This is just going to be a quick little post about how surprised I am that tomorrow brings on the month of February. I am honestly surprised that January has passed by so quickly. Though it has been both figuratively and literally one of the darkest months of my time here, it has passed me by with accelerated speed. I find a strange comfort in this. Time, though it may seem to go faster or slower at particular moments, is always the same. Twenty minutes spent with awful, grumpy, complaining children, is as long as twenty minutes spent laughing with Sarah about something stupid. Time is time, period. I just hope and pray that even in my dark hours I remember that time is still a gift and I ought to savor every moment of it.
Peace,
Colleen
31 January 2010
27 January 2010
English Conversation Olympics
I love the Olympics. I love everything about them. I love the excitement of the opening ceremony. I love the competition and anxiety waiting to see how all of the athletes will perform. I love watching Michael Phelps. And most of all, I love that there is something that most countries of the world can come together and participate in. With the Winter Olympics being this year, Sarah and I decided that we ought to do something special to commemorate them. Enter The English Conversation Olympics.
For the whole month of January we have had our students creating team names and flags, competing in a variety of Olympic events, and earning medals for their teams. It was been a lot of fun for everyone involved and has been a welcome change of pace for me. Each grade is only in competition against the other sections of their grade, so it's fair in that respect. Some games have been played by all grades, and others are reserved for the particular grades that invented them.
One of the first events we did was "Create Your Own Olympic Event." This seemed like the perfect way to help the students get excited about the Olympics and to get their input. Plus, they are super creative and did not disappoint us with some of their creations. The following are some of the games that won medals and that we have been playing:
Slalom
The class constructs an obstacle course. One student must navigate it blindfolded, while another students gives him/her directions. When played this ended up with students standing on desks, sticking their heads out of windows and yelling, as well as attempting to climb on top of a wardrobe. No one was hurt. I vote a success.
Round Run
Two students are tied together for a three legged race. After answering a question, the pair run a lap around the classroom. The winning pair was a boy and girl pair, in which the boy nearly dragged the girl around the room. Again, no one was hurt. Success.
Kayak Risky Track
The students construct an obstacle in the room with ten gates. The students must act as one person going through the course, in that they must always be touching. They have to answer a word formation question at each stop. Here I had chains of students climbing over and crawling under desks. It was awesome.
Jello Surprise
Sadly I was unable to exactly create the game that way the students wanted it to be. Their original idea was to have a Kinder Egg hidden at the bottom of a cup of Jello. Each student would have to each the Jello as fast as they could, eat the Kinder Egg, and then do the English task that was inside of the Egg. Since I was unable to make a Kinder Egg, they just had to eat a cup of Jello and then do the task that was set on a folded piece of paper on their desk. Watching this event was HILARIOUS. Now, one might think that the boys would have dominated this event, but in actuality more girls wanted to do this event and the girls ended up winning the event. Though some students took on the strategy of shoving as much in their mouth at one time, the girl who ended up winning was the most composed eater of them all, and just ate one spoonful at a time.
Of course, Sarah and I have created some good games ourselves. Though not quite as silly, they are somewhat stretching the bounds of what should happen in a conversation class, but whatever.
Travel to Vancouver
This is a game I created, following a low ropes team building activity from Lutherlyn. I created a game board was like a big grid. Students started at the bottom and would have to make their way through the grid following a secret path in order to make it to the top. Students would have to answer a question in English and then they would have one guess at the path. Each path was 12 steps long. The group that guessed it in the fewest number of ties would win. It was so much fun listening to the students plot and scheme their guesses. Though the paths were completely random, they were geniunely upset and frustrated when I told them a guess was incorrect. "But Miss Colleen, we were so sure!" Their certainty and disappointment was really entertaining to watch.
Blindfolded Pictionary
Sarah made this game, and is exactly what it sounds like. The students loved this game because it was so silly and we laughed so much while we played. The hardest words were baby and pierogi. Some students were almost in tears because we were laughing so hard.
The rest of this week and then last week will be the last days of our Olympic Games. The last Tuesday before our two week winter break will be our closing ceremony and we will announce the winners in front of the whole school. But for now we must wait in anticipation to see who will come out on top.
Blessings,
Colleen
For the whole month of January we have had our students creating team names and flags, competing in a variety of Olympic events, and earning medals for their teams. It was been a lot of fun for everyone involved and has been a welcome change of pace for me. Each grade is only in competition against the other sections of their grade, so it's fair in that respect. Some games have been played by all grades, and others are reserved for the particular grades that invented them.
One of the first events we did was "Create Your Own Olympic Event." This seemed like the perfect way to help the students get excited about the Olympics and to get their input. Plus, they are super creative and did not disappoint us with some of their creations. The following are some of the games that won medals and that we have been playing:
Slalom
The class constructs an obstacle course. One student must navigate it blindfolded, while another students gives him/her directions. When played this ended up with students standing on desks, sticking their heads out of windows and yelling, as well as attempting to climb on top of a wardrobe. No one was hurt. I vote a success.
