No Place Like Home: A Look at My Hometown

I have lived in the United States for 23 years, so it is my new home now. My true home, however, is somewhere far away across the Atlantic Ocean in Eastern Europe, in my homeland of Minsk, Belarus. No matter where I go, I carry the memories of where I came from. The images, sounds, and aromas are still vivid in my mind. They make me feel as if Minsk is right here, just a grasp away. And sometimes I feel as if I am right there in the midst of all the action and adventure that this city has to offer.

Transportation

Minsk is the capital of Belarus. It is a busy city with lots of activity, yet it's never too crowded on the streets. No matter where people want to go they've got lots of ways of getting there. Among the modes of transportation are the bus, the subway, the trolley bus (the electric bus), and the tramway (runs on rails). With so many convenient and inexpensive ways of moving around and about the city, there are 

many places to see and visit.

The Bazaar

One interesting and delicious place to visit is the bazaar, otherwise known as the food market. Every day it is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables so aromatic that your mouth starts to water and your stomach growls, and the smell of freshly butchered meat, and raw fish wafts through the air. The burst of activity and the crowd of curious, hungry shoppers is a scene one can never forget. Voices ring in the air as people scurry through aisles of nutritious treasure, hands occupied with grocery bags, buying the necessary ingredients for creating a feast.

When I was little, I loved going to the bazaar. Whenever my parents or grandparents went shopping to the bazaar I always went with them. It was an adventure for me. My mom even told that a few times she went to the bazaar on high heels with me in her arms carrying huge grocery bags. And actually there were plenty of women who went shopping for food in high heels.

Belarusians Love to Eat

Belarusians love to eat, and they consume a great deal of food, especially at dinnertime. The table is never empty when people come together for a celebration or just to enjoy a meal together. Come to think of it, the table has so much food on it that by the time people are done eating, their stomachs are so full that they can't get up.

To start of the meal, there are a variety of appetizers. The popular and also my favorite salads are olivye made from potatoes, carrots, pickles, canned peas and mayo; shuba, which is a layered salad of potatoes, carrots, onions, herring and beets topped with mayo, and carrot and mushroom salad. There are also a variety of freshly oven-baked breads, cold cuts, herring and red and black caviar, which is very popular. And this is just the beginning. Then comes soup.

The two popular soups are cabbage soup made from green cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, and beet soup made from beets and potatoes. And if that isn't enough there are also a number of main entrees that are served. Among them the popular ones are fried chicken cutlets with mashed potatoes, or fried pork chops with fried potatoes. As you can tell potatoes are very popular. Actually people love potatoes so much that they eat them mashed, fried, boiled, sautéed, or baked. They can even eat them for breakfast, dinner, or supper. You would think that this is the end of the meal. But finally, there are fruits and dessert with tea or coffee. This looks more like a royal feast than a regular dinner but this is the way that Belarusians eat when they get together.

Since bread and pastries are an important part of dinner, the bakery is another place that cannot be passed up. Walking along a street, even feet away, one can taste and inhale the rich aroma of baked goodies that leave one's taste buds hungry for more. Bakeries always draw in a huge crowd that sometimes it gets so big that a line forms on the sidewalk waiting to get that piece of wholesome goodness.

I remember when I was little I loved going to the bakery. Fortunately it was across the street from my apartment so I didn't have to go far. My favorite bread was Narachansky, which was made with molasses and dried mashed potatoes. It was so delicious that one slice was just not enough. Luckily I've found a bakery here in Brooklyn that bakes that bread so I always buy it. It brings me closer to home and reminds me of the bakery I always visited.

Popular Foods in Belarus: 

Beet Salad with Prunes, Carrot Salad with Raisins, 

Herring, Syrniki, Vinegret, Stuffed Bell Peppers, 

Cabbage Soup, Okroshka, Cold Borscht

Mushroom Picking

One of the popular activities to do in Belarus is going to the forest for mushroom and berry picking. It might seem a bit weird to a foreigner but it is fun. When people go picking for berries and mushrooms they actually eat them afterwards. (The mushrooms are cooked of course before being consumed.) There is no fear of getting poisoned because people know what to look for and can tell the difference between something poisoned and something edible.

This of course was one of my favorite activities. Many times I went with my brother and parents to pick berries and mushrooms in the forest. The berries that we picked were blueberries, raspberries and wild strawberries (my favorite). Wild strawberries are so delicious that they melt in your mouth. Sadly they don't grow in America although I've found a few in upstate New York.

