Spring

There are 4.5 school days left in the school year. And, even though last week felt super long, this year really has zipped by. Here's my last few months...

February
Ita and I got to take the fourth-graders to the soup kitchen again! That might be one of my favorite field trips of all time because it's a different experience for them.

We also had ski break! I went to Amsterdam to catch up with Rorey for a few days. I miss working with her a lot. We had a great time catching up, exploring the museums, and eating delicious foods!

Dennis also came down to visit for a day and took me to the zoo, because he knows me so well! On Tuesday, I left Amsterdam and headed up to Den Helder. I was able to see the base and Dennis' ship. How he lives on that for weeks is still unknown to me!

We hopped a ferry to Texel for the night and spent the next day exploring more of the island before heading back to Assen for the rest of the week.

March
We had a full month of work in March. We started our government unit which is one I really miss/am hoping I get to teach at my new school.  The students made their own table governments and played president/king/dictator for a day. Of course, they loved that! I also started my final graduate class in March!

April
Spring Break started with good Friday. Dennis flew into Riga on Saturday, we had a lovely Easter brunch and then took a bus down to Vilnius.
 I went to Vilnius a few years ago and it rained all weekend. When we arrived in Vilnius, it was raining again. I was beginning to think it was a gray and rainy city, but the next day the sun came out and my impression of Vilnius was changed. We enjoyed lots of cake while practicing Dutch, learned more about Lithuania's history, and relaxed in a park until a bird pooped on us. haha. After three days there, we were happy to return to Riga. It was Dennis' last trip to Riga, which made saying goodbye even harder.

At school, the student council kids decided to run a Penny War fundraiser in connection with the Children's Hospital fundraiser event. Ita and I were thinking we could make 200 euros, maybe 500 at most. Instead, the elementary kids got super into it! We raised just under 1,000 euros!

We were thrilled about all the money, but by Friday afternoon we were ready to not count pennies anymore! We had over 10 euros in .01 coins alone. Latvia also has some fun rules about turning in coins. So, we could only go to ONE branch of one bank to exchange the coins, and we could only bring 1,000 coins at a time. We had to make several trips to the bank (9 visits I believe) but eventually, we had no more pennies!

And, the best part of April, and potentially the entire year, I FINISHED GRAD SCHOOL! No more essays, no more discussion boards, no more powerpoints. At least for a bit. :)

May
The first week of May was a bit odd as we had Tuesday and Friday off school. I used the long weekend to go visit Dennis in the Netherlands. As the tulips were in full bloom, we went to tulip country to take it all in! Visiting Keukenhof was awesome and we enjoyed all the beautiful flowers just as much as we enjoyed watching everyone play instagram model!
We also celebrated Liberation Day by visiting a local town's festival and flea market. We explored Leiden, Delft, and the Hague. It was sunny and beautiful all weekend long! It felt more like mid-summer than early May and we took full advantage of that! And, of course, we rode bikes. Because Dennis wouldn't have it any other way!

I returned to Riga on Monday, did my laundry, and packed again for the volleyball tournament. This year it was back to Sofia with 8 middle school girls and the other coach, Diaga. While the flights all went well, we had super long layovers in Vienna. We spent 6 hours lounging in the airport on the way there and had 10 hours, which turned into 11, on the way back. There is a direct train from the airport to city centre, so at least we spent that day relaxing in a park instead of in a crowded airport terminal.
The tournament itself went well. I love the school in Sofia and it was fun to be back there again. The girls showed tons of growth over the weekend and started to be a bit nicer to each other out on the court. A bit. We took 7th, out of 8 and won a sportsmanship award. Because, of course they did.
We arrived back in Riga around 11:3opm. I was in bed by 12:01.

The following Tuesday, I left school early to meet the movers at my apartment. They had my stuff boxed and out the door in 45 minutes. It helps to not have a lot of stuff. Now, I am living in a basically empty apartment, with five days of school left, and less than two weeks remaining in my life in Riga.

I thought the last few months went fast. How has it been four years already!?

job. hunt. over.

Three years and some odd months ago I moved to Lativa. I have had my fair share of ups and downs here, but overall, I am happy to call Riga home. However, the time has come to move along.

