Story #1: I Feel Most Rested When…

I tend to overthink because I’m a worrywart a person who tends to needlessly worry. That means I spend more time thinking about hypothetical (adj) – imaginary / not real situations than relaxing or resting. Thankfully, since moving, I’ve figured out a nighttime routine that allows me to sleep peacefully. Immediately after finishing my workday, I put dried lavender pouches (n) –  a small flexible bag  in the shower and have a hot shower. The steam releases a calming and soothing fragrance.

After that, I put on clean loungewear (n) – comfortable clothing for wearing at home and a cup of apple mint tea. I sit in my favorite chair, listen to my favorite music, and doodle and color in my notebook. Once I’ve finished my apple mint tea, I make a cup of sleepy tea, which I bought from BioBizaar. I continue to doodle and color until I’m tired. Once I’ve finished my tea and doodling (v) – to scribble with , I wear a cozy sweater and go to bed.

by Ashley Cook

Story #2: Back to School…

It’s that time of year again! The air’s suddenly a little cooler, the leaves are just starting to change color, and all the kids are back at school. This year, I got to experience the first day of school in Polish elementary school with my son, Mikolaj. We packed his markers, fountain pens (n) a pen with a re-fillable source of ink, HB pencilsHB stands for „hard black”, and notebooks (with lined, checkered(adj) marked with squares, or blank paper) into a Roblox backpack, and off we went!

It’s a little different than what I remember from my first day of school back in the U.S. One thing I noticed right away is how students arrive looking very sharp in their dress clothes on the first day! Many of them also carried a cone filled with candies.

The day started with an assembly(n) a gathering of a group of people for a specific purpose and speech from the school principal(n) the head or director of a school. Afterward, we got to meet his teacher and see the classroom, and just like that, my little boy became a first-grader!

by Amanda