“You are so lucky, kid,” I told my youngest sister Meg as we stood in St. Peter’s Square, the basilica looming over us. “You will never see it like this ever again.” It was January, 2022. By this point, we’d taken COVID tests in three different countries. In the coming days, we’d stand in an…
Month: January 2024
Culture Differences: The Morning Coffee Edition
“Do you want anything?” Michael asked as I looked at the piles of sandwiches and pastries sitting on the counter of the bar. “No, just coffee,” I said. “We make the croissants ourselves,” the barkeeper said. “Everyone who tries them likes them.” “Well, in that case. . . I’ll share one with you,” I told…
Lunches, Liquor and Other Rabbit Holes
“I just finished my small lunch,” Ricardo said. I knew what he meant. He had just finished his almeurzo. If you look up the English translation, it will say, “lunch.” But in Valencia, Spain (where Ricardo lives), it is definitely not lunch. Almuerzo consists of a small sandwich accompanied by a glass of wine or…
RenaissanceRebecca 