Round Run
Two students are tied together for a three legged race. After answering a question, the pair run a lap around the classroom. The winning pair was a boy and girl pair, in which the boy nearly dragged the girl around the room. Again, no one was hurt. Success.
Kayak Risky Track
The students construct an obstacle in the room with ten gates. The students must act as one person going through the course, in that they must always be touching. They have to answer a word formation question at each stop. Here I had chains of students climbing over and crawling under desks. It was awesome.
Jello Surprise
Sadly I was unable to exactly create the game that way the students wanted it to be. Their original idea was to have a Kinder Egg hidden at the bottom of a cup of Jello. Each student would have to each the Jello as fast as they could, eat the Kinder Egg, and then do the English task that was inside of the Egg. Since I was unable to make a Kinder Egg, they just had to eat a cup of Jello and then do the task that was set on a folded piece of paper on their desk. Watching this event was HILARIOUS. Now, one might think that the boys would have dominated this event, but in actuality more girls wanted to do this event and the girls ended up winning the event. Though some students took on the strategy of shoving as much in their mouth at one time, the girl who ended up winning was the most composed eater of them all, and just ate one spoonful at a time.
Of course, Sarah and I have created some good games ourselves. Though not quite as silly, they are somewhat stretching the bounds of what should happen in a conversation class, but whatever.
Travel to Vancouver
This is a game I created, following a low ropes team building activity from Lutherlyn. I created a game board was like a big grid. Students started at the bottom and would have to make their way through the grid following a secret path in order to make it to the top. Students would have to answer a question in English and then they would have one guess at the path. Each path was 12 steps long. The group that guessed it in the fewest number of ties would win. It was so much fun listening to the students plot and scheme their guesses. Though the paths were completely random, they were geniunely upset and frustrated when I told them a guess was incorrect. "But Miss Colleen, we were so sure!" Their certainty and disappointment was really entertaining to watch.
Blindfolded Pictionary
Sarah made this game, and is exactly what it sounds like. The students loved this game because it was so silly and we laughed so much while we played. The hardest words were baby and pierogi. Some students were almost in tears because we were laughing so hard.
The rest of this week and then last week will be the last days of our Olympic Games. The last Tuesday before our two week winter break will be our closing ceremony and we will announce the winners in front of the whole school. But for now we must wait in anticipation to see who will come out on top.
Blessings,
Colleen
26 January 2010
Polish Prom
Every American knows what prom is. Likewise, every Pole knows about Studniowka. This is a special celebration that occurs 100 days before their Matura (exit) exams begin. In essence, this is their last night to party and have fun before they really settle into their studies and stress out about these exams. It's a very special evening that involved students, teachers, and their parents and that goes until the morning light, even though the morning light isn't until 7am.
The night began at 7pm, so of course we left the flat at 6pm in order to drive three towns over and up the side of a snow covered, ice overed mountain, and therefore started getting ready at 3pm. Everyone was dressed to the nines. The boys were all wearing suits and ties, and the girls were in gorgeous dresses. Not poofy like American prom dresses, but elegant and in various lengths. No two dresses were quite the same, and everyone looked stunning. Most of the students brought dates, though I wasn't quite sure if everyone was together or if some of them were just friends. Most of the teachers were there and were also dressed up. Also, a lot of parents were there. However, parents didn't stay for the whole night, just for the first two hours or so.
The program had a several different components. First, two of the students welcomed all of the guests and invited the director up to give a speech. Her speech was short, and I didn't understand any of it. Apparently, it was about the importance of studying. Second was a nice champagne toast. 99% of the students are legal to drink, so it wasn't a big deal. The good stuff came next.
Third the students put on a skit that they had created. The traditional skit pokes fun at the teachers, but this year the students got really creative and wrote a more entertaining skit. They all pretended to be various fairy tale characters from the Three Little Pigs (and a fourth with swine flu), Little Red Riding Hood, and Tinky from the Teletubbies. Again, I didn't understand any of it. After the skit, which was really well received, the students presented videos they had created. The video from 3a featured pictures from the students over the years, participating in a variety of activities-a touching montage. The video from 3b was a more creative presentation. They pretended like they were meeting to have a reunion after 20 years so it showed all of the different jobs that the students had. It was really funny.
The fourth part of the program took us outside. The students had bought these lanterns that act like hot air balloons. Though it was freezing out, the group managed to light them all, and they looked beautiful floating up into the air. It was a special touch they had designed and it was wonderful. We headed back in for the last part of the program. The students presented flowers to all of the teachers and thanked them for various things. You could tell that they really had good relationships with the teachers and were genuinely appreciative for all that the teachers have done for them.
