tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:18:38 +0000Reflections from a 2009-2011 ELCA Global Mission Volunteer English Teacher in Cieszyn, Poland. <br><br>“To learn and never be filled, is wisdom. To teach and never be weary, is love.”http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-8683281276397059270Mon, 30 May 2011 18:07:00 +00002011-05-30T20:28:39.260-07:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The past few months, I’ve often wondered how I’d feel on my last day in Poland. I always knew I’d feel a deep sadness. I was very worried I’d spend my last days in denial – trying to protect myself from the grief of leaving.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What I didn’t expect was that I’d feel a wonderfully profound sense of gratitude and a magnificently overwhelming sense of joy. Gratitude for the people in my life around the world, gratitude for the experiences I have had, gratitude for the transformation I’ve experienced thanks to this journey. Joy in the experience of accompaniment and community, joy in teaching, joy in learning, joy in loving, joy in laughter, joy in giving, joy in receiving.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I never thought that if someone asked me to describe my last week in Poland that – although I’ve also cried every day and felt very sad – the words that most resonate with me are “love,” “joy,” “gratitude,” and “celebration.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I’ve discovered that although goodbyes are sad because of the knowledge of parting, goodbyes are also a celebration of the fact that you had the opportunity to say “hello.” When saying goodbye, friends, students, colleagues, and I have shed many tears, but we also can't help but talk about our joy – joy that we had the opportunity to meet, to become a part of each other's lives. And in the goodbye we celebrate and rejoice in the love, respect, and affection we share. It’s a wonderful gift to be given the opportunity to stop and acknowledge how people in your life have changed you, helped you grow, supported you, challenged you, loved you. Maybe we should say goodbyes more often. It is at the time of goodbye that we speak the words in our hearts – we tell people we love them, how grateful we are for them, what they mean to us, how they hold us up. We hold them a little tighter, savor the togetherness a little longer. And in every goodbye is the beautiful hope of one day meeting again. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I return to Chicago not only with my (potentionally overweight) suitcases, but with a full heart. I keep thinking of Luke 2:19: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I think of all the words, the embraces, laughter, hugs, the smiles I have treasured up these past two years. I travel with a heart filled with affirming, loving words from students, friends, family, and colleagues. I know I will always remember them, ponder them. And they are joyful things to forever carry in my heart. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I end this journey with a joyous heart, a hopeful heart. I know that the upcoming months will have times of great joy and happiness and times of great sadness and difficulty. At the end of this journey it’s amazing to feel this intense sense of gratitude, this intense sense of joy, this intense feeling of love, this intense feeling of peace, this intense feeling of hope, this intense feeling of anticipation. Thanks be to God for the gift of feeling alive! To know that there is so much love and joy to be found in this world, to be given in the world, to be received in this world, to be shared in this world! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thanks be to God, for the gift of these two years, for this journey, for the hidden gifts of joy and gratitude found even in difficult goodbyes, for peace, for the multitude of blessings in my life, for the promise of hope and joy in new beginnings. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. Psalm 4:7.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Today, with great joy and gratitude for all that has been, and with great hope and excitement for all that will be, I sign off this blog.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4.</span><o:p></o:p></i></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/05/with-great-joy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-8365870207655174834Sat, 28 May 2011 17:47:00 +00002011-05-28T12:22:20.294-07:00<div><p class="MsoNormal">It’s a running joke in our family that my sisters love to ask my mom who is her favorite daughter (or, they skip asking Mom and outright declare to the family that “I’m Mom’s favorite”). My mom’s answers to the question "I'm your favorite, right?" are always wonderfully playful like, “You’re my favorite (and also only) 18-year-old daughter” or “You’re my favorite (and also only) daughter currently living in Wisconsin” or “You’re my favorite (and also only) left-handed daughter.” The joke is fun because we know that, of course, we’re all her favorites.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">Somehow - although they don't know that it's a running joke in my family too - it has also turned into a running joke with my students, especially my middle school and high school students, who are always saying, “But we’re your favorite class, right? You love us the most, right?” to which I always reply with a twinkle in my eye, “But of course!” I was truly touched when a grandmother of one of my students said her grandson told her that, “We love Sarah and we know she loves each one of us.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">My wonderful students, you are all my favorites and I love you all. Thanks for two amazing years.</p></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">A few of my favorite yes!-let's-have-a-barbecue-for-our-last-lesson-but-promise-Miss Sarah-you'll-remember-that-despite-popular-belief-</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">Americans-do-not-eat-hamburgers-5-times-a-week </span></span>8th and 11th grade students.</div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zzyi0cLA8Jiu1MUY9szv5dC5j4V0qoeWIMGeuTweI8_ynOEclNeLWgLToAWUb2kRq-GlPHW5d12GaMzwjeMYtem_81xRUsUN-_YxQsxsdbmy4yPMM4zMqUhpi-ZdbnILJwJK-5y8cHeV/s320/IMG_0327.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611839226230043410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h1H-4Xpff-Ujy9g6aivsOw5MbZc3Gb5gbYCSH8zNYJ6nu9mwyrN8hqDK-ggBeSzrzvaSjVvRLQceDLgCn9KANCO1oHu68AkGolpAfj1mNkGMtnqs4dnCQh1BQbjXvD15lj70t0kRChf_/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPDMXYsa_V-ayr4LeESe3bTE8FEH0YHDEeZ9kMCZUd1RilPw-S6zk3ZUe1PSU3bqmwJc84jd67NjzMOmXpZpPmFAnTneycilLqo9QYil0paxRyhyphenhyphenhjz6FPD-zoAQMYEifIMIreALDi6tv/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPDMXYsa_V-ayr4LeESe3bTE8FEH0YHDEeZ9kMCZUd1RilPw-S6zk3ZUe1PSU3bqmwJc84jd67NjzMOmXpZpPmFAnTneycilLqo9QYil0paxRyhyphenhyphenhjz6FPD-zoAQMYEifIMIreALDi6tv/s320/IMG_0343.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611839236490116930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rlzEr2QftIpYcyS6b1pybm53bh16Pll8vLwP64U06Q2dO4uDZghYv5v3nLfAPwGdIiINxPlS3zgw2EeNAvr6onB3uaHdkfTuLOmUXJKM8KOxvqbZFkUoFBvg1wqGS1M8NrZmCbFkFl8V/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rlzEr2QftIpYcyS6b1pybm53bh16Pll8vLwP64U06Q2dO4uDZghYv5v3nLfAPwGdIiINxPlS3zgw2EeNAvr6onB3uaHdkfTuLOmUXJKM8KOxvqbZFkUoFBvg1wqGS1M8NrZmCbFkFl8V/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rlzEr2QftIpYcyS6b1pybm53bh16Pll8vLwP64U06Q2dO4uDZghYv5v3nLfAPwGdIiINxPlS3zgw2EeNAvr6onB3uaHdkfTuLOmUXJKM8KOxvqbZFkUoFBvg1wqGS1M8NrZmCbFkFl8V/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rlzEr2QftIpYcyS6b1pybm53bh16Pll8vLwP64U06Q2dO4uDZghYv5v3nLfAPwGdIiINxPlS3zgw2EeNAvr6onB3uaHdkfTuLOmUXJKM8KOxvqbZFkUoFBvg1wqGS1M8NrZmCbFkFl8V/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rlzEr2QftIpYcyS6b1pybm53bh16Pll8vLwP64U06Q2dO4uDZghYv5v3nLfAPwGdIiINxPlS3zgw2EeNAvr6onB3uaHdkfTuLOmUXJKM8KOxvqbZFkUoFBvg1wqGS1M8NrZmCbFkFl8V/s320/IMG_0332.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611839230875613906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite one-day-she-will-save-the-world-with-her-amazing-mad-math-skills 5th grade student.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoS-nacWHfLxMaJkEHQxof2FRtaPLKhEKtOm0VID60ouW6v4n7FCmo2JOGngHaG4xH6CZzYHH4if402ZmIWzKoHBog5kal_f3uhntoiXhn6mab-nKSGDH91BgiB23uz22D7n80tfM2CzVL/s1600/IMG_9586_2_2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoS-nacWHfLxMaJkEHQxof2FRtaPLKhEKtOm0VID60ouW6v4n7FCmo2JOGngHaG4xH6CZzYHH4if402ZmIWzKoHBog5kal_f3uhntoiXhn6mab-nKSGDH91BgiB23uz22D7n80tfM2CzVL/s320/IMG_9586_2_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611842848249742658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9PdGYUtiXo5QWiM21_BjmjqMxDg2jgcRD2Z4XhZn_FevlhvTakkmh4BqJ_yhvS0ZPpJgCfuI00gm2jOzIUkfRiGmahZJHulK3inprzFDhzsPWV_Sn-jPbITG_hZMgP8icYgS2PBCo56V/s1600/IMG_9573_2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; ">My favorite we-didn't-realize-until-we-took-this-photograph-that-we-are-all-the-same-height class of 8th grade girls.</div><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwok07GajTl_eUs9IoByX4UWKW0fAF5j6jJWLu7dwHA0SImPjVyBbwOmgR3Ldigajt0ih9ttH_k6H2HaK6_VEiP1GRc6iY1rUmPAatQTxK7dGCQBZzYBDHWw2uycS9MJIOGvrfIVX3ugYn/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwok07GajTl_eUs9IoByX4UWKW0fAF5j6jJWLu7dwHA0SImPjVyBbwOmgR3Ldigajt0ih9ttH_k6H2HaK6_VEiP1GRc6iY1rUmPAatQTxK7dGCQBZzYBDHWw2uycS9MJIOGvrfIVX3ugYn/s320/IMG_0297.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611834539701645666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center; ">Two of my favorite we-wear-awesome-sunglasses-all-the-time-even-when-it's-cloudy 8th grade boys.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ_v8aBOhp_VD0MQBnvKI59Jmisz4NmP-KxB9qixiS8N7GL7VjDEwT1m-DdK_uajThZvhTr6dshMU1k6MXCQjxXKU3RiDLKl_kBrAG4fQXf7St_u-67JAANVJaf-fcd86ylbKV5mYgD6F/s1600/IMG_0276.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ_v8aBOhp_VD0MQBnvKI59Jmisz4NmP-KxB9qixiS8N7GL7VjDEwT1m-DdK_uajThZvhTr6dshMU1k6MXCQjxXKU3RiDLKl_kBrAG4fQXf7St_u-67JAANVJaf-fcd86ylbKV5mYgD6F/s320/IMG_0276.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611834519649704610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwok07GajTl_eUs9IoByX4UWKW0fAF5j6jJWLu7dwHA0SImPjVyBbwOmgR3Ldigajt0ih9ttH_k6H2HaK6_VEiP1GRc6iY1rUmPAatQTxK7dGCQBZzYBDHWw2uycS9MJIOGvrfIVX3ugYn/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwok07GajTl_eUs9IoByX4UWKW0fAF5j6jJWLu7dwHA0SImPjVyBbwOmgR3Ldigajt0ih9ttH_k6H2HaK6_VEiP1GRc6iY1rUmPAatQTxK7dGCQBZzYBDHWw2uycS9MJIOGvrfIVX3ugYn/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwok07GajTl_eUs9IoByX4UWKW0fAF5j6jJWLu7dwHA0SImPjVyBbwOmgR3Ldigajt0ih9ttH_k6H2HaK6_VEiP1GRc6iY1rUmPAatQTxK7dGCQBZzYBDHWw2uycS9MJIOGvrfIVX3ugYn/s1600/IMG_0297.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A few of my favorite let's-just-say-we're-older-than-18 students.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9PdGYUtiXo5QWiM21_BjmjqMxDg2jgcRD2Z4XhZn_FevlhvTakkmh4BqJ_yhvS0ZPpJgCfuI00gm2jOzIUkfRiGmahZJHulK3inprzFDhzsPWV_Sn-jPbITG_hZMgP8icYgS2PBCo56V/s1600/IMG_9573_2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9PdGYUtiXo5QWiM21_BjmjqMxDg2jgcRD2Z4XhZn_FevlhvTakkmh4BqJ_yhvS0ZPpJgCfuI00gm2jOzIUkfRiGmahZJHulK3inprzFDhzsPWV_Sn-jPbITG_hZMgP8icYgS2PBCo56V/s320/IMG_9573_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611842841961237858" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2o2XPDlpO3bHntJCsxcth83eBA0A-5iRbbo_mghqEeheMf8DF5Rs5QXLDuIY35DpzWGklrKB1jHuJy0bGHWXZyCB044pVwgBa0-FRzGKbN4rb50c32RosxLOFnRLyM7jJsisC61UXUQw/s1600/IMG_7778.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2o2XPDlpO3bHntJCsxcth83eBA0A-5iRbbo_mghqEeheMf8DF5Rs5QXLDuIY35DpzWGklrKB1jHuJy0bGHWXZyCB044pVwgBa0-FRzGKbN4rb50c32RosxLOFnRLyM7jJsisC61UXUQw/s320/IMG_7778.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611842831926989538" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite if-you-eat-all-of-the-raw-cupcake-batter-we-won't-have-anything-to-bake! 8th grade girls.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOKvsUBeYRDKQpkCWSdq-IvJJ2j3PeGSCvpyiCp8MonT4xW1nOgHIykvHIb9dI5hthaVd3j5z2AQzrgKNO09fXrHBejXwTiDjKrAGLQoHi6llPrbVatY4NwFR_sAua1VBw5fzHt3L4X_4/s1600/IMG_0353.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOKvsUBeYRDKQpkCWSdq-IvJJ2j3PeGSCvpyiCp8MonT4xW1nOgHIykvHIb9dI5hthaVd3j5z2AQzrgKNO09fXrHBejXwTiDjKrAGLQoHi6llPrbVatY4NwFR_sAua1VBw5fzHt3L4X_4/s320/IMG_0353.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611842825566394546" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLyp2A1mwhozF1LgXeB-oqnWISt6OIs3USn_jLPJLyxUa6phzXVGKUJKa0K6Fp9nIhxIfOMS5brN14_se_MLzjooBQNUBtawTWkuTg805JJshY0rJyLBt0qO9Ilp6dGBMWdwH9cYCRpRy/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLyp2A1mwhozF1LgXeB-oqnWISt6OIs3USn_jLPJLyxUa6phzXVGKUJKa0K6Fp9nIhxIfOMS5brN14_se_MLzjooBQNUBtawTWkuTg805JJshY0rJyLBt0qO9Ilp6dGBMWdwH9cYCRpRy/s320/IMG_0348.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611842823791990818" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rlzEr2QftIpYcyS6b1pybm53bh16Pll8vLwP64U06Q2dO4uDZghYv5v3nLfAPwGdIiINxPlS3zgw2EeNAvr6onB3uaHdkfTuLOmUXJKM8KOxvqbZFkUoFBvg1wqGS1M8NrZmCbFkFl8V/s1600/IMG_0332.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite we-signed-our-names-on-this-shirt-so-you'll-always-remember-us class of 8th grade girls.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Zzyi0cLA8Jiu1MUY9szv5dC5j4V0qoeWIMGeuTweI8_ynOEclNeLWgLToAWUb2kRq-GlPHW5d12GaMzwjeMYtem_81xRUsUN-_YxQsxsdbmy4yPMM4zMqUhpi-ZdbnILJwJK-5y8cHeV/s1600/IMG_0327.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKX_WHn7rd6mEMhxO5lTgxHN6Taj9Ed0pTWMSs_J3UGA4RWoUWGUEZp4ZNaLGZXbhZiLdEdNGBnM0posvUHxE1nIq83q5_Xur9vC9YHHUUBgekOHoXJOiLM-YKnXNB5FnAkF8GyTrLNeIE/s1600/IMG_0305_2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKX_WHn7rd6mEMhxO5lTgxHN6Taj9Ed0pTWMSs_J3UGA4RWoUWGUEZp4ZNaLGZXbhZiLdEdNGBnM0posvUHxE1nIq83q5_Xur9vC9YHHUUBgekOHoXJOiLM-YKnXNB5FnAkF8GyTrLNeIE/s320/IMG_0305_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611839225286875202" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite what-do-you-mean-that-isn't-a-base-oh-she's-just-an-outfielder-not-the-2nd baseman-so-I-am-not-standing-on-a-base-right-now-whoops class of 8th grade girls.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVoSTHQqFgUov_f4YbBk-Y-gAwzwFFq4Ma-QDlMLl9_aSZDC_VBkFV9cVHC_HlNE_StKE6eMVLDof2i9JIeP9ypwTzXfLtCId8o8KBiv1Xcff2nV-PSPwLTUlSDXYNtWkdF3KYMn4Xf8s/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVoSTHQqFgUov_f4YbBk-Y-gAwzwFFq4Ma-QDlMLl9_aSZDC_VBkFV9cVHC_HlNE_StKE6eMVLDof2i9JIeP9ypwTzXfLtCId8o8KBiv1Xcff2nV-PSPwLTUlSDXYNtWkdF3KYMn4Xf8s/s320/IMG_0295.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611834529560107730" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center; ">One of my favorite I-have-never-eaten-a-cupcake-before-so-how-was-I-supposed-to-know-you don't-eat-the-paper-wrapping (thereby proving that teenage boys will eat anything) 8th grade boys.</div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1jbmLbjzK9U6tF6VuzdXo0gJdGOoV7ktihi2E0ygDJfy3fQsvhlXCykLv2UAFC3i8qkTcUDDS9X2c1aYze4iafYojs_L-Wt2rK_MLb0gRvaub5mRqo0gfhR3V9rbKj4FnbOOrxogPSBU/s1600/IMG_0279.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1jbmLbjzK9U6tF6VuzdXo0gJdGOoV7ktihi2E0ygDJfy3fQsvhlXCykLv2UAFC3i8qkTcUDDS9X2c1aYze4iafYojs_L-Wt2rK_MLb0gRvaub5mRqo0gfhR3V9rbKj4FnbOOrxogPSBU/s320/IMG_0279.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611834519563847282" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Two of my favorite they-give-the-best-hugs-at-the-beginning-and-end-of-every-lesson 3 year olds.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0weJbzTJQC-UT0MaRc_YY6_eT-WxMk4F44RsyU_gSURjXaVBvesU9Hp8l_2IQVzMq3sxv20m3eTmMhLIvyiMsuYibBOYIOXm3ow2ZTMJ88MGUBsHzb2cbRpkktRDAAKfQ63q46aiisWmE/s1600/IMG_0219.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0weJbzTJQC-UT0MaRc_YY6_eT-WxMk4F44RsyU_gSURjXaVBvesU9Hp8l_2IQVzMq3sxv20m3eTmMhLIvyiMsuYibBOYIOXm3ow2ZTMJ88MGUBsHzb2cbRpkktRDAAKfQ63q46aiisWmE/s320/IMG_0219.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611829313280208722" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGndS0QjGG55QAcXFvPhRJgi77LiwuQAeOvhCX7zOev0lrlIxrkFU_g_y0L8v2WH_CEm1kNIx32mWODIP0R0mdKmhve9U6qhLEhCyzw5EpyqU1bFfx7e9QtjKe8u6pZCXu0n5sqMdFLBv/s320/IMG_0221.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611834510780428786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite we're-way-too-cool-for-these-photographs 9th graders.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QV1On2UqIH4LMZOpiUxJ-kAz9THK6P5aJIN3Pw6cZoZgkj-iCy37igGMv-eMaYrV9u38pMRFQmdvAoEF7CvFtDcORo8gnJZYeoZyNgoCIn5_P-aBj14pOZdfV75B46hl6CIvuYR78nUh/s1600/IMG_0203.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QV1On2UqIH4LMZOpiUxJ-kAz9THK6P5aJIN3Pw6cZoZgkj-iCy37igGMv-eMaYrV9u38pMRFQmdvAoEF7CvFtDcORo8gnJZYeoZyNgoCIn5_P-aBj14pOZdfV75B46hl6CIvuYR78nUh/s320/IMG_0203.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611829311762634354" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h1H-4Xpff-Ujy9g6aivsOw5MbZc3Gb5gbYCSH8zNYJ6nu9mwyrN8hqDK-ggBeSzrzvaSjVvRLQceDLgCn9KANCO1oHu68AkGolpAfj1mNkGMtnqs4dnCQh1BQbjXvD15lj70t0kRChf_/s320/IMG_0345.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611839242728009922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Two of my favorite we're-addicted-to-America's-Next-Top-Model-what-do-you-mean-you-don't-watch-it-aren't-you-American 8th graders.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUm8wdMZ4ClNXPV_NeZxb5m6vz-q9f3fyiBPY8RtSd5xMHJJGTAh-BZiiHdatMn7AMN40yDgkIMzZiUbZL2TfIrGpnY0PUqU5JDdhLnUmbejCK2BCsO032m-ZxmGkPaKAWXTt2BWIxROK/s1600/IMG_0140.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUm8wdMZ4ClNXPV_NeZxb5m6vz-q9f3fyiBPY8RtSd5xMHJJGTAh-BZiiHdatMn7AMN40yDgkIMzZiUbZL2TfIrGpnY0PUqU5JDdhLnUmbejCK2BCsO032m-ZxmGkPaKAWXTt2BWIxROK/s320/IMG_0140.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611829305551608274" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite we're-eating-tacos-for-the-first-time! 8th grade girls.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B2Xh096YBKcIQbw-qbWdp7WaX3L4wRggF3l3wTSzcoqGkjgrZcpPZoZEZJt7TlPg0c5FVhmAcWdXnOerBjGQsJHTZi2aepCPodWV-jmQFUa35Mk-IIL1dIgC48ckpSEHkPDOrQ0IqBnc/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B2Xh096YBKcIQbw-qbWdp7WaX3L4wRggF3l3wTSzcoqGkjgrZcpPZoZEZJt7TlPg0c5FVhmAcWdXnOerBjGQsJHTZi2aepCPodWV-jmQFUa35Mk-IIL1dIgC48ckpSEHkPDOrQ0IqBnc/s320/IMG_0094.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611829302940902498" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite high school seniors who performed magnificently on their end of the year English speaking exam (not that I was surprised) and who were amazing people to talk with and get to know. I can't wait to hear about all their future adventures!</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpUMw2G2QgqfRcFTOKC86RAjPmr_YQWgSxCCf-BeqlMmj0aTgUTa9eZoXUvxH18ymHmFUI4dNoEBY5HqCLc1ksnO4UCQ1_M45QuVq0riI3RQW_4L0fOba83xLv6_jqy78KGbubHUcsudE/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpUMw2G2QgqfRcFTOKC86RAjPmr_YQWgSxCCf-BeqlMmj0aTgUTa9eZoXUvxH18ymHmFUI4dNoEBY5HqCLc1ksnO4UCQ1_M45QuVq0riI3RQW_4L0fOba83xLv6_jqy78KGbubHUcsudE/s320/IMG_0024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611829298042141074" /></a> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/05/youre-all-my-favorites.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-2882802660656294850Tue, 24 May 2011 19:01:00 +00002011-05-24T12:18:24.558-07:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">What's fascinating about teaching English as a foreign language is that you're asked to carefully examine your native language every day. You think you know your native language until people ask you to explain it. Like, why is it correct to say, "I live in a beautiful little old white house" but a native speaker would never say - although the words are identical in both sentences - "I live in a white beautiful old little house?" It’s because in English grammar there are rules about adjective order. It's grammatically correct to first list quality/opinion (“beautiful”), then size (“little”), then age (“old”), then color (“white”). Native speakers adopt and apply this rule intuitively; if you're learning English as a foreign language, you’ll need an explicit explanation.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">One of my roles as an English teacher is to serve as a "walking English dictionary." Students, friends, and other teachers frequently ask me to define words (“What does X mean?”) or differentiate between two words (“What’s the difference between X and Y?”). They’ll also frequently give me the definition and ask me for the corresponding word (“What’s a word that means...?”) Teaching English as a foreign language is like a never-ending game of 20 Questions, Taboo, or Catch Phrase.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">If I say a word that my students don’t know, I have quite a few ways to try to help them understand the word’s meaning. If the word is an object that’s physically present at the time of the conversation, I’ll point to it. Sometimes it’s a game of Charades and I’ll act out the meaning of the word. In select circumstances, I’ll draw it (although 98% of the time my terrible drawings lead to confusion and laughter, not understanding – this is not a method I resort to unless I’m very, very confident in my ability to draw a decent picture of the word). With very abstract or very advanced vocabulary, it’s often necessary to consult a Polish-English dictionary. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">90% of the time, I try to explain the unknown word with other words I think the students know. Sometimes it’s surprisingly challenging to convey the meaning of a new word to students. But what’s amazing is that when two or more people are committed to having a conversation, both parties will work very hard to communicate and will happily work through any difficulties or language roadblocks.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Over the past two years, I've developed into quite a good "walking English dictionary." But there are days when I'm waiting for someone to jump out from behind a tree and snatch away my “native speaker” status because I'm having a difficult time describing a word to my students. Yesterday was one of those days. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">It’s my last week teaching and I’m having lots of parties with my classes. Every class voted on the activity/theme of their party. My 8^th grade girls voted for a Mexican cooking party and everyone offered to contribute one ingredient we’d need to make tacos, guacamole, pico de gallo, and Shirley Temples. (Yes, I know Shirley Temples are not a Mexican drink, but I’ve always ordered them at Mexican restaurants and I love them.) I said I’d buy the ground beef for the tacos and the grenadine and maraschino cherries for the Shirley Temples. We’d also need lemon-lime soda for the Shirley Temples and I decided to ask one of the students to buy a couple liters. And here’s where the game of 20 Questions / Taboo started.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Me:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "Can someone bring lemon-lime soda?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i>(No volunteers.)<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Me:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "You know, like lemon-lime soda pop?" <i>(I know "soda" and "pop" are American-English terms and I'm trying to remember what the British-English term for "soda pop" is and I'm drawing a blank...)<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>A brave student:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "Like lemon juice?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Me:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "No, not lemon juice. Like Cola-Cola but lemon-lime."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>A very honest student:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "We don't understand."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i>(I decide to resort to a little Polish because I didn't know how to proceed without translating a little bit. I always prefer to try to describe the word in English even if I know the Polish equivalent, but I'm having a difficult time thinking of alternate explanations for "lemon-lime soda." It's still tricky because I don't know the Polish word for "soda pop." Although I've lived here for two years, I've never actually bought soda pop at a store.)<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Me:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "Okay, you know "lemon" - in Polish "cytryna" and you know "lime" - in Polish "wapno" or "limonka."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Students:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "Yes."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Me:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "And this is a sweet drink, like Coca-Cola, but it is lemon and lime flavored. And it's with gas – ‘gazowane.’"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>An enlightened student:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "Ah-ha! Lemon water with gas!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>A (more) enlightened student:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "No, like lemon seltzer water!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Me:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "No, it's not water. It's like Coca-Cola but it's not brown, it's clear like water, it’s the same color as water. And it's lemon-lime."<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>A tentative student:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "Are you talking about Sprite?"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Me:</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> "Yes, Sprite!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Oh, right. They have Sprite here. Yes, Sprite. That’s what I meant all along. Bring that.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">It's one globalized world out there and sometimes this “walking human dictionary” forgets it.<o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/05/teaching-english-in-globalized-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-1770061044416812031Sat, 14 May 2011 06:49:00 +00002011-05-14T05:28:40.435-07:00<div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">In this post, I’d like to return to a topic I’ve discussed here before – the definition of “home.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">How would you define the word “home?” Type “quotations about home” into an Internet search engine and you’ll get lists and lists of quotations from philosophers and poets and actors and politicians, all trying to define their unique concept of “home.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps it’s easiest to start with what I think “home” isn’t (or isn’t always). “Home” is not always synonymous with “where you currently live.” Although I lived and worked in Pittsburgh for 2 months and loved the city and met great people, I never called it “home.” “Home” is not always synonymous with “birthplace.” If you were born in Indiana but your family moved to Kentucky when you were 6 months old, you probably wouldn’t call Indiana your “home.” What's interesting about the concept of "home" is that we're not only talking about a physical location - like the city where we currently live - but also an emotional state (feeling "at home"). There's great truth to the saying that home is people you love and who love you.</p><p class="MsoNormal">When I reflect back on my arrival in Cieszyn two years ago, I realize now that I felt so overwhelmed and stressed and lonely at the beginning because I felt utterly homeless. I'd just left two wonderful American homes: my Chicago home and, as a recent college graduate, my university home. And a new town doesn't automatically become your "home" just because it's your current physical location. On Facebook you can change the "current city" listed on your profile in 3 seconds, but you can't change where you feel at home so easily.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I think we spend our entire lives searching for homes. We enter new jobs, new schools, move to new cities, meet new people, and in the process we find homes, lose homes, search for new homes. I think that we have an innate need to find "homes" wherever we are, that we can't help but desire that sense of belonging, safety, security, and familiarity we get from having somewhere to call "home." My first semester here I had to work very hard to discover a home in Cieszyn - and it definitely didn't happen automatically or overnight. But I had an innate need to discover my purpose, find my place, connect with people I could feel "at home" with. And then one night I went to bed in Cieszyn and woke up at home. And I know for sure that I couldn't have stayed in Cieszyn for a second year if it hadn't become a true home during my first year.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Rl8vaiG-8zI14MEmqlGChjtXiD3FfcnAvM78K8jZVbjMOiHqo3_Sn0MavIc7YoN1ULFDf_dCBzzdKGFGoZJCHUnWo3mluf6V-KiDmJSI9_23U_yTsA1jtTl_WmhtxN6Wnzk_uWFUFE7p/s320/Cieszyn.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606463906653134082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: normal; "></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Especially in my last few weeks here, everyone’s asking me “Are you excited to be going home?” “How does it feel to be going home?” The answers to those questions are, without hesitation, “yes, yes, yes!” and “wonderful!” Except – wait. I’m also home now. Here. Am I excited to go home? I am home (Cieszyn) but yes! I am very excited to go home (Chicago). I am also terribly sad that to go home (Chicago) I need to leave home (Cieszyn). (Don't worry, I don't actually get into a philosophical discussion with people about the definition of "home" when they ask these very kind questions. I just blog about it :)</p></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Because I know that when I get home in June I’m going to experience the dreaded “RE-ENTRY CULTURE SHOCK” (I always picture this phrase written in scary capital letters). I had a bite-sized taste of “re-entry culture shock” this past summer when I returned to Chicago for a couple weeks after 11 consecutive months outside of the United States. What I found fascinating about re-entry culture shock was that it illustrates how quickly we adapt to the culture and requirements of a new – and once very strange and foreign – environment. I had spent 23 years living in the United States before moving to Poland. Yet after only 11 months in Poland, I returned to my “home country” to discover that I sometimes found it just as surprising and confusing as I had found Poland at the beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></div></div><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For example, on a morning stroll this summer in Chicago, my sister said hello to someone we walked by, and I didn’t know if she said hello because she knew the person or because it’s culturally polite to greet anyone you happen to meet on the street, stranger or friend. And it shocked me that I didn’t know how to interpret her “hello.” I’d lived here for 23 years! What had happened? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What had happened was that in August 2009 I kind of stopped “acting American” about the people I greeted and didn’t greet on the streets because instead I had adopted “Polish greeting culture.” I also learned the "proper Polish way" to greet people. I learned pretty quickly that only crazy American teachers wave at their Polish students from across the street. A tiny restrained smile (it's important that it's tiny - gigantic smiles scream SHE'S AMERICAN or at least NOT FROM POLAND) and subtle head nod is a more appropriate – and less embarrassing – sign of recognition and acknowledgement. So when I returned to Chicago last summer, I’d spent the past 11 months living and breathing on Polish streets and interacting the “Polish way.” I hadn’t had any opportunity to practice how we interact on American streets. And I had to re-learn what I’d known for 23 years but had forgotten in only 11 brief but yet profound months away from the States. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s not that the two systems of greeting – the “Polish way” and the “American way” – are necessarily mutually exclusive. Except the truth is that waving isn’t popular in Poland and that greeting with three pecks on the cheek isn’t popular in Chicago. Perhaps this example of “culturally specific greeting patterns” sounds silly or insignificant, but it truly threw me for a loop last summer because I didn’t intuitively know how to act or how to respond "like an American" and that surprised and sometimes bothered me. It wasn’t like I had experienced a different culture and now felt that I had choices – like there were two switches and I could choose to turn on either the “act American” switch or the “act Polish/European” switch. Sometimes I couldn’t find the “act American” switch at all. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Okay, back to the concept of “home.” (And, yes, that was a terrible “cop-out” transition sentence.) In his book about the re-entry process called <i>The Art of Coming Home</i><span style="font-style:normal">, Craig Storti provides a great definition of “home” that talks about how it’s the little, everyday interactions, sights, sounds, and experiences that create a feeling of “home.” He also says that it’s the sudden absence of these “home markers” when we return from living abroad that results in re-entry culture shock. We expect our “home country” to feel like “home” but we miss the little markers and experiences that made our “foreign home” feel like home. The reality is that because we’ve spent a significant amount of time away from our “home country,” in many ways it doesn’t quite feel like “home” when we first arrive back. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Storti says there are three elements that help make a place feel like “home” and they are:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>1. Familiar places</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>2. Familiar people</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>3. Routines and predictable patterns of interaction</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m going to try to illustrate how I’ve experienced Storti’s definition of “home” by contrasting a time I bought ground beef for a taco dinner with friends in Cieszyn with a time I bought ground beef for a taco dinner with friends in Chicago. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>1. </b><i><b>Home is familiar places.</b><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cieszyn</b>, December 2010 (before Christmas vacation): I go to buy my ground beef at a tiny butcher store where, for the past two years, I’ve gone to buy meat approximately two times a month. When I enter the store, I see that nothing is new or different from my last visit. I’d bought meat here just two weeks ago for my Thanksgiving celebrations.