Seeking Sunshine

Our week off in February is called 'ski break' and while many of my students did go skiing, I went for sun! There was a charter flight from Riga to Egypt. I joined several other co-workers and headed south! Apparently, Egypt is the Florida of this region and I think heard equal amounts of English, Arabic, and Russian over the last week. Nothing like my past and current worlds combining!

The town of Dahab is quite small. It's on the Sinai peninsula, tucked along the gulf off the Red Sea across from Saudi Arabia. The area was beautiful. Not 40-years-of-aimless-wandering beautiful but certainly enough to keep me in awe for a week.

The main reason for the location was for the scuba diving opportunities. The dive center was located right at the hotel. On Monday we packed wet suits, flippers, masks, and lots of tanks into a truck and headed down the coast a bit. I love swimming, but idea of being meters deep underwater with all my oxygen attached to my back Freaks me out. I decided I would be content to give snorkeling a try and leave it at that... Easier said than done. The water was rough and the giant waves didn't help much. I think I did more thrashing about than swimming on Monday. Poor Bekah had the pleasure of trying to teach me to snorkel. She eventually just kind of swam away leaving me to figure it out. Pretty similar to how I learned to swim now that I think about it. Eventually, I was able to keep my face in the water and saw a few fish and coral and what not. Once I knew I could do it, I just wanted to be done. hah!

Tuesday we left little Dahab and went to Cairo for the day. We left at 6am and returned to the hotel around 2:45am (I think. Checking the time wasn't exactly priority at that point). The flight up to Cairo was really cool because it was a clear day. That is a lot of rocky desert. And Cairo is HUGE. I felt like we just kept flying over the city and then landed in, what had to be, the farthest possible spot on the airport grounds. The hotel owner graciously planned the whole day for us. There was a driver waiting and wonderfully sweet guide who met us at the museum and toured us around for the day. We started at the Egyptian Museum which one could possibly mistake for Fort Knox based on the amount of the military posted outside. Although, after learning a bit more about Egypt's recent history and revolution, it makes sense. Inside the museum we were able to see several impressive statutes and archaeological finds. We also saw King Tut's glorious stash and famous mask. There were also lots of mummies- including a horse and crocodile- and sarcophagi of all sizes. After the museum we stopped for lunch by the Nile, thankfully this did not include and crocs. And then onto the pyramids!

I had heard from several others that the pyramids are not as grand as you might envision. I thought they were impressive! What really surprised me was that the city has pretty much grown to them. From one angle the desert is behind. From the other, is the massive metropolis of Cairo- ancient wonder meet massive urban center...what a crazy juxtaposition! We climbed up the side and crawled down into one of the queen's tombs. Some of my fellow travelers tried riding a camel... been there, done that. ;) The Sphinx was the last stop at the bottom of the hill. We got there just in time to snap a few pictures and get shooed away by a guard. The guide offered to show us a lovely restaurant for dinner, but we all opted for street-side shawarma instead. I love shawarma. Then it was 2 hours back to the airport maybe 40 miles away. 2 hours. I can't do city driving.

We arrived back in Sharm just after 11. Unfortunately, the last 'convoy' for Dahab left at 11pm. So we spent another 2 hours sitting in a van waiting until the 1am convoy. They grouped all us tourists together for our drive through the desert and an 'armed' truck followed along. See mom, I was totally safe ;)

On Wednesday we camped out at a cafe on the beach front. I was happy to enjoy the sun and warmth, but Bekah suggested snorkeling again. The water was a bit more calm so we gave it a try. The views were much better at this location and I actually wanted to keep my face in the water! I was looking down mostly at the fish right beneath me. I glanced up quickly only to notice a jellyfish directly in my path! I quickly pushed back and swam around. A bit later the same thing happened only it was too late to back up! Luckily, it was just a plastic cup this time and not a jelly fish. Sadly, the cup wasn't the only piece of trash in the water.