The next part of the evening was dinner! I was really excited to eat because I was starving. The meal was huge and delicious. Luckily, I have learned to pace myself. Naturally we started with soup and then came the main course with three different types of meats, three salads, potatoes, and dumplings. Everything was wonderful.
After we ate, the DJ turned up the music and the dancing began! We listened to music in all different languages: Polish, English, and even Spanish. Watching and dancing with the students was a lot of fun, and it was great to be able to connect with them in a slightly different way than the regular teacher role.
Though, one might think that we would be full from the huge meal we ate at 9pm, but this would be false. Apparently we were still hungry and the following food options were provided during the rest of the night:
10:30pm - cheese, meat, bread, and salad trays for picking over.
11:30pm - ice cream
1:30am - a hot meal of rice and meat on a stick
3:00am - beet soup.
Sadly, because I left at 2ish, I missed the final course. But everything was absolutely wonderful.
The night was a lot of fun, and I really loved being able to see everyone dressed up and share in their special night. My all time favorite moment was dancing with my students to the YMCA and teaching them the moves. They had never seen it before! Even though I was dead tired the next day, it was totally worth it!
Peace,
Colleen
The night began at 7pm, so of course we left the flat at 6pm in order to drive three towns over and up the side of a snow covered, ice overed mountain, and therefore started getting ready at 3pm. Everyone was dressed to the nines. The boys were all wearing suits and ties, and the girls were in gorgeous dresses. Not poofy like American prom dresses, but elegant and in various lengths. No two dresses were quite the same, and everyone looked stunning. Most of the students brought dates, though I wasn't quite sure if everyone was together or if some of them were just friends. Most of the teachers were there and were also dressed up. Also, a lot of parents were there. However, parents didn't stay for the whole night, just for the first two hours or so.
The program had a several different components. First, two of the students welcomed all of the guests and invited the director up to give a speech. Her speech was short, and I didn't understand any of it. Apparently, it was about the importance of studying. Second was a nice champagne toast. 99% of the students are legal to drink, so it wasn't a big deal. The good stuff came next.
Third the students put on a skit that they had created. The traditional skit pokes fun at the teachers, but this year the students got really creative and wrote a more entertaining skit. They all pretended to be various fairy tale characters from the Three Little Pigs (and a fourth with swine flu), Little Red Riding Hood, and Tinky from the Teletubbies. Again, I didn't understand any of it. After the skit, which was really well received, the students presented videos they had created. The video from 3a featured pictures from the students over the years, participating in a variety of activities-a touching montage. The video from 3b was a more creative presentation. They pretended like they were meeting to have a reunion after 20 years so it showed all of the different jobs that the students had. It was really funny.
The fourth part of the program took us outside. The students had bought these lanterns that act like hot air balloons. Though it was freezing out, the group managed to light them all, and they looked beautiful floating up into the air. It was a special touch they had designed and it was wonderful. We headed back in for the last part of the program. The students presented flowers to all of the teachers and thanked them for various things. You could tell that they really had good relationships with the teachers and were genuinely appreciative for all that the teachers have done for them.
The next part of the evening was dinner! I was really excited to eat because I was starving. The meal was huge and delicious. Luckily, I have learned to pace myself. Naturally we started with soup and then came the main course with three different types of meats, three salads, potatoes, and dumplings. Everything was wonderful.
After we ate, the DJ turned up the music and the dancing began! We listened to music in all different languages: Polish, English, and even Spanish. Watching and dancing with the students was a lot of fun, and it was great to be able to connect with them in a slightly different way than the regular teacher role.
Though, one might think that we would be full from the huge meal we ate at 9pm, but this would be false. Apparently we were still hungry and the following food options were provided during the rest of the night:
10:30pm - cheese, meat, bread, and salad trays for picking over.
11:30pm - ice cream
1:30am - a hot meal of rice and meat on a stick
3:00am - beet soup.
Sadly, because I left at 2ish, I missed the final course. But everything was absolutely wonderful.
The night was a lot of fun, and I really loved being able to see everyone dressed up and share in their special night. My all time favorite moment was dancing with my students to the YMCA and teaching them the moves. They had never seen it before! Even though I was dead tired the next day, it was totally worth it!
Peace,
Colleen
20 January 2010
The past three weeks.
You may have noticed that all of the posts I have made this month have been focused on my Christmas adventures. This has been for two main reasons. First, the trip to Italy was amazing and deserved to be chronicled here. Second, I haven't been blogging because sorting through the range of emotions I have been feeling over the past three weeks has taken a lot of energy and effort to synthesize. This is my honest account of how I feel right now.
