Can it be 1 month already?? January 28, 2009

After a nice relaxing weekend in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, our 5-month hometown, I felt recharged and ready to go……on Monday morning!   Tuesday- Wednesday, my energy is zapped!  Monday, an early morning (6:30am) and a late night (8:30pm) at school, left me utterly exhausted and ready to sleep the rest of the week.  Our professor, Dr. Grow, visited us to give her observations and assessment of how we were adjusting.  A little nerve-racking considering I had never met her in all my time at Truman.  After observing my classroom for just 2 1/2 hours, she commented that “there’s a lot going on in this room…I’m impressed by how you manage all the different kids.”  YES- AFFIRMATION!!!!  Just what I needed to get me out of bed the next morning!  Tuesday was no different- another early morning and a late night.  However, since we got to dine out with Dr. Grow on Truman’s dollar, this late night was COMPLETELY worth it…probably the best meal we’ve had in weeks!!!  🙂   Today- Wednesday- I got thrown in to substitute in a multi-age special education room because the teacher had a meeting and no one showed up to sub for her.  AKA- 4 kindergardeners with 30 second attention spans and me, trying to teach them how to count.  A LOT different from my kids, but entertaining at least! 

Travel plans have been a huge goal of ours this week and right now, I feel quite accomplished!  Nichole and I booked tickets to Spain for President’s Day weekend- we had a little chaos because ticket prices change so often and we, being the penny-pinchers that we are, always thought we could find a better price.  Oh, how wrong we were…prices only went up, sending us into a frenzy to get cheap tickets ANYWHERE!!!  We ended up with tickets to Barcelona- not a bad choice, if I do say so myself.  We have also made all our plans for Munich this weekend…pictures and post to follow next week…and bought our Eurail passes for spring break in Italy!!  Yes that’s right, Italy for an entire week!!!  The time is flying by and the list of places to go keeps getting longer.  That’s it for now, miss you all!!!!

3 weeks down..another one bites the dust! January 25, 2009

So, another week has gone by (although I’m not really sure if this one counts as a week since it was only 3 days long).  First of all, Monday we spent in Prague for MLK day and Friday was a teacher work day, so that left Tuesday through Thursday for students to come.  It was a WILD week!  Because it was the end of the quarter, and many of our students were behind on assignments, we spent the week trying to catch our students up.

Let me describe the scene for you….22 people, 4 adults and 18 3rd-5th graders and 3 kidney-shaped tables, in a 20×15 room.  At each table, kids were working- some on reading, some on writing, others on science and health, and still others on social studies on 3 different levels; all of them yelling “Miss F, what do I do again?”  Like I really knew what they were supposed to do on an assignment from before Christmas.  It was mayhem!!!  But, after making up 3-4 assignments to keep one kid busy while I was working with another, I learned the valuable skill of juggling a million tasks at once.  And now, I realize that Special Education, or education for that matter, is more than just planning a lesson and teaching the kids; its like being the Ring Master of a 5-tent circus.  Sometimes, there are monkeys jumping from rope to rope, elephants stampeding over you, lions roaring their fiercest, clowns trying to get all the laughs, or acrobats walking that fine tightrope line.  The teacher has to be able to keep all those activities going while being entertaining and smiling through the whole affair!  Isn’t it funny when we’re blessed with those little insights about our jobs!!!

Prague- “Just look for the caffe” January 21, 2009

Sorry it’s taken so long to post this…but 3 day weekend= lots of catch up on work and sleep.  So, Prague was fabulous!  We left our apartment at 6am on Saturday to catch the 6:30 train to Prague.  The train ride was pretty uneventful (we did see some deer and deer stands- that’s for you Ryan)  Upon arrival to Prague, 5 hours later, we walked into a dimly lit and quite scary train station.  We exchanged our money 20 Crown = $1 (thank you Czech for not being on the Euro)!  We were worried, but once outside, things started to brighten up! 

We spent the first 3 hours walking around trying to find our hostel.  If everyone else can do it, surely we can do it without using the metro, I mean we had a map right???  Oh how wrong we were.  After 3 hours of walking around and quickly approaching dark, we decided to find an Info station and ask directions.  Luck for us, the man inside was wonderfully helpful and gave us great restaurants and sites to see around our hostel.  After another hour and circling the city’s main square again, we realized we could always find our hostel by looking for the Caffe (say it like Jeff Dunham) sign with 2 f’s (like there’s not more than one of those)!  SUCCESS!!!

Because the hostel was empty, we decided to take a look at the town square and some souvenir shops…Prague is famous for Bohemian crystal (GORGEOUS!!!) and Fabrege/ Painted eggs.  It was different than in America because all the shop owners follow you around and you are not suppossed to touch anything unless you plan on buying it!  After what seemed like a million shops (all of which were pretty much the same) We made our purchases…sorry, but can’t tell what they are…that would ruin the surprise in May!  Then we took the advice from the travel info guy and went to a restaurant called “Red, Hot, & Blues” an American blues restaurant with happy hour!!!  We enjoyed some burgers and Czech Pilsner beer (we were yearning for a taste of home) and waited for the blues band to arrive.  In Germany, blues band= piano player & singer; still good, but not what we were expecting.  We went back to the hostel and met some awesome people!  Other students from Brazil, Spain, Korea, and Canada were in the lounge, and we started chatting.  It was so fun to hear what they thought about traveling and their views of America and to learn new things about their countries and cultures.  We also now have a free place to stay when we visit Spain or Dublin (did I mention 3 of them were studying English in Dublin)  We ended up talking until the wee hours of the morning with our new friends!

