Sunday, October 25, 2015

One time in Copenhagen...

I've been traveling quite often for a few years now. And while I have gone from point A to point B on my own several times, I've never actually traveled alone. Gone somewhere new and stayed with out any friends and family or specific group of people. Never. 

Many of the people I've encountered on my travels have been solo adventurers and almost all of them loved traveling alone and have encouraged me to try. I am not sure what my biggest reservation was, but I decided it was time to kick it. Fall break was coming up and I didn't have plans, so I decided it was time to make some! 

Because I've never traveled alone, I've also never fully created the plans. I've helped of course, but there has always been at least one other person with opinions and wishes for the trip. But this time, it would be all me. What I wanted, when I wanted, and if I didn't want, that's okay too! Good thing I'm not indecisive at all (sarcasm. So much sarcasm!) 

I decided to visit Copenhagen, Denmark. It's a quieter city that you don't often hear about, but when you do, it's good things... except, maybe that time the zoo threw a giraffe in the lion's den... 

Anyways. I didn't really believe I could handle a full week alone in a new city-- I am a true introvert, but I also have my limits. I decided a few days was good enough. The flight was a wonderful $150 and a super fast hour and half hop. 

My first day there the weather was great! Blue skies, perfect temps... it was great! The next day was gray. And the following rainy. And then gray again. Not the ideal conditions for exploring a new place, but I have an amazing rain jacket and love an excuse to wear it!  


The hostel I stayed in was just down from Tivoli Gardens. It's the second-oldest amusement park in the world, and was decorated for fall/Halloween. After visiting Disney Paris in October and now Tivoli in October also, I am beginning to think it's the best time to go to theme parks!! I wandered around and took in all the sights. Then decided to relax on a bench in the park and read... because I could! :) And so began my solo adventure! 

The (seriously)
Little Mermaid
I spent the morning exploring the streets-- cobblestone, but not nearly as hazardous as Riga. I also went on a walking-tour with a humorous guide and fellow travelers. I ventured out to see Copenhagen's top tourist site-- The Little Mermaid. Why that is the 'top' feature in Copenhagen is a bit beyond me, but I guess any claim to fame is good...? I disappeared in the National History Museum for a bit which was great! They had some exhibits dedicated to other parts of the world... nothing like reading about your history from the perspective of someone else. I also found a place to play pool for a bit and some quiet cafes for more reading and work (yes, I brought work.). 

In the end, I was ready to get back to Riga. Copenhagen was great, but I just love Riga. And if I am going to have alone time, it might as well be in my own apartment or city. I would definitely travel alone again, and probably will. Do I love it and hope to never travel with others again? No. :)  But it's good to know that I can travel alone and it's yet another thing to cross of that bucket list.




 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A new home for Betsy

She's not dead!
Although, I wouldn't have been surprised to see that.

Betsy's tank was a little messy. And by 'a little' I mean her tank hadn't been cleaned in over a month. And one of the 'not so detailed oriented' boys cleaned it that time.

It's been building for a while. The leftover food, fishy poo, and whatever the equivalent to dust in a fish's tank might be. I wish I had a good reason for the growing slime and grime, but really I don't. I also wish I had pictures, but I am afraid that might have resulted in an animal cruelty case... whoops.

But today, after weeks of Kristine and I saying, 'Betsy's tank is really bad. We should clean that,' it was cleaned! I asked the food service director for some rubber gloves, it was that bad, and I carefully carried our little science experiment to the sink.

As soon I slipped the net down into the tank, Betsy rushed into it. I think I even heard her cheering and thanking God for the deliverance. Usually we put her into a different tub with some water from her tank, this time it was all fresh water... she needed a bath.

Kristine came into the room at this point to giggle and tease that I had caved first and was stuck with the job. I can be lazy, but making her clean the tank just seemed cruel. She did help by pouring some soap into the tank and entertaining Betsy... I had forgotten her bath toys.

20 minutes, Lots of soap, several paper towels, more soap, and some unfortunate holes in the tips of the gloves, Betsy's tank was clean. I won't say shiny because classroom soap doesn't work miracles like that, but there was no longer green stuff in the corner or brown gunk covering the shell.

