Catching Up

My absence this week in blog updating is an indication of how the first week of school went. Busy, busy, busy! The students came on Wednesday for the first time. Every new school year brings a new set of nerves and jitters with it. I spent the week trying to sort out lesson plans, decorating the room, and meeting new colleagues, etc...
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I must say my room decor might be the best I have had yet in my years of teaching. I must give credit where credit is due. Carisa went at it for a few hours last Monday and it looks great! It is quite fun to see what some fabric, colored paper, ribbon, and empty frames can come together to create :)

This week has been even more special because Carisa was here still. School presented some challenges in my first few days and it was comforting to come back to the apartment and spend time with her. My teaching job is called 4th grade learning support. This includes 1/2 my day co-teaching a math and language arts block, 1/4 of my day teaching a writers workshop, and the the final 1/4 of my day working with the 4 other 4th grade teachers supporting students who are struggling. I know already it is going to be a very positive and rewarding year, but starting new and transitioning does take some getting use to. I am looking forward to the second week starting tomorrow and getting into more of a routine with my daily responsibilities.

Let me share a conversation I over heard on Tuesday between two students and a teacher in the hall. The girls were in the hallway looking at the classrooms they had from last year. A teacher asked the girls why they were not enjoying their last day of vacation? They responded that they love school and can not wait until tomorrow :) It was really sweet.

The computer is calling me to finalize my lesson plans for tomorrow!

Ghent

On Sunday seven teachers, including myself , traveled to Ghent (30 minutes each way). It is known for their medieval architecture and made famous for their textile industry. Like Brugge it has canals woven through out the city. It is a "rougher" version of Brugge and well worth the trip! The cost for the train ticket was 8 euro.

Surprise, the weather was overcast! I took a stance and decided to put on shorts for the day. It is only August and I am already in long sleeves and jeans!! In hopes preventing myself from having a "tired" fall wardrobe in October. I just have to realize that the climate is much different than Denver!

The highlight of the day was visiting the castle called Het Gravensteen. Currently, Belgium is divided into 3 regions: Flanders (Flemish Speaking Portion), Wallonia (French Speaking), and Brussels (Flemish/French). Both Brugge and Ghent are in the northern portion of the country which is Flanders. This castle was home to "counts of Flanders." Some sections of the castle date back to the 1100's. One of the main sections was a room displaying medieval torture instruments. Very gruesome!!! See the picture of thumb torture devices. The guillotine in the picture is an original blade! Oh yes, no ice cream allowed!

Next, we decided on a Dutch restaurant for lunch. I thought I was ordering soup and ended up with two fried cheese balls! Although quite good, I was hoping for a healthier option :) In the bathroom there was a sign regarding bathroom procedure! Check out the picture.

School begins on Wednesday and will blog about school next!

Sister!

On Friday morning, Carisa (my sister) came to Brussels!!! Wow, what a feeling to see her when she got off the train. We were both gabbing away without ever finishing a story because we were both so excited to share over the past few weeks! So much to talk about :)

Carisa has been on the island of Greece becoming certified as a English as a Second Language Instructor. She has a done a brilliant job of sending pictures and providing updates of her experiences. I could not be prouder of her for taking on this adventure head first. My goodness if getting stung by a sea urchin isn't reason enough! I had the great pleasure of watching her pluck one out today, yuk! Check out a picture on google/wikipedia of one of them!

The school has been EXTREMELY supportive in helping all the new hires adjust to life in Belgium. For example, they had the HS Guidance Counselor speak to us about the highs and lows that come with a move of this sort. The first stage being the ""Honeymoon,"portion of it. Oh, has that ever been true!

Monday will mark my third week that I have been here. In this short amount of time, I have already met some great new friends both new colleagues and returning teachers. It seems that everyone has been exploring something new every night. The great part about it is when we all meet up in the morning, we get to share what our new "hot spots!"

