My sincerest apologies for neglecting my blog these past few months. I will admit I have written a number of things however I was just not sure they were post-worthy.
Life these days includes becoming accustomed to substitute teaching which, while rather frustrating in terms of waiting and wondering, is magically wonderful. I love getting to see so many students in different classroom environments and to experience the many different ways that teachers approach their craft. I am learning so many lessons every day. Having spent a marvelous week with a grade 2 class I learnt just how high energy lower elementary is and how amazingly adorable the creative imaginations of 7 year olds can be. I even had one cutie a few months back who wished to be called 'sweetie' instead of his real name, because he felt like it would make him work harder (How much cuter can you get). I guess my biggest realization to date is that it feels right. Something just 'clicks' when I walk in a classroom. :)
Stay tuned for more lessons learned and observations.....
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
All Done.....Literally!
I didn't mean to fall off the face of the blogging universe but once I left for Stockholm I got distracted, (that's what happens when an ENTIRE SWEDISH HOCKEY TEAM is in the same airport lounge as me :), dreams really do come true sometimes). Alas I have arrived back home in Canada and have been in a relaxed state ever since (minus the random freakouts over having to figure out my life and all that jazz). I arrived home on April 29th after 28 hrs of travel, 5 airports and countless delays. I was picked up in Halifax by my exhausted but amazing family. We arrived home in Washabuck at exactly 7am, just in time to watch Will & Kate walk down the aisle. (sleep truly is overrated).
The fun hasn't stopped as this past weekend I graduated from UPEI with my Bachelor of Education degree, specialization in International Education. It was amazing to see so many friends again and to hear of their tales from abroad. It was bittersweet to leave them all behind but there are many promises of visits to come. My peers, now colleagues are people I will never forget and will always be fondly remembered for their roles in my development as an educator.
However, grad day had to come to a quick end as we had a very important event to return home for. We jumped on the ferry only to be met with a wonderful surprise. Former NS Premier, the Honorable John Buchanan was on board. He was one of my grandfather Joe's best friends and dad thought that on my graduation day, nothing would make Grandma Dolena happier than a picture with someone who around our home is a legend the likes of Gretzky and Orr. He was an amazing man, spending the rest of the ride telling us stories about my grandfather and his Tory antics as well as many stories about how politics were done in the good old days and tales of the tories coming out on top. Let's just say that Grandma's mother's day was extra special when she saw the pictures. :)
That big event we had to get home for was none other than the 1st birthday party of my absolutely amazing and fantastic and handsome godson Mr. Thomas Malcolm. (Little Malcie, as uncle Kevin calls him). The little man was in his glory clapping along to Happy Birthday (not so impressed when the song ended) and of course diving into the cake (which he wasn't supposed to eat). We did placate him with chocolate icing and vanilla ice cream. He was quite impressed with his collection of new toys and stylish clothes (that is, as impressed as a 1 year old can get).
I will finish off with some photos and a promise to get around to writing a blog about the end of my trip and Stockholm shortly! Until then, I leave you with the words of our convocation speaker, former NFLD Premier Danny Williams who gave an amazing address ending with (in latin, so as to not offend anyone) "Don't let the B*****ds get you down!"
The fun hasn't stopped as this past weekend I graduated from UPEI with my Bachelor of Education degree, specialization in International Education. It was amazing to see so many friends again and to hear of their tales from abroad. It was bittersweet to leave them all behind but there are many promises of visits to come. My peers, now colleagues are people I will never forget and will always be fondly remembered for their roles in my development as an educator.
However, grad day had to come to a quick end as we had a very important event to return home for. We jumped on the ferry only to be met with a wonderful surprise. Former NS Premier, the Honorable John Buchanan was on board. He was one of my grandfather Joe's best friends and dad thought that on my graduation day, nothing would make Grandma Dolena happier than a picture with someone who around our home is a legend the likes of Gretzky and Orr. He was an amazing man, spending the rest of the ride telling us stories about my grandfather and his Tory antics as well as many stories about how politics were done in the good old days and tales of the tories coming out on top. Let's just say that Grandma's mother's day was extra special when she saw the pictures. :)
That big event we had to get home for was none other than the 1st birthday party of my absolutely amazing and fantastic and handsome godson Mr. Thomas Malcolm. (Little Malcie, as uncle Kevin calls him). The little man was in his glory clapping along to Happy Birthday (not so impressed when the song ended) and of course diving into the cake (which he wasn't supposed to eat). We did placate him with chocolate icing and vanilla ice cream. He was quite impressed with his collection of new toys and stylish clothes (that is, as impressed as a 1 year old can get).
I will finish off with some photos and a promise to get around to writing a blog about the end of my trip and Stockholm shortly! Until then, I leave you with the words of our convocation speaker, former NFLD Premier Danny Williams who gave an amazing address ending with (in latin, so as to not offend anyone) "Don't let the B*****ds get you down!"
