My Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday

Since CISP is an "American" based International School we celebrate American Thanksgiving. This means two days off of school in November. Perfect time to do some off-season cheap travel. Adventure Buddy and I scanned the skies and found a great deal for a trip to Rome so we had our own little Roman Holiday.

So here is a quick peak at our adventures.

We stayed in a lovely guest house close to the city centre. Amazing service at a great price. It was called the Rose Santamaria, highly recommend for those who stay in hostel like places. It was very clean, secure and our host Veronica was extremely helpful.

 

Day One

I highly recommend the Roma pass for those touring Rome. It is 30 Euro and it is good for getting you into 2 major attractions for free, discounts, free transit and skipping the ticket lines.

November is known as the rainy season in Rome and so I fervently prayed for sunshine weeks before our trip and my prayers were answered. We were blessed with sunny skies for the entirety of our trip.

First stop: 

The Colosseum

There are no words...

I think what was most striking was reflecting on the events that took place here. The number of lives that were sacrificed for honour and entertainment. Many Christians were martyred here for their faith.

Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

 

 

 

  

Had a hard time believing it was November sometimes!

 
 

Day One complete stay tuned for days 2-3...

Adventures Abroad

Looking back over my Blog for the past few entries one may begin to think that all I do here is travel. Cheap travel in Europe is a perk to living on this side of the world. Experiencing many different places and cultures is a big part of my experience of living abroad. Often I find it a little more interesting to share about my travelling adventures rather than going on about the writing lesson we did in class yesterday or that my kids are conquering their addition facts.

Teaching primary kids is neither boring nor uneventful. Each day has its own adventures, discoveries, hilarious moments and enlightenments. Wish that I could record each lesson and play it back to hear all those funny things the kids say that I miss in a day because I am rushing to cover the next learning outcome or finish the next project. Although I do not have kids of my own I can only imagine what it must be like to be a parent and capture all those amazing AH-HA moments and find a way to cherish them away so they will not be forgotten. Those moments where if you don't write it down you are sure to forget.

I am a pictures person. I struggle with finding the right words. Writing can be agonizing as I search for the words that adequately express the pictures in my head; and so I love to share my experiences with photos. However, there are moments that a photo just isn't enough. Like the joys of a hug followed by the honest observation: "Miss Robinson you are fluffy." or
When a child remarks that
"God is everywhere!" and another one asks,
"Is he in my shoe?" Quickly answered by another child
"NO! If he was in your shoe you would squish him!"
These are the moments that are not captured by photos. They are the moments that are so near and dear to me and yet can get lost in all the busyness of day to day life.

I wish I could do better to convey the beauty and excitement that is in the mundane, day to day, teaching life. Some people cannot imagine being a teacher and being surrounded by a gaggle of children everyday. Vying for your attention, seeking encouragement, love and direction. Yet I thrive on it. Loving each moment. Wishing there was a way to bottle it up and share it with each person that wonders what I do besides travel all over the countryside.

Fall Adventures

Wow October has come and gone and Christmas seems right around the corner. It has been a busy fall season and I was very thankful for a couple days off for our Fall Break at the end of October. Since we had a few days off a couple of us decided to explore more of the Czech Countryside. We hopped on a bus and headed for the Southern Bohemian Region of Czech Republic.

Český Krumlov

Located a 3 hour bus ride south of Prague is a quaint little town called Český Krumlov. A beautiful little town with small Czech eateries, the winding Vltava river, museums, fun little shops and a castle complete with a moat containing bears! We were blessed with sunshine on our first day as we wandered the castle grounds.

     

We stayed at the Hostel Merlin which like most hostels was just right for our needs: a bed, a bathroom and free coffee.
We tried a variety of traditional Czech foods including a delicious meal at a Medieval style Czech restaurant called the Two Marys (U Dwau Maryi)

 

Took the time to stop into Shakespeare and Sons, an English Book Store, and drool over their children's section. One thing I miss is being able to get children's books from the library for teaching.

