I'm sitting in the lobby of our Prague hostel [which, by the way, is super-nice--stay at the Czech Inn if you're ever in Prague] killing time. We officially checked out 5 hours ago, but our flight to Paris doesn't leave until 9:30 tonight. Ugh. On the bright side, perfect time to write an update about Prague.
Prague is possibly the most gorgeous city I've ever been to. I took like 3 times as many photos here as in Berlin and London combined, but none of them really do the city justice. (They'll be on facebook eventually if you're interested.) We went to Prague Castle, crossed the Charles Bridge, saw the Dancing House, but aside from that really didn't do too much touristy stuff. Mostly just spent a lot of time wandering the streets, taking in the sights, and sitting at hole in the wall cafes (read: drinking copious amounts of Czech beer).
We also spent 2 nights hanging out with a group of rowdy Australians. I don't think Peter reads this blog, but they definitely reminded us of slightly less abrasive versions of the guys Peter and I shared a hostel with in Nice a few years back. They were all about 20-21, about the same age I was last time I backpacked through Europe. What struck me about them though was how young they seemed. Carefree, immature, maybe a little inconsiderate and irresponsible. It got me thinking about what I was like 2 years ago and how much I have (or haven't) grown up.
So later tonight Bo and I will be flying to Paris for the next 4 days. That'll be my last city with Bo before I head down to Italy to meet up with my parents. I'm not really sure what to expect from Paris, but expect an update in a few days!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
ich bin ein Berliner
My last night in London did not go exactly as planned. Lots of yelled introductions and awkward conversations. Lost Marley quite a few times. Finally made it home and to bed by about 5:45 am, well after the sun had risen. Somehow, though, I managed to drag myself out of bed for brunch with my friend Cat from study abroad who I haven't seen in two years. It was a nice little reunion, and reminded me of all the things I miss about the UK and St. Andrews just in time for me to head to the airport and hop a flight to Berlin.
I arrived in Berlin late and stressed out, but I luckily found Bo still waiting for me in the hostel lobby. We went out for a few drinks that night, reveled in Germany's world cup win, and came home to find that our hostel might just have been the hottest place ever. It was about 90 during the day in Berlin, but somehow our room was consistently hotter than the outside. Remind me next time I travel to double check that everywhere I'm going has air conditioning.
In Berlin we went to the site of the Berlin Wall, passed by Checkpoint Charlie, saw the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, and just generally did a lot of exploring. The one thing we went out of our way to see was the Jewish Museum, which was really interesting and architecturally awesome. (I'll post pictures eventually, but it's hard to really get the concept without visiting it.) It only occurred to me late that evening that it was 4th of July, so I guess we didn't do a very good job celebrating our American-ness overseas. Oh well.
This morning we took a train ride to Prague that was very long (think 3 hours sitting on the floor), very hot (again with the no air conditioning), and very stressful (I sort of almost got kicked of the train in Dresden). We haven't done much here yet besides win a bottle of wine at hostel trivia, but so far the city is gorgeous and I'm really excited for the next few days. I'll keep you posted!
I arrived in Berlin late and stressed out, but I luckily found Bo still waiting for me in the hostel lobby. We went out for a few drinks that night, reveled in Germany's world cup win, and came home to find that our hostel might just have been the hottest place ever. It was about 90 during the day in Berlin, but somehow our room was consistently hotter than the outside. Remind me next time I travel to double check that everywhere I'm going has air conditioning.
In Berlin we went to the site of the Berlin Wall, passed by Checkpoint Charlie, saw the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, and just generally did a lot of exploring. The one thing we went out of our way to see was the Jewish Museum, which was really interesting and architecturally awesome. (I'll post pictures eventually, but it's hard to really get the concept without visiting it.) It only occurred to me late that evening that it was 4th of July, so I guess we didn't do a very good job celebrating our American-ness overseas. Oh well.
This morning we took a train ride to Prague that was very long (think 3 hours sitting on the floor), very hot (again with the no air conditioning), and very stressful (I sort of almost got kicked of the train in Dresden). We haven't done much here yet besides win a bottle of wine at hostel trivia, but so far the city is gorgeous and I'm really excited for the next few days. I'll keep you posted!
Friday, July 2, 2010
hello from across the Atlantic!
After school let out for summer, I spent the next week doing curriculum planning for the science department (so even though I won't be teaching at that school next year, I've designed about about half of their core science curriculum). Then I had about 4 days to relax before jetting off to London! This is going to become a makeshift travel blog for the next few weeks as I roam around Europe.
