Florentine Frescoes

One of the benefits to working in international schools, in Europe especially, is the accessibility to other countries and the opportunities for field trips to those other countries. So, during the 6th grade unit on the Renaissance, it is only appropriate to transport 130 sixth grade students and 20 chaperones to the city of Florence, the Renaissance mecca. I was fortunate enough to be one of those chaperones, and had the most amazing time exploring the city and all of its museums and discovering a new appreciation for art I only would have acquired by being with students whose enthusiasm for the art was contagious. I learned so much, and am still not sure how I was lucky enough to go (I was accepted to help chaperone even before I applied for the 6th grade position next year). At almost every museum the classroom teacher I accompanied had the students stop and write down something in their journals, either questions that had to be answered or a sketch or just something memorable they'd like to take note of. At each of these opportunities, I, too, wrote down some thoughts I was having at the time. So here you go, some excerpts of my Florentine thoughts.

Sunday, 20-5-07
I'm in Italy. I am so infatuated with this city, in fact, that I haven't yet thought, "Oh, I was I was here with friends rather than sixth graders." Maybe it's because the teachers and students with whom I am traveling are fantastic. Maybe it's because we're about to eat Free, Delicious Dinner #1. Whatever, the reason, I am so excited for this week. What a great feeling it is when it's just the beginning of something I am so excited for!

Monday, 21-5-07
Sipping Tea in Florence
Here I am at a cafe in Piazza San Marco. It is my morning off and, besides getting a bit turned around at the Duomo, it has been absolutely "perfecto." Walking, shopping, tea, writing...what an ideal way to spend a morning in Florence.

Frescoes in the San Marco
The children have been asked to draw a picture of something that inspires them, much like the frescoes inspired the monks that lived in the cells in which they were painted. What would I draw?

Singing in the Piazza Signori
What a fantastic evening! What started as an opportunity for those in the strings to earn some extra credit turned into a mini-medley of spontaneous tunes, including such songs as I Like to Move it, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and American Pie. Those who I have pegged as shy even became enthusiastic, either to sing or while their friends were singing. We might do the same thing tomorrow evening, but there is always something more memorable and special about the unplanned.

Tuesday, 22-5-07
An Appreciation for Art
What has been a pleasant surprise for me this trip is my newfound appreciation for art and the story behind the piece.

Donatello's Magdalena
I am actually shaking and jittery after having seen this piece of art, probably especially after hearing the children's reaction to it (one of the girls said that in the sculpture, Mary Magdalene looked like she had a heavy burden and regret...and this was before she even knew the story from the bible). And thank goodness we had the room practically to ourselves for a while! It's crowded now, and it's always more difficult to soak in an experience when you feel rushed to move to let someone else in. I am so grateful to have this experience, especially in the presence of children whose observations and interpretations are always incredible to me. How fortunate I am that I get to use this experience to influence my teaching next year, that I have been able to see this city that reeks of the Renaissance influence and is sprinkled with its remnants.

Wednesday, 23-5-07
Inspiration to Learn
Because of this trip, now, more than ever, do I find myself craving any education material I can get my hands on. I just want to learn! One of the reasons I enjoy this profession is being able to teach children what I know. After this trip I just want to know more! Oh, how I crave the acquisition of knowledge!

Thursday, 24-5-07
Florentine Tea: Take Two
La la la. Here I am back at another cafe. I feel the most European when I'm sipping something outside at a cafe.

Friday, 25-5-07
Ciao to Firenze
I am sitting here in Piazza Signore about to sip on my last Florentine tea. I chose this spot, even though it is overpriced, because from where I am sitting I have the perfect view of the steps on which my favorite part of the trip took place. Minus the swarms of tourists in the square, this is the perfect way to say "ciao" to the city that has caused so much inspiration for me this week. I'll top the week off with a cone of gelato and then be on my way. Ciao Bella!

