I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...
So, true. This year is the first possibility I have to celebrate a White Christmas and it looks like the weather will not cooperate. I still have my fingers crossed, but it is awfully warm today, just 5 days before Christmas. Almost 40, I believe.
Christmas Spirit
Christmas Spirit is alive and well in Slovakia. While I often felt that the Christmas spirit was overpowered by the spirit of commercialism, here everything is simpler and less commercialized. On all the major streets, the light poles have beautiful Christmas lights in the shapes of stars or shooting stars, hearts or snowflakes. When you are standing on a street corner, you can look all they way down and see a whole row of stars or snowflakes. Since most of the housing is blocks of flats, there are very few other Christmas lights. However, the big Catholic church next to our house has a huge evergreen tree and has it decorated nicely. We can see it out the bedroom window and every time we walk home from school.
Christmas Markets
If you have not been to Europe, you should definitely come in December. While you may have to wear six layers, a scarf, a hat and gloves, it is all worth it. Most major cities have a Christmas market. Words can really not do a Christmas market justice, but I will try. Christmas markets are little booths/kiosks set up in a square. Each booth sells either food or small gift items. The smell of sausages and pork greet you as you enter the square. Of course, you head straight to one of the booths and get a pork sandwich or a sausage and bread and a cup of mulled wine, which warms you from the inside out. Next, while balancing your plate and holding carefully onto your plastic cup, you squeeze your way through the crowds to one of the tables. The tables are more like very tall benches that you stand at. So, if you can find one with a few inches... er, centimeters of space and set your plate down, you can enjoy the wonderful food. Each market has a stage set up with either live or recorded Christmas music. After you have finished your meal, it is time to venture out into the crowds to do some shopping. Each booth has a variety of items, ranging from homemade paper and candles, to hand crafted wooden spoons and dolls, to hand stitched textiles and knitted scarves. Although it is crowded, there is no pressure to buy and no one will pester you about to try to make a sale. After you have made your purchases you must make a stop at one of the booths selling sweets and enjoy a fresh pastry.
Christmas House
On Thursday, our school had their Christmas House. Christmas House is a major production that the entire school (1st grade through high schoolers) puts on. The theme this year was Narnia (appropriately enough). There were four parts each with a different topic, but since it was all in Slovak, I didn't quite get what the four parts were. It was narrated by CS Lewis (a student from the high school). There was singing, dramas, musical instruments, and dances. The English department got involved and got our students to sing in English. My fourth graders sang "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer," my third graders sang "Jingle Bells," my second graders sang "Away in a Manger," and the first graders closed with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." My fifth graders illustrated "The Night Before Christmas" and I put all their pictures into a Power Point presentation. They then did a dramatic reading of it as the Power Point played. It was amazing to see. It is a difficult poem to read, even as an English speaker, and they did a great job. I was most impressed with the entire show as it reminded me more of a Broadway performance than a school performance.
Christmas Eve
We got together with the D'Ettorre family (the American family with ESI living). They came to our flat and we made Texas chili, cornbread and baked potatoes. Not very Christmasy, but so yummy. (We all miss spicy food the most.) Then we watched "Over the Hedge," and had birthday cake for Jesus. We enjoyed just hanging out, sharing Christmas memories and laughing. Although we weren't with our families, it was a perfect substitute.
Vesele Vianoce!
Today was Christmas day! And it was wonderful. Not white, but very nice. (It has taken me a few days to write this!) We woke up around 8 and lazily got cups of coffee and tea. We decided to have blueberry muffins (made by Becky) only we ran into problems when we remembered that we had lent out our muffin tins. Oh, well. We are getting used to improvising here, so we just poured the batter into a pie tin and made one big (very yummy!) muffin. While the muffin was cooking, we opened presents. We all had packages from home and gifts for each other. It was fun to get gifts from Hungary and Slovakia and also from the US. Karin's family sent lots of food and several small gifts for Becky and I. My biggest present from my parents will not be here until March. They bought Hannah a plane ticket to come see me! Hip, hip, hooray! After presents, we had breakfast and then got ready for our day. Karin went to a friends house for lunch and Becky and I went to Kristina's house. Kristina is a teacher at my school. Her family is wonderful. She lives with her parents, her grandmother, her sister and one of her brothers. They made the traditional cabbage soup, potato salad, turkey and pork. It was delicious. After lunch, we gathered around the piano and sang Christmas carols while Kristina's mom played. Then, we got out a game and played. This was fun, even though I did not understand everything going on. Kristina's whole family speaks some English - her mom, sister and brother fluently, her dad fairly well and her Grandma learned when she was a young girl, so can understand more than she can speak. Playing games with her family reminded me of being home and playing games with my family.
Once again let me wish you a Vesele Vianoce (Merry Christmas) a Štastné Novy Rok (and a Happy New Year)!
21 December 2006
27 November 2006
Thankful for Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, my friends, supports and family! (I know I am a little late, but I know it is never too late to give thanks for those you love!) I hope that you had a joyous, refreshing and relaxing thanksgiving.
Brno...
I was able to spend Thanksgiving with other American teachers from Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic. On Thursday morning, (after sleeping in, Yeah!) we took the train to Brno in the Czech Republic. It is in the south of Czech, about an hour and a half from Bratislava, and is the second largest city in Czech, after Praha. On the train, we met up with all of the teachers from Hungary and had a very joyful and fun ride to Brno. Once in Brno, we made our way to the hotel. This was an adventure in itself as we had two families with us, with seven kids between them. It took us quite a while, but it was nice to visit with people and enjoy a nice stroll in the short daylight hours.
Pumpkin Pie!!!
After checking into our hotel rooms, we had a short meeting and then dinner. It was not like the dinners that I was used to (much simpler), but still good. We had a green salad, mashed potatoes (very yummy) and turkey. To make up for the simple dinner, we then went directly to desert. Which, since we had brought ourselves, there was in abundance. We had pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cake, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, Hershey kisses cookies, and spice bread. Yummy! And we all filled up on as much dessert as we could hold. Finally, it was feeling like Thanksgiving.
Phone Calls and Pictures
Then it was off to bed, or at least back to our rooms, where we caught up with friends we had not seen since training in California. I was able to call my family and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving (Thanks Taunya!). Even though it was not home with family and the traditional feast, it was a very wonderful day. Check out my Thanksgiving pics here:
I Am Thankful For...
There is so much for me to be thankful for this year. On the top of my list are my wonderful roommates, Karin and Becky. They are amazing women of God and the most amazing roommates a girl could ask for. Also on my list is my computer, internet, e-mail, blogs and Skype, which all enable me to keep in touch with my family and friends. Other things on my list: family, friends, Jesus, my new school (Narnia & CS Lewis), my students from San Jose and Slovakia, letters and packages from home, snow, warm boots, heaters, hot chocolate, good books, movies, LOST (and the brother who loned it out over many miles), buses, cell phones, dark chocolate, music, English, Slovak, new foods, and good health.
You Are Thankful For...
I would love to hear from all of you about your lists of things to be thankful for. Feel free to post a comment on my blog containing your list. God is good and has blessed us with amazing gifts according to His goodness… let’s share them with each other too!