We also took a tour of the Baroque Theatre. It is one of the oldest castle theatres preserved in Central Europe an at the same time it represents the most completely preserved baroque theatre in the world. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but given permission to use the ones on the website.

 

Entering the castle grounds you cross a bridge and below the bridge you may get to see the moat bears. Our first day they were hiding but on day two they came out for a brief moment.

 

 

Stopped in to look at a marionette museum. Amazing craftsmanship and so detailed.

 

 

 What I love about wandering through these places is seeing the great history that is represented. The craftsmanship, the creativity, the hard work and years of toil and hardship are visible around each corner and on each brick. Amazing gifts God has given us to create such things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rounded up one fellow Canadian and a handful of Americans for a wonderful Thanksgiving Celebration.
A fun evening complete with a little Tim Hortons coffee and Hot Chocolate, some $100 napkins, Turkey, chicken, brusinková omáčka (cranberry sauce) garlic potatoes, rotkohl (red cabbage) and even apple crisp and Moose Pie for dessert! It was an evening of bountiful fun and blessings

I have plenty to be thankful for and I am blessed beyond reason! Praise the Lord for his numerous gifts.

I am Canadian

One of the inevitable first ice breaking questions you encounter in most conversations here is "where are you from?" My accent betrays me, and many I have met assume I am "American." Do I correct them? True I am from North America and therefore I am technically an "American" but I would never call myself an American. I am finding out more and more how Canadian I am and yet how even my European roots have affected my cultural identity. Cultural identity is interesting and I find myself having to adjust not only to Czech culture but American culture as well. 


I think what I struggle with most is the egocentric thought that my way must be the right way.
 "What? You don't do it that way?" 
"You don't say it that way?" 
"You don't know what that word means?"
"Well that is just weird!"
 How wrong I am... it is NOT weird... it is just different! 

Why do I cling so much to the identity of the country from where I was raised? Why is where you are from so important? The question "Where are you from? "is a spring board in conversation and gives the listener context as to who you might be and what you can learn about the person.
 I am from Canada; I will occasionally say Eh at the end of a sentence when I am seeking a response or agreement to a statement. I may say words differently and use unfamiliar terms. Yes that is a toque, and a chesterfield and sometimes I am a Keener. I enjoy wearing the maple leaf on my jacket and on my back pack. But who I am does not rest solely on where I was born. I am a follower of Christ. I choose to act differently. Talk differently. Live differently! I am a stranger in this world no matter where I live because ultimately this is not my home. The life I live I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me! 

Perhaps the question should not be "Where are you from?" but rather  "Where are you going?" Eh?

Be Patient

Being Content to Wait

This fall during my Social Unit we have been learning about different character traits and attributes and what it means to be a citizen in a community. So far we have been learning about friendship, honesty, kindness and being a good listener. This week's lesson has been about patience and I have been teaching the kids that patience is: "Being content to wait."
 As part of our project we have been making little illustrated squares which we will put together to make a community quilt. Each square demonstrates something about the character trait of the week.

One of my students (who is learning English as his third language) finished his square and brought it to me, and I asked him to explain his picture.
Our little dialogue went something like this:

Me: "Tell me about your picture"
Student: Pointing to the person in the picture he proudly states "This is you!"
Me: "Wow very nice"
Student: "You are pretty"
Me: "Why, thank you, and who is this?" I say pointing to the stick man in the picture.
Student: "A man!" He says with great enthusiasm.

It was all I could do at this point to not burst out laughing to ask who was the man.

*Now the story doesn't stop here, however when I retold this encounter to some of my co-workers, at this point of the story their initial response was like mine as they broke out into a fit of hysterical laughter. When they regained composure they acknowledged my student's keen sense of perception. What a insightful boy, indeed Miss Robinson must be waiting for a man.* 

It turned out that the man was my dad and I was waiting for him to come visit. My parents had come to visit last year and my students were asking if they would come again and I said probably not, but we will have to wait and see. Funny what our students remember and their perspective on things.