The last day in Italy brought a surprising realization- if I had gone home to America for Christmas, I probably wouldn't have come back. I had enjoyed the first semester, but I did not (and still really don't) find teaching to be a satisfying job for me. I love the students, but I do not love the role of teacher. If I could hang out with them, be their counselor/mentor/youth pastor, I would LOVE it, but the role of teacher is difficult for me to fill. I did not want to come back to Poland-I wanted to stay on holiday forever or go home to start seminary right away. So following this realization has brought on the following questions and the past few weeks I have been sorting through all of it.
1)Do I actually go home? NO. The answer to this question has always been no. I cannot abandon what I have started here. Leaving would hurt the students, the administration, and Sarah, and I am not willing to do intentionally hurt any of these bodies. It was my choice to come, knowing that I felt called to seminary and ministry for my life and NOT education, so I need to stick out what I have started.
2) How does this make me feel about myself as an individual? Though unsatisfied in my work life, there are other good things in my life; I just need to remember these things and focus on them when I am feeling crummy. I cannot base my self-image on being a teacher because it is unhealthy to define myself by something I dislike, but instead need to remember that my identity comes first and foremost from God. I am HIS child, regardless of what I do/think/feel/say. This is an unchanging, constant fact that I have to base my life on or I will crumble. Everything follows this.
3) Was it a mistake for me to come to Poland in the first place? In my lowest of low moments, I would say yes, but in reality I know that it was not a mistake to come here. I have learned so much about myself, those around me, another culture, and have had a lot of amazing opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.
4) What is my next step to make life better here? First I need to continue to develop the things I love here: my relationships with my students and co-workers. Second, I need to keep trying to be the best teacher that I can for my students. It's not their fault that I don't love teaching, and they still deserve my all. I may not be the best teacher they ever have, but I need to be the best teacher that I have within me. Third, I must pray, hope, believe, wish that God has more in store for me here. I am not done here, and I must believe that God is not done with me here either.
Today, January 20th, marks my halfway point in my time of service. I have just over five months left. I don't say this to be depressing or to make a point about how desperate I am to come home. Instead I say this because I need to express that I hope to actively work to make these next five months as good as they can be. I am halfway done and need to be intentional in taking care of myself and pushing myself to get everything out of this experience I can.
Blessings,
Colleen
The last day in Italy brought a surprising realization- if I had gone home to America for Christmas, I probably wouldn't have come back. I had enjoyed the first semester, but I did not (and still really don't) find teaching to be a satisfying job for me. I love the students, but I do not love the role of teacher. If I could hang out with them, be their counselor/mentor/youth pastor, I would LOVE it, but the role of teacher is difficult for me to fill. I did not want to come back to Poland-I wanted to stay on holiday forever or go home to start seminary right away. So following this realization has brought on the following questions and the past few weeks I have been sorting through all of it.
1)Do I actually go home? NO. The answer to this question has always been no. I cannot abandon what I have started here. Leaving would hurt the students, the administration, and Sarah, and I am not willing to do intentionally hurt any of these bodies. It was my choice to come, knowing that I felt called to seminary and ministry for my life and NOT education, so I need to stick out what I have started.
2) How does this make me feel about myself as an individual? Though unsatisfied in my work life, there are other good things in my life; I just need to remember these things and focus on them when I am feeling crummy. I cannot base my self-image on being a teacher because it is unhealthy to define myself by something I dislike, but instead need to remember that my identity comes first and foremost from God. I am HIS child, regardless of what I do/think/feel/say. This is an unchanging, constant fact that I have to base my life on or I will crumble. Everything follows this.
3) Was it a mistake for me to come to Poland in the first place? In my lowest of low moments, I would say yes, but in reality I know that it was not a mistake to come here. I have learned so much about myself, those around me, another culture, and have had a lot of amazing opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.
4) What is my next step to make life better here? First I need to continue to develop the things I love here: my relationships with my students and co-workers. Second, I need to keep trying to be the best teacher that I can for my students. It's not their fault that I don't love teaching, and they still deserve my all. I may not be the best teacher they ever have, but I need to be the best teacher that I have within me. Third, I must pray, hope, believe, wish that God has more in store for me here. I am not done here, and I must believe that God is not done with me here either.
Today, January 20th, marks my halfway point in my time of service. I have just over five months left. I don't say this to be depressing or to make a point about how desperate I am to come home. Instead I say this because I need to express that I hope to actively work to make these next five months as good as they can be. I am halfway done and need to be intentional in taking care of myself and pushing myself to get everything out of this experience I can.
Blessings,
Colleen
19 January 2010
Last Days in Italy: Venice
Aside from the Vatican, Venice was my favorite city in Italy. I feel in love as soon as I saw the first canal. Our hostel was really nice and easy to find, but the first thing we did was get lost! Apparently this is the thing to do in Venice, so we got a map, to help us find our way home eventually, and headed out into the city. Another thing that made me fall in love with Venice was seeing a BILLA, which is a grocery store. Believe or not, it was the first grocery store that we had seen and we were beyond excited about it! We went back every day we were there to get real Italian food and save some money.