I technically began the job hunt process in the summer of 2017. MORE than a full year before I would begin a new job. I filled in a profile online and slowly began to see jobs becoming available for the 2018 school year. In October/November, I had to inform my current school I would not be returning next year. And by the end of December, I was informed they had hired my replacement. Not exactly the most comforting of events for someone who likes to know what to expect and how things will work out. But, such is the way for international teaching. 

The company that managed the online profile also hosts a few job fairs around the world, including one in London near the end of January. I had never attended a job fair before, but I had heard terrible things about them. However, knowing this fair was likely my best chance at a job, I signed up. 

One of my main goals in job hunting was to get as close to Dennis, while also finding a school I really liked, as possible. Most of the potential opportunities seemed to be in Germany. Prior to the fair, I interviewed with one school that was even smaller than my current. It seemed like a great place with good plans for the future, but it didn't feel right for me. 

Days before the fair I was beginning to feel a bit more discouraged as I had heard very little back from the schools I wanted. But then I received three emails from three different schools all in one day! Each email offering to meet up for an interview at the fair! That certainly provided the confidence boost I needed. 

I arrived in London Thursday morning, headed to my hotel, got changed, and headed over to check in for the fair and do my first interview. I stayed across the street from where the fair was being held, and I feel that was a wise choice. The fair had taken over the entire hotel it seemed! There were even tables in the lobby bar where schools were set up and conducting meetings and even interviews! Most interviews were held in various hotel rooms, including all of mine. 

I found several of my current coworkers and chatted with them as we all prepared for the days ahead. Then went upstairs for my first interview. I was pleasantly surprised to find how at ease I felt throughout the interview. Very quickly they began to share all the great things about their school - including all the things I was so praying to hear!  I left the interview feeling excited to talk to them again. Prior to the interview, I was more excited about the second school I would be meeting as that school is closer to Dennis. But, after the interview, I was reconsidering that order and rationalizing a few extra hours on a train. 

Later, I was again in the lobby with a friend. I was still in awe of the fact that interviews were occurring all around me, but also loving it! Confession: I am a shameless eavesdropper! hehe! I was listening to a conversation between two administrators and a man they seemed eager to hire as a math teacher. They were only a coffee table away, it would have been harder to not listen! hehe! My friend sitting next to me asked what school they were from and I zeroed in on their name badge only to find it was a school in Casablanca! Without thinking I enthusiastically blurted out "Casablanca!" Of course, one of the administrators looked over and I sheepishly explained that I used to live there. He went back to his conversation/interview which ended about four minutes later. When he glanced over again I apologized for interrupting (but not for listening in, because again, of course, I was listening!). We began to talk about schools and life in Casa and my friend joined in asking about positions they were seeking to fill. Her ears perked when he mentioned a position in administration- not the exact role she wanted but something to gain experience from. She took the conversation from there and scheduled a more formal interview, away from the lobby and shameless eavesdroppers, with them. The next day, she accepted an offer from that school! So my eavesdropping paid off ;) 

The next day, I was interviewing with the school that is closer to Dennis. I arrived a bit early for the interview but another school had some information packets in the hallway so I began to flip through them. Another teacher candidate came up who was planning to interview with the info-packet school. She and I discussed the school and how beautiful its campus was. She seemed really excited about the school and the position. Then, the door opened and the woman said to her, "Hello, thanks for coming up here, but I've just offered the position to another candidate and I don't feel it's fair to waste either of our time. Thank you again for coming up and for understanding." And just like that, the door closed. We both looked at each other in a complete loss for words. That was a conversation I did not need to overhear. The woman seemed bummed, but shrugged and said that was the way things went. I was beginning to see the 'terrible things about job fairs' for myself. 

Finally, my door opened, only for the interviewer to tell me she needed five more minutes. Candidates sign-up for 30-minute slots and for many schools their schedules are packed, meaning you have to make the most of those 30 minutes. And, my time was being spent reading about some school elsewhere. When the interview did begin, they had great pedagogical and curriculum questions to ask. They had good things to say about the school, and in the back of my mind, I kept telling myself it was that much closer to Dennis. But I didn't feel the same sense of comfort and peace as I had with the first school. I left thinking if they offered the job, I would probably say yes. Not exactly the excitement I had felt the day before. 

