home for the holidays

hi ya'll!

i miss you like crazy. I will finally be home (it's be a year, WHAT) on December 20th. I just wanted to get some word started about a get together or something because i will be devastated if i miss another gathering. The tiny screen on my flip phone is not conducive to living vicariously through pictures of your parties. although, from what i could see of the halloween costumes, you all looked fabulous.

also, a quick update involves me loving and being obsessed with being a second grade teacher.

how are you all doing?

love to the edge of the universe and back again,
melissa

Strongbow Challenge!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/strongbowukofficial?v=eM7L5qg-n_U

When I saw this all I could think about was our version of the Strongbow Challenge... well it is slightly different! haha

Im in Heathrow airport now, super bored wishing I had a buddy to venture out in London with for the day. Love you guys!

Hellllooo Loves!

Hola a todos!!!


How is everyone? I hope you are all having a great start to the new school year and getting to know all of your students. Can't believe at this time TWO years ago we were in London..I don't think I'll ever stop missing it!

Anyways, I am officially living in Spain!! I can't believe I really did it! I expected so many complications but so far things have been a breeze (so far..haha). I live in an apartment RIGHT on the beach with a Spanish guy, a French guy, a German girl, an American girl is moving in next week, and there is still one more bedroom. It's like the real world Spain hahaa but so far it is really good! I haven't started work yet so it is a bit weird without a schedule, but next week I have orientation in Madrid and then the week after I start. Here are some pics of the view from mi piso and the city!

Things have been really good, but it's definitely not study abroad..since I'm not with a program I have had to be very independent in this new city/country, but I am adjusting. Carly and Jon, I'm sure you can relate! 

I also wanted to send along the pics that we took when some of you came to Boston and when Christine came to visit. So here they are:

I miss and love you all so much! Please send updates when you get a chance - would love to hear what all of you are doing!! 

Chrissy xoxox 

MAPS!!!

So I've just spent the past hour having my mind blown by these maps, and I thought you all might appreciate them as well!

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/08/maps-that-will-help-you-make-sense-of-the-world/

- Kerri :)

This is comical.

Hellllooo lovers. Watch this video, I found it amusing and think you all will too. After you do that, scroll down and read Emalie's post right below this here post. I agree with her...its time for a reunion.

Now, the video.

http://deadspin.com/what-might-happen-if-a-football-coach-coached-soccer-1012841849?action_type_map=%5B%22og.likes%22%5D&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B633002100052627%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D&fb_action_ids=518248021582336

Love, Becca

HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Good afternoon my loves!

I have recently realized that I have really neglected taking the time to post on our blog. I thoroughly enjoy reading each of your posts, and yet I have never really stopped to write any of my own. So there is no particular point of this post, nor do I have anything overly exciting to share with you, but I figured I'd stop and take a moment just to say hello :)

The end of this month marks the two year anniversary of when we all flew off to London together; there are times this seems so far away to me, yet other times I feel as though I was just there with all of you only yesterday. To this day it is hard for me to accept the fact that we will never again get to relive those 3 1/2 months of pure fun together. As some of you may know, I have been trying hard since last year to become certified to teach in the United Kingdom. After much communication among me, the UK Teaching Agency and the CT State Department of Education, it looks as though (fingers crossed) I can receive my UK certification once I complete the TEAM program this year. Anyways, as exciting as it would be to get to teach in London (if I can get a job hahaha), I often become a little teary-eyed when I realize that it will be NOTHING like it was when I was there with all of you in 2011. I loved the city of London and all it had to offer, but I often think about how much of this love was not necessarily for the place itself, but instead for the people I was with. Don't get me wrong, I am still convinced that London is and will always remain one of my favorite cities on this planet. However, I am still more than a bit terrified that if I were to actually take the leap and move there in a year from now, I would wind up terribly disappointed, as I wouldn't have some of my dearest friends there with me. So, I guess what I am trying to say is: WHO WANTS TO MOVE BACK TO LONDON WITH ME? Hahaha...only kidding. But damn, if you do, I would be the happiest person on Earth.