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, my friends, supports and family! (I know I am a little late, but I know it is never too late to give thanks for those you love!) I hope that you had a joyous, refreshing and relaxing thanksgiving.
Brno...
I was able to spend Thanksgiving with other American teachers from Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic. On Thursday morning, (after sleeping in, Yeah!) we took the train to Brno in the Czech Republic. It is in the south of Czech, about an hour and a half from Bratislava, and is the second largest city in Czech, after Praha. On the train, we met up with all of the teachers from Hungary and had a very joyful and fun ride to Brno. Once in Brno, we made our way to the hotel. This was an adventure in itself as we had two families with us, with seven kids between them. It took us quite a while, but it was nice to visit with people and enjoy a nice stroll in the short daylight hours.
Pumpkin Pie!!!
After checking into our hotel rooms, we had a short meeting and then dinner. It was not like the dinners that I was used to (much simpler), but still good. We had a green salad, mashed potatoes (very yummy) and turkey. To make up for the simple dinner, we then went directly to desert. Which, since we had brought ourselves, there was in abundance. We had pumpkin pies, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cake, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, Hershey kisses cookies, and spice bread. Yummy! And we all filled up on as much dessert as we could hold. Finally, it was feeling like Thanksgiving.
Phone Calls and Pictures
Then it was off to bed, or at least back to our rooms, where we caught up with friends we had not seen since training in California. I was able to call my family and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving (Thanks Taunya!). Even though it was not home with family and the traditional feast, it was a very wonderful day. Check out my Thanksgiving pics here:
I Am Thankful For...
There is so much for me to be thankful for this year. On the top of my list are my wonderful roommates, Karin and Becky. They are amazing women of God and the most amazing roommates a girl could ask for. Also on my list is my computer, internet, e-mail, blogs and Skype, which all enable me to keep in touch with my family and friends. Other things on my list: family, friends, Jesus, my new school (Narnia & CS Lewis), my students from San Jose and Slovakia, letters and packages from home, snow, warm boots, heaters, hot chocolate, good books, movies, LOST (and the brother who loned it out over many miles), buses, cell phones, dark chocolate, music, English, Slovak, new foods, and good health.
You Are Thankful For...
I would love to hear from all of you about your lists of things to be thankful for. Feel free to post a comment on my blog containing your list. God is good and has blessed us with amazing gifts according to His goodness… let’s share them with each other too!
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3
22 November 2006
Eastern Slovakia Trip
An Amazing Adventure
November 1st-3rd was my school’s Fall Break and we decided to take advantage of the time and go to East Slovakia. Karin, Jen (our friend who lives in Budapest) and I made plans to travel to Kosice, Presov, Levoca and Bardejov. Kosice is the second largest city in Slovakia and is a six hour train ride from Bratislava. We arrived in Kosice around 8 at night and after wandering around in the dark for a about an hour, we finally found our way to our hostel which turned out to be only a five minute walk from where we had gotten off the bus. Oh, the joys of being illiterate.
Kosice to Presov
Our time in Kosice was somewhat disappointing as we were there on a holiday- which in Slovakia means that everything except for the churches and some restaurants are closed. So, we were not able to see much. By this point, I was not feeling good and was pretty sure I was coming down with a cold. And of course, since we had to lug all our stuff around, I had packed light and had not brought my Vitamin C, Airbourne or Kleenex. So, after having coffee and a snack at a café and lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we decided to continue our journey to Presov. We arrived at Presov, wondering how we would find our hotel. Karin had made the reservation at this particular hotel, and the man she had spoken with spoke almost no English.
Very Long Side Story
(Side-story here of how the reservation was made: Karin called and asked the man if he spoke English. He responded with no in Slovak. She then asked, “Reservation?” He said “Yes” in Slovak. So, she told him two days in Slovak and told him Wednesday/Thursday in Slovak. He responded with Yes in Slovak and then proceeded to say the days of the week in English, as if to confirm. “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday.” Karin said, “No, Wednesday, Thursday” and he again responded with, Yes, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday. After going back a few times, Karin heard him trying very hard to say the “th” sound, which does not exist in Slovak. So, hoping for the best, she thanked him and hung up. End of side-story.)
Man at the Hotel
After taking the long, long, LONG way around (the hotel had moved to a new location, we found out when we went to the old one), we called a taxi and found our way to the hotel. The man Karin had talked to came to the door and ushered us in. He was very pleasant and helpful, asking us which room we wanted and making sure we had everything we needed. This was all done with him speaking Slovak, us speaking English and LOTS of hand gesturing. When we explained (i.e. gestured) that we had not eaten, he drew us a map of how to get to old town where there would be restraints or the grocery store, both a ten minute walk. We decided on the grocery store and I decided to stay behind as I was really not feeling well. While we were talking about what to do, he came in and offered (gestured) that he would walk us there. During the walk there, Karin and Jen discovered that the man (we never quite got his name- Opps!) he spoke Hungarian (which Jen is beginning to learn) and understood some German (which Jen has a basic knowledge of). This made our conversations with him easier, but no less comical. Lots of “What did he say?” and “I don’t really know, but I think maybe…” After the trip to the grocery store, he offered us some of the chicken he was roasting and three pickles. And of course, Turkish coffee, blacker than black and thicker than mud. The next door he walked us to the bus station, helped us figure out which bus to take, and even spoke to the bus driver about us. Our guardian angel!
Spissky Hrad!
We went to the quant town of Levoca and wandered around until we were too cold, then took a bus up to Spis Castle(Spissky Hrad). I think this was the highlight of our trip. It was a long and daunting hike to the top (especially when you are sick.) Jen was a history major and she was practically running to the top while I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other. Karin was in the middle, wanting to share in Jen’s excitement, but not wanting to leave me in the dust either. When we got to the top, we found the gate closed and a picture of guard dogs and guns on the gate. Jen was frustrated and ready to climb the wall. We noticed someone inside though and they gestured that we could get inside if we walked around the castle. So, we went hiking again. (My face felt like it was frozen as the temp was nearing 0°C. When we finally got around to what we figured out was the main gate, it was open. We paid a nominal fee and were told to stay on the main path. We had the entire castle to ourselves. (We figure this was due to the freezing temperature and the biting wind.) Since there was no one there and the main path was not clearly marked, we explored every nook and cranny of the castle. We peeked in every room, poked our head through every window, climbed every staircase and took every path we could find. We had a glorious time and took tons of pictures. If you ever come to Slovakia, you must make time for Spis Castle. It is the largest castle in Slovakia and one of the largest castles in Eastern Europe. Well worth the hike, the cold, the wind and the cost.
Bardejov and Pastor Jan
Our last stop on our trip was Bardejov, a charming town that has been carefully restored and renovated to preserve the old town feeling. There we met up with a Lutheran pastor (a friend of a friend of a friend who spoke fluent English), who invited us into his home, shared with us the history of the town and took us on a tour of his town. It was absolutely gorgeous and made me feel as though I had stepped back in time. It was also my first snowfall and that added to the charm. The snow was brilliant white and still falling as we were walking by the old city wall, the town hall and the basilica. After our walk, we returned to his home, where his wife had made an amazing lunch for us. We had a great time of fellowship and enjoyed being able to converse and talk with Eastern Slovak people.
