Yesterday I went with my 7th graders to Canobie Lake. This is a great little park that resembles Riverside before it was transformed into Six Flags New England. It was great to take the kids out in a nonacademic setting.
It was only about a 40 minute ride and surprisingly the ride was not that irritating. It may be because I am immune due to my years as a camp counselor, but I didn't mind the screaming and yelling. Once we were at the park, I basically told my six kids to check in with me in two hours and I spent my time in the teacher's lounge drinking coffee and eating donuts.
Near the end of the day I met up with some of my kids and it was great to just act like a kid with them. I went on a lot of the rollercoasters, which pale in comparison to any at a large amusement park, but it was so much fun seeing how excited all the students got. Also, it was great because it was raining and rather than being bummed out, most of the students loved the challenge and even started dancing up on a stage.
All in all it was a great day, and it was beneficial to leave on such an informal note.
Today was our last day of school and rather than it being the rewarding experience I was hoping for I was sad to leave. This was my first year as a teacher and it is hard to say goodbye to my classroom. It wasn't like working with the younger grades, no kids got emotional or seemed too interested, but I was leaving my classroom. Well it was a good couple months and I learned a lot. I hope next time I am back in the states I will remember my experience and be that much better of a teacher.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Baldwin Graduation
Ah, I made it back to Boston alive. It only took me 8.5 hours but I did the drive and did it in one piece. I got in around 1 in the morning and the best part was having Stella waiting for me at the house.
Today I made it to work very tired, but lucky for me it was the 8th grade graduation. During the morning most of the 8th graders were gone and I did not have any of the 7th all morning. It was a half day and at 1pm the graduation started.
Unlike Dan's graduation this ceremony was more like Sa's UConn graduation. The ceremony was short, sweet, and to the point. It was nice to see how happy all of the students were and especially see how proud the families were. Both Abdul and Ayni gave speeches and they were very cleverly done. The line that persisted throughout the ceremony was, "you are going to want to get out a pen and get our autographs because we are the future."
I am excited for the rest of the week. Tomorrow the 8th graders are going on a field trip along the Black History Trail and I have the 7th grade in the morning. As for the rest of the week, we are basically trying to keep all the students occupied and this Thursday we are going to Canobie Lake for the 7th grade reward trip.
Only 4 more days and I am done with the Cambridge School System!
Dan's Graduation
It was the big day, little baby danny was growing up. Just like going to Buffalo it was a horrible drive, about 5 hours and we left Brookfield around 4am. It wasn't too bad on my part because my parents drove and Jason and I got to sleep.
As we arrived to Alfred this picture explains it all. Little ol Danny is no longer a college boy, but a big ol man now.
After the graduation the sky opened up and we were in the middle of a deluge. We drove along in heavy rain and perhaps the best part was seeing the rain line chasing us in the car. Even though it was raining it did not stop us from going to a couple vineyards on the way to the lake house.
When we got to the lake house we immediately were introduced to the family. It was nice to see the new house that Doct
or was talking up and drive the golf cart around the development. That night Phil came up and met up with us and we walked down to the pavilion for some drinks. Just like the day it was clear when we walked down and we tried starting a fire on the beach. All of a sudden we noticed we couldn't see across the lake and before we knew it the sky again dropped a vast amount of rain on us.
The next day Dan, Doctor, my dad, and I went golfing on the public land. It was great to get out again on the 9-hole course. Both my dad and I hit about a 10 on the first hole and were lucky if we could get the ball in the air or more than 100ft. Slowly we both got better and I was happy that by the end I could hit a easy 200yd drive, but still couldn't hit it straight.
As we arrived to Alfred this picture explains it all. Little ol Danny is no longer a college boy, but a big ol man now.
After the graduation the sky opened up and we were in the middle of a deluge. We drove along in heavy rain and perhaps the best part was seeing the rain line chasing us in the car. Even though it was raining it did not stop us from going to a couple vineyards on the way to the lake house.
When we got to the lake house we immediately were introduced to the family. It was nice to see the new house that Doct
or was talking up and drive the golf cart around the development. That night Phil came up and met up with us and we walked down to the pavilion for some drinks. Just like the day it was clear when we walked down and we tried starting a fire on the beach. All of a sudden we noticed we couldn't see across the lake and before we knew it the sky again dropped a vast amount of rain on us.The next day Dan, Doctor, my dad, and I went golfing on the public land. It was great to get out again on the 9-hole course. Both my dad and I hit about a 10 on the first hole and were lucky if we could get the ball in the air or more than 100ft. Slowly we both got better and I was happy that by the end I could hit a easy 200yd drive, but still couldn't hit it straight.