For our first full day in Venice we decided to island hop. The public transportation system in Venice is made of water buses, so we bought a day pass and got on. We knew we wanted to see Murano, the island that is famous for its glass, and San Michele, the cemetery island, but other than that we were excited just to explore. It took several tries to figure out the water bus system, but we were masters of it by the end of the day. The island is covered with little shops selling the glass that is made there. We even the the chance to watch a demonstration of how to make glass. San Michele was a beautifully peaceful island. There were graves of countless people in all different styles. I loved wandering amongst the graves, reading the names and wondering what the people were like. In addition to Murano and San Michele, we saw Lido, which has a beach with the Adriatic Sea.
On this day, Meg and I realized that we had not been properly enjoying Italian desserts, so for dinner we decided to a "pastry crawl" in order to sample as many different sugary delights as our stomachs could handle. We decided that everything needed to be under a euro a piece, or 3 euro if we were going to share it. Eating so many special creations was wonderful, but as we went we decided to have something a little bit more substantial and got some pizza to help absorb all of the sugar.
We ended up spending an extra day in Venice because we could not get on the bus that we needed. So our second full day was spent wandering on foot. Unfortunately, the city had experienced a lot of rain so many of the little streets were flooded! We explored as much as could and observed how true Venetians dealt with the water. It was a great extra day!
Traveling back to Poland was a long, exhausting affair that included a bus, two trains, and a sleepless night. However, the experiences I had in Italy were totally worth it. I had a Christmas adventure unlike any other, and I feel blessed for having such a special trip.
Blessings,
Colleen
For our first full day in Venice we decided to island hop. The public transportation system in Venice is made of water buses, so we bought a day pass and got on. We knew we wanted to see Murano, the island that is famous for its glass, and San Michele, the cemetery island, but other than that we were excited just to explore. It took several tries to figure out the water bus system, but we were masters of it by the end of the day. The island is covered with little shops selling the glass that is made there. We even the the chance to watch a demonstration of how to make glass. San Michele was a beautifully peaceful island. There were graves of countless people in all different styles. I loved wandering amongst the graves, reading the names and wondering what the people were like. In addition to Murano and San Michele, we saw Lido, which has a beach with the Adriatic Sea.
On this day, Meg and I realized that we had not been properly enjoying Italian desserts, so for dinner we decided to a "pastry crawl" in order to sample as many different sugary delights as our stomachs could handle. We decided that everything needed to be under a euro a piece, or 3 euro if we were going to share it. Eating so many special creations was wonderful, but as we went we decided to have something a little bit more substantial and got some pizza to help absorb all of the sugar.
We ended up spending an extra day in Venice because we could not get on the bus that we needed. So our second full day was spent wandering on foot. Unfortunately, the city had experienced a lot of rain so many of the little streets were flooded! We explored as much as could and observed how true Venetians dealt with the water. It was a great extra day!
Traveling back to Poland was a long, exhausting affair that included a bus, two trains, and a sleepless night. However, the experiences I had in Italy were totally worth it. I had a Christmas adventure unlike any other, and I feel blessed for having such a special trip.
Blessings,
Colleen
18 January 2010
Italy Part II: Florence
They next stop on the backpacking adventure was Florence. We ended up arriving at a different train station than we had originally planned, so we did not have any directions to our hostel. Minor problem. So we bought a map. . .which didn't end up having the train station we were at on it. Minor problem. We decided to take a bus. . .but none of the bus ticket machines would work for us. Minor problem. We followed the bus route on foot until we were on the map and found our hostel no problem after that. We are experts. The hostel was the smallest one I have ever stayed it. It was just three rooms and one bathroom. Luckily, they had messed up our reservation and only had room for us in the double private. What a shame! :)
We spent the next two days going to Mass, eating gelato, and exploring all of the markets of Florence. The weather was warmish but it rained frequently, which put a damper on my love for this city. We found great pashminas and other small trinkets, and ate AMAZING waffles with chocolate.
Though we could have spent lots of time in museums and art galleries, we really didn't. Our trip was more focused on just being in Italy and walking and seeing. However, we did decide to go the Academia, where David is, because we thought he was the most important. He was breath taking. A good amount of time was spent admiring him before we headed back out onto the streets.
Florence was very beautiful, but the weather really got in the way. I think that I would like to return someday during a warmer time of the year so I could do more exploration of the outskirts of the city and to sit outside and eat gelato. The last and final stop of our trip was to Venice. More on that later though....
Peace,
Colleen
We spent the next two days going to Mass, eating gelato, and exploring all of the markets of Florence. The weather was warmish but it rained frequently, which put a damper on my love for this city. We found great pashminas and other small trinkets, and ate AMAZING waffles with chocolate.
