Miss Euro Blogger - Bursting the Bubble

I recently tried to explain homesickness to my fiancé who has never lived abroad. It was surprisingly difficult! The knot in the stomach. The uncontrollable crying. The loneliness you feel despite being in a room full of people. Even if you are at the most beautiful place on Earth and next to a loving and caring person. He had no idea what I was talking about. How do you explain to someone when you suddenly feel gloomy because you just found a restaurant that serves the food from home and it tasted nothing like at home? My first overwhelming experience with homesickness came unexpected at a small grocery store that specialized in 'exotic' foods from outside America. There, I spotted a dry-soup package with German writing on it and burst into tears. It was as if I had no control over my muscles. I was unable to stop the crying. I was short of breath and felt this pain in my stomach as if an alien had taken over my body and was trying to kill me from the inside. I...

A week from today is Valentine's Day. Most women in relationships look forward to it, most single women dread it. Why is this one day every year stirring up so many emotions for so many women? Men only have one emotion when it comes to Valentine's Day: annoyance. They have to buy a present and they have to book a table at a restaurant that will only offer overpriced set menus. But worst of all, they have to pretend they are enjoying themselves. Valentine's Day is receiving more and more attention in Europe but it is still nowhere near the machinery it is in America. Once the New Year has begun supermarkets greet shoppers with an explosion in red! Flowers, greeting cards, teddy bears, champagne bottles, perfume, and so much more. The color smacks you in the face to remind couples to get ready for the day of love and to remind singles to feel sad and depressed for being 'alone'. On my first Valentine's date in Los Angeles, we went to one of those overpriced re...