Almost home...
Our train ride home was another adventure with languages as we started out having a compartment to ourselves and slowly found it filled to the brim with elderly Slovaks. We again found ourselves communicating with hand gestures and German (thanks Jen!) and ended having a whole car full of Slovaks who were looking out for us, making sure we knew what we were passing, who was coming to check for tickets and just when we needed to get off.
Hmmm... Wherre to next?
We got home on Saturday evening and had Sunday as a day of rest and planning for the upcoming week. It took me most of the next week to recover, but it was well worth it. Eastern Slovakia is a beautiful place. The Tatra Mountains are glorious, the fall colors and the snow were brilliant and the people were genuinely friendly. I am looking forward to the next trip!
PS - If you would like to see pictures of our trip (and the amazing castle!) you can check out all my pictures of our Eastern Slovakia trip at:
November 1st-3rd was my school’s Fall Break and we decided to take advantage of the time and go to East Slovakia. Karin, Jen (our friend who lives in Budapest) and I made plans to travel to Kosice, Presov, Levoca and Bardejov. Kosice is the second largest city in Slovakia and is a six hour train ride from Bratislava. We arrived in Kosice around 8 at night and after wandering around in the dark for a about an hour, we finally found our way to our hostel which turned out to be only a five minute walk from where we had gotten off the bus. Oh, the joys of being illiterate.
Kosice to Presov
Our time in Kosice was somewhat disappointing as we were there on a holiday- which in Slovakia means that everything except for the churches and some restaurants are closed. So, we were not able to see much. By this point, I was not feeling good and was pretty sure I was coming down with a cold. And of course, since we had to lug all our stuff around, I had packed light and had not brought my Vitamin C, Airbourne or Kleenex. So, after having coffee and a snack at a café and lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we decided to continue our journey to Presov. We arrived at Presov, wondering how we would find our hotel. Karin had made the reservation at this particular hotel, and the man she had spoken with spoke almost no English.
Very Long Side Story
(Side-story here of how the reservation was made: Karin called and asked the man if he spoke English. He responded with no in Slovak. She then asked, “Reservation?” He said “Yes” in Slovak. So, she told him two days in Slovak and told him Wednesday/Thursday in Slovak. He responded with Yes in Slovak and then proceeded to say the days of the week in English, as if to confirm. “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday.” Karin said, “No, Wednesday, Thursday” and he again responded with, Yes, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday. After going back a few times, Karin heard him trying very hard to say the “th” sound, which does not exist in Slovak. So, hoping for the best, she thanked him and hung up. End of side-story.)
Man at the Hotel
After taking the long, long, LONG way around (the hotel had moved to a new location, we found out when we went to the old one), we called a taxi and found our way to the hotel. The man Karin had talked to came to the door and ushered us in. He was very pleasant and helpful, asking us which room we wanted and making sure we had everything we needed. This was all done with him speaking Slovak, us speaking English and LOTS of hand gesturing. When we explained (i.e. gestured) that we had not eaten, he drew us a map of how to get to old town where there would be restraints or the grocery store, both a ten minute walk. We decided on the grocery store and I decided to stay behind as I was really not feeling well. While we were talking about what to do, he came in and offered (gestured) that he would walk us there. During the walk there, Karin and Jen discovered that the man (we never quite got his name- Opps!) he spoke Hungarian (which Jen is beginning to learn) and understood some German (which Jen has a basic knowledge of). This made our conversations with him easier, but no less comical. Lots of “What did he say?” and “I don’t really know, but I think maybe…” After the trip to the grocery store, he offered us some of the chicken he was roasting and three pickles. And of course, Turkish coffee, blacker than black and thicker than mud. The next door he walked us to the bus station, helped us figure out which bus to take, and even spoke to the bus driver about us. Our guardian angel!
Spissky Hrad!
We went to the quant town of Levoca and wandered around until we were too cold, then took a bus up to Spis Castle(Spissky Hrad). I think this was the highlight of our trip. It was a long and daunting hike to the top (especially when you are sick.) Jen was a history major and she was practically running to the top while I was struggling to put one foot in front of the other. Karin was in the middle, wanting to share in Jen’s excitement, but not wanting to leave me in the dust either. When we got to the top, we found the gate closed and a picture of guard dogs and guns on the gate. Jen was frustrated and ready to climb the wall. We noticed someone inside though and they gestured that we could get inside if we walked around the castle. So, we went hiking again. (My face felt like it was frozen as the temp was nearing 0°C. When we finally got around to what we figured out was the main gate, it was open. We paid a nominal fee and were told to stay on the main path. We had the entire castle to ourselves. (We figure this was due to the freezing temperature and the biting wind.) Since there was no one there and the main path was not clearly marked, we explored every nook and cranny of the castle. We peeked in every room, poked our head through every window, climbed every staircase and took every path we could find. We had a glorious time and took tons of pictures. If you ever come to Slovakia, you must make time for Spis Castle. It is the largest castle in Slovakia and one of the largest castles in Eastern Europe. Well worth the hike, the cold, the wind and the cost.
Bardejov and Pastor Jan
Our last stop on our trip was Bardejov, a charming town that has been carefully restored and renovated to preserve the old town feeling. There we met up with a Lutheran pastor (a friend of a friend of a friend who spoke fluent English), who invited us into his home, shared with us the history of the town and took us on a tour of his town. It was absolutely gorgeous and made me feel as though I had stepped back in time. It was also my first snowfall and that added to the charm. The snow was brilliant white and still falling as we were walking by the old city wall, the town hall and the basilica. After our walk, we returned to his home, where his wife had made an amazing lunch for us. We had a great time of fellowship and enjoyed being able to converse and talk with Eastern Slovak people.
Almost home...
Our train ride home was another adventure with languages as we started out having a compartment to ourselves and slowly found it filled to the brim with elderly Slovaks. We again found ourselves communicating with hand gestures and German (thanks Jen!) and ended having a whole car full of Slovaks who were looking out for us, making sure we knew what we were passing, who was coming to check for tickets and just when we needed to get off.
Hmmm... Wherre to next?
We got home on Saturday evening and had Sunday as a day of rest and planning for the upcoming week. It took me most of the next week to recover, but it was well worth it. Eastern Slovakia is a beautiful place. The Tatra Mountains are glorious, the fall colors and the snow were brilliant and the people were genuinely friendly. I am looking forward to the next trip!
PS - If you would like to see pictures of our trip (and the amazing castle!) you can check out all my pictures of our Eastern Slovakia trip at:
19 October 2006
Ignorance is ????
So, last week, I was having dinner with some other teachers from the states and we started talking about how nice it is to not know the language sometimes. You walk by a group of “punk” looking teenage boys and think, “What nice young boys,” because you have no idea what they are saying. They could be talking about the beautiful blue sky, how lovely the flowers smell and how they are going to go home and clean the house for their mothers. Or they could be swearing and talking about how much they hate school, teachers, parents and everyone older than them. The great thing is, I have no idea. So I assume the best and think that the punk teenagers are talking about flowers and house cleaning. Ignorance is bliss.
And when the telemarketer calls, you can just start talking in English and they are sure to hang up on you. Ignorance is bliss.