The Blue Hole

Thursday was the Blue Hole. The most loved diving spot in Dahab. The reef is extremely close to the 'beach' (if you want to call it that). The reef was awesome! So many fish and corals and there was no bottom to be seen. The Blue Hole is 460 feet deep. The dive instructors were telling us that all kinds of things have been seen in there... even sharks! Just down from the Blue Hole is another entry point called the Bells. It's another deep access point. The divers entered, dropped, and swam through an arch into the open ocean. We were 26meters above them doing a similar thing. Looking out into the empty, open blue ocean is a very odd feeling. The divers were talking about how great it is... again, I don't think I would like it. I kept an eye on the reef at all times! From the Bells we followed the current and the beautiful reef back to the Blue Hole.

Friday and Saturday were also spent at the beach front cafe soaking in the sun, sipping on fresh strawberry juice, and ignoring the approaching end to vacation. We also did plenty of shopping in the local places where all prices are negotiable and shopkeepers expect a little battle. Of course we got everything for 'special price' because we were 'lucky customers.' ;) I even heard "how many camels?" again... I have to say though, the shopkeepers in Dahab did less harassing than those in Morocco, which I certainly appreciated. We also went into the mountains one night for dinner. It reminded me of the night in the desert, but I love a good bonfire and clear sky full of stars!

Sunday was back to the airport and Latvia. Egypt was wonderful and I enjoyed blue skies and sunsunsun. But I was also happy to return to Latvia. I guess that's a good thing, too!

A perfect handful

In my first class I only had 7 girls, the other 12 were the silliest, most sensitive, sarcastic boys. I quickly learned that in order for any of my students to learn, I had to have all the boys engaged. The girls were laid back enough that they followed along with anything.

My second year, I had more girls than boys. They were full of drama, cried when the wind blew, and prided themselves on acting ditsy. I so badly missed that first group.

This year, I have more girls again. 12 girls. 5 boys. Five. They bring a new meaning to the term handful, but I adore them all. The girls are great too, but they often require more attention than my curious and independent little gentlemen. But this week I decided to spoil them.

They, the boys, are Loving this unit on energy! I usually break them up when we do group work, intentionally, of course. But this week I am allowing them to be a reading group all their own. The book is advanced but most of the boys are my higher readers anyway, and as per usual, they will drag the more-unfocused one along with them. The book is called 'Alternative Fuel Cars' and I almost forgot I had 12 other students today as we discussed the vocabulary and read through the introduction.

They began predicting what life will be like in 50 years, or in 100 years, because "scientific advancement will make us live to be, like, 1,000!" They took turns reading. They challenged each other to define words without looking. They started talking about what kind of alternative fuel they would use... one said air, another said his iphone, and one said foot power, to which another responded, "Dude. That's called a bike." THEY did this. I watched, and laughed with them, and every so often redirected their attention. But beyond that, there was little I had to do.

I sometimes (maybe too often) get frustrated with the boys. Usually the same 3 because they lack a mute button and are always making sounds. Always. They don't even realize there is sound coming out of them. But the truth is, I love hearing from my boys! They are a little group of brothers that fight, and compete, and encourage, and look out for each other. They rarely, if ever, complain about each other. They are a team. Today, I was supposed to be their coach, but they barely needed one.

Sure, I had to say, "please sit down" at least 100 times. And I had to remind one to keep his hands to himself, also at least 100 times. And one was covered from toe to hip in mud. But it was one of the best reading groups we've had thus far.

They may be a handful. But I am glad to call them mine.

Oh no, Dinamo!

On Saturday night I went to a hockey game! Hockey is a pretty big sport here and Riga's team, Dinamo, is part of the KHL. It was their last game of the season... after attending, I see why they aren't headed to the finals. (hehehe)

The arena is actually really close to my apartment, maybe a 20 minute walk. But since it was snow-raining, my neighbors and I taxied. haha! There were seven of us total at the game and the tickets were pretty cheap. We were in the 10th row right behind a goal.