One time when I was in Latvia with my family we decided to go mushroom picking. We ended up collecting a big bucket of mushrooms, which we later brought to the restaurant where we had dinner and asked the chefs to fry them for us. The mushrooms were so good that we ate them all. That is an experience I will never forget.

The Weather

Oh and one can never forget about the weather. Each season carries with it wonder and surprise.

Winters can be rather brutal with temperatures falling way below freezing and the cold snow reaching heights of people's knees. But even this rather unpleasant work of Mother Nature is a beautiful, mesmerizing masterpiece. Bare streets and naked trees are blanketed in fluffy white sheets of snow, sparkled by the faint glow of the sun peeking from the light gray sky. The howling of the wind and the sting of the frost paints people's faces with pink dots, and fogs windows. With children playing in the snow and rows of snowmen, the streets are never lonely. Belarus stands for "white Russia" in the Belarussian language, so maybe the nation got its name from its white snowy winters.

Lasting through months of freezing cold the body craves for warmth and so spring brings with it warmer temperatures. Yet everything is not calm because sometimes, heavy rains storm into the city creating puddles that turn into small rivers. The air is fresh with each rainfall refreshing the body and soul.

Summer throws upon us hot temperatures but it is never too humid so the atmosphere is pleasant. It is a great time to bask in the sun and relax at the beach. So people don't have to be stuck indoors in front of an air conditioner to stay cool.

Autumn colors the streets with rainbows of fallen leaves rustling under moving feet. Cooler temperatures relieve us from the power of the heat.

So each season gives people something to look forward to. It unveils a beauty all its own. Sometimes it seems as though the scenery in front of one's eyes is not real but a painting. That is what makes the seasons in Minsk exhilarating and unforgettable.

Minsk, Belarus is an interesting place to visit. The experience is wonderful and mesmerizing. There is plenty to do and plenty to see. It's been a while since I left Minsk, Belarus, but unveiling these memories of my homeland make me want to say that there is no place like home.

My Trip to Ontario Canada

One year, instead of spending Labor Day weekend at home my uncle decided to make a trip to Ontario Canada. He didn't want to stay at a hotel or a b&b and decided to rent a cottage. After doing a Google search he found a cottage in St. Catherines, Canada on Nokara Farms and that is where we went.

We left to Canada on Friday morning and returned back home late Monday night. We drove around St. Catherines and went sightseeing to Niagara-on-the-Lake during the day and to Niagara Falls at night, when everything is lit up.

It was a great, fun, and memorable trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I sure hope we return to this cottage and to this part of Canada soon.

Nokara Farms Cottage

The cottage we stayed at was located on Nokara Farms (St. Catherines, Ontario). It was a cozy two bedroom cottage with a large living room, a fully equipped kitchen, a roomy bathroom, and a large porch. The cottage overlooked Ontario Lake and the view was breathtaking.

I never thought that I'd be living on a farm, surrounded by fruits and vegetables, overlooking Ontario Lake, but it happened and I am so thrilled that it did.

Instead of sleeping in the bedroom I decided to sleep in a pullout couch in the living room. Why did I do that when I could have slept in a cozy bed? Well, I did it all for the view. Lying on the couch and looking straight out the window I could see Ontario Lake, the picturesque skies above, the rustling leaves of the trees and the birds flying overhead. Pure bliss and worth the discomfort of sleeping on a pullout couch. Actually, it wasn't that uncomfortable but of course a bed is always the better choice. In this case the view won me over and nothing else mattered. I wish I could wake up to this kind of view every morning...

The View from the Cottage

The view from the cottage was breathtaking. I am glad that I didn't forget to bring my camera along with me. I was able to take some amazing photographs of the lake and the sunset... Below are some of these photos.

Picking Fruits and Vegetables

There was no way we could have left Nokara Farms without going fruit and vegetable picking. The owner of the farm took us on a tour of the farm land and then allowed us to pick fruits and vegetables. By the time we were done we had baskets loaded with plums, peaches, pears, tomatoes, eggplants, onions, red peppers, and melons. We asked how much we owed for all these delicacies but the owner said we owed him nothing.

Visiting Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario Canada and we went to visit it on our trip. It had nice buildings and stores and a beautiful park. I also noticed that there were flower arrangements situated throughout the main street of the town. Even in the middle section of the road that divides the two-way street there flowers galore.

