Blogs from Europe
Hey all! Shout out to Emma, happy birthday!! This weekend was incredible! After last weekend being snowed in everyone was determined to bear any cold weather if it meant being able to travel again. Originally I had planned on spending my weekend skiing in Zermont, however we discovered that temperatures would reach the negatives the night before we left. Who knew last minute plans would work out so well! Thursday night, 4 of us booked a trip to Paris and Versailles! We lucked out with times, trains, prices, hostels, etc. It was really nice to be able to travel in a smaller group and because of it we were able to see so much more! We went to the louve and saw the Mona Lisa and the wedding feast and the Venus de milo, and so ... read more
The pool in the middle of our apartment complex
I didn't do anything super exciting this weekend, but it was kind of nice just to have a few days off and relax. Jenny went to Germany for the weekend to visit her dad who lives near Dusseldorf, so I had the room to myself for the weekend. On Friday I just hung out with my friends Alex and Alina. We had lunch at this little cafe near the Cathedral. I couldn't resist being American and ordered a pizza called "pizza Texas". It was basically a BBQ sauce and chicken pizza, and it was delicious. I also got a strawberry shake which was really small. I wasn't a huge fan of it. It was pricey, my total was 14euros, which is like $18, but the pizza was definitely worth it. After lunch we went down by ... read more
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Our time in Rome was very limited (2 days) so we attempted so had a self-guided whirlwind tour to see as much as possible. We saw the ruins and ofcourse the Colleseum. An audio guide made it much more interesting since we were able to hear the history behind it all rather than just viewing the sites. Movies like ‘Gladiator’ will definitely be placed within a better context after seeing the Colleseum. What I found interesting was that each resident of the town at the time had their own names engraved into a marble stone, which represented their seat to watch the slaves and Gladiators fight. Even entertainers, and magicians were thrown into fight after their performances to spectators. Ofcourse, we had Gelato in Rome and needless to say, it was delicious. The Bed & Breakfast ... read more
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Venice was without a doubt one of our favourite places on the trip so far (besides Paris!). When you step out from the train station, you feel as if you are in a different world. Small speedboats pass by with supplies of food, clothing and electronics- there would be no saving a computer once its fallen in the water. A waterboat took us to the stop near the B&B we were staying at. The waterboat was incredibly proficient and evidently well-practiced. Working on a similar framework to a train station, there were different ‘lines’ and stops. Since we didn’t have the most amazing dinners in Rome (due to the fact that the owner of the B&B there was recommending restaurants owned by her friends) we were keen to find somewhere we enjoyed in Venice. The B&B ... read more
Let me start off by saying that Formal Dinner is the most exciting thing that can happen in a dining hall. If you ask "How is this night different from all other nights?" the answer is, much like the Passover seder's response, fourfold: On this night you must sign up to attend dinner and may bring a date, making it exclusive On this night everyone dresses nicely and looks moderately attractive, on other nights the only assurance is that people are dressed On this night the food is good and served to you in 3 courses, on all other nights you yourself retrieve 2.5 lbs of pasta (few choices, large servings!) (meaning it also costs more $ but who really cares, our parents pay it anyway...) It's more than kinda like Harry Potter You dress up ... read more
Going to do some shopping with Courtney in Naples and then I am back on the train and heading to Sorrento. Just a heads up, my family there does not have a computer or internet access... Postings may be limited until I get to Geneva on Thursday a.m. You can always call me or text me !!... read more
Despite temperatures of -15C and below last weekend, I braved the Arctic weather to cycle down into Guebwiller to meet up with the other English assistants. I hadn't seen Anna in two weeks after other engagements got in the way and it had been before Christmas since I'd seen the other two English girls, Katherine and Karina. We met up at one of the larger coffee shops in town (not that there are that many to choose from). We huddled round our mugs of hot chocolate and tiny espresso cups and caught up on each other's lives, sharing anecdotes from our teaching experiences - always a great laugh. I don't envy the others too much for having to teach in state schools - their classes sound like not the greatest in the world. I'm not boasting ... read more
After being told that I would be able to share my testimony at the next Saturday night church service, I had been preparing myself to do it last night. I had managed to translate it into French and had given it to Lydie to check. But after talking to Rebecca on Saturday night about some of the things I've experienced since being in France I realized that there were some things that I could probably add to my testimony. I had told myself it would be good to get my testimony out of the way before going home so that I'd be able to relax and forget about it. But then last Sunday came and I learnt that someone else was to be sharing their testimony before me so I wouldn't be able to do it ... read more
Living with a large family isn't easy, especially when the mother is pregnant and you're in the house, expected to help but at the same time, nothing is really expected of you. Confusing? I know, which is what makes it a difficult situation to be in sometimes. Cedric and Laetitia's words to me when I first arrived in France were that they didn't expect me to do anything,it wasn't a job, but within the first few days after arriving Laetitia was showing me all the jobs I could help her with. Of course, I understand I'm expected to help but sometimes I don't know what I'm supposed to and not supposed to do. Cedric and Laetitia's laid-back, down-to-earth attitude of 'we just want you to be you,we don't mind if you don't do anything' can sometimes ... read more
Michelle & I in our Abayas and headscarves
I thought it was finally time to sit down and write an update of what has been happening with us as the blog page has been gathering dust since November last year. I’ll try to keep it to the point, but it does require that I go all the way back to the beginning of December, so you may want to grab a cuppa before diving into this. At the beginning of December, I packed my “ABAYA” (cultural dress) and headscarf and flew off to Saudi Arabia. I had to get special permission to get a visa as normally married women are not allowed to visit the country without their husbands.<span> The purpose of the visit was to attend the 1st Annual Saudi Arabian Audiology Congress which was held in Riyadh.<span> For a first time conference ... read more