This orientation at school this week was final preparation for the first day on Wednesday. As they put it, "They want us to hit the ground running." After talking to other new hires, we all came to a realization that the "honeymoon"was over as we realized the amount of work we had for our classrooms. It was wonderful timing of Carisa's visit and we have had some down time together already and it has helped get me grounded for students coming next week. One of our favorite things to do together is to go through pictures. Last night, I only was able to get through 1/10, if that, of Greece!!! It looks so beautiful and can not wait to see more tonight.

There is a summer concert series in Brussels this weekend we are going to check out. More importantly, I am going to tap into her creative and make an IKEA run to help decorate my classroom! The school has given all of us some money for the undertaking. Tomorrow will be my first visit and it is is suppose to quite the experience. It is a Swedish based furniture store that is suppose to be cutting edge with some of their designs!

No "Crocs!"

Leave all "crocs" stateside! Weather patterns in Belgium are not a conducive climate for my favorite type of shoe. I have had to learn this the hard way on several days including my trip on Sunday!

Several of us went to Oostende on Sunday. Oostende is one of the beach towns on the North Sea. Amy did provide a rather mild weather outlook, but we decided to go anyway. One of great parts about the apartment so far is the location and accessibility to the south train station. Amy, Kim, Katie, and I grabbed our tickets and were off for the 70 minute ride.

We arrived to overcast skies and forged ahead to the sand and water. To give you an idea of the temperature, look at the pictures of how the lifeguards are dressed! A slight drizzle came upon us and we decided to go inside a cafe to warm up. In route, I felt like I was ice-skating! As you know, crocs are terrible in the rain and it was all I could do to stay on my feet! Of course, I have three pairs of shoes to my name at the moment: crocs, croc sandals, and sneakers. Not a great selection for Belgium!!!

Our highlight of the day was the cafe. When you order any type of warm drink, it is always accompanied by a cookie/chocolate/biscuit. In addition to this small treat, we were also served a "shot glass" of vanilla pudding draped with hot fudge. Speaking of chocolate, the smell of desserts was in the air. Katie and I shared a bananas and chocolate crepe. Notice the amount of chocolate they give!!


p.s. Mom & Ron, I really hope the shoe shipment comes fast!!!

Flower Carpet

So much for cleaning! Who can clean when there is a sunny day to be had in Belgium! Belgium is one of the rainest cities in Europe and it has consistenly been showering since my arrival. So when the window for great weather is there, it would be a shame to waste it cleaning ;)

Kim and I headed down to the Grand Place area which was a ten minute walk. In route we noticed some traffic of people making their way in our direction. Every two years, Brussels volunteers weave over 1,000,000 flower petals together in the central part of the city. This was one site that I was not going to miss! Attached you will see the pictures. It was well worth the walk and waiting for our turn!

P.S... Check out my Rockie Pride! Any late season run this year???

Brugge...

I would like to back track to last week where I spent an incredible day with some of my new colleagues. Kim, Amy, Sharron, and I decided on filling our day taking in the moments at Brugge. Brugge is just under an hour away via train.

Amy has been living in Brussels taking French classes for over a month so she is already the team lead showing us the sites. We navigated our way to the Metro (subway) to South Station where we connected with the train. All of us were very excited to realize that the station is only 5 minutes away! In preparation for the day ahead, all of us were franticly viewing our guide books to determine the best route.

Upon arrival, we headed over and followed the cobblestone streets to the centre of town. The first item on our day was climbing the Belfort Tower which was built in the 13th century. Attached are some views from the top. While soaking in the view, we managed to hit the ascent exactly on the hour and the bell began with a thunderous ring! I swear Amy jumped 10 feet and I was able to get some of it on video (which I hope to upload soon). Kim was our tour guide on the way down the tower and we managed to get lapped twice by two little kid-o's! She was voted off the island for that one!

Next, we met Sharron (Kim's mom) for a quick bite to eat. Following lunch we made it to a small chocolatier in town named, "Dumon." This was a suggestion from the Rick Steve's guide of Brugge. As we were asking a gentlemen the location of the shop, he told us that Rick Steve's was in Brugge today! Too weird... We did not end up seeing him, but did enjoy immensely our chocolate shopping experience. It could have been a scene from the movie "Chocolate"with all the time that was put into packaging each piece.