Janna, Holly & I
BEd class of 2011
With mom & dad
Craig & Angie
A collection of international girls! Holly, Lyd, me, Janna, Kelly & Katie
Dad, myself and the Hon. John Buchanan
Friday, April 15, 2011
2 weeks left, only 2 days of which are for teaching :)
It's officially Easter Break here in Sweden. 1.5 weeks off. Currently watching the Big Bang theory and relaxing for the night after a very busy week.
Recent Highlights:
- A day snowmobiling and dog sledding.
- A trip to the famous ice hotel including the more famous Absolut Vodka ice bar and an impressive ice chapel. Also discovered Brown's Bear's long lost cousin (see below).
- My first time down-hill skiing on the Swedish Alps, not bad. Kabdalis is the home of the Swedish National Ski team.
- Got Neon pink Nike's.
- Flew kites (but didn't have the supplies to make our own, Swedish kites are inferior)
Kite flying in Jokkmokk
Dogsledding
two of the dogs
The Absolut Ice Bar
The Ice Chapel
Brown's Bears long lost cousin at the ice hotel
The Ice Hotel
Kabdalis Ski Hill
Easter Break Plan
On Sunday, I leave for Stockholm to spend the week exploring the capital. Should be interesting and I will post a blog when I return.
Looking forward to getting home in two weeks!
Recent Highlights:
- A day snowmobiling and dog sledding.
- A trip to the famous ice hotel including the more famous Absolut Vodka ice bar and an impressive ice chapel. Also discovered Brown's Bear's long lost cousin (see below).
- My first time down-hill skiing on the Swedish Alps, not bad. Kabdalis is the home of the Swedish National Ski team.
- Got Neon pink Nike's.
- Flew kites (but didn't have the supplies to make our own, Swedish kites are inferior)
Kite flying in Jokkmokk
Dogsledding
two of the dogs
The Absolut Ice Bar
The Ice Chapel
Brown's Bears long lost cousin at the ice hotel
The Ice Hotel
Kabdalis Ski HillEaster Break Plan
On Sunday, I leave for Stockholm to spend the week exploring the capital. Should be interesting and I will post a blog when I return.
Looking forward to getting home in two weeks!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Week 4 down
Some more observations.....
- Sweden is VERY laid back, almost too laid back. I have never seen so much down time in a school day.
- Elementary kids are adorable.
- Old MacDonald and Twinkle Twinkle are universal.
- In the time it takes to put clothes in a washer and walk outside, it can go from sunny and 10 degrees to snowing heavily and freezing cold.
- Teenagers everywhere are the same, they all can recite the lyrics to every Lady gaga, Katy Perry and Beyonce song on cue.
- What is the biggest English resource in Sweden? Family Guy with subtitles. Only problem is, the vocabulary is awful.
- Pizza in Sweden has paper thin crust.
- Having Skype dates with a 5 year old in Canada while you are in another country is highly entertaining. Try explaining why you can't come have kraft dinner with him right away. :) My favorite was trying to explain where Sweden was by relating it to where the elephants live in Africa.
- Junior High kids will prove their excellent language skills by reciting every curse word they have ever heard, their teacher will just look on and be thrilled because they are finally speaking English in English class.
- Living in residence that is not like StFX, will make you miss StFX explicitly.
- 1 week to go!
- Sweden is VERY laid back, almost too laid back. I have never seen so much down time in a school day.
- Elementary kids are adorable.
- Old MacDonald and Twinkle Twinkle are universal.
- In the time it takes to put clothes in a washer and walk outside, it can go from sunny and 10 degrees to snowing heavily and freezing cold.
- Teenagers everywhere are the same, they all can recite the lyrics to every Lady gaga, Katy Perry and Beyonce song on cue.
- What is the biggest English resource in Sweden? Family Guy with subtitles. Only problem is, the vocabulary is awful.
- Pizza in Sweden has paper thin crust.
- Having Skype dates with a 5 year old in Canada while you are in another country is highly entertaining. Try explaining why you can't come have kraft dinner with him right away. :) My favorite was trying to explain where Sweden was by relating it to where the elephants live in Africa.
- Junior High kids will prove their excellent language skills by reciting every curse word they have ever heard, their teacher will just look on and be thrilled because they are finally speaking English in English class.
- Living in residence that is not like StFX, will make you miss StFX explicitly.
- 1 week to go!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
some more notes about Sweden...........
Hello again,
A few more notes to add after week 3:
- The roads are still very slippy, (yes it's a word) and they will wake you up at 6am with the incessant noise of the ice breaking machines that tear up layers of ice on the road and then make giant piles with it along the sidewalk.
- Sunsets come in many color combinations, I don't believe I had ever seen a truly purple sunset until the other night.
