A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

  Here we are in the midst of the holiday season. My favorite, Thanksgiving, is now a warm memory and my friends are starting post pictures of their Christmas trees on Facebook. I spent Thanksgiving Day with fellow teachers and friends from Prishtina High School, where I teach. It was a day filled with food and laughter. Of course the real treat for me came when I returned to my apartment and had the chance to spend the holiday with my family in the States via Google Hangouts. That sort of holiday would have been enough. Like a slice of warm pie. Perfect by itself but add a little ice cream or whipped cream on top and you have a dessert that is truly memorable. The cream in my case? Stephanie, me, Gordon, and Christopher (Thank you Christopher for most of the Pics here!) Four friends with four backpacks and four more days of fall break. We caught a flight to Budapest where Stephanie had booked us lodging at a great Airbnb. A comfortable place to crash late...

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have always enjoyed the simplicity of the day and the traditions.   I know many countries celebrate a day of thanksgiving, but Americans hold a special place in their heart for this day of family gathering. I grew up on a farm. My early memories of Thanksgiving all include time spent with my extended family at my grandparents' house. The menu was predictable. Grandma roasted the turkey and made mashed potatoes. Each household contributed to the feast. As it turns out, we had a dusting of snow on Monday before Thanksgiving. The mountains in the background got more! While the women fussed over the food preparations in the kitchen, the men gathered in the “front room” to watch American college football on the small television. We children played with toys on the floor or poured over Sears catalogues to choose what we wanted for Christmas. Generally speaking, we expected our first light snow around Thanksgiving. The major chores o...

One of the most often asked questions I receive is, “What do you eat over there?” Over there is in reference to my new, though temporary home in Kosovo. Of course the snarky answer is “food.” But I’m not snarky. At least not today. The food in Kosovo is wonderful. People here thrive on fresh vegetables and fruits. They cook delicious soups and stews. An omelet made to order and a macchiato. What could be a better start for the day? And chicken. Lots and lots of chicken. Oh, sure, I’ve eaten steak at a restaurant in Prishtina. And a delicious grilled trout at a restaurant close to my school. We have a wonderful Thai restaurant downtown. And I can always get Mexican, Italian, or authentic Spanish food if I prefer. I cook a bit. Chili on a cold day. Grilled cheese on soft, freshly baked bread. And of course…chicken. Hey I like it, too. But what I’ve enjoyed the most since I’ve lived here is the school cafeteria. Seriously. Our cafeteria is unlike any scho...

I know you’re going to think all I do is travel, but it isn’t so. After the trip to Greece (if you missed it you can check it out HERE ) , I put in a pretty full week of teaching! Monday was of course fairly routine, but Tuesday was conference day. The only “no show” I had was a parent who called to say she was tied up in a meeting with the Prime Minister. That was a first for me. The B&B near Macedonia Wednesday, the entire elementary school went to the fire station for a field trip. It was actually ten times better than any fire station field trip I had ever attended. Especially since the squad received a call as we were viewing the fire engines and my students got to witness the firefighters donning their suits and jumping on the truck to be whisked away before our eyes. Exciting stuff…even for me. Thursday was a good day- a day to catch up on all of our “readin’ and writin’ and ‘rithmetic.” That was the day my houseguest from Wales left but another couple from ...