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Chicago</b>, December 2010 (during Christmas vacation): I go to buy my ground beef at a tiny neighborhood store where I shopped for many years while growing up in Chicago, but it’s not somewhere I’ve shopped recently because, well, the store is in the States and I’m currently living and teaching in Poland. When I enter the store, I notice that they’ve re-arranged things a bit. I can’t remember the last time I bought meat here. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>2. </b><i><b>Home is familiar people.</b><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cieszyn</b>, December 2010 (before Christmas vacation): I recognize the two people behind the counter and they recognize me because I’m a loyal customer and because I’m probably one of the only (if not <i>the</i><span style="font-style:normal"> only) foreigners to buy meat here. They don’t know my name; I don’t know their names, but no doubt they remember my first visits almost two years ago when I relied almost exclusively on finger pointing. They’ve very patient and kind when I order and smile when I can say what I’d like in fairly fluent Polish. Sometimes I see the store’s employees out and about in Cieszyn.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Chicago</b>, December 2010 (during Christmas vacation): I don’t recognize any of the people behind the counter at the butcher store and they don’t recognize me. I don’t know their names; they don't know my name. And why would they? I haven’t bought meat from this butcher in at least 2 years. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>3. </b><i><b>Home is routines and predictable patterns of interaction.</b><o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cieszyn</b>, December 2010 (before Christmas vacation): I hate visiting the butcher in Cieszyn because it requires me to act “aggressively assertive” and I don’t like it. I have to stand less than 1 inch behind the person in front of me or someone will dart in from behind and physically cut in front of me. I have to loudly shout out my order the second the person in front of me finishes paying or someone behind me will shout out his or her order and verbally cut in front of me. I feel a little anxious (like I always do at the butcher) but I’m here on a mission so I confidently order in Polish the number of grams I need to feed the 3 people I’ve invited over for dinner. It’s stressful for me but I know what to expect and I know how I need to behave (“aggressively assertive”) in order to get the meat I need. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Chicago</b>, December 2010 (during Christmas vacation): I’m excited to go to a butcher in Chicago. I’m anticipating standing in a wonderfully “civilized” and orderly line. I’m looking forward to speaking in docile tones and not having the person behind me breathing down my neck or cutting ahead of me should I show 2 seconds of weakness or hesitation. I’m feeling very relaxed standing in line and then suddenly a woman tries to cut in front of me! Hey! Cutting isn’t supposed to happen in Chicago! I always tell people that Americans have great respect for "the line!" I've envisioned (and yes, romanticized) this Chicago butcher visit for months and yet here I am feeling very overwhelmed and helpless. I order in English but I’m still a little baffled and shaken up after that woman tried to cut in front of me. And suddenly I can’t remember the conversion from kilograms to pounds so I don’t quite know how many pounds I need to feed the 3 people I’ve invited over for dinner. It’s stressful for me because I thought I knew what to expect but I discover I don’t feel like I know how I need to behave ("polite" and "patient" didn't quite work out how I'd expected them to) in order to get the meat I need.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It just so happens that at this specific time in my life, I'm more "at home" buying meat in Poland than in Chicago. And that's pretty amazing when I think back to my first month here when there were days I didn't think I would ever come to call Cieszyn "home." And right now Cieszyn is my “here” and Chicago is my “there." Now I’m in Cieszyn and I say, “I’ve taught <i>here</i><span style="font-style:normal"> (here = Cieszyn) for two years” but on June 1, I’ll fly to Chicago and then I’ll say, “I taught </span><i>there</i><span style="font-style:normal"> (there = Cieszyn) for two years.” In a few weeks Chicago will become my "here" again and I'll quickly re-learn exactly how to go about ordering meat at a Chicago butcher.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I know I’m going to miss home (Cieszyn) when I go home (Chicago) and that I'm going to miss all the big things (people I love) and the little things (the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes) that made Cieszyn my home for the past two years. But this summer when I find myself feeling a little discouraged or a little displaced I'm going to remember that I felt exactly the same way when I first arrived in Cieszyn. And I'm going to put on my "explorer cap" and go out in Chicago and find the "home" that's waiting for me there. I’m going to seek out new experiences, new adventures, new challenges, new delights, new people, new favorite spots, new cultural activities, and new educational opportunities. And I'm also going to rejoice that I'm returning to all my Chicago "favorites" - family! friends! the library! theatre! lectures! yoga! Pad Thai!</p><p class="MsoNormal">In <i>Jesting Pilate</i><span style="font-style:normal"> Aldous Huxley wrote: “Fishes do not marvel at water; they are too busy swimming in it.” I’m excited that with this sad-yet-exciting, wonderful-yet-a-little-scary re-entry I’m getting the chance to marvel at the “water” (i.e., Chicago) I'm going to swim in again. I can’t wait to reconnect with my old-yet-new, familiar-yet-unfamiliar home – my sweet home Chicago.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilMHrilPVS303LGZxMXS0p9r45bz4gAS49K7518ub9bPYvMpz6ItFF8t50LTkuIaxjVty5ndO3jltAfPrd26d4aXIH19pn6oFxtpLZ0P3Ms7xH1gC2myH-xmwhcGuUKsDYLdW6RvhRb6y/s320/Chicago.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606461325154002802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></p></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilMHrilPVS303LGZxMXS0p9r45bz4gAS49K7518ub9bPYvMpz6ItFF8t50LTkuIaxjVty5ndO3jltAfPrd26d4aXIH19pn6oFxtpLZ0P3Ms7xH1gC2myH-xmwhcGuUKsDYLdW6RvhRb6y/s1600/Chicago.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/05/sweet-home-chicago.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-1173401846826595885Sat, 07 May 2011 17:28:00 +00002011-05-08T02:50:07.470-07:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjddtZ0C30lNJCziY87yRMQ0w7JYSFvCg8bWUZECENnZYgOuPv0XQydx9CmKGE6MfrCRZtBdfKJ9OWsfeSuvCevdijQsbkDAIqu7_NSAM499XR2JVcladR6EQY1_dh2OaCgWCM-E4XJuZI/s1600/IMG_9513.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjddtZ0C30lNJCziY87yRMQ0w7JYSFvCg8bWUZECENnZYgOuPv0XQydx9CmKGE6MfrCRZtBdfKJ9OWsfeSuvCevdijQsbkDAIqu7_NSAM499XR2JVcladR6EQY1_dh2OaCgWCM-E4XJuZI/s320/IMG_9513.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604037101866136434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Moje kochanie mieszkanie (my darling flat),</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Soon you and I will part ways, after two wonderful years together. I will fly to Chicago, and you will have to wait (impatiently) until August when a new inhabitant will arrive, re-arrange your furniture, and put photographs of his or her family and friends on your walls.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Do you remember when we first met, that fateful August day? I immediately loved your incredibly high European ceilings and your gorgeous bedroom windows, but I also quickly discovered that you were a fixer-upper, to say the least. Lukewarm (not hot) water, no Internet capabilities, no working stove or oven in the kitchen, no telephone wires, no mirror, no blinds, no garbage cans, no towels. I tried to respect your 100-year-old history but was a little worried that our drastically different lifestyles (for mine is quite modern) would mean that we would have difficulty co-existing. I must say you were a significant source of stress during my first months here, but you know (for walls have eyes and ears) that when I first arrived I was stressed about everything. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">But slowly we learned how to live together. It required both parties to adjust. I accepted – and grew to love or at least find the humor in – a few of your quirks – especially your insoluble electrical and hot water problems. A few of your more unpleasant secrets, however, I could not laugh off, like your significant mold and mildew problem. Luckily the arrival of a foreign visitor (a dehumidifier produced by a French company) soon put that problem to rest and this brief squabble in our relationship was resolved amicably. Your paper-thin walls often drove me crazy, especially when neighbors woke me up in a fright with their violent arguing at 1 or 2 a.m. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I know; it is unkind of me to remind you of our early difficulties. But then how quickly my attitude towards you changed! Remember when Dad and Claire visited in December? And Dad, with his visual-spatial brilliance, knew how to re-arrange your furniture and transform you into a home – my home. And when I returned from Christmas vacation, you weren’t temporary housing anymore, you were “moje kochanie mieszkanie” (my darling flat) and newly hung photographs and posters were not merely decorations but signs of my joyful decision to teach and live here for a second year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsFj1ox1ilvLlZsdwVYEqZzfR6qOsk3z4tSwo9fCzM0O4GYn0EW0X-lZtS2BppidqcDITwLlx9ss-w9-giKTVAdwyzLpRvesXf4cqnx_Oo0QRiwvVnjZBTL41352atKX9O4CUjM85762y/s320/IMG_9522.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604037106942095938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And over the past two years you alone have been witness to many of my challenges and joys, little and great. In the early months, you were sometimes the only witness to my tears of frustration, exhaustion, stress, and loneliness during my struggle to adjust to life and work in a new country. But soon you saw me skipping with happiness after meeting someone new or whistling to myself after a successful day at school. You heard me laugh with friends, with students, with loved ones over Skype. You listened as I practiced my Polish (please excuse my poor pronunciation, I know your past inhabitants have been native speakers) and watched me write (and re-write, and re-write) lesson plans. You were here the day I turned 23 and the day I turned 24. You met many of my friends (American, Polish, and Czech) and family members, who stopped by for tea or dinner or to sleep on your sofa or floor.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And although your kitchen has often been the source of numerous problems (an incorrectly installed stove, electricity issues, broken pipes, holes drilled through the walls by neighbors), it also holds a special place in my heart. Your kitchen became a source of great joy as I found cooking was a way for me to reach out to new people in Poland and the Czech Republic. In your kitchen, I fell in love with the simple yet beautiful European tradition of always offering tea to guests, whether they stopped by for 5 minutes or 5 hours. I have loved inviting friends over for meals because our conversations are the best food for my soul. Cooking in your kitchen also helped me get to know my students as we chatted while making American foods like funny face pancakes, chocolate chip cookies, and Thanksgiving specialties. Over tacos and curries and pizzas and pierogi, I connected with people who helped make this place feel like a true home.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK_Cf0_aslFuOyHREcLT0IW23xBSrIAb9FY7hsjA1IRENV8EQmEGfJX6KQsBTLE2Ovdi_7ZKEwlgvkWqZaCiEqoAiXGdgVZAiLWxfQ_EPYxeOUYpWF4xOrbwsgVedrYAAKWcMXNZFwBHZ/s320/IMG_9455.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604031911421707106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLewfLQYO5ek3SqmUeTcSB1hWPT1s1c4krX1IK_-YDVJwXnVdoqeG9z45ORDewdSnmSDSlgRubcIbtmA3gGL7jDDRcWfRQy5kG4KSy___i-20OR-R5durFzok9rWSuTxa7h2dnypN_iwHs/s320/IMG_9456.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604031914831804706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Between these walls I’ve experienced beautiful times of community and also beautiful times of solitude. Sometimes there’s nothing more peaceful than sitting with a book (or just sitting and thinking) and a cup of tea and gazing out your windows at our tree, the keeper of time and marker of seasons with its leaves or barren branches. Sometimes there’s nothing more ghastly than looking out your windows and seeing thick, dark puffs of smoke from neighbors’ chimneys drift by. Your quiet and calm are the best refuge after a long day and provide the perfect opportunity for contemplation and reflection. You are the place where I come to rest after one adventure so that I can feel rejuvenated and excited to take on the next.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sw-cnGW0UxyGe86H0PX0gDw5nJ-58vR3BuxGwaIeGgYKq3WBcxRBBA-qt3BTdCPplKNzD9M10OGFyslqwkRR3bBu19IhULK8B9VVov7DK5IMabB0J3cSaFp8U1ofv3j3FeX15J7f6-LE/s320/IMG_9545.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604037115815063090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle2_HbE3gjojQwsJIXz9N8mp4oZGma4Q3wHQzIGZL0gGe2Zj5bwehL9cEp7T_i1iw7DwhSaNsrC38cUzUvf1OSQ2utVR0rwKO8DZ_hOYcCgwMZJw_K1WKvDySMqKd4EaWYhD1m2hvKFdC/s320/IMG_9553.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604037118308714018" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I know I’ll miss you next year, moje kochanie. Even now when I’m away from you for a day or a week I miss hearing the “whoosh” of flames in your bathroom when I turn on the water or the way the sun peeps into your upper windows to wake me gently in the morning. Whenever I return to you, there’s a wonderful feeling of comfort and familiarity that sweeps over me as I unlock your door.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW2spcp44FRN-t9j11h7ceLYa4MtG3ikvR67UtmPvLJn33um9g_bK704wFyQ5Ifj5xSUw6Y95VCKV19p2vQXjQD_3LPAl4XtS5z9Z9ECLs2P3eEFsCksfmHplrvmfHZWPMpdIISwt1LRa/s1600/IMG_9473.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJW2spcp44FRN-t9j11h7ceLYa4MtG3ikvR67UtmPvLJn33um9g_bK704wFyQ5Ifj5xSUw6Y95VCKV19p2vQXjQD_3LPAl4XtS5z9Z9ECLs2P3eEFsCksfmHplrvmfHZWPMpdIISwt1LRa/s320/IMG_9473.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604031920903514626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You were a marvelous home. I know you’ll have many new inhabitants in the upcoming years, but don’t forget me, okay?</span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Love,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sarah</span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGK_Cf0_aslFuOyHREcLT0IW23xBSrIAb9FY7hsjA1IRENV8EQmEGfJX6KQsBTLE2Ovdi_7ZKEwlgvkWqZaCiEqoAiXGdgVZAiLWxfQ_EPYxeOUYpWF4xOrbwsgVedrYAAKWcMXNZFwBHZ/s1600/IMG_9455.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/05/letter-to-my-flat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-7273587539632391464Wed, 04 May 2011 14:54:00 +00002011-05-08T03:08:21.621-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A post inspired by Neil Pasricha’s “1000 Awesome Things” - </span></span><a href="http://1000awesomethings.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://1000awesomethings.com/</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> - a website that celebrates the little joys in life.</span></span></i></span></div></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></div><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment--></i></p><i><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1"> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All of the 4 złotych stores (and the über competitive 2.99 złotych stores) in town. People around the world can't resist a $1 bargain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iKQww7kaqKqbL-cWXHlvBz5prPWn_CKWrLuCffItUzhEn5GgtfGwSJCpszs2ebdsq8Rd8AxzGBY6EQPwJuQa2tQdFVLUkjYGRh2Ikbg4Y-MEdOFJQJzT7Gf3MhCP_dfDy9p6p96p1s6z/s320/IMG_0044.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602883815029725234" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></li><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydMw5qNl3hp7sOQ9uYuH35sGU_m2IL6VTm059EIe1hGvvQcLREJ3Fj38DwM05jmE4q8b__HkJ5DxMhABBA8zCMrn1v_JvYvhzgzjjIDHPoZRmT3IJiA9ppTq1J5eHiGutKc8rHCYzO17W/s320/IMG_0078.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602887661486957570" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The few precious days in April when Cieszyn’s magnolia trees are perfectly in bloom. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSATYtgu7tlFhAogd8dbhnc2UGUG-XabLIMaJhBsVla-u-bTiv05wNmHE7RWmffY4pObNQGnp4y3eQj2PkRV4oBxdpDCAXddYH7Uzf-Z9ueJ_W1nZdRWL21P2QF6FxWwoKV9hDzip3x-_X/s320/IMG_9614.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602894680118165378" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wonderfully chaotic and laughter-filled family Skype calls with my parents and sisters that make me feel like we're all sitting together at our dining room table. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyFm-WZApbFwPZHnFypTfaglc_CzIP78RgTyM5AXf6pUkoDiIyUoHVLI0NeyXS23r_CysN5JQRgnvsjkc2vjD2oXXWickVs__XLMYzfhtPcQI_LiHYG19lQoRJzMhGKzqFLrBWGJwNh9uw/s320/Griebler+Family.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602898890971347554" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Drinking English Breakfast tea and watching Kate and Will’s wedding live with 50 of my 8th grade students. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Eating cake first and dinner second when you visit a Polish home.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Giving students a taste of their first cupcake or friends a taste of their first Mexican, Thai, English, American, or Indian meal. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3KpgEhJakj-UGgA_3FSvG3cLa_Y7uwcNvKCtTfVfFX03oeoKrBSgSNXvJ0jxEmKsPAKUvjH-acTXaZalNJ6q9FA-xvCD_ZakfiP6zTVzhN8spoht_YxGtFVi68eK5YTF_AvG6kGgb4jg/s320/IMG_7807_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602890950654836530" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></li><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DAhIoD-hgULAgeFU-0WBoqQmJC9wSlg4yBkqeFB3c21LAT3lbSYD6NIVb9TlHX9tV_jER3QAudRKsrZc25I066JzuOaL_xYp3Zju_jV2NK3wWuVCNeVt_1lWGlZOcxm6RuGr-RHASbdg/s320/IMG_9568.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602894665840892642" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Greeting friends with 3 pecks on the cheek or a great big hug.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Helping older people read tiny price tags at the grocery store.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How anytime I come across a word I've never seen or heard before – in any language – English, Polish, Italian, German, etc. – I find myself automatically trying to sound it out using the Polish sound system, which, of course, only works if the word is actually a Polish one.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How embarrasing photographs from my past are sometimes the best way to start an English Conversation class, like this Halloween photograph where I dressed up as the night sky (oh dear...). </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1JEQR4b1noDsfb58ZZT9XRNvcM_l5uhGZzYXAucM5Xbiqm9jwfXPjRYeb0KLErBhLYkgoF0fZOxsMJUR7YhzjB6Api2VCsm3zn7z11AVxJ_fXVYZLNUr3HdxNcDJhEUUUE32XNaq6x7H/s320/IMG_6984_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602887685939740530" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How thanks to Skype and the Internet I’ve gotten to be a part of so many important events that have happened to my sisters this spring (they're off to undergraduate and graduate school next fall). I got to talk to Claire the moment she found out she was accepted to graduate school and the moment Kate got her first (of many!) college acceptance letter. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BoJSWYpXEd4JnAbTV4wGNpQLjtd1RHWFj9Nyau7zsHdJh6lidAhafYQgFTAiktD1g93vfEWSksjSYhuk2kL2WZ5rLzSp8NQc29xMgHpEN1hUKI4wLEHzfDBKdMbBT_RthQyu5okrvgH_/s320/IMG_7956.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602890955709825618" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How my friend Kasia and I sometimes act like we have to think about whether or not to order a slice of cheesecake at our favorite cafe, as if we would ever seriously consider skipping our weekly slice of the most heavenly cake on earth. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBcVzJ_StyA02q5hC6bQO7lMMYij0dkDy_iKZnUBtTXVEgrk17AOd4UNlea8I3kJfkjF6LdGxUG8aneVRyval8G1cNJ6vViedq989p497RMu3SYWIZ9aIIs_soqd2O5qVrqIgpAKDseYCS/s320/IMG_9200.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602890965011019954" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How my students still tell me that the best thing we could ever do in English conversation is go to the park across the street from the school. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How our school secretary keeps trying to find me a nice Polish boy to marry so I’ll stay another year.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How people, when I tell them there’s an “H” in my name, will put it anywhere except at the end (“Sahra” or “Sarha”) because Polish female names always end in “A.”</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How loving physical touch is so much a part of the culture here. Personal space is almost non-existent (which was startling at first but now I love it) and people are wonderfully affectionate with their friends and family.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How it turns out that studying in London during college was unbelievably helpful because I was familiar with British English which is what my students are learning. Perhaps not so awesome is that now I find myself automatically typing "favourite" and "colour" and how I sometimes find myself saying ridiculous things like “do we need a trolley for our shopping” and “please form a queue” and then I wonder what type of strange alternate universe I’m living in. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How in my teaching I've done things I never thought I would ever do - like sing and dance in front of a group of teenagers and teach people how to play baseball. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> How the greeti</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ng “</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">cześć</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">” (kind of like “Hi” in American English except it really is only spoken to people you know well) sounds so friendly and loving and you really feel like you’re embracing the person in a hug when you say it. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How walking across the Cz</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ech-Polish border several times a week never fails to thrill. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrl9dRZ9m4o95JQR3PjCB3lVDlJKgrRo_4MWSgouJfSaB4uosmztoX-7oNNf2QpPYe5TW65DjbrjOG85V4mz169Udr7iQF6dCp_68hmpM3bjhgBDdabWOKYI3FyEaAMDHDV2Tp8k9m4l4/s320/IMG_0056.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602883827122604962" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How when I was riding my bike in Chicago this summer, I couldn't stop myself from whipping my head around every time I heard someone speaking in English. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How, every once in a while, a student will still say “Good morning!” to me at 3 p.m. and make me smile.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Students who come to class early or stay late just to talk a few minutes more.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kids’ drawings in my preschool and kindergarten classes, like this drawing of a zoo that included the zoo animals we’d learned that day (parrot, monkey, lion, etc.) but also 3 dinosaurs. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzN65kWBecOK9lztUYulfuVlBpcvfViyq2T8sTOSDW9xlppauv-vb0m2UG5ggul1t7HhWHdYv5lStN6kAvmMLr3dEtPVKrmtR_KVaPItVNaqF9KmzgsddDz-zaMpXsV5aZlMMTO2CfYB7/s320/IMG_0043_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602883809344370162" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Knowing Poland’s "bathroom secret” - that the circle is the symbol on the women’s bathroom and the triangle is the symbol for the men’s - and getting to help people not "in the know" go into the right one. Although it's also hilarious when you find yourself face to face with a member of the opposite sex who ended up in the wrong bathroom and is just as shocked to find you there.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Knowing that whenever anyone – even very fluent English speakers - is talking about a day of the week and they pause, it’s because they want to say “Thursday” but they can’t remember the word (similar to how, especially if I’m very tired, I still mix up the numbers 9 "dziewięć "and 10 "dziesięć").<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Long chats with friends over Skype where I finally have to hang up not because we’re done talking but because it’s way past my bedtime.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My freezable lunch box that I bring with me everywhere and fill with little snacks and drinks that stay cold for hours (and it's a great way to save a little money when traveling). </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0egOEykBQQnAckRehIjJl_AfwtWaTAhGFXZOlOM2iGqqazOtjlMm97Mw9bTGSXctLivWdG2Pvc4aqAx4V4p4FOXGa2waQpX0TWcTD5ruHGwpKtfpKGvujj6cwxlnQhYdU5r0BV7G6w2cj/s320/IMG_9217.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602890966851344066" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My freshman boys who, after I enforced a strict "for every minute you are late to class that's how many minutes you stay after the bell rings at the end of the lesson," now all arrive incredibly early to our lessons and with big grins on their faces ask if their early arrival means that they can leave 2 or 3 minutes </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">before</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> the bell rings. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My Monday seniors who, when I ask them how they are at the beginning of our lesson, always reply in very melancholy tones that, “well, it’s Monday,” to which I reply that it is always Monday when I ask them this question because I only teach them on Mondays, and how this little ritual never fails to make us smile and I think makes early Monday mornings a little less painful.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My students’ amazement (and sometimes applause) when they can’t remember a word in English and I’m able to translate it from Polish without consulting a dictionary.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">During both of my visits home (summer and Christmas), only having to wait about 24 hours before hearing someone speaking in Polish.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">People who post comments on my blog, send me e-mails after reading a post, or mention something I wrote on my blog in a conversation. Thanks for confirming that, yes, someone does actually read this blog. You are awesome!</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Polish diminutives - the form of a word that typically signifies either physical smallness, or, especially with Polish nicknames, affection. For example, a cat is “kot,” a kitten is a “kotek” (the suffix “ek” creates the diminutive form meaning "a tiny cat") and a tiny kitten is a “koteczek” (the double suffix signifies a “doubly tiny” cat). “Koteczek” is </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">way</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> cuter than saying “a tiny kitten.” </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Polish food aisle I discovered in Park Ridge’s Jewel this summer that reassures me that there’s a little bit of Poland waiting for me in Chicago when I head back this June. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh15vaKkrGjnrvBHojpSYGssxFpWm60s7Eb0_I59HOJRf2YhpEDv2NCOhXFYPKCS_ZbshVCEf-MQQD1SRmV8W1SN55EIU34IMIajMkbrsSfDig1uUdE4aPbwW55Cei9Jtvna2LD9FvLx6LW/s320/IMG_6321.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602887679142543426" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sitting and talking for hours with a Polish or Czech friend as if we’ve known each other our whole lives. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Snail mail letters, especially from my grandma, my most loyal pen pal, and packages from friends and family with small surprises like Milky Ways, Peeps, and the fantastically trashy People magazine. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Awesomely brave students who, when I ask for a volunteer in class, raise their hands and then, after I have picked them say, “What I am supposed to do?” because they actually have no idea what they volunteered to do. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The English bookstore in Krakow. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46gcL4XAIz_TiDCO0ALz9mm1mg5CQIF1I9iQ2OmHFnUesfF9QjLBNl0ykqiSEEcFbPstkQnG3fVhm6NiufRzVxHna2fhKYR9wFQ7kmwCBEra5zzyKJq-jeQykS-rEenqTtiP-Rjn2yYWE/s320/IMG_9421.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602894660512357474" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The online webcam of Cieszyn’s market square. http://www.cieszyn.pl/_kamera/index.php</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Polish and Czech tradition of making lamb cakes for Easter, and this year getting to celebrate this tradition with Dominika, the 5</span></span></span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">th</span></span></span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> grader I’ve tutored for 2 years. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qNo2thT-CUdJ3x-Uzm8s8lS_W4rVPGY-I9xEe9pWodtxifxcn3mGrVQNP5LnDFeK9NDBkUG9vrsbaN48Uw8TQkDo2ya0MEEOLZc-b1AOyOEAvNKDM23G5C7gEEUs7KBZ1P0_XG2ujkjc/s320/IMG_9605_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602894676340988834" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Polish tradition of giving flowers to say thanks to important people in your life. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLsLzxlrIyC30vNTcoxhdLBTXbxU_jr-c6Ri4deedT4NYohFqnIRVT9ZNsKIQQFESx-BdhaHaNnKCxHWQiQwxCxC9AZd2T8J-t15NPgYX_ehrbShHVG1EXuLoDcz6jiWcWUuMxRfpOv1_/s320/IMG_9578.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602894669894891442" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The smell of mulled wine and and spiced tea/spirits at Polish Christmas markets. (Although I wouldn’t recommend actually drinking any of these - I have yet to find someone who can stomach a full glass, but it does smell amazing.) </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjibs-uZUxBrT7_Aemtoy_WsyqXwPNs59RN0dl0PkjWWbELgwEQjOVB-9pzKjkZ0w1AIKXmpZWvok22BP2wbASyoqc7jBtxYaJ9BeU0sG8aEh7xUobjcREfNAEPl0Le7nxXhEDzk_ySnYV/s320/IMG_7747.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602890949245051986" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tiny regional European airports where you still walk out to the plane.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" 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style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" 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start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; 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style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span 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type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; 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style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; 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normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><i><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: 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!important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top: 0in; display: inline !important; "><li class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGpo0Rt02Lp7uRydXKsPnxvoobUYhhxSd2cVY8DkzTaJ9rN3LuJ9mXTQ_Mgp2TDAustYcR8IGMnF5wV7CrWMN2hS8XH5KewF1zX9H1336kR6ANKeI_jlgeXzc1lMWD_gWqxhYXy1bt9PQ/s320/IMG_9898.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602895388442879090" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></li></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></li></i></ol></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></div></i></span></li></ol></i></span></i></span></i></span></i></span></li><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Trail markers throughout Cieszyn for walk routes that include hilariously detailed (although, ironically, often terribly unhelpful) instructions like “continue walking uphill until you reach the house painted white and beige and then walk diagonally across the field in the southernly direction for about 600 meters.” </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULMpicfQloJt-gLiUVQ8q5NyaRw3taWiyUvFfhF51P4OaRyO-lmqHFih0AkQUu48qbbp5xkb6rNeHHhJS6PrTfLDD3qS0rJMqo-plFSyTd_rnAZxWbCvHMBySG5EYPxudTOOQit4YVxIX/s320/IMG_0053.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602883822342617522" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When my buzzer rings and it’s a friend waiting to come up. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgup-3nZeUekeTgQwrSkznI3FY2vnynp69stVxdsZ1acz1FzAy1VIWN0r2YsXVXxzZ2gthltZndMWene1MJLhm_DqDnqfFiL7u0dHwO9GXL_zoyTwst9K4H7i7_MNbRpoQY9DM7hfCXGRcZ/s320/IMG_0079.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602887663943364530" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When my buzzer rings and it’s someone from the post office “poczta” – or someone just saying they’re from the post office because that’s all you have to say to get free access to pretty much any building in Cieszyn. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6zNVGRxUmm7WEo4VP7IrastTvrSVaVW199RF3HkuR9y-08d5qhuJa1U0nQ1a6d3YGKfX4Xoy3EaqGKjgx7xNbmmBx4nkWdFX1rsAlQbLjfct-1ztT4FTrhWPx_8ftYS-JvzQf6zrEaQU/s320/IMG_0083.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602887670713387506" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> When students show up for tutoring and instead of pulling out a writing assignment or their English textbook they say, “Can we just talk today?” and I have an amazing opportunity to just talk with them and get to know them better.</span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> When students specifically say something (usually hilarious) in English, not Polish or Czech (and typically at a louder volume than normal) because they want me to hear and understand every single word. </span></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When a "walk" signal at a crosswalk in Cieszyn changes from red to green at the exact moment I reach it. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJleBJyGhifrvqUBk-XN93EK71hMXeRRuyoqr_fXHWUVS87EdbXEpUr3z3hPdHg_dUFzP29siJfmqKb_ErImw5AaUiQno7tqgYzjTxmrdztG5ig3Re2Uh6il3po5BwnB8K9jIto0xtG-s/s320/IMG_0047.