English Camp Day 1 (6/25)

Today was our first day of camp. We all got there at 8am sharp to meet the other teachers and set everything up. It turns out that this school is fairly close to my apartment, so it really doesn’t take long to get there. The teachers of this school helped us settle into our classrooms and unlock doors. There was really only one teacher who was really present and talked with us. She is the English teacher, so it is easier for her to communicate with us. This school is so cute and completely perfect for a camp setting. There is a little auditorium to the right of the entrance into the school. It’s decorated with flowers and painted pictures and paper globes hanging above. We took over 5 classrooms on the second floor. Three of the classrooms are used for English classes, and the other 2 are for crafts and snacks. We play the games in the auditorium.

Kids starting coming around 8:30am. There seemed to be a flood of them all at once, and most of them were in 7th grade. Melissa and I manned the registration table while everyone else came up with games to occupy those who had already registered. Melissa made these nifty name plates that were distinguishable by the color on the back. Each kid got a name plate and were assigned to two different groups: their color group and their grade group. We started the camp all together in the auditorium. Our icebreaker was teaching them The Interlude. The only problem was that our music system wasn’t loud enough. So, after we taught them the moves and started the music those poor kids were so lost. Several of them kept asking if this was a traditional American dance.

Next, we prepared a skit for everyone. The story line is about a man named Edwin who wants to become a superhero. Zach is his old, retired superhero mentor. Levi plays the evil villain (yet to be introduced), and Rachel and Rachel play Levi’s evil minions. They did a fantastic job. The kids didn’t really know what was going on at first, but I was laughing up a storm. Then, we divided up into our grade groups for English class. Rachel Smith and I are teaching the 5th graders. Edwin and his 4th graders joined us since we only had a handful of students. We talked about what makes a superhero. We taught them adjectives such as nice, strong, respectful, brave, smart, etc.--all words that describe a superhero. After we did that, we played charades. It was fun to be animated with them. I think playing this game really broke the ice for our group. Rachel, Edwin, and I do have a girl named Jana who is very talkative and speaks English better than most people at this camp. I think she may be a handful, but we tried to include the other ones who were quieter.

After 30 minutes of English time, we came back downstairs to divide into our color groups. I am the green team leader and we combined with the red team who is led by Levi. We went to games, snacks, and finally crafts. Note to self: there is no need to run around so much during game time. I seriously could not stop sweating after game time was over. We played rock, paper, scissors ultimate style and this other game that has no name--we each had a number and when Melissa threw the ball up in the air, she called out a number and that person caught the ball, took three steps, and tried to hit the closest person.

For snack time, we ate trail mix and watched 20 minutes of MegaMind. For craft time, we made banners for our color team. My team took 10 minutes to just figure out what they wanted to do. They took forever to plan our banner. I had 2 kids who completely took charge and decided to make our banner look like graffiti. One of the girls put what I think are gang symbols on our poster, but I could be mistaken. I got to see the stressed side of several of my team members. It was a bit rough going, but we eventually finished and I think everyone was pleased in the end. They put my name on it, so I think it looks great! Crafts was our last stations, so afterwards, we went back to the auditorium for the final skit before calling it a day.

My group the Green Team!

This camp is going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I think it will be worth it.

Pictures from the Certificate Ceremony

The auditorium where the ceremony was held.

My entire English class. They let me say a few words before handing out the certificates.

This is Eli handing me the gift all my students got me.

the flowers my class gave me on stage--I also got a plaque and a bottle of perfume. They love me just as much as I love them.

Here are some pictures from the Certificate Ceremony. It was such a great experience. The media and mayor were there along with all of the students who participated, the directors from each school, and the English teachers who helped us in the classroom. It was a really big deal and it was really sad to say goodbye to all of these wonderful people once the ceremony ended. I learned so much from these teachers. I have been truly blessed by this experience.

Thessaloniki, Philippi, and Kavala

standing in the water at Lydia's Well--the first European convert. This is where she was baptized by Paul!

at the stadium in the ancient ruins of Philippi--this is where the lions, etc. were released

the prison thought to have held Paul when he was in Philippi

the beautiful beach in Kavala where I spent many an hour

Three days jammed packed with all sorts of Greece goodness! My lifelong dream of visiting Greece has officially been accomplished. On Friday, my entire group plus three Macedonian friends piled into 2 vans and drove the 4 hours to Thessaloniki. It would have only taken three hours to Thessaloniki but we got stopped at the Macedonia/Greece border. A guard thought our friend Mafa was an illegal taxi driver trying to take Americans out of Macedonia--that silly guard. After an hour, we finally got our passports back and was able to continue our drive.