Though we could have spent lots of time in museums and art galleries, we really didn't. Our trip was more focused on just being in Italy and walking and seeing. However, we did decide to go the Academia, where David is, because we thought he was the most important. He was breath taking. A good amount of time was spent admiring him before we headed back out onto the streets.
Florence was very beautiful, but the weather really got in the way. I think that I would like to return someday during a warmer time of the year so I could do more exploration of the outskirts of the city and to sit outside and eat gelato. The last and final stop of our trip was to Venice. More on that later though....
Peace,
Colleen
14 January 2010
First Stop: Roma
My Italian Christmas began in Roma, the capital of Italia and home to the Vatican. And you want to what? It was warm there. How warm you ask? I wore flip-flops to dinner. That in and of itself was heaven or earth and made the entire night worth it. Two hours outside in flip-flops.
Meg and I spent most of Christmas Eve at, in, around, trying to find the Vatican, which I ended up liking more than Rome itself. The Vatican was breathtaking and everything I thought it would be and more. I never was and never will be Catholic, but the history, majesty, and importance of this holy place was astounding. St. Peter's Square was decorated for Christmas with a huge tree and a life size nativity, just waiting for Jesus to arrive. The tour of the Vatican museums was fascinating; there was so much to see! At one point I pondered as to whether or not the pope would hang a painting I made for him. I decided I probably would not make it into the gallery, but probably to his refrigerator door. Seeing "The School of Athens" was phenomenal, but the highlight by far was the Sistine Chapel. I cried. I do not really think that God is an old white guy with a long beard, but that aside to be so close as Adam is. . .wow.
Christmas Eve dinner was McDonalds. We needed some American food. BUT do not worry because we ate our McDonalds while looking at the Pantheon, so we were still enjoying Italian history and culture. We were fortunate to find an English mass to attend that evening. Again, I cried, but for several reasons. First and foremost, I missed my family, but a very close second was the mass was in my mother tongue, and I could understand and participate fully in the service! This was the third time I was fully understood a service since coming to Poland. It was probably the best Christmas present ever. I even got the customary picture by the altar for my parents, even though I later learned my brother was a slacker and didn't let Mom take his picture at home.
After mass, we wandered home, past the Colosseum and then headed back out with most of our hostel-mates to go watch Midnight Mass at the Vatican. Since we were out and about all day, we didn't hear that the Midnight Mass had been moved to 10pm, so we only caught the last little bit. It was still amazing to watch the pope to his thing and to watch such an important service. NOTE: I did not witness the tackling of the pope. There was a massive downpour and I had run for cover. However, he was doing fine the next day, so I think he recovered just fine.
Less than 9 hours after we left the Vatican, we were back again, camped out ready to watch the pope give his Christmas address. We arrived so early that we got seats in the seventh row from the front!!! Soon thousands of our closest friends joined us in St. Peter's Square to wait for Benedict XVI. Being in such a large group was overwhelming, and I am very thankful that we had chairs. It was like being in a movie. Though I was not able to understand most of the pope's address because it was in Italian, he did add greetings in about 16 different languages at the end of it, and thankfully English was one of them. The rest of the day was spent wandering Roma on foot and eating amazing food. Almost everything was closed, but we still saw a lot and enjoyed being in a new place. I was also able to briefly talk to my family and boyfriend, so that was also a wonderful part of the day. Surprisingly, their presents made it to America on Christmas Eve!
Needless to say this Christmas was unlike an holiday I have ever had before, but I am grateful for the experience. Being apart from my family was very difficult, but it was worth it in the end. But I will not lie, I am looking forward to a traditional Erie Christmas next year.
Blessings,
Colleen
Meg and I spent most of Christmas Eve at, in, around, trying to find the Vatican, which I ended up liking more than Rome itself. The Vatican was breathtaking and everything I thought it would be and more. I never was and never will be Catholic, but the history, majesty, and importance of this holy place was astounding. St. Peter's Square was decorated for Christmas with a huge tree and a life size nativity, just waiting for Jesus to arrive. The tour of the Vatican museums was fascinating; there was so much to see! At one point I pondered as to whether or not the pope would hang a painting I made for him. I decided I probably would not make it into the gallery, but probably to his refrigerator door. Seeing "The School of Athens" was phenomenal, but the highlight by far was the Sistine Chapel. I cried. I do not really think that God is an old white guy with a long beard, but that aside to be so close as Adam is. . .wow.