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602883815984048466" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></li> </ol> <!--EndFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> </i><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/05/50-awesome-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-783369019750526862Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:16:00 +00002011-04-01T13:23:13.936-07:00<div style="text-align: left;">With exactly two months left in Poland, I’ve started to do a few of the “don’t leave Poland without...” items on my list and that includes carrying my camera with me everywhere and taking more photographs.</div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For some people, a camera is a wonderful way to capture an experience, a feeling, or a memory, and they love taking photographs. I don’t typically take photographs because – for me – I feel like the camera distances me from the experience. I find that I prefer to write about experiences rather than photograph them. I carry a notebook with me everywhere and often jot down things I want to remember. It's re-reading these quickly scribbled notes that keep memories alive for me. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But photographs do too and I know I don’t want to leave without taking a few more photographs. I’m often very self-conscious about whipping out my camera, especially because I like to photograph everyday scenes, people, and events. It’s the ordinary that feels especially precious to me in my last months here. But there’s nothing that makes you stick out like a sore thumb in a tiny town like Cieszyn quicker than whipping out a camera on, say, a public bus. (I whipped out my camera on the “L” train in Chicago this summer to take photographs to show my students, and I think my family wanted to pretend they didn’t know me for a few minutes. Because, after all, who takes photographs on the “L”? People are like that here too. “We thought that girl was normal but then she whipped out her camera at the supermarket...”) (I could digress into a significantly longer blog post here about the constant tension between my desire to blend in and my knowledge that in many ways I am – and always will be – an “other” but this is a post that’s supposed to be devoted to photographs and I’m going to stick to that plan.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But I’ve decided that it’s worth feeling a little self-conscious because in the future I’ll want to have these photographs to look back at. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m not very good about posting photographs on this blog – because I never take any and therefore don’t have any to post! – but I finally have a few favorites to share with you from the past couple months. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">On a walk through a park my friend Bożena and I discovered a cotton candy cart. This is my all-time favorite photograph of her – it captures her perfectly because she is such a joyful person.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNCODhyphenhyphen4Oui9K3XEYF6OFlYySWk8tPg3C5pl3duet7GWZYBaWMyed6uSMHxjKjPDEB0ZPqMV32DixFz2cLDw9Lowl_g2oOJyVx5Zzj2Ht4giJMXxUgUBql2XzM98vpyWB2Iy8fOB4N74-/s320/IMG_7282.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590683716094331410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span>The line outside Cieszyn’s best bakery at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwblsCNI5La-zHTLofK_WAIguBWtMcXkGvb5UDOylPen-xJu0rY94D-FkK6RgDYZqzOMQ_IH7lwCSCq59WpJwRrnshP-MOQvE3XzmxR8qGt7mLasJhNermy7HknTaeEMrUfJmJNoapTXj/s320/IMG_7319.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590683724084333410" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div>Isn’t it fascinating that people around the world love feeding birds? And that you can find pigeons everywhere? I love watching children at the Cieszyn market square chase after pigeons and debate whether they should donate the roll their mother gave them to the birds or if their own stomach needs it more.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT17ekKfjGuSGwEW4xgftlD9zS_CrQTtnXCwrYgCAoKmaQEsciemS94v5KgvyF-08PFkJ5q38U4fwDVjYOFsH3sg07oeFmxbyYiOiMSMW-wIAZj1W3bF5GaqJ3KCIYMgQhCutpPURYWybH/s320/IMG_7336.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590683725261581874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEPXpPKLxTgrW7cZkpZTzsXvEJskwZ1RaB5sljmUC6VNGAlOMiFEd-ctv7-8nwIVKWZA_t01dE4J_sEzEXUxaKO6rjE5VmTJXJmxH2SxYagmL9ikQhcqI-wAcH-ST0VD4AiQ7bue6nZDC/s1600/IMG_9342.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEPXpPKLxTgrW7cZkpZTzsXvEJskwZ1RaB5sljmUC6VNGAlOMiFEd-ctv7-8nwIVKWZA_t01dE4J_sEzEXUxaKO6rjE5VmTJXJmxH2SxYagmL9ikQhcqI-wAcH-ST0VD4AiQ7bue6nZDC/s320/IMG_9342.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590693959570189138" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcoZ8hqOjea-yX-6M-PEVMzhFwDFj9zwnNWXbBNP5_0VxF1wnVX6l1Io29sUdW6fgUItLvH8cZxQlkT0NL5MWUOyPQLMLIw4m7-r9BKgNf_sqvis52LfhMCpJf4KPJ2XRFxJpl1VrFoyM/s1600/IMG_9344.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqcoZ8hqOjea-yX-6M-PEVMzhFwDFj9zwnNWXbBNP5_0VxF1wnVX6l1Io29sUdW6fgUItLvH8cZxQlkT0NL5MWUOyPQLMLIw4m7-r9BKgNf_sqvis52LfhMCpJf4KPJ2XRFxJpl1VrFoyM/s320/IMG_9344.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590693966738463778" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p><div style="text-align: left;">There’s a special atmosphere in Polish cemeteries that I can’t quite describe in words. The graves are lovingly maintained by family, friends, and strangers and always lit with dozens of candle lanterns. In Cieszyn, the Lutheran cemetery is on a hill about a half-mile from my apartment and from my bedroom windows I can see the candles flickering in the distance.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDLe1_eY-aMi_3N6x2hpfSNcZqbIM4OKIQJrTWTfKmWAf2QKLAb2fp3DdRBoXM2Qusk2FslcHcopRWqHbhRDMejR89xGZ8DUbkB4-BWpuMLFD6y7FLIVUtC1Wr_Iqzqn9Fx18DcAPAgwg/s320/IMG_7361.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590683731830119458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div>You know how when you think of Poland in the winter you picture a place that’s cold and gray and snowy and dreary? Well, that’s often exactly how it is! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiW4SJmG6fEbOM4HXvJ78RjNaNg87vwIMLsI3JpiR8Dl9FbTcPtOSyPI4lCvxtvKndg0kqmbMJVFJ0Pkm0N3EA-kA-7SLTVKCE3qVyGP-jy2Xd37eMSVFQlbqgDXIst6Nt-8RVaM_GU0l/s1600/IMG_7775.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiW4SJmG6fEbOM4HXvJ78RjNaNg87vwIMLsI3JpiR8Dl9FbTcPtOSyPI4lCvxtvKndg0kqmbMJVFJ0Pkm0N3EA-kA-7SLTVKCE3qVyGP-jy2Xd37eMSVFQlbqgDXIst6Nt-8RVaM_GU0l/s320/IMG_7775.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590685931701122594" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvE0Z12hgS3nISTywNPYX6n8xNREHKd2HENA5y03LqsRF0LNlF8dZMuJu_lIYeY87-rbChGQqD4MXlz-aq-Nkp8aJyBcKymDulmPSK930Hs3kpRhfaRgZlk0g2vgMM-H3KypQNpVpq8SRZ/s1600/IMG_7686.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvE0Z12hgS3nISTywNPYX6n8xNREHKd2HENA5y03LqsRF0LNlF8dZMuJu_lIYeY87-rbChGQqD4MXlz-aq-Nkp8aJyBcKymDulmPSK930Hs3kpRhfaRgZlk0g2vgMM-H3KypQNpVpq8SRZ/s320/IMG_7686.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590683740907151042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p><div>I finally have a few preschool and kindergarten photographs to share with you. The school agreed to let me photograph the children whose parents signed the photography release form and I’ve tried to grab a few photographs here and there either right before or right after our lessons. I’m not going to share their names, but I’m happy to share a few of their angelic faces.</div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal">The biggest news in my kindergarten class is that they are losing their teeth left and right. I love how in this photograph you see N.’s new gaping hole in her mouth thanks to the tooth she yanked the day before. The kids also love showing me their newest toy or new favorite book every week and one week N. had gone to a 3D showing of a movie that afternoon and she wore her 3D classes all day.</p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImxRessvmbGBf0VJGcEAqgJc_EEopZG1MyXomj9CEyg9TQ8zV6Quw5i9cV9MzcSLjMPXdFfflxAXLmSH1xu2eC-VIhp8puHeA9YPvGB58rizbItJop8x_rZQHB9eBmLh_HnDOtdZIBv5l/s320/IMG_9058.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590685939183912802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIyiuJ4pTDpS1ILLyob6FHzQ1AzyiM8s_0YAyydf-r-hrrJcJnqvhjuP5SYCeBqEGQTxsLpNMvuEKRQbzuySuFh3sn20dm4Rzfe9ifZLSiRLQmkQSz3eZVVeaxLushmjOYEjHPfSCJcy1/s1600/IMG_9321.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIyiuJ4pTDpS1ILLyob6FHzQ1AzyiM8s_0YAyydf-r-hrrJcJnqvhjuP5SYCeBqEGQTxsLpNMvuEKRQbzuySuFh3sn20dm4Rzfe9ifZLSiRLQmkQSz3eZVVeaxLushmjOYEjHPfSCJcy1/s320/IMG_9321.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590693953535392786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a>Here are some of my wonderful 3 year olds. H., the little blonde boy I’m next to in the second photograph, fell in love with balloons over Christmas and now draws balloons every opportunity he gets and loves to talk to me (in Polish) about balloons. We do a little craft project every lesson and it only takes H. about 2 minutes to decide to ditch the project I’ve thought of and start drawing balloons. It makes me smile just to think about it. Here’s one of his masterpieces. (All the other kids were drawing the animals we had learned that week.)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UBjPlcKpn1GXaSlHaR8vpVa8SzOjxCIBc6ppLDzzkogn3S6C9CBE3BmRlOfeT6UO6fskP1kE1RID0XZkUHLyG1WbzqWNRN99Qw72uMlzFWkTS1QRX89-Quw-Cyc6COnUfVd9LDr3KzWS/s1600/IMG_9311.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UBjPlcKpn1GXaSlHaR8vpVa8SzOjxCIBc6ppLDzzkogn3S6C9CBE3BmRlOfeT6UO6fskP1kE1RID0XZkUHLyG1WbzqWNRN99Qw72uMlzFWkTS1QRX89-Quw-Cyc6COnUfVd9LDr3KzWS/s320/IMG_9311.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590693946416435010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8k4MLnLAHEarjlMmWPCli1CSW8e7niASToMxE6uRJyN9S8b3SfRegOYVMJmuPspJQUWWeADg4eFHuxuZaWQA_S4qooNGhWwDKFh5XsoeGudYs-NNJBoOwn_Ic2sZ_z0U2ni_yxCbryBRe/s320/IMG_9060.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590685941260150082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwtkyD1Jb0uj7ST_AbLXIVUp8uz5C0eW1aQ0wZLJqn57SIB7cUBtXT7t8t-I_UJ24y0xxUMmA-c9afbviFtPFk1uZoE93nlXw31iTDSB10sHyhI3Jq4JZUPJ1T86ijTFJK_gTlEbN862Z/s320/IMG_9054.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590685935661018850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span>One of my favorite lessons this spring was helping my high school seniors become more conscious of the “uhhhs” and “urrrms” and “hmmms” that are scattered throughout their speech because they're docked points for this on their English exit exam. (And I have nothing but sympathy and first-hand understanding of this challenge when speaking a second language. I’m constantly saying “hmmm” when I speak Polish because I need time to think of what to say!) To raise their awareness, we did an activity where they answered questions with a partner and if their partner heard them say any filler words (“uhhh,” etc.) they got to blow their party horn. We had a blast and it was a silly, non-threatening way to help students become more conscious of this common foreign language challenge.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgWf6EU14HXcIDiQ8HHgmPEbhbojTL3URs-xx5zP_5dhXzIVabMHfc3t82KOzqYFwVMWgIKbjQeUNzRIpLwpFS9B_qsY8z1yGFq_tGJqJXTcuC6iALlLBSlkQZcE14PlIB6w1FvRwXe8s/s320/IMG_9084.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590685949991971282" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span>The school Olympics this year were wonderful. For the Olympics, every homeroom has a theme, and one of my 8^th grade classes dressed up as butchers and pigs and served cold cuts and sausages to the teachers. Every class I teach has a special place in my heart, and something about this picture captures my love for this particular class and their unique personality. Oh, and in Polish, pigs say "Kwik! Kwik!"</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf837XhV6pVXw2PW4ItiXHamDZ2JOuhFvYof-GVSXyb3bVCArL9lqBtdBgsciAmF5FLWYTLKa8Xhaxm2E4kQN3KfG06ns41PmZInAJONXhXwkW11YLtmuRW-LWFPxZdW2Qb3nJm6v9t-G/s320/IMG_9093.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590688614980910306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div>For the Olympics, one of the teachers brought her almost-2-years-old daughter. She stayed near her mom because, well, 300 teenagers are a little loud and a little intimidating when you’re that short. But she got more and more comfortable as the day went on and that was in part because the students were just so kind and gentle with her and it was really beautiful to watch.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz5mOHMPxAVNuGSUf-7kowXuXfofl-7W33OwSeiohM1awM3Hc0xYnZcuc6heIwg5BnRXEFJFNXnYg0hKgfFwXK7L446m1M2k0r1aOkXxJx8f13kFF9rk13rMXH4ReTyqUkjOD0WXhgB_M/s320/IMG_9148.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590688620155339922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div>There’s a little street called the “Venice Street” in Cieszyn that I walk along to get to some of my classes in the Czech Republic. It’s a simple little road but I love the stream and it’s always so peaceful and quiet.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGssrjjU_wYGF5ByI3FTZB6rXIVvkXLdiL34SZZiNDxrYx52O6kp1ULDNXiH2MJktCFPgc8tz-HlPe2j9BZkDHmBduQIseq2e4fA3pvxFeDsGnfmXDHHtsqD8HipGDyya_CnOCLoN-CoN8/s1600/IMG_9173.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGssrjjU_wYGF5ByI3FTZB6rXIVvkXLdiL34SZZiNDxrYx52O6kp1ULDNXiH2MJktCFPgc8tz-HlPe2j9BZkDHmBduQIseq2e4fA3pvxFeDsGnfmXDHHtsqD8HipGDyya_CnOCLoN-CoN8/s320/IMG_9173.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590688629882588162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoaciSba3iL-IM5wi6wH2G8cSSGkGLLYQ2hC6kONldmxFq9zIiliL-FytfWB_OineZCx5fEIwHx45dh0jlT5CAHNVmC25AhtuLe7XEOib-7dspyY90Mun-pBsfRSZp1l5xqx3k740vd22/s1600/IMG_9172.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoaciSba3iL-IM5wi6wH2G8cSSGkGLLYQ2hC6kONldmxFq9zIiliL-FytfWB_OineZCx5fEIwHx45dh0jlT5CAHNVmC25AhtuLe7XEOib-7dspyY90Mun-pBsfRSZp1l5xqx3k740vd22/s320/IMG_9172.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590688626740796050" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguop-qY3ZuvqnQiH09leNtj2KGYqp1xhtORwZYWleF7kvlVdFdYmYqQWsrHTuXIQQ7Cki4nZ3g-064PapGNtn58ltp-Cyqonx55WXiVNKaQ4_IDZ7HysIw3PT7rJiBa4fHFDjQYzTJgqwx/s1600/IMG_9171.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguop-qY3ZuvqnQiH09leNtj2KGYqp1xhtORwZYWleF7kvlVdFdYmYqQWsrHTuXIQQ7Cki4nZ3g-064PapGNtn58ltp-Cyqonx55WXiVNKaQ4_IDZ7HysIw3PT7rJiBa4fHFDjQYzTJgqwx/s320/IMG_9171.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590688624203223794" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p><div>When I walk home at night from the Czech Republic I walk through town because the side streets aren’t well-lit. This is a photograph of what I call “kantor way” – kantors are currency exchange offices and when you cross the Polish-Czech border you have half a dozen kantors to choose from if you need to change money. “Kantor way” is a fun reminder that I signed up to teach in Poland but ended up getting two countries for the price of one.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjm3_1Fb3759bZ76nm7cCh4f9BC4f-QHVuxh6u01R7-PJEi7Eom8FciLUtriLik8_6aB7kXDfQbYbyslZpT2kaupuTF4B5csgLkIMqBFaCnHjTp4aJN_MpsKbhT5eAblqF2UT5LZj2UKh/s320/IMG_9185.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590691174608819538" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div>Bless their hearts, my students are terrible at following oral directions. I can’t judge them because when I was their age I never bothered to read directions. Although the majority of my lessons are speaking focused, every once in a while I like to have a listening lesson. In my most recent listening lesson, the students had to re-build a mini-golf course that I had designed by listening to my instructions. In the last 10 minutes of class they got to play the course with a plastic mini-golf set I bought at TESCO. It’s amazing how well kids will listen when they know that they’ll eventually get to hit a little orange plastic golf ball. Only 3 or 4 of my students had ever played mini-golf before and it was pretty hilarious watching everyone play mini-golf with a teeny-tiny golf set designed for 3 and 4 year olds (especially because I teach some very, very tall boys).</div><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpiFzJ-AwyxVK13ZluTG5Zs1yWQz375mWlJg4F3Y0FyGC6Oe0axt63-Fz3pFGdRz1HfqZmkhzgVUZAomwy3HXq18MWEQZVO6G6mjC1yfyX8CLs-LUHpi-pEB_Wj6jLVkQW3az7iJTmoGw/s1600/IMG_9346.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpiFzJ-AwyxVK13ZluTG5Zs1yWQz375mWlJg4F3Y0FyGC6Oe0axt63-Fz3pFGdRz1HfqZmkhzgVUZAomwy3HXq18MWEQZVO6G6mjC1yfyX8CLs-LUHpi-pEB_Wj6jLVkQW3az7iJTmoGw/s320/IMG_9346.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590693972922645746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMh_LdOidy23Y3iALZGTzGHYAtiqixuADxej18J8Kn2bULc3aQZcOmy9yWP1OJMlGJvdqVItPiHkyVUlwCT8N-f2TiwU85949gZ79DqBfvHlMZYUwO4hne-_K9rpZPiO_62rMo55K_CWH/s1600/IMG_9378.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMh_LdOidy23Y3iALZGTzGHYAtiqixuADxej18J8Kn2bULc3aQZcOmy9yWP1OJMlGJvdqVItPiHkyVUlwCT8N-f2TiwU85949gZ79DqBfvHlMZYUwO4hne-_K9rpZPiO_62rMo55K_CWH/s320/IMG_9378.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590696215730802578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQCM6myG4VtSW4jtK1gowEKg-3XleT_w3tpOni6dxCNAv-IUGwSCVoUy8L2q8gf8Mb320auzZKYkyebl-F_iW_vsQQ3Y2IfWh0btU2Zla7vUoDKjrhe2ezHcoYNmJJMYs9JrDVlxDdP7m/s1600/IMG_9373.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSQCM6myG4VtSW4jtK1gowEKg-3XleT_w3tpOni6dxCNAv-IUGwSCVoUy8L2q8gf8Mb320auzZKYkyebl-F_iW_vsQQ3Y2IfWh0btU2Zla7vUoDKjrhe2ezHcoYNmJJMYs9JrDVlxDdP7m/s320/IMG_9373.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590696200841850338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP2AkTnfxW1DQ7OMmD2WUJ5wARA1DM_BhwAx3W1lunw0973t9C3RrKyzwLugfXEOYE21bnE_EC8lRZfoBHA1BxacvXwORF7IORHqcow8QoBQ9sOej3Z1EPqh7wkbI-tuzvV-shCastbc6/s320/IMG_9304.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590691191803279506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0evTUh71Je1YdQMTlKXEodB3s2zWCsrS6Fihy1mPpJd_Y55XBkDeJ4VvJUIHXZ71cQ-QvlyYQT46ElG43l0RDGWMoeQ0jFXxQYosUrDgxI6oeD8y4E6IDQ_fycOAW5VHXQnUMVTRynXCg/s320/IMG_9288.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590691181801608898" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKz3kTSoRBlWt5uPbvysaz-2HJHCRNvyfdJgGjixIoUs6VXOKhn4JF2LhbonE-XvYvija0yDPgplXJ6WfUPtQxrAY8dUvRZtbLVLeScc8S-o7IUVgWSQ1fR2OpVwSz3UZaKnveDdGqj3F-/s1600/IMG_9359.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKz3kTSoRBlWt5uPbvysaz-2HJHCRNvyfdJgGjixIoUs6VXOKhn4JF2LhbonE-XvYvija0yDPgplXJ6WfUPtQxrAY8dUvRZtbLVLeScc8S-o7IUVgWSQ1fR2OpVwSz3UZaKnveDdGqj3F-/s320/IMG_9359.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590696189647647506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zbIdmPBr0mUVClli-zLAaDO5t39UNO2XweEsYh2e_CFrdcCvcua-0dBYnNtjSW4YiGl-EQmfqlb4zc_zO6FgxhWV3Z7TgiMxuKmmsQd_BrUtf6wu3w3s6Vo8xJwbEt8mAnJ2p_5Fm_ov/s1600/IMG_9358.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zbIdmPBr0mUVClli-zLAaDO5t39UNO2XweEsYh2e_CFrdcCvcua-0dBYnNtjSW4YiGl-EQmfqlb4zc_zO6FgxhWV3Z7TgiMxuKmmsQd_BrUtf6wu3w3s6Vo8xJwbEt8mAnJ2p_5Fm_ov/s320/IMG_9358.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590696188300002690" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a></div> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s a picture of the main street in Cieszyn. This photograph captures three “favorites.” First, the two men are old friends greeting each other – and you can’t go anywhere in Cieszyn without running into a familiar face. Second, you can see the little balloon stand that appears in the spring (and from which I must buy a balloon before I leave). Third, there’s a man people-watching from his window – and I love how people here stand in their open windows and people-watch. I think I might return to Cieszyn when I retire, buy an apartment on the main street, and spend my afternoons people-watching like him.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoygnzRpf2IgF52X2BaYZYjG1WKr5L2Fd0dCLdYWPZYC7HR5xJeBytHckGCpswWcrFPQG5Kf6kk_MGcyo1g7nTDS1NexMEIBChzFAaqN0uab32zqaqkY3W7zr9gbgEPaU7xaxDrhomrYEf/s320/IMG_9567.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590699154641168434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div>The Planty is a path and park that surrounds the city of Krakow. It’s one of my favorite spots in all of Poland. I love walking this path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UabKhy5icNZi51r8D5Crry86b-BQ8Y_CWKNClB-WKJADMwjxefBg3LQVMUoCLkMK_X2QejmWw-ZP7Dxx15vuea54puifJxL2FtR75WWJIcedlKWV29kArInTfJ4Dn5oxTAIvr7sat2we/s320/IMG_9383.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590699138173498498" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></p><div>Here are two of my Wednesday evening students. They’re moms of two students I teach at LOTE/GTE. I realized this week I didn’t have a photograph with them and definitely wanted one. I especially love the second photograph because we always laugh a lot in our lessons. Sometimes people here look very solemn in photographs. It’s one reason I’ve stopped taking a lot of “posed” photographs because people often look so grim even if they were smiling moments before. Americans “say cheese” and know that if someone whips out a camera you’re supposed to smile. It’s fun how Poland and the Czech Republic have challenged my American assumptions about photographs. After all, if you really think about it, it is a little weird that we all smile and “say cheese” just because someone told us to. There are a couple pretty funny photographs of me with students or friends where I am literally the only person smiling. No one would have any trouble identifying me as the American in these photographs even though people always tell me I look very Polish.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzwfgVSUxxyjis846FKY2BRQsdNBgtCV_9cRsFsAawty_42coUQYFD5MPc7VuhsojV99N2NUarVVg9dU5nEeTnTr4WzPTY860H6p-nNHsK9lnlEUkXpEZPbfsK77gZtqRtLX9ptnl4EYO/s320/IMG_9440.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590699147498548610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFpBHFDD3CRWth78QoijJOvtgGZ2XYSnah-xbqNxbFrWPztydBkhy2m4-ZhVha6eUpxBzPEcmjiYv8yFvDUXW47534-Si6qRtlT-J_b2k61ZGjAO6Uq6t646KsXQsBHQGrXG45H31fIW6/s320/IMG_9441.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590699148058868226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div>This is an apartment building I pass every day on my way to school. There’s a blue bench outside the building and people are always sitting there, visiting, talking, reading, or just resting. Sometimes someone will lean out one of the windows and chat with the people sitting below on the bench. (I’m hoping to get a picture of people on the bench and in the windows before I leave.) This is one of my absolute favorite photographs and I can’t explain why except to say that for me it truly captures life here. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP2AkTnfxW1DQ7OMmD2WUJ5wARA1DM_BhwAx3W1lunw0973t9C3RrKyzwLugfXEOYE21bnE_EC8lRZfoBHA1BxacvXwORF7IORHqcow8QoBQ9sOej3Z1EPqh7wkbI-tuzvV-shCastbc6/s1600/IMG_9304.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpg5qhWeNjcF8QHePEOmLHjNyZAlow4j19dz5DAU2_EmbXk1a2clgrcy-3B6UngroeiZPsYTwFuZN3GRY1aL1_EaEZaQ8GfkOrUfans2T-2OHGGtQ_CopOmuULifJZl9dhIQoKvYwvgpuc/s1600/IMG_9299.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpg5qhWeNjcF8QHePEOmLHjNyZAlow4j19dz5DAU2_EmbXk1a2clgrcy-3B6UngroeiZPsYTwFuZN3GRY1aL1_EaEZaQ8GfkOrUfans2T-2OHGGtQ_CopOmuULifJZl9dhIQoKvYwvgpuc/s320/IMG_9299.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590691188285465058" /></a></div>http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/04/favorite-photographs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-1445981963796431612Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:51:00 +00002011-03-12T03:43:49.858-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZqCOLTJLRrJo3CO9HOK0-J54VcQDYNRZxeqNmfV-1viOBawNqH8dJXrW9bvgNcGC33JImXpxYuIQ2T9sC6Ar8qPe3LlCcWgG0EOSLp6JFp3sxJwXRdq0bHCZEE7Lz3hdz25SAg5wKURj/s1600/Polish+in+4+Weeks.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZqCOLTJLRrJo3CO9HOK0-J54VcQDYNRZxeqNmfV-1viOBawNqH8dJXrW9bvgNcGC33JImXpxYuIQ2T9sC6Ar8qPe3LlCcWgG0EOSLp6JFp3sxJwXRdq0bHCZEE7Lz3hdz25SAg5wKURj/s320/Polish+in+4+Weeks.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583145482813516242" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">You know the expression, “Smile, and the world smiles with you?” A better expression for this week in Cieszyn is, “Cough, and the world coughs with you.” Everyone’s sick. You walk down the halls at school and you hear coughing fits behind doors at every turn. My apartment building sounds like a hospital ward for people with upper respiratory infections. Thanks to the paper-thin walls, you can hear your neighbor two floors above you coughing. It’s oddly comforting to live in a building filled with illness. There’s a wonderful sense of solidarity. We’re all in this together. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Luckily I haven’t missed any school but my main extracurricular activity this week was lying on my couch (and coughing). (At school, there was the hilarious discovery that my students can’t understand me when I’m sick. With all the coughing my voice dropped about half an octave in pitch and all of a sudden my students were having a difficult time understanding my pronunciation. Kind of fascinating!)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">During my couch-ridden evenings I’ve caught up a little on “popular culture.” A couple weeks ago I finally saw “The King’s Speech” (and thoroughly enjoyed it) and this week I’ve read a few fascinating articles about stuttering, learned more about King George VI, and watched a few interviews with the cast and crew of the film. And this post was inspired by something Colin Firth said in one of the interviews I watched. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Have you read Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time?” It’s a wonderful book and not, in my opinion, only for kids. “A Wrinkle in Time” is, in one sense, a beautiful reflection on the power of language and the intricacies, challenges, and joys of communication. There’s a character in the book named Mrs. Who and she speaks primarily in quotations because she “finds it difficult to work out words of her own” (28-29). Mrs. Who is always quoting – and sometimes I feel like Mrs. Who because I also like to quote, to borrow words and phrases first spoken by others. I love writing and talking but sometimes I can’t satisfactorily explain an experience, a feeling, or a thought in my own words. And for me, sometimes borrowing is helpful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Today I’m borrowing from Colin Firth. I’ve often found it difficult to describe the experience of living in a country where you’re not fluent in the language. People are always asking me “how’s your Polish?” I think that question speaks to the importance of language in our lives and perhaps an unconscious understanding that language isn’t only practical (“I’d like five tomatoes, please”) but also (and I'd say more importantly) a form of personal expression, the way we tell the world who we are.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What’s most difficult, I’d argue, about learning a new language is not the grammar or the declensions or the pronunciation of 4 consonants in a row – it’s that you must first focus on acquiring “survival language” and survival language is practical, not emotional. You quickly learn the harsh reality that language as a form of personal expression is frequently out of your grasp as a beginner and even intermediate speaker. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s what Colin Firth said in an interview with James Lipton. He’s comparing the experience of stuttering to the experience of speaking in a language you don’t know well:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Anyone who’s tried to speak another language will find – if you’re limited in that language – that you end up saying what you <u>can</u> rather than what you really <u>want</u> to say. And you start to circumnavigate the real thing. So who then are you in relation to the world?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What Colin Firth does in this quotation is link <u>language</u> with <u>personal identity</u>. Craig Storti, author of “The Art of Crossing Cultures,” also does this eloquently in his book when he writes: “Language is not simply how people speak; it is who they are” (101). He continues: “On a deeper level, if you can’t communicate your ideas and opinions to people, how can they know who you are? Language is the primary means of self-expression; when we don’t have language the self does not get expressed. When the self can no longer be expressed, does it still exist?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There’s a conversation I had a few weeks ago that sometimes replays in my mind. It was a Friday and I’d left school only to remember that I’d forgotten my umbrella in the teachers’ room. Another teacher saw me return to get my umbrella and asked me if it was raining. I said, “No, it’s not raining now.” And then I stopped. I wanted to say, “Well, it’s not raining YET” and comment on the fact that whereas Chicago has two seasons (winter and construction), it often feels like Cieszyn has only one: the year-long rainy season. But it was Friday afternoon and my brain was a little tired and I couldn’t find the right vocabulary to express this playful thought (because nowadays I quite enjoy the rain). I could only say, “No, it’s not raining now. Have a good weekend,” and go on my way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps Firth’s and Storti’s words help shed a little light on why I sometimes find myself thinking back on this 10-second “conversation.” The “umbrella incident" was, fundamentally, a successful exchange in Polish. Someone asked a question, I understood it, and I responded appropriately. But it’s also an example of a language interaction stripped of any emotional or personal quality. I could express the facts (“it’s not raining”) but I couldn’t express <u>myself</u> (my desire to playfully comment on Cieszyn’s rainy weather). And therefore, for me, the interaction was sterile and feels, to this day, unfinished. When I think back on this tiny 10-second conversation, it was my inability to say what I wanted that sticks with me. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The list of “things unsaid” at the end of a typical day here are sometimes numerous. Like Colin Firth wisely observed, I often find myself saying what I <u>can</u> rather than what I really <u>want</u> to say. It’s not that I have the vocabulary but I’m afraid to speak. One beautiful lesson I’ve learned from studying Polish is “not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” I’m a beginner trying to master a very complex grammar system and if I only opened my mouth when I felt confident every word was declined correctly, I’d never speak. But this willingness to make mistakes can’t solve the fact that I don’t have the extensive vocabulary I need to express my every thought or feeling. There also isn’t an easy “quick fix” solution. I continue to learn new words, new grammar points, and new expressions every week and I rejoice in every new acquisition, every new word I suddenly understand. Learning a new language requires time, patience, a sense of humor, diligence, and most importantly, self-compassion.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, what’s it like to live in a country where you don’t speak the language? Sometimes it’s marvelous and exciting. I’m always learning and it’s wonderful how immediately I get to apply my new knowledge. I remember my first week in Poland when I only knew five words ("hello," "goodbye," "yes," "no," and "thank you") and it's amazing to realize how much I have learned since then. But sometimes I still wish I could say more than, “No, it’s not raining” when a colleague inquires about the weather.</p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/03/colin-firth-and-chat-about-weather.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-2314759735257718595Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:57:00 +00002011-02-22T13:14:09.895-08:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">You may or may not know that although I also studied TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and music in college, my primary focus was actually psychology. Specifically, during my junior and senior years of college, my studies and research focused on educational psychology. Educational psychology is the study of how people learn, different learning environments, and how individual differences affect learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">You also may or may not know that I’m an introvert. Do you know your Myers-Briggs personality type? I’m an INFJ. Because not everyone geeks out on psychology and personality articles, inventories, and books like me, I won’t bore you with a lengthy description of the 16 Myers-Briggs types or the specifics of the INFJ personality profile, except to say that INFJs are introverts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(Although if you’re interested in learning your own type, it’s easy to find great resources on the Internet.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">INFJs are unique in that they’re introverted people who are often mistaken for extraverts. I’m pretty certain that if you asked my students, they’d say I’m an extravert – I love teaching, I love my students, I love talking with them, and I’m very animated and enthusiastic when I teach. But although, like other INFJs, I’m outgoing, love people and enjoy a “people-oriented profession” like teaching, there’s no doubt in my mind that I am, in fact, an introvert. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What’s the primary difference between extraverts and introverts? It’s all about energy. Extraverts <u>gain</u> energy when interacting with other people and <u>lose</u> energy when alone. Introverts <u>gain</u> energy when alone and <u>expend</u> energy when interacting with other people (Costa &amp; McCrae, 2003). Introverts and extraverts alike get “happiness boosts” when socializing, but introverts leave the party at 11 p.m. because they need time alone to recharge whereas extraverts stay until 3 a.m. because once they leave, they lose their “energy source” (i.e., other people). Neither orientation is correct, neither orientation is better. But because of this difference in how energy is gained/lost, introverts and extraverts often have different needs and respond differently to different situations. It’s also often difficult for extraverted people to understand introverted people, and vice versa. (What? You don’t love parties with 100 people? What? You don’t love spending time alone?)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>It’s also important to clarify a few misconceptions about introverts:</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>1.