Shortly after that interview, I received an offer from the first school I interviewed with. I called Dennis to share the news and we talked about if this was a good thing or a really good thing. I shared with him how I was more excited about this school and felt like I would enjoy it there. I believe part of Dennis was secretly hoping I would not get a job simply because the backup plan had started to sound even better than the me-getting-a-new-job plan, but he encouraged me to do what felt right. He is great. 

So, I happily accepted an upper elementary teaching position with a school in Frankfurt, Germany. Thus, ending my months long, stress and worry filled job hunt. :D

New Years.. Dutch style

Dennis and I left Michigan on the 28th to spend a few days and New Years with his family.  I am really thankful he agreed to spend Christmas in the states with my family and I was equally excited to spend my first New Years in the Netherlands celebrating with him.

We shared a whole bunch of American goodies with his family and Dennis was sure to keep plenty for himself as well. When asking them about what to expect for my first New Years there, I always received the same answer: lots of fireworks.

And they were not lying. I think we heard the first few pops and cracks already on the 30th and on the morning of the 31st, the sounds became even more regular.

Our first stop was Dennis' brother's girlfriend's neighbor's house for a party. It wasn't cold and snowy like Michigan, but it was very wet and chilly so everyone was crowded into the garage- which for American standards was really more like a garden shed. But, it was fabulously decorated and cozy inside.
I got to try my first oliebol - which is like a fried dough ball. Imagine an elephant ear but in ball form.  It was delicious. Dennis and his brother were also quite excited to get started with some fireworks despite the fact it was only 3 or 4 in the afternoon. They did a small presentation since the really good stuff was for later, and then Dennis and I were on our way.

Our next stop was his parents' house. We joined them for a dinner of assorted fried snack foods- french fries, fried cheese, frikandel, etc. After our fill of fried foods, it was back to the cabin for dessert. When we were stocking up on the celebratory goods earlier Dennis had also grabbed tompouce - a pastry / cake-like treat. It is tricky to eat, but delicious!

The cabin we stay in is outside of the city and it didn't appear that anyone was staying in the nearby cabins either. So the rest of our night was board games and music.

It was pretty quiet until about 11:45. Then we started to hear the first few pops and bangs. Then at 11:59 we started to hear even more. By 12:03 it sounded like we were in the middle of a war zone. We ventured out to light off a few sparklers and it smelled of gunpowder outside! We were able to see a few fireworks the houses down the road were shooting off. For the next 45 minutes, there were consistent sounds of fireworks being shot off. Again, they were not lying!

The next day, Dennis rode down to the airport with me and two days later I was back at school. 2018 had gotten off to a great and quick start, with a lot of bang!

Christmas

I have never been as excited about a winter break as I was this past year. Not only was it a few days off school, but it also marked the end of both graduate classes I had been taking as well as the end of the first semester and report card writing. Also, I was taking Dennis home with me!

I met him at the airport in Amsterdam and then we headed to Michigan together. I had been to Dennis' hometown twice at this point and had spent maybe three or four hours total with his family. Dennis and I landed in Detroit and so began a full week with my family! Starting with two hours in the car with my parents and then pizza dinner with everyone!

The next day we picked up a rental car and toured the area. That night we had Christmas at my grandma's house and I was able to show Dennis one of my most favorite places! I love the coziness of her house, especially around Christmas!

The next few days were full of family gatherings and Christmas celebrations. Lots of playtime with Dylan and Charlotte! My first escape room experience. And, of course, lots of chances for everyone to get to know Dennis. Not that they needed a week-- they liked him right away :)

A big snowstorm hit on Christmas Eve, so we had a wonderful white Christmas. Dennis even got to help shovel all the snow out of the driveway :p

As per usual Christmas tradition, Dylan and Charlotte had some nerf guns in their stockings and Dennis and I helped to break them in.  They weren't quite strong enough to work the toys but they did recognize quite quickly that they had a better chance on Dennis' team.

After all the Christmas celebrations, Dennis and I did a bit more exploring the town and enjoying a visit to the states. We sampled a ton of donuts, went out to Cugino's with Dana and Matt, and did a lot of shopping. I don't think I've spent that much time in a grocery store since ... ever. But it was worth it because he was super excited! ha

Our last night there, Dennis made dinner for everyone. He brought all kinds of goodies from the Netherlands to share and I pretended to help in the kitchen. hehe. Just in case my family didn't already like him (which they of course did!) his delicious dinner won them over!
 