Interesting fact #6
Stop lights here work differently than in the States. They still go from green to yellow to red, but instead of going straight from red to green, they have this “get ready to go” function. So, when the light is red, and about to turn green, the yellow light goes on as well as the red. Then the red and yellow lights change to green. Although it is supposed to be just a get ready to go light, the red-yellow combination light seems to mean give it as much gas as you can so you can scream through the intersection as fast as you can. Or, if you are a bus, the red-yellow means go, since it takes you so long to get going.
Ignorance is bliss… Or is it…
On the other hand, sometimes I feel like a dope. Our school announced that they were holding a bowling event for all the teachers. Kind of a teambuilding thing. Great, I thought, I love to bowl (even if I’m not very good at it). We found it with relatively no problems. We got there and put our stuff in the locker and another teacher took us to get our shoes. She asked us what size shoe we wore. Seems like such a simple question. It’s very humbling to have to say that you do not know your own shoe size. We had to pull off our shoes to see if the European size was written on the inside. Ignorance is humbling.
Or when I went to a café and confidently ordered my drink in Slovak, after all it’s only a hot chocolate. And then, the waiter asks something. Something simple like, “Would you like whipped cream on that?” And I ask, “Co?,” (what in Slovak). He repeats and of course I don’t understand, so I have to say that I only speak English and he just shakes his head. Ignorance is humbling.
On a simpler note, having to ask someone what is on the lunch menu everyday, getting someone to write down exactly what to say when you go to buy a train ticket and then after practicing it, ending up having to give the paper to the ticket agent or having someone buy you baking powder so you will know what it looks like.
Interesting fact #7
Related to the fact above, right of way on the streets. Vehicles have the right of way. No questions asked. If you are a pedestrian, watch out. Cars actually speed up when they are approaching a person crossing the street. No kidding. They have no mercy on the elderly, children, dogs, even mothers pushing strollers. I have seen buses honk at an elderly man crossing the street. And while there are zebra crossings (crosswalks), it seems like it is an optional thing. I have learned to look both ways, two or even three times and when in doubt… RUN!
Lessons in ignorance
So, I have come to believe that God has something to teach me in all of this ignorance. First and foremost, to depend on him. I am realizing more and more every day how completely I need to depend on him. Second, to depend on other people. I like to be independent. In the States, it is a quality that is valued quite dearly. It is good to be independent and not good to be dependent. God, however, is teaching me the beauty in being dependent on others. Sometimes it is for something as simple as choosing something off a menu, other times it requires a leap of faith, such as signing a power of attorney over to someone I met only a month ago. Please pray that these humbling moments would be for me opportunities to rest in the fact that God is in control and not get frustrated by the lack of control. Thank you for all of your prayers. They have not gone unheard.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)
And when the telemarketer calls, you can just start talking in English and they are sure to hang up on you. Ignorance is bliss.
Interesting fact #6
Stop lights here work differently than in the States. They still go from green to yellow to red, but instead of going straight from red to green, they have this “get ready to go” function. So, when the light is red, and about to turn green, the yellow light goes on as well as the red. Then the red and yellow lights change to green. Although it is supposed to be just a get ready to go light, the red-yellow combination light seems to mean give it as much gas as you can so you can scream through the intersection as fast as you can. Or, if you are a bus, the red-yellow means go, since it takes you so long to get going.
Ignorance is bliss… Or is it…
On the other hand, sometimes I feel like a dope. Our school announced that they were holding a bowling event for all the teachers. Kind of a teambuilding thing. Great, I thought, I love to bowl (even if I’m not very good at it). We found it with relatively no problems. We got there and put our stuff in the locker and another teacher took us to get our shoes. She asked us what size shoe we wore. Seems like such a simple question. It’s very humbling to have to say that you do not know your own shoe size. We had to pull off our shoes to see if the European size was written on the inside. Ignorance is humbling.
Or when I went to a café and confidently ordered my drink in Slovak, after all it’s only a hot chocolate. And then, the waiter asks something. Something simple like, “Would you like whipped cream on that?” And I ask, “Co?,” (what in Slovak). He repeats and of course I don’t understand, so I have to say that I only speak English and he just shakes his head. Ignorance is humbling.
On a simpler note, having to ask someone what is on the lunch menu everyday, getting someone to write down exactly what to say when you go to buy a train ticket and then after practicing it, ending up having to give the paper to the ticket agent or having someone buy you baking powder so you will know what it looks like.
Interesting fact #7
Related to the fact above, right of way on the streets. Vehicles have the right of way. No questions asked. If you are a pedestrian, watch out. Cars actually speed up when they are approaching a person crossing the street. No kidding. They have no mercy on the elderly, children, dogs, even mothers pushing strollers. I have seen buses honk at an elderly man crossing the street. And while there are zebra crossings (crosswalks), it seems like it is an optional thing. I have learned to look both ways, two or even three times and when in doubt… RUN!
Lessons in ignorance
So, I have come to believe that God has something to teach me in all of this ignorance. First and foremost, to depend on him. I am realizing more and more every day how completely I need to depend on him. Second, to depend on other people. I like to be independent. In the States, it is a quality that is valued quite dearly. It is good to be independent and not good to be dependent. God, however, is teaching me the beauty in being dependent on others. Sometimes it is for something as simple as choosing something off a menu, other times it requires a leap of faith, such as signing a power of attorney over to someone I met only a month ago. Please pray that these humbling moments would be for me opportunities to rest in the fact that God is in control and not get frustrated by the lack of control. Thank you for all of your prayers. They have not gone unheard.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)
More Space Pictures
I just finished putting up this bulletion board today. Yeah! I am so proud of my students as they worked really hard, and had a lot of fun with this project. 
They made "Planet Earth Space Capsules," filled with things from earth that would be important for aliens to know about. They then wrote letters to the aliens explaining what they put in the capsule and asking the aliens questions.
An explanation for the aliens...
An look at what is in the capsules. Lots of sweets, a bus ticket, some alien vitamins, "nature" (acorns, pincone and stick), and toys. 
They made "Planet Earth Space Capsules," filled with things from earth that would be important for aliens to know about. They then wrote letters to the aliens explaining what they put in the capsule and asking the aliens questions.
An explanation for the aliens...
An look at what is in the capsules. Lots of sweets, a bus ticket, some alien vitamins, "nature" (acorns, pincone and stick), and toys. Something to drink, something to eat, something to play with, a lock,
a coin, and some school supplies.
We decorated the outside of our capsules with pictures of important people, places and events.
A sample of the letters, this one is from Daniel.
A letter from Paulina.
And one from Miso Toman.
Michaela put her letter in this box, so creative.
09 October 2006
5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Blast Off!
In fifth grade, we have been studying space. We are learning space vocabulary such as astronaut, weightlessness, and Star Trek. We have been having heated debates about such topics as “Is Pluto really a planet?” and “How many planets are there in our solar system?” We have also been designing our own aliens and Planet Earth Space Capsule. My fifth graders have a very good command of English and for the most part, are able to understand and make themselves understood. So, we are really able to do some fun things.