</b> Introverts are NOT anti-social. Anti-social personality disorder is separate from the extraversion/introversion construct. There are antisocial introverts and antisocial extraverts. Introversion ≠ antisocial. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>2.</b> Introverts are NOT shy. Shyness is also a separate construct. There are shy introverts and shy extraverts. Introversion ≠ shyness. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>3.</b> Introverts are NOT afraid of speaking to other people and are NOT afraid of public speaking. Again, this is confusing shyness with introversion/extraversion. I’m going to defer here to a quotation by author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell here: “[Public] speaking is not an act of extroversion. People think it is. It has nothing to do with extroversion. It’s a performance.” (Teaching is also a performance. And the kids will throw tomatoes if they don’t like the show. Kidding.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>4.</b> Introversion is NOT a problem or disorder that needs correcting. First, it’s important to understand that the introversion/extraversion construct is very stable. If a person is extraverted at the age of 5, he’s also going to be extraverted at the age of 25, and at the age of 50. Therefore, in my opinion, we should teach people how to embrace their natural introversion/extraversion orientation, and we especially shouldn’t try to teach introverts how to be “more extraverted.” Neither introversion nor extraversion is a disorder that needs correcting. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Before you read on, here's a chance to evaluate how introverted or extraverted you are. Here’s a quick quiz, thanks to author Susan Cain’s blog “Quiet: The Power of Introverts.”</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Answer “True” or “False” to the following questions:<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">1. I prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">2. I often prefer to express myself in writing.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">3. I enjoy solitude.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">4. I seem to care about wealth, fame, and status less than my peers.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">5. I dislike small talk, but I enjoy talking in-depth about topics that matter to me.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">6. People tell me that I’m a good listener.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">7. I’m not a big risk-taker.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">8. I enjoy work that allows me to “dive in” with few interruptions.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">9. I like to celebrate birthdays on a small scale, with only one or two close friends or family members.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">10. People describe me as “soft-spoken” or “mellow.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">11. I prefer not to show or discuss my work with others until it’s finished.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">12. I dislike conflict.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">13. I do my best work on my own.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">14. I tend to think before I speak.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">15. I feel drained after being out and about, even if I’ve enjoyed myself.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">16. I often let calls go through to voice-mail.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">17. If I had to choose, I’d prefer a weekend with absolutely nothing to do to one with too many things scheduled.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">18. I don’t enjoy multi-tasking.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">19. I can concentrate easily.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">20. In classroom situations, I prefer lectures to seminars.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>The more times you responded “True,” the more introverted you are. </b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My fascination with the introversion/extraversion construct started in college and culminated in my senior year study on whether a student’s personality (with a special focus on introversion/extraversion) affects his or her participation in college discussion classes. It wasn’t a radical idea that a student’s personality might affect his or her class participation, but no one had truly studied this idea by examining hard, raw data. For my study, I had the opportunity to analyze recordings and transcripts of college class discussions (4 Great Books sections, 4 professors, 62 students – 14-16 in every section, 4 recordings of every section, 20 hours of recordings total) and I also administered a set of surveys and questionnaires to the students, including a personality inventory. Thanks to the word-for-word transcriptions of the discussion, I knew, for example, exactly how many words a specific student spoke in a discussion, whether a student typically spoke in response to the professor or in response to a classmate, whether a student’s comment referred directly to the text – the information provided in a transcript is endless! Thanks to the personality inventory, I also had a unique personality profile for every student in the discussion. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Here are some of the results of my study in a nutshell: Extraversion is a significant predictor of a student’s participation in a discussion. The higher a student’s extraversion score (the more extraverted a student is), the higher his or her word count in a class discussion. The higher a student’s introversion score (the more introverted a student is), the lower his or her word count in a class discussion.</b> And students are highly consistent in their word count from class to class – a hierarchy of participation is established early in the term, from the top participators to the students who participate very infrequently.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>And what DOESN’T predict how frequently a student participates in class?</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>1.</b> How well the student prepared for the discussion. (For example, whether or not they read the assigned text before coming to class.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>2</b>. How well the student understands or enjoys the specific topic of discussion. (If you’re introverted, even if the discussion is about music and you’re the 1^st chair violinist in the university orchestra, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll participate any more than you did in the discussion about sports, for example.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>3.</b> How much the student enjoys the class, the professor, and his or her classmates. (You might think that students who enjoy the class the most or have the best relationship with the professor participate the most. It’s not true.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Personality is the best predictor of a student’s degree of participation in class. </b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now that I teach speaking-focused English Conversation classes in Poland and the Czech Republic, I’m especially grateful for the time I spent studying class discussions in college. My research on how a student’s personality affects his or her speaking in lessons is wonderfully relevant to my teaching here in Poland and the Czech Republic. Here are the...<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Top 10 Ways My Introversion Has Affected My Teaching:<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>(Quick note: It’s important for me to say here that I’m trying to create an “equal opportunity” classroom environment for both my introverted AND my extraverted students. I’m not trying to create a classroom that’s only ideal for introverted students – because then it’s not good for extraverts! Traditional classrooms, school environments, and teaching styles tend to favor extraverts. I’m only trying to create a classroom environment that better facilitates learning for extraverts AND introverts.)<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>1.</b> My research in college showed that extraverted students participate significantly more than introverted students in discussions. But why? One explanation is that extraverts process and respond to new verbal information more quickly than introverts (Opt &amp; Loffredo, 2003; Eysenck, 1996). When a teacher asks the class a question, extraverted students will process the question and respond to it quicker than introverted students. And what do teachers typically do? They ask a question and call on the 1^st student (no doubt, an extravert) to raise his or her hand. After 3 or 4 [extraverted] students have answered the question, the teacher asks a new question. And who processes the next question the quickest? The extraverts, again. The introverted students are never given the opportunity to participate. Teachers need to give introverted students extra time to process or they will only ever hear from their extraverted students. I like to wait 10-15 seconds after asking a question before calling on a student (and I never call on the same student two questions in a row). Is it different and a little weird at first to wait 15 seconds before calling on a student? Yes. (Try it. Ask someone a question and then make him or her wait 15 seconds before answering. Time it. It feels like an eternity.) But it levels the playing field. Introverted and extraverted students both have valuable, interesting, and insightful comments to add to the discussion. Incorporating a little “wait time” gives both introverts and extraverts the opportunity to participate. I also always ask, “Does anyone want to add anything before we move on to the next question?” before charging ahead. It’s frequently introverted students who have an insightful last comment to add before we move on to the next topic. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>2.</b> Oral participation in my lessons is not optional. I require all my students to participate. This doesn't scare them anymore because a) they expect it in my lessons and b) I always try to give them adequate time to think before asking them to speak. I only have 45 minutes a week with my students. If I let them decide whether or not they want to participate, vocal students will dominate the class and their speaking will drastically improve over the semester, and quiet students will not say a word and their speaking is not likely to improve at all. My goal is to provide a learning environment with speaking activities that give all students the opportunity to speak English and improve their skills. I don’t let one or two students dominate the class because it’s at the expense of the other 8-10 students’ language development. And on that note...<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>3. </b>I am the teacher and I have important responsibilities during a class discussion. I always found it very frustrating when teachers refused to interfere and encourage other students to participate when a few students were dominating the discussion. (In my research, I found that typically 2-4 students utter 75% or more of the words spoken during a discussion in a class of 13-16 people. That’s crazy! 25% of the class is speaking 75% of the time. That’s not logical. And it’s the teacher’s responsibility to prevent this type of “discussion dominance.”) I keep a mental tally in my head (and sometimes even a tally on paper) of who is participating and who is not and how often each student is speaking. I do my best not to let a couple students dominate while the rest of the class sits in silence (and probably fuming that they can’t get a word in edgewise). <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>4.</b> I’m a better teacher when I incorporate a little introvert “alone time” into my day because I need it to recharge. Mondays are my longest teaching day. But I have a wonderful 45-minute break from 12:20 – 13:05. I found an empty classroom at school and for those magical 45 minutes, I enjoy wonderful, blissful silence. Sometimes I read, sometimes I sit and happily stare off into space. But when my afternoon starts at 13:05, I’m recharged and excited to see my afternoon and evening students. Other teachers (extraverted teachers) go to the noisy teachers’ room to recharge, to chat with other teachers during their free period (remember, extraverts get energy from people). Me, I like a little quiet downtime. I also honor my need for recharge time after a full teaching week, especially on the weekends, where a cup of tea with a close friend or two or perhaps a quiet afternoon with a great book – not a Friday night party with 40 people – is the perfect way for me to recharge before the next week of teaching. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>5.</b> Introverts tend to prefer talking to people one-to-one whereas extraverts often have a “the-more-the-merrier” philosophy. I frequently encourage (and sometimes require) my students to meet with me one-on-one outside of our lessons to talk. I love having the opportunity to give my students individual attention and connect with them one-to-one. Introverts also dislike “chit-chat” and prefer in-depth conversations, and I’m grateful that students are willing to talk to me about topics that truly matter to them.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>6.</b> I think the greatest gift a teacher can give his or her students is to truly listen to them. If you ask an introvert and an extravert to have a conversation, you’ll find that the introvert will typically become the “listener” and that the extravert is typically the “talker.” I could happily sit and listen to my students talk for decades. I’m always excited to hear what they have to say and I think they’re very open with me because I’m a good listener. Naturally, as the teacher, I frequently need to take the role of “talker,” but I try to take the role of “listener” whenever I can and give my students the “talking” role. They’re the ones who need the speaking practice after all!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>7.</b> I frequently let students decide whether to work with a partner or alone. Extraverted students favor group work; introverted students prefer working alone. Sometimes they must all work with a partner, but there are times when they get to choose. Middle schools and high schools are designed for extraverts. Students are with people every minute of the [often very long] school day – in lessons, in the hallway, in gym, at lunch. Extraverts thrive, but introverts often find their energy depleted. Of course, it’s important that students learn how to work with other people, but they’re learning that almost every minute they’re in school and they’re frequently required to work in groups. I think it’s okay to let them work alone every once in a while. (Plus, when a student decides to work alone, he or she typically must work harder than a student working with other people. Who am I to say, “No, you can’t work alone and do all the work and learning yourself?”) <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>8.</b> My introversion has also impacted how I organize the community lessons I teach in the evenings. I love teaching lessons with only 1, 2, or 3 students. A few of my lessons have 5 or 6 students, but whenever a class gets bigger than 6 students, I split it into two sections. I’d prefer to teach two sections than have classes with more students than my personal ideal. (And the truth is that I think one-on-one is often the best learning environment.)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>9.</b> My introversion is especially a blessing because of the specific job requirements at my school. I don’t have a curriculum to follow for any of my lessons and have to design them from scratch. This involves spending quite a few hours every week alone – planning, thinking, reflecting, researching, and writing. And I love it. My independence as an introvert is a blessing in this job. Lesson planning is energizing for me and I especially love Tuesday mornings when I have a few uninterrupted hours of alone time when I can plan my lessons.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>10.</b> And my newest (and perhaps favorite) tiny observation about my introverted and extraverted students: Our school is teeny-tiny and we have more students than ideal for a building that size. Because it’s a crowded building, passing periods between lessons are crazy – loud, people everywhere, traffic jams on the staircase – it’s a bit like a 3-ring circus (or maybe it would be more accurately described as a 12-ring circus). I avoid the halls during passing period like the plague and try to quickly race to my classroom. Quite a few students always join me in the classroom during the passing period. I had the realization today that, duh, the students who join me in the classroom to escape the 3-ring circus in the halls are the introverts! The extraverts are in the hall chatting loudly to 40 of their friends and the introverts are in my classroom enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet. If students talk to me during the passing period before class, of course I’ll have a conversation with them, but most often the students sit quietly (and happily) at their desks and I quietly prepare for our lesson. And together – but in silence, of course – we enjoy every minute of the calm because we know it’s going to end all too soon. And yet we’re always happy to welcome the extraverted students back into our midst when the bell rings because we’d truly miss them if they were devoured by one of the lions in the 3-ring circus.</p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/02/teaching-as-introvert.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-7418504943381124835Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:02:00 +00002011-01-12T13:58:02.383-08:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I’m starting to experience my first “lasts.” Last week I started teaching my last semester here. It’s my last school dance this weekend. It was my last visit to the visa office in Bielsko last Friday (well, keep your fingers crossed). The “lasts” are starting.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My last day in Poland is Wednesday, June 1. I’m ending the school year early to fly home to attend my sisters’ high school/college graduations, milestones that I wouldn’t miss for the world. (Thanks to my school directors for understanding how important it was to me to get to attend these events and letting me finish the school year early. And thanks to all the teachers who are covering my classes during the crazy last days of school when teenagers have “it’s-almost-summer-vacation-why-should-we-have-to-learn-anything” syndrome.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This morning I finished writing my master semester calendar and the winter/spring syllabi for all of my classes. And, wow, June 1 is approaching fast. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you know me well, you know that I’m a “research reader.” I like to read to prepare myself for change, and on the plane back to Cieszyn from Christmas I started my “re-entry” reading. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I loved Craig Storti’s works on living abroad (I read them before arriving in August 2009) and so I bought his book about re-entry – “The Art of Coming Home” – over Christmas break. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here’s his advice that I’m trying to follow when planning my last months here:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">“Try to orchestrate a smooth departure. ‘Goodbyes are important,’ Victor Hunter has written. ‘Without a meaningful good-bye, an effective closure, there cannot be a creative hello, a hopeful commencement’ (1986, 179). Start planning your leave-taking many months ahead. Make a list of the people you want to be sure to say good-bye to and arrange for that to happen in due course. Decide what places you want to visit before you leave and make those arrangements, and buy those items you’ve always wanted but put off getting. In general identify personal and professional loose ends and tie them up. Coming home is burdensome enough; don’t make it worse by leaving badly” (37).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Now I know “orchestrate” is a bit of an unrealistic goal. Will my departure feel “smooth?” Probably not. I can’t plan a “perfect exit,” but I can think about what’s important to me before I leave. I’ve rushed (or had to rush) transitions in the past, and I don’t want to do that this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Most importantly, I need adequate time to thank everyone in my life here and everyone who helped me get here. You don’t stay for a second year because of anything except the people – because you have people who support you here (Poland) and people who support you at home (Chicago). <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One of my friends asked me last week if I’d thought about my “exit strategy” yet and that conversation started me thinking. Perhaps it's a little premature to think about the end of my service here - I know it's only mid-January. But time flies here and I don't want June to sneak up on me. Here are my initial thoughts:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">(Thanks for listening, readers. It’s helpful for me to begin to process this information and the reality that it’s my last semester here.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Proposed Exit Strategy:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here are the facts:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I teach all of my students, in Cieszyn and Český Těšín, from preschoolers to teenagers to grandmothers, once a week. With all the spring holidays in April and May (and a winter break at the end of January too), I have only 14 lessons left with my students before June 1. Only 14!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Every week I teach 14 groups of students at the high school/junior high, 3 extra Matura preparation classes, 2 preschool/kindergarten classes, 1 elementary school student, 1 German teacher, 2 business English classes, and 5 adult conversation classes.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It’s a lot of students to say goodbye to and I’ve decided to start saying goodbye at the end of April to give myself 3 weeks to say goodbye (the 1</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">st</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> week of May is a holiday). I’ll teach all of my school classes (preschool – high school) until June 1, of course, and say goodbye to those students last, but I’m planning to start saying goodbye to my extra, outside of school lessons at the end of April. I know that saying goodbye to everyone my last week (or even my last two weeks) would feel incredibly overwhelming and I want to have time to thank every one of my students. I’ve decided that 3 weeks is the magic number and when I need to start saying goodbye to my students.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And I don’t only want to thank my students. I want to thank all the people who have supported me over the past two years...</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. The directors at my 3 schools and all of the amazing school office assistants<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. The other teachers at my schools (especially the other English teachers)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3. My friends here in Poland and the Czech Republic <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4. Members of the ELCA’s Global Mission staff<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5. My congregation, St. Luke’s<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">6. My family and friends in Chicago / the U.S.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I also want to / need to...</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. Submit my second semester grades for my students and submit end of the year paperwork.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. Organize the teaching materials and resources I’ve gathered together over the past two years for the next teacher, including a packet of practice Matura exams for the person who teaches the seniors next year.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3. Write a “Cieszyn Guidebook” for the next person to teach here. It’ll include maps of the town, a list of stores, important telephone numbers, how to get to and from the nearest airports, useful websites, and a mini-guide that explains all the quirks of my apartment and its appliances. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4. Leave my apartment sparkling clean for the next volunteer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5. Either close or transfer (to another American teacher) my bank/cell phone/Internet accounts and contracts. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And items on my personal “To Do” list:</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. Say goodbye to my Cieszyn favorites. My favorite hikes/trails, favorite tea spots, people at my favorite vegetable and fruit stands, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. Act like a tourist (ignore everyone’s stares) and photograph all of the images that were my “life landscapes” for two years. The Market Square, the Post Office, the bakery. The walk to my schools, the bus station, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3. And do a few other “silly” items including...finally learning how to tie a scarf the way they do here, learn how to make Polish Easter eggs, eat one more slice of my favorite Polish cheesecake, go to the market the minute it opens on my last Saturday morning here (my favorite time to go), etc.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Of course, there’s also the “re-entry” part I need to think about. What happens after I depart when I get back to Chicago? What am I “re-entering” in June? But for right now - at least today - I’m happy to focus on first and foremost working toward a meaningful goodbye. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thanks for listening, readers!</span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/01/june-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-251491709117410161Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:50:00 +00002011-01-08T09:04:36.116-08:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Happy 2011! Yikes! I haven’t posted since Thanksgiving. Here are my Poland December highlights (Chicago December highlights to follow in a later post):</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Preschool/Kindergarten English Lessons<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You might remember me saying that this year I’m teaching one preschool class and one kindergarten class in the Czech Republic on Mondays. Here’s an update about our lessons. (Sorry, I can't post any photographs. Teachers aren’t allowed to photograph the students at this school.) <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3-year-olds:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Their curiosity and desire to learn new English words is wonderfully insatiable. I teach them 3-4 new words every week, but they’re always asking me how to say different words in English that I haven’t taught them yet. For example, during one lesson in December when we learned “red,” “blue,” “yellow,” and “green,” one of my students pointed to a purple pillow and asked me, “What color is it [in English]?” I said, “purple” and he said “No!” and laughed and laughed and laughed. He didn’t believe me! He thought I was saying a pretend word. When his mom picked him up, he told her that, “Sarah is very, very silly and makes me laugh.” Luckily, 99.9% of the time, they believe me when I teach them a new word.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Also, now that it’s freezing outside and almost always snowing, my 3-year-olds arrive to our lesson all bundled up like the little brother in “A Christmas Story”. I call them my little “Peter Pans” because they only wear tights (no pants/trousers) under their snow pants (both the girls and the boys) and run around in the lesson only wearing their tights and t-shirts. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5/6-year-olds:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> I’m always laughing during our lessons because they are the most angelic, mischievous kindergarteners I’ve ever met. What’s amazing is that we’ve settled into a great routine and I never feel like we have difficulties communicating. Sometimes I say they communicate with “caveman sounds” – little grunts or noises that mean, “Sarah, my green colored pencil needs to be sharpened,” or “Where did the cat puppet go?” We have a “Hello” song we sing at the beginning of the lesson and a “Goodbye” song for the end. Whenever I try to start singing the “Goodbye” song, they say, “No! No goodbye!” And they give the best hugs when their moms and dads pick them up. And they also frequently convince me to give them two “reward stickers” at the end of the lesson instead of one.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Our favorite word-learning games: <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. We have picture flashcards for all our new words because, of course, they can’t read! They love it when – after we’ve practiced the new words for one or two lessons – I point to a flashcard and confidently say the wrong word. (For example, I point to “Daddy” but say “Sister”.) They love correcting me.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. One day, I hid our 6 new flashcards around the classroom and sang a silly little “let’s all look for (fill in one of the new vocabulary words)” song. Now it’s a staple activity and sometimes they’ll start singing the song to tell me that they want to play the game. We hide all of the flashcards in the room and then I say what word to look for. Sometimes I let them hide the flashcards although I learned the hard way that you MUST pay very close attention if you let them hide the cards. Turn your back for one minute and you’re in trouble. Try convincing a mischievous 5-year-old to tell you where he hid his card after you and the other students have searched unsuccessfully for 3 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mini-Lawrence Reunion<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It was a Lawrence Class of 2009 mini-reunion when Vanessa visited for a weekend! She’s teaching English in Austria this year and traveled up to Cieszyn the first weekend of December. On Saturday, we traveled to the picturesque village of Štramberk in the Czech Republic and on Sunday we went to Krakow for the Christmas market and nativity scene competition. Here's a photograph of Štramberk and I love this photograph of Vanessa because not only is she wearing her Green Bay Packer hat, but she’s also sitting on my favorite train that I call “Mister Rogers’ trolley” because it only has one car and it’s red.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb6heJ0_gBcOpT3wmiidaa_CnxlJIR3Zj_xDuX6JpqCjMz3325v4RDgOiZNoqo0YLHqhfiZLXTMhvdU8WbWYhX21z4-p9XFsoovV9F1_y8JSR5MBesXCLBHbszC4AW5NOYtuUo6xGxPYN/s320/Stramberk.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559846218152485250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnIrzTjMplou1AqatPUeES5Dwd9LD6THYW3h9gUv7vRKveI-X6ktBfD29eflB0rh6GqzVsNk_KPwzvnHvBsJtPZ6CgkDP_yoxyN2pI2RJRSGq6LWZ3ORhcQH7xeiHallcdC_6AN75tQB6/s320/Vanessa.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559846212155480306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What I loved best about her visit was the opportunity to talk with someone who’s also teaching English in Central Europe and all the time we had to share our experiences with someone who is in the same (or at least a very similar) boat. I loved talking with Vanessa about European school systems, Central Europe’s obsession with asking customers to pay for everything with exact change, and how we’ve suddenly found ourselves covering every slice of bread we eat with butter because that’s how they eat it here. It was especially fun to talk to someone who’s also experiencing the “they-brought-me-here-to-teach-English-but-by-the-time-I-leave-I-probably-won’t-be-able-to-speak-a-single-word-of-it” phenomenon. Despite the fact that I spend the majority of my waking hours teaching and therefore speaking English, it sometimes amazes me how quickly I feel I’m losing some of my vocabulary, particularly slang and idioms. (Lately my favorite activity is – sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally – inventing my own idioms when I can’t remember the correct ones. Since last winter I’ve subscribed to a website for English language learners that e-mails me 3 English idioms a day in the hope that this will help keep them fresh in my mind. And it has helped...a little.) Vanessa and I frequently asked each other questions like, “What’s the word that means...,” “What’s it called when...,” and “What’s the idiom that starts...” Our Austrian and Polish students would have laughed out loud if they had heard our conversations – we didn’t always sound like native speakers; frequently we sounded much more like our students!</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Christmas Parties at School<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At the end of December, when other teachers at my school are expected to administer final exams, I’m expected to throw American Christmas parties during my lessons. It’s a pretty awesome job requirement. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">About half of my classes voted for Christmas baking parties and the other half voted for a lesson of singing Christmas carols and playing Christmas-themed language games. When I learned that my students had never eaten cupcakes before (probably one of my favorite desserts in the world), a few Christmas cookie parties turned into Christmas cupcake parties. I might never eat a yellow cupcake (I baked 12 dozen) or a sugar cookie (I baked 14 dozen) again, but the baking parties were a blast. I especially loved watching my students decorate their cookies and cupcakes. Everyone, from my 8</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grade students to my 12</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grade students, took great care in decorating their treats and created beautiful, edible works of art. And my students all agreed that cupcakes are delicious!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rigMpp1gFrQZX1LVtH_JTpL4f5cr3n2rT6xvJUj0YEkxnrL7ohTWa0CMTWneuuHi9b4cnF5WSu-eUlh4VmQ7tFzPNo3p52LwceAc-I3eUNl_ryjm6W3hgZVwT2Qgj1cwTD8i2ZdVnsZT/s320/Cookie+Party.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559848189070090482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59dAj4bjdD-XLuHHCaHvszB8tZaVd37_FTvCDuBYn_VsLbJDDYlwKJLEl6uhNwR2jaiMq4tzS031NaV5tPG9w9r_1rUaZHVsmCYsM_oUL45KLnrroOldwgSnWBrehMEMinCQ9ZY9hOmBn/s1600/Cookies.