One of the highlights was taking a canal cruise around Brugge. If you get an opportunity, it is worth 6 Euro. Brugge is a special place that looks like it has been plucked from a fairy tale. There is such a quaintness and calmness to it.

The last stop on our day of touring was Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk which is Belgium's tallest spire. This moment will forever be embedded within me. As I entered this massive cathedral, I came upon an area with a small crowd and realized what was before me. About 20 feet away was an original piece of Michelangelo's (Madonna and Child). It is one of the few pieces of his art to make it out of Italy. The work was bought by a Flemish merchant and has been in Belgium ever since.

As I told my mom, it was a moving experience to the point of tears. To be standing in front of such a piece of art is difficult to put to words. We all had similar experiences and knew what a special moment it was.

Time To Clean!

One of the difficult parts of being in a new place is the constant inclination to go-go-go. Today, has been a local day of staying around the neighborhood and relaxing. My main focus will be permanently moving out of my luggage and officially into my dressers!

Today, I met several teachers at the market of St. Gilles. There are food, cheese, electrical, spice, clothing vendors, etc... The conversation came up at the Italian cafe about the emotional connection to food. Someone said how much more enjoyment we get from the food when we are part of the process some how via growing or choosing it. I think something is said to be said for that as the bite of my peach this morning was just divine!!! Before I left, I saw a similar article how some US schools are creating initiatives to address childhood obesity by having children create gardens and pick their own foood for snacks/meals.

The afternoon has been pretty restful and need to motivate to clean up the apartment!

Planet: Where am I!

Have you ever been plopped down in a new location and with not a clue what to do? This scenario would be descriptive of my first few days. Check out the crazy garden designs! If this is not a humbling experience, I don't know what is....

I managed to find some English speaking companions across the street at cell phone carrier. They were very helpful in locating my school for me. It turned out I had to be there at 9:00 am the next morning for day 1 of orientation.

That night was very restless as I was nervous of not waking up on time and missing the first few hours! The morning did come and I quickly learned something very important. In Belgium at all times you need the following items:

1.) Sunglassses
2.) Umbrella
3.) Rain Jacket

Oh, is it so true! The weather is quite fickle with temperatures conditions changing constantly.

Orientation began with a bang. There were almost 30 people in the room and close to 20 new hires. Wow, it was a great feeling meeting people who were celebrating just making it to the school grounds via the train! We quickly realized that many of us are living or looking for apartment in two places called St. Gilles or Ixelles. It seemed to the "hot spot" for living providing a night life and walking distance to the city centre.

While many people were making there way to IKEA, (large furniture store), I have been fortunate to secure a furnished apartment. The apartment is incredible with more space than I know what to do with and ceiling high doors that open to a tiny terrace.

Brussels: The Beginning

Hello :)

Where should I begin??? Let me start by saying that blogging is a new venture for me! I created this account 15 minutes ago and will have to figure out how to post this note. Well, we have to start from somewhere...

Speaking of beginnings, Brussels has been my new "home" for just over a week now. I arrived the morning of August 5th. One of my new colleagues was awaiting for me at the airport. Collectively, we managed to put my 4 overweight suitcases in her tiny car! It was a bit embarrassing to say the least. Let me say this in my defense that I had only 2 additional box shipped over (Mom, thank you for for the help with that whirlwind). This brings my grand total to 6 bags/boxes for the year. At the very least, it sounds like an excellent excuse to shop ;)

Catherine dropped me off at the apartment to meet my landlord, Philippe. She had to run back to the airport to pick up the next new hire. While she was pulling away she asked how my French was. Quickly, I told her it was nonexistent and she told me that Philippe speaks very little English! Philippe ran through the apartment with me and showed me all the finer details; how turn on the shower, how to open a window, etc. We managed to work through our language barrier with little problems.

Oh yes, this is the official flag of Belgum. No, it is not the German flag which has horizontal stripes!

More about the apartment soon.......