We had a fantastic time in Michigan! Being with my family for the holidays is always amazing, but getting to share it with Dennis too was even better than I imagined it would be!!

My first Sinterklaas... kind of

On my first date with Dennis, he told me about Sinterklaas. A few weeks later, he sent me a box filled with fun and adorable Sinterklaas gifts and a letter from "Sinterklaas" himself. So, this year, it was decided early on I would visit for Sinterklaas. I think I booked the ticket over the summer when Airbaltic was running a sale.

Of course, over the summer, I would have no idea that the first weekend of December would be so very chaotic. Balancing two grad classes, the end of the first semester and unit, plus all the holiday stuff going on at the school, the idea of a weekend away from it all sounded great. The idea of not having my weekend to maintain the balance was also a bit stressful.

The night before I was supposed to leave, Dennis messaged and mentioned that he still wasn't feeling too well and had gone to the doctor only to find out his tonsils were infected! He was given a handful of pills and did his best to assure me he was healthy enough for me to visit. I was already ignoring the stomach bug floating through the school and didn't want to take any chances. But I also really missed him. So, I finished packing and checked-in for the flight!

Between his tonsils/pocketful of pills and me finally stepping out of work mode, we had a very quiet and unambitious weekend. We eventually braved the cold, rainy weather and drove over to his parents' house. From there we biked into town. Because even on a cold, rainy day with infected tonsils he is totally fine to ride around on a bike. I struggled along behind :p


Dennis showed me all the Sinterklaas decorations and Christmas-time shops around Assen. The museum was also hosting an American Dream exhibit and the whole town was covered in American flags. We sampled a few pepernoten, checked around the HEMA, and cruised back to the house. The rain had mostly let up so we took Bobby for a little walk and then headed back to the cottage for Dennis' next pocketful of pills and of course a nap.

That night we went out to dinner with his whole family. I was finally able to meet his sister and spend a bit of time with everyone. The conversation was split between Dutch and English, and maybe drifted into mostly Dutch by the end. Obviously, I didn't understand everything but happiness and fun can easily be understood in any language. One of the things I have always missed most living overseas is family dinners and gatherings. It wasn't quite the same as being with my own family, but it wasn't that different either. I loved getting to know them!

I think I was asleep in the car before we even got back to the cottage-- Dennis is learning of my super ability to fall asleep nearly anywhere! I did wake up to find that Sinterklaas had visited! He left more pepernoten and other delicious chocolates and cute stickers! Then it was a lazy breakfast, a quick stop at his parent's house to say hello to grandma, and then it was off to the airport for me and Belgium for Dennis. 

It was a very quick weekend which between sickness, stress, and winter weather wasn't very eventful. I don't expect this to be the best Sinterklaas I will have, but it certainly wasn't a bad one either. 

25/2

In 2012, I moved to Morocco. I lived in an apartment on the campus of the school. It had a view of the ocean, two and a half baths, washer and dryer, and a cockroach infestation.

In 2013, I moved from the school's campus to an apartment in Casablanca. It did not have a view of the ocean. It also did not have cockroaches. I think that is a win. 

In 2014, I moved all my things back to the US. Then a month later, I moved to Latvia. I lived in a nicely renovated one-bedroom apartment. It did not have an oven (which to be honest, with my cooking skills...). It was also over-priced, by quite a bit. 

In 2015, I moved my things from that apartment to my friend's apartment for a month. Then out of her apartment and into a different apartment in Riga. This apartment did have an oven and a dryer (not very common). It was close to shops, transit, and my friends. I was sharing this apartment with a roommate. Without her, the rent would have been more than my previously over-priced place. So, when she left, I had to as well.

In 2016, I moved my things out of that apartment and into yet another apartment in Riga. This one was closer to downtown. Had an oven, but no dryer. And was a decent monthly price. After moving for the past five years, I decided I was done. I would be staying in this apartment until I left Riga for good. Little did I know just how much this apartment would test that resolve.... 