So far my trip's been interesting. The night before I left Chicago was also Lucy's last night in town, so I ended up staying up all night hanging out with a few friends until I finally left for the airport at about 5 am. Even though I was so exhausted that I pretty much passed out as soon as I got on the train to O'Hare, I think staying up somehow managed to prevent me from being too jetlagged. (I managed to go to sleep right away last night AND wake up without an alarm at 8:30 this morning!)
Yesterday morning we slept in and then headed up to Camden for lunch and some exploring. We basically meandered around the city, occasionally stopping for a beer, before finally heading back up to Camden to meet her roommate and go out for the night. Nothing too crazy happened, although we did manage to befriend Marley's half-naked neighbors on our way home.
Then today we got lunch, Marley went off to work, and I roamed around London a bit and went to the British Museum. I've been to London a bunch of times before and I don't particularly feel doing the whole touristy thing again, so for now I'm back at Marley's flat for a nap and some tea. Cheers!
So far my trip's been interesting. The night before I left Chicago was also Lucy's last night in town, so I ended up staying up all night hanging out with a few friends until I finally left for the airport at about 5 am. Even though I was so exhausted that I pretty much passed out as soon as I got on the train to O'Hare, I think staying up somehow managed to prevent me from being too jetlagged. (I managed to go to sleep right away last night AND wake up without an alarm at 8:30 this morning!)
Yesterday morning we slept in and then headed up to Camden for lunch and some exploring. We basically meandered around the city, occasionally stopping for a beer, before finally heading back up to Camden to meet her roommate and go out for the night. Nothing too crazy happened, although we did manage to befriend Marley's half-naked neighbors on our way home.
Then today we got lunch, Marley went off to work, and I roamed around London a bit and went to the British Museum. I've been to London a bunch of times before and I don't particularly feel doing the whole touristy thing again, so for now I'm back at Marley's flat for a nap and some tea. Cheers!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
!
After getting laid off, the last two weeks of school were a strange mix of good and bad. On the one hand, I had been somewhat miserable at this job, and it was a little bit of a relief to be moving on. But I the school has its upsides, my coworkers are awesome, and there's something to be said for the stability of spending a second year at a school you're familiar with. My kids also made it a little harder to leave. They frustratingly bombed their final, but amazingly made 2.6 points of growth on the ACT. When they heard I wouldn't be back next year, the same kids who usually complain about how much they hate my class were now complaining about how they always fire the good teachers. Since finals happen a week before school actually ends (Chicago Public Schools never makes sense, get used to it) I figured I'd have the last week to just have fun with the students, have a class party, and get some closure on the year. But since the kids know their grades have already been finalized by then, they basically stop showing up. I only saw about 15-20 kids total over the whole last week of school, so I really didn't get to say good bye to a lot of my favorite students. That, and the fact that I don't have a way of contacting them now that I'm not at my old school, is probably the saddest thing about leaving this job.
I was still hoping against hope that my school might find the money to hire me back, but I resigned myself to the TFA job search process. Last year it took me 2 months and about 7 interviews to find a job, and when I was finally offered one it wasn't even through an interview TFA had set up, so I wasn't too optimistic this year about my prospects in an even worse hiring climate. Ready for another experience like last year where all of the schools I was scheduled to meet with cancelled, I showed up to a TFA interview day on the second to last day of school. But by some miracle, I ended up being offered the first job I interviewed for! (It took another follow-up interview the next day, but since that one was with a TFA alum that I've had grad school class with, the whole process was pretty non-stressful.)
It's a huge relief to be hired, and amazing how much easier the whole process was now that I actually have experience. I've met a few people who have worked at my new school, and so far everything I've heard is amazingly positive. The one downside is that work starts August 5th, so I'll basically have no summer once I get back from vacation. Still so worth it.
And now my blog is finally up to date!... next step, posting about things without waiting until months after they've actually happened.
I was still hoping against hope that my school might find the money to hire me back, but I resigned myself to the TFA job search process. Last year it took me 2 months and about 7 interviews to find a job, and when I was finally offered one it wasn't even through an interview TFA had set up, so I wasn't too optimistic this year about my prospects in an even worse hiring climate. Ready for another experience like last year where all of the schools I was scheduled to meet with cancelled, I showed up to a TFA interview day on the second to last day of school. But by some miracle, I ended up being offered the first job I interviewed for! (It took another follow-up interview the next day, but since that one was with a TFA alum that I've had grad school class with, the whole process was pretty non-stressful.)
It's a huge relief to be hired, and amazing how much easier the whole process was now that I actually have experience. I've met a few people who have worked at my new school, and so far everything I've heard is amazingly positive. The one downside is that work starts August 5th, so I'll basically have no summer once I get back from vacation. Still so worth it.