While walking along the main street I saw a couple that was dressed up like someone from the olden days, which was interesting to see. They were nice enough to let me take their picture. I didn't ask them. They just saw me taking pictures and posed for me.

I also came across a lady walking a poodle. I've never seen a dog like it. He was so unique, so beautiful that I had to take a picture. Another amazing thing that I saw was a monument of sorts that listed the names of the people who swam across Ontario Lake. It showed how old the people were when they made that swim, where they were from, and the length of the swim.

Visiting Niagara Falls

I have been to Niagara Falls in the past but I have never visited it in the evening when everything is lit up. This time I got to do just that. It was really a sight to see. So majestic, so magical, especially with the fireworks overhead.

I tried taking pictures but it was hard to get any great ones because it was so dark. I guess my Nikon camera is not designed for taking night pictures. I managed to take a few that weren't that bad though, which I am happy about.

I am not sure what the occasion was but there were too many people visiting Niagara Falls that night. It was way overcrowded. It gave me a feeling that something big was going to happen. And that's when the fireworks started. The downside was that the fireworks lasted for only a few minutes. I would have thought they'd be for at least twenty minutes, if not more. Oh well. Even the few minutes brought with them lasting memories.

My trip to Ontario Canada was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. I definitely want to return there in the future, hopefully in the near future. And as far as where to spend the night, I'd prefer to stay at a cottage on Nokara Farms than at a hotel or a bed and breakfast.

Tips on How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Writers, no matter how great they are, face writer's block at some point during their writing journey. Either they sit staring at an empty page not knowing what to write about; or they sit there writing and reject everything that makes it onto the empty page. Writer's block is not only annoying but it also prevents writers from from creating amazing pieces of writing and getting it done in time.

Being a writer, I know how annoying and frustrating it can be to be faced with writer's block, especially when you have a deadline for something that you have to write. And not being able to write when you really want to write is just as annoying and frustrating.

I decided to put together some tips on how to overcome writer's block. Perhaps you will find them useful. And if you have your own tips to share, please do. Writers should always help each other improve their craft...

If Writing Isn't Working Take a Break...

If you ever start writing something and end up hating or rejecting everything that you write STOP WRITING. I don't mean stop writing for the rest of your life. Just put the writing aside and come back to it at a later time. If you keep on at it and force yourself to continue writing (when it's clearly not working out for you) your work will suffer and so will you for that matter. There is nothing wrong with pausing, taking a breather, and returning to your creation at a later time. If you do that, if you return with a clearer head and a calmer being, you will see that your words will start to flow and you will accept what you write. You will begin to appreciate the words you lay onto the empty page. Things will fall into place...And before you know it an amazing piece of writing will emerge. How much time should you take off from working on that piece of writing is really up to you. You may take a break for a few minutes, or maybe a few hours or even days will be best. Try it out and see what works best for you.

Where to Draw Your Inspiration From...

Everything that surrounds you is a great source of inspiration. You just have to be open to it. You have to want to accept it and embrace it. Don't let anything pass you by. Always have a pen and paper ready to jot down those ideas. They will come in handy when you have writer's block. And they will also be useful because they may result in great pieces of writing. You don't necessarily need a pen and paper. You can use any other medium to record all the ideas that pop into your head. As long as you have a recording device that is all that matters.

Nature is a great source of inspiration and it is full of stories waiting to unfold, even if it is used metaphorically to tell a larger story. For example, you may be strolling through the park and notice an elderly man sitting on a bench with his young grandson feeding the birds, which may bring you back to a time when you were a kid and when you used to go to the park with your grandfather... Or you may spot a tree and it may trigger a memory of a time when you sat under it with your love...

Dreams can be a great source of inspiration. When you wake up in the morning, try to remember bits and pieces of the dreams you had and jot them down. It doesn't matter if they are vague. They can still help to give you ideas on what to write about. You never know what pieces of writing your dreams can inspire so pay attention to your dreams and if anything sticks in your head when you wake up put it on paper so you can later work on it and develop it into a complete body of work, be it short or long.

Where and How to Get Ideas For Your Writing...

If you are sitting there not sure of what to write about there's lots you can do... Think back on your recent or past experiences and write about those. Think about what matters to you, what touches your heart or moves you, what you are passionate about, your dreams and aspirations. Ponder about these things a little and ideas will start to emerge in your head.

Read on for more useful information on where and how to get ideas for your writing...

Ask Yourself a Series of Questions

You can ask yourself a serious of questions that will help get you on the track to starting your piece of writing. Here is a list of some of them that you'll hopefully find useful.