When I returned from Michigan in the summer of 2016, my new street was completely ripped up. Instead of living on one of Riga's main roads, I lived on a dirt track. Construction happens, so I wasn't overly concerned. Until I turned the tap and out came brown water. For the next week. I still don't like to drink the water from the tap.

As I began to unpack, I noticed one of the glass shelves in the kitchen was cracked all the way across. The building manager said they would replace it. I returned from school one day to find they had replaced it. They had removed all the glass shelves and replaced it with a medicine cabinet. In the middle of the kitchen. Even better, the door in front of the cabinet only covers 2/3 of the shelves. It's a real classy look... 

When I went to immigration to get my visa, I informed them of my address change. Their response was 'that apartment does not exist.' I assured them it did, as I was living there. But according to their system, apartment 25/2 does not exist. There is a 25. There is a 24 and a 26. But no 25/1 or 25/2.  The building manager only speaks Latvian, so I had the HR director from the school call for me and mention this. The solution was to create a new contract that says apartment 25. Does that sound legal? Not really. Is that the first example of shady business related to housing in Riga? Not at all. Either way, I got a visa.   

When it got cold, so like October, they turned off the hot water for a day in order to turn on the heat. Heating systems in Riga can be great, or not great at all. In some buildings, they (the city?) decide when the heat comes on and when it goes off again in the spring. The heat got switched on and so did the hot water. Except, it wasn't really hot water anymore. It wasn't even warm water. I got about two warm showers and one hot shower a week. The others were Cold. In October, that was tolerable. In November, it was unpleasant. By December, the idea of taking a shower required serious mental preparation as 85% of the time it ended with shivering and blue lips. I looked for the water heater and quickly discovered it is not in my apartment. Maybe it's in 25/1, who knows! Again, someone called the building manager and her suggestion was to let the water run longer. It only got colder. After a few more calls, something was done, the water was hot, and I was able to wash my hair on a more regular basis! 

In January when I returned from Christmas break, I was welcomed home by the popping sound of a light bulb. Of the eight light bulbs in the kitchen/hallway, five were now burnt out. Considering there are only about 7 hours of daylight in January, I figured that needed to be fixed. I also discovered I cannot reach the ceiling. The tallest piece of furniture in my apartment is a kitchen stool. With that fully extended over my head, I am still about 6 inches shy of the ceiling. Thank goodness for tall friends! Since then the remaining bulbs have all popped as well. Including the one in the bathroom which burst all over the floor. And now as I am writing this the living room bulb keeps getting brighter and dimmer....

By my first spring here, I figured the water heater had been tended to, and nearly all the bulbs were replaced so might as well stay. What else could happen, right...

Then, I returned from summer break to find the oven not working. I also saw that there was water on the kitchen floor. When Dennis got here, he messed around with the oven and got that going. He also discovered the washing machine was causing the leak. And getting worse. I had Ita call the building manager who said she was on vacation and would deal with the water leak in a week. I am not a building manager, and I don't really appreciate when non-educators tell me how to my job, but I do feel like a water leak would be an urgent-esque matter. After another phone call or two, the plumber came and Ita got to play translator via the phone for Dennis and the plumber. In the end, I got a new washer. And I also still have the two boards that are completely rotted from the water damage. Who needs to replace that stuff.

Dennis also discovered the shower leaked. A new caulk line and that was settled.

Now, it's November. This past Wednesday morning I crawled out to the living room around 1 am to log into one of my online classes. It's 6pm in Michigan, where everyone else is. So I 'listen' while also resting my eyes. But, on Wednesday I noticed a weird shadow on the carpet. Then realized it wasn't a shadow. It was water. Then I found the pinhole size stream of water following out of the radiator. I grabbed some towels and face-timed Bryan. Thankfully, it was only 7pm there. He coached me through the process of popping the water-filled paint bubble that had formed on the radiator. I had a pan to catch the water and a plan to have Ita call the building manager in the morning. Two hours later, the pan was already full. I emptied it again before leaving at 7:15 figuring I had until 10 at the latest before the second pan was full and flooding.

Ita called the building manager at 8 who promptly ignored the call and emailed to say she couldn't talk. Ita messaged her and explained the situation. She asked if someone would be here to let the plumber in. She has requested this in the past as well. I work 20 minutes outside of the city. She works two floors below my apartment and has a set of keys. Ita explained that was not possible and she would have to do it, to which the building manager said she couldn't because she was recovering from surgery.