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59dAj4bjdD-XLuHHCaHvszB8tZaVd37_FTvCDuBYn_VsLbJDDYlwKJLEl6uhNwR2jaiMq4tzS031NaV5tPG9w9r_1rUaZHVsmCYsM_oUL45KLnrroOldwgSnWBrehMEMinCQ9ZY9hOmBn/s320/Cookies.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559848196965204162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3SoMys6bP2EiIyVDtincEnXHaj7HmhtmlCP0mqXJ5MaAw9XAXeEQzrm-uO9Kd9o0KFPEZlepCBBrd3odhrNbfrvihkkWOdejkRDK_Ml1ykmH-Zvto3_ppnA7v0LuOcb__u1cElLOKQlq/s1600/Cupcakes.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3SoMys6bP2EiIyVDtincEnXHaj7HmhtmlCP0mqXJ5MaAw9XAXeEQzrm-uO9Kd9o0KFPEZlepCBBrd3odhrNbfrvihkkWOdejkRDK_Ml1ykmH-Zvto3_ppnA7v0LuOcb__u1cElLOKQlq/s320/Cupcakes.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559848191781802578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For my classes that didn’t want to bake and decorate, we sang their favorite carols and played silly Christmas games. Their favorite games were “Blind Drawing” and “Snowballs” (not very creative game names, I know). For “Blind Drawing,” students had to "blind draw" a Christmas scene described by another student (they hold books with paper over their heads so they can’t see what they are drawing). It’s great speaking and listening practice and the works of “art” they create are quite funny. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIl3ZCMk2cO1TNkksVL2qJC7QmvfDC4lFWNrjMwf8ugxXlgYUFdn-r_kCybNPYtTc3nayuxp0iUFPLd6tXoNobFbHjCaNVAOUhREp1537auGUj9miMHSStmNB7_3tgLtPLMSVqrQR0pX-/s320/Blind+Drawing.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559846224587097650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">“Snowballs” was the last game we played, and it didn’t – I’ll admit – have an English component except for listening to the rules. Here’s how you play. You blindfold two students, give each student a cup, put a bowl of cotton balls (the “snowballs”) in-between them, and give them 1 minute to transfer as many "snowballs" as they can from the bowl to their cup. It’s a pretty impossible game because cotton balls are so lightweight that you can never tell if you actually have some on your spoon or not. It’s hilarious to watch someone very carefully transport air (they think they have a cotton ball on their spoon but they don’t) from the bowl to his or her cup. And there’s always lots of cheating because students love to secretly empty the blindfolded person’s cup during the game. We laughed so hard we cried when playing this game. My students always work so incredibly hard in my lessons so this was a fun, silly way to end a great semester.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPWJLjCvxZQvqcyxryb4ldCmw7vrF5dqdWyTbdxX9OLsS9MOJvf42m3zAYAgIyjCGJ4Sek1hNBzVzbK_i9bg0LMSpWf-dxP5cJWV9zcEkyDJK4EP_1zRHdO4sI9oR3ot99IFBznB7f3kQ/s1600/Snowball+%25232.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPWJLjCvxZQvqcyxryb4ldCmw7vrF5dqdWyTbdxX9OLsS9MOJvf42m3zAYAgIyjCGJ4Sek1hNBzVzbK_i9bg0LMSpWf-dxP5cJWV9zcEkyDJK4EP_1zRHdO4sI9oR3ot99IFBznB7f3kQ/s320/Snowball+%25232.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559846206383494946" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pEZ4RGzWhxV6aH_syvROAymPZjScI7N4AvAfT8KNSm2g8xLkFLalF4VS3G9NyJv3Kubqx1mYAmP3VJPcuzvsjTWRJe453I0tlDNNATtbbFgqVBW36ZDTDnzZolyF8_bqyyRXtz7Vi7nl/s1600/Snowball+%25231.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pEZ4RGzWhxV6aH_syvROAymPZjScI7N4AvAfT8KNSm2g8xLkFLalF4VS3G9NyJv3Kubqx1mYAmP3VJPcuzvsjTWRJe453I0tlDNNATtbbFgqVBW36ZDTDnzZolyF8_bqyyRXtz7Vi7nl/s320/Snowball+%25231.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559846202207290274" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></p><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Officially Legal!</span></b></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the fall, we had a couple very serious difficulties when trying to renew my visa for Year Two due to a slight miscommunication between the school and the visa office about the renewal process. Luckily the government granted me a “special circumstance” short-term visa to cover my first three months of teaching, but only under the condition that I would have to leave Poland for a while in December and then re-enter if I wanted to apply for January – June. My director joked that it was either Ukraine or Chicago for Christmas (the problem is that I had to leave not only Poland but the EU). Don’t worry, it’s a story with a happy ending – I had a wonderful two weeks in Chicago, and yesterday I picked up my new Poland visa/residence card and now I’m legal until the end of the school year! I left Poland on December 18 for Chicago...and here's where the next post will pick up!</span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2011/01/little-peter-pans.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-307002629514772746Sat, 27 Nov 2010 16:47:00 +00002010-11-27T09:45:04.510-08:00<div style="text-align: left;"><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><b>STOP 1: Bratislava ELCA Thanksgiving</b></p></b></div><b> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Last weekend, Linnae and I traveled to Bratislava for the annual Poland/Slovakia Teachers’ Thanksgiving. I enjoyed meeting all of the new teachers in Bratislava this year, and visiting again with returning teachers. We ate a fantastic meal (3 whole turkeys!), had a turkey coloring contest, and played a fun gift game. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0xOoRkPqcfcZic_E9ndPpyQFiZgnxMSMgxCYdJG1xYdRcfs0m3aVFc-ln9UgZ6LLeFNyAFb705A0sVxkLuP_KoEdxUYNdlGyOY8_dJE1yDnGbgs-eakiQT-0K-SFUuZ-g_NwUq5HVdh5/s320/Thanksgiving+Plate.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544276608386847298" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9czFoUJtlqL-Sgov3ctHJnoUsy266kk2cvOGSIzL2XWHKkBhwV5Nx2IyOHKuEqvjlCG4qqOywV3_sITQUfd7wNoAXfuS90GlTQ9D3VwBTCVDh_Ky0F8v1TUS4fnhDmjuwdcKf2NszIJma/s320/Colored+Turkeys.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544276631823008978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MVf3WO_wZ-Td84AIH2ZUQ4Odcf8JgjxdUV0bJXxqJnnkQKKS-Q0B8AOszdgBSuGCR6BSUHirfJtNOWyYfWnnfj_rgDCIe4rju5-RIkghn-yzl3K4v-p3DEwfd9jkHwgaOfPoSAWIyQgN/s320/It+Game.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544276626857597570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">That night we walked around the Bratislava Christmas Market. The next morning, we had an English worship service and Linnae and I played clarinet duets during communion and also played on a couple hymns. It was a wonderful weekend.</span></p></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></p></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wpG9WFJjHF_Hum8stkzbQq3GYAwJKHh-2Z98lLohbX-VMoMZjApeSen0FCL6o-6d775xUjKpddm9znwgq9Tr2jURvkoCcstVHrBwIDHCVCsLskJERxPNbPk1_eW9gVp5b7HK4T64lg6D/s320/Clarinet+Duet.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544281514677279842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></p></b></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>STOP 2: Adult conversation classes and friends</b><span style="font-weight:normal"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I couldn’t host a dinner for all of my adult students or friends, but thanks to my mom who keeps me well-stocked in canned pumpkin (her pumpkin bread is my favorite bread in the world), I baked two pumpkin sheet cakes (with my favorite cream cheese frosting) and shared the cake with all of my evening students and some friends throughout the week. They all have a very special place in my heart and it was fun to share a “slice” of Thanksgiving with them. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>STOP 3: Thanksgiving Day with students <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">On Thursday, I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at my flat for my oldest high school students. My students were the inspiration for the meal after they asked me if I planned to have a “barbecue” for America’s “Independence Day” and then asked if they could celebrate with me. I couldn’t resist a cultural lesson in the form of a Thanksgiving meal! (And the opportunity to clarify the differences between the 4</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> of July and Thanksgiving.) Our school doesn’t have a kitchen, so we squeezed into my apartment and successfully cooked a Thanksgiving feast! (I’m terrible at remembering to take pictures but luckily a few students took photographs and kindly shared them with me. Thanks, students!) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQXU2rFymgrGKfI3a3MGMHpuf18gDIPvhzJHm33t06p4p5mHChHkXPOmX3mxLaje3K7JiDd2Fu_JA8HIivcQRhrDGu4kqrxY0UUnrk5R9SzNHNsYHorfue6PR-WMaaoDMsleOd4vuR6vL/s320/Setting+Up.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544276602611530706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Menu:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">10 pounds of turkey breast</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Gravy</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Stuffing</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Mashed potatoes</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Sweet potatoes with marshmallows</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Scalloped cheesy potatoes</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Cranberries</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Green bean casserole</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Corn</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Bread and rolls</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting</span></p></b></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Apple crisp</span></p></b></span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYJKHBqq0vJaXtmsNL-iTbgNbFo3oNcBzal4XizwSJD8y60BKhHCIepSbGXBus3qzYw3M072q2ZIXfdiD9Sow1s4QlGvBIRrAFYW1drfujGw1hhsjLhN5U_JUYDjqr0Nc8PZdqikaDa75/s320/Group+Thanksgiving.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544281385831044786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I couldn’t have hosted this meal without the help of a few people. First, I have to thank my grandparents who sent a gigantic box of Thanksgiving essentials with everything ranging from stuffing to a fantastic paper turkey centerpiece (our Thanksgiving “mascot”). Grandma also sent a couple dozen home-baked chocolate chip cookies that mysteriously didn’t last until Thanksgiving... (don’t look at me). I also have to thank one of my friends who helped me with my “turkey search.” It wasn’t looking promising for a while until she directed me to the one butcher in Cieszyn who sold turkey breasts (well, specifically, the butcher who only had two 5-pound turkey breasts, and therefore, after I bought them, no longer had any turkey breasts.) For a few days, I had seriously considered serving hamburgers instead. And my students probably wouldn’t have batted an eye because they think hamburgers are our “national dish.” :)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My students’ reactions to the food at our feast:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">7 of them had never eaten turkey before. No one had eaten anything pumpkin before. (Did you know that in the United States Illinois grows the most pumpkins?)</span></p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">They loved the gravy and ate all of it. They put it on the turkey and mashed potatoes (because I told them that’s how we typically eat it) but then one of them put it on bread and they fell in love with that. 13 students consumed about 4 cups of gravy, no joke. Quite a few said it was their favorite dish. (Is gravy a dish? I didn’t argue.)</span></p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">They thought the green bean casserole was the strangest dish they’d ever eaten. And they didn’t understand why we eat green beans in November when they’re not in season.</span></p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">They renamed the sweet potatoes with marshmallows “pasta do zębów” (Polish for “toothpaste”). Granted, it doesn't help that you have only two options when buying marshmallows in Poland: pink and white marshmallows, or blue and white marshmallows. I opted for the blue and white, and when melted, they did look like toothpaste. Did you know that when you mix blue marshmallows with orange sweet potatoes they turn bright green? Yum yum. :)</span></p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Sm1YSfNd3Ynh1kv-KdpoMZJLJxTu_iksYWgYfD79oCMPWEyMilruVLqGpKPp9BGVF-SDSfdP6kHQktg63apzlmTdJD1xX8SO6yKRfnqFI2B_mriScGV2zytMzJMhB1lYAIWxQrrEx-zQ/s320/Sweet+Potatoes.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544281371543320626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Potatoes are a staple in the Polish diet, and I had to laugh a little bit when I realized that different kinds/preparations of potatoes are essential for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. (I’ve probably been served my weight in potatoes over the past year and tend to avoid them when I’m cooking for myself.)</span></p></li><li><p class="MsoNormal" style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">They thought it was very strange that we serve sweet dishes (like cranberries and sweet potatoes) with salty dishes (like mashed potatoes and stuffing). When I put the cranberries and sweet potatoes on the table, a few students said, “We don’t need dessert now.” I said, “It’s not dessert!” Here you never eat fruit or anything sweet with a main meal (although they frequently serve a fruit drink called “kompot” with dinner). You wait until dessert for anything sweet. </span></p></li></ul><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">In-between the meal and dessert, we talked about Thanksgiving and then I taught them American card games. They especially loved “Spoons” (played with crayons instead of spoons) and we played for almost an hour. I promised my students that I’d post this (not-very-attractive) picture that a student took at the moment I realized I’d lost the game of “Spoons.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpnJOEqe15wbpzxfR2k6nTw7ZciezQJ-yWiljStBAF64BZdvl4JcOvRILwfINSBcDnHHq653xgb1caoItcG0vKhkdnadGhew5gPEeveOUz-PGck2e75_rtvFNcyAbUcnw_kbOZV5whzTM/s320/Hilarious+Cards.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544281504726621538" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I enjoyed sharing this American tradition with my students. Sometimes it’s fun to accentuate and point out the differences between Polish and American culture and learn about each country’s unique traditions. And the message of Thanksgiving is universal: take time to give thanks! (And here is one of my favorite photographs from the evening - the coat pile - because I only have 7 hangers. It was also funny to have dozens of shoes and backpacks in my tiny entryway.)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQRe211oxYQ1m_-cy1x3FTlnTn9JHGmtGxgPZKAzNJE5aF5dd0UBqhSxeZgtQRxyyVuwQD5bHq7cNjYHJiaC9mfsfxfBXXs1BysnIDi94zjOwIbFrNQj4WoAu7Nea6WBL8DBjMlbaa_Im/s320/Coats.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544281431428365586" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>STOP 4: “Black Friday” with friends</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">My last Thanksgiving was Friday with Linnae and my two friends Bozena and Rafal. I couldn’t pick a favorite from my three Thanksgiving meals this week, but this meal with good friends was very special. I’m very grateful for their friendship. It feels like forever ago (although it was only 14 months ago) that we first met and it’s difficult to imagine that I haven’t known them my entire life. They were my first new friends in Cieszyn last autumn and they were there for me when I was the “pilgrim.” I’m very thankful for them, and it felt very appropriate celebrating our friendship with a Thanksgiving meal.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy-KEmyqcaIDQsPU2j42E-PD80wmg_pk-Jwe_QwHSnqzdXpY_gnHzMLiefCBPZzF9ytu3XXPSvtFfDOzHBsgASN4fD8M1gBobKab-2qpSVDqqbsVji9beoBs0f8IQPMCuCqkm5luT08C1/s320/Bozena+Rafal+Thanksgiving.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544276584819773554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">“Lord God, we bless You and are filled with gratitude for the numerous gifts, the countless blessings, that come to us from You.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Your blessings come in times of joy, in times of victory, in success and honor. And they come as well in times of pain and sorrow, in sickness and defeat.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Your blessings, however, come always as </span></i><span style="font-style:normal">life</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Blessed are You, Lord our God, who in the richness of Your divine love, blesses us with good things. Amen.”</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> (Edward Hays, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Prayers for the Domestic Church</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">)</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </b><p></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/11/week-of-thanksgivings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-8623199657907732978Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:38:00 +00002010-11-23T13:15:28.573-08:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Below you’ll find a post that isn’t necessarily well-polished, perhaps isn’t easy to understand, and isn’t especially well-written because I couldn’t always find the “correct” words. But I wanted to post “in the moment” so here it is.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m feeling very homesick this evening. The onset (and intensity) surprised me. I met with my friend Kasia for tea this afternoon and she asked me if I was still planning to return to Chicago after this school year. (People around me know that my plans sometimes change quickly and unexpectedly.) I told her yes, and, naturally, any time I tell people I’m leaving after this year, they ask why. Sometimes it’s difficult to explain why because a great percentage of my justification is a “gut reaction” (granted, a "gut reaction" that followed a lot of prayer, contemplation, and reflection) that it’s the appropriate time for me to leave. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But then Kasia asked me what I miss about the States. People don’t ask me this very often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And saying aloud – “I miss being with my family and friends the most” – in response to her question caused me to intensely miss my family and friends. I wouldn’t say I’m typically in a state of full-blown denial about missing people, but my work here is purposeful, fulfilling, challenging, and joyful, and thanks especially to Skype and the Internet, I do get to talk and write to people back home quite frequently. Life here is busy (and that’s great!) and I also know that the busyness of life here helps keep the homesickness at bay. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But seeing people I love only once every five months (and I’m extremely lucky that for me it’s once every five months, not longer) is painful. It’s the times when I pause and think of what I’ve missed – birthdays, family dinners, and lots of everyday events that are mundane but beautiful and the “meat” of life and relationships – that the homesickness suddenly hits me. Time at home, in the States, doesn’t stop because I’m in Poland.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But that word – “home” – is a little confusing lately. The first image that pops into my head when I hear the word "home" is me eating dinner and talking with my parents and sisters at our dining room table. But when I studied at university, I also felt it was “home.” London was “home” when I studied there. Sometimes this year I get a little confused about the word “home.” It feels a little funny to say, “I’m going home for Christmas” (home = Park Ridge) when I also say, “Oh, it’s great to come home” (home = Cieszyn) after a weekend in Slovakia. I felt at home a few weekends ago when I visited a Polish friend’s parents’ house and spent the weekend with them. I felt at home when visiting an American friend’s house this summer. I won’t get into a deep intellectual discussion about how to define “home,” but I know that for me, it’s the people, not the place. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This evening I’m preparing for a few upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations with friends and students, and I can’t help, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, but feel grateful to feel homesick. Because isn’t it kind of awesome to feel homesick? To have a "home" to miss? To miss home (people in the States) while feeling at home (with people in Poland)?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And I’m filled with gratitude for my family and friends who supported me when I decided to go to Poland to teach. Relatives and friends who excitedly pulled out maps to locate Cieszyn when I first told them the news 17 months ago. Perhaps it’s easy to take them for granted. But I know I’m lucky. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And I'm grateful to everyone who Skypes with me, e-mails me, writes to me. I can't thank you enough for all the times you've offered advice, listened, made me laugh, made me feel a part of your life even though I'm thousands of miles away. Thanks for sending me links to hilarious videos or intellectually-stimulating articles. For grappling with difficult time zone differences. For supporting my work here, praying for me. For helping me feel that I don’t have to fear the end of this journey, that when I leave one home in June 2011, I’m returning to another. And then I know I’ll feel homesick for Poland, yet feel at home back in the States.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">All my love and gratitude to the people who are my home. You all rock. I miss you, I love you.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sarah</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>P.S. Tune in again this weekend for a Thanksgiving festivities post!</i></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/11/homesick.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-5112445101523448451Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:54:00 +00002010-10-06T06:51:06.317-07:00<div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>Here’s what’s new in Year Two!</i></b></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>A new partner in crime, Linnae!</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">She’s a recent graduate from St. Olaf and also a clarinetist. Our regional supervisor says he’s expecting great clarinet duets at the Thanksgiving worship service during our Poland/Slovakia teacher gathering in November. It’s a blessing to have a colleague to talk to and brainstorm with. We’re also better able to serve our school and the community because we can “divide and conquer” (or perhaps “divide and serve” is a more appropriate phrase) and because two brains are frequently better than one! Here’s a photograph from our first day of school in September. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IO9vf_j4OdsHgoYw4Rbh3NF4X9kmeq6mLyntK3T0Iir8UxwkJOlVRJwpIbytOHixnoMu9XolJmC2x2kxc-LderBRILpq99OySAQFwAOlnQHhDLz7-URQVQgCTD68pOYmrkd_nfYOx0oT/s320/Linnae.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524918750617213250" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Teaching the seniors!</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">My newest challenge at school this year is that I’m teaching all of the high school seniors! Last year I only taught 7^th – 9^th graders and one class of sophomores. It’s amazing how drastically their language skills improve between sophomore and senior year. During our English conversation lessons, I’m responsible for preparing them for the speaking section of their English Matura exam. The Matura is the high school “exit exam” in Poland, and students are required to take Polish, mathematics, a foreign language (English, for the majority of students, although sometimes German or French), and then a couple other subjects of their choice (biology, history, etc.). The Matura is administered in May and students have to submit their test scores when they apply to university. I’m enjoying the challenge of learning about the exam with the help of a couple Polish English teachers at my school. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve also asked (well, required) every senior to meet with me for 20-30 minutes outside of class sometime in September or October to have an informal conversation. I only have them once a week for 45 minutes and meeting with students individually outside of class helps me get to know them better. It’s also an opportunity to share a little bit about myself with the students. They arrive quite hesitant (and typically they ask nervously “what are we supposed to do?”) but then they’re shocked when the 30 minutes are over. We’ve talked about everything from sleep deprivation (an ailment of teenagers around the world), football matches, American films, to traveling, you name it. I try to avoid the “what are your future plans” question that I remember dreading senior year unless the topic arises naturally (of course, the askers always had good intentions, but, nevertheless, sometimes it’s a stressful question). I’m loving the process of getting to know my new students, and I feel honored that I get to participate in their senior year. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">During these informal conversations, many students asked me if I could offer additional Matura preparation lessons during the week in addition to our weekly conversation classes. One of the great advantages of having two American teachers at our school instead of one is that Linnae and I don’t have full schedules, and we’re able to provide extra tutoring and assistance during our free lessons. As of last week, I now offer three extra Matura preparation lessons per week where students can stop by for extra speaking practice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>“English lunch”</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This year, I’d planned on starting weekly “English breakfast” meetings, where I’d meet with students in the morning before school for informal conversations in English and a breakfast snack. Well, the school schedule’s a little different this year and almost all of my students start class at 8 a.m. (last year, many students started at 8:50 a.m. or sometimes even 9:45 a.m.). Scheduling “English breakfast” at 7:15 a.m. with teenagers who desperately need sleep isn’t a great plan. Hence, hello “English lunch”! Three days a week I invite students to eat lunch with me. We sit in the English library and talk about anything and everything. I’m always excited for 1:05 p.m. (lunch time at school) when students burst into my classroom, eager to share school news (they are the best source of information – they know everything that’s happening at school) or something new that’s happening in their lives. It’s a great way to get to know my students better and provide them with an opportunity to practice their speaking skills in an informal, relaxed environment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>A new (and adorable) demographic</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">A bilingual school in the Czech Republic (that serves both Czech and Polish students) asked for my help this year with their preschool and kindergarten English classes (I call the classes “English play dates”). My students here now range in age from 3 years old to 78 years old! I teach there two hours a week - one class of 3-4 year olds and one class of 5-6 year olds. Let me tell you, they are wonderful! I’m very grateful for my summer Polish classes because I understand at least a little of what the children say. (Have you ever had an adorable child eagerly try to tell you something in a language you don’t speak very well? It’s the best motivation for continuing to learn new Polish words.) I don’t have permission yet to post the children's photographs here, but I’m working on it! For now, here are two photographs of the classroom, including “Cookie the Cat,” the English speaking puppet who helps me with my lessons. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pxahCI_A-BPReUvNj6x9lOQZgRI17A9Icp-aclSEKfRFMj9zkdh2ZLLjMfTZCBEeHcBkIedLInQ1cfv2sfz_8kxscmOOrAHHPQMaSWe38A6n-acKnLB5ojWtFIOsp0Oc5-_-TMDe2J-h/s320/Classroom+Pygm.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524918756737523538" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt55PWgcRuKarevWxFlGOJ5TQN_NbIj3QedhB9GzkOVy5BgFYQSwLWXtcN6YIej3gphFFmSIM1qgGsQ-AH36mpHlU0l_U1K-RDR2HdBps9wVOgydPiYy2zwCFhfGQgEWE1xd8v7Zcw12X/s320/Cookie.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524918761563887122" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">It’s fascinating to observe the differences between the 3-4 year olds and 5-6 year olds. All of the children were told (in Czech and Polish by another teacher) that I only speak a little Polish, and that I am here to practice English with them. The 5-6 year olds understood quite well, but the 3-4 year olds were quite confused. (Their strategy is to say a sentence louder and louder to me if I don’t understand everything. They haven’t quite grasped the concept of other languages yet.) I’m having a lot of fun on my “English play dates.” After I’ve volunteered for a few more weeks, I promise to devote an entire post to my littlest students.</p><p class="MsoNormal">... <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And, I can’t conclude without saying what a joy it is this year to continue to teach all of the people I worked with last year in my late afternoon and evening classes – parents and grandparents of my middle school and high school students, members of my congregation, elementary school students, business men and women, and Polish English teachers. I’ve reached my “teaching quota” for the year (the highest number of classes/lessons I have time to teach and properly prepare for) and feel blessed that I’m able to continue teaching English to a wonderfully wide variety of people in Poland and the Czech Republic.</p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/10/whats-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-7309139141600403411Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:30:00 +00002010-09-16T10:25:51.826-07:00<div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s terrible when I haven’t blogged in a while because then I have dozens of stories to tell and I can’t decide what to say first! Sorry for the hiatus! <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So in this post, I’ll tell you about my Polish language summer school program! Next post, I’ll update you about my first few weeks of teaching!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I had a fantastic experience at my intensive Polish summer school program. (Dear summer school directors: Please create a year-long Polish language program that I can enroll in because your summer program was awesome. Love, Sarah) The course greatly exceeded my expectations. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The school lasted 3 weeks in August at the university here in Cieszyn. We had 12-14 hours of programming a day, 7-days a week. My brain sometimes short-circuited around hour 9 or 10, but no one could accuse the school’s directors of wasting a minute of instruction time! Every day we had our language classes in the morning and early afternoon (8 a.m. – 1 p.m. or 2 p.m.), then lectures until dinner at 7 p.m., and then extra language activities and games until 10 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’d heard that the school attracted students from around the world, but I never anticipated meeting and studying with people from 31 different countries! Tiny Cieszyn was a melting pot in August thanks to the summer school. I don’t know the next time I’ll eat lunch surrounded by people having conversations in over 2 dozen different languages - quite the experience! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The 250 students in the program were from Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova (I’ll admit I had to look at a map to find Moldova), Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, USA (only me!), and Vietnam. Wow!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s a photograph of the auditorium where we had our lectures and meetings. They hung a flag for every country (it reminded me of the Maine East auditorium).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutvQPwndfrsvVPHxz0ORWbNBjd_s86-BCm_2vGa-GaEy4ViQeFK-qSlGuo-ryTggkBzE9m4h6iPqnbCdFSGNPuz46N2Et_ySO7oc4TumUpcbO8SEUjKOSpmUnZAstdzNc-20hyphenhyphencbInaLg/s320/Flags.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517554104206194962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The majority of program participants were either undergraduate students majoring in Polish at their university in their home country or people getting their Master’s or Ph.D. in Polish, Polish literature, or Polish history and culture. Quite a few people were there because they had recently married a Polish man or woman, and then a small handful of people like me were learning the language because they work in Poland. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was a little scary at first realizing that almost everyone had formally studied Polish for several years before the summer program (the majority of students had studied Polish for 4+ years). But for our language classes in the morning and afternoon we were divided into groups of 10-15 students by ability level. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here are two photographs of my wonderful group. We were the “rzodkiewki” group (“the radishes”). We had three instructors: Ola, Marcin, and Ola (fondly called “little Ola” because of her height and to differentiate her from the other Ola). Our teachers were wonderful and I always enjoyed our classes – our lessons were conducted in Polish 100% of the time! I loved watching the teachers teach. It was especially fascinating to observe three different teachers because they all had unique teaching styles and preferred different language teaching methods. I learned a lot about effective language teaching from their great examples.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLdZyxJE3RL-MzFnJMtS3ruVFVPlngYmITDwODq7owAD28ehy7WSfeJbtcsHm99aqwvH-bUUvnxMXwO13n0K08VvTDUkBXtfhYoOjk5hYYBHvnZjAppHbI8hGYMxF38GXO3tArgtniZE-/s320/Marcin+Picture.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517554111576218514" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZMSkq21ARaUDFLf9yiWbKbhNTE0pIrmzJLsY4CbjPK-mnJ_EWuIVSHd2T7TTKzOcpqXHI9WyETeEb8losEq4K1Yge2lwd-4twpPjpmpJ35F80fjBOCqm5sGxKIwLwTI-f0dQtZIo0acN/s320/Ola+teachers.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517554132983232098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span>Sometimes for our lessons we’d leave the classroom and our teacher would get us to practice our Polish in the “real world” – at all the little shops and restaurants around Cieszyn. Here we are trying not to butcher the beautiful Polish language at a small local grocery shop.