Anyways, there is not much else I have to share with you. I have been thinking that although I have been lucky enough to see many of you multiple times over the past year, I am a bit disappointed that we have still not had a complete reunion. I am talking the entire gang, all fourteen of us. I know that would be a very hard feat to accomplish, but I have faith that we can do it. I know we have people across the country, as well as across the ocean, but I have recently determined that I am going to do all I can to get the whole lot of us together sometime in the next year or two. This is something I am going to need a bit of help with, as I have to at least know when everyone will be present in the same country. So if you have any desire to see all of our 14 beautiful faces together in one place again, I would be more than willing to try and put some type of reunion together- just let me know when you'll be in the USA (and maybe somewhere along the East Coast...). Whose in?!

Alright, I need to go take a shower (I am sitting here in nothing but a bathrobe reminiscing about the fun I had with all of you). Again, I am serious about this reunion thing- I don't care if we are in London or in my house in Mansfield, CT....let's start brainstorming.

Enjoy what's left of your summers. I LOVE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU WITH ALL MY HEART <3

-Em

elementary teaching resources??

Hi guys!

I've got to write this quickly, so there are many more details my indecisive self needs input from you on, but here's this for now.

There is a second grade position open at an Expeditionary Learning charter school in Gallup. I think I can get the job if I commit to being enrolled in a program to obtain my elementary license. (one class a semester at the local college.)

It would be awesome EL experience, and I could potentially be k-12 certified. So, I'm really leaning towards it.

BUT, now I need more of a push by getting inspiration, because I am completely terrified and need something to help me take the leap into the teaching world. I am looking for resources that you guys have found useful. Are there any books, websites, blogs, etc. that are inspiring and really useful?

Also, anything you guys know and feel about teaching second grade? The concept of teaching reading is terrifying to me!

Just wondering what you think and find really helpful when teaching elementary.

I love you and hope you are all enjoying your summer vacations! Thank you for the help.

love,
melissa

Summer reading?

Hiiii!!

The other day I was in Barnes & Noble and this book with a colorful cover caught my eye - it's called Raising Global IQ. 

http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Global-IQ-Preparing-Shrinking/dp/0807032883

It reminded me so much of our paper!! I think it aligns with a lot of the topics we covered in our paper, and more importantly it seems like it could help us all as teachers! There is even an entire chapter on service learning! I haven't read it but I think I'm going to soon. I know it's kind of geeky and it's definitely not something you would think of reading on the beach, but I just had to share it with you all. Maybe in your last few weeks of summer you will want to check it out. I know deep down we are all Neag Nerds 4 life!!!

I am leaving for Zambia tomorrow, I'm so excited! Carly said James wants a dictionary so I got him a children's one from all of us, and I'm also going to give him a picture of us :) Miss you all and hope you are enjoying the summer!

Chrissy

The Places You Can't Go Back To

Hi everyone!

Since graduating I have been reading a lotttt of travel literature and blogs to satisfy my craving to get out and see the world. One of my favorite blogs is called twenty-something travel, and today the author posted something that reminded me of all of you.

The post she put up talks about how you can love a place while you are there and in the moment, but if you return years later or with different people it can feel very different. I think it's interesting that she mentions London and what it means for her, because I think it has the same meaning for a lot of us!! Here is it if you want to read it.

It's a very quick read but it just made me think of how much we all love London not just because it's an awesome city, but because of all the great experiences we had there together...I would love to go back one day but I know it wouldn't feel the same without all of you. How could I ever walk into Perfect Chicken or Roseberry again without you guys?!

Anyways, if you get a chance you should read it, and check out the rest of the site. Love love love you all and have fun celebrating the 4th this week!!


Chrissy

Welcome to the Wild West

Greetings from New Mexico ya'll!

Ericca and I are here in the Southwest enjoying the high elevation, hot sun, green chili, and red rocks.  Well, I'm always here, but it's SO much better with Ericca! (Ericca is dried UP, but she's learning quickly that the body requires a 3-times-a-day lotion application.)

We thought we'd say a collective "hello" and "we love you" and share some details of our most recent adventures west of the continental divide.

I (Ericca) flew into Albuquerque on Friday night and we started the visit off right with a nice (cold) New Mexico beer. New Mexico has awesome beer, and you should come drink it. with me. (melissa)
We stayed at my (melissa's) friends place, but she was sleeping when we got there and when we left the next morning. but she still looks cute when she sleeps, and ericca got to see that.