I carefully arranged everything back in dear Betsy's tank and filled it up with all clean water. Naturally, she was reluctant to go back in the tank, but I think she was pleased to see things looking good again. I even redecorated the wall...

The school photos arrived today. Along with coffee mugs, pillows, and teddy bears wearing t-shirts with faces on them (because hanging a photo above the mantle is no longer enough?). I asked the front desk if there was a class photo I could have and instead I was given six. I like my students, but one copy was good enough.

Since I had the extra glam shots, I decided to share with Betsy and slipped the picture in along the back. I hope the many smiling faces (and one very aggressively angry one) are a comfort to her. I know it makes me giggle when I glance at back at the (finally clean) tank.





Friday, October 16, 2015

Other

Although it often feels that my entire life here is nothing but work, there are times and parts of life that are not work related. I really should celebrate and consider these parts of life more....sometimes school becomes a bit too consuming. Here's a brief look at some "other" stuff in my life here.... 

Rorey, Lynx, Cody

Run, run, run..... I participated in another 5k. My friend has been a great encourager/enforcer of running habits. This 5k was in a different part of Riga, and I think I learned I would far rather run in the city than forest or countryside. But it was a nice run nonetheless. We even passed the ISL Lynx (the principal in mascot costume). We signed up for another 5k the following weekend, but it was rainy and the track was all sand, so we opted for our normal path through Riga's parks. I like that run more anyway. 


Ladies night.... With all the stress of school it's nice to have a chance to blow off some steam! We have our favorite places to visit like Ala for traditional Latvian fun, Stargorod for always interesting entertainment, Paglams because it's local, Burga- also local and always good, and Zoste fro sweet potato fries (Oh So Good!). But we-- Bekah, Rorey, and I-- decided to try out a new place. The Yolo Bar (yes, it's called yolo) had a pretty kickin happy hour deal and some tasty dinner options. Then, as is typical for a night in Riga, we went to a different bar to practice our few and usually mispronounced Latvian words. Then ended at a third bar for some dancing. The following Friday, we expanded our group to include some others and went for Korean food and great conversation! It's nice to debrief the week, and even better once the conversations turn away from work-stuff! 
Lynx and I post-run

Fall Festival... There is a big festival here that is essential a harvest fest. It includes a lot of local trade and crafts, and some amazing food vendors also. We strolled through the booths and I picked up some adorable gifts for my future niece/nephew coming in February! Normally we would have stayed out longer, but winter is fighting to come early this year, and its was windy and cold. So a quick stroll was good enough for us. 

It's important I remember and think about these times. School really has felt all consuming this year. I'll be at the school for 10 hours and still feel guilty for leaving 'too early.' I wake up in the mornings with a never ending to-do list and recently, I've even had a few dreams (nightmares) related to school things. Yeah. It's important to remember these 'other' times exist!  



Thursday, October 15, 2015

1/4 of 4th

The end of the first marking period is a week or so away, which means I am nearly 1/4 of the way through my 1st year in 4th grade. 

It started off quite similar to Grade 3... with A LOT of flowers! I am not sure the reason, I keep telling myself it's good, but I feel like many of the parents/students like to give Big flowers. Not flowers actually-- stalks. Lovely flowers that come on giant, heavy, long stalks. They are lovely, although it's quite challenging to hold 12+ bouquets and give hugs all at the same time. Once the flowers were safely settled, the real fun began!
Having half of my same students again this year, we didn't need to start with the name games. Some of us all too familiar! Once I reflected on the first day, I did feel a bit bad for the new kid.... he's doing fine now! :p 

Fourth grade has been incredible so far! Overwhelming also, but I have a great teaching partner who is really showing me the ropes and encouraging me along the way. She's heavily hinted at leaving after this year and is carefully passing loads of resources to me! 