• Have you seen a movie or show on TV, read an interesting book, or listened to a song that connected with you and spoke to you in some way?
• Who is your idol and why is that person your idol?
• What does friendship mean to you?
• How would you describe unconditional love?
• Is there anything that you are afraid of that keeps you (or kept you) from doing what you've always dreamed of?
• Did you face any challenges in your life and how did you overcome them?
• Have you ever felt like an outcast, like you didn't belong amongst a group of people?
• What are your fondest childhood memories?
• Are there any special moments in your life that you will never forget?
• How did you cope with the loss of your loved one?

There are many more questions that you can ask yourself...So jot down a list of questions not worrying about their content and something will surely make you want to write and create something of great importance.

Come Up With a List of Titles

Come up with a list of potential titles for a piece of writing...

When you do that, something in that list will catch your eye, or ignite a spark, and ideas or even complete lines will emerge from your head...Before you know it a piece of writing will come together and one you will surely love.

When creating a list of potential titles keep in mind that the final titles for your work may change. So, don't dwell too much on the titles you come up with as they are there to spark your imagination, to get your mind working, to bring a story to life, no matter what style of writing it's in.

Besides coming up with your own titles you can also look at titles of movies, books, and songs, that have been released by others. That may inspire you as well. Even lines in books, songs, or movies can resonate with you and bring forth great ideas for writing or even complete works.

Some examples of titles:

• The Sound of Good-Bye
• A Moment in Time
• Stains on My Heart
• A Bed of Roses
• Awakening
• Keep on Running
• Heart of the Ocean
• Eternal Beast
• Filling in the Rainbow
• Eternal Changes
• My Every Color
• Pieces of Me

Come Up With a List of Words

If your goal is to write a poem or a lyric and you find yourself blocked go ahead and come up with a list of words. The list doesn't have to be long. Having six words in the list is a good enough number from personal experience. Once you've got your list together go ahead and open up that empty Word document, or take out a pen and paper, and start writing your poem or lyric making sure to include all the words from your list in there.

When you are creating your list the words don't have to be related to each other. They can be as far away from each other as you want. And that may actually be to your advantage because having a list of words (for example: bear, banana, dream, vacation, tongue, daisy) that are not related to each other in any way will get your creative juices flowing, in turn getting rid of that writer's block and helping you to write something and something you will actually like rather than reject. The piece will turn out to be an interesting one and may even result in you getting more writing ideas.

You can try using this technique/approach when writing prose as well. It can be just as effective. But I use it more for poetry and lyrics than anything else.

Take a Look at Pictures

Take a look at pictures in a magazine, book, newspaper, Internet or photo album and see what ideas come into your head from looking at those images and write about them. This will help you create the beginnings of stories (whether fiction or non-fiction) that you can later develop into full stories for others to enjoy.

Remember that the stories you write don't necessarily have to be about exactly what is depicted in the pictures you look at. Images can very well trigger something entirely different in your mind and memory and still help you bring to life works that will have meaning, depth, and emotion.

Set Up Five Minute Exercises

Another great thing you can do to help cure writer's block and get yourself to start writing is to set up five minute exercises. Simply set a timer for five minutes and start writing. Before setting a timer, however, first look at an image, think of a sound that speaks to you (roar, cry, boom, meow, laugh, trickle, bang, etc.), or a phrase that resonates with you (it can be a title) and then set the timer and write. You will be amazed at what you can come up with in those five minutes.

When you write, forget about everything that's running through your head and just let the words flow, let the pen glide across the paper without questioning anything you write at the moment. Don't pause and think. Just write. Doing this will make for a more meaningful, more effective body of work.

When the timer beeps signaling the end of five minutes put down your pen and read what you've written. Then go ahead and revise what you think needs to be improved or removed. You don't have to do it right away. You can set the work aside and come back to it at a later time. Of course, you may find that revision is not needed. Most likely though that is not the case.

A piece of writing can always use a little revision. Set it aside and come back to it at a later time. Doing so you will find that you'll want to change something in your piece, be it a few words, or a few sentences. You may even find that there is a lot more to tell in this story. If that is the case, go ahead and continue developing it. Just make sure you don't stray too far away from the original as it has the most energy in it. Also, be sure to keep the original version as you may need to go back to it at any moment.

Where to Tackle Writing?