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrebNNMlCLbpTlzX0-OC9wMgqG3D07O48fSFTEC09Vs6f9HSpW0PPnQ9zCvLiSuXJHeSdz3vL8A_EHJWoSwrsVAnrzm1C7SGRE-2N9PO_uXcqmZwg9AjRb7b7Sr4plRD9SOso5eYYJM5d/s320/Shop+Polish.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517554145313518226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div><br /></div><div>"So," I hear you asking. "Sarah, how’s your Polish now?"</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Super! For example, I can now say important phrases like:<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li>Mam dwadzieścia cztery lata. Jestem bardzo stara. (I am 24 years old. I am very old.)</li><li>Amerykanie nie tylko jeść hamburgery. (Americans do not only eat hamburgers.)</li><li>Czy to Twój torebka? To nie jest moja torebka. (Is this your handbag? It’s not my handbag. *Interesting note: When writing in Polish, you always capitalize the word “You,” but you never capitalize the word “I” unless it’s at the beginning of a sentence.)</li><li>Nie mam pracy domowej. Mój pies zjadł moją pracę domową. (I do not have my homework. My dog ate my homework.)</li><li>Chciałbym kupić czterdzieści kiełbasy sto ziemniaki tysiąc pierogi. (I would like to buy forty sausages, one hundred potatoes, and one thousand pierogi. *Polish also has interesting comma rules that I won’t delve into here.)</li><li>Luke, jestem twoim ojcem. (Luke, I am your father.)</li><li>Kocham uczyć języka polskiego! (I love learning Polish!)</li></ul><o:p></o:p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But, seriously, I learned a lot and had a lot of wonderful “ah-ha” moments this summer. That’s what’s empowering about language instruction, especially when you’re living in the country. One minute, a phrase or word is empty, with no significance. And then suddenly – click! A word, once a meaningless stream of letters, now represents an object, an idea, or an emotion! And I understand! I hear it, and I understand! Or someone asks me a question, and I can respond! <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Probably because I’m young, a woman, and not very intimidating looking, strangers frequently stop me and ask me questions when I’m out and about in Cieszyn. <i>What time is it? Where is the bank? Do you know where this street is? If I wanted to go to Krakow, what bus stop do I need? Can you read this price tag for me?</i><span style="font-style:normal"> Last year, this was very stressful because I desperately wanted to help, but either 1) didn’t know the answer because I wasn’t well acquainted with the area yet or 2) knew the answer but didn’t know how to express it in Polish! I would apologize and tell them I only spoke a little Polish, but lately, I’ve helped quite a few people! I typically preface by saying that I live in Cieszyn but don’t speak a lot of Polish to reassure them that 1) I know what I’m talking about but 2) my grammar, vocabulary, and syntax probably isn’t 100% correct, but, again, I know what I’m talking about! It might sound a little silly, but it’s also empowering that now I know for certain when I’m saying something incorrectly! Typically I then race home and try to discover how to say it correctly so I'm better prepared for my next interaction.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For me, learning as much as I can of the language this year is important because...<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">1. It helps me when I teach my youngest and oldest students, where I sometimes need to speak in Polish to help them understand, or if they need to express something important to me but they don’t know how to say it in English. (Great example: This week, a little girl in kindergarten told me in Polish that she desperately needed to go to the bathroom, and I knew we needed to go quickly!)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2. It helps me feel more confident and less vulnerable. I don’t know if “vulnerable” is the correct word, but it’s the best way I can express it – that feeling of helplessness when you desperately want (or need!) to say something, or you need to understand what someone is saying, and you can’t! And although sometimes you feel like you’re learning at a snail’s pace, every time you master a new structure or understand a new phrase someone says, it’s all worth it because you feel more confident when you’re out and about in the world.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">3. It’s a sign of respect. Craig Storti in his book “The Art of Crossing Cultures” expressed it best: “Perhaps the most compelling reason to learn the language of another land is the largely symbolic significance of the act of communication. Implicit in that act, after all, is the acknowledgement of the humanity and worth of the other person, especially when one is speaking in a language other than one’s own. In the end, what matters is not what we say when we speak Russian or Chinese, or how well we speak Russian or Chinese, but what the effort to speak Russian or Chinese says about us” (102).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And now, I can’t resist including a mini-grammar lesson here because to me, grammar is the most fascinating aspect of learning Polish.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Polish Grammar 101</b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Challenge #1:</b> A noun’s form changes depending on its function in the sentence. There are seven cases of every noun (and therefore 14 forms of every noun – 7 singular cases and 7 plural cases) – nominative case (if the noun is the subject of the sentence), genitive (expresses possession), dative (indirect object), accusative (direct object), instrumental (expresses the means by which something is done), locative (with certain prepositions), and vocative (direct address). <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">What’s tricky about learning Polish is that every new vocabulary word is, in reality, 14 new vocabulary words. In English, if you learn the word “dog” you have to know the singular and the plural – “dog” and “dogs” – and you’re good to go. In Polish, you need to know all 7 cases, in singular and plural. Here’s what you have to memorize to accurately say that you truly know the word “dog” (“pies”) in Polish.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Forms of “Pies” (“Dog”)</b><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Singular</i><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Nominative: pies</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Genitive: psa</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Dative: psu<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Accusative: pies<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Instrumental: psem<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Locative: psie<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Vocative: psie<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Plural</i><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Nominative: psy<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Genitive: psów<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Dative: psom<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Accusative: psy<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Instrumental: psami<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Locative: psach<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Vocative: psy<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">To me, I’d never guess that “pies” (singular nominative) and “psów” (plural genitive) both referred to the same noun – “dog”. They look and sound very, very different. If I saw them in a text and didn’t know the word “pies,” I’d guess that they were two different nouns with different meanings, not two forms of the same word. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">In Polish, creating a sentence isn’t only about knowing the vocabulary and putting vocabulary words together; it’s about understanding the precise role of each word in the sentence and changing each word’s form to reflect that role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b>Challenge #2:</b> Polish nouns also have 3 genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Nouns and their adjectives must agree in gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), case (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative, vocative), and number (singular or plural). I won’t list the adjectives here, but if you’ve done the math, you’ll realize that for every adjective (example: “big”), there are 42 different forms of that one adjective, and which of the 42 forms you say depends on if the adjective is modifying a masculine, feminine, or neuter noun and that noun’s case. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">To quickly illustrate the complexities of Polish grammar with gender, case, and number, I’ll give you four basic examples:<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">1. To jest czarny długopis. Mam czarny długopis. (This is a black pen. I have a black pen. <i>“Pen” is a masculine noun. “Czarny długopis” is the masculine, nominative, singular form of “black pen” and it’s also the masculine, accusative, singular form.)</i><span style="font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">2. To jest czarny kot. Mam czarnego kota. (<i>This is a black cat. I have a black cat. “Cat” is also a masculine noun, but it’s an animal and there are special exceptions for animal words. Therefore, it’s not identical to “pen.” “Czarny kot” is the masculine, nominative, singular form of “black cat” and “czarnego kota” is the masculine, accusative, singular form.)</i><span style="font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">3. To jest czarna torebka. Mam czarną torebkę. (This is a black handbag. I have a black handbag. <i>“Handbag” is a feminine noun. “Czarna torebka” is the feminine, nominative, singular form of “black handbag” and “czarną torebkę” is the feminine, accusative, singular form.)</i><span style="font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">4. To jest czarny krzesło. Mam czarne krzesło. (This is a black chair. I have a black chair. <i>“Chair” is a neuter noun. “Czarny krzesło” is the neuter, nominative, singular form of “black chair” and “czarne krzesło” is the neuter, accusative, singular form.)<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">It’s like a language puzzle!<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">When we weren’t memorizing forms, we had a lot of fun activities in the evenings. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">We watched a cycling race (the Tour de Pologne) that went through Cieszyn.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5Kg3vuOqPf-sV2AQXj_LeWUOwSb6vGIJ6c8wioGVKIXaiOf3mKLfK3hNxydZZRreOmOeahDnfSj-dHoCUHnyeElvVTUJHOk2_FtCJ9I_8VoSkwIremCpt2SRbYpMTECNqGmf07LlR0uL/s320/Tour+de+Pologne.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517555425299003906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">One night, my classmate <span style="ヒラギノ丸ゴ Pro W4&quot;font-family:&quot;;">薛</span><span style="font-family:新細明體;">潇</span><span style="ヒラギノ丸ゴ Pro W4&quot;font-family:&quot;;">迪</span> (Stella) from Beijing treated my classmate Irmgard and me to a wonderful, home cooked Chinese meal!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdnn_XB-8OCwv-3Ind5Gmiq45M7CXSTzWMzwThsTKsAABKgL4YChnLa_sFbF7ssFHhd0y33QLiuFmToPPoChRDqJ2bmTcOUYR0tJV11EpQ-9yTv-0vq5YVY0Pj8W5MDIJsP62icO0pYvaq/s320/Stella.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517555421461324034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div>My school director invited me to dinner with her and her family in August and I had the opportunity to practice my Polish. Her grandmother and daughter were especially kind and helpful. It’s amazing how well you can communicate with very little, especially when you have eager and patient listeners.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrJ59Kk4Pk0pHqXoRkKTZLByDj4-wSanD9369oqG6PFHCacRtcWcTFwgzUoDppde8ropSjoQOPQW0bp8-d5ARUM4IiJeRvRyhnLsUX-qxVrMYYT1PWp685vsx_wYTFu8NQwrUR0dI0hbr/s320/Family+Polish.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517554095876617618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div>Thanks to everyone for supporting me and my second year here. Your amazing generosity helped me attend this wonderful language program. It was an empowering experience, and I’m excited to keep you updated about my language learning progress this year!</div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrJ59Kk4Pk0pHqXoRkKTZLByDj4-wSanD9369oqG6PFHCacRtcWcTFwgzUoDppde8ropSjoQOPQW0bp8-d5ARUM4IiJeRvRyhnLsUX-qxVrMYYT1PWp685vsx_wYTFu8NQwrUR0dI0hbr/s1600/Family+Polish.JPG"></a>http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/09/czesc-hello-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-5854974055819763780Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:44:00 +00002010-06-22T13:22:31.147-07:00<div style="text-align: left;">Today I taught my last class of the 2009-2010 school year and said “happy summer” or “goodbye” (to graduating students) to the angelic, devilish teenagers I now call “my kids.” I felt sad saying goodbye, aware that it’s (for non-graduating students) only “goodbye” for the summer because I’m back next year, but heartbreakingly sad nevertheless.</div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s the first year I was the teacher, not the student, after almost two decades of sitting in a student desk. I don’t remember ever rejoicing on the last day of school. School is one of my “homes.” And for the past 17 or 18 years of my life – and this year is no exception – I’ve measured time by the school calendar. We might celebrate New Year’s in the winter, but August and September, with bouquets of newly sharpened pencils, are my new year. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And I couldn’t help but feel emotional when I thanked my students for the past year. They braved lessons with a “1^st year baby teacher” who was sometimes bewildered by Polish school culture. They were patient with me. They were kind to me. They challenged me. They greeted me in the hallways with a smile. They answered my questions. We laughed until we cried. Sometimes after a difficult lesson only I cried. They were so honest and open with me about their lives, their dreams, and their emotions. They amazed me with their willingness to try speaking in a new language and experiment with the sometimes crazy “out of the box” lessons I threw at them. They tried to get away with murder. Their goal was always to convince me to abandon their English education and instead play baseball with them every lesson. They were clever, creative, mischievous, rebellious, loving, and wonderful. They were my motivation for walking to school during an October blizzard, a May flood, and on any day when I felt overwhelmed by all of the “newness” here. They’re my kids. I’ll miss them this summer. They’re why I’m teaching here again next year. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlr0QzWLFLK_EgerJApcC0G17S8itWOkMN52zeYXHv6DDtIPYMEIAj3TspxtigLnwXdEYCwQ2om__dW9NQdHWtm7WKpDYHawOt4irepyq2x8zffWVqEp9ANvM-LAG_ssT7NjK5o3QdsT5/s320/Students+%231.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485694046487518306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9O1LxEwPtSa87pZEND6LhqEa2lC3yrCkOHwN_srdZVcf04_Wdij_uZAqUr6L_K7m0k6_kLKprtQeCoFOlUeUDmZx8aRagG_rvLv3Fql_D0pzzUQ8iQMq38kAm_aJjy72IeAfizl1QbV66/s320/Students+%235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485694080038603938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kN0lDvvQz5pxGMWsM-h-ApPxW-_AjxKjKiURFyOBS1mxE3I_Ts97QwFTE_i9IfWHDt7vkk6NtR7x0AdwAw4XgbQtKOEAoJ_YMveuse3rQbhHZTA0o_K7ftiHa97v1vobdXPMSkR58dgk/s320/Students+%234.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485694070782425602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJ7wl8ybphUj4ByufLvaV1NmMwEMinrUZXoE-cXAOvAwIUEed_iaBNPmozw5rQxjRyskBzxBcVwQ31vu1vJYxwK3IhFePol54i04ftfnZw5HGpaSFAAMHGiVs-E1tF4UuKPlfY0LhsArh/s320/Students+%233.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485694066685233346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAUJ7dnnzLTUcjarQFPZNuCjDeVKnYLuQ1S-MwOnyoZgW8YsZAqZiYBcu08gFSCPWCiGbLJVUvrV-_hODa6BUexiH8uBZr2HLKgBqYjH74peB11f7hFlE2PL1onQrrutR269P3y9JCRx4/s320/Students+%232.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485694053758222962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div>I’ve also said goodbye this month to people I won’t see again next year, including other Central Europe ELCA teachers.</div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For the June 4-6 weekend, ELCA teachers from 3 schools in Slovakia visited Cieszyn. They were part of my eclectic and supportive “home away from home” family this year. They’re the people I could tell teaching or culture shock anecdotes to and know that they understood. We didn’t get together frequently, but it was always a joy when we did and there was a tangible excitement in the room whenever we had the opportunity to gather. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here’s a photograph of our June get-together in Cieszyn. We’re waving because we’re mimicking a Polish folk dance movement, but I’ve renamed this photograph “God’s work, our hands.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienNLxeu5LFS1mRf-3VbpXJRXFzrZ2EBLifGSpcTibjgqTjUtf4-24PaKzSCruFnJUVOmF6B4mdgcXXZ8VxE9TUGpVTA8ZNXuaXtImKcm9tic-cEac1V1oa-NdGw0x0q0L3-0sqjgdLvWM/s320/Hands.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485691367470323330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our June gathering was an opportunity to celebrate the year and say goodbye. Only one Slovakia teacher from the weekend is teaching here again next year. On Sunday, we had brunch and a little worship/sending service where we sang hymns and people shared stories, read prayers, and reflected on the year. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I read (well, tried to read, I cried during the 1^st sentence and had to ask someone for help), a beautiful reflection on time I recently discovered. It’s a speech for the New Year by Pope Benedict XVI, but for me, it’s also a speech for this School Year, and the next. His words deeply resonated with what I’ve experienced my first year in Poland and the mix of emotions tumbling around in my heart this week. Here it is:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>“The year is ending. This means, as always, that we spend a few minutes in reflection. For a moment we become conscious of the strange thing called "time," which otherwise we simply use without thinking about it. We feel both the melancholy and the consolation of our own transiency. Much that caused us distress, much that weighed us down and seemed to make progress impossible, has now passed and become quite unimportant. As we look back, difficult days are transfigured in memory, and the now almost forgotten distress leaves us more peaceful and confident, more composed in the face of present threats, for these too will pass. The consolation of transiency: Nothing lasts, no matter how important it claims to be. <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>But this consoling thought, which gives patience its character of promise, also has its discouraging and saddening aspect. Nothing lasts, and therefore along with the old year not only difficulties but much that is beautiful has passed away. We cannot say to any moment: "Stay a while! You are so lovely!" Anything that is within time comes and then passes away.<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Our feelings toward a new year show the same ambivalence as our feelings toward the old year. A new beginning is something precious; it brings hope and possibilities as yet undisclosed. "Every beginning has a magic about it that protects us and helps us live" (Herman Hesse) ... What can we say at this moment of transition? First of all, we can do the very human thing the moment urges upon us: we can use the time of reflection in order to stand aside and widen our vision, thus gaining inner freedom and a patient readiness to move on again.”</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">To conclude our sending service, Dee, one of the Slovakia teachers, sang a Polish song about time and how we may never meet again in this place, in this way. This summer all the teachers at our gathering will scatter around the globe. It’s a song that’s heartbreakingly true. “Together again we will not.” Not in this place, in this way.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Jak szybko mijaja chwile<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Jak szybko plyne czas<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Za rok, za dzien, za chwile<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Razem nie bedzie nas<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>How quickly moments passed<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>How fast swim times<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Per year, per day, for the moment<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Together again we will not</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The sadness I’ve felt frequently this month is a little puzzling, despite all my attempts to dissect it, understand it. But I’m thankful for the sadness, that I’m sad for this challenging, enlightening, awakening, terrifying, invigorating, opening, overwhelmingly beautiful year to conclude. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>How quickly moments passed. <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>Stay a while! You are so lovely!<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i> <o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>“For all that has been, thanks! For all that will be, yes!” Dag Hammarskjold.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">See you on Sunday, Chicago!<o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/06/strange-thing-called-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-549949430249768074Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:45:00 +00002010-06-08T01:06:49.450-07:00<div style="text-align: left;">I recently read a great article where a person chronicled her year abroad with a "reflection by numbers."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Here's my year in playful numbers.</b></div><div><ul><li>Number of Wisconsin (yes, Wisconsin!) high school choir concerts attended in Poland: 1</li><li>The highest number of runners on one base during a school baseball game: 3 (whoops!)</li><li>The number of people who have told me that I dye my hair an "interesting color" (and it's natural!): 6</li><li>Average number of days a week my cell phone decides my apartment is in the Czech Republic and that calls I receive from Poland (the country my apartment is, in fact, located in) are "international calls": 4</li><li>Number of times I twirled on a Salzburg mountain (with mom and aunt in tow) like Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music": 1</li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6kD7v-UaaGyhVAIC7goTsdBlaouHElTN-LF584e-FqhIES7FZxlgdpGhcK1ztOVaDTJQP-9LA1VjXqRNWpVoDrPIch4cgdFo4ZIZvgvKUABtvRgFTjc6ZCc5gJ1mv7sXbq53bQrfmL_C/s320/Twirl.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480304595087184578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><ul><li>Number of holes drilled through my apartment walls - on separate occasions - and on accident - by my neighbors during their remodeling: 3</li><li>Cost of the three-hour bus ride from Cieszyn to Krakow: 16 PLN (approximately $5)</li><li>Number of sugar cookies baked for school parties/English worship: 28 dozen</li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdL1wwmoQw-g38ViTGatfDLJAbqx7hxV2F20aewDiLO5xP_P2bCdqieSe-4XBavGUA4O0nPQYTc7qmdthAJP6rdgu9W8tizHJokPmBAUyLIVlV9Y-w3PeKEyIBl4dYmSUqABpHE7fUXkxm/s320/Cookies.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480304605716161666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><ul><li>Number of clothing layers required to survive a 2-hour church service in an unheated sanctuary in February: 4 (long underwear, "clothing layer," fleece layer, wool coat layer)</li><li>Number of medals awarded in the English Conversation Olympics: 100+</li><li>Number of separate occasions where people accused (yes, I'd say "accused") me of being a vegetarian because I ate chicken instead of beef or pork at a restaurant or school event (umm...): 4</li><li>Number of other Americans teaching in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic I've met (the majority are ELCA teachers in Slovakia): 27</li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5iFY-IUm2v_TefAnp9r6Iwl8QIjQErEjEvVbWdAT1PVl-Ro8wsEMf3yYwFRhdCe1opecFk8pe1b4QBgRJ_UACb9ZCrjjeWwwjtlJK-KQ9j4tCbX5LOwnvAz9AAtloIHwkKFQHIh3zkJX/s320/Americans.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480310896243479730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><ul><li>Percentage of students who, when I asked them in September what they wanted to learn in English conversation this year, said they wanted to go to the park across the street: almost 100%</li><li>Number of flowers I received from my students on Women's Day because, according to my 7th graders, "these are for you because you are a woman": 6</li><li>Average age of the other skiers on the bunny slopes the day I learned how to ski: 4</li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzarbaJzk1tRafoWYPmerAhoenlQuBAiw4WB5Di-Q0ELj3RV1drunhfjhfVULuvjynSHnAWenC-XY6WevKSxmVP_WDkCGFDA4lJiFpRX4DHdxEx5P9YwoexeSue_oAF-NCMo67wuBCKuj/s320/Skiing.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480304617007188882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><ul><li>Number of pounds split between my two suitcases when I flew to Central Europe in August: 91</li><li>Number of ATM cards demagnetized/devoured by Slovak ATMs/stolen: 3 ("To lose one ATM card may be regarded as misfortune; to lose three looks like carelessness." - Oscar Wilde's likely reaction to my ATM card bad luck.)</li><li>Number of people who helped me with my ATM crises: 8 (Mom, Dad, Jim, Elsa, Wanda, Kelly, Grandma, Grandpa)</li><li>Number of free meals with my sister at a restaurant in Florence, Italy thanks to adoring waiters: 1</li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm97l2mX-dcOqM-3R3MpreqFOIKzigPvL4yw_vtk0qpfBE-nlE_kCV2e57wmNFKBeSf8VmaNkChTsBCvT8TABAVCcS4AyjEDphpjbn9rMwzR0i46zrTJh_DG23jVLGS9kbNPXABiTMXlP4/s320/Italy.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480309819991612802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><ul><li>Number of minutes after the bell rings that teachers at my school continue to sit peacefully in the teacher's room before finally heading to class: 2 or 3</li><li>Average number of pieces of cake you're served at a Polish home...before you eat dinner: 2</li><li>Number of people who have told me that McDonald's slogan "I'm lovin' it" is not grammatically correct: 3</li><li>Number of visitors from the U.S. this year: 9! (Claire, Dad, Mom, Kate, Erin, Kelly, Aunt Denise, Grandma, Grandpa)</li><li>Number of days at the beginning of the year I was afraid of the open flame hot water heater in my tiny bathroom: at least 30</li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRi_QDE_tFtzvWubDr3VWfTo8A6Cem3WqAKP7EEpg0LN3ij1BMT6r-4b8Yab4agl13wIuvFo46k5U1BLd4ojmUARWa28nioTrldITmR_rgObyYuna0wOcT8MTXi4Q8gRC3D_jlqRG5TU0k/s320/Flame.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480304619729711922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><ul><li>Average number of matches I need to successfully light the hot water heater every morning: 3</li><li>Number of languages I've worshipped in this year: 7</li><li>Age of my youngest student: 10</li><li>Age of my oldest student: 70+</li><li>Number of minutes it takes for me to walk to the "Bridge of Freedom" over the Olza river that connects the town of Cieszyn in Poland with the town Cesky Tesin in the Czech Republic: 7</li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieg8oXW5Vvbly5GvIOmXgFXU1AbcU2CLNpzXHLvlcvn2Q9tVNf2jGvSxStSC57zB5j67cx9dQGW6m12bpPePEWWKW8lCO11kBBkg8gol7o0UG2LyN69T3fUTDE0YCUPfeKCWNPm9W5RMo8/s320/Bridge.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480304635209390290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><ul><li>Longest number of consecutive days spent in one country: 9 days in Poland, when I had bronchitis and couldn't trek to the Czech Republic where I tutor in the evenings :)</li><li>Number of days until I fly to Chicago: 19!</li></ul></div>http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/06/reflection-by-numbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-5734075410951587874Thu, 03 Jun 2010 07:46:00 +00002010-06-03T00:54:22.984-07:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I woke up this morning to e-mails and Facebook messages from four of my favorite people in the world: my parents and two sisters. And I felt excited to know that I’ll see them soon because I’m heading to Chicago in THREE WEEKS!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This summer I’m excited...</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1. To spend time with my family. I can’t wait for family dinners, talking to my favorite people, hearing their stories, and laughing a lot (my sisters are the funniest people I know). I’m excited for the wonderful, happy, laughter and love-filled chaos of living with my family for a month! I love them a lot! </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2. To spend time with friends. Like my family, they’ve braved extreme time zone differences to Skype with me this year and their efforts to stay in touch warm my heart. We’ve all survived our first year after receiving our undergraduate degrees and I can’t wait to get together with everyone! I’m excited for LePeep breakfasts, tea dates in Chicago, and a trip to Boulder. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">3. To hold my pet birds. They “talk” to me over Skype. They’re a little spastic (or “special”) but I love them. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">4. To worship at St. Luke’s. It’s unlikely that I’ll survive a service without crying. Singing hymns in English and visiting with people I've known for years and who support my work here? Tears are inevitable. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">5. About the sun and spending time outdoors (including lying on the hammock in the backyard). My dad and I are planning a biking/kayaking trip (yippee!) and my parents are always game for bike rides and walks after dinner! Let’s go! I’m ready!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">6. For skim milk. Well, any pasteurized milk. And safe tap water. And salmon. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">7. For the Park Ridge Public Library. I might live there over the summer. They have books! Lots and lots of books. Criticize America all you want, but you can’t deny we have a fantastic commitment to public libraries. There’s nothing better than a morning browsing at the library and then sitting at home surrounded by dozens of enticing books! What to read first...and how many books can I cram into my suitcase for year two...</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">8. To go to the theatre! Movies! Sports events! Concerts! I love tiny Cieszyn, but at heart I’m a “city culture girl” because I’d attend a theatre/music performance every night of the week if money/time allowed. This summer, if I’m not at the library, I’m probably somewhere soaking up Chicago culture!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">9. British “queues” or American “lines.” I try not to judge other cultures, but boy, in my opinion, you can’t beat the American and British respect of “the line.” In Central Europe, there’s a lot of “pushing and shoving” – not my style. I’ll probably visit stores just to experience the joy of standing in a civilized line. Luckily, buying tickets at cultural events and checking out library books always involve waiting patiently in a line! Kill two birds with one stone, right?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">10. To experience “re-entry culture shock.” I’m looking forward (although also a little terrified) to analyze my “re-entry” experience. What’s different? What’s unusual to me after living abroad for a year? What did I miss? What didn’t I miss? Can I drive a car after almost a year? Can I speak English 24/7? Will I have to walk to Canada because I’ll get homesick for walking across international borders? We’ll see!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">See you in THREE WEEKS!</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/06/im-excited.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-317071733706758092Mon, 24 May 2010 17:59:00 +00002010-05-27T11:21:50.555-07:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Five weeks from today the school year in Poland concludes, and I’ll fly to Chicago for a month of summer vacation before my second year of teaching in Cieszyn! On July 25, I’m talking at St. Luke’s (in Park Ridge) at 11:15 a.m. about my experiences. Please attend if you’d like to hear about this year (and my plans for </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">next</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> year!). People have been amazingly supportive of my work here, and I’d love talk to everyone and thank you in person!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to return to Cieszyn for a second year of teaching. Your first year of teaching is a lot of “trial and error” and a lot of learning – learning about the school culture, the students’ language level, and how to best get students excited about learning English. The second year is a fantastic opportunity to apply all your knowledge and insights and better address the students’ English language learning needs. I’m thrilled to teach here again!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My school provides a living allowance for food and necessities, but cannot afford to pay other expenses, including my international airplane ticket. I was overwhelmed by the financial support I received during my first year of service, and I’d like to ask you to think about supporting my second year if you’re in a position to do so. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This spring, ELCA Global Mission committed to a long-term partnership with Cieszyn’s Lutheran schools. The Lutheran schools in Cieszyn have limited resources for their students and teachers. Providing the schools with a few supplies would support years of future collaboration between ELCA volunteer teachers and our Lutheran sisters and brothers in Poland. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For year two, I’m fundraising for airfare and an intensive summer language course and also for funds to support English extracurricular school activities and the purchase of a few school supplies. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*Here’s a wish list for year two:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Classroom set of English-Polish dictionaries and a reference thesaurus:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> 6 dictionaries ($25 per dictionary, one dictionary for every 2-3 students in a class) and a reference thesaurus ($50).