Holidays

Notes from the Martin Luther King monument

Posted by Jenna on Jan 17, 2012 in Holidays, Washington D.C. | 0 comments

The family posed for an archetypal group shot by the monument: kids in the front, parents in the back, arms draped across shoulders, tooth-revealing smiles. As the stranger-turned-photographer handed the camera back, LCD screen up, the group crowded around it for a quick look before scattering. Only the youngest looking

Flowers, Candles and Community: All Saints Day in Poland

Posted by Jenna on Nov 1, 2011 in Genealogy, Holidays, Poland | 1 comment

I stood motionless, my feet melting into the cobblestone walkway. I was transfixed. Dusk was descending and thousands of candles began to punctuate the darkening path, blinking quietly on the ground. The tiny flames illuminated rows of gravestones. I’d never before felt such a strong sensation of peace and calm in a cemetery.

Women’s Day: A Post-Holiday Reflection

Posted by Jenna on Mar 9, 2011 in Holidays, Living Abroad | 1 comment

I didn’t know that International Women’s Day even existed until I lived in Moscow and was granted a day off from work because, as it was explained to me, the country needed to celebrate women.

The day after, I entered inquisition mode with my students. Why do you have this holiday? What does it mean?

Donut Day

Posted by Jenna on Mar 6, 2011 in Food, Holidays | 3 comments

(Or, Musings on the Theme of Self-Induced Caloric Deprivation).

“How is everyone today?”

I began my class on Thursday with my usual, predictable greeting. The response was anything but.

A Sicilian New Years

Posted by Jenna on Dec 31, 2010 in Holidays, Italy, Sicily | 0 comments

New Years Eve in Sicily was quite an experience.  The night started off a bit rocky.  Many of the restaurants were closed, but my friend Ryan and I had spotted one the day before that we thought might be good to try out (a small, fairly fancy, traditional 3+ course meal type of place).  But, trying to walk to the same place twice

Three Linguistic Mistakes NOT to Make While Celebrating Christmas with a Polish Family

Posted by Jenna on Dec 29, 2010 in Holidays, Language | 3 comments

As I mentioned in my last post, I spoke a lot of Polish in past few days, as I went with a friend to celebrate Christmas with her family in their village.  I made more mistakes than I ever thought could be humanly possible.  At least most of them were learning opportunities, as new words and better pronunciation ingrained themselves deeper and