6-10 of November: Don't Stop Runnin'

This has been one crazy busy week!


Due to the fact that our school pastor has left on maternity leave (She is going to have a little Slovak boy by the end on the month!!), we have changed our schedules to accomodate her replacement. And I might add that I love my new schedule: I only teach one period on Mondays. This does mean, though, that the remaining four days are full and long and tiring. However, this new schedule allows me to prepare for the week on Monday, not Sunday afternoon. Hello free weekends! Goodbye hateful Mondays!


Back to a run down of my week, Monday was a long day of sitting in my office and prepping. Prepping normally entails reading some history for my four history classes and making up worksheets or something for them to do in class, trying to comprehend the crazy rules of the English language for my three English classes, and writing notes on my fifth years presentations of British History. I try to sketch out the week ahead of time so I have a rough idea of what I am doing all week long. This means that my day to day actual planning does not take as long! Woo-Hoo! After school, I had make-up tests galore. I guess that is what happens when you give a test to four of your biggest classes and half of the students are "sick" that day. 


In complete contrast to my quiet, however not calm, Monday, Tuesday came with no breaks until 10pm. I had six classes, lunch at 1, my last make-up tests and extra help for my first years during my office hour, then a planning meeting our teacher skit, then the 5 hour Kick-Off Party for the Student Company, and, last, prep for my next day of classes. I have never been so happy to not move as I was on Tuesday night.


Every each, a select group of Fourth Years create a student company to design, create, sell, and profit from a Then this company and their presentation of such competes in a nation wide competition. For the past many years, EGT has done superbly, going as far as the European competition! To share their product for the first time and to celebrate, the student company had a Kick-Off party. It is like a talent show where anyone can dance and sing and do a skit. We teachers were asked to come up with something, preferably funny. Thus, two hours before we were to take stage, we had a meeting over pizza to plan our act. And we came up with the best idea! Each one of us teachers would pick one student, preferable annoying, to impersonate while one of our students tried to teach us a lesson. And at the end of our skit, the students would guess who was who. Boy were we good! We were to dress like our students and do all of the annoying things they do to us. I impersonated one of my better students who has a very distinct way of giving announcements for each (and she is involved in almost all) club that she is in. And all of the students guessed who I was! Yay!

Our teachers presenting our skit. Note: Chad in the way back "not being able to hear the lecture", Sepp sleeping, Dana looking nothing like herself and looking exactly like a student, Chelsea asking to go to the bathroom, me trying to pay attention, Domka checking out Facebook, Katka listening to ipod.. 

However so much fun leads to one hating her alarm clock the next day. And boy did I hate my six am wake up call. (Honestly that is normal though...) Wednesday was long: the school was hot, I broke a heal, I didn't have time for breakfast, one of classes was observed, and all day long I just wanted to be in different clothes. Luckily, I completed everything at 3pm and carefully walked home with a broken high heal. I got home, took a shower, and decided to rearrange my room. And boy does it look so much better now! I am so happy with how I arranged it. So happy in fact that I took pictures to document it! After rearranging my room, I made dinner, ate it, and fell asleep failing to do my prep for the next day. 


My inability to stay awake forced me to wake up at the ungodly hour of 5am this morning to organize my history notes for the day. While this was not ideal, I will tell you that I have never been more awake for my first period as I was today. (It could also have been the two cups of tea and the cup of coffee I drank before school though...) I taught six classes, had a meeting, was late to drama club, and, upon going home at 4, promptly made dinner to appease my grumbling stomach. 


Currently, I am sitting in my comfy chair and enjoying watching the work week close. Although I was busy and don't want to move for a bit longer, I have had a wonderful week. I am finally getting ahold of this whole teacher thing: my classes are going well and I am beginning to understand how to handle my students. My Slovak is coming along slowly but surely. And I have a wonderful weekend planned filled with (probably awkward) dancing, friends from Poland, Slovak food, and wonderful conversation. 


P.S. I have to share pictures of my newly arranged room! Please note the lovely orange curtains - Night falls quickly here in Tisovec and my lights are bright and revealing.

Weekend/Week in pictures

The amount of pictures shows how much fun I had this weekend/past week! 
Chelsea, Sepp and I all went for an ELCA 'staff meeting' at Liptovský Mikuláš. It was so nice to see some of my fellow ELCA teachers and share our triumphs and our tribulations over traditional Slovak food. I am sorry to say, but Bryndza might be growing on me! 


And we got to ride on a train! Not just a normal train, but a compartment train. Yup, just like the Harry Potter trains. I really did not think that they existed. BUT THEY DO! And, furthermore, they are amazing! I took a picture of us even before we left the station because I was so excited. 


The second picture is of the gorgeous High Tratas from Poprad. They are gorgeous! They are a short mountain range, in regards to the Rockies. But what they lack in length they make up in pure beauty. These Tratas seem to just pop out of nowhere from the plains. Even though I am pretty close to the Low Tratas, they are just hills in comparison. 



My next picture shows my excitement of Food Stamps. Once a month, I get a food stamp for 2.89€ for everyday that I worked. These lovely little coupons (I do pay a bit for them), can get me lunch anywhere in the city. But, even better, I can buy groceries with them anytime! It is wonderful! I feel like I am stealing food from the grocery store whenever I use these. 


My classes are going wonderfully. And most importantly we have introduced our students to baseball! For the past two Tuesdays at 4pm, we have played baseball until the the sun has fallen behind the hills. I am amazed at how good these kids are at it for playing for their first time! Most of the boys are better than me! I really just like to cheer on my teammates. It is so much fun to play with the only purpose of having a good time. 


Other excitements in my life: Nivea cream (the most amazing lotion ever), chinese Tiger balm, Fruit of the Forest Tea with sugar, and my Slovak dictionary.


You might have heard, Slovakia hit the newsstands last week.. It was not in a good light though, the government here failed. Now I really don't understand this nor how the Slovak government works nor what effect this failing is going to have on the people. But I do know that even though the government is no more, everything is still running smoothly and I will not be affected at all. I have been trying to understand it, but I am thinking I need the Slovak Government for Dummies or something. Here is a link to a wonderful article about it: Slovakia to Rescue Eurozone.


Finally Occupy Wall Street. I hope everyone is paying attention to that. I predict big changes are upon us and I must say it is about time. It is moments likes these that reminds me how lucky I am to be born when I was.


Dovidenia!