Mother’s Day is celebrated on various days in throughout the world. In the USA it is celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of May. So, this Sunday, May 9, 2010 is Mother’s Day. On a side note, I was born on Mother’s Day. But, due to dates changing every year, my birthday has only fallen on […]

Since, I’ve been talking to a lot of people about vacations lately, I thought I’d talk about how vacations work for schools and universities in the United States. For Schools (elementary school, middle school and high school), the school year starts in the middle of August. There is no set day amongst schools, not all […]

I’m about to take a vacation, so I have vacations on my mind! Here’s a post about the vacation and holiday norms of the United States. Most employees get 2 weeks paid vacation a year. They can take it anytime they want. Some companies (like mine) give you more and also the longer you stay […]

After I taught English in Hungary, I flew back to the United States through Germany. In Germany, the security guards asked us many questions before we boarded. The person who worked there spoke only German and English. I went through without any problems. The guy behind me only spoke Hungarian. The security person said to […]

Here’s a dialog that takes place at the check-out counter at a grocery store: Speaker A: Hello. How are you? Speaker B: Fine and you? Speaker A: Fine. Paper or Plastic? Speaker B: Plastic, please. Speaker A: Do you have your discount card? Speaker B: Sure, here it is. (Hands card.) Speaker A: That will […]

When I lived in Hungary I needed a hair cut, but I was too scared to go into hair salon. I was so scared that they wouldn’t understand what I wanted cut and I’d end up with a Mohawk. Since I didn’t know any Hungarian at all, I ended up not getting my hair cut […]

I have a cell phone and the thing I use it most of is as a flashlight. I know, it is bizarre. In the middle of the night if I wake up, I can click on my phone and then I can see. The 2nd greatest use of my cell phone for me is to […]

It’s sweltering hot outside and you need some relief. In the distance you see a ice cream parlor. “Perfect,” you think. This is just what I need. You walk into the ice cream shop and you see a gazillion different flavors. Uggghhh, how will you chose? What will you say? You see bubblegum flavored ice […]

When my husband and I travel to different countries, we always make sure we know how to say 1 key phrase in the language of that country. The 1 phrase is: Beer, Please. It has come in handy! With that aside, there are other phrases that are useful when ordering food and drinks at a […]

Many people might feel that newspapers are “a thing of the past“; however, to many others it is the “here and now.” Newspapers are made up of many different sections. My favorite section of the newspapers are the comics or comic strips. It’s always fun to read about Garfield and Peanuts. Then, there are the […]