And now my blog is finally up to date!... next step, posting about things without waiting until months after they've actually happened.
Friday, June 25, 2010
school's out!
This semester I've been taking a graduate class in Educational Psychology, which sounds like it should be interesting, but in fact mostly made me miserable. Since it was an online class, I had to post bi-weekly (or is it semi-weekly?) blog entries about my classroom, which made me extremely fed up with blogging. Hopefully now that that's over, I might get this going regularly again (...not that I was ever up-to-date on this in the first place, but that's beside the point).
Quick recap:
April 17th I took the APT (assessment of professional teaching) and a psychology certification exam. They were two of the easiest tests I have ever taken in my life. Here are two actual sample questions from the APT:
1. Which of the following is not considered proper etiquette in an instant message conversation?
a) calling someone by a nickname
b) using "emoticons"
d) writing in all capital letters
2. Which of the following should you do first if your computer is not working?
a) make sure that it is plugged in and turned on
b) call IT
c) throw it at a wall
Yes, these are real questions. Yes, these are real answer choices. And yes, this is what the state of Illinois thinks it vital for me to know to be a certified teacher. Sigh.
After the APT I went out to a free open bar and then off to a surprisingly fun karaoke night. Nothing too crazy, but probably one of my best nights in Chicago so far.
About two weeks after, I went to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. It was an all-around awesome time. Great seeing Jason & John, great wearing summer dresses and ridiculous hats and sipping mint juleps. And definitely a much-needed vacation.
Unfortunately, I came back to school to find that in my absence, no one had noticed I was gone (typical), my students were left without a sub, and someone had pulled the emergency shower and left it on until water leaked through the ceiling of the room below mine. Somewhere around then I became really disillusioned with my job, my school, and especially my students. The next month and half was a constant battle to drag myself out of bed in the morning and keep up the energy to get through my days without punching anyone. Needless to say, I was very very glad when the year began to wrap up.
Then, June 6th, myself and about 8 other teachers got called down to the principal's office so she could inform us that our positions will not exist next year. I am glad that they let us know earlier rather than later, and they tried to be nice about it and assure me that I'd be rehired if they found the money, but still, not exactly an uplifting moment.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
still playing catch-up
I'm going to continue posting about things that happened a ridiculously long time ago. Maybe someday I'll actually catch up to the present on this thing...
The week after spring break was a kind of painful one. Students were loud and crazier than usual (if they were in class at all). Then Thursday I decided to take the CTA instead of driving to school, because driving tends to stress me out more. Normally this would be fine, but when I got to the L stop I realized I had forgotten my phone. It was too late to go back for it, so I just went to school without it. No big deal.
At school I found out I had to stay till 4:30 for a meeting that had been rescheduled. Unfortunately that meant I had no way to pick up my friend Eric at the airport at 4, especially since my car was at my house half an hour away. And I went to call and tell him, but of course, I had forgotten my phone. Already pissed off at myself, I went to my meeting and found out the person in charge wasn't even there. So we cut it short and I went home--only to find a parking ticket on my car because there had apparently been street cleaning that day.
The upside to my incredibly frustrating week was that I got to hang out with Eric that Sunday. He and I used to live together in Atlanta, and he sometimes drove me very very crazy (as roommates tend to do), and I was kind of worried that I wouldn't have anything to say to him after not seeing him for nine months. But it turned out to be a really nice visit, even it did make me miss Atlanta even more than spring break had. I guess one good thing about everyone moving away after college is that now I'll have people to see all over the country, and it's reassuring to see that even with people I may not have been best friends with in college, it's still surprisingly easy to pick up where we left off.
Coming soon: the APT, The Room, and my weekend in Louisville.
The week after spring break was a kind of painful one. Students were loud and crazier than usual (if they were in class at all). Then Thursday I decided to take the CTA instead of driving to school, because driving tends to stress me out more. Normally this would be fine, but when I got to the L stop I realized I had forgotten my phone. It was too late to go back for it, so I just went to school without it. No big deal.
At school I found out I had to stay till 4:30 for a meeting that had been rescheduled. Unfortunately that meant I had no way to pick up my friend Eric at the airport at 4, especially since my car was at my house half an hour away. And I went to call and tell him, but of course, I had forgotten my phone. Already pissed off at myself, I went to my meeting and found out the person in charge wasn't even there. So we cut it short and I went home--only to find a parking ticket on my car because there had apparently been street cleaning that day.