- We ate reindeer this week, I haven't quite recovered from the thought of consuming Rudolph and am still considering calling PETA. PLUS.....they don't burn their meat here which means there is too much blood, definatly not the way we do things in Washabuck.
- We have discovered that once you tell elementary children you are from Canada and that yes you know who Justin Bieber is, they will love you forever and hugs will soon follow. Bonus points if you play Baby on your ipod and sing along. Double bonus points if you also happen to have the Hannah Montana playlist (disclaimer: I have a lot of younger cousins okay).
- Teaching is interesting. We always have random lessons ready because we never are sure when exactly we might teach. It's rather random. Most of our lessons have to do with speaking English because we keep getting told they need to work on pronunciation even though we feel their English skills are top caliber.
- If a teacher here is sick (or wants to go skiing for a week), they don't get a sub, they cancel class. They also reserve the right to uncancel class and have the Canadians teach it. :P
- Being referred to as 'The Canadians', kind of grows on you.
- Getting mail from home is the best thing in the world. (Thanks aunt Murdell)
- If you feel homesick, turn on the tv. 9/10 times the Simpsons or Family Guy are on. (Swedish Favorites)
- You know you're far north when a school field trip depends on whether or not the location has already melted.
Just a few observations, more to come in the next few weeks.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
A few favorite pictures
The London Eye
14 South Charlotte Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. The birthplace of Alexander Graham Bell
Monday, March 21, 2011
Update from the Arctic Circle
Hey all,
We're on our second week here. Things are going well although there was definatly some adjustment required for the slow paced, relaxed environment here. (Sarah says small, small, small village living - aka a small collection of houses in the middle of nowhere.....she has become slightly dramatic since arrival). We spent 6 hours on a bus round trip this weekend to get a burger.....no MacDonalds (thanks Lauren for rubbing that in) but we did discover MAX, a fantastic Swedish burger chain.
Our school is neat, our advisors are awesome. We participate in 3 classes (English A; B & C). We spend Friday's going to various elementary schools in the area. Eva, one of our teachers spent the day laughing with us (we've corrupted her and she now wants to spend the summer in Canada) and planning some trips....she promised Stacy that she would see reindeer up close and that she could drive a snowmobile, (I think Stacy and motor vechicles may not be the safest thing and was quite upset and offended when the girls told Eva that I was the most likely to be injured when we head to the ski hill); they are also taking us to the ice hotel in early April. Still no signs of the northern lights but we are hopeful.
We've only been called Americans once, which we quickly corrected. We also got quite a few chuckles during our presentation on Canada, in which I displayed a big picture of Sidney Crosby celebrating Canada's gold medal win; no hostility so we're still allowed to stay.
I have to thank my darling brother for my random knowledge of motocross and video games, it has been quite beneficial when trying to get 16 year olds to relax and participate. The grocery store is less stressful now that we figured out a few key words but Stacy still isn't allowed to be in charge of maps, that leads to disaster. Oh and for the record, the drinking age in Sweden is 18 in restaurants and 20 at the liquor store, don't believe your students when they say its 12.
Oh and ice is slippy......pulled groin muscle is proof enough.
Slut! (our students taught us that this means the end in Swedish so no judgements)
We're on our second week here. Things are going well although there was definatly some adjustment required for the slow paced, relaxed environment here. (Sarah says small, small, small village living - aka a small collection of houses in the middle of nowhere.....she has become slightly dramatic since arrival). We spent 6 hours on a bus round trip this weekend to get a burger.....no MacDonalds (thanks Lauren for rubbing that in) but we did discover MAX, a fantastic Swedish burger chain.
Our school is neat, our advisors are awesome. We participate in 3 classes (English A; B & C). We spend Friday's going to various elementary schools in the area. Eva, one of our teachers spent the day laughing with us (we've corrupted her and she now wants to spend the summer in Canada) and planning some trips....she promised Stacy that she would see reindeer up close and that she could drive a snowmobile, (I think Stacy and motor vechicles may not be the safest thing and was quite upset and offended when the girls told Eva that I was the most likely to be injured when we head to the ski hill); they are also taking us to the ice hotel in early April. Still no signs of the northern lights but we are hopeful.
We've only been called Americans once, which we quickly corrected. We also got quite a few chuckles during our presentation on Canada, in which I displayed a big picture of Sidney Crosby celebrating Canada's gold medal win; no hostility so we're still allowed to stay.
I have to thank my darling brother for my random knowledge of motocross and video games, it has been quite beneficial when trying to get 16 year olds to relax and participate. The grocery store is less stressful now that we figured out a few key words but Stacy still isn't allowed to be in charge of maps, that leads to disaster. Oh and for the record, the drinking age in Sweden is 18 in restaurants and 20 at the liquor store, don't believe your students when they say its 12.
Oh and ice is slippy......pulled groin muscle is proof enough.
Slut! (our students taught us that this means the end in Swedish so no judgements)
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