Seasonal Disorientation
In the northeastern United States where I grew up, the holidays of the church moved with the rhythm of the seasons. In November, the days grew shorter as our part of the earth tilted away from the sun, and Daylight Saving Time ended. Most of the trees shed their last remaining leaves, creating a stripped […]
Diving Hard Into Mooncakes
“You’re more Chinese than we are!” That’s not the reaction I was expecting when I told my Chinese friends that I’d made lotus paste mooncakes from scratch. They were delighted to find out a foreigner would dive so deep into a Chinese tradition. Mooncakes are a central part of Mid-Autumn Festival, the second biggest holiday […]
The Best and the Worst
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Perhaps Charles Dickens was living his first Christmas abroad when he wrote those words. He sure could have been. I was only two months into my current overseas assignment when Christmas hit me like a 10-foot pole. It was both the best and […]
This Week’s Theme: Regional Traditions
Tradition! Anyone else hear that word sung by the father in Fiddler on the Roof? This week we are starting a fun two-week series on traditions but with a unique twist. Our first stop on the tradition train will be talking about regional or local traditions in the places where we are serving. Navigating holidays […]