I know it's been a while...

...but I have plenty of reasons why.

I have stayed very busy:
-attempting train trips to cities across Germany only to find out that I have left my cash card in Brussels with 40 euros to last the weekend

-grading

-traveling to Binche, Belgium to celebrate Dimanche Gras, the first day of Carnival celebrated by children dressing in costumes and men dressed in themed masquerade, ranging from the chef in Ratatouille to Miss Kitty, and throwing confetti all over, inside, on top of, underneath, everything

-grading

-finding new favorite tea "salons," whereby finding the best Chai tea this side of the Prime Meridian

-grading

-and planning out various trips that include, but are not excluded to, Egypt, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, Spain, and Prague

Such is the life of a teacher living in Europe. I am off to Cairo tomorrow with a group of friends. This will be my first outside of Europe traveling stint I will have done since coming to Europe. To be very honest with myself, it still feels quite surreal. Egypt...that's like, far away, isn't it? But I'm going to be there, gazing at pyramids, sailing the Nile, and being exposed to ancient artifacts that have been around for thousands of years. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but have a feeling that my jaw will be dropping more than once this next week. I can't wait.

Quick student story for ya'll before I call it a night:
Last week, one of my students brought in a current event that had to do with flooding in the city of Chicago. The following conversation took place as a result:
"I chose this article because I lived in Wisconsin which is near Chicago."
"When my family and I lived in India we had to leave every monsoon season, otherwise we would be flooded in."
"Yeah, it was the same thing when our family was living in Thailand."
"Like, when I was living in the Philippines, we had lots of rain and it would flood sometimes too."
"That happened to me when I was living in the Solomon Islands as well."
I just wanted to say: Would you listen to yourselves?? You have lived all over the world and that is normal for you! You are SO lucky!
But instead I nodded with interest, gave them a smile, and continued on with the lesson. Knowing one's fortune is a realization, and I, too, find that unless I remind myself of my good fortune, it is very easy to take this sort of life for granted.
It just makes me wonder: how did I get here again?

Bon nuit.