We pit stopped at REI in Abq to gear up for a backpacking trip. A nice man who worked at REI convinced us to turn our one night, two day hike into a two night, three day hike and we ended up very happy with the added time in the wilderness (more to come on this adventure).

Before REI though, we went to grab breakfast in the typical southwest fashion: scrambled egg slop with spicy stuff, wet beans, and usually a very delicious and hot tortilla. Can someone explain why southwestern food is so bad in the southwest?!? If you come, just stick with the tortilla.

The ride from Abq to Gallup is a good 2 hours. There is only one route, I-40, and when there is an accident (very often due to the massive amounts of tractor trailers that cruise east-west) the ride can easily become 4, 6, 10, 100000 hours long. in the blazing hot sun. We were re-routed onto historic Route 66, which was very cool to see (historic junk yards for days).

We finally got to Gallup at after about 4 hours and I (ericca) got to see some good old Gallupian traditions. First and foremost, getting asked for money at the gas station. By asked for money I mean, a lady walked up to me at the car and asked if i would like to buy her necklace so she could have gas money. From what I've heard (and seen), this is a common practice and the money is not usually for gas. I also got to see the tail end of the Gallup Flea Market which is another big to-do here. Commonly sold goods include: Navajo tacos, tamales, hand-crafted indian jewelry, knock-off indian jewelry, puppies, birds, cats, tires, horse saddles, a myriad of ceremonial herbs, native chanting on home-made cassettes, knives, sports jerseys, sno-cones, and awesome junk, junk, junk.  Finally, we stopped to get food and then went home to Melissa's house!!

We got to relax a bit at home before heading over to see a dear friend of Melissa's, Bob. Bob was having a going away party so I (ericca) got to meet the crew and unfortunately say hello and goodbye to Bob all in one night. Let me just vouch for the amazing group of friends Melissa has found herself here in Gallup. We had a night full of good food, some tasty beverages, and lots of laughs.

So, the next morning we awoke at the crack o' dawn to head on North to the Weminuche Wilderness, within the San Juan and Rio Grand National Forests, in Colorful Colorado. (Someone explain how they put the wilderness in the forest, in the state forest, in the national park, with the national monument...does this system make sense to anyone!?) With great anticipation for what lay ahead (bears, raging rivers, smelly hikers, things with spikes!) we set off into the Wilderness. Characteristically, we had no idea where we were going, but we had a map! And Ericca had read the guide book the night before, and man, did her memory prove to be SHARP.

We started off thinking it was a 26 mile hike, and we had 3 days to complete it. It turned out to be a bit longer, not too bad though. However, elevation can cause, well, it had many side effects that you would never guess! We're writing a book about them all. Stay Tuned!

The craziest thing is that Ericca went from sea level to 13,000 ft in 3 days! I (melissa) took one look at her muscles and knew she was tough enough for anything, but it was still an incredible feat. I think most people puke and die from that sort of drastic change.

We got a bit of a late start on our first day in the wilderness due to some getting lost and nearly running out of gas, but we made it to our first camping spot before dark. It was a beautiful little spot with a view of a peak right from our sleeping bags. What a treat to wake up to the sun rising over a 12,000 ft Mtn peak!!

Our second day was full of magnificent meadows, wondrous wild flowers, fabulous fourteen thousand foot peaks, strenuous switchbacks, and a gorgeous glacier lake. We gained 3,000 feet of elevation in about 7 miles and then got back down to around 9,000 feet for our second night of camping. We found a nice spot near a river (where we took the coldest bath of our lives!!) and watched a strange group of hikers watch us for a suspicious amount of time. We went to bed that night listening to the river rush by, with the sun still in our eyes. It literally had to be 6 PM, but we were dang tuckered out.

Side-note: have I (melissa) mentioned yet what the sight of water does for my poor, dehydrated soul?! The whole trip satisfied an ache for moisture I didn't realize had grown so deep. Rivers! so wet. so refreshing.

We woke up the next morning and booked it out. We hike to a quick 4/4 beat, counting it out to keep a consistent pace. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8. When that gets boring we sing "I don't Care" by Icona Pop.

