Author Archives: kaseydugan

“Kasey, I can’t sleep like this,” Aleksa has said, for the past four nights, pointing to the air conditioner in our rental space. “Serbians don’t do well with this cold air.” “Aleksa,” I keep saying back to him, “I can’t sleep with it off.” I’m back in Belgrade. You’d think that the most telling signContinue reading “Back in Belgrade”

Hi friends. It’s been three chaotic months for That American Girl. Aleksa went back to Serbia and I went back to graduate school. Two dear friends passed away. Grief, like a ghost, took over my home. The winter went on and on and on … even though spring had arrived. We have not had newsContinue reading “Where have I been?”

When I touch down in Belgrade, I go through the usual motions of long-haul flight exhaustion: eye dryness, sensitive stomach, sweaty clothes, sore glutes. All I want to do is go to bed. Only I still have to go through customs, collect my luggage, and — oh yeah — reunite with Aleksa after 6+ months.Continue reading “You’ve Reunited With Your LDR Partner … Now What?”

For months, friends and followers alike have asked me to write a blog on how to successfully make a long-distance relationship “work.” The first attempt at this blog was back in November. All the talk of Thanksgiving travel plans had me reminiscing about my love affair with travel: my packing rituals, my airport stories, evenContinue reading “How to Make a Long Distance Relationship “Work””

Well, friends, it’s January again: that polarizing month that fills us with happiness or dread. For many people, this is the time to start fresh — to join the gym, to learn how to use a crockpot, to cut out those negative people in your life! But if you’re like me, this is a sadContinue reading “I Miss Winter in Belgrade”

Tell me, friends: what would we do without Autumn in New York? For those who have experienced it, you know that there’s nothing quite like it. During this time of year, Tom Hanks feels compelled to buy school supplies; Bryant Park rips up its 9.6-acre lawn to clear space for the skating rink; and Central Park transforms into aContinue reading “Autumn in New York & Summer in Serbia.”

In order to understand the bizarre circumstances in which Aleksa and I were fated to meet, you must first know the story of how my parents met. In 1991, my father was a captain for Circle Line, the company that formerly operated the ferries that carry visitors to Liberty Island (where the iconic Statue ofContinue reading “How Aleksa and I Met.”