Last week, I decided it would be fun to try our hands at “being” astronauts. So, I set up three different stations, each one a simulation of what it would be like to be an astronaut. The first station was how it would feel to be an astronaut sitting in the space ship, waiting for hours (sometimes as many as seven or more) to blast off. To accomplish this, we took the classroom chairs and sat them down with the backs on the ground. My students had to take turns sitting on them for 10 minutes at a time. It didn’t take long for them to complain that their legs hurt. And I let them know that to be an astronaut they would have to sit like that for a really long time.
The second station was what is like to sleep in space. I had them wrap a scarf around their eyes, stand against the wall and fold their arms across their chests. Astronauts sleep this way because there is limited room and they have to cross their arms so they don’t float up as they sleep.
The final (and my favorite) was what it is like to wear a space suit. I brought in three of my sweaters (white, black and purple), my heavy wool coat and two pairs of gloves. The students had to put on all three sweaters, the coat and finally the gloves. Miso (pronounced Misho), one of my boys, started modeling in my sweaters, doing a very nice cat walk impersonation of a model. The last task was to get out their exercise books, open it up and write, “My name is…” This was to help them realize how difficult it is for astronauts to do repair work on a space ship. We had a grand, somewhat chaotic, but definitely bonding time.
This week, we are completing our Planet Earth Space Capsules. We are designing them so that the aliens would know what Earth is like. They decorated shoe boxes with pictures of important people, things and events and then added some fun artifacts inside. The last step is to write a letter to the aliens that will be included in the box, explaining life on earth to an alien. Since, I have a boy heavy 5th grade class, this unit has been fun for them. They are broken into two groups, each with 10 students. One group is even, 5 boys, 5 girls, but the other group is 2 girls, 8 boys.
Interesting Fact # 5
Bratislava has four bridges, the Stary (old) bridge, the Novy (new) bridge, the Koaická bridge and the UFO bridge. This bridge looks has what looks like a flying saucer suspended above it. It is actually a restaurant and café inside the saucer and on the top is an observation deck. For just 100SK(Slovak krowns), you can ride a super fast elevator to the top. It feels very strange as the elevator does not go straight up and down, but has a gentle slope. From the top, you can see all of Bratislava and into Austria and Hungary. It is a beautiful sight, especially at night. I went to the top with our head English teacher and my roommates. After spending 20 minutes at the top, we went inside and had coffee. That was where we found the best view of the city. But, it is something you have to experience for yourself. So, for those of you who are planning to visit, we will definitely go and I will show you the best view of Bratislava from the UFO.
Last week, I decided it would be fun to try our hands at “being” astronauts. So, I set up three different stations, each one a simulation of what it would be like to be an astronaut. The first station was how it would feel to be an astronaut sitting in the space ship, waiting for hours (sometimes as many as seven or more) to blast off. To accomplish this, we took the classroom chairs and sat them down with the backs on the ground. My students had to take turns sitting on them for 10 minutes at a time. It didn’t take long for them to complain that their legs hurt. And I let them know that to be an astronaut they would have to sit like that for a really long time.
The second station was what is like to sleep in space. I had them wrap a scarf around their eyes, stand against the wall and fold their arms across their chests. Astronauts sleep this way because there is limited room and they have to cross their arms so they don’t float up as they sleep.
The final (and my favorite) was what it is like to wear a space suit. I brought in three of my sweaters (white, black and purple), my heavy wool coat and two pairs of gloves. The students had to put on all three sweaters, the coat and finally the gloves. Miso (pronounced Misho), one of my boys, started modeling in my sweaters, doing a very nice cat walk impersonation of a model. The last task was to get out their exercise books, open it up and write, “My name is…” This was to help them realize how difficult it is for astronauts to do repair work on a space ship. We had a grand, somewhat chaotic, but definitely bonding time.
This week, we are completing our Planet Earth Space Capsules. We are designing them so that the aliens would know what Earth is like. They decorated shoe boxes with pictures of important people, things and events and then added some fun artifacts inside. The last step is to write a letter to the aliens that will be included in the box, explaining life on earth to an alien. Since, I have a boy heavy 5th grade class, this unit has been fun for them. They are broken into two groups, each with 10 students. One group is even, 5 boys, 5 girls, but the other group is 2 girls, 8 boys.
Interesting Fact # 5
Bratislava has four bridges, the Stary (old) bridge, the Novy (new) bridge, the Koaická bridge and the UFO bridge. This bridge looks has what looks like a flying saucer suspended above it. It is actually a restaurant and café inside the saucer and on the top is an observation deck. For just 100SK(Slovak krowns), you can ride a super fast elevator to the top. It feels very strange as the elevator does not go straight up and down, but has a gentle slope. From the top, you can see all of Bratislava and into Austria and Hungary. It is a beautiful sight, especially at night. I went to the top with our head English teacher and my roommates. After spending 20 minutes at the top, we went inside and had coffee. That was where we found the best view of the city. But, it is something you have to experience for yourself. So, for those of you who are planning to visit, we will definitely go and I will show you the best view of Bratislava from the UFO.
Having fun in Space!
Patrick pretends he is steering the space shuttle into space.
Nina takes a turn napping.
Patrick is catching some zzz's in style.
Pretending to sleep on a sapce ship is harder than it looks Miso.
Nina takes a turn napping.
Patrick is catching some zzz's in style. How many sweaters and coats do you need to feel like you have a space suit on?
Now for the gloves... Jakub smiles Simon because he thinks purple is his color.
It's hard to write neatly with so many layers on. Good job, Peter!
28 September 2006
Food Pictures
Tradtional slovak meal of meat (chicken and sausages) and potatoes.
Hungarian dish of fried cheese, potatoes(like tator tots) and rice
My other favorite, hot chocolate, so thick you have to eat it with a spoon. Kind of like a melted candy bar. Yum, yum!
Food
Food
Such an interesting and yummy topic. And when you live overseas, it is even more interesting as the simplest things, such as grocery shopping, cooking and going out to eat become adventures.
Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping is great fun for many reasons. First, you have to pay to get a grocery cart. The carts are all locked together and you have to pay 5 or 10 crowns to unlock one. You get your money back when you return your cart. Not a bad idea really as no one leaves their cart in the parking lot. You also have to bring your own shopping bags to most places, otherwise you have to buy bags. Sure cuts down on waste. And shopping by pictures is always fun. Sometimes you guess… and sometimes your wrong. (We washed our clothes with fabric softener for several weeks before figuring out it wasn’t soap.) I am very used to pricing things to find the better deal, and as Cosco/Sam’s Club knows, bigger is cheaper. Well, not true here. I have slowly been figuring out that the big jar of jam is more expensive per gram than the little jar. I believe this is because it is more convenient to go shopping more frequently. Carrying your groceries home and small refrigerators/freezers cut down on the amount you buy. I like shopping more frequently as we can always get fresh produce, although remind me again of that when there is snow on the ground.