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">School supplies:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> $15 a month. Students do not have an English textbook. $15 a month covers photocopying expenses and supplies for special class projects like markers and poster board. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Digital projector:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> $500. The classrooms do not have computers, televisions, or projectors. A projector would allow teachers to incorporate visuals (including film clips, maps, and photographs) into their lessons to help the students learn new vocabulary.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Weekly “English breakfast”:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> $20 a month. Students are always asking for extra opportunities to practice their English. Students meet in the morning for 45 minutes for conversation and a snack. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Weekly after-school activities:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> $20 a month. Activities include cookie decorating and baseball games, and, of course, opportunities to practice their English. $20 a month covers minimal supplies and a snack for the students.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Virtual sheet music subscription:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> $50. There is no band/orchestra program in the school. Instrumentalists are invited to attend after-school “jam sessions” so they can experience playing with other students in an ensemble. An online music subscription provides the sheet music. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Intensive 28-day Polish language course in August:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> $42 a day, $300 per week. I’d like to enroll in an intensive Polish language course before resuming my teaching duties in the fall. Language instruction would let me better serve students with no prior English instruction, including elementary school students and older adults in my church congregation.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Roundtrip airfare from Chicago to Warsaw:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> $1,500. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*How to donate:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, IL (my home congregation) is collecting donations. Checks are payable to “St. Luke’s Lutheran Church” and should be designated “Sarah - Poland.” You will receive a charitable donation tax receipt. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here is the church’s address:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Luke’s Lutheran Church</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">205 N. Prospect Ave.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Park Ridge, IL 60068</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">USA</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If you have any questions, please e-mail me at </span><a href="mailto:sarahpolandsarah@gmail.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">sarahpolandsarah@gmail.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Thanks for your support!</span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/05/year-two-wish-list.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-1433977144204866104Sun, 02 May 2010 07:11:00 +00002010-05-02T00:49:03.694-07:00<div style="text-align: left;">Do you remember substitution days in middle school and high school? You’d arrive to class to discover that your teacher was absent and you’d feel excited and a little giddy. Now, the giddiness didn’t always accurately reflect your level of interest in the class or your relationship with the specific teacher; for me, it reflected the joy of an unexpected and welcome change in the [sometimes monotonous] school day. With a substitute, perhaps you’d get to watch a movie or have time in class to (gasp!) finish your homework.</div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I realized recently that I’ve stripped my students of the opportunity to experience this “substitution giddiness.” I substitute for absent teachers at my school frequently. When I asked my work colleagues in September what to do when I substitute, they said, “Teach an extra English conversation class.” That’s logical. I took their advice seriously and treated substitution lessons like my scheduled lessons. I planned for them, set lesson objectives, and took advantage of the extra time with my students.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Luckily, my students have yet to groan when I substitute for them, but this spring I wanted to infuse new life into my substitute lessons. How could I distinguish my substitution lessons from my English conversation lessons?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This spring I’ve decided to treat my substitution lessons like a separate course called “American Culture.” We frequently talk about American culture in my conversation classes, but it isn’t the focus. I decided that for substitution lessons, it’s okay to have a lesson that’s not solely <u>speaking</u> focused. Plus, the best way to get the students to speak is to engage them in a new activity that arouses natural curiosity and therefore a natural desire to ask questions and talk. And I want substitution lessons to feel <u>different</u> and <u>exciting</u>. I also believe that you can’t (or, at least, shouldn’t) teach language without teaching culture. They are intricately and undeniably connected.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve had two units so far in my “American Culture” course: dancing and baseball.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>American Line Dancing<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When students arrived to this substitute class, we pushed the desks to the walls and danced! Line dancing is a great classroom activity because 1) you don’t have to force people to pick partners and 2) everyone is dancing identical steps so it’s easier to teach. It was a great opportunity to let the students learn through <u>movement</u> and <u>observation</u>. They listened to my instructions but also watched me perform the steps and connected the movement with the English vocabulary. I am <u>not</u> a dancer but luckily thanks to my music background I have good rhythm, and thanks to Colleen, who is a dancer, I'd had an American dancing "refresher course" before teaching the lesson. I've also learned this year that <u>how</u> I approach the lesson (i.e., with enthusiasm and high expectations) is the key factor in the lesson’s success.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNNapjJK26ouumQcYc47ysq7_zpd4j-lRaeLRciJulvd2YbImgyO8vMK6Xh1WdZZ3jNFMs0IiM9iT79ktl0vtOUEFF1P_0Qdmc9x9EtmcodmWZPyjpPWL8ASJzTLENWkitZ1ru8ZSNgX-/s320/AC+%231.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466570874976540578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We started with the Chicken Dance, the Y.M.C.A., and the Macarena to warm-up. Then we learned the Cupid Shuffle and finished with the greatest challenge, Cotton-Eyed Joe. The Cupid Shuffle is great because it’s easy to let the students personalize the basic steps, and they loved the music for Cotton-Eyed Joe. We had a Cotton-Eyed Joe “dance-off” at the end of class to the 5-minute song (last person dancing “won”). I’ve had the opportunity to do this substitution lesson with almost all of my 7^th grade classes, and they always ask me when we’ll get to dance again. Here are the students posing for a "Y.M.C.A." photograph.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBYUXUfMicX9w3lDSvO6IRRVUg_h5nc4VIjZ1P0wRtdkLWXhVVQ66nnRVWB4InS1GlKOTNdglspIh-59moTlOsLt5Zs3PeSWZbSez07AAyQRx9PfmEyT73VuS0TbmHSuBY5GBKjUNk8aC/s320/AC+%232.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466570882420004226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Baseball</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w_-aunjotIowUv7jgZDYy_nGrkud2_SezfGX25nttFOGzFCk3BB77uEdL_T6mGvxzU7k9RMT42lUnuBIO1KNYdPdZwm9RmfSEvoIbWnVKCcm-SRD5TYs9zdF_uss-rx6AcqPOpgBOJAo/s320/AC+%233.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466570886427668306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b> <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s finally spring in Cieszyn (with magnolia trees blooming everywhere!) and, if we want, we’re allowed to go outside with our classes to the church park that’s across the street from the school. Two weeks ago we had beautiful weather and I decided to teach a baseball substitution lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now, if you know me, you know that I’m the person who wears the wrong colors to sporting events, and that, although I enjoy sporting events, I’m never particularly interested in who wins. I’m not especially qualified to teach people how to play baseball. (A couple friends and family members asked point blank, “Do you know anything about baseball?” when I told them of this lesson plan. I wasn’t insulted; it’s a fair question. In high school I attended almost every football game because of marching band and after all that exposure I still don’t understand the rules.) But I did my research and also knew that I would be teaching a simplified game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The students looked at me like I’d lost my marbles when I announced we were playing baseball (don’t tell the students, but I’m always very excited when I get this look because I love surprising them). We talked about the basic rules, the names of the positions, and other baseball expressions. Then we played!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQGAJoJm0dwh_C8bmYu9rTz_d5r78tbjwEeS1cKbjtHruurquh9aICpN4kayM1qghVjcITdiI3SBqOEp-l0lUCW_Y-KDxfdCUr9YgKhfRg0n0v6IJqefxJfkyh-zkQn6ypeA9wtGO6dsW/s320/AC+%234.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466573492288902562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokw4wOG_N5YZ8w-plwXDdAczjRJLAZ_M5u0q1npheRcKsIe6MHnXb8-8mcMcm6tgr-cYVpmOd0QdP4FaJpg6L5eJHAE_ee5iU4nwmcavwDdVvlXxsytrcahQ3NcJKs-quGjujBQYFWyBT/s320/AC+%236.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466573508658555490" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">The majority of the students had never played or watched baseball before. We had a lot of fun learning the rules (again, language learning through movement; understanding the rules by applying them). It was a fun listening activity because (especially for the first 20 minutes), I helped the students with every play of the game, telling them when and where to run, what to do to get a player “out,” and answering lots of questions as they tried to apply the rules we had talked about.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The students did great, but it’s a steep learning curve when you haven’t lived in a culture where baseball is very popular and you’re exposed to the game regardless of your level of interest (I’m living proof). </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Here are a couple fun baseball mishaps:</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal">1) I realized I needed to specifically teach them how to hold the bat when the 1^st student batter stood directly <u>behind</u> home plate and swung the bat like you’d swing a light saber in Star Wars, straight out in front of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">2) Sometimes I saw the students incorporating football/American soccer rules into the game. For example, I had to tell a lot of students that they couldn’t kick the baseball to their teammates; they had to throw it. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">3) Before we played the game, I told the students how to get a batter “out” including by “catching a fly ball.” I had demonstrated this rule by having a student bat and I [miraculously] caught her hit in the outfield. I thought they understood until the time the pitcher threw the ball, the batter swung and missed, the catcher caught the ball and all the students yelled, “He [the catcher] caught the ball! He caught the ball! She’s [the batter] out! She’s out!” I had to laugh because, well, we weren’t the best pitchers or catchers so it was a miracle when the catcher caught the pitcher’s throw. I had to clarify that the batter had to <u>hit</u><i> </i><span style="font-style:normal">the ball and someone in the <u>outfield</u> had to catch the ball for an out. Unfortunately, it didn’t count if the catcher caught the pitcher’s throw. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">4) My favorite baseball mishap reinvented the phrase “the bases are loaded,” where there is a runner on every base (1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd). I was quite busy during the game, keeping an eye on everyone. Lots of students had questions about the rules, students needed help holding the bat semi-correctly (I’m not going to pretend that I know the best way to hold a bat), pitchers were throwing balls way too high, etc. After one hit, I looked out into the field and discovered that the bases were loaded – with four people. There was a student on first, <u>two</u> students on second, and a student on third. I realized that I’d never told the students that you could only have <u>one</u> person on a base at one time. Here's a photograph of the "extra loaded" second base (Zuzia and Sara were the runners, Patryk behind them is the 2nd baseman, and Jan in the foreground was the pitcher). </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r1NfRLyasOpqCYBo1c0kO3u8UPrN7fikVGksG8h9AxmTc1Jg5Zt3v1RoSKHDLPi9DNY4m7THcfKN40nyd1y9CmwOd6mEEFII0Fpk_1V_DVt4s36IDATlvus9JtMc3uqLqGe-OVBFPPMk/s320/AC+%235.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466573499272758610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s funny to realize that although I’m not a baseball expert, I know quite a lot about baseball because of my culture. You can’t avoid it! The lesson was also an example of how <u>specific</u> language is and how easy it is to think you’ve explained a rule well, but then you realize that you didn’t! </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m thoroughly enjoying my “American Culture” substitution course and thinking about units for upcoming substitution classes this year and next! Any suggestions? I’d love to hear them!</p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/05/bases-are-extra-loaded.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-3138495608882596401Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:04:00 +00002010-04-21T14:42:40.199-07:00<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjbEMxg_dUvwm7jFNLVJiaeqSJKNjTkx1VjsSMS6etiQrbQ0Ox60X2skALSoo5yjchI9b8oVUjQ_3I3racsqoBhEnGczuiorPbHkAPgGo5iEtUAC2pqrkr76WtX9hs9ZqBlSpbYnSpbR8/s1600/Poland+%231.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_IN1toa5aPJsG2i-74uThYX3vxBtqwTj6Os9z-9y3iehvemgX3OY2zqdtsTuP_TjzFMqjpms9-U3k5JncwFWUyBdoXhhOwgj-YuwPqHe8TmD76BJRqJbFs1UmsHEXNWzWM9AjCPJejlT/s1600/Poland+%234.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_IN1toa5aPJsG2i-74uThYX3vxBtqwTj6Os9z-9y3iehvemgX3OY2zqdtsTuP_TjzFMqjpms9-U3k5JncwFWUyBdoXhhOwgj-YuwPqHe8TmD76BJRqJbFs1UmsHEXNWzWM9AjCPJejlT/s320/Poland+%234.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462707441966052050" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The tragedy of April 10. It’s a lot to process. I grieve for the family and friends of the crash victims and for Poland, a country too frequently plagued by tragedy and loss this past century. I’ve grieved with my neighbors here but I’ve also sometimes felt like an analytical observer rather than a participator. Lately I’m an information gatherer, trying to understand the significance of the event, the emotional reaction of the country, the state of the government. I’ve talked to everyone about the tragedy – work colleagues, students, younger people, older people, people in the Czech Republic, people in Slovakia, people in America. I’ve watched people hang flags with black ribbons and say prayers and light candles at the memorial in the town center. I’ve studied every related article in the Polish English newspaper I read online. I’ve browsed international websites, especially BBC, CNN, and other American news sources.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjbEMxg_dUvwm7jFNLVJiaeqSJKNjTkx1VjsSMS6etiQrbQ0Ox60X2skALSoo5yjchI9b8oVUjQ_3I3racsqoBhEnGczuiorPbHkAPgGo5iEtUAC2pqrkr76WtX9hs9ZqBlSpbYnSpbR8/s320/Poland+%231.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462707454705827186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dlUX8Ja_hCysJRRl2oxUF8dnuSsOo4wmIjesWwf4a-GczxSy9rgF6MR105hPGMKdnb_daGsadUlIMtFVVefjC3wmh89MkQLeehLve_op7nJ4KOlavoQXSxjxb7_LW1spG3PHLni3_k3S/s320/Poland+%232.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462708800785886866" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">People from America have e-mailed and said, “You’re </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">there</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. What’s it like?” Four words that resonate with me after almost two weeks of processing the tragedy and its implications are </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">HISTORY</span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">STABILITY</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FORGIVENESS</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, and </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FAITH</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">HISTORY:</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The terrible plane crash killed not only President Kaczynski but other high-ranking government and military officials. The crash killed the country’s president, the deputy foreign minister, the national bank president, the head of the National Security Office, the army chaplain, and numerous other military, political, and church leaders. I’ll admit that upon hearing the horrific news the morning on April 10 I couldn’t help but despair, “Why were they all flying together?!?” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">They were flying to Russia to attend the 70</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> commemoration of the Katyn massacre, where in 1940 22,000 Polish military officers and leaders (doctors, professors, lawyers, priests, journalists) were murdered by the Soviet secret police. Russia only recently (in 1990) accepted responsibility for the massacre after decades of elaborate cover-ups (including fabricating evidence to prove the massacre was a Nazi operation). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The symbolic nature of the site of the plane crash is sad; the parallel between the massacre and the plane crash haunting. Twice the Russian site hosts the death of Poland’s top military, government, religious, and intellectual leaders. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You can’t understand the tragedy here without understanding Poland’s past. The plane didn’t crash in Russia. It crashed near the site where the bodies of 22,000 murdered Poles were buried and concealed for decades. You may have read that people here were upset when foreign leaders canceled their plans to attend the funeral. Yes, the volcano interfered, but people (including me) were disappointed by European leaders in close proximity to Poland who had the option of driving or traveling by train to the late president’s funeral but canceled “because of the volcano.” It’s not people canceling; it’s a repeat of WWII where France and Britain promised to attack Germany if Germany attacked Poland and then France and Britain “canceled” at Poland’s time of need and directly violated their past agreements. People pledged their support following the tragedy on Saturday and then bailed. History is alive here. Poland didn’t need another tragedy. They’ve had a lot of loss in the past 70 years. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">STABILITY: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The crash killed a significant number of senior officials. But despite the tragedy and blow to the country and its government and military, it’s strangely and miraculously calm here. People are mourning, in shock, but not frantic or terrified. There’s no fear of military invasion, of someone leaping at the opportunity to capture Poland at its weakest. Is it crazy to think about a military invasion? No! Because the peace here that allows Poland to mourn without fear for the security of its country or an imminent invasion from its neighbors is a [quite recent] blessing! The government is stable. Following terms in the Constitution, presidential elections were rescheduled for June 20 (instead of the autumn). I’m grateful for a peaceful transfer of power – a victory for any country. I’m amazed by the stability, the calm. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FORGIVENESS:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The word that resonates best with my understanding and observations of the past two weeks is FORGIVENESS. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Why did the plane crash? Probably due to pilot error. He shouldn’t have tried to land the plane in the heavy fog. But you know what’s amazing, inspirational? No one here is angry at him. Polish newspapers aren’t printing expos</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">é</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">es on the pilot whose mistake [may have] killed almost 100 people. (Could American journalists resist this temptation?) People here I talk to aren’t pointing fingers either. There’s a feeling of “it’s a tragedy regardless of how or why the plane crashed.” Perhaps top officials did pressure the pilot to land, whether or not we’ll ever have that confirmed by a recording. Perhaps the pilot alone was mistaken in his decision. But when people talk of the crash and the pilot you hear “he was human too and we need healing, not finger-pointing” in their tone of voice. And that’s forgiveness at its core. We are only human.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And President Kaczynski was only human too. A lot of people in Poland didn’t like his policies or his administration. The country probably wouldn’t have re-elected him in the autumn. Some people scoff at how when someone dies we only remember the best of him or her. But President Kaczynski loved his country, his family, and he served them to the best of his ability. We should honor and respect him for his work and forgive him for his faults. The news here is focused on his “good” and, although perhaps in a less apparent way, I interpret this focus as the country forgiving him for his faults and uplifting him for his gifts and years of service to his country and its people. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">People at President Kaczynski’s funeral on Sunday spoke of a desire for Polish-Russian reconciliation, and at the core of Polish-Russian reconciliation is forgiveness for the horrors of the past. I’ve had the opportunity to read an English translation of the speech President Kaczynski wrote (but never delivered) for the 70</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> commemoration of the Katyn massacre. In his speech about Katyn, Kaczynski also wrote of a hope for reconciliation: “May this wound fully and finally heal. We are already on this path. We Poles acknowledge and value the actions of Russians of recent years. This path, which is bringing our nations together, we should continue to travel, not halting on the way or retreating back.” Following the tragedy, I’m overwhelmed and humbled by Poland’s efforts to forgive. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FAITH:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In church the Sunday after the crash, we sang hymns that asked for guidance and peace. I was almost brought to tears by the first verse of one well-known hymn. I’ve included the English translation here:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Jesus, still lead on</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Till our rest be won;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And, although the way be cheerless,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We will follow, calm and fearless;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Guide us by your hand to our Father's land.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One line of the second verse states, “let not faith and hope forsake us.” That’s how Poland responded to the tragedy: with sadness, but also with faith, with hope, with a prayer for healing. With a spirit of forgiveness. Mournful, but fearless. They keep faith. They persevere. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A special thanks to everyone who sent me e-mails after the tragedy on April 10. My colleagues, students, and friends were touched to hear that people in America sent their condolences and are praying for Poland following the tragedy and during this state of transition. Please continue to keep Poland in your prayers. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Peace,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Sarah</p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/04/we-will-follow-calm-and-fearless.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-2616028460363824725Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:07:00 +00002010-03-30T05:18:24.668-07:00<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My school background and interests inspired my lesson plans this month – a unit centered on how we learn foreign languages. My educational psychology studies and the liberal arts philosophy of my university have significantly influenced how I teach. Educational psychology, in a nutshell, is the study of how people learn, and, therefore, how teachers should teach. My liberal arts education upbringing taught me that it’s important to individualize learning and that teachers should empower students to become life-long learners (one of my favorite essays on the benefits of a liberal arts education says that it “frees you from fear”).</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For me, teaching and learning are two of life’s greatest joys. I’m arguably equally happy sitting in a desk learning as I am teaching at the blackboard. Throughout this year, I’ve experienced dozens of amazing teaching moments where I’ve felt a wonderfully overwhelming feeling of connection with my students. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here’s one of my favorite teaching quotations: </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Students learn what they care about," Ericksen said. Goethe knew that: "In all things we learn only from those we love." Add Emerson's declaration: "the secret of education lies in respecting the pupil," and we have this formula: "Students learn what they care about, from people they care about and who, they know, care about them." </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Barbara Carson</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In my opinion, mutual respect between students and teachers is the key to a successful learning environment. It’s very important to me to show my students that I respect them and the knowledge and experiences they have. I never forget that, especially here in Poland, I am frequently the pupil too in a new school system and culture with lots to learn. My students are always fantastic teachers, eagerly explaining peculiar (to me) school traditions or translating posters and bulletin boards for me. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I created this “language learning” unit to help students better understand how we learn foreign languages and to also give them the opportunity to “officially” or “formally” teach a lesson of their own creation. All, of course, in a unit that maximized the time they also spent speaking in English in my classroom. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The goals/objectives of my “how we learn foreign languages” unit included:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To discuss and analyze different language learning theories</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To help students recognize that individuals differ in their learning styles and ask them to identify their language learning style(s) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To ask students to think critically about how we learn – and therefore how we should teach – languages and apply different methods in mini-lessons</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To give students an authentic teaching experience where they taught a 10-minute foreign language lesson</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here’s how I tried to accomplish these goals:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WEEK 1:</span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> I created handouts for the students outlining half a dozen language learning theories and other theories about how people differ in how they learn best (example: multiple intelligences). We discussed the theories and then I asked students to identify the theory or theories that best describe how they learn English. We had great conversations because students were excited to discuss with their classmates how they differed in their language learning styles. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WEEK 2: </span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The following week, students worked in pairs and had to create three mini-lessons where they taught their classmates only one new English word. In their three mini-lessons, they had to incorporate their knowledge of language learning theories from our Week 1 discussion and create three different ways to teach one new word. (They did a fantastic job and I’m planning to copy a couple of their brilliant lesson plans in the future. They were extremely creative and thoughtful.) </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WEEK 3:</span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> To conclude the unit, I wanted to give my students an authentic language teaching experience and therefore...every pair of students had to create a 10-minute lesson where they taught me 10 Polish words! I know, you’re thinking “What?!? Polish?!? Isn’t it </span></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">English</span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> conversation?”</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One of the challenges I’ve enjoyed this year is creating lessons that get students interested because then they forget that I’m [forcing] them to speak English. It’s way better to design engaging lessons than having to repeatedly say, “Now, I expect to hear you speaking in English.”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The students’ lessons were, despite the fact that they taught me 10 Polish words, conducted in English 90% of the time. They had to justify their lesson plan in English, describe all directions for games and tests in English, give me feedback on my pronunciation and spelling in English, and answer my questions in English if I was confused. They spoke longer than they had in any previous speaking task I’ve assigned them this year, and no one complained! </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To me, the project was a win-win situation. It was an authentic learning situation. I don’t know Polish; they do. Sometimes I can’t imagine forcing my students to act out another “authentic” dialogue where one person “pretends” to be, for example, the waiter at a restaurant, and the other person is ordering food. Let’s face it. It’s not 100% authentic unless you’re sitting in a restaurant where the waiter only speaks English and you have to order. Of course, language learning is about preparing for authentic language interactions (like ordering at a restaurant in a foreign country), but no matter how good the lesson, it’s not exactly like the authentic experience. I know that when I learn a new Polish word out of necessity (i.e., I need to buy something at a store but it’s kept behind a counter and I’ll have to ask for it), I retain the knowledge because I </span></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">need</span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to. My students don’t [currently] </span></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">need</span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> English to survive (well, except to “survive” a conversation or class with me) like I </span></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">need</span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Polish, and it’s a fact I’m very conscious of when I try to create lessons that have a clear purpose and are engaging for them. For this project, having the students “teach” me English words wasn’t authentic, but switch to Polish, and bam, it’s an authentic teaching experience. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I announced this project, the students were </span></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">extremely</span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> excited. They talked about the project outside of class because numerous teachers said, “Oh, I heard that you’re...” and by the end of the week students arrived to my class and were bouncing with excitement in their seats for class to begin because they had heard from their peers about the project. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They had 45 minutes in class to prepare their 10-minute lesson and to...</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. Select a theme and select ten words to teach.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2. Decide how they would introduce the words to me.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3. Decide how they would help me practice the words.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4. Decide how they would test to determine if I remembered the words.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5. Decide how to assign me a grade for my work/performance.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">6. Justify all the steps of their lesson plan with “evidence” from the language theories we discussed Week 1.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Typically if I give students a “work session day,” I walk around the classroom, answer questions, and encourage students who are less motivated, but my students were very secretive when planning their lessons and frequently hurried to hide their work if I walked too close to them. They kept saying, “It’s a surprise!” I finally sat down at my desk and watched my students in a flurry of picture-drawing, flashcard-making, game-designing, and lesson-rehearsing. Two groups did let me photograph them working. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cwumWMZZ9MjqyjZbMjHyMmcs81IyAhPEBC-aGgTG7bcbyukoL_15sjIaqUejF5wQeJQrgzI9tcXEUQJW3vBVGu02llujxTlP740RMlNO_G6NgYKb0h9yLyJuHWirgeyXi6lFYFcb1JOh/s320/Students+Working+%231.