Every writer works differently and writes best in different settings. Some prefer to write at a desk in a closed room; others outdoors or at an open space; others at a library; others with music in the background, etc.

I think one great place to write is when you are sitting on a bench, a light breeze is blowing, and you hear the waves as they hit the shore. This can bring forth lots of beautiful, moving, and amazing pieces of writing, regardless of what type of writing it is - poetry, lyrics, prose, etc.

I've done this many times and it has really helped me write. Not only is this setting inspiring but it also helps to clear your head, which improves writing and makes it easier to figure out what to write about as well.

Writing in your room (on a computer perhaps) can also work. Just make sure you have a window open or the AC on. If the room is hot and stuffy and it's hard to breathe your writing will suffer and so will you.

You might think it's funny but great pieces of writing can come about while you taking a shower or sitting on the toilet doing your business. They may not be complete works but at the very least they will be great ideas. I've written many pieces (poetry and lyrics) while taking a shower and while sitting on the toilet - some were lines or ideas while others were complete works. There is one downside however. If you are taking a shower, you can't take a pen and paper and write things down. You have to rely on your memory. So if you get ideas or even complete lines in your head, while taking a shower, you will have to repeat them over and over so they are committed to memory and will not vanish after you get out of the shower and can finally write them down. I hope this hub will be helpful in your writing journey. I hope it even inspires you in some way. Feel free to share your own tips for overcoming writer's block and for figuring out what to write about... As always, I look forward to hearing back from you.

The Story Behind "Nowhere to Be Found"

On August 24th, 2011 at around 8:30 in the morning Adam Lambert's chorus from "If I Had You" (my ringtone at the time) started blasting from my cell phone. This is one of my favorite songs, yet hearing it then didn't bring a smile to my face, especially when I looked up the caller ID and saw that it was my paternal grandmother calling. I wondered why she was calling at such an early hour. Something just didn't seem right. She never called this early.

I picked up the phone expecting to hear my grandmother's voice. Instead I heard the voice of her home attendant telling me that she had come in to the house, so still and quiet, to find my grandmother unmoving in her bed, my grandfather lying beside her, his hand stroking her head. I managed to hold it together while she was on the phone with me - telling me the sad, shocking news and then complaining about how she couldn't get a hold of my parents for a long time. She had every right to complain because the body had been lying there for hours and needed to be moved to the funeral home. But that was not something I wanted to hear. I had to try to get a hold of my parents but more importantly I wanted to go and see my grandmother for the last time and say my good-bye.

After I hung up the phone the waterworks started. I was shaking and I couldn't stop crying. I could not believe she was gone...

It was hard for me to find out that my grandmother was no longer with us. It tore me up inside and for a long time I could not come to terms with her passing. For a while it felt as if she were still with us. More than once I had the urge to pick up the phone and call her, or stop by her house for a visit, but of course there was no one to call, no one to visit. She was gone and nothing would bring her back.

One day I came to the cemetery to visit my grandmother. I scanned for her grave, scanned for that little name tag (the monument was not up at the time) to let me know where she was peacefully dreaming, but it was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere near where her grave site should be but it was all in vain. I started to panic; wondered about what happened to her, and why her grave was nowhere in sight. Then this thought came into my mind - why am I looking for her here in the cemetery when I should be visiting her in her own home? She isn't dead. She is in her bed peacefully dreaming...

With a burial taking place nearby I had no choice but to stop looking for her and go home. Before leaving I went into the management office and told them that I couldn't find my grandmother's grave. They took out a map of the grounds and showed me where it was. Turns out I didn't look far enough. I let out a sigh of relief that she was all right but then it dawned on me that I had come to the right place after all. She was not in her bed peacefully dreaming beside her husband. She was here, alone in this cold underground lair that has become her new home...

This incident inspired me to write an emotional poem about the loss of a loved one called "Nowhere To Be Found", which is featured in an e-magazine called In the Gesture of Words. I am very honored to have this poem be chosen to be a part of this magazine.

Below you will find this poem. I hope that it touches you in some way.

Nowhere To Be Found

I come to visit you
Amongst the tombstones and piles of dirt
To place some carnations and stones
Onto your new underground lair
To reminisce about the days that passed
And talk of days to come

I come to say hello
Come to say how much I miss you
How much I love you
My eyes scan for your name tag
But it is nowhere to be found

I wonder if you’ve been
Evicted from your new home
Or if I’ve simply come to the wrong address
Perhaps you’re still there in your old home
Lying beside your husband peacefully dreaming