Thessaloniki was our first stop. We drove through the heart of the city. The traffic was horrible as we scoured the streets for parking. European cars are so small which leaves no room for big vans to park. We almost side swiped some cars. Eventually we found parking and made our first stop a gyro cafe for lunch. Then, we split into groups and roamed around the city. There are a bunch of churches in the city, but most of them were closed. The girls couldn't have gone in even if we had wanted to. All females must have something covering their shoulders, and no one is allowed to wear shorts--which I think is an unreasonable rule seeing as though no one in their right mind would be wearing pants at this time of the year. It was so hot walking through the city. At one point, a group of 4 of us girls went shopping. One of the stores we went into had a big air conditioner. I pretended to search through the same stack of clothes for 15 minutes just so I could stand near the cool air. The neat thing about Thessaloniki is that it is very modern with a lot of buildings, but archeologists have started to dig up ancient ruins in the middle of the city. Major sections of the streets have been blocked off due to ancient buildings being uncovered. It's modern technology meeting history in a very real way.

Eventually we got tired of the heat and decided to say goodbye to Thessaloniki so that we could drive another 2 hours to Kavala. We stayed at the cutest condominiums. The company is called The Blue. They have a huge lot of apartments to rent along with a cafe and a beach front where we laid out for most of the weekend. They were so friendly! Once we got there and dispersed into our designated rooms, we searched for a restaurant to eat our very late dinner. We ate at this restaurant right on the water. I forget the place, but they had the nicest people. No one in our group speaks Greek and our waiter didn't speak English--but he did speak Italian and so did one of the girls in our group. So, a bunch of Americans ordered our Greek food in Italian.

On Saturday, we woke up early so that we could go to Philippi before it got really hot. It only took us about 45 minutes to get there. Our first stop was actually Lydia's Well. It's a quiet place right next to a church. Someone had build seating around the stream along with a couple bridges and what not. This is the place where Lydia was baptized by Paul. Lydia was the first Christian convert in Europe. A group from North Carolina was visiting the well at the same time we were. They were sitting reading Acts 16 which talks about Lydia. Our group joined their group and we had ourselves an impromptu devotion time. I'm so glad we ran into them, because having that devotional really put that place in perspective.

Once we finished exploring there, we drove on to the ancient ruins of Philippi. Archeologists must have had a field day when they started uncovering these ancient ruins. There is a massive amount of history in this one area. The second picture at the top is of a stadium. We climbed all the way to the top to take a group photo. This is where the gladiators fought. I actually saw where they kept the lions that were released into the stadium. I really wouldn't have wanted to be the person in the front row. It's almost as if you were on the stage fighting the lions!

I learned that several centuries ago there was a plague that wiped out most of the Philippi population, and then there was an earthquake that came along later that really finished off the city. Despite the thousands of years and natural disasters, some of the columns were still standing. We marveled over their technology to build such tall and long lasting columns. I got to see the prison where historians believe Paul was held when he came to Philippi. I also got to see the government court where he was tried and beaten. I have a lot of pictures from this place--most of them are of rocks and rubble--but ask me about them in person and I'll show you the pictures and tell you a bit about them. There's just too much information to try to describe without pictures.

We made it back from Philippi around 1pm. We spent the rest of the day laying on the beach and playing in the Aegean Sea. One of my fondest memories is laying on those blue cushioned beach chairs in the sun listening to the water hit the shore and feeling the warm wind cover me like a blanket--this will forever be my happy place.

On Sunday, my apartment woke up around 9am and were the first ones in our group to make it to the beach. Our goal was to leave for home around 2pm which meant soaking up as much sun as we could before then. Eventually everyone else joined us on the beach. We played with Kayla and Brianna (the Neals' daughters) and tried to get them to like the water--but I think we just traumatized them instead. A group swam out to the island that resided a little ways away from the beach. The rest of us just laid on the beach and soaked up the sun. It was so sad when we had to go. I definitely went reluctantly. I have yet to revisit a country, but I think visiting Greece again is something I will have to do.

This was definitely a quick version of my weekend in Greece. I have many more details of this trip. If you want to know more or learn a bit more about the ancient history, I would love to tell you in person. The four pictures at the top is only a hint of the pictures I took!

7 hours later...