We didn't completely rush out though because the water kept calling to me (melissa). When I suggested to Ericca that we dip our toes in the water what I really meant was can we strip down and get the hell in there?! She definitely picked up what I was putting down because she quickly proceeded to slip off the rock straight into the rushing, glacier water. This was all after attempting to gracefully slide in, and not before putting her hair in a bun to keep it dry. Pointless. I watched her whole head submerge. Oh, did I mention we were stark naked as the day we were born?

We then dried our goose-pimpled bodies off on a warm rock. Right on the side of the trail. We won't detail what that looked like.

And of course, as soon as we began hiking again we ran into a gentle, elderly couple who's hearts most likely would have stopped if we had gotten dressed 2 minutes too late. Impeccable timing.

Okay, this is getting long. So here's the short of it. We got out of the woods, were ambushed by a heard of sheep, stopped in Durango for dinner and beer (delicious again), saw a bicycle fashion show and grabbed some sweet shwag, caffeinated, listened to some live music, convinced ericca she's moving here, peed on the side of the road, saw a crazy orange moon, listened to lots of country music, got home, showered, moisturized, slept.

The next day we went hiking in McGaffey Park (again a park, within a state forest, within a mountain range, WHAT?!) and went up a mountain and fire tower, and saw 3 horny toads! Then we came home and made falafel and brussell sprouts and homemade ice cream. (more like sweet, icy milk, YUM) We had a cardboard fire and painted each other's backs. Really hippied out.

Today was a sad day when I (ericca) woke up and realized I would have to return home. We planned to make the best of it though, of course. We made a tasty breakfast then went for a drive to find a lake, but it was all dried up, naturally. So we snuck into the hotel pool here in town and went for a refreshing dip! Now it is time to moisturize, get packed up and head back to Abq to catch my flight home.

I'm (Ericca) sold on the southwest and I hope this awesome account of our adventures (all in a week!) will convince you all to give it a try! I (melissa) will happily house you for 100 days before you need to start contributing to rent.

We both love you all and miss you all. I'm (Ericca) going to try to have a party at my house when Melissa is home too, so maybe we'll even get together twice in one month!

Did you make it far enough to see the pictures?!

beautiful Aspen groves

this is where we had to ford the river because the bridge was taken out by an avalanche

a collection of most of the wildflowers that we came across, the bottom right is the CO state flower, the columbine.

 the glacier lake

 

love, love, love,
ericca and melissa

Hi my loves!

Hello!!

Can you believe today is June 1st? You are all so close to finishing your first year as teachers! Last year around this time we were all bummin around UConn, not sure what was in store for our futures. It's crazy how the time flies.

Well I have some exciting news! For those of you who don't know, I am officially going to teach in Spain next year! FINALLY!!! I had to choose between Madrid and a smaller region called Asturias in the North, and for some reason I was drawn to Asturias. Maybe it's because they are known for their cider :) I'm working in Candas, and I think I will be living in Oviedo which is where Julie's friend Alex (as in Spanish Alex haha) is from. I am incredibly excited!

My sister is getting married on September 1st so I won't be able to leave until after that, and I expect to be there until the end of June. So once you are all settled in your new schedules and routines, you should plan a time to come visit :) The Costa Verde looks beautiful!!

Anyways,  I want to invite you all to come and stay with me in Boston! I realized I have about 3 months left before I leave and so much to get done before I go, but there are a few weekends that work for me..

If any of you aren't busy, you should come visit the weekend of June 28-30. July is basically gone for me because I am taking the MTELs, I have my sister's bridal shower in RI, and then I'm going to Zambia. Also, I know this is super far away, but the weekend of August 16-18 would be a great time for you to visit! It will be one of the last weekends I have in my apartment. I've been talking back and forth with Christine through e-mail, and she just mentioned she will be in Boston on Sunday August 18th and wants to meet up...how cool would it be if we could all meet up with her?!


Ok well just let me know what works for you - if you can come both times that would be great! Plus the weather will obviously be a lot nicer than the last time some of you came (the blizzardddD), so you will get to see more of the city. I miss you all so much and hope you are enjoying your last few weeks in the classroom - summer is near!!