Several of the others had gone to the game Thursday night or last weekend, and they didn't have super things to say about the team.

Dinamo scored in the first period. Then the goalie let three in within the first half of the second period. Three. All right between the legs.

Dinamo did manage to score again in the third period and then in an attempt to even it up, they pulled the goalie for the last few minutes. This seems to be something they do often. And it seems to backfire on them frequently. Like it did Saturday night, when the other team got a breakaway and easy tucked it into an empty net.

2-4. Good try, Dinamo!

It may not have been the most intense game of hockey I've seen, but it was a fun night! Maybe next season....

Betsy Betta

My students are nosy. I suppose most people are because it's just our nature. But I have a few very nosy students. They must have been snooping around in my teaching plans and somehow discovered a way to beat me at my own game.

And that is the short, vague description of how we got a class pet. 

They had several discussions of what pet to get.... fish, tadpole, snake, cat, dog. One little boy is allergic to pet dander so cats and dogs were out. (Although, I don't know when they were ever in) 

Our most recent writing unit is persuasive writing. So as a perfect tie-in I had the students write me a letter about what our perfect class pet would be. Most voted for a fish or tadpole. One voted for a gorilla. One for a baby pig. Another voted for a dragon... I told them it didn't have to be a real suggestion. 

My favorite entry featured a straight line labeled "snake" and read: 

A. It doesn't have fur 

B. It's NOT a cobra 

C. No one is afraid. 

I'm not sure all his points were correct... that line looked awful cobra like. 

My assistant and I also discussed what animal we would be able to tolerate. We both vetoed snakes right away. And hamsters/rats/guinea pigs. Neither one of us is paid enough to chase one of thise around the school. A parrot was also tossed out and then we both laughed and laughed at the idea of adding another chatterbox to our classroom. Another coworker was also trying to push her seemingly immortal newts on us. 

We both took the weekend to do some research and think things over. While a turtle would be fun, it would also be quite costly. And while a turtle in Morocco was easy to maintain, the same is not necessarily true in a cold, dark climate. 

Betsy Betta

So it was announced, Class 3F would be getting......(drum roll)..... a fish. 

They were excited. Thankfully. I was trying to push the new addition until forever  after the February break, but I was asked almost Daily when the fish would come. So on Thursday I stopped at the mall and went to Dino Zoo (fantastic name for a pet shop, btw)

They had Betta fish kits featuring everything but the water and the fish. Perfect! I grabbed the larger one (which is still small) and asked the girl for a fish. There were several red fish, blue fish (one fish, two fish) but I chose one that was more of a white-slightly pinkish color. She also gave me an extra bag of water for the fish. 

After a very fast, swervy, heavy on the brake taxi ride to the apartment, I put 'fish' in a jar so the next morning I could seal the lid and get to work without worrying about a flood and flopper. 

I assembled the little fish home at school and left it sitting empty on the counter. My students were so excited until they realized it was empty. I figured 'fish' had been through enough at this point, it didn't need little hands and eyes attacking it just yet. 

After the big reveal, many "awwwwwws!!!" and several "look, it's a fish!" I gave the students yet another assignment. Two actually. The first was write another speech convincing their classmates of a name for 'fish.' The second was to do some research and learn how to take care of it. As they promised they would (and Kristine and I know they likely won't). 

They wanted Betsy next to the ocean,
in case she misses home

Many of them suggested "betta" for the name, so we decided that could be the surname. One student suggested naming the fish Mikyla-- because "then Miss Mikyla and the fish could be twins." 

The front runner names were Hi!, Betsy, Pencil, and Charlie. If based on the best speech, 'Charlie' should have been the name. But the class vote went to 'Betsy' because "the fish is a lightish color and would be good as a girl" So, Betsy Betta joined our class on February 6. 

They did a good job researching information and started writing it all on the board. They are hoping to train Betsy to do a few tricks... we'll see how that goes.

one-twelfth

How is it already February!? Maybe this is just the first time I've looked at the date in a month but whoa! February already.