Today was certainly a day for adventures. This morning Hannah, Zach, Edwin, and I met up with some of our Macedonian friends (an English student and his girlfriend and best friend). They hiked with us to the top of Mt. Vodno. It is one of the tallest mountains in Macedonia: 6 miles up and 6 miles down. It was a beautiful hike--hot and very sweaty but beautiful nonetheless. We started from my apartment, walked to the base of the mountain, and then started our ascent. Mt. Vodno is divided into 2 halves. The first half is much easier and shorter than the second half. When you get to the middle point, there are picnic benches, water fountains, and a cable car that can take you up the second half of the mountain if you so choose. But, I did not choose that option. Despite how hot it was today (we started much too late and it was blistering hot), the paths were mostly covered by the trees. It was actually quite pleasant. The trees and nature life made it fairly cool to walk through...despite the nearly vertical climb at some points.

I did well until the last third of the mountain. Hannah is a super climber and a speed walker, so she flew on before us. Zach followed her aimlessly, Edwin ended up taking the cable cars, Goran (the English student) and his girlfriend were way behind, and Vlasko (Goran's bff) stayed back with me as I struggled to the top. By that point my legs were exhausted and I really, really just wanted to be at the top already. It reminded me of that time I was climbing the Grand Canyon with my family. My sister and brother were way ahead of the rest of us while my dad (and mom too) stayed behind and encouraged me to finish. Oh family flashbacks...

It took us about 2 hours to climb all the way up. We spent about an hour at the top waiting for Goran and his girlfriend as well as resting. Then it took us over 2 hours to descend the mountain. It took so much longer because I have 4 blisters on each foot (two of which popped while I was walking down Mt. Vodno). I was in so much pain and that made everyone go slower. Plus, our Macedonian friends accidentally took us the longer way down. That was kind of frustrating especially since my hike had turned into a hobble.

By that point, we had been gone for 7 hours. It was extremely hot, and I kept envisioning me flagging down a car and pleading with them to drive me home. Praise the Lord the hike finally came to an end. I'm so glad that I went, and I am really proud of myself when I look up to the cross on Mt. Vodno. Now, I can say I've hiked all the way up and all the way down. But let me tell you, my feet sting so bad.

When we got back to the apartment, we had to quickly change into our swimsuits, flag down a taxi, and drive to Julia's house. Julia is the U.S. ambassador's daughter. She was having a birthday pool party this afternoon, and we were all invited. I spent no time hobbling to the pool, taking off my clothes, and jumping in the beautifully cool water. We met so many of Julia's friends at this party. Sorry dad, but this party was swimming with attractive Macedonian men. We played football in the pool and ate some wonderful American cook out food (and fun fetti cake). We learned that the ambassador's family is allowed to bring 3,000 lbs. of American food with them. So, we had a wonderful American meal this evening.

It felt so good to chill at the pool and just enjoy lounging around. Having friends in high places has it's perks. Today was definitely an eventful day, and I can tell that I'm going to sleep really, really, really well tonight.

Pictures from the hike are soon to come:)

Excursion Day

The main cathedral on the mountain.

My English teacher, Vesna, and her English class. (She's kinda hidden by the tree..boo.)

Some of the flowers and pathways at the monastery

Here are some pictures from today's excursion. The school I teach at had a field trip today, and they invite me! We traveled in 3 large buses to a city called Kumanovo about an hour away from Skopje. Up a mountain we went...and what a beautiful mountain it was. The monastery is located out in the country. From atop the mountain, I had the most spectacular view of the countryside with it's rolling meadows, fields, and trees. The monastery had flower beds, water fountains, benches, open fields, and paths to walk around.

I stayed with Vesna (my English teacher). She and I walked around the grounds, talked with her colleagues, and she introduced me to her class. I really was a perfect day to go on a field trip. I was surprised that they just let the kids roam. The priest was there along with his wife who made sure the kids didn’t ruin the flowers or kick their soccer balls down the hill, but other than that the teachers sat under this gazebo-like thing all afternoon.

I’m pretty sure my lungs now look like smoker’s lung because of all the second hand smoke I inhaled this afternoon. A group of ten or so teachers just sat around drinking coffee and smoking one cigarette after another. I didn't really talk to many of the teachers. I talked to those who tried to talk to me and to those who could speak enough English to hold a conversation with me. It was a bit disappointing that more people didn't try to include me. I understand talking to me in English is hard for almost everyone who came on the excursion...but I already felt insecure enough about what I was wearing that it would have been nice if more people reached out to me.

Oh yes I forgot to mention that my outfit was completely inappropriate for this type of excursion. I was expecting it to be hot and sunny like it was yesterday. I wore a cool dress and even brought a towel in case I sweated a lot! The weather was completely the opposite. It was cooler and not as sunny and definitely not dress-weather. Plus, all of the teachers were wearing jeans or track suits, so I stuck out even more than usual. Oh well, I just tried to keep in mind that this will make for a good story later on.