Chrissy

Finally got roped into teaching 4th grade

Hey guys,

I have been meaning to update you all now that I am back in Africa.

I literally jumped right back into things here at Chikumbuso, and have been running non stop! Last week, on Monday, after I held our teacher meeting, we sat down our 4th grade teacher and had to fire him. It was the MOST awkward thing I have ever been through. Especially since I had been co-teaching with him for the week and a half previous, so it really felt like I was throwing him under the bus. But he really was a horrible teacher. He didn't care about our organization, he didn't like the students, and he had no respect for anyone. So when an incident came up with a few girls in our class, it was really the last straw. So we fired him on Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday morning I was the new 4th grade teacher!

And I always said I never wanted to teach above 3rd grade!

It is actually a really interesting experience. It is sort of nice because there is really NO structure to the classroom so I have the freedom to do what I want. It is weird because my students really only take one text/quiz a term (the end of term exam) so there is no real data on any of the students. So I am trying to figure out their levels, and catch them up. But everything takes so long here because everything... I mean everything has to be written by hand. And it is so weird using a chalk board! Well, a wall painted with chalk paint.. and Zambian chalk which has little rocks in it! haha But it is a fun experience. At least I know that whatever I do is like 300 times better than what the teacher was doing before me. But it is a really bizarre feeling having no structure and no resources.

Wish me luck!

Carly :)

Gimmy yo monies!! AKA Time to pay Jame's Sponsorship

Hey guys,

I just sent an e-mail out, but I am not sure if I have everyone's updated e-mail. So if you didn't get one, please send me the e-mail you would like me to use!

First of all, can you believe it has been OVER a year now since we graduated. Gosh where has the time gone?

SO anyways, check your e-mail. Group text each other.. do what ya'll iPhone lovin people do, and get back to me. But please spread the word because I still have some people's uconn e-mail saved in my computer so I don't know how to get ahold of them.

Love you all!!

-Carly

PS I am sitting in Heathrow Airport right now. Going on hour 4 of my 9 hour layover... and my computer is about to die and I forgot to bring an adaptor! Oops!

Biggest London 14 Reunion Yet!!

Miss you Melissa, Jon, and Natalie!!!

That was fun!

For the past few months, Jill's class has been apart of my blog Students of the World 2013. Our kids have been chatting back and forth, asking questions, and talking about culture. Well today the Gods were on our side and we were able to Skype. The power was on at Chikumbuso, the internet connection was really strong, and my kids remembered to be quiet when their friends were answering questions. It was so much fun!

Here are some pictures for you!

Also if you want to check out the blog, the link is www.studentsoftheworld2013.wordpress.com It is kind of a mess because I am not very good at creating blogs, but it gets the job done! 

Guess What? I'LL BE HOME SOON!!!

HEY Y'ALL,

I just wanted to send out a little note with a quick update on my life!

First of all, I will be coming home April 15th for 3 WHOLE WEEKS!! My brother is getting married so I'm makin the trek to be there, and figured, whats a few extra days? It's so expensive anyways so I better make it worth it! I do have to take my Praxis again during the trip, so unfortunately the beginning of my trip will probably be spent studying. But I think I will be coming back to Zambia around 9th-13th is of May, I still haven't bought my ticket yet. So I was thinking that if you are all free Friday May 3rd or Sat May 4th, we could all get together, go out on the town and catch up!! If my flight back is later, then maybe we could do it the next weekend. I am trying to fill my time up with as much "friend time" as possible. On the 5th I do have a bridesmaids brunch for Nicoles wedding, so if we did it Sat, I would probably have to leave in the morning. But if we did it Friday we could hang out ALL DAY ;) Also there is a winery by my house, and I just found out that my mom can go and have a free tasting of all the wines with up to 6 people. So if anyone wants to make an additional day trip and catch up over wine, I would be SO down for that. I will happily skip studying for wine, especially nice wine, out of a wine glass overlooking the orchard!

