Jennifer in Luxembourg

It's after 1AM, and my feet have the ache of standing for way too long. I'm sitting at my dining table, the cloth still bearing  small stains reminiscent of the dinner had here just a few hours ago. The cozy racoon  and fox tablecloth adorns the foldable plastic table, borrowed from friends, to my right.  There is a stillness in this room now, that just a few hours ago was filled with cheerful chatter, so late into the evening the neighbors knocked on the door.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I relapsed on Christmas Eve, so Thanksgiving feels the only untouched holiday. I appreciate the non-commercialization of it, and the moment simply of gratitude.  From my first class I taught, which was entirely European, I realized that their perception of Thanksgiving was entirely from movies. But many are excited to experience what this American holiday is all about. And so last year I hosted my first Thanksgiving away from my family. And now, my second, bring...

I’m sitting at my desk, the air mattress deflating to my left. The house is quiet, save for the clack of my keyboard. My body is TIRED. It’s been a full two days. But amazing. I picked M up from the train station yesterday morning, and dropped her back this afternoon. Two-ish days here in Lux. Two days that she took vacation time for. Two days that she fought to pay for meals and snacks. M was part of the Academy. We didn’t work a ton together, as her role had her in a different building than me. But as my time was coming to a close, we ended up first at a Jonas Brothers concert, and then on a few projects, working more closely together. And found out our birthdays was a literal day apart. As kind as she was, the pinnacle was when she shared her office birthday celebrations, on her actual birthday, with me, whose birthday was the next day. As my time in Boston drew to an end, we got to interact much more, and I was sorry to move away from such an incredible human. So I wasn’t overl...

I’ve had a rather unexpected spot of homesickness recently. I’m not sure if it’s the post-family post-event blues, the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays, or just missing the stunning New England fall and crips weather and walking around in jeans and flannels and tall boots. Regardless, I’ve found myself unlocking my mailbox daily before I enter my building. I’m the type that is typically lucky to unlock it once a week, as I normally get nothing but bills and junk mail. So every day, it’s been a roller coaster of emotion as I unlock it, see the existing junk mail I can’t be bothered to throw away yet, and lock it back, as I prepare to sadly enter my quiet apartment alone. Today, I got home earlier than usual, but also in a bit of a different mind-set. I’d just said goodbye to a friend/colleague (separate post), and I always get the post-visitor sadness after. I almost didn’t unlock the mail box, but as I had to put my heavy bags down to unlock the door anyhow, I went for it. And to my h...