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Homes Around the World
Alexandra RoosenburgWelcome! With my travel adventures continuing, and my monthly mass-email growing more and more massive each year, and thereby more and more impersonal, I have decided to takes steps to ensure that everybody stays included and updated on my life's adventures. Here I am in my last month living in Switzerland. It has been a wonderful two year journey, full of ups and downs, many travels, new friends, and professional growth.
I will be the most sad about having to leave my 6th graders behind, as they embark on their new journey in middle school. Now, I know that they are moving up and across the street, and it won't necessarily be a huge deal that I'm not teaching in the elementary school anymore, but judging from the start of this year - where my former students came to my classroom everyday after school, as their little comfort zone- I am sad that I will not be able to provide that stability for my kids, as they enter the nerve- wrecking world of middle school.
The friends I've made have played a large part in these two years. They have both caused me to grow and mature, as well as provided me with great travel partners. I know that I have made some lifelong friends, and I look forward to keeping in touch and reuniting in various locations around the world.
As I prepare myself for the next steps in my adventure, I've found myself reflecting on what I have accomplished so far, and how much I have grown from it. I have already seen many exciting countries: Dubai, Greece, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Costa Rica, Honduras, etc. I have learned to converse with the locals in a totally new language (Italian), and am now thrilled to report that they treat me as fluent when they ask me questions and welcome me into their town (again, all in Italian!). I've helped to start up a brand new elementary school, watched it barely stay afloat, and then prosper. I've already affected over 20 young minds, and had the joy of watching them grow and mature into 7th graders. I've learned about myself, how to work effectively with others, even when I differ completely in style and purpose from them, how to let myself relax (a little) when things don't go exactly as planned, how to live alone and enjoy the quiet time, while at the same time learning how to live in the middle of a dormitory full of girls! On which note, I've learned that boarding school life does not suit me in the long term sense!
Would I change this experience, given the chance? No. Living in Switzerland was a great first step to living abroad. The boarding school life was comfortable enough to get me settled, without the worry of bills and housing. I met so many wonderful teachers and students, learned a beautiful new language, taught several fun and intelligent students, and had a fabulous opportunity to travel easily throughout Europe and its environs. As I prepare to pack up, and move to the next phase of my adventures, I am looking around my apartments and out my window with its lovely view of Lake Lugano and the surrounding Swiss Alps, and am soaking up my last month for all that it's worth. Not a moment will be wasted, when I've been given such a great opportunity to live in this beautiful and interesting country.
For those of you interested, here is a map charting my travels so far. It includes every country that I have visited, and I look forward to painting more of the globe red as I go!
Visited Countries Map
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Dad
non-member comment
Good idea
Nice idea, it will teach me to use a blog as well