From as far back as I can remember, summer has always held a special allure. There was something about being freed from the confining strictures of the school year schedule just as the North American summer season was gearing up that combined to put me in a full swoon. No more awakening early, bleary-eyed and … Read more
When you first learn you’re moving overseas, so many thoughts run through your mind. Where will we live? What are the weather and geography like? Will I need to learn a new language? How different will the culture be? Yet for the parents among us, schooling options for our children ranks right at the top … Read more
The end of the school year ushers in its own social dynamics. Teachers cram in last minute review sessions and cajole students to focus and study, study and focus. Occasionally an administrator will throw in a heartfelt reminder that grades aren’t the most important measurement of a student’s progress, but at this stage of the … Read more
All these years I’ve believed that, underneath it all, people are the same. Now it seems there’s some research to back me up. Oh, I know. You’re probably thinking that the human core – heart, mind, spirit – may be similar, but certainly the circumstances in which we are born, live and die serve to … Read more
I was seven years old when I first traveled to a foreign country, a short family trip to Canada to visit Niagara Falls. While the roaring falls on the US side were attractive enough, everyone knew the more impressive-looking Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side were better. The seed of knowledge that you had to … Read more
Is there a universal language? For centuries, many would sigh dreamily and nod their head in agreement: of course there is, and it’s love. Yet in today’s highly globalized world, spurred on by technology and the advent of the internet, some would argue that English is fast approaching such a de facto designation. You could … Read more