Remembering Colombia
I want to create a list of what I did in Colombia before I forget forever the wonderful experience I had. Unlike last time I had a phenomenal time and did not want to leave. To me this wasn't a vacation, but an opportunity for me to strengthen family bonds and learn more about my family history. It was important for me to practice my Spanish and talk to as many family members as I could.
This time around I traveled down to Colombia by myself. Again there was a mass of family members waiting for me at the airport and I was taken to Hija's farm. It was great showing up at the farm and seeing not only the extended family, but I got to see Fernando, his wife, and his three kids. It was crazy because even though he is a distant cousin I have not seen him in about 5 years and had never even met his 5yr/old son, Zack.
A list of what I did was:
-Exploring Hija's Farm
-Ran everyday with Fernado and Maria
-Toured Hijo's house
-Toured Pereira
-Rode horses in Valle de Cocuro
-Swam in Termales (lower)
-Ate fresh chorizos with James
-Stayed with Neilson
-Saw Ma and Pa's grave
-went to Armania
-Had a "US" bbq
-Had a pig roast
-Went to Darwin's Farm
--Met his son
--Played with a week old calf
--traveled to the river
--played with three 3month old pigs
-Went to Mario's farm
--Played Sapo with Enrique
--Visited Marta's office
-Toured Pereira with Neilson
On top of all this travel in Pereira I was able to go to Cartagena with Alex, Melina, Neilson, and Euler. It was wonderful to travel around Colombia and even better that it is a beach town. I remember when we flew in I was shocked to see that it isn't a beach town like Miami, but instead has a small beach area that is quite rocky and about 100 times hotter. The best part was that Stella met me in Cartagena and I got to tour the old city with her.
What we did:
-Went to the history/torture museum
-Toured the old city
-Stayed at an all inclusive resort
-Got harassed 24/7 by street vendors
-Searched endlessly for leaf earrings
-Started sweating at 7am
-Took a boat ride to Isla Baru
--Went snorkeling, kayaking, played volleyball
-Took a tour of the castle, montessary, and walls
-Celebrated Euler's birthday with a cake and songs
-Celebrated Alex's birthday by finding a cake and talking to a hotel band
-Being able to share a room with Stella
-Getting closer to Neilson
-Bargaining on the beach
This time around I traveled down to Colombia by myself. Again there was a mass of family members waiting for me at the airport and I was taken to Hija's farm. It was great showing up at the farm and seeing not only the extended family, but I got to see Fernando, his wife, and his three kids. It was crazy because even though he is a distant cousin I have not seen him in about 5 years and had never even met his 5yr/old son, Zack.
A list of what I did was:
-Exploring Hija's Farm
-Ran everyday with Fernado and Maria
-Toured Hijo's house
-Toured Pereira
-Rode horses in Valle de Cocuro
-Swam in Termales (lower)
-Ate fresh chorizos with James
-Stayed with Neilson
-Saw Ma and Pa's grave
-went to Armania
-Had a "US" bbq
-Had a pig roast
-Went to Darwin's Farm
--Met his son
--Played with a week old calf
--traveled to the river
--played with three 3month old pigs
-Went to Mario's farm
--Played Sapo with Enrique
--Visited Marta's office
-Toured Pereira with Neilson
On top of all this travel in Pereira I was able to go to Cartagena with Alex, Melina, Neilson, and Euler. It was wonderful to travel around Colombia and even better that it is a beach town. I remember when we flew in I was shocked to see that it isn't a beach town like Miami, but instead has a small beach area that is quite rocky and about 100 times hotter. The best part was that Stella met me in Cartagena and I got to tour the old city with her.