That meant that either Ita does all the teaching and translate via phone when the plumbers arrived, or Ita go to my apartment for me. She agreed to that, and I gave her my keys. I fully understand this is a tremendous misuse of a teaching assistant, but I so greatly appreciate her willingness to do all this. She got to the apartment around 9:30 dumped the overflowing pan. Then she let the plumbers in before returning to the school and trading places with me. I left school around 2 to get home and collect my keys before they left.

So now, with a lovely medicine cabinet in my kitchen, new lightbulbs, a new washer, hot and clean water(?), and a new radiator, I am wondering what will be next.

It was nice not having to pack up and move anywhere.
But, now I think I am looking forward to the chance to get out of 25/2.

The Dutch Guy

Latvia's Independence Day is on November 18th. That means we usually get a three day weekend at that time. It's no Thanksgiving, but it's pretty close.

One year ago, I was spending my long weekend locked away in my apartment doing grad school. Of course, after a few hours of focused work, it is nice to take a break. My breaks often consisted of swiping through Tinder - more of a game at that point than an actual attempt to find a date.

But, one year ago, I matched with a Dutch guy named Dennis. Who then messaged me. Our conversation went on for a bit... he asked why I was in Riga... I asked why he was in Riga... he shared some of his thoughts on the city... then he asked if I wanted to meet.

Honestly, I didn't. It was nothing against him! It's that on a dark, rainy, cold November evening, it's so much easier to stay in. But he seemed pretty funny and smart, so I figured an hour or two would be enough of an escape for me and then I could return home and continue binge-watching Netflix working on assignments.

We met around 9pm and quickly ducked into the closest bar to escape the cold and rain. Four hours later, I found myself not wanting to leave. It could have been the cold and rain or the fact that I knew there were piles of work waiting for me in the apartment. But it wasn't those things.

The next day, he and I met again to walk around Riga's Old Town and I told him about all the ridiculous, and mostly false, stories of Riga's past I had heard. Again, four hours passed in a flash and again, I found myself not wanting to return home.

Dennis was leaving Riga on Monday morning and I figured that would be the end of the Dutch guy. I was pleasantly surprised (read: literally jumping up and down) on Monday evening when I received another message from him asking about my day.

Fast forward to one year later, and the messages continue. As do the letters and postcards and emails and packages and skype calls. So many skype calls. A long-distance relationship is certainly not ideal. I spend my week waiting for Friday evening when that skype window opens and I am greeted once again by his wonderful smile and cheery "yea, there she is." My year has been measured in the months, weeks, and days between visits.  Each visit is better than the last and unfortunately, they seem to go by faster and faster. But we make the best of them.

I could go on and on about him, but he would hate that.  hehe. I certainly never imagined any of this as I rushed through the rain last November. But, I am thankful he convinced me to venture out that night. And I am incredibly grateful for all the moments since.

Mr. and Mrs. Pung - 10/28/2017

Several months ago, I got the call I had been waiting for from my oldest friend, Dana. She squealed into the phone that Matt had proposed and she was officially the future Mrs. Pung! 

A few weeks later, she called asking which date in September would be best in my schedule. As a teacher, September is already rough with the beginning of school. But as a teacher who lives 4,000 miles and at least 14 hours of travel away, I looked at my calendar and replied, "October 21st" 

They settled on October 28th, and I booked a ticket. Honestly, she could have planned the wedding for the same date as the first day of school, and I still would have been there!  I miss birthdays and holidays and other weddings and celebrations far more than I like. But this would not have been one of them. 

I did Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday and Tuesday, then flew into Michigan on Wednesday. I wanted to squeeze in a bit of family time before going full wedding mode. I also had a fair amount of graduate school to knock out before the weekend as well. But by Friday morning, I was ready to play bridesmaid again. 

Friday was the nail appointment, picking up rings, final packing for the honeymoon, checking into the hotel, and repeatedly checking the 'bride bag' to make sure everything was (still) there. To say Dana was excited is putting it mildly! But her excitement, as always, was contagious! 