Also, now is probably a good time to tell you all that I recently made the decision to stay on at Chikumbuso for another year. I really feel like a two year commitment is going to have the biggest impact on the school. Right now I have a bit of a pushback from the teachers because they know soon i'll be leaving so if they fake their way through it then I will be gone and they wont have to worry about it anymore. So I have spoken with the founder and we think that if they know I am here longer term then they will be more willing to work with me. Although, my role will change for next year. I will be more focused on teaching math in all the grades. We haven't figured out all the details yet, but that means that I will be holding some fundraisers and going around doing presentations to schools, rotary clubs, and churches looking for some moolah so that i'm not eating my arm next year. So if you know of anyone who may possibly be interested, please let me know!!

Anyways if I get to see all of you next month, then I can tell you all about it!! :)

Also another year means more time to save your money and come visit Zambia!! Just saying, its pretty awesome here. Chrissy will tell you soon ;)

Love you all! xoxo
-Carly

How to Avoid the Same Mistakes

Hey Gals,

Hope you are all surviving the March slump. I know I'm feeling it.  But I'm really proud of each of us, and all the accomplishments we have made this year.  I think it is important to take some time to think back on where we were in September as the year was just beginning. 

I also can't believe that it is about time for me to start planning for next year already! I'm excited to make some changes and improve some of the challenges I had early on.  But I also wanted to create a space for us to share ideas and strategies that worked for us in terms of planning, organization, and management. 

I've been focusing on organization this month and I've been debating the merits of a thematically organized binder system or a chronological monthly or quarterly system.  What do you guys use to organize curriculum and your lesson materials?  Any other systems that you've found to be successful?


And I've also been thinking about how to organize my weekly handouts and worksheets.  I think I want to try and have them organized in 5 baskets, one for each day of the week, but I don't have that set up yet.  Do you have any other systems that work well for you all?

And lastly in terms of organization, I've been thinking about organizing my daily schedule.  I find that my students struggle a lot in the afternoons, so I'm thinking of moving silent reading to that time period just to give them some chill out reading time.  What "challenge" time blocks do you guys have and how have you been planning to tackle them?

Three ideas I had that I am excited to try out (and wanted to share with you all) is an individual homework log, behavior sheets, and enrichment block.  Currently my missed homework log is just organized by date, with a mess of students, and if I want to see how many assignments a particular student has missed, I have go back and find them and count them all, but next year I want to keep them all in one binder, but each student will have their own sheet to record their misses.  This will give me a quick at a glance snapshot of how many homeworks one student has missed.  I also want to have a behavior log, where right after students change their card, they have to fill out a one page paper, saying what they were doing and what they will change, this will also give me a quick record of what behavior issues we are having.  And the third idea is to schedule a once a week "enrichment" block, where students can work mostly independently or if I need to see a small group of students I can work with them.  This will also give me a flexible block where if I need to have a make up science lesson I can do that.  My last idea is one I got from a third grade teacher here.  She has skills packets of things that she doesn't teach, but the students just have to know and they work on them at random times (like when the teacher is so frustrated she can't continue, or when they finish early, or when they are between units) So I'm trying to gather some ideas, and I thought we could all use each other as a resource. 

Something to Make You Giggle :)

Hi everyone, Happy Tuesday!

Some of you may have seen this already but I just found the funniest interview Mila Kunis did with a BBC Radio interviewer for Oz The Great and Powerful. He is hilarious!!! Plus he references a ton of British things that made me nostalgic.


Here it is!

Hope everyone is doing well - miss and love ya lots!!


Chrissy

Things have a way of working themselves out!

Hey guys!!

So I have been meaning to write a blog post on my Zambia blog for the past two weeks and just haven't found time. Then today something really important happened that I wanted to share with you all first. It is some bad news, and some good news. I am only going to tell you the quick version because it is really late and I am pooped!! But I promise by this weekend I will give you more details and keep you very updated.

So as you all know, we sponsor Catherine who was in 2nd grade. Well when I first arrived it took forever for me to finally meet her because she wasn't coming to school because of family issues. Well when I finally did meet her, and gave her the wonderful scrapbook Chrissy put together, I never saw her again. Which I thought was kind of strange, but she seemed really shy so I wasn't expecting her to say hi to me every day. We also were on vacation for the whole month of December. So now that school had started, it had been on my mind and I wanted to check in on her. Well just today, as I was about to go and put in the order for the sponsorship food, I checked to see if she collected her food in January. It turns out she didn't, and she actually wasn't on my list of 2nd or 3rd grade students.