I was talking to a parent at the beginning of the year and they mentioned that "a recorder" was no longer on the supply list, but usually the kids learned to play the recorder in grade 4. I was not informed of that and it would have probably weighed into my choice... oh, the recorder issues... Thankfully! We have an Amazing music teacher and she scraped the recorder unit in place of the ukulele!! The music room is a little overbooked this year, so one day the lesson was in the classroom. Even when the ukulele isn't played well, it's still awesome! 
Our first Grade 4 unit was about Human Migration. We talked about migrants and refugees, from the first migrations out of Africa at the beginning of time to today's hot topic issue. We invited several parents to come in and share about migrations they or their family had made. One mom brought in several local/traditional hats she's collected over the years. I can remember back to elementary school when we all created family trees and shared how 50 or more years ago some relative we weren't really sure of came to Michigan from somewhere. And there were one or two students in the class who had moved from another state... same idea, except in my classroom, the ones who haven't moved are the odd ones out. They got to present these 'family migration records' to peers and family and it was a fun celebration! 

They've also all published their first work in grade 4. We've been talking about how to write a realistic fiction story... Mine could be about a teacher who hates to teach writing to her students..... oh wait, I can save that autobiographies, our next unit. :p 
Fall break came at a wonderful time. It's a little more than half over now, I am feeling relaxed and catching a much needed breath. Few more days... and my desk will 'normal' again. 
"Normal"

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Summer 2015

Last spring as I prepared for the upcoming  school year I was excited about many things!! One of which was having the same students. And I am still excited about that, even a month(ish) into school! It's wonderful to know your students and it really got the year up and going quickly. Of course, last year, my fear in having the same students again was that it would feel as though there was no summer break. To some degree, I was correct in believing that.

Again, the year got off quite smoothly and for that I am of course grateful. But now that things are in more of a routine, and I find myself with a moment here or there to breathe (which is immediately followed by the terrifying fear I am forgetting something) I finally looked at a calendar and realized it's October! 

My fear that the summer would be squished between two (exciting) school years, was pretty accurate. So now I need to go back and remember my summer. Because I miss those summer people. I am also sad that I just called them 'summer people' and even more sad that I see them in the summer only. 

Anyways... Summer of 2015..... Things I don't want to forget... 

-- Celebrated my first Jani here in Latvia! It's a holiday with more hype than black Friday in America. People stay up all night, partying, and celebrating life. There are several traditions connected to the holiday. And apparently one of those traditions is terrible weather for the outdoor holiday/celebrations. Thanks, Latvia ;) It was still a good time though. And an excuse to wear my rain jacket! I also met a new friend around Jani. He and I spent the next few days playing tourist here in Riga-- which he in fact was, and I, for the first time in almost a year, had a chance to be. 

-- Home! No exciting upgrades on the flight. Sadly. Although my trip back to Riga was .... refreshing? The girl next to me decided to throw some orange juice AT my lap and her father, seated in front of me, tossed some water over his shoulder. Don't worry, my lap caught the water too. 

-- One of the first conversations I had back at home was with Bryan. He asked if I had a boyfriend... I asked if he and Amanda were pregnant.... one of us lied (it was him). But the next day I learned the truth, and then saw evidence of my sister's second pregnancy in the form of her morning/noon/night sickness. I saw the evidence after (and sometimes during) nearly every meal we had. So much "evidence".... I guess the baby didn't want those Cheetos as much as Amanda did. 

-- A FULL WEEK with my dearest college roomie!! I am forever thankful for Kim's friendship and loved spending time reminiscing, chatting, seeing her life, chatting, watching Friends, and chatting. A full week of chatter and I think we could have kept going!! This summer was an extra blessing... I got to spend a night with Sabrina, and Nicole and Ange were in NY too! And Ange's sweet little guy! Welcome to the Quad, Gabo! 




--Zoo trips with mom, Amanda, and Dylan

--Spending time with Dana and Kelsy


--Mini golf with mom and dad

--Catching up and trying to sew with Grandma Ree

--Wading in Lake Ontario

--Haircuts with Sierra, followed by a surprise high school reunion!

--Driving, shopping, laughing with my family, catching up with Beth and others.... I love my summers!

As much as I wish I could do things year round, I think having to squish it all into a month makes me appreciate it all so much more. 







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 m...