We headed to the venue for the rehearsal and final preparations. It was an adorably renovated old chapel that had all the country charm and coziness you'd imagine. A perfect venue for Dana and Matt. They had a huge wedding party of 7 bridesmaids, 10 groomsmen, 2 ushers (maybe 3?), and of course the flower girl and ring bearer. We didn't even all fit on the stage!

Matt and Dana both have huge families and Dana was hoping that old rule of '20% of invited guests won't make it' would be true... but I am not so sure it was! That is just further proof though of how fantastic these two are, and how excited people were to see them join together! The next day, as Dana walked down the aisle with a huge smile on her face, and Matt fought back tears in his eyes, I know all of us ladies up there were fighting back the tears too. Maybe even some of the guys as well. As the officiant began the ceremony, we chuckled as Matt repeatedly whispered, "that is the most beautiful wedding dress I've ever seen. You look absolutely beautiful!" We cheered as they shared their first kiss as husband and wife and then partied the night away alongside them. 

I've known Dana since childhood. Babies, really. I can name many of her old crushes and past flames. I can recall conversations with Dana gushing about these boys and me hating on them for one reason, or many. Dana may be older by a few months, but I'd say we have been equally protective of one another. Matt came about after I had left for college, but from Dana's stories and the interactions I had with him, I could tell he was different. 

He challenges Dana in good ways, compliments her silly side, and doesn't take advantage of her overly-caring heart. He supports her independence, protects her when she is insecure, and stands alongside her as he should. He knows Dana is something rare and special in this world. And for a friend like Dana, and an opportunity to celebrate a love like that, flying half-way around the world is nothing.      

  

August - October 2017

It is November. I am currently enrolled in Two graduate courses, teaching grade 4, and I am also in the process of job hunting. I have a list of 13 things to do just this week just for grad classes. So naturally, I am using my Sunday morning to write a blog. hehe.

I feel like yesterday was October 2nd. I can remember standing in my classroom on October 2nd taking a deep breath and saying to Ita, "I just have to make it through October."

I did it! I made it through October!! November seems to be equally daunting, but before I move ahead I will pause and look back at a fantastic, and incredibly busy few months! 

AUGUST. 

Although my time at home was longer than past summers, it still felt too short. The goodbye was tough as always, but returning to the school to start set-up and orientation for year 4 at ISL was a bit better when I found the last of Dennis's letters in my mailbox.  We jumped right into the year on August 9th. Ita and I attempted the 'first-day-of-school' photo booth and Literally Broke The Machine! Nothing like that for a confidence boost :p 

Three days after school started, Dennis arrived! I had done my best during the last weeks of summer to wrap up my grad class so I would have one less thing to worry about for his visit. Having that out of the way meant he only had to compete with the 'first week of a new school year'. But he was patient and understanding! 

He cooked dinner while I did some work... also he fully understands the level of my cooking ability and has decided that for his own survival he is happy to make the food. hehe. Dennis brought me a Dutch and German language learning game, and we played some of the other games I have as well. I won them all.   

He met all my friends here and came to the school bbq. We even ventured out to Jurmala for a visit to the beach. 

On his last day in Latvia, we went to Skrunda-1, an abandoned Soviet base in the middle of Latvia. It was inhabited up until the late 90's but now it's a weird, apocalyptic, ghost-town.  The national guard was doing exercises as we explored. The sound of gunshots and the people running about in full gear really added to the eeriness of it all. 

After Skrunda, we stopped in Kuldiga. This little town proudly boasts the widest waterfall in all of Europe. It is about 1 meter in height, but it is wide. And pretty! 

After ten days of being spoiled by his company (and cooking) he had to return to the Netherlands and I had another grad class waiting... 

I told myself over the summer I would not let grad school consume as much of my time this year. In an effort to stand by that I joined a few colleagues at the Latvia vs. Czech Basketball game! Latvia won in an exciting game... I think I still prefer hockey more though. 

SEPTEMBER. 

Work and grad school consumed a lot of my September...so much for that goal of mine. We had a PD conference and student council kicked off. I was really enjoying my grad class at the time, so I was happy to dedicate my time to it. I did find time to venture out for dinner or drinks with friends every so often. One night we even went to Cirque du Soleil!! 

I caught the seasonal cold as the fall began to settle in and lost my voice for about a week. Thankfully, our first field trip was to a see the movie, "Swallows and Amazons" and having no voice was okay for that!