The upside to my incredibly frustrating week was that I got to hang out with Eric that Sunday. He and I used to live together in Atlanta, and he sometimes drove me very very crazy (as roommates tend to do), and I was kind of worried that I wouldn't have anything to say to him after not seeing him for nine months. But it turned out to be a really nice visit, even it did make me miss Atlanta even more than spring break had. I guess one good thing about everyone moving away after college is that now I'll have people to see all over the country, and it's reassuring to see that even with people I may not have been best friends with in college, it's still surprisingly easy to pick up where we left off.
Coming soon: the APT, The Room, and my weekend in Louisville.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Atlanta
I've been slacking with posting (as usual), so I guess I'll make this one about spring break and leave the boring school stuff for later.
Going to Atlanta for spring break was a much (muchmuchmuchmuch) needed vacation. I thought it would be weird to go back, but it felt suprisingly normal. I had a lot of downtime, which might have been boring if it wasn't such a nice change from teaching. I got to see almost everyone that's still in Atlanta, and I temporarily satisfied my craving for southern food. (I'm already missing sweet tea and grits again.) It was a very college-y vacation--Wednesday night at MJQ, midnight frisbee golf, getting locked out of a dorm room, lounging on the quad, and lots of other things that never happen in the real world. Sunday morning I had an impromptu Easter brunch with Kitty, Peter, Jake, James, Dan and Genna. I left late for the airport, getting to my gate just as my flight was boarding. By 6 I was back at my apartment in Chicago, rushing to finish up planning and get to bed.
Going to school Monday morning was almost painful. I thought that visiting Emory would be a nice break, but would ultimately remind me that it's nicer having a job. I guess it did to some extent... there were certainly boring parts of my trip, annoying situations, and reminders of the things I really disliked about Emory. But I guess it's gotten to the point that even with the negatives, Emory is still way better than my current job. There was also something depressingly final about leaving Emory this time around. Hearing what everyone is doing next year reminded me that even if I visit again, this was most likely the last time I will ever see some of those people.
I'm trying not to dwell on how depressing it is to be back here. Instead, happy thoughts: only 53 more days till summer break! (35 school days!) Maybe (hopefully) I'll make it through.
Going to Atlanta for spring break was a much (muchmuchmuchmuch) needed vacation. I thought it would be weird to go back, but it felt suprisingly normal. I had a lot of downtime, which might have been boring if it wasn't such a nice change from teaching. I got to see almost everyone that's still in Atlanta, and I temporarily satisfied my craving for southern food. (I'm already missing sweet tea and grits again.) It was a very college-y vacation--Wednesday night at MJQ, midnight frisbee golf, getting locked out of a dorm room, lounging on the quad, and lots of other things that never happen in the real world. Sunday morning I had an impromptu Easter brunch with Kitty, Peter, Jake, James, Dan and Genna. I left late for the airport, getting to my gate just as my flight was boarding. By 6 I was back at my apartment in Chicago, rushing to finish up planning and get to bed.
Going to school Monday morning was almost painful. I thought that visiting Emory would be a nice break, but would ultimately remind me that it's nicer having a job. I guess it did to some extent... there were certainly boring parts of my trip, annoying situations, and reminders of the things I really disliked about Emory. But I guess it's gotten to the point that even with the negatives, Emory is still way better than my current job. There was also something depressingly final about leaving Emory this time around. Hearing what everyone is doing next year reminded me that even if I visit again, this was most likely the last time I will ever see some of those people.
I'm trying not to dwell on how depressing it is to be back here. Instead, happy thoughts: only 53 more days till summer break! (35 school days!) Maybe (hopefully) I'll make it through.
Monday, March 29, 2010
spring break!
I've been abandoning this blog more than usual lately. I guess I've felt like I had nothing (or maybe nothing good) to say. But it's spring break, and I have loads of free time for once, so it seems like I should be updating.
Instead of relaxing and sleeping in like I promised myself, I've spent my first two days off getting stuff done. Doing laundry, going to doctors appointments, paying bills, picking up stamps, dropping off dry-cleaning, painting my room, hanging up pictures... I've probably accomplished more in the last two days than I have in the last two months. It reminded me of what appealed to me about this job in the first place--I'm bored if I'm not getting things done. But then again, it also reminded me of the luxury of free time, and how nice it is to be able to do something like blog at 1:20 in the morning without worrying that I have to get up for work in less than 4 hours.
I get to Atlanta in a little less than 39 hours (not that there's a countdown on my dashboard or anything). I think it'll be strange going back, but I still can't wait. As much as I love Chicago, I think I just need to get away for a while. Depending how much planning I get done tomorrow, I'd like to just leave my computer here and forget about everything related to teaching until I come back. I always find myself dwelling on school, talking about teaching, telling stories about my students. Maybe a few days around some non-teachers will do me good... or else everyone will be really tired of me talking about TFA by the time I leave Atlanta.