My favorite grocery store story… so, all three of us went shopping as we were stocking up for the week. We got in line and the checker was an older man who seemed fairly jovial. He was saying things in Slovak so I just kept smiling at him. We had gotten two different cans of beans and the first one he scanned just fine. However, the second would not scan for some reason. He tried several times before he looked up at me and asked me something in Slovak. I gave him an unsure smile and said “Ne rezumium,” – I don’t understand. He looked at me, repeated himself and I just shrugged and shook my head. He started shaking his head and mumbling under his breath “Ne rezumium, ne rezumium.” I can only imagine that he asked me something simple and he thought I didn’t understand his question. “Dumb girl, doesn’t understand, ‘How much are these beans?’ Young people these days. What are they teaching them in school.” As a last resort, he took back the other can of beans and scanned it again, mumbling the entire time.
Such an interesting and yummy topic. And when you live overseas, it is even more interesting as the simplest things, such as grocery shopping, cooking and going out to eat become adventures.
Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping is great fun for many reasons. First, you have to pay to get a grocery cart. The carts are all locked together and you have to pay 5 or 10 crowns to unlock one. You get your money back when you return your cart. Not a bad idea really as no one leaves their cart in the parking lot. You also have to bring your own shopping bags to most places, otherwise you have to buy bags. Sure cuts down on waste. And shopping by pictures is always fun. Sometimes you guess… and sometimes your wrong. (We washed our clothes with fabric softener for several weeks before figuring out it wasn’t soap.) I am very used to pricing things to find the better deal, and as Cosco/Sam’s Club knows, bigger is cheaper. Well, not true here. I have slowly been figuring out that the big jar of jam is more expensive per gram than the little jar. I believe this is because it is more convenient to go shopping more frequently. Carrying your groceries home and small refrigerators/freezers cut down on the amount you buy. I like shopping more frequently as we can always get fresh produce, although remind me again of that when there is snow on the ground.
My favorite grocery store story… so, all three of us went shopping as we were stocking up for the week. We got in line and the checker was an older man who seemed fairly jovial. He was saying things in Slovak so I just kept smiling at him. We had gotten two different cans of beans and the first one he scanned just fine. However, the second would not scan for some reason. He tried several times before he looked up at me and asked me something in Slovak. I gave him an unsure smile and said “Ne rezumium,” – I don’t understand. He looked at me, repeated himself and I just shrugged and shook my head. He started shaking his head and mumbling under his breath “Ne rezumium, ne rezumium.” I can only imagine that he asked me something simple and he thought I didn’t understand his question. “Dumb girl, doesn’t understand, ‘How much are these beans?’ Young people these days. What are they teaching them in school.” As a last resort, he took back the other can of beans and scanned it again, mumbling the entire time.
School Lunches
So, at Oster, my school in San Jose, I never ate at the school cafeteria. The food was greasy, micro-waved and barely food like. Here, employers are required to provide discounted lunches for their employees. So, I can eat in my school cafeteria for less than a dollar a day. And, WoW, is it good food. Every lunch starts with soup, made fresh that day. There are always four choices for lunch. One is a meat dish, (usually chicken or pork) in some kind of a sauce with either rice, pasta or potatoes. The other is a vegetarian choice. This is my favorite as the vegetarians in the States would cringe. Sometime it is really good, like the broccoli soufflé. My favorite vegetarian are what I would call the kid friendly dishes. They include: noodles with chocolate sauce, bread squares with vanilla pudding and dumplings filled with jam. What a meal those are! The third choice is a vegetable plate, which is just a strange assortment of minced veggies such as peppers and carrots. The fourth is a fruit plate, which is actually a plastic bag with four or five pieces of fruit in it. The best part about cafeteria eating is that the menu is posted each day and you stamp your meal ticket with the choice you want. And, seeing that I don’t read Slovak, I try to read what little I can, and then just guess at what I’m getting. Sometimes I will ask a student to translate and get such wonderful translations such as “sliced with kakoa.” Huh? Maybe not tomorrow. Sliced with kakoa is noodles with chocolate, which I passed on. Overall though, I am thoroughly pleased with cafeteria food. And it is all served on china with real silverware, no Styrofoam trays and plastic sporks here.
So, at Oster, my school in San Jose, I never ate at the school cafeteria. The food was greasy, micro-waved and barely food like. Here, employers are required to provide discounted lunches for their employees. So, I can eat in my school cafeteria for less than a dollar a day. And, WoW, is it good food. Every lunch starts with soup, made fresh that day. There are always four choices for lunch. One is a meat dish, (usually chicken or pork) in some kind of a sauce with either rice, pasta or potatoes. The other is a vegetarian choice. This is my favorite as the vegetarians in the States would cringe. Sometime it is really good, like the broccoli soufflé. My favorite vegetarian are what I would call the kid friendly dishes. They include: noodles with chocolate sauce, bread squares with vanilla pudding and dumplings filled with jam. What a meal those are! The third choice is a vegetable plate, which is just a strange assortment of minced veggies such as peppers and carrots. The fourth is a fruit plate, which is actually a plastic bag with four or five pieces of fruit in it. The best part about cafeteria eating is that the menu is posted each day and you stamp your meal ticket with the choice you want. And, seeing that I don’t read Slovak, I try to read what little I can, and then just guess at what I’m getting. Sometimes I will ask a student to translate and get such wonderful translations such as “sliced with kakoa.” Huh? Maybe not tomorrow. Sliced with kakoa is noodles with chocolate, which I passed on. Overall though, I am thoroughly pleased with cafeteria food. And it is all served on china with real silverware, no Styrofoam trays and plastic sporks here.
Restaurants
Restaurants are also great fun. The menus, at least in old town, are often in several languages, or they have an English version. The English versions are funny , as they often don’t make sense. There is no waiting to be seated, just find a table you like and have a seat. The wait staff will come when they are ready, and often it takes a while, so plan plenty of time. Water does not come with the meal and when you order they will ask if you want it with gas or without. All of the water is mineral… umm, umm. I am learning to like it. The food is delicious, if a bit heavy. The national Slovak dish is Brynzova Hylushci, which is little potato dumplings (like small gnocchi) with a sheep cheese sauce, sprinkled with bacon. It is very delicious. After your meal, you can sit and visit for as long as you want, as your waiter will not bring the check until you ask, “Uchet, prosim.” Check, please.
Restaurants are also great fun. The menus, at least in old town, are often in several languages, or they have an English version. The English versions are funny , as they often don’t make sense. There is no waiting to be seated, just find a table you like and have a seat. The wait staff will come when they are ready, and often it takes a while, so plan plenty of time. Water does not come with the meal and when you order they will ask if you want it with gas or without. All of the water is mineral… umm, umm. I am learning to like it. The food is delicious, if a bit heavy. The national Slovak dish is Brynzova Hylushci, which is little potato dumplings (like small gnocchi) with a sheep cheese sauce, sprinkled with bacon. It is very delicious. After your meal, you can sit and visit for as long as you want, as your waiter will not bring the check until you ask, “Uchet, prosim.” Check, please.
Zmrzlina Prosim!
My favorite Slovak food is zmrzlina. Yes that is right, five consonants in a row, two of them z’s. It is a mouthful to say, but a good word to learn. Ice cream. Ice cream is a treat to be eaten at all times of the day, morning, noon and night. There are little shops on every corner and people walk around with ice creams cones everywhere you go. The ice cream is lighter and much cheaper. For less than a dollar you can get three little scoops. The cookies and another one I can’t pronounce, but is a kind of chocolate, are my favorite right now.
