Birthday Bliss : )

My 26th year is off to a great start! Genna made an authentic Anne Nelson Apple Pie on my birthday, It looks like it went up in flames, but don't worry it was just the flash. 

Over the weekend we stayed in a cute cabin and enjoyed the beautiful fall colors in the mountains.

 Blowing out my mountain cheese birthday "cake"

 A huge thanks to Genna, Adrian, Iza and Kat for organizing the amazing weekend! Thanks to everyone for the cards, gifts and kind messages. Your love was felt from near and far! 

Year 2!

Poland 2.0 is off to a busy start. Time is flying by and there is never a dull moment. School has been going really well. I have almost all the same students as last year, which has been really nice! I'm teaching 26.5 hours a week. Mondays and fridays are my busiest days teaching 8.5 and 7 hours each day. It makes for a really busy schedule, but I enjoy it for the most part. It is so great to know what is going on at school and not feel lost and confused all the time. 

After 2 crazy roommates this year we have an AMAZING roommate. Katherine is from the UK. She spent the last two years teaching in Vietnam. Kat is super nice, really interesting to talk to and loves traveling. I think we will be great friends. YAY! 

We also got some pets this year. We started off with a delightful array of tropical fish. Kat, Genna and I each got 3 of a different kind and cool coral colored sucker fish. Day by day we came home to more fish belly up. Now we are left with 2 of Genna's and our awesome sucker fish. We kind of want to get more, but I'm afraid they will just die too.

After a pretty crappy September, weather wise, October has been AWESOME! We have been spending lots of time outside on the weekends and soaking up all the sunshine we can before the Polish winter is upon us. 

Happy Birthday Reed!

Happy Birthday Reed! 

Keep working on those muscles. 

But remember your sisters are always right behind you 

if you need a little extra push. 

Love you lots! 

Have a fun day! 

Berlin

Berlin Wall 

TV tower

Cool fountain near the TV tower

blowing bubbles in a big park

a huge monument at the center of the park

AMAZING guacamole!

After falling in love with Munich and feeling so at home there I was very excited to return to Germany and see Berlin. Looking back, I have a lot of great memories, from Berlin, but I just didn't love it the way I loved many of the other cites we have visited this year. Berlin is rich with history. While there we saw where the Berlin Wall was, Check Point Charlie, The Holocaust Memorial and Museum, and an interesting communist time museum. 

The most impact-full part of the visit was walking through the Holocaust Memorial. It is pictured above. The large cement blocks start flush with the ground and quickly grow taller and taller. From the outside they don't look that big, but once you walk in they engulf you and you soon wonder how to get out.  

I think it represents intolerance well. It starts off small a joke or a snide comment and quickly it grows and becomes so big you don't know how you will ever end it. Kudos to the designer of this unforgettable memorial. 

Visiting the Lewerenz Family

 Genna's brother is in Ecuador on exchange for the year. His best friend in Ecuador is Jan. Jan is from Hemer, Germany. When Jan heard we were going to be back in Germany he invited us to visit his family. It worked out great because we went there on Tuesday night and Wednesday was Labor day so they had a free day. 

 Jan's little sister is adorable! 

We spent the day at a huge park in Hemer. We also went to a cool cave. The weather was great, but the food was better! The Lewerenz's were amazing. We loved our day in Hemer! 

A HUGE thank you to Frank and Tanja! 

10 reasons Amsterdam is GREAT!

10. Pesto Cheese

This cheese was amazing!

It had the great Pesto flavor without being greasy. Genna and I came up with at least 100 ways to eat it. We went back to buy some on our last day and the store was closed. 

Biggest disappointment in Amsterdam. 

9. Trams and their helpful operators

We took the Tram everywhere in Amsterdam. 

The people working on the Trams were exceptionally helpful and friendly. They didn't even roll their eyes when we asked stupid questions or didn't have our money ready to buy our tickets.

