Month: July 2017

Milano Days

Milano Days

First Days in Milan: Friday and Saturday, July 28-29 Some people were surprised when I told them that I was in Italy instead of Latvia. One of the things I love to do is to do what I can to make time spent as meaningful as possible. I likely would have left America in June …

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From Como to Lugano

From Como to Lugano

Alpine Drive: July 28th As many of my friends know, I have a bit of a notorious reputation as a driver. I was an avid risk taker back in my younger days, and I tend to enjoy a spirited adventurous driving style now and then. This trip to Italy was my chance to experience European …

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Il bene e il male

Il bene e il male

The Good and the Bad (Italian Style) As any experienced traveler will confirm, you never know what the unexpected will bring, so it is better to always be flexible and to be unconcerned if the world does not unfold as planned. The sun will rise and the sun will set, and everything else is up …

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A Week of Goodbyes

A Week of Goodbyes

I feel so loved right now. That’s a nice way to start a conversation, isn’t it? Feeling loved, lucky, at one with the omnipresent universe that surrounds me. Despite any setbacks, I have to say I had an incredible week or so of goodbyes that I could not imagine having been any better. I say …

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The Process of Packing

The Process of Packing

Today, the fine people at the Latvian American Shipping Line will be coming to my house to take away the crate of possessions that I have deemed important enough to take on my excursion to Latvia. The packing process has been going on in my mind for months now. What to take, what to leave, …

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Springfield Last Day

Springfield Last Day

Here I am at Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe, waiting for food for forty minutes now. Am I complaining, yeah, I guess so. The waiter just brought over my check, and I haven’t seen a whiff of my food yet. That’s a first for me. I was a bit shocked and said, “But I haven’t gotten my …

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Springfield on a Saturday Night

Springfield on a Saturday Night

After teaching my 4th and final lesson for the first week of my two week CELTA training, I was happy to meet up with my old NeWP friend Cathie for a local’s tour of the town and some really good barbecue. We decided to go to Pappy’s Place, which is a tiny little bistro attached …

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CELTA Bootcamp: Behind the Scenes

CELTA Bootcamp: Behind the Scenes

CELTA I feel like I have told some people that I’m doing this CELTA thing, but not many really understand it. Quite frankly, I’m not 100% certain I get it myself, so I’m writing about it to work through and untangle the mystery. According to Cambridge, CELTA stands for “Certification in Teaching English to Speakers …

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Reflections on a Silent Independence Day

Reflections on a Silent Independence Day

July 4th, 2017 Springfield, Missouri, USA The video pretty much says it all. Blake and I ended up watching Sense8 after a long, long trip to the Steak & Shake, which has really cheap food, and really slow service (but I still recommend it). As we are here teaching English to language learners, we were …

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Springfield Continued: Still July 4th

Springfield Continued: Still July 4th

As I am sitting here in my room in Springfield, Missouri, it feels like this is good practice for my move to Latvia which happens in just three weeks. In 22 days, I’ll be on a plane headed for Milan, Italy, and then on August 1, I’ll be in Riga, Latvia. So everything here and …

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