Well, with all this talk about food, I am getting hungry. I think maybe a dish of zmrzlina and maybe a cup of chaj are in order….
Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
My favorite Slovak food is zmrzlina. Yes that is right, five consonants in a row, two of them z’s. It is a mouthful to say, but a good word to learn. Ice cream. Ice cream is a treat to be eaten at all times of the day, morning, noon and night. There are little shops on every corner and people walk around with ice creams cones everywhere you go. The ice cream is lighter and much cheaper. For less than a dollar you can get three little scoops. The cookies and another one I can’t pronounce, but is a kind of chocolate, are my favorite right now.
Well, with all this talk about food, I am getting hungry. I think maybe a dish of zmrzlina and maybe a cup of chaj are in order….
Mt 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
22 September 2006
Vienna
Last weekend, we had Friday off for Mary’s Ascension into Heaven (officially called Our Lady of Sorrows Day). So, we decided to make the most of it and take a trip to Vienna. Vienna is only an hour away by train and costs less than $10. Quite a bargain. We took a fellow American, Heather, along with us. We spent time at the Belvedere Palace roaming through the beautiful gardens. They were very well kept (and free) and seemed to be a popular place for the locals to go running. We headed into the downtown/tourist area after a lunch of crackers and cheese. We had a city guide of Vienna, but not much else to go on. We found our way to St. Stephens Cathedral, a truly magnificent masterpiece of a church. The façade is just amazing. It is still a working church with services held on the weekends. Under the church is a series of catacombs. We could not resist taking the tour offered. It was well worth the $4. At the beginning of the tour, you see the catacombs that have been renovated. The cardinals and bishops are still buried there, some as recently as two years ago. We then saw the room with the caskets of the family who commissioned and built the church. Friedrich Babenberg rebuilt the church after it was gutted by fire in the 14th century. Friedrich commissioned and rebuilt the church by the time he was 25, which was when he died. He married at 14 and his wife was 11! Wow! It is amazing what you can do at a young age. The internal organs of the Hapsbug family (royal family) are kept here in copper urns, while their hearts and bodies are kept in two separate locations. Farther along in the catacombs, we saw the mass graves. Rooms upon rooms upon rooms of bones, some from the Plague. The catacombs were forbidden to be used after 30 years because of sanitation and smell issues.
After our tour, we walked around the town more, going into churches and walking around gardens. We did some shopping at H & M (for those of you not familiar with this store, it is a European clothing shop – a great find!). It is a place that we plan to become much more acquainted with this coming year. We counted at least three, maybe four of them. We had a true Vienna dinner of Weiner Schnitzel and potato salad. Very yummy. And what would a trip to Vienna be like without a stop at a coffee shop. Ours was made in the rain and the dark. We took the train the wrong way, got yelled at and flipped off by a “lady” on the bus and finally found a true Vienna coffee shop, with a wonderfully helpful waiter. The coffee and pastries were delicious and a great ending to our trip.
Interesting Fact # 3
Hair dye. I have never been somewhere where hair dye is so popular, at least among the women. All women, from teenage girls to business women to grandmas. It is not unusual in the least to see a classy lady in a nice pantsuit with red (and I mean red) hair. Yesterday, I went to the notary and the office had three ladies working in it. All of them had their hair dyed different shades of red. One was a true red, one a more coppery red and one a kind of orangey red. I have seen grandmas with purple, teachers with blue and everyone with red. Hmmm…. maybe the next time I am at Tesco I should check out the hair dyes…. blue… red… pink… purple…no, blue, definately blue.
Interesting Fact # 4
Movie theaters have assigned seating. When you go to the movies, they assign you a seat, so there is no reason to get their early to get a good seat. Although I did notice that as soon as the movie started, people got up and moved to the better seats that had not been purchased.
School
So, while our school started three weeks ago, we have only been teaching for the past two weeks. I see my 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders each twice a week and my 5th graders 3 times a week. Each group is broken up into two groups (2nd grade A and 2nd grade B), so I have a total of 18 classes a week. I was told right away that the 5th graders are a handful and that they can be a challenge. So, I decided to go in with guns blazing. I gave them a two page Student Interest Survery on day one to complete. I tried my best to make it at a fifth grade level so that it would be difficult for them and they would know that I meant business. And it worked! They really struggled with it and it took them all of the 45 minute period to complete (and many did not finish). But, I have not had problems with them and they are quickly becoming my favorite class. Their English is fairly good and we can communicate very well, although not always easily.
My challenging class is going to be my 3rd graders. I already had to send one boy to the principal for being disruptive in my class. They act like they have no idea what I am saying and like they can’t speak English at all. I know that it is difficult, but if we struggle together, we can communicate. However, they would rather pretend and speak in Slovak, since I can’t understand them. It is frustrating at times, but hopefully, sending one child to the principal will help the rest realize that while I may not know what they are saying, I still can understand their body language and get the gist of what they are saying. Please pray that I will continue to have patience with them, and that I will be able to come up with creative and fun ways to teach them.
Narnia's needs
On the topic of school, I would like to share with you a need that our school has. The English department’s job is to help all of the students become fluent in English so that they can attend a bilingual Gymnazium (high school). So, starting in first grade (their first year in school), they take five hours of English a week – three hours of English grammer from a Slovak teacher and two hours of English conversation from a native speaker (me!). By the fifth grade, their English is good enough that I can talk at a normal pace and use some pretty sophisticated language. They continue to take English throughout middle school (5th to either 8th or 9th grades). One of the best ways to learn a language is through reading. My favorite poster about reading is one that states the top ten ways to become a better reader: read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read! And for the students at Narnia, one of the best ways to perfect their English is to read books in English. The problem is that there are no English bookstores and very few bookstores with any English books. I was hoping to find English books in our school (since it has such a good English program). However, they have very few books, and the few they have are old and very random. Narnia would love to have more books for their students to enjoy. If you have any used (or new!) books that need a good home, we would love to have them. Please send me an email or post a comment if you are interested and would like the school address. Thank you.
PS. We teachers would love to relax with a good movie now and then, so if you have any videos or DVD's sitting around collecting dust, we would love to add there to our flat for not only us, but all the teachers in Central Europe. Thanks again for all of your support.
Philemon 1:4-7 "I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayer, because I hear about the love you have for all God's people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. I pray that the faith you share may make you understand every blessing we have in Christ. I have great joy and comfort, my friends, because the love you have shown to God's people (ME!) has refreshed them." Thank you for refreshing me and keeping me in your prayers.