Christmas Eve dinner was McDonalds. We needed some American food. BUT do not worry because we ate our McDonalds while looking at the Pantheon, so we were still enjoying Italian history and culture. We were fortunate to find an English mass to attend that evening. Again, I cried, but for several reasons. First and foremost, I missed my family, but a very close second was the mass was in my mother tongue, and I could understand and participate fully in the service! This was the third time I was fully understood a service since coming to Poland. It was probably the best Christmas present ever. I even got the customary picture by the altar for my parents, even though I later learned my brother was a slacker and didn't let Mom take his picture at home.
After mass, we wandered home, past the Colosseum and then headed back out with most of our hostel-mates to go watch Midnight Mass at the Vatican. Since we were out and about all day, we didn't hear that the Midnight Mass had been moved to 10pm, so we only caught the last little bit. It was still amazing to watch the pope to his thing and to watch such an important service. NOTE: I did not witness the tackling of the pope. There was a massive downpour and I had run for cover. However, he was doing fine the next day, so I think he recovered just fine.
Less than 9 hours after we left the Vatican, we were back again, camped out ready to watch the pope give his Christmas address. We arrived so early that we got seats in the seventh row from the front!!! Soon thousands of our closest friends joined us in St. Peter's Square to wait for Benedict XVI. Being in such a large group was overwhelming, and I am very thankful that we had chairs. It was like being in a movie. Though I was not able to understand most of the pope's address because it was in Italian, he did add greetings in about 16 different languages at the end of it, and thankfully English was one of them. The rest of the day was spent wandering Roma on foot and eating amazing food. Almost everything was closed, but we still saw a lot and enjoyed being in a new place. I was also able to briefly talk to my family and boyfriend, so that was also a wonderful part of the day. Surprisingly, their presents made it to America on Christmas Eve!
Needless to say this Christmas was unlike an holiday I have ever had before, but I am grateful for the experience. Being apart from my family was very difficult, but it was worth it in the end. But I will not lie, I am looking forward to a traditional Erie Christmas next year.
Blessings,
Colleen
02 January 2010
A Wonderful Christmas Time
Foreword: The past two weeks have been a blur of Christmas and Italian travels. Blogging about all of this is going to take a long time, so please be patient.
Before heading out for my Christmas journey to Italy, I was able to celebrate Christmas with my students at collegues at LOTE/GTE. All of the following festivities took place on the Tuesday before Christmas, which was the last day of school for 2009. The first part of this special day was the assembly. There were two (one for GTE and LOTE); I opted to only go the second one since I mostly taught LOTE students, and it allowed me to sleep in an extra hour. The assembly lasted about an hour and had many different sections. The choir sang Polish Christmas songs first. They were absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, the only words I understood were "gloria in excelsis deo," but I still loved to listen to them sing. Next was a nativity play put on by the GTE theater club. Unlike other nativity plays I have watched in the past, this one began with Adam and Eve and somehow made its way through the Bible Jesus' birth. I am still a little confused on how this happened, but it seems like they did a good job. Then everyone who was at the assembly sang some Polish songs; again all I knew was "gloria in excelsis deo," but I still enjoyed singing along with what I knew! The final part was a reading done by three of my LOTE third graders. I had no idea what they said, but it was about Christmas. By the end of the assembly my head was spinning from trying to understand so much Polish! I was happy to move onto the 3B class party where I was sure I would get at least a little English.
This party was by far my favorite part of the whole, and I was so thankful for getting to attend. This class went all out in order to create a special Christmas atmosphere for their party. They had pushed all of the tables into one big one, covered it with a table cloth, and then decorated it will food, juice, tea, chocolate, festive napkins, and other trinkets. It was beautiful. After the class teacher welcomed us, we ate cake, drank tea, and talked. Someone translated for me every once in a while, so I could keep up. But for once, I was not frustrated at all by not understanding. I could tell when they were joking and the sentiment of what they were saying. Even in Polish, they can still make me laugh!
Next we shared Christmas wishes with each other. We do nothing like this in America; the closest thing I could compare this to is doing affirmations with campers after a week at Lutherlyn. At each place setting there was an oplatek, which essentially looks like a large rectangular communion wafer with a Christmas image stamped onto it. In turn, I spoke with each of my students offering them a wish and receiving one from them. I was wished things such as, "a wonderful Christmas," "safe travels to Italy," "a good New Year," "a handsome boyfriend," "a kind husband," and the scariest one of all "many, many children." Sharing such a special moment with my students was amazing and was one of my favorite moments of the whole year so far. I felt like a part of their community, part of their family. They even invited me back next year! I told them that I would start saving for my plane ticket.
The party wrapped up with a gift exchange, Secret Santa style. They got each other mostly books, and I even got a small gift. I was extremely surprised and very flattered. After some more talking and a class photo, the party broke up. The students went to go mingle with the students from the other classes, and I headed down to the teacher's Christmas party.