Yay for technology

I am writing this blog from my bed right now, a first for this blog-writer. The explanation for this progression? All teachers at ISB next year are now equipped with laptops! And not just any laptop. A tablet laptop, the kind with the swivel screen that turns into a notebook. Oh, and it also has wireless Internet, which explains my accessibility from this lying down position I am currently in. And I'm not informing you to boast, but rather as a reality check. I've never owned a laptop before, let alone one I didn't have to pay for.
On a side note, in the elementary school next year every other child will also have a laptop in the classroom. The following year, EVERY child will have his or her own laptop. Outrageous use of funding? Perhaps. I won't think too much about it as of yet, considering the fact that I'm still adjusting to the novelty of being able access Season 3 of Grey's Anatomy from the Internet without having to leave the comfort of my bed.

Family Travels

Part 2: Top 10 Moments Traveling with my Family
My family was able to meet me here in Europe and together we visited, in addition to Brussels, London, Ireland, and the Alsace region of France. The following are the Top 10 moments that made me stop and think, "Wow. This is sweet."

10. Care rentals. Though it took us an hour and a half to figure out how to turn on our French hybrid, it was so nice just to be in a car again, to navigate and not get lost (with just one wrong turn), and to not have to base part of our day on the timing of public transportation.

9. Madrigal meal. On our first night in Ireland my parents and I were able to visit the Bunratty Castle and proceeded to have one of the finest meals of my life. We were given no silverwear and had to eat everything, including soup, pork ribs, chicken and vegetables, with our hands or "dagger." To top it all off, the food was accompanied by very talented madrigal singers and instruments. It was a fabulous way to be welcomed into Ireland (espcially when addressed as Lords and Ladies).

8. Moher Lodge. One of our B & B's was owned by, who had to be, the sweetest Irish couple, and basically the quintessential Irish B & B. We were greeted immediately upon arrival with tea, slept in a perfectly quaint and cozy room, served the most delicious breakfasts (Irish and otherwise), and treated with the same hospitality that one would find from a long distance relative. In fact, as one photographer said whilst he stayed at the lodge, "I took a picture of a crooked lamp shade here because it was the only imperfection in the entire B & B." Oh...and two of the other guests at the B & B were Luther grads! (We were sure to take a photo to send to the Luther Alumni magazine)

7. Strasbourg tea. I had a few spare minutes to myself after my family and I had split up for a bit to do our separate things, and I utilized them sitting at a cafe near the city's cathedral and sipping on tea. Sometimes a girl's just gotta have tea.

6. Witch's Eye. My aunt and I were able to hike up a hill in Thann, France on which perches the remnants of a castle called the Witch's Eye. I found a way to climb into the center of the eye, we had a fantastic view of the city, and we were even able to just sit and stare out at the city that was the birthplace of my ancestors, having one of those indescribable "How did I end up here?" moments.

5. Colmar. About an hour south of Strasbourg, France lies what has become one of my favorite European cities called Colmar. It has a canal that stretches across the city, and just off of it sits the area known as Little Venice, named, of course, after it's "Venetian" like buildings and canal. The town looks be completely preserved in original 18th century architecture and layout. Half of the city is made up of pedestrian roads and squares filled with fountains and cafes. I may have been able to just spend the entire vacation taking leisurely walks across this timeless, beautiful town.

4. Herbie. On the island of Inis Dirr, one of the Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland, my parents and I were greeted in the middle of our touring of the island by a little mut who adopted us as his guests and promptly began showing us around the island. We named him Herbie, and let him lead the way throughout the little island. He waited for us while we ate ice cream, and even sat with us while we relaxed on the beach. He eventually found a companion of a more similar species and lost interest in us, but for the rest of the trip we found ourselves longing for Herbie's company.

3. Soccer ball retrieval. While sitting at a cafe in Strasbourg that sat next to a canal, my aunt and I soon became completely engaged in the spectacle of watching a handful of adolescents try to retrieve a soccer ball that had been kicked into the canal. They had most of the patrons of the cafe as their audience, and spent at least 45 minutes using different strategies to reach their ball. I refused to leave until I saw the ball safely back with its owners, and happily participated in the applause that followed their successful recovery.

2. Picnic in the park. My parents and I took a day to just relax around Brussels, and spent a large part of the afternoon in one of my favorite city parks. After eating our perfect picnic of a lunch, we were able to lie down on the blanket and be perfectly content doing nothing in the company of the people that mean the most to us.