What we did:
-Went to the history/torture museum
-Toured the old city
-Stayed at an all inclusive resort
-Got harassed 24/7 by street vendors
-Searched endlessly for leaf earrings
-Started sweating at 7am
-Took a boat ride to Isla Baru
--Went snorkeling, kayaking, played volleyball
-Took a tour of the castle, montessary, and walls
-Celebrated Euler's birthday with a cake and songs
-Celebrated Alex's birthday by finding a cake and talking to a hotel band
-Being able to share a room with Stella
-Getting closer to Neilson
-Bargaining on the beach
Teen Treks
So this weekend I had to make my way up to Buffalo, NY for my Teen Treks training. I wasn't really sure what to expect, only that I had a long day of driving ahead of me and I got to miss three days of work.
I kicked the day off right. I went to visit my old classroom at the Lincoln School. I was really anxious to go because several of the students began facebook-ing me and I knew that I made an impact on their lives. To my relief it was a very rewarding and calming experience. The students were ecstatic to see me, but also very ready to move on. There was the initial excitement, but then they were very ready to go on with their day. This was both an ego booster and checker. I knew I was important to them, but I also gained an appreciation for them moving on.
After my little visit I began my odyssey to Buffalo, NY. According to my GPS I had about 8hrs of driving ahead of me. It started great, I was pumped and I felt like I really was beginning an adventure. However, the drive quickly turned monotonous as Upstate New York is a bland, open area of nothingness. To make matters worse, I had about 480 miles ahead.
Finally at about 7pm I made it to Buffalo, NY and the Teen Treks office. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what awaited me was a bunch of old Victorian Row houses and a small little sign for training. Basically, this whole program is run out of this guy's front room which doubles as his office. It seems so interesting, but the organizer, Cliff, is quite the unique character. After meeting him and several other early arrivals, we staked out places to camp in the backyard. It was fun to camp out, but there were reminders of the urban setting with the hispanic neighbors getting into a huge argument around midnight that night.
Training! It was a lot of fun and a whole lot of WAITING. As Cliff said, all actions are a reflection of the leadership and he had us waiting all the time. He is very scatter brained and it showed. As he would begin discussing an aspect of the trip, he often would lose his train of thought and begin an entire new subject. To make matters worse, the first day we spent in a Buffalo Park; luckily the rain was holding out, but as soon as we began to ride, the rain began.
As we biked through the rain we started to cross into the Canada. It was a breeze crossing the border and we biked along the Erie shore to one of Cliff's friend's house. Even though it was raining pretty heavy we did not let it damper our spirits. I staked out ground along the shore and actually slept quite well on the beach.
The next day we passed through a small Canadian town along the Erie Canal. It was a small town with a usual center with a local farmer's market. It was great to look around, the only bad part was that we had no money and spent 5 hours sitting around. This day I was also on Dinner Party and got in an argume
nt with my future partner. Basically, we have to go out and shop for our group. We are on a strict budget ($2 - breakfast, $6 - lunch, $7 - dinner) and I was fine with saving money for other activities. We made it through lunch, talked with the local drunk and biked to our end destination - a camp ground. Again, I was on dinner and made bean burritos for my party. I also made banana smores for the group for desert.
The final day we continued biking and saw Niagara Falls from about every angle. It was very nice and it was definitely great to see it via bike. Unlike last time (I think I was about 7) I was able to appreciate the sheer power of mother nature. I also realized Canada did a much better job with the falls than the US. Basically, the Canadian side is very touristy, but it is clean and pleasant. The US side is Niagara City and an entire shit hole, ghetto.
That night we biked over the worst bridge of all times into Grand Island. The bridge, The Peace Bridge, is a large bridge that is about 100ft tall and about 1mile long. That is all fine and dandy, but the sidewalk is narrow, along a highway, at night, and we are riding opposing traffic. To make it even scarier, the rails are so low, that if you it them you would either A: get hit by a truck, or B: fall to the river. That was the fun part, but as soon as we crossed we were told to turn off all our lights. Given it is about 10pm, we were all confused and then we proceeded to bike about 1 mile into the woods. Finally we stopped and we were going to "Phantom Camp". It is a really cool concept where you hide out on land and sleep secretively (trespassing). All fine and dandy, but very difficult when you have 30 people.
Perhaps the coolest part of this entire trip was meeting so many new people. We were all about the same age, but everyone has done something entirely different. I learned it is ok not to have a life plan and that there is no expectation to just settle down, get a job, and work your life away. I met a girl who takes only seasonal jobs so she can travel the world (she is a nanny in Switzerland and skis, then goes to CO and bikes). I met another guy who one day quit his job and moved to Hawaii for a month before law school and another guy who took 3 months to bike across the country.