Instead of relaxing and sleeping in like I promised myself, I've spent my first two days off getting stuff done. Doing laundry, going to doctors appointments, paying bills, picking up stamps, dropping off dry-cleaning, painting my room, hanging up pictures... I've probably accomplished more in the last two days than I have in the last two months. It reminded me of what appealed to me about this job in the first place--I'm bored if I'm not getting things done. But then again, it also reminded me of the luxury of free time, and how nice it is to be able to do something like blog at 1:20 in the morning without worrying that I have to get up for work in less than 4 hours.
I get to Atlanta in a little less than 39 hours (not that there's a countdown on my dashboard or anything). I think it'll be strange going back, but I still can't wait. As much as I love Chicago, I think I just need to get away for a while. Depending how much planning I get done tomorrow, I'd like to just leave my computer here and forget about everything related to teaching until I come back. I always find myself dwelling on school, talking about teaching, telling stories about my students. Maybe a few days around some non-teachers will do me good... or else everyone will be really tired of me talking about TFA by the time I leave Atlanta.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
I spoke too soon about the weather...
So it's been snowing since Monday and today the high was -2 with the wind chill. So much for a heat wave.
This has been a very long and very stressful week. I tried to be good about sleeping and getting work done ahead of time, but then I failed miserably. Monday I had grad school class that I felt unprepared for, but luckily no one in my class (literally, no one) had done the homework or any of the reading or had any idea what was going on. Teachers apparently make the worst students.
Tuesday I helped Andrea grade until 8:00 at night, which was exhausting and made me very glad to be caught up on grading. Then Wednesday somehow flew by and all of a sudden it's Thursday and I have a 4 page paper for grad school that I haven't started, 3 chapters to read, a department meeting, an observation by the Illinois Board of Education... I'm tired just thinking about it.
I've made it through (most of) Thursday... now all that's left is staff development tomorrow. That means no students, but it also means I have to present my (ridiculously awful) semester exam results in front of the whole school. Woo.
Thank goodness for weekends and new semesters.
This has been a very long and very stressful week. I tried to be good about sleeping and getting work done ahead of time, but then I failed miserably. Monday I had grad school class that I felt unprepared for, but luckily no one in my class (literally, no one) had done the homework or any of the reading or had any idea what was going on. Teachers apparently make the worst students.
Tuesday I helped Andrea grade until 8:00 at night, which was exhausting and made me very glad to be caught up on grading. Then Wednesday somehow flew by and all of a sudden it's Thursday and I have a 4 page paper for grad school that I haven't started, 3 chapters to read, a department meeting, an observation by the Illinois Board of Education... I'm tired just thinking about it.
I've made it through (most of) Thursday... now all that's left is staff development tomorrow. That means no students, but it also means I have to present my (ridiculously awful) semester exam results in front of the whole school. Woo.
Thank goodness for weekends and new semesters.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Obligatory New Year's Post
So I've abandoned the blog a bit, which is kind of sad cause I had resolved to do a better job keeping up with it. Oh well, at least my other resolutions (reading more and taking less work home) have been going well so far.
Christmas break was a nice getaway from freezing and teaching and stressing, but it wasn't nearly as relaxing as I had hoped. Coming back was still hard, and I feel like the new year is going even worse with my students than last year.
But on a happier note, Chicago is lovely. It's been in the high 30's-low 40's all weekend (heat wave!) and I for once managed to enjoy the weekend. North side bar-hopping, turtle races, random limo rides... it made me miss actually having a social life outside of watching Sex & the City with the roomies and occasional TFA gatherings. And, as a nice bonus, my planning is done up through Presidents' Day weekend. In just 17 days I'll be on a plane to Utah for a nice 5 day weekend of snowboarding and not thinking about teaching. In the meantime, I'm going to try to make it through another week without the stress and the students and the grad school and the work kill me.
Christmas break was a nice getaway from freezing and teaching and stressing, but it wasn't nearly as relaxing as I had hoped. Coming back was still hard, and I feel like the new year is going even worse with my students than last year.
But on a happier note, Chicago is lovely. It's been in the high 30's-low 40's all weekend (heat wave!) and I for once managed to enjoy the weekend. North side bar-hopping, turtle races, random limo rides... it made me miss actually having a social life outside of watching Sex & the City with the roomies and occasional TFA gatherings. And, as a nice bonus, my planning is done up through Presidents' Day weekend. In just 17 days I'll be on a plane to Utah for a nice 5 day weekend of snowboarding and not thinking about teaching. In the meantime, I'm going to try to make it through another week without the stress and the students and the grad school and the work kill me.
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