So I sat down with the principle and she looked into why she wasn't in school. It turns out that when her father died, her and her mom moved into her mom's, best friends house. Then when her mom died, she was still living there. But in the past few months, the relatives of her father, having known that her mom had died, started to look for her. It is a big part of Zambian culture to care for family, and friends of family. So when they found out that her mother had died, it now is the responsibility of the closest family member to take care of her. So a relative who lives in the village came and moved Catherine to live with them. This is sad, because we all were really excited to have her, but also because she probably is not going to school now. Unfortunately this is apart of the culture that we have to let be.

The reason I have been wanting to write a blog recently is really because of a boy named James. James is a boy that has really tugged at my heart since my last visit in 2009. He has been apart of Chikumbuso since the beginning, and because he is a really high need student, he has been sponsored from the very beginning. (If any of you remember the black and white picture I had of me and two boys hanging in my room, that is with James) So just since I have been here, James' sponsor dropped him. There was no real explanation as to why, but it was so heartbreaking to watch him come to collect his food to be turned away because his sponsor no longer was sending money. And in the past few months he has also been getting into a bit of trouble in the compound. Which we think is because of the stress in his house hold and how he is dealing with the loss of a sponsor.

So the good news is I asked if we could sponsor James now since Catherine has moved away, and James no longer had a sponsor. The principle was thrilled because we all have been worried about him, and he really could do great things in life if he stays in school. So I hope that is alright with you all. He is a really special kid! I told him today, and I told him that now I am going to be expecting a lot out of him. And that we are going to be a needy group of sponsors so he will have to write us a bunch of letters and do well in school. He was so thrilled. I even saw him skip a bit after I told him and sent him home to tell his mom.

I was having a really bad day today, and this news really brightened it! He is such a special kid! I cant wait to tell you all about him, and to tell him about how special you all are!!

xoxo

Carly

Updates :)

Hey guys!

So after hearing from Jon, I figured I'd update you all on my life as well. Its been a VERY tough fall and winter in terms of family matters. This fall I lost both my uncle and grandmother pretty suddendly, and just this month I lost my grandpa which was really hard as we were really close. I've been doing okay, and have definitely learned to have a much greater appreciation of life and loved ones.

I am currently teaching down in South Carolina for the month. We had a teacher leave at one of our hospital sites down here and I was asked if I would want to come down and fill in for her while we're hiring someone else. So far, it's been really fun! I've made a few new friends which has helped since I am pretty much all on my own down here. I ran a race last weekend and went to a little southern church with a nurse from the hospital. Trying to get into the culture down here... This weekend I've been visiting a coworker in Charleston, which has been really nice. Its different down here because my class at the hospital has students anywhere from K-12 (my usual class is K-6) so it can get quite tricky when it comes to lesson planning! Other than that, not much is new. I am very happy with work and it is the perfect job for me as I spend a decent amount of my day doing hospital/school admin which I love and I get to work with a population of students a bit out of the ordinary. I hope everyone is doing well and I would love to see everyone in the near future.

Happy superbowl!

New Engery!

Hey all,

so I know this is kind of different, but a colleague of mine showed me and I thought all of you would think it was a really interesting concept! So check it out.  Maybe even it is something that science classes can work with and maybe get involved with.  Very cool stuff.

http://www.upworthy.com/this-renewable-energy-idea-is-so-obvious-i-smacked-my-face?c=ufb1

Another Brick in the Wall

Hey Ladies,

So I have kind of hit a wall here and am a little stuck, so I thought to myself, what better place to turn to than my London support group!

Things have turned NUTS here in Casa.  There are three 4th grade classes, two with brand new first year teachers, including yours truly, and one with led by Diane, who has been teaching 4th grade for about 15 years in Hawaii.  So about three weeks ago Diane quit her job.  She finished out Quarter 2 and then got on a plane back to Hawaii.