I hope some of their lifestyle rubs off on me and if anything this trip made me more excited for the Peace Corps and made me that much more sure of my decision.
I kicked the day off right. I went to visit my old classroom at the Lincoln School. I was really anxious to go because several of the students began facebook-ing me and I knew that I made an impact on their lives. To my relief it was a very rewarding and calming experience. The students were ecstatic to see me, but also very ready to move on. There was the initial excitement, but then they were very ready to go on with their day. This was both an ego booster and checker. I knew I was important to them, but I also gained an appreciation for them moving on.
After my little visit I began my odyssey to Buffalo, NY. According to my GPS I had about 8hrs of driving ahead of me. It started great, I was pumped and I felt like I really was beginning an adventure. However, the drive quickly turned monotonous as Upstate New York is a bland, open area of nothingness. To make matters worse, I had about 480 miles ahead.
Finally at about 7pm I made it to Buffalo, NY and the Teen Treks office. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what awaited me was a bunch of old Victorian Row houses and a small little sign for training. Basically, this whole program is run out of this guy's front room which doubles as his office. It seems so interesting, but the organizer, Cliff, is quite the unique character. After meeting him and several other early arrivals, we staked out places to camp in the backyard. It was fun to camp out, but there were reminders of the urban setting with the hispanic neighbors getting into a huge argument around midnight that night.
Training! It was a lot of fun and a whole lot of WAITING. As Cliff said, all actions are a reflection of the leadership and he had us waiting all the time. He is very scatter brained and it showed. As he would begin discussing an aspect of the trip, he often would lose his train of thought and begin an entire new subject. To make matters worse, the first day we spent in a Buffalo Park; luckily the rain was holding out, but as soon as we began to ride, the rain began.
As we biked through the rain we started to cross into the Canada. It was a breeze crossing the border and we biked along the Erie shore to one of Cliff's friend's house. Even though it was raining pretty heavy we did not let it damper our spirits. I staked out ground along the shore and actually slept quite well on the beach.
The next day we passed through a small Canadian town along the Erie Canal. It was a small town with a usual center with a local farmer's market. It was great to look around, the only bad part was that we had no money and spent 5 hours sitting around. This day I was also on Dinner Party and got in an argume
nt with my future partner. Basically, we have to go out and shop for our group. We are on a strict budget ($2 - breakfast, $6 - lunch, $7 - dinner) and I was fine with saving money for other activities. We made it through lunch, talked with the local drunk and biked to our end destination - a camp ground. Again, I was on dinner and made bean burritos for my party. I also made banana smores for the group for desert.The final day we continued biking and saw Niagara Falls from about every angle. It was very nice and it was definitely great to see it via bike. Unlike last time (I think I was about 7) I was able to appreciate the sheer power of mother nature. I also realized Canada did a much better job with the falls than the US. Basically, the Canadian side is very touristy, but it is clean and pleasant. The US side is Niagara City and an entire shit hole, ghetto.
That night we biked over the worst bridge of all times into Grand Island. The bridge, The Peace Bridge, is a large bridge that is about 100ft tall and about 1mile long. That is all fine and dandy, but the sidewalk is narrow, along a highway, at night, and we are riding opposing traffic. To make it even scarier, the rails are so low, that if you it them you would either A: get hit by a truck, or B: fall to the river. That was the fun part, but as soon as we crossed we were told to turn off all our lights. Given it is about 10pm, we were all confused and then we proceeded to bike about 1 mile into the woods. Finally we stopped and we were going to "Phantom Camp". It is a really cool concept where you hide out on land and sleep secretively (trespassing). All fine and dandy, but very difficult when you have 30 people.
Perhaps the coolest part of this entire trip was meeting so many new people. We were all about the same age, but everyone has done something entirely different. I learned it is ok not to have a life plan and that there is no expectation to just settle down, get a job, and work your life away. I met a girl who takes only seasonal jobs so she can travel the world (she is a nanny in Switzerland and skis, then goes to CO and bikes). I met another guy who one day quit his job and moved to Hawaii for a month before law school and another guy who took 3 months to bike across the country.
I hope some of their lifestyle rubs off on me and if anything this trip made me more excited for the Peace Corps and made me that much more sure of my decision.
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