I grew up in a small-ish city, in a Ukrainian-Canadian family. A lot of my friends were, like me, second-generation Canadians who had grandparents cooking, not only Ukrainian food, but also Italian, Polish and Finnish. There were a lot of…
Indonesian Cooking in Africa
Indonesian Cooking with Marina and Dewi Marina and I met back when we lived in Pau, France; but even though we both lived there for four years, we didn’t cross paths until just before she was moving to Congo. Yikes!…
What’s in My Name?
The other day I was wondering, If I had to chose a name for my blog today, would the name still be the same? I’ve been a lot of things over my life-time. A daughter, sister, friend, neighbour, dancer, student,…
Congo- One Week Back
A year ago I arrived in Congo, slightly wide-eyed, taking in my new ‘home’. Seven days ago, I arrived back in Congo for the second school year, after being gone for ten weeks of summer holidays. My husband came back…
Summer Recap: Congo to Canada to France and Back Again
It’s been awhile since I’ve sat down and poured my thoughts onto the keyboard. With Canadian Expat Dad now on his way back to Congo, I find myself sitting here in France, sipping my morning coffee, and suddenly frantically trying…
Congo- My Year in Review
I’m back after being quiet for quite awhile. I guess we can call it a period of reflection, although as I write this, I feel like I might still be in the middle of that. For someone living what might…
A Trip to the Congolese Hair Salon
In order to get your hair done in the 3rd world, you basically need to be at peace with the fact that things may go terribly wrong. You need to go into the situation acknowledging that it’s ‘just’ your hair,…
Body Image From an African Point of View
“It’s too much!” That was our cleaner. She walked in the door and saw me on the spin bike. Again. It was my fall routine since the moment my bike arrived from Indonesia: Netflix in the living room, with me…
Getting Fresh in France
They say never forget where you came from- don’t change who you are. I know that I grew up on the icy, cold, Canadian Shield; but I can’t help it…I’ve changed. I’m currently living in West Africa, four degrees from…
Writer’s Block and Déjà Vu
A word I’d always used, but not until I learned French did I realize it’s directly translated from the French language, meaning, ‘already seen’. The feeling of having already been here before is in full force for me as my…