On one hand I can't say as I blame her, because she and I have talked a lot about how unhappy she is at GWA and in Casa.  She hasn't connected with people in the same ways that I have and struggled a lot with cultural adjustment.  So I understand doing what is best for you and going to a place where you can be happy, but a lot of the staff hasn't seen that side of Diane, so they have turned really negative about her and been saying some rough stuff.  Which has been really frustrating because I try not to roll that way, and I had been feeling like the school had a super supportive atmosphere, which I now feel like has kind of scratched through the thin veneer of that. So I'm a little disheartened.

The transition has been a little rough.  Telling my class was really weird, their first reaction was  unanimous NO of sorrow, then they turned negative and started to make fun of the new teacher just based on her name.  So I had to try and put the kibosh on that right quick.  We pulled of two great surprise parties and got to enjoy her last days here.  But then it was another transition to working with the sub until the new teacher arrived.  She is supposed to start on Monday, and I haven't met her yet.  So I'm nervous about how that will change the 4th grade team dynamic, plus I feel as if it has pushed me into more of a leadership position among the team (Schwab would be so proud)

Then in my own classroom we have been having our own issues.  My kids started out the year great, and I was like, this is awesome.  But after Christmas, it is kind of like they flipped a switch.  They are being mean to each other and deliberately not listening.  I have about 6 kids that I am about ready to call parents and tell them that they are wasting their money sending their child to private school.  The kids refuse to listen or do any work, talk nonstop, fool around in their desks and doodle all over their papers.  And I have to spend so much time either waiting for them or re-correcting behaviors that the other 11 kids in my class are suffering.

And to top it all off when I issue a concequence like a card change or loss of recess, they yell that it isn't fair and I'm only doing it because I hate Moroccans.  It is really getting under my skin being accused of ethnic favoritism.  So I talked to the principal about it, because I wanted him to hear it from me first, and he basically just said that they are only doing it because I'm new and it's like their form of initiation.  And all he suggested is that I talk it through with them about how I don't hate moroccans, and remind them of the rules and procedures.  Which I have now done three times.  But it isn't changing anything, so now I have decided to bring it up at parent-teacher conferences, but I'm really nervous about that.  I think a big part of it is that since they are so rich they aren't used to hearing no, so when I say it they don't understand.  They have been showing this crazy sense of entitlement, which really bugs me, because I see the difference between how much these kids have and how little the people on my street have.  Casa isn't a rich city, but these children seem to have no clue of the wealth disparity.  They think they are too good to have to do any work in my classroom.  Heaven forbid that I ask them to pick up a piece of trash! It is totally different than what I am used to in my life.

Plus my girlfriend and I broke up while I was home for Christmas.  Merry fucking Christmas to me.

Sorry this turned out so long, I just had a lot inside that I needed to get out.  You don't have to respond or anything but just knowing that y'all read it makes me feel better.

Hope you are having a better run than me right now.  

It's been SOOOO long!!!

Howdy,

I can't believe I let so much time go by without posting!!! Well this is perfect timing because I have new news! :)

I got another job yesterday that I'm really super excited about!! The school that I work in was looking for a teacher to run an after school science program with 3rd - 5th graders and they hired me!!! It's one day per week, after school for 2 hours, for 8 weeks. The coolest part is that it is brand spankin' new so I get to write the curriculum for it and basically build it from scratch! I was really excited to get started so I was looking through my school binders and of course the only one I can't find is the one from Science Methods. But I did find the book we used and I think I can remember most of it.

Another piece of exciting news is that one of the kids on my climbing team has made it to Nationals which happen to be in CO this year!! She is 10 years old and super strong!! I get to go to CO with her and it happens to be on my birthday, so I'll be in CO for my bday this year :)

That's all my news for now! I miss you all very much and please come and see me anytime!!! :)

Love you all!!
Ericca

I would fo sho see this with you girls!! BOOK CLUB!

Haha check out this post on Perez about the 50 Shades of Grey movie!

Miss you all! xoxo

http://perezhilton.com/2013-01-09-50-shades-of-grey-e-l-james-screenwriter-nc17-rating-movie-sex-sexy-bondage#.UO2rUKl8PlI

Xx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhnZkNj7kAo

I remember hearing this all the time in London with you guys - I believe Melissa you introduced it to me. Hope everyone is doing well - miss you all TERRIBLY!

Love,
Jill