8. Queen's Day

 Much to our surprise, Holland crowned their new king (on "Queen's Day") while we were in Amsterdam. The city was full of balloons, enormous crowns, and flags. It made Amsterdam even more memorable. 

7. Urinals

In celebration of the new King the city was in full "Party" mode. All over the city there were these large plastic urinals. They weren't tucked away either. My favorite was a row in front of the Central Station. However, very few port -a- pottys could be found. 

6. Bikes

Bikes, bikes bikes!

Everywhere there were bikes. I was most impressed by parents ability to push/ pull up to 4 kids on one bike! 

5. Canals

Canals are just as much a part of the city as bikes. 

For me, the best part was how everything reflected off the water. It made the city very picturesque.

4. The Heineken Experience

The Heineken Experience was a lot of fun! Very interactive and interesting. 

Oh yeah, and there was beer too!

3. Anne Frank House 

Never before have I felt "History Come Alive" like I did at the Anne Frank House. Walking through the rooms and imagining life in hiding was a powerful experience. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to go there while studying WWII. 

2. Awesome Architecture

I loved the narrow buildings all right on the water. 

So different from all the other cities I've been to so far. 

1. Dutch Tulips! 

The tulips were amazing. 

It is something I recommend to everyone who visits Europe in the spring! 

Looking back at the pictures I realized I was completely exhausted when we were at the tulip gardens, but I didn't even notice at the time. I was so mesmerized by all the flowers. 

Amsterdam is wonderful! 

I could not have had a better time! 

Oh Happy Day!

Happy Birthday and Mother's Day Mom! 

Enjoy your very special day! 

"All that I am, 

or hope to be, 

I owe to my Mother." 

Abraham Lincoln 

Thanks Mom! 

Love you lots! 

Window Washing

Spring has arrived in Bielsko. To fully enjoy blue sky and sunshine we decided we needed to wash our windows. They got a "little" dirty this winter. I definitely haven't mastered the streak free techniques, but at least I can see through the windows!  

Weekly Schedule

I have been meaning to write this post this for months! 

Finally, today is the day. 

This is my current schedule. There are some changes week to week, but mostly it stays the same. I have  a variety of different lessons each week. Most of my lessons are Helen Doron. They are with kids age 2 to 8. Most lessons are 45 minutes. The kids sit in a circle on the carpet and I teach them using flash cards, toys, and a lot of games. 

Four hours a week I teach OPS or Oxford Primary School. These lessons I'm kind of like a specialist. Think of going to music or gym in elementary school. It's kind of like that. 

All my other lessons are one to one. Most are preparing for something and need to practice speaking English. I have a love hate relationship with these lessons, because it is hard to know what the students want to do or talk about and they often ask me grammar questions that I have no idea what the answer is. On the other hand they are nice because I get to really know the people. They enjoy sharing about their lives in Poland and also learning about me. 

At the begining of the year it was a lot to keep track of. I spent most of my day running around the school like a chicken with my head cut off. Now that there is only 10 weeks left of the year. I feel like I have a good handle on things. I can plan all my lessons pretty quickly and generally enjoy all of them. 

Afternoon in Cieszyn

After visiting Auschwitz we decided to go to Cieszyn. It was a nice afternoon, Genna and I had never been there and lots of people recommended a "great Mexican restaurant." 

We ate first and were reminded you get what you pay for. My whole meal was about 25 zloty or 8 dollars. Needless to say it wasn't very good, but it was still nice to eat out with friends. 

After eating we walked around the town. 

It was great to be outside and enjoy the spring day. 

We walked up to this cool tower. Adrian showed us that it is featured on the 20 zloty note. 

Can you see it? Ask Genna how long it took her to see it. : ) 

Then we walked down to the river. Cieszyn is on the boarder of Poland and Czech Republic. On the middle of the bridge there is a line that divides the counties. As you can see, I enjoyed being in two countries at once. 

Saturday was an excellent day with friends! 

Thanks Adrian, Iza and Sam!!!