Culture Kids

Recently, a coworker of mine lent me the book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.  For those of you who don’t know, it was on the U.S. Bestseller list and it’s a highly acclaimed book, and rightfully so.  Without giving too much away, the contents of the story are pretty simple: it’s about a teacher reconnecting with his student and their very last class together: a class all about life, and how to be a good human.  And as you may guess, it only took place on Tuesdays.

Travels from the Time Vault: Czech Republic

Growing up, my parents were adamant about exposing us to our heritage.  Both of my parents come from diverse backgrounds.  My mother is English, Irish, Scottish, and Polish, while my father hails from Germany, Czechoslovakia, and England.  Any family gathering we went to was complete with delicacies from every side of our heritage.  They spared no expense when time proved available and there was a chance to explore uncharted territory.  I was very blessed with a lot of chances to see England, Germany, and other parts of Europe before reaching adolescence.  Among those as I reached my teenage years, Czech Republic made it onto my list of places visited.

Tips and Tricks for the Long Flights

In this day and age, there’s an influx of people traveling far and wide.  Many of my friends–at home and abroad–buy a plane ticket and venture off to a new country or sometimes a new continent to get away for a little while.  Here on this side of the world, the popular places to go are Thailand, Japan, Bali, and Hong Kong.  And Cebu, too.  For my North American friends, it’s a different mix.  Just take your pick!  Will it be Europe?  South America?  The Caribbean?  Somewhere close to home but not too close?

Travels from the Time Vault: Sweden

Twelve years ago, my father received an email from a local hockey coach.  We’d barely been in the Chicagoland area a year at this point, but the coach presented an idea worthy of consideration.  In the spring, coincidentally during spring break, he was taking a team to Stockholm, Sweden, and he asked if we would be willing to participate.  I’d be the only girl on an all boys team (and the first girl to every participate in the tournament), which to me, was just a small detail included in the entire offer.  I’d stay with a host family and we’d be there for a whole week, taking in the Swedish culture, playing against Swedes and some Finnish players, and exploring the city.  In my mind, it was a no brainer: we had to go.  Luckily, everything checked out.  Five months later, we gathered at the airport with the team and embarked for Arlanda International Airport.

Travels from the Time Vault: Greece

When I was sixth grade, my history teacher introduced us about ancient civilizations.  We learned about the rich ancient history in Africa, India, China, Aztec society, Incan society, and then we came to the Romans and the Greeks.  I’ve always been fascinated by mythology, and Greek mythology is without a doubt my favorite.  It was also around the same time that Rick Riordan released the first of his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which I still love to this day.  I could open up one of those books now and feel the same amount of joy reading it as I did the first time I found them.  Sixth grade was also the year that I traveled to Greece.

Travels from the Time Vault: Paris

Growing up in many movies I indulged in as a youngster, so much emphasis was placed upon the city of lights and romance.  Paris was like this beacon of romantic expectation.  I imagined being proposed to on top of the Eiffel Tower, overlooking the entirety of the metropolis beneath us.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.  And I’m certain that I’m not the only one who once pictured sauntering by the banks of the Seine, eating un pain au chocolat and sipping un café, and admiring artwork in museums like the Musée d’Orsay.  Needless to say, finally arriving in le Havre gave me goosebumps.

Travels from the Time Vault: London

I don’t remember the first time I traveled to London, mostly because I was only an infant when my parents first took me.  My father used to travel a lot with his business, so we went there frequently, as well as other places in Europe.  We continued to go there when I was younger, until our family grew a little bit more and things busied up enough where we didn’t have the time.  But we had our fair share of family adventures, most of the time accompanied by our favorite cab driver, Charles.  It wasn’t until I was eleven that I ventured there on my own with a student group.