Now I thought this would be short affair, with finger food, chatting, and maybe a speech by the director. I was wrong. The party ended up being a full-fledged three course meal for all the teachers and staff in the Aula. The tables in the Aula were arranged into one long rectangle and was set with a place for everyone. The directors sat at the head of the table and everyone else filled in around. We sang songs (with lyric sheets this time so I could follow along!), listened to several speeches, and then ate. The food that was served was from the traditional Polish Christmas meal. The soup was a beet broth with meat pierogi-like things in it. The next course was a potato salad with fried fish, and the last course was a special cake, but I didn't have room left for any! We also did a gift exchange where each person got a present based on a number he/she drew out of a large bowl. I got a "special" number and a "special" gift, a Polish Christmas CD and a Polish cookbook in English! I was very excited!
Sadly I had to leave early in order to catch my train out, but when I was saying goodbye to the director she said, "I know that you couldn't understand much today, but I trust that you were able to understand the feeling and the warm emotion of Christmas." And she couldn't have been more right! I was linguistically lost for most of the day, but left school feeling more connected and more a part of their community than ever before.
Blessings,
Colleen
Before heading out for my Christmas journey to Italy, I was able to celebrate Christmas with my students at collegues at LOTE/GTE. All of the following festivities took place on the Tuesday before Christmas, which was the last day of school for 2009. The first part of this special day was the assembly. There were two (one for GTE and LOTE); I opted to only go the second one since I mostly taught LOTE students, and it allowed me to sleep in an extra hour. The assembly lasted about an hour and had many different sections. The choir sang Polish Christmas songs first. They were absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately, the only words I understood were "gloria in excelsis deo," but I still loved to listen to them sing. Next was a nativity play put on by the GTE theater club. Unlike other nativity plays I have watched in the past, this one began with Adam and Eve and somehow made its way through the Bible Jesus' birth. I am still a little confused on how this happened, but it seems like they did a good job. Then everyone who was at the assembly sang some Polish songs; again all I knew was "gloria in excelsis deo," but I still enjoyed singing along with what I knew! The final part was a reading done by three of my LOTE third graders. I had no idea what they said, but it was about Christmas. By the end of the assembly my head was spinning from trying to understand so much Polish! I was happy to move onto the 3B class party where I was sure I would get at least a little English.
This party was by far my favorite part of the whole, and I was so thankful for getting to attend. This class went all out in order to create a special Christmas atmosphere for their party. They had pushed all of the tables into one big one, covered it with a table cloth, and then decorated it will food, juice, tea, chocolate, festive napkins, and other trinkets. It was beautiful. After the class teacher welcomed us, we ate cake, drank tea, and talked. Someone translated for me every once in a while, so I could keep up. But for once, I was not frustrated at all by not understanding. I could tell when they were joking and the sentiment of what they were saying. Even in Polish, they can still make me laugh!
Next we shared Christmas wishes with each other. We do nothing like this in America; the closest thing I could compare this to is doing affirmations with campers after a week at Lutherlyn. At each place setting there was an oplatek, which essentially looks like a large rectangular communion wafer with a Christmas image stamped onto it. In turn, I spoke with each of my students offering them a wish and receiving one from them. I was wished things such as, "a wonderful Christmas," "safe travels to Italy," "a good New Year," "a handsome boyfriend," "a kind husband," and the scariest one of all "many, many children." Sharing such a special moment with my students was amazing and was one of my favorite moments of the whole year so far. I felt like a part of their community, part of their family. They even invited me back next year! I told them that I would start saving for my plane ticket.
The party wrapped up with a gift exchange, Secret Santa style. They got each other mostly books, and I even got a small gift. I was extremely surprised and very flattered. After some more talking and a class photo, the party broke up. The students went to go mingle with the students from the other classes, and I headed down to the teacher's Christmas party.
Now I thought this would be short affair, with finger food, chatting, and maybe a speech by the director. I was wrong. The party ended up being a full-fledged three course meal for all the teachers and staff in the Aula. The tables in the Aula were arranged into one long rectangle and was set with a place for everyone. The directors sat at the head of the table and everyone else filled in around. We sang songs (with lyric sheets this time so I could follow along!), listened to several speeches, and then ate. The food that was served was from the traditional Polish Christmas meal. The soup was a beet broth with meat pierogi-like things in it. The next course was a potato salad with fried fish, and the last course was a special cake, but I didn't have room left for any! We also did a gift exchange where each person got a present based on a number he/she drew out of a large bowl. I got a "special" number and a "special" gift, a Polish Christmas CD and a Polish cookbook in English! I was very excited!
Sadly I had to leave early in order to catch my train out, but when I was saying goodbye to the director she said, "I know that you couldn't understand much today, but I trust that you were able to understand the feeling and the warm emotion of Christmas." And she couldn't have been more right! I was linguistically lost for most of the day, but left school feeling more connected and more a part of their community than ever before.
Blessings,
Colleen
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