The next week we went on a field trip to Zinoo Science Center in Cesis- about 2 hours from the school. The kids were able to play around with a ton of different gadgets and machines and it was a great way to kick off our unit about technology!  On the way back to school one of the students got sick on the bus. That was disgusting. But it happens. And thankfully, the kids remembered the not so smelly moments from the trip! 

The big fall festival rounded out September, and then it was 

OCTOBER. 

This year, Ita, Zenta, and I are the advisers for Elementary Student Council. Because, why not! October 2nd was the first day of auditions for the ES Talent Show! A joint operation between Student Council and the music teacher. So each day at lunch some of the brave little risk-takers sang, danced, and twisted balloons in hopes of making it into the show. 

That same week was Grandma Ree's birthday! But also World Teachers Day. Ita came to my apartment on Wednesday evening to make 40 muffins, while I did grad school, so the next day SC kids could spread appreciation and cheer! Ita was leaving the next day for Paris.... 

On the 6th and 7th all the ES teachers attended the IB Inquiry workshop. We haven't had any ES specific PD in what feels like forever! It was really nice to finally chat and learn alongside some of my colleagues. I honestly have not seen some of them since the workshop. And our school is not that big.... 

Also on the 7th, Dennis came back to Riga!!! His ship had a light fall schedule and he had the vacation time, I had a week off in October, so he returned for a two week visit!! The first week was again him exploring alone while I worked. Then, in the evening, it was him cooking me more fabulous dinners, while I worked. And then me destroying him in more games. hehe. He also came to the Talent Show on Friday the 13th! 

Right after school, we took off toward Cesis. We spent the weekend exploring the castle ruins in Cesis and Sigulda as well as a scenic rock view. The weather was rainy and cold on Saturday but we had a good time still! Sunday was better as we explored Turaida and Sigulda. To avoid some traffic we took the scenic route back to Riga and stopped to catch the sunset over the sea. 

We went back to Riga on Sunday evening, and on Monday Dennis was banished from the apartment so I could get some grad school work out of way. First thing Tuesday morning we hopped the bus to Tallinn! Again, it was rainy and although it was only 2pm it felt like dusk. But we still toured the old town. Cobblestone streets look more enchanting in the rain anyway! 

We found plenty of museums to explore, stay dry in, and learn more about the tumultuous past of Estonia. We stopped for some cake and Dennis had his first try at Russian food for dinner. 

Wednesday and Thursday the weather slowly began to improve so we slowly began to spend more time exploring outside instead of hiding away in museums. The rain and cold also gave us an excuse to stop for more hot chocolate and cakes!

We left Tallinn on Thursday and got back to Riga late that night. On Friday, Dennis was sent away again so I could catch up on grad school and plan out the next week of fourth grade. He made more amazing meals (even some to put in the freezer because he doesn't consider chips and salsa to be an adequate dinner for me). On his final day in Riga we ventured out to Mezaparks to enjoy the Latvian nature. And then it was time for him to leave. I don't understand how the time seems to go so quickly when he visits. Next time, it's my turn to visit him again!

Sunday evening, after Dennis had left, I prepared for the crazy week ahead. All parent teacher conferences were scheduled for Friday, but I was heading to America on Wednesday. So, after a week away from school, I returned on Monday to teach all morning and then do half of my conferences. The same schedule on Tuesday with the other half of the parents. Thankfully, I have an amazing bunch of kiddos and parents and they were all very understanding! Conferences went well and because I work with the amazing Ita, I really didn't try that hard with my sub plans. She and I had talked through the next days and I knew she would be fine. 

Wednesday morning, I took off to America for one night of family dinner and niece&nephew cuddles, one day of two grad school classes and errands, two days of celebrating my bestie's wedding, followed by one last hug from the family and then the long flight back to Latvia. Of course, that meant I returned to school on Halloween.
What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't bring the best Halloween candies America has to offer to my little monsters in Latvia! My suitcase was packed with close to 8 pounds of candy! :p  Some for Ita, some for grade 4, and enough to share with everyone from student council. Celebrations at school can be exhausting, but when you're already jet-lagging and missing your family, why not mix a bunch of sugar-buzzed kids in as well! 

October is over.... Now, I just have to make it through November.