The next day we got up early to visit the Prague castle.  Luckily we had better luck with the map than the previous night.  The castle was MASSIVE!  We spent 5 hours there walking through a museum, a History of Prague exhibit, a cathedral, and Golden Lane- a cute row of really small houses with all kinds of artisans.  Here are some highlights…

History of Prague exhibit- we saw manuscripts and books from 1000!!!  You know the ones they talk about in all the religion books; the ones with the beautiful painting along the side of the page….I SAW THOSE!!!!  There was also robes and crowns from kings and bishops from 1200-1300..there was so much history, it was difficult to even comprehend the importance of what we were seeing.

Cathedral- Stained glass windows…look at the pictures- enough said!

Golden lane- the buildings were so small we had to duck to fit in the doors!  Again, see the pictures!

Changing of the guards- imagine over 60 guards in the same uniform, a band, swords, and lots of yelling followed by soldiers snapping into formation- all to switch two guys guarding the gate.  It was intense!

Dungeon- that’s right we saw all the torture devices used from the middle ages- bear claw foot, body cast, cage, leading hooks, stretcher (the kind that pulls you apart limb by limb)  Thank goodness I wasn’t alive in the Middle Ages!

After the castle, we went to St. Charles Bridge.  It is a cobblestone bridge now used only for walkers.  It was filled with artisans of all kids- caricature artists, jewelry makers, carvers, painters, weavers, everything you could imagine!  It was like stepping back in time!  We had a lot of fun!  Exhausted, we got some local foods and beer from a grocery store and headed back to the hostel for an early night.

Overall, another country down, our first trip entirely by ourselves, our first hostel experience, and a great trip…what a travel confidence booster!

TGIF!!! (I survived week 2) January 16, 2009

Oh my gosh…thank God it’s Friday is all I can say!  This week, I felt totally thrown into the teacher role!  Every time Paula and I thought we had things figured out, we learned that another one of our students was PCSing (going back to the states) in February or March and we might have to change reading and math groups or schedules yet again (this is the 3rd time in one week we’ve changed groups); or an unexpected meeting and sick assistant would leave 11 kids in the classroom with me…SCARY!!!  But I SURVIVED!!!!  YES!  Yet, even with that mentality, I can’t help but think about the kids….how hard it must be to leave a school you know and switch to a completely new lifestyle with only 2-3 months left of school.  Is that really doing them the best good, is it helping them reach their highest potential?  I guess maybe I just don’t understand the military lifestyle yet?

Also, to inform everyone, NO I still don’t have an ID….I’ve gone 2x this week and something has gone wrong every time, so I still can’t buy things at the Commissary and no post office box for you to send me fun packages and letters from home!  I told Paula I’m leaving school early on Tuesday, so maybe I can share my address with you all then!!!!  (SAY A PRAYER or Two!)

But, things are looking up- Wolfgang brought us some Bavarian cheese and German pretzels.  We have decided the German food pyramid includes 4 groups- pretzels, cheese, bratwurst, and beer!  The cheese was of course, delicious.  It was like a cheese spread that had onion and bits of brie cheese mixed into a cheeder spread.  It was SO RICH!!!  Definitely couldn’t eat more than one spoonful and 1/2 pretzel or we’d be sick! 

This weekend we are headed to Prague to check out the Czech scene!!!  (I’m so clever!:) HAHA  It will be our first experience staying in a hostel (the cheapest hotels you can find), so Monday’s post may be interesting…I know you can’t wait.  Also, I added new pictures on the travel page from Nurnberg, so check them out! 

I miss you all!!!    Wish you were here!!!  (P.S. everytime I travel to a new place, I see something that reminds me of one of you reading this!)

1 week down, 19 to Go January 9, 2009

Today, Friday, is the last day of the first week of school!  We made it through one week!!!  I finally feel like I at least know the kids names and my body has adjusted its sleep schedule so I’m no longer falling asleep at 2pm (that’s 5am USA time) in school.  Next week I start teaching reading to some challenging, but entertaining and fun kids.  Everyone say a prayer that it goes well!

Today was also the first day that we went to school and came home from school during daylight!  We usually leave for school at 7am (midnight USA time) and return home anywhere from 5pm-8pm (10am-1pm).  So, we have not seen the sun out until today…Wolfgang tells us the days only get longer from here!  Sarah, Nichole, and I have made a pledge to use all that time on base to plan all our lessons (so we don’t have work at home) and to work out more so we fit in on an Army base!!!  As it stands now, I have no priviledges on base, I have an Installation Pass (like ID card) to get me on base, but I do not have the card that “authorizes” me to things like buying food at the Commissary, going to the gym, or getting a Post Office Box.  Hopefully, I will get that card on Monday so I don’t have to keep relying on Nichole and Sarah to buy my groceries and Paula to sign me into the gym AND so you can all have my address (I know you all want to send me letters and packages) HA HA!!!!!

