Elementary School Field Trips

When I was in school I really don't remember taking field trips. But when I was a teacher, we usually took two per year. In the lean years of education back in the '80s (I know, it's even more lean now!), our trips were pretty lame. One year, our district would only let us take a field trip within one mile of the school! You can imagine our choices. We could take a walk to the lovely backyard garden of the lady who lived across the street from the school, take a 6 block bus ride to the public park or go even further to the town cemetery .9 miles away. How exciting. Later in my teaching career we took trips to the Children's Museum and the Zoo leaving the school in the morning and returning before bus pickup at the end of the day.
Now that our kids attend an international school, their field trips have become much more extravagant. On Sunday Leah and Jennifer will leave on a 6 day field trip to Florence, Italy. That's right, I said ITALY. They will first take a bus to Paris then board the night train to Florence arriving on Monday morning.

Here are a few facts about the trip:

• 125 kids are going on this trip.


• They first will ride on a bus, then a train and then finally walk 30 minutes with suitcases to their hotel.


• Breakfast and dinner are covered in the trip but lunch must be paid for by the kids at any location they wish.


• Besides lunch and souvenirs, we will pay nothing for the trip. It is part of their tuition.


• Absolutely no parents are going on the trip. It is chaperoned by teachers and support staff only.


• The students have been studying everything to do with the Renaissance period in history.


• Each child has been assigned a location, monument or church in Florence to research. When they arrive at the location, they will give their report and findings to the other students. Rumor has it that complete strangers and other tourists listen to the speeches and sometimes applaud or ask questions about the information.


• No student is allowed to bring a cell phone. Emergency communication can be made with the students/teachers via the school secretary who talks to the group twice a day.


• Updates will be posted daily on the school website with pictures and reports of the kids' activities.

It will be hard to say goodbye to Leah and Jennifer on Sunday. Bob leaves on Monday for South America so it will just be Maria and me for the entire week.

A New Camera and an Old Friend

With all that extra time during our Stranded Spring Break, Bob started shopping for a new camera. Ours was good but this one is better; way better. In the picture below you can see Bob in the reflection of the front door taking his first picture with the new camera. In this picture is Katherine the very cool friend of Jennifer and Leah. She is the kindest friend and ALWAYS makes time for the twins when we are home. We love Katherine and her family whose backyard touches ours.

We found this tricky toy at Walgreens. I remember playing with when I was a kid. The gooey stuff in the tube, when attached to a straw, blows into a huge bubble ball.

All three girls had so much fun together!

Stranded 4

Being stranded in the US is not a terrible thing. Because of the volcano in Iceland we were forced to delay our flight for 10 extra days! I had friends who were stranded in much worse places because of the volcanic ash spreading itself over Europe. Jordan, Africa, Spain and Canada were just a few of the locations where my friends spent a little extra time. We had an extra week to visit family and friends plus get things done in a relaxed way. Bob remulched (is that a word?) the landscaping and updated the sprinkler system at our Indiana house. I got a haircut twice and the kids even took ballet lessons. I realized how convenient it was to bank, shop, drive, watch TV and order food in my own language. Unfortunately I also realized how much junk mail we get delivered to our American home everyday. In just 5 of the mail delivery days that I was home, we collectively received 8 credit card applications, 13 adds to spend our money and 5 offers to give us a better quote on our home or car insurance. And since we have a phone, we got daily calls from solicitors. I don't miss getting those in Belgium! When I get the solicitor calls in Belgium, I just speak English and they hang up. While home, I just started speaking Flemish and they hung up too! I have stumbled onto something clever.

We will return to the US in July. Maybe we will get stranded again!

Maria picked a college!!!!!!!

She didn't pick this one...

or this one...


or this one...

or this one...

or this one.

She chose this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since September we have done nothing but talk about college. She applied, wrote essays and waited for acceptance letters. In the end she had many schools to choose from. Some offered scholarships and some offered great programs. Others had a super location or were a favorite of one or more family members. In the end, Maria chose the school that felt right. She walked on campus and knew that Purdue University would be just right.

She leaves in 3 1/2 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stranded 3

We are finally back in Belgium! Our extended stay was wonderful and here are a few pictures to prove it. I will post more pictures tonight and hopefully write a little too. Right now I am too busy unpacking our 7 pieces of checked baggage and our 8 (!) carry on bags!

Stranded 2

5 things to do while you are stranded in a country that offers every amenity imaginable:
1. Dentist visit for the entire family
2. Haircuts for the kids and parents
3. Eat sushi (Yes we could do this anywhere but only in America can you get sushi at a buffet in a shopping mall next to a pretzel stand and a Target!)
4. Drink Starbucks coffee (Again, we could do this anywhere but only in America can we drive thru Starbucks on one corner, park at the local Target and have another Starbucks coffee located inside the Target store!)
5. Drive thru banking (We can't drive thru in Belgium, but we can in the US and the convenience is wonderful. BUT my very special US bank offers amenities beyond compare if you actually go inside. They have free wifi, fresh brewed Starbucks, little snacks like cookies or brownies, free water or soda, big screen TVs with the latest financial news playing nonstop and comfy couches where you can sit and read the newspaper.)
I could get used to this!

Spring Break 2010 - Stranded

On April 4 we left for a Spring Break trip packed with lots of things to accomplish. I will write about our trip over the next few days.
Like so many people around the world, we are stranded because of the volcanic ash dispersed over Europe. We were supposed to leave last Thursday but now it is likely we won't get home until this coming Sunday. The girls are missing school and Bob is missing work. ( Of course I am missing my life of leisure as an expat wife living in Europe...just kidding!)
The picture below should give you a big hint as to which country we have traveled to and are stranded in.
We love this place! And of course we love the home pictured below. We are lucky enough to be stranded in our home country and able to stay in our own house!

Happy Maria

I was lucky enough to find this beautiful picture of Maria on my camera! I have no idea who the other face belongs to but I think it is one of her wonderful friends. And why is she so happy? Maybe it's because high school is almost over. She has 2 weeks of Spring Break starting tomorrow, three more weeks of school after that and then her International Baccalaureate exams throughout the month of May. She is getting closer and closer to college...If only she could decide which one to attend!!!

Videos

I keep trying to post videos of the girls playing in the orchestra, but I just can't figure it out. In the post below there should have been a great show of Leah and Jenn performing. I won't blame the blog since I really think the problem lies solely in my recording method. I will work on it. In the meantime, if you want to see any of us in action, why don't you come over for a visit?