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454340119631326354" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW5khd48VJ3z4JTT10WApu8JbD9qbVt7RPsNAG-27DPuTgb2hXzM8tYZKpt1vbjTJ-c-_vHNNkcWCkoKi1iYYN4Oa3uVTmRolNHaAtdCiGUtEUWQ59qZ202t1YRXURMSd3m3KQGjFats2/s320/Students+Working+%232.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454340122735803394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WEEK 4: </span></span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The fourth week they taught me their lessons. Hands down, it was my favorite week of the unit. Their lessons were magnificently designed, revealing their unique personalities, their creativity, kindness, humor, and excitement to teach. We had a blast and a lot of laughs.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here are the highlights of their “Teach Miss Sarah Polish” lessons:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1. I loved gaining new insights into how my students learn languages because their lessons reflected their individual learning styles. Interestingly, almost all of my students included visuals in their lessons. It’s sometimes a little difficult for me to include visuals in my lessons because I don’t have a computer/projector in the classroom, nor do I have access to a color printer or a lot of magazines or books with photographs. But after hearing my students say that visuals help them remember new English words, I’m going to (somehow!) try to incorporate a lot of images into my future lessons. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2. Seeing how kind, patient, and encouraging my students were as teachers. I was their vulnerable pupil, and they cared for me. They patiently repeated a difficult word half a dozen times, gave me a second chance at an exercise, or provided suggestions about how I could remember the word. They never mocked me (and trust me, my Polish skills are frequently mock-worthy). They “caught me” and “help me up” when I fell. They encouraged me and praised me. I trusted them with my “sensitive soul,” and they didn’t disappoint me. I also loved watching students who are sometimes shy or quiet in class thrive because they were less self-conscious and felt more confident because they were teaching Polish (again, despite the fact that they were, nevertheless, speaking in English 90% of the time). My butchering of Polish words also provided a lot of comic relief and helped everyone relax. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3. We were very playful. Laughter, excitement, and enthusiasm are infectious, and they filled the room when the students taught. My students never mocked me, but we laughed and laughed and laughed during their language lessons. It’s important for students to feel safe in the classroom because then they risk mistakes. We had a lot of shared laughter during the lessons that showed that mistakes are a natural – and necessary – part of the learning process. Laughing because someone drew a picture on the board that no one could identify (see the photograph of the two boys below – sadly, you can’t see the unidentifiable fish that they had drawn on the board – I also had no right to laugh because my drawing skills are non-existent), because my pronunciation was hilariously bad, or because of other silly mistakes. For example, one group had me play a game of memory where the Polish words and their English equivalents were written on cards and turned upside down. You flip over two words at a time and try to match the Polish with the English. I had a lot of issues. Not because I couldn’t remember the words, but because I forgot (ironically, in a game called “Memory”) that you don’t continually flip over two </span></span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">random</span></span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> cards, you try to REMEMBER where a correct pair is located. Whoops. In one class, an observing student asked one of the current “teachers” for permission to go to the bathroom, and I almost died laughing.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCwqfp_-oFmEin8spNISaxwoZtko8mujxyUJlS2tYjsuGE4MpsXvXNVB4kfkCXfR_emzLaw_ZTfCThtycUXoLevppfUONrqTZEwrx6he1jn11-iPxml3pT76Rx2TFYos5mk4rbjMC7d3I/s320/Fish.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454337484503219090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 4. The students were incredibly engaged, even when they weren’t teaching but watching their classmates teach me. They were very, very eager to teach me and help me learn the words...frequently (and hilariously) even if they weren’t technically one of the two partners currently presenting/teaching.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5. My students’ lessons were fantastic. They were unbelievably creative in the themes they selected, ranging from vegetables to insects to Russia to pirates to Harry Potter. I’m also proud to report that I earned “As” (or 6s here in Poland) in almost all of my lessons. (I enjoyed “bargaining” with my teachers for partial credit if I only missed one teeny-tiny letter in a twelve letter word, and students were also very forgiving and sometimes “turned a blind eye” if I said the wrong word but realized my mistake and quickly corrected myself.) That’s not to say I didn’t have difficulties. Here are my favorite challenging words:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Wrzesień” or “September” If anyone asks, I’ve decided to create a new “Polish birthday” for myself to avoid ever needing to tell someone that I’m born in the month of September. I think I’ll adopt a “Maj” or “May” birthday. Just looking at the word (especially the “wrz”) terrifies me. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“dżdżownica” or “earthworm” Ironically, it’s quite easy to pronounce (juh-jove-knee-sa), but I’m always baffled by four consonants in a row, especially when two of them are the letter “z”.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.25in"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“z przyjemnością” or “with pleasure” For a phrase that expresses a feeling of, well, pleasure, I feel extremely pained when I try to say it. Word of my inability – despite a lot of practice I must admit – to pronounce this phrase has swept the school, and this week almost every class began with one [class elected and brave] student asking, “Miss Sarah, how do you say ‘with pleasure’ in Polish?” I always try, but I’m sad to say that my learning “curve” with this phrase currently resembles a plateau. Some day. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I could write 10-pages detailing all of my students’ lessons, but here are a couple photographs and a couple favorite teaching (or should I say “learning”) moments.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One group (they taught me “computer game words”) gave me an oral test and when I got the right answer to a question, they held up a sign that read “That’s wonderful! You have an amazing talent for learning languages.” It put a smile on my face.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: small; ">The two photographs below show the lesson materials from students who taught me farm words. They were incredibly thorough in their teaching and included the phonetic spelling of every Polish word to help me with my pronunciation. They also brought dirt (“gleba”) and hay (“siano”) for me to touch when learning the words. We then sang a song they wrote to the tune of “Old McDonald” with their 10 Polish words.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:42.4pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:list 42.4pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVvd3LtDcOJi9UuXE382D3ERUZFHteeOHcBhmbag9etUzXaRUBmf1IL74eGSUADxPp_DNzCjri3Jw0LgLNcYjaxqVtLMWXxHQVpMaOWUunJBU6C5VddaoBJtmYjSa1vB0I3mS9roZsglJ/s320/Words+Pictures.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454340133192143842" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59QwyEXa_WtqGW1bGlSlJIrJ6jDAiSZUnvQFvKXrHN5Oiuso9tPt9BgfPmu7_fDR6TWoVQqT2Ugk2Op6z3L8D8cbMVAvr4T4qF4AbQlQRCAQJvU5djOkCEnun9nCWoFg4k_q1FKFIal1M/s320/Old+McDonald.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454337504939853906" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: small; ">Lots of students drew pictures on the blackboard. Here’s the group that taught me one of my challenge words, “dżdżownica,” or “earthworm.”</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One group of three girls taught me 10 meat words (poultry, bacon...). For their lesson, they wrote and performed a puppet show where a butcher visits a farm and (close your eyes if you don’t like blood and I also apologize in advance to all the vegetarians) well, butchers all the animals. For example, he meets (or should I say “meats”) a cow and then kills the cow and then the students showed me the Polish word for “beef.” The students concluded their show with the statement “No animals were killed in our production.”</span><div><div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:42.4pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3;tab-stops:list 42.4pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zukjpoFG2oMYMf7Gaxju26U0wBYWjgohCnzG1v1ON8A-LPXi8ifp-ZRdKtImuDRUFYBMYJpY-TdSPOXNsbYMgty5m92sjsuMPRvNAW_T6Zz2TWL-6vOU8YOjVys9I60dYPVk-zHkmYjp/s320/Meat+Puppets.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454337494476232242" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:24.4pt"></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When you look at the last two photographs, you’ll probably first wonder, “Why is that poor boy chained to a pole” and then, “Why is Sarah allowed to work with children?” Of course, there’s a logical explanation. The boys (including Adam, who’s chained to the pole) taught me 10 pirate words. Next time I meet someone on the street, I’ll tell him or her [in Polish, of course] that my parrot has a wooden leg and an eye patch and that I’m off to bury my treasure on a tropical island. For their lesson, one student was the pirate ship’s prisoner who was (naturally) tied up for the part of the lesson when I first learned the words. Then, they put him on an imaginary “plank” and quizzed me on the words. If I forgot a word, Adam walked one step closer to the edge of the plank and, I was warned, a “watery death.” I am happy to report that thanks to my students’ superior teaching skills and my “superior” Polish skills, no students drown in my class that day.</span></span><br /><p></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEKlMsPTOBF_-cWiOqZQapX6s3T9O3tGgzMBA_D6FDUSM3Upkb9PMwot0ZqfZJDcCwu8F9NCyw8ekZ5-bdTmpml28aD7SVJfMMI8qvJAtamR5JUgnyssPn8echvhHWuSciUA3ABZHnwje/s320/Pirate+Tied+Up.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454340110219498786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISnLu08xcx7wNmUoakUwcflW15dR0d9yU3qN1Zsh0rkexgKKVFNX0VqmDo6ZsR4pdm9vSeot6zQQFgydZElX4YMukR6aICVyq9_t4wj6OkDxujT4VpVlMSIshmGvC9Qy1DvoinghaG95C/s320/Adam.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454337473421395538" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 320px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">6. At the end of every class, I said goodbye to them in Polish (“do widzenia!”), and they laughed. This week, I’m grateful that I could show my students that “I am the teacher, but see? I have something to learn too. And you can teach me.” And they replied to my request with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” Thanks for the lessons. A+, kids. A+.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidgvhhAALLWUXAnEJTEMxYpafskIT4q-Tu7fw_bYkLBOp6YhDkKX2ml_KdAhhzyz6TAq3-wb09hQxifXTy5XfeFVBkkUqmQMLKNiamzQAEoVcwh2vZRIP5F2a_vKFpNnRPUOJM-01e-6Ke/s1600/Blackboard.JPG"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISnLu08xcx7wNmUoakUwcflW15dR0d9yU3qN1Zsh0rkexgKKVFNX0VqmDo6ZsR4pdm9vSeot6zQQFgydZElX4YMukR6aICVyq9_t4wj6OkDxujT4VpVlMSIshmGvC9Qy1DvoinghaG95C/s1600/Adam.JPG"></a></div></div></div>http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/03/z-przyjemnoscia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-6021239917735985436Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:53:00 +00002010-03-19T08:59:48.430-07:00<span style="font-style:italic;">Here's a reflection I wrote for St. Luke's upcoming April newsletter. </span><br /><br />When I tell people I’m a volunteer English teacher at a Lutheran middle school and high school in Poland, they occasionally ask <span style="font-style:italic;">“Why Poland?”</span> Some people quickly add the [logical] follow-up question that would help clarify my decision for them: “Are you Polish?” they ask. “No,” I reply.<br /><br />I’m not critical of people who say <span style="font-style:italic;">“Why Poland?”</span> when I tell them of my work because I understand that it’s new territory: for me, for the people in my life, for the ELCA. <br /><br />Last February, I applied for an ELCA teaching position in Slovakia. In May, the ELCA contacted me and asked if I was open to serving in Poland instead. (Yes!) It’s the first year the ELCA has sent teachers to Poland. I quickly switched from researching Slovakia to researching Poland and the concentrated population of Lutherans who live in the south of this Roman Catholic country. “Lutheran missionary in Poland” isn’t a phrase we’ve frequently heard. We know about missionaries in Africa and Americans teaching English in India, but Poland is unknown territory. Why would a central European country need a partnership with the ELCA?<br /><br />When my school asked me to return for a second year of teaching, I said an enthusiastic “yes” because of my answers to the <span style="font-style:italic;">“Why Poland?”</span> question. Now I’d like to share my answers with you. Why should the ELCA send English teachers to Poland? <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Because Lutherans are a minority here.</span> Of the 38 million people in Poland, only 76,000 are Lutheran (0.2% of the population), and the majority of them live in southern Poland where I teach. Lutheran schools – few and far between – allow Lutheran youth in a Roman Catholic country to learn about their faith in school. This opportunity is so unique that students travel up to 70 minutes by bus to attend my school. (All students in public Polish schools are enrolled in required Roman Catholicism courses; Lutheran courses are not offered except at Lutheran schools.) One way that the Lutheran schools in Cieszyn attract students is by having native speakers teach English classes. By partnering with the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland and providing native speaker English teachers, the ELCA supports schools that allow Lutheran youth to learn and grow with people in their faith community.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Because learning English creates opportunities for people here.</span> This fall, when I asked my students why they wanted to learn English, dozens replied that after graduating from university they plan to move to an English-speaking country, find a job, and send money back to Poland to help support their families. A lot of people here struggle financially. They cannot afford to heat their homes, or they can only afford to heat their homes with coal. The country also struggles. The Polish government cannot afford to support its rail system and has all but shut it down. Towns cannot afford to salt their roads or plow their streets in the winter. Schools cannot afford to offer extracurricular activities or after school programming. Poland is working to secure a place in the global economy, and having citizens who know English is one step toward achieving that goal. Because adults living here often need better English-speaking skills before their companies will promote them to mid-level or management positions, I offer free English tutoring and conversation classes in the evenings. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Because Poland is a country with a rich, vibrant culture and history, but also a country battered by a century of war and oppression.</span> It’s the land of Chopin, Copernicus, and Marie Curie, amazing hospitality, beautiful historic cities, gorgeous landscapes, and friendly people proud of their heritage and centuries-old traditions. But it’s also a country recovering from a terrible century. The Soviets and the Nazis did their best to eradicate Poland, destroying its cities, stripping the country of its leadership, and murdering almost 6 million of its citizens during WWII. Poland’s crime? It’s geographical location between Germany and Russia. The people here have always fought back; they’ve always resisted. But resistance (especially to the Nazis) had terrible ramifications. I’ll never forget the sickening piles of baskets at Auschwitz, identical to the baskets women in Cieszyn carry when grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. Americans call communism “evil,” but for the people here it provided a little stability after a horrific war. For Poles, learning English and striving to enter the global economy is also their way of recovering after a century of loss and destruction. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Because we are more alike than we are different.</span> Because Polish teenagers, like American teenagers, need a kind ear. Because my students’ senses of humor, kindness, and intelligence shine through despite the language barrier. Because people here welcomed me, a stranger. Because with the people here I’ve experienced God’s compassion, God’s love.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Because we are called to serve one another, to love one another. Because we are all God’s children and God is everywhere – in Poland too.</span> <br /><br />So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. <span style="font-style:italic;">Romans 12:5.</span><br /><br />Thanks to everyone who supports my work here.<br /><br />Peace,<br />Sarahhttp://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-poland.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-8432376339674460283Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:55:00 +00002010-03-13T02:42:02.715-08:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">This past Friday, we didn’t have school. Instead, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., we had school-wide Olympics at our local university’s gym and pool. The 7 gimnazjum (middle school) homerooms competed against each other and the 6 liceum (high school) homerooms competed against each other in swimming races, jumping events, running events, volleyball matches, etc.</span></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Like Studniówka (the Polish senior prom I attended in January), the Olympics celebrated school community. Here are photographs and stories from the Olympics! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Costumes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Every homeroom had picked a theme and dressed up according to their theme (homeroom teachers too!). I was very impressed with their creativity!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This 7</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grade homeroom wore elementary school uniforms (suspenders and all!).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP46ZVse8pAortkZjiiIiEztPyihR8DDbHXzoR70HJ5P_iG34sAC8X_3rxqZK-km5hX749HHbtlDyIUGgNHmm8AVm-JIdDVtuVfcz6uGoHSMlq6DeKla2Dlfpsu8YdTaEYqvam7mh5ptfy/s320/IMG_4726.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448041788525911810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> A freshmen class of construction workers (they also created a fantastic construction zone in their section of the gym).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw0IeRNVRwwjobwONB2yZ8fUQEy9UgDF2UAJ2P-xRno8zzXbEtL59X3CB-TNXx7GJs-TrifPj1uvQJKZd3N0RYbuIjGBU82SKN1DnjlTyb1J_nuYgSUtrn7FhsqSVPUlEM5PZ_4zrflGlp/s320/IMG_4728.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448046022129499554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">7</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grade vampires. (I'm pretty certain the Twilight-Robert-Pattinson-obsessed girls in their class picked this theme.)</span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxVjtVPUiN2eF7iU8LAxWnMs5dCoGcjDtx9TnMjzyaUcr3GAYMPaXmxbxKUAlDzUOtcCik8VA2o53ZaD-FnETwc9fxQkSfBaFwvHlhjM4irajJ9VgOq8Q8EwJVgZ_k2jTEOZl6bhT4Lc1W/s320/IMG_4727.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448046012202105426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">7</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grade mimes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN_gZNXPVaNFsYGTcAS8wKxm0fGfmdlNm53yBD8G85T6zIGUqk2QD37J8RtIBHPnVvfOhsOcIeBxA1Z4hDM4bh-u_bun_qhfxbJUOmwUCeE6X4qCmlaX7x5H_lIvGBec6ODL2y1VbWJk0/s320/IMG_4733.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448046022866252290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> My personal favorite – this senior class was on a safari/camping trip. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">They sang “camp songs” during breaks and hung out by the tent they had pitched in the corner of the gym.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJn6JBjSl7KiCLaIFmD4wwvGr4rJKNLLktzRZgXgd3Qs-6CmP91SqPFlm_orHlD46xAIQ1PYuJjFSP0tDB6pvf_gjmVJDprnTBi5P5FEkWzSsYKHQQQXetbMm_cqxc6gYw8BYmvrtST1uG/s320/12+March+2010+olympic+031.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448041779649419650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Events</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here’s a photograph of the opening ceremony for the gimnazjum (middle school). Let the games begin!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzI4UeErH6cP5-fzjclqXKugmGJgn5BieqLpT31OjtHLJ3_GrfCSVdAOgKQ_YKd_Q23xEtCLe-29Kluk746WK-aj7OAUxd1l-24-HbyOj7kh6g8Y1Rqz1gLR19k9d4OGVPvn9BANwt3Uj/s320/IMG_4739.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448046038648157746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Middle school basketball events.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfAANNOtouQyfmV9kZqXyFah8aDjuqpgo87hk3oAyS60ue8GWVhVc0mvFGOLHiGXHb0cu3v474SU1OV2-5jZWtM9nMrx_tSVJjaIowJh2Wq-LbDmBzmFgRVkabI4MyLLu1xHozB-ileTm/s320/IMG_4777.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448048715926238114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">High school volleyball matches.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqQuIiQvCkDEkozTxp4O4e6Okydb2rPKUUwz0J-0TQBxVI9HNa-I70HxjKfZhDKmTSXNMv2TMByUQ4mbTze1MKh7rZAp_a2toLb8NYRPU0kq8NunsSgZXRAnIDY_HnhieeORTMADNhfEC/s320/IMG_4805.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448064139433125954" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Swimming relay races – my favorite event!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-NZeeC_-G_x1wF-eevwzRESBxwWwrI3fJoB67RZTPfgM3ekSnVpkI8vNcbnNz2fycQdn2vUoUnkbiZ-heL1mudn_qQP60xlyJ5lvnJc9bCxHZ9ilIsaOume4QTnsUpRNcK75MI2T9znR/s320/IMG_4837.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448064149903137698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:small;">The cheering squads at the pool waiting for the next event.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvlEMlOusuG6PPsOx-LF_k0NKnC330FRj4PJFBbyPNEP_8cfYHbn_4IiFiXmWudRT3A_ttTanDnHKmkwZk7UXj6bpnS8qpTiDgDsJz4zhSYC2WBdGrXXFeVizN4_UYPhC7TJHo9eYSpeu/s320/IMG_4792.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448064127222791186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Food – the key to a successful Olympics</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Knowing that the Olympics lasted all day (and knowing how crabby and unpleasant I am when hungry), I packed a lunch on Friday. What I had forgotten was that I was attending a Polish gathering, where serving guests lots of food is a responsibility taken very seriously. I arrived at 8:45 a.m. and by 9:30 a.m. I had received a stack of cookies, chocolates, three drinks, and a sandwich to eat. At 9:30 a.m.! Why all the food? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Well, it’s an “Olympic tradition” for teams to bribe the judges (teachers at our school) with food and drink. I wasn’t a judge, but was showered with bribes anyways. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here’s a photograph of the judges’ table. It was always well stocked with drink and food bribes from various teams.</span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQi5dTUaB1XC1PfqKn0srPTCsZRcUpu2e1vfzj9q_4EJOXLNLtOHaQxAvAKyId7r5upMBQBo04xMqNEoVQUuLjEsz8XVhW6ui0d8ofighLJXKyDGF789IR2FtIrfNq3fRNrvnYDaSaAhHm/s320/IMG_4813.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448048744610558850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One freshmen class had a “tea theme,” and they bribed the judges with wonderful tea. Agnes walked around with the menu (see it printed on the side of the box?), you picked your flavor, and her accomplices served you your tea!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAtNo_8MIqGF20FGZ3RBExM_WuEISDG7UjnrFloM1bwykrlyplzRThNJTcPXFAPSzzT0cAMi62_lKme0C982iI-bYOkta8ToQA_6b8wj8e1z0eVNa44jg-S1Y38ZOldR76VFgWSz5L_Mb/s320/12+March+2010+olympic+013.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448064120708655378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFpLUeF1TW8bFzCFo5aAnoOfvGnF_1K57ZcvmvLOdmunDidewwn0bOpY0y2JXvKWfJ-J6ifpDCbUWMvx99v9zXe1rpFCIqUiUTEITM7oBzx9uLZ2Mo7N54-_71FIxxqaBp4k01dZlZiJ9/s320/IMG_4765.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448046046296762306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">“Vampire blood” (with the blood type of the unfortunate human donor noted on the cup) from the 7</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> grade vampires.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41jE58hkNT07Ymm4WVdOMgIXxLARxgovBl1arCQCmvVObm90UpABQ2fP4Iw5h6GDbVl5y4xDOeo6LybeoAQDFVmecKqXejfimZ0s_XvgDUnptwFjULl7derJbW4qhMw2NDUk7yrV-Ul0Y/s320/12+March+2010+olympic+010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448041750643257042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Me with a piece of delicious traditional Polish apple cake - a bribe from my class of sophomores who were “village people”.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqyc_rUPpvPLjACmcMYuJ4LpeY7SRdaH5ggdilXdmACyOxDApq99MIAfuG7qb2UnjjZoqWzUOAubkFAT7ScuHQ6c6msMEqEOFi9bKk06n5Ab_4zfUwJIIUzq1L4LbhhPXyWfqQIYstCc8m/s320/12+March+2010+olympic+029.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448041768468546626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Needless to say, I didn’t starve at the Olympics or eat my packed lunch. I also went home with a bag of leftover sandwiches (that I tried to politely refuse but my attempts failed miserably) that I could (theoretically) live off of for two weeks. Polish hospitality (including the importance of food at celebrations) is best summed-up with the Polish proverb “Gosc w dom, Bog, w dom” (“A guest in the home is God in the home”).</span></p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41jE58hkNT07Ymm4WVdOMgIXxLARxgovBl1arCQCmvVObm90UpABQ2fP4Iw5h6GDbVl5y4xDOeo6LybeoAQDFVmecKqXejfimZ0s_XvgDUnptwFjULl7derJbW4qhMw2NDUk7yrV-Ul0Y/s1600-h/12+March+2010+olympic+010.jpg"></a>http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/03/rule-1-always-bribe-judges.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4086715265177199580.post-1650324909934370009Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:56:00 +00002010-03-12T12:27:10.765-08:00<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This weekend I’m uploading two posts about school events. It’s wonderful to work in a school and have the opportunity to attend all of the students’ special events and celebrations!</span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Prom in January</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">“Studniówka” in Poland is the equivalent of senior prom in America. However, it occurs in January (not in the spring), 100 days before the seniors’ final exit exams in May (called the Matura exams). Here are my favorite memories from my 1</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">st</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Studniówka.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(Sadly, I don’t have a lot of photographs to post because they hired a professional photographer and I can’t post his [beautiful!] photographs on the Internet. I only have a couple personal photographs to upload here, and not a lot of photographs of students unfortunately.)</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One disadvantage to a “100 days prior to the Matura” prom? Well, “100 days before May exams” equals a prom in January, when the temperature is below zero. My “traveling to prom” fashion statement included my knee-high ski socks over my panty hose. (Thanks to my friend Kamila for lending me a dress for Studniówka!)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Sn78k5jlPRXNJrhTDppHPDVpNpyTTsgF3oBz0mAty_OOfGsQBRaIPzOBoFqHt_Y-e7PHwOU4TtECaTFN3y2uXaNLOs_MgPlwyT31DEFsC9eCMcxbunpBzdTeVQNx2uuoobLLfFT9RTxn/s320/16+Jan+2010+-+25+Jan+2010+006.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447841495911669058" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Polonez Dance</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I don’t teach any of the seniors this year, but it’s a tradition to invite the American volunteers (typically only the teachers currently teaching the seniors are invited). The day before Studniówka the seniors invited Colleen and me to learn the traditional polonez dance with them. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(Before reading on, I’d encourage you to watch this YouTube video of the dance. You’ll understand what I say next better if you do! </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxqIyWK4cFI&amp;feature=quicklist&amp;playnext=13&amp;playnext_from=QL"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxqIyWK4cFI&amp;feature=quicklist&amp;playnext=13&amp;playnext_from=QL</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It’s a Studniówka tradition that the polonez is always the opening dance. It’s a beautiful, straightforward, traditional Polish dance, set in 3/4 time, and you accent the 1</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">st</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> beat by bending your knee. Between the 17</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> and 19</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">th</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> centuries, the dance opened court balls and royal ceremonies. It’s a very dignified dance and couples always dance according to their social status. Appropriately, therefore, according to my “social status” at school (i.e., I’m a 1</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">st</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> year teacher), I lined up and danced smack dab in the middle, after all the other teachers (lead by the school directors, then the senior class homeroom teachers, then the other teachers in attendance), but before the students, who directly followed me. I love this dance and how majestic the music is. I especially love it when couples join together ("four across") and the “tunnel.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyyI7qFBUgI8-SKK2cqV76j30N7qHtgTQLsafDkyCq4VKIW6NkLLLD1UAOt023Co-FQPH0WZHcJlPT7wOO5vanvcwrO9-PWhl-yOkPx34-Rtt_bASaLJZBUDHrTDOhvDac-nXy8Q245zN/s320/P1000731.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447841516415449618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Gratitude</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What’s unique about “Polish prom” is that teachers are invited, and at our school (but not all Polish schools), parents also attend for the 1</span>^{<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">st</span>}<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> 2-3 hours. What I love about Studniówka is that it celebrates the students </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">and</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> lets them celebrate with and thank the important people in their “school lives” – their parents and teachers. Lots of Polish celebrations include opportunities for people to say thank you to the people who support them, and I love this! At weddings, there’s a special time when the bride and groom say thank you to their parents, and at Studniówka, there’s a special time when the students say thank you to their teachers, especially their homeroom teachers. We should always remember to thank the people in our lives, and I love how Polish celebrations have “built-in” gratitude traditions where people get to say “thanks!”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A Joyful Celebration of School Community</span></b><span style="font-weight:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I’ve only substituted for the seniors on a couple of occasions, and I don’t know them well, but I loved watching them at Studniówka. They deeply care about their classmates. At prom, they did skits, showed videos they created about their class, and danced together for 6+ hours (the celebration lasted almost 12 hours total). I have a wonderful memory of the students dancing to one song. “Dancing” isn’t exactly the correct word; I remember one song where they “whirled” and “twirled” on the dance floor, separate (each person whirling and twirling alone) but together, free, themselves, happy. Studniówka is a celebration of school community and watching the students unconsciously and joyously twirl (literally, they were twirling in circles) on the dance floor with their classmates warmed my heart. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here’s a photograph of all the seniors at my school after their skit at the prom (you’ll notice that sadly, no, they aren’t in their formal prom attire here but their skit costumes. I don’t have a personal photograph of them in their formal wear.) It’s a very tiny class, and I think that contributes to how close they are. It was a very intimate prom.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKK3vxdYnDg8UEQsUD0twOKqv-_fs7l2BInf0YO-EKLhS_yeH-ERXrJz5omOBotDlIPCoszU0F1Zg76_wJm9nl0vWdy88KTJKEpMn3jehLdVKb-JZ61xEaak9ZljCXUq3C6PeiCZGHzFFI/s320/P1000773.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447841526519527634" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here’s a photograph of me and Colleen at Studniówka with our two school directors, Lidia and Ola. They are wonderful directors and very caring supervisors! And here's a photograph Lidia took of me and Colleen.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTycAjqzls8A5dgmPM6BiJFGissJQXJfU66E2EwVN8ef5hPsNV8GQq6zNks-Jv8IWM2JYaCgiPBsDFwhASeVAdLV1innTp3eu_MaDwuYdXeXicXJA-e4Bxio51mFaKxds17l8l_akzHc4d/s320/IMG_4021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447844642226340386" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyI1Cq1IhKsV5I2OjCJ1vK1Fqp3VgAF5OjiDN0274GaXndQrr3sX2xyKIxRpza_B_oer3Gh9jHOuKhdTg-ngc4e93SjhNVO-x-HiUvDlSGCoJZLysrQftWC5dOiYagtxybt6eYI4E3rd_/s320/IMG_4032.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447843548187031266" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->http://sarahpoland.blogspot.com/2010/03/twirling-spinning-dancing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0