Here are some military terms I know after only one week (I will probably use them in later posts)….

PX- the furniture/housewares store     Commissary- the grocery store       Food Court- has all the American essentials; Burger King, Subway, Popeyes, Charley’s, Baskin Robins      (The PX, commissary, food court are connected in a building that is like a mall)           PCSing- Permanent Change of Station- means the soldier and family is changing post 

This weekend, we travel to Nurnberg this weekend pictures of our trip and of the base to come-if I’m authorized to take them 😛 !!!

Our Apartment

Our House!

Here are pictures of our apartment for all to see.  We live on the top floor of a 3 floor house.  Paula and Wolfgang live on the middle floor and the downstairs is being renovated.  It is a cute little apartment overlooking the town of Salzbach-Rosenberg Germany.  Enjoy all the pictures!!!

First Days of School January 6, 2009

So, the first two days of school are over.  But, I feel like we haven’t been in the classroom all that much.  Between getting an ID to get on base, a second ID to be able to buy things, and a third ID to get into the school, we’ve spent more time in waiting rooms than in classrooms.  Today we thought we had it all figured out, but alas, my ID is not marked for privileges (like the gym and buying things at the grocery store) so I have to go back on Friday.  I guess it’s only fair since Sarah had a flight delay and Nichole lost her luggage.  Now, the trip can go smoothly for everyone!!  🙂

The base  is definitely like it’s own little world.  All the buildings are sandy colored and I feel slightly out of place since I don’t cover myself in camo.  (haha)  The base has 5 different American restaurants (Burger King, a pizza place, Charleys, Baskin Robins, and a Mexican restaurant)  It also has a furniture store (the PX), a walmart type store (the commissary), doctores, auto sales, travel agency (Outdoor Rec), and anything else you could need to live.  A lot of families stay on base the entire 3 years they are stationed in Germany.  Other families try to travel as much as possible.  It is a different lifestyle, that is for sure.  One that I am glad others have chosen to live, because I never could!

Today was Three Kings’ Day, a holiday in Germany.  It celebrates the three kings that visited Jesus and gave him gifts at his birth.  Young boys dress up as the three kings and go house to house asking for donations for charity.  If the homeowners give a donation, a blessing is written on the doorway in chalk for all to see.  Tonight we tried to go to a festival in Pottenstein, but we arrived too late and it was over.  Apparently, pictures of the festival are on www.msnbc.com (go to “Photos” “This week in Photos” and it is the 2nd picture) so check it out!  We did get to try Glueivine, a hot spiced wine common during the Christmas season; it was delicious!!! 

That’s all for now…hopefully (if I figure them out) pictures soon!!!!!

Austrian Alps January 5, 2009

Yes that’s right…we already went to the Austrian alps!!!!  On Jan 4th, 2 days after we got here, Paula and Wolfgang took us to the Alps.   We hiked up a mountain to Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that Disney’s castle is based off of (google it!!)  It was amazingly beautiful!!!  Then we drove to Austria and rented bobsleds (wooden sleds).  I was petrified to go up the ski lift, but somehow they convinced me it is perfectly safe to be dangling from 1 cable 1500 meters above ground level!  Nichole and I made it to the top, crying and laughing the entire way!  Then we went to a hut and had a germknoodle, a dessert like a dumpling with a plum inside, and hot chocolate.  It was like out of a movie!!!  After warming up, we went back outside to zig zag our way down the mountain on our bobsleds!  What a day!!!!  I only hope that this is an indication of how great the rest of the trip will be!!!!!!!!

Getting Here January 3, 2009

What a journey!!!  Having never been out of the USA, this was quite a trip and learning experience!  We started in St. Louis at 4pm on January 1st and flew to Chicago.  When we got to Chicago, we changed planes to an Air India flight.  The majority of the passengers were returning home to India and preferred to speak their native language.  For the first time in my life, I felt like a minority, and it was very strange!  Once on the plane, I drifted in and out of sleep for 8 hours.  Finally, we were in Frankfurt, Germany…where nothing is in English and all signs are in German! (SCARY again!)  Thankfully, we found a DB (information for trains) and they speak English well and helped us find our way to the correct train.  While on the train, we meet a wonderful gentelman who directed us to the correct part of the train, because the train split and goes to different towns, and let us use his phone to call Paula and Wolfgang, our landlords.  God does send angels to help!!!! 

In Salzbach-Rosenberg, the town where we live, Paula and Wolfgang picked us up at the train station and brought us home.  We then went to a German grocery store and bought the bare necessities.  Outside the store, we meet a street vendor who was selling German bratwursts (the real kind!) so we bought those for dinner.  Of course, you ONLY use mustard on German bratwursts (Wolfgang tells us).  The night ended with a German flaming toasts to keep us in good health!  We slept VERY well!!!  More posts and pictures to come later!