We stayed on top of the mountain until it started to rain which was about 1pm. We all piled back into the vans and traveled the hour back to Skopje. A sore throat is going around our group, and I was so fortunate to catch it. So, I spent the rest of the day resting and not doing anything. Being sick while at college is one thing, but being sick in another country is a whole different ball game. Please pray that I will get better and fast--and also that no one else would get sick.

If everything went like it was supposed to, we would have a very boring life

This day is definitely one that's going down in the books.

My class didn't start until noon, so I had all morning to relax, do my devotions, and yoga. It was a very peaceful and restful morning as I prepared to teach later in the afternoon. One of my flatmates decided to come with me since our schools are in the same direction. We walked to the bus stop (let me just preface that I have never traveled on this bus or this way for that matter) and waited. And we waited. There was no bus on the horizon and there were no people joining us at this bus stop. So, we did the "logical" thing and kept walking in hopes of finding the next bus stop--hopefully with more people waiting for it.

And so we went...walking and talking and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Then, I looked behind me and saw the bus. The bus that we were supposed to get on was quickly catching up to us. And so what did we do?

We ran.

With our bags clutched in our hands and our hair flying, we tried to sprint to the next bus stop.

Little did we know--the next bus stop was faaarrrr away.

Running in the streets of Skopje is faux pas enough as it is...but having 2 Americans sprinting down to street was just plain hilarious. As I ran, I became very conscious of my bring pink dress that I was wearing. I was like a huge magenta target spot. 

So, we missed the bus; we were running late; and, we couldn't find the next bus stop. Instead, my flatmate and I hopped in a taxi and tried to give the taxi driver directions to my school. My school is not exactly easy to find. It's in a neighborhood which does not have a major road going past it. Our taxi driver had to ask a pedestrian for directions which I found so hilarious.

Eventually I made it and I wasn't even that late. The teacher who is helping me was waiting outside of the school. She walked me to the classroom where most of the teachers were already seated and waiting. One of the good things about Macedonians (in this case at least) is that they are usually late.

I have 11 students/teachers. Once I got there, I introduced myself again and had them each introduce themselves. And from there, I started the lesson and things just started to flow. The teachers were laughing and working together to figure out what I was saying. Because they signed up to take this class, they actually want to be here and learn. I didn't feel any pressure from them to be perfect. They just want to learn, so that's what I'm going to try to help them do.

So...day 2 is done. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring (hopefully no more bus chasing though)!

1st day of teaching solo

Well...this day has finally arrived. In the morning, all of the people who are teaching the elementary teachers met on the bus which took us to the Muncipality. We met all of the English teachers who will be helping us along with their principles and the mayor. First impressions are the worst. As I looked around the room at all the people sitting in chairs, I tried to figure out who was who. Who is my teacher? Who is the person who will be helping me? Who is the mayor? And then, another round of questions flooded my mind. What do these people think of me? How in the world am I supposed to educate educators? What in the world am I doing? Why has everything I’ve learned seemed to have fled my mind? And then of course the usual recorded pep talk in my head--oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, you can do this, you can do this--starts up as I try to assess what is happening.

Despite how much I try to stop worrying and talk some sense into my conscience, I can’t stop the habit. It’s like my mind somehow thinks that by worrying I am some how controlling the situation that is scaring me. It always works out--in one way or another it always works out. Today was no different. I found out that my elementary school is actually very close to the Muncipality. That means no 45 minute trek out to the country--one worry taken care of. Then, I found out that I don’t have to team teach--and just like that the second worry flies out the window. My English teacher’s name is Vesna. She is like the cherry on top of this whole morning. Vesna was so completely supportive and informative and helpful. I am very thankful for her.

She walked me to the school, introduced me to several faculty members as well as her class of students, and showed me the classroom I’ll be teaching in. Only half of my class was present today. I don’t think everyone knew that today was the day that the class was supposed to start. Instead, we introduced ourselves and I explained a little bit about what this next week will look like. I also asked them a bit about their expectations for this class. It was nice to put faces on the people I’m finally going to teach. After that, Vesna showed me to the bus stop and explained the directions from my home to the school. I got on the bus, found my way home, and that was that.

First day of “teaching”=finished.

Please pray for confidence as I teach tomorrow and during the next 4 weeks. Please pray for my relationships with these teachers that I would reflect the light of Christ. And, please pray that I wouldn't worry so much--I have no more safety nets, no more hurdles to jump. This teaching experience has finally arrived and as much as I would like to "not and say I did" I can't and I don't want to. I have so much to learn, and I've been put in the perfect situation to learn--the whole experience is a bit overwhelming. I just hope that I'm cut out for this whole teaching thing.