Food to Festivities

I have had a busy week!  It all started on Monday when I signed myself and 3 of my friends up for a Greek cooking class.  It was about time I learned how to cook some Greek dishes.  it was definitely my type of cooking class - drinking wine, chatting with old and new friends, observing and participating if you want!  Our teacher was an American woman who had married a Greek and used to live and work as a caterer in NYC.  There was a woman there from New Zealand who had lived in Athens for about 18 months as her husband worked for an American company and another woman there who was from Belgium, who had recently married a Greek!  So we drank wine and made Mousska, Chicken and Lemon soup "Kotosoupa Avgolemono" and a garlic/potato puree "Skordalia".  Then we sat down and enjoyed it!

Wednesday was ACS's annual Pumpkin Patch Halloween Carnival.  I went as a witch, saw my former students, had some good ol' American hamburger, baked goods and drinks.  Boy it poored that evening!  Later that night, a newbie had a Halloween party.  I was dressed as the game Twister.  That was a late evening - returning to my house around 3am!

Thursday was a national holiday here in Greece - Oxi (Ochi) Day - when the Greeks said No (Oxi) to the Italians.  So I spent the entire day cleaning and preparing for my first dinner party.  The theme was an autumn dinner party and the weather just turned fallish and chilly, so the fireplace was put to good use!  I think it was a successful dinner party for 8!  It was heavier on the apps and desserts!  But for dinner I made the Butternut Squash Apple Soup.

So it has been a very busy week with all that - doing lessons and reading and writing my assignments for my online class!  Tomorrow is the 2500th Anniversary of the Athens Marathon - I will be walking in the 5 km route with Miah and Harper!

Where in the world should I live?

Sadly it is that time again to begin filling out papers and thinking about where I want to work.  So I thought I would ask you my friends your thoughts - you know me the best.  Where would you recommend I live?  and/or not live?  [N. America is not an option at this point].  And don't think of yourselves of where you would like to visit me, think about me - where would be a great city/country to live in - anywhere in the world.....

Lovely Autumn... Happiness.... Good memories

It was a beautiful day here!  Blue sky, sunny, about 75 degrees F, slight breeze - we were just missing the slightly changing colors of leaves!

Started working on my last assignment for my online class (it is due by tomorrow).  I went to a great gym class this morning - maybe I will achieve 3 times going to the gym this week!  Came home and made Nutty Fruit Muffins - an alternative for breakfast for my diet.  Had lunch on the balcony.  Finished and sent in my online assignment.  Had a lesson.  Read a chapter from The Happiness Project on the balcony.  Went to the grocery store for some essentials.  Made homemade butternut squash and apple soup.  Listened to music and had some wine.  Today was happiness.

This butternut squash soup recipe I received 15 years ago and I try to make it every year.  it was from a dear older woman named Shirley Morton.  I was a senior in college in NH. In the fall of 1994 I was doing my internship at New London Elementary school and I got really sick.  I had bacterial pneumonia, was hospitalized and came close to the white light!  After a surgery and when I was released from the hospital, I needed a place to recover - the dorms weren't really an option.  So this wonderful woman, Shirley Morton, mother of a teacher at the elementary school invited me into her home to recooperate.  I had never met her before.  This was one of the wonderful attributes to a small New England town.  I lived with her for about 2 weeks.  We played a lot of Scrabble.  I don't really remember what else we did, I think she chatted with me a lot and I remember she made hook rugs?  Anyway, one day she served me this delicious soup and so I got the recipe.  I sent a Christmas card every year to Shirley and then one day her daughter wrote back to inform me that unfortunately her mom, Shirley, had passed away earlier that year.  I think it was a least 5 years ago.

September Reflection and October Resolutions

Where does the time go?  I cannot believe it is October already.  As I reflect on all that happened in September, I am pleased with how the month rolled out.  Even before reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben, I had already made up my mind to set goals for myself each month (and each day if plausible).  For September, my goals were to maintain on my diet, cook better meals, exercise almost every day, obtain some clients, put away my things so stuff didn't pile up everywhere, do some cultural things, start an online class, and read every day.  I know I was setting the bar a little high. But thoughts are those goals I didn't achieve I could roll over to the next month!

So how did I do?  Pretty well in my mind.  I have maintained my diet (eating every 4 hours 400 calories per meal, including a MUFA), I am cooking better meals - this goes nicely with the diet.  I have 2 friends over once a week and cook for them; the exercising almost every day is really not happening - I am lucky if I get twice a week  - but this is a chore for me - I don't like to exercise....
I did get enough clients.  I attended a variety of cultural events this month.  I joined a book club.  I started an online class.  I am taking Induction to PYP online.  This is the curriculum that I was supposed to be trained in and teach at ACS but the school dropped it when I arrived in 2008; and this is the curriculum that I lacked knowledge of preventing me of obtaining interviews and thus a teaching job in another country for this school year.  So I am thrilled to have found the class and am able to take the class online.  It began on Wednesday - I have one more assignment to do before Tuesday! 

I had a great September.  Relatively stress free - I am really enjoying my daily activities.  I am not bored and don't really miss the classroom.

However, stress has crept back into my mind as what to do about the future.  Here I just got comfortable with the decision I made about this year and the nagging question is where are you going next year?  Which job fair are you going to?  Where do you want to live?  Yes I know applications and paper work needs to be completed soon but I don't want this stress to engulf my life so early.  Why can't a good job just drop in my lap? (through Skype...) 

But on a lighter note, my goals for October are to close the drawers and cupboards after I use them, exercise, put away things at once, reply to emails within 48 hours, plan ahead a little more and maintain the goal achievements I have reached so far.