Here's a look back at why January kept me so busy...

School starting again on the 12th was awesome. I am used to going back shortly after the New Year, so to have almost two full weeks was really nice. I guess half of the month was gone already.

Just before starting school up again my neighbors/co-workers had a game night. We played Settlers of Catan, a game I played a few times while at Somerset, but it's also one of those games where the people who play it are often a bit cut-throat and serious about it. Thankfully, there were too many of us so I was teamed up Rorey. I made suggestions every so often, but really Rorey called the shots. We actually won!

The first week back at school was the last week of a unit. So in a few days time we had to review all the things we had done and learned and create a final project. The project we had planned to do before the break fell through, so the final projects were a bit silly. But the kids enjoyed it and most did a great job.

That Friday, I joined the people I carpool with for a few games of pool. My father trained me well, so I thought. My skills were nothing compared to theirs! We played two games of boys vs. girls where the boys cleared the table before we even got a shot. Yet the girls won both games because the same guy scratched on the 8-ball. Twice. It was fantastic. And it was really nice to play pool again!

Saturday night was Poker night. I don't know poker so I watched and picked up a few tips and pointers. Next game I will lose 10 euros and give it a try.

And, as per usual, Sunday is spent planning for the week ahead. We started a new unit that I was quite excited about and am trying to make really hands-on for the students. It's going well, but requires a lot of prep and planning. And then there's math, reading, writing, phonics, cursive, homework, field trips, and so many more little things that have to be fit in as well.

The art teacher planned a field trip for the 3rd grade classes to a local art exhibition. The guide only spoke Latvian and even though the art teacher and my assistant could have translated, one of my students volunteered to do it instead and even passed a few glances at the other two when they tried to help. This student once told me she hates field trips, but she looked pretty happy at this one. And she did a fantastic job translating from Latvian to English!! So impressive.

Speaking of Latvian, I've been taking classes. It's a slow process, but this last Tuesday it was just me in class. Ruta asked me several questions in Latvian that I was able to translate and answer! She probably felt like she was speaking to a three year old, but I answered. :) The more language class I take, the more empathy I have for my students with low English. I am really working on how fast I sometimes talk, but I know sometimes their little brains just can't keep up.

Last Sunday I took a break from planning and went to an art class. Yes, an art class. I am Far from an artist. As much as I would love to have the skills to draw a beautiful flower, it requires ALL my brainpower, not just the right side. It was surprisingly enjoyable though and I think I will go back. It's good to stretch outside of one's comfort zone.

This past week I went out on Monday night to the Fat Pumpkin. An adorable little gluten-free, vegan-friendly cafe in old town. We were celebrating a friend's new job in Peru. Sad to see her go this summer, but also excited for the opportunities ahead. On Wednesday, I went to sushi with a few more co-workers. And on Thursday, the carpool people gathered again for a movie night. Usually we watch a documentary, but this time we opted for American Sniper.

bandit, champion, calculator, eye, hazard
direction, centimeter, metamorphosis
calculator, ballerina, filthy

Friday was the Vocabulary Parade. All the elementary school students selected a juicy word and created a costume. Then we paraded through the high school classes and the middle school students cast votes for best costumes and words.

Kristine: headphones ::: Mikyla: ornate

I spent all week trying to figure out a word. On Thursday I realized all the Christmas decorations were still in my classroom closet... I covered myself in tinsel and a goofy headband and was ornate. Of course, my students thought ornament which goes on a Christmas Tree and kept telling me I needed to be green. Also, red tinsel can and will stain your skin a lovely orange hue. Lesson Learned. All the costumes were cute and fun and the event went well.
Sadly, there is a nasty sick bug making it's way through the school and I had SIX kids out on Friday. I was bummed that they missed such a fun event and am hoping to see them tomorrow. I haven't had all my students since before the break!

And now it's February already. I am afraid to blink...