NGO here and I'm, well, an English teacher. Made some friends that I hope to see soon - we're going to start cooking together with Andrea, from Chili and married to an American (she claims to be one of the few Latino women who doesn't cook), had someone else tell me to take the foreign service exam (ummmmm, don't think so), also planning on a Beastie Boys inspired games night. Yes my friends, I might appear to be classy but that never stopped games nights! Thankfully. I also realized as the afternoon wore on that Cassie and I were basically the only non-couple there; do you have to be married to be in foreign service? This is my question. But we were definitely fun, there's no doubt about that. Any gathering where you end up reading picture books to 5 year old twins, well, heeelllllo? MAJOR party action there.

We ate a TON of food, I've not been that stuffed in a long time. Turkey was 25 lbs. and fabulous, they did it in brine and then with citrus, no stuffing. And the desserts... truly wondrous. Pies and brownies and peanut butter cookies... yum. Perhaps I'll take up Sally's idea of becoming a food columnist sometime sooner than later, we'll see. Got a ride to Cassie's with the thought of continuing the festivities but I was exhausted (little sleep + turkey = fatigue) so headed home instead. Then had the joy of talking to the Qualls crew gathered at my home for a good long while; I really hope to be there next year if it's at all possible.

Unlike most of my fellow Americans who work here, I did not have a four-day weekend (being a "private contractor") and went back to the grind of classes the next day. Thankfully I was able to get outside a bit in the sun on Saturday since I had a huge hole in my schedule with teen classes and had lunch at this new restaurant Wok to Walk - clever eh? It almost felt like a real weekend... until I had to go back to class. Again, a lament you've heard so I won't repeat it too terribly much. Or at least try not to. But it looks like I'll be working everyday before I get back to the states; that's something to be thankful for as well I suppose.

Hope you also had a fine time with food, friends, and family. I'm getting excited about Christmas time festivities now and all the fun that'll be.