1. Spending time with my family. I can't begin to describe how comforting it was just to be back with my family, to revert back to old routines, and to get to show them what I am doing with my life. Thank you again for coming. :)

A Belated Spring Break Update

Well, it's been almost a month since my Spring Break began, but I believe it is better late than never to record an experience. So here it is: My Month Long Spring Break. :)

Part 1: Greek Surprises
Throughout our time spent in Greece, I was faced with different aspects of the country I had not expected. Some bad, mostly good, all something that made me stop and think, "Wow. That surprises me."

Bad- The American tourists. They were everywhere. I have no doubt that I saw more American tourists than Greeks. This was confirmed when we were stuck going up a mountain on the island of Aegina on our moped and the one person that stopped to help us was from California.
-Stray animals. I suppose this could be good or bad. But there were literally cats and dogs everywhere throughout the city of Athens. Though amusing at times, we were left more than once wondering if the animal was just sleeping or, in fact, dead, a ponderance I would rather not have to face on a vactation.
-Scaffolding. It was almost impossible to really imagine the temples as they were thousands of years ago when they were all under construction and surrounded by cranes.
-TPless toilets. Almost all of the toilets, including the ones in our hotels, disallowed the flushing of toilet paper. Yuck.

GOOD! -Proximity. Our hotel was very centrally located, and we were never out of walking distance from many of the major temples, including the Acropolis, and the Plaka Market.
-Athens Easter Gift. All of the temples we visited on Easter weekend were free!
-Scenic routes. Michelle and I were able to walk up to the Acropolis via the most quaint and perfectly Greek neighborhood, proving again that sometimes the best routes are off the beaten path.
-Rita's shop. On our first day in Athens, we came across a hole-in-the-wall of a shop owned by a woman named Rita, who was selling her artwork to eager tourists. We adopted her as our Greek grandma and was grateful for all of her advice on what to see in and near Athens.
-Chance encounters. At the steps leading up to the Parthenon on the Acropolis I ran into one of my students and his family. The timing was cosmic.
-Greek music, Greek dancing. Rita (from above) advised us on a restaurant for Easter dinner, and after getting lost on the way there, we stopped to ask a man for directions. He then informed us of another restaurant that boasted "Greek music Greek dancing" and let us in even without reservations. Though it turned out to be a huge tourist trap (indeed, it was full of American high school students) it was great to be entertained.
-Moped ease. The idea of riding a moped around a Greek island was very appealing to both Michelle and me, though the potential difficulty of renting, and driving, as it turns out, didn't dawn on us until we were attempting the rental. After fabricating a little thing of ever riding a moped before (neither of us hadn't) we eagerly hopped on our moped and, with mild embarassment, puttered ourselves down the street. After a few jolting starts and gradual accelerations, we both grew into the comfort of riding on a moped and enjoyed what turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.

All in all, I was thrilled to have the chance to visit a such a renowned and historic city, the flawless weather, and being able to visit an island on which it was possible to circumnavigate by moped. I could have done with less tourists, and my only regret was having just 5 days to spend there. However, with regret comes realization, which, for this particular circumstance, means that I may just have to go back. At least next time I will have an honest answer to the question, "So, have you ridden a moped before?"

Belated

Wow. It has taken way to long to replace my previous disturbing blog with something more uplifting. As of tomorrow, it will have been 1 month since my last blog. Whoa! Suffice it to say that April has been the busiest/most exciting month of my life, due in part to the visits from my dear friends and family, partly due to getting to visit new cities in Greece, Ireland, France, and Germany (which I will describe more in detail in my next blog), and partly because....

I got a job in Brussels for next year!!!!!!!

It's official: I have been hired to teach sixth grade at ISB. It's an interesting feeling, having something constantly weighing on your mind, and then for it to be, in the matter of minutes, completely relieved. I am excited to work with older children, to have my own classroom, and to get to move back to a city that I love. There is going to be a fantastic new-hire staff for next year as well, considering I know 6 other newly hired teachers, I am looking at a new apartment, and I don't have to pay hundreds of euros to ship all of my newly acquired belongings across an ocean. Life is good.