Poland is the homeland of my maternal grandparents who were born in Lublin in 1915 and 1916. I traveled to Poland for the very first time in 2009 while I was living in Italy. Fast forward nearly seven years later, once my health began to return, we started to plan our European vacation. Ania, the daughter of my mom’s cousin Elżbieta was going to get married … Continue reading Pamiętniki: Memoirs of Poland
Lublin My maternal grandparents were born and raised in Lublin, Poland. When we spent time together at the dinner table they would share conversations in their native Polish language and sometimes in Yiddish. Grandpa’s Recipe When I was a teenager, my grandfather shared a food memory with me. It consisted of spaghetti with a dark brown sugar sauce. While the pasta was cooking he … Continue reading The Recipe Box
Thorns and Tropical Roses The very first rose garden I visited was during a drive back to Miami, Florida from the University of North Texas, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Arranging. My mom always wanted to be a horticulturist but she was unable to finish her college education due to a heart attack that her mom suffered during the course of her … Continue reading A Rose Memoir…
Jazz in Turin Even though we left Turin, Italy almost four years ago, I still have vivid memories of its live jazz concerts. It seemed like the world traveled through this beautiful city situated near the Alps in northern Italy. And so not only was I able to see and hear some amazing musicians but I was also able to approach and speak with them. … Continue reading A Jazz Memoir
The Swimming Years I grew up in North Miami Beach, the west side. It was a glorious place to grow up in. We lived close to Uleta Park, where I learned how to swim and joined the NMB Seahawks under the direction of Mr. Glen. My brother Steven is on the far left. When I was six years-old I joined an AAU swim team at … Continue reading The Knish: A Memoir
Six summers ago I found myself visiting with my dear friends Cordelia and Zlatan and along the way, I found a long-lost cousin from Poland. The place of the encounter would be Piran, Slovenia. It was my first summer in Italy and so I took a seven-hour train ride from Turin to Trieste and from there a bus to Slovenia. When I arrived in Piran my … Continue reading A Memoir of Slovenia and Croatia
From Turin to Brooklyn 