Last weekend, we had Friday off for Mary’s Ascension into Heaven (officially called Our Lady of Sorrows Day). So, we decided to make the most of it and take a trip to Vienna. Vienna is only an hour away by train and costs less than $10. Quite a bargain. We took a fellow American, Heather, along with us. We spent time at the Belvedere Palace roaming through the beautiful gardens. They were very well kept (and free) and seemed to be a popular place for the locals to go running. We headed into the downtown/tourist area after a lunch of crackers and cheese. We had a city guide of Vienna, but not much else to go on. We found our way to St. Stephens Cathedral, a truly magnificent masterpiece of a church. The façade is just amazing. It is still a working church with services held on the weekends. Under the church is a series of catacombs. We could not resist taking the tour offered. It was well worth the $4. At the beginning of the tour, you see the catacombs that have been renovated. The cardinals and bishops are still buried there, some as recently as two years ago. We then saw the room with the caskets of the family who commissioned and built the church. Friedrich Babenberg rebuilt the church after it was gutted by fire in the 14th century. Friedrich commissioned and rebuilt the church by the time he was 25, which was when he died. He married at 14 and his wife was 11! Wow! It is amazing what you can do at a young age. The internal organs of the Hapsbug family (royal family) are kept here in copper urns, while their hearts and bodies are kept in two separate locations. Farther along in the catacombs, we saw the mass graves. Rooms upon rooms upon rooms of bones, some from the Plague. The catacombs were forbidden to be used after 30 years because of sanitation and smell issues.
After our tour, we walked around the town more, going into churches and walking around gardens. We did some shopping at H & M (for those of you not familiar with this store, it is a European clothing shop – a great find!). It is a place that we plan to become much more acquainted with this coming year. We counted at least three, maybe four of them. We had a true Vienna dinner of Weiner Schnitzel and potato salad. Very yummy. And what would a trip to Vienna be like without a stop at a coffee shop. Ours was made in the rain and the dark. We took the train the wrong way, got yelled at and flipped off by a “lady” on the bus and finally found a true Vienna coffee shop, with a wonderfully helpful waiter. The coffee and pastries were delicious and a great ending to our trip.
Interesting Fact # 3
Hair dye. I have never been somewhere where hair dye is so popular, at least among the women. All women, from teenage girls to business women to grandmas. It is not unusual in the least to see a classy lady in a nice pantsuit with red (and I mean red) hair. Yesterday, I went to the notary and the office had three ladies working in it. All of them had their hair dyed different shades of red. One was a true red, one a more coppery red and one a kind of orangey red. I have seen grandmas with purple, teachers with blue and everyone with red. Hmmm…. maybe the next time I am at Tesco I should check out the hair dyes…. blue… red… pink… purple…no, blue, definately blue.
Interesting Fact # 4
Movie theaters have assigned seating. When you go to the movies, they assign you a seat, so there is no reason to get their early to get a good seat. Although I did notice that as soon as the movie started, people got up and moved to the better seats that had not been purchased.
School
So, while our school started three weeks ago, we have only been teaching for the past two weeks. I see my 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders each twice a week and my 5th graders 3 times a week. Each group is broken up into two groups (2nd grade A and 2nd grade B), so I have a total of 18 classes a week. I was told right away that the 5th graders are a handful and that they can be a challenge. So, I decided to go in with guns blazing. I gave them a two page Student Interest Survery on day one to complete. I tried my best to make it at a fifth grade level so that it would be difficult for them and they would know that I meant business. And it worked! They really struggled with it and it took them all of the 45 minute period to complete (and many did not finish). But, I have not had problems with them and they are quickly becoming my favorite class. Their English is fairly good and we can communicate very well, although not always easily.
My challenging class is going to be my 3rd graders. I already had to send one boy to the principal for being disruptive in my class. They act like they have no idea what I am saying and like they can’t speak English at all. I know that it is difficult, but if we struggle together, we can communicate. However, they would rather pretend and speak in Slovak, since I can’t understand them. It is frustrating at times, but hopefully, sending one child to the principal will help the rest realize that while I may not know what they are saying, I still can understand their body language and get the gist of what they are saying. Please pray that I will continue to have patience with them, and that I will be able to come up with creative and fun ways to teach them.
Narnia's needs
On the topic of school, I would like to share with you a need that our school has. The English department’s job is to help all of the students become fluent in English so that they can attend a bilingual Gymnazium (high school). So, starting in first grade (their first year in school), they take five hours of English a week – three hours of English grammer from a Slovak teacher and two hours of English conversation from a native speaker (me!). By the fifth grade, their English is good enough that I can talk at a normal pace and use some pretty sophisticated language. They continue to take English throughout middle school (5th to either 8th or 9th grades). One of the best ways to learn a language is through reading. My favorite poster about reading is one that states the top ten ways to become a better reader: read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read! And for the students at Narnia, one of the best ways to perfect their English is to read books in English. The problem is that there are no English bookstores and very few bookstores with any English books. I was hoping to find English books in our school (since it has such a good English program). However, they have very few books, and the few they have are old and very random. Narnia would love to have more books for their students to enjoy. If you have any used (or new!) books that need a good home, we would love to have them. Please send me an email or post a comment if you are interested and would like the school address. Thank you.
PS. We teachers would love to relax with a good movie now and then, so if you have any videos or DVD's sitting around collecting dust, we would love to add there to our flat for not only us, but all the teachers in Central Europe. Thanks again for all of your support.
Philemon 1:4-7 "I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayer, because I hear about the love you have for all God's people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. I pray that the faith you share may make you understand every blessing we have in Christ. I have great joy and comfort, my friends, because the love you have shown to God's people (ME!) has refreshed them." Thank you for refreshing me and keeping me in your prayers.
My flat
Welcome to our flat. Let me give you a tour...
Enteryway
Looking down the hallway to our little flat. 
Our laundry basket of shoes, since you never wear outside shoes in the house.Bathroom
Our little bathroom.
Our combination laundry room/bathroom
Dining Room
The right side with the bookcase and piano.
The left side with the piano and the Olivia pictures and the door to the enteryway.
Living Room
The living room is opporsite the dining room. After mutliple attempts to upload the living room pictures I am calling it quits. Maybe another time...
Kitchen
Our kitchen "hutch" and our teeny, tiny oven.
Out little kitchen with our circle sink and our electric teapot.
We actually have a normal size fridge (many people have dorm size fridges).
Our extra table for preping and sitting on.
Balcony 
Our little tiny balcony that looks out onto the playground.
The little playground for our building.
Spare Room 
Our spare bedroom which doubles as Becky's and my closet. We love to have company. (Hint, hint, hint.)
Bedroom 
When you first walk in our room you can see Beckys bed on the left and Karins on the right. You can just see the corner of my purple comforter on the far right.
Karin's bed and my bed are right by the window, which looks out onto the little playground. 
My little corner of the world.
07 September 2006
My School!
Welcome to CS Lewis Bilingual High School and Narnia Elementary School
This is the enterance to my school. I live about a 20 minute walk, or a 15 minute bus ride/walk from my school. 
Welcome!
My desk with the flowers my principal gave me for my birthday
The front of my classroom. If you are standing in the middle of the room, facing front, and slowly turn right, this is what you will see...
This is the door to my classroom, the sink and my closet/storage area.
This is the door to my classroom, the sink and my closet/storage area.
The backcorner of my classroom, the bulletion boards and our brand new rug!
The back table for small group work and our wonderful rug!
Our wall of windows that look out onto the entrance of the school. 
The teacher's desk at the front of the room. Not that I will sit there...
Becky, Jenni, Daniel (the manager - headmaster) and Karin at the top of Devin Castle. The background is the hills of Vienna
Jayne, my head English teacher, waiting to go down the bobsled.So fun, but so dangerous! One wrong turn and you go flying off the track and down the hill.
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