Now What?

At my row class this morning, I chatted with a woman who recently reconnected with some friends in Luxembourg after having studied there twenty-five years ago. On this recent visit, she recalled that the easy-going life-style she keenly observed years ago still remained as prominent as ever, even with all the advancements in digitizing our lives. Newsflash: People in Europe know how to take it easy. This conversation immediately triggered memories from when I studied in the quaint town of Nijmegen in the Netherlands during my junior year in college in 1991. As a naive 19-year old college student thrust in a foreign land abound with bikers and canals, I was awe-struck by the breezy Dutch way of life. Cooking with friends, drinking coffee or going to a pub were normal day-to-day activities. After lecture students would meet for coffee at a koffiehuis (not to be confused with coffee shop, though worth a visit nonetheless) to discuss the day's lesson. Sometimes the professor would...

Answer: Bust, or maybe Busted? I did not plan on writing a post this weekend because, well, we had plans -- big, magical plans filled with kingdoms, mouse ears, tea cups and childhood fantasy. Our family vacation to Disney world came to a sudden standstill due to Matthew, the nefarious hurricane that barreled up the eastern Atlantic coast. Earlier in the week, I eyed the news and half-heartedly paid attention to the weather. Last Monday, I assumed the hurricane would have passed Florida by Tuesday or Wednesday. On Tuesday night, my daughter meticulously packed her Minnie Mouse carry-on case with shorts and swim suits. She even picked out her airplane outfit. On Wednesday night after I put the kids to bed, I received a jolting email from Jet Blue -- Your Flight Has Been CANCELLED. They even capitalized the "cancelled" part and it felt like I got punched in the gut. "How can this be?" I thought. The Orlando International Airport would be closed from Friday (the day w...