by Natalie Karneef | Feb 22, 2017
“What are YOU doing here?” This is my greeting as I wriggle through the mountains of boots, mitts and snow jackets in the entranceway at Matt and Holly’s. It’s Sunday night, and I’ve been invited for dinner, for which, miraculously, I’ve made it on time. I’m...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 31, 2016
It’s 5:30 a.m. and I’m climbing out of a van in the middle of a large field in central Turkey. It’s still dark, but I can see the silhouettes of half-filled hot air balloons scattered about on their sides. We watch a man inject the closest one with...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 20, 2016
This morning is one of those mornings. Nothing terrible happens, shit just goes wrong. Then I find out that the friend I’m supposed to meet in Bucharest, where I’m headed today, can’t make it. At lunchtime, Pietro drives me to the train station, even though I could...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 19, 2016
I had to stay home and work today. Someone’s gotta be productive around this place. Maria and Pietro were out all day, including for both lunch and dinner (gasp!), so I was left to my own devices. Sort of. “You take food from the fridge,” Maria commanded, before they...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 14, 2016
This morning, my Italian mama, Maria, makes me a cappuccino. On the bus 20 minutes later, I feel like a cracked out windup toy. This is why I do not drink coffee. This is also why I have two pages of notes in my notepad which I can’t make out. At the time,...
