Moving...Again?

This was not one of our finest weeks. It was the last full week of school for the year, and positively, the students did quite well. In the first year that is. The second year had nothing to do so they were quite difficult on the Leerplein. Naomi had a rough time with the doctor and her mom. Yesterday we ended up helping her dad move...for 19 hours (including transport).

We did get a nice wardrobe out of the deal though. Maybe today we will find some energy to start setting it up. Mostly I think we should rest - we have forgotten what that means. There is supposed to be a street party today. All the cars are meant to be cleared out of our dead end street, tables set up, and everyone should come with food and drinks. We are happy to live in such a friendly, community oriented place. Strange that it is Rotterdam.

The problem lies in the fact that it is 55 and rainy. Not strange for this month of June. It has been cold. The tomatoes are not doing as well as I would have liked. The bad weather sure is good for classroom management, but it definitely has not felt like summer.

Duluth, where my Sister just moved from, made the news here in Dutchland. Check the article out http://nos.nl/artikel/386478-ijsbeer-ontsnapt-door-stortregens.html (copy/paste to google translate if you like) and look up some pictures on google images if you haven't already. Seems like this could not possibly happen in Duluth...

Return to Normal

This has been the first week in over three months that has felt 'normal'. Perhaps I should redefine the word. At school, I taught every day, for the full amount of time. No cancellations, no extra events. For the first time in over three months. This coming week is the last real week of the school year. Fortunately, we have had terrible weather the last few weeks (never thought I would say that), so the kids have been well-behaved and working hard. When it is sunny and nice they can't be bothered with school or teachers.

The bar/island is finally finished, and the kitchen no longer feels like it is in a cramped, temporary state. It is now a pleasure to cook there. We filled the bar with a bunch of stuff. I have no idea where all that stuff came from.

This weekend we were actually able to go to the market, relax, and clean stuff up around the house. I forgot what it was like to be able to relax - I even started writing a short story. There has even been time to start thinking about our trip to the States that is meant to happen (depending on some bad news we got about Naomi's mom) in a few weeks. Of course there is still plenty that needs doing, but it is mostly cosmetic. I think after lunch I will whip the garden into shape...

An amalgamation of free wood.

Hmmm...

Fresh produce from Bologna.

We did some of our grocery shopping in Italy.

Sunny with a chance of Earthquakes

Thursday was our last school day for the week. I haven't had a full week since the middle of April. Strange. That night we packed our bags and made ready for an early departure. We were awake at 3:30 so that we could make it to the airport near Brussels by 6. The Ryan Air flight took us over the alps and we landed safely in Bologna. The weather was warm and we found the energy to explore the city.

When wearing polarized glasses on the plane, on tends to see rainbows.

Produce market where we bought a few things to bring home.

A typical side street.

Piazza Maggiore - the main square.

Only 16 colleagues came (about half) but we split into smaller groups. The girls went shopping, the administration had drinks, and Clifton and I explored. It seemed like there was something extravagant around every corner. The city is home to the oldest university in Europe, and we were able to tour the library. It was complete with an incredibly ornate room where bodies were dissected for the purpose of teaching. It seemed quite respectful toward the dead.

The Library entrance.

The Library cloisters.

The Library staircase.

The dissection table.

The pulpit - note the statues holding it up lack skin.

The angel watching over the dissection table.

The cathedrals are much different from those in the North. Churches in the Netherlands are full of light and feel open and airy. The windows are as big as possible and the supports are made to look slender. In Italy the light is dim and structural elements seem heavy, dark, and cold. I suppose both were created as a refuge - one like a warm bath of light to escape the persistant cold and rain while the other is a cool glass of water on a scorching hot summer day. It is amazing to see what people were capable of so long ago.

Small church hidden in a side street.

A church that overlooks a square.

The dome church.

Wish we could have gone inside.

Anyway, after seeing some of these churches (some were closed due to the recent and ongoing earthquakes and the one we entered didn't allow pictures) we made our way to the twin towers. One was leaning severely. Normally one can climb to the top of the tall one, which is still fairly straight, but they closed that too! I was bummed. After some delicious ice cream we headed back to the hotel for some rest and then had dinner. After a nice meal with everyone, we headed to the park so smoke some Cuban cigars. There happened to be a jazz concert taking place, so this was a perfect end to a very long and very enjoyable day. Needless to say, we slept well that night.

The Twin Towers.

Dinner.

Hard to find in the States.

Jazz concert in the park.

The next morning we did a bit of shopping and explored the city even further. We came across an antique market that had a few items that arrested my attention. There was a stand selling Nazi paraphernalia including uniform insignia, medals, and even pictures of Hitler. Right next to it was a bunch of stuff from the CCCP. There were a lot of interesting items at the market, but they were all very expensive. After a nice lunch outside in a quiet little side street, we packed up, got into the taxis, and flew home. Bologna is certainly a town we would visit again.

The antique market.

Just after the blue Ferrari passed by...

An exclusive jewelry shop.

A fancy shopping street (the covered walkway is typical).

The Bar

Last weekend I started making a bar/island/countertop for the kitchen. We are in need of more space! I had hoped to finish it last weekend, which was, of course, silly. Maybe I can wrap things up today. This is the last big project that needs to be done for this whole moving in process. After this it is a bunch of smaller things like hanging up pictures. Hopefully we can be pretty much done before we go to the States...

I have solidified a new strategy to deal with school this week. Perfect timing now that the year is over! As a first year teacher, I can manage one class at a time...most of the time. Two classes at once is too much. I often have to work with colleagues who are also first year teachers, or interns, and when we are teaching together on the leerplein, it is as if I am alone. In the past months I would spend a lot of energy trying to control these two classes. This week I realized that this is quite draining and it undermines my authority because it often does not work: I tell the kids to be quiet and they don't. So I stopped trying! This breakthrough is a huge relief - I have more energy, less stress, and more authority.

It will also be useful for next year. We got bad news this week. Currently, our building has not enough space. Next year we get 6 new classes and 18 new colleagues. We were supposed to have the new classrooms in place already. Now they tell us they will not be finished until mid-October. We have no idea how we will solve the problem, but the chances of pure chaos in the first 6-8 weeks of the school year are very high. As those are the most important weeks which set the precedent for the entire year, it sounds like next year will be chaos. I guess I will have to continue using my new strategy...less is more.

As a school, we planned a bit of a city trip. Last year they went to Riga. This year we are meant to go to Bologna, Italy, home to the oldest university in Europe. Then they got rocked by earthquakes the past two weeks, so the trip is in question. Our tickets are for Friday. We would still like to go but some colleagues are backing out. One had a wife who is a Hindu priestess and she had a very bad feeling about the trip, so he decided not to go several weeks ago - before the earthquakes happened. To me, it all sounds like a bit of an adventure...

Friday we were gone for 16 hours. Directly after school we rushed to the nearby Metro station (getting lost on the way) and barely made the train to Eindhoven. Naomi's best friend was having a birthday/end to thesis party. Long day. Saturday morning was a welcome surprise. We went grocery shopping and all of the summer beers were 40% off! Chocolate was on sale too. We ended up packing all the beer onto my bike and Naomi had the chocolate and real food on her sports bike. We barely made it home. That was the heaviest bike I have ever ridden! For now, lunch is approaching and the bar needs some work...hopefully there will be pictures of the finished product next week!

Sometimes a car would be nice...

All in my bike...healthy groceries, right?

Working on the bar.