Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Advice and Tips about Switzerland

Handmade gloves. I didn't expect it to be 45 degrees during summer.
Here are a few lists of things that I've learned....just for my own reference and anyone else who's going to Switzerland.

Things I wish I hadn't brought
  • Computer (it was a hassel, but I'm glad I got to write the blog. Luckily, one of my roommates let me borrow hers. Thanks Alyssa.)

  • A ton of food.
Things I'm glad I brought
  • Trench coat; jacket
  • Long johns (wore them in Bern when it was cold and rainy)
  • European-made hair dryer
  • allergy medicine (a few of us had allergy problems)
  • American magazines (they cost about $15 there)
  • Umbrella
  • Extra battery & extra memory card for camera
  • Nalgene bottle (can fill it up with water from any fountain)
  • Switzerland travel book (good to carry around and look up stuff while on the bus or train)
  • Studend ID card (we got discounts)
Things I wish I brought
  • Gloves (see picture above)
  • Ponch0
  • Converter (luckily, my sweet roommies had one)
  • bug spray (surprisingly, quite a few mosquitoes)
  • Rolling backpack
  • Travel book for London
  • Swiss German dictionary (they don't use High German)

Things to know
  • Splitting an entree costs an extra 2 CHF
  • Bern is the capital (I thought it was Geneva)
  • Everything closes early around 5 in Switzerland unless its Thursday, then it closes about 9.
  • Walking tours are a good way to start your visit in a city.
  • Get a Swiss train pass. Our professors got the Swiss Youth Pass, which is for people 26 years old and younger. It got us on trains, major city buses, trollies, and half price for rail cars and gondolas up the mountain. We also got free entrance into the International Red Cross Museum, Picasso Museum, and the Bern Natural Science, and History Musuem including the Albert Einstein Museum. I showed it everywhere we went. It was one of the best things about the trip because we could go whenever we wanted.
  • McClean is a bathroom in all train stations. Its very clean, but it costs 2 CHF. Coop City has a free bathroom if you can find one of those.
  • Switerland is very safe, but you still need to watch your stuff especially around the train station and at night. We didn't have any incidents while we were there.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Home again!

We're sad to leave. Convinced?

I'm starting to laugh....
I made it home safe and sound. The flight seemed a lot longer than I anticipated, but part of that was because we had to circle around Houston for an hour. I think the worst part of travelling is the anticipation between leaving one place and arriving at the other. I didn't want to leave Switzerland, but I was also ready to go home. Now I have a lot of stuff to do for my "real life."

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Free Day

The glass factory. Me blowing glass.



View from the boat. My girl...lol.

Today was our free day and our last day here. We went to blow glass at Glasi Hergiswil, which is about 15 minutes away from Hotel Felmis. I went with Kacy, Kristin, Jessica, Molly, and Kristin's sister Carrie. We went through the museum, which ended in the factory. Then we blew glass, which was so much fun! After that Kacy and I went into town to go shopping. Then we met up with a bunch of girls at the sunset cruise ship that goes across the lake Luzern. It was beautiful. I was speechless. It's so hard to take it all in and log it to memory. Pictures do it no justice. But they'll give you a good idea.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Circus Day

Today we had the much-anticipated circus with our Lucerne students. We got there about 10:30, which was nice because we got to sleep in. Everyone had a job--some people were face painting, some were selling popcorn, some were making chili, and I was working on the handout for the Traditions portion of the day.

During lunch we sat with the kids while they ate. Then they were supposed to go out for recess. I was headed down to the school anyway so the music teacher asked me to lead them to the bottom. I love playing with the kids. They are so much fun and so full of energy. For the past year I've been saying that I really only wanted to work with high schoolers, but this trip has shown me that I could pretty much teach any grade and be happy. I love all of the cute personalities and seeing how clever they are even at a young age. I got to hang out with Anna again today. I absolutely adore her. She's so wise for her young age and she says such witty things. It's funny that even though she's in 3rd grade she taught me a lesson today. Yesterday, her and a friend got in a fight over something (not exactly sure what happened). As I was getting off the bus yesterday, she said "hopefully things will be better tomorrow." That sounded very grown up to me. Well today when I asked her how things were going between the two of them she said, "everything is great. It's in the past." I really like her attitude-- "let bygones be bygones and move on with life." I try to have that attitude, but there are many times when I bring up things about the way people have treated me in the past and they affect the way I treat them now. I want to try to take on Anna's attitude of "just get over it."

I was apart of the "Wild West" portion of the show. The circus was amazing. The kids did a great job. The circus was especially cool because the kids made up everything. That is part of the inquiry method-- it's about student initiative. I think that is so much more meaningful for everyone; the kids feel more responsible, the teacher feels more like a guide than the rule, and the parents know that their child wasn't forced to do anything.

After the circus we taught them about Texas A&M. It was a lot of fun. We taught them about "Howdy" and all of our traditions. Then a few of the girls led some yells, and we sang the war hymn too. Next a few of the girls led a line dance. They were really good. They even got Angie Hollington, the principal, and Mr. Latter, the owner of the Lucerne and Zug schools to dance. I took a video of it. After that the mayor of Lucerne, Mr. Latter, Angie, and Dr. Wiese spoke to the group seperatley. Then Chris, the amazing school chef, brought out the beautiful cake that he made. It was so good. We served the cake and the chili that the girls made. I think a lot of the parents liked the chili. They kept the country music going and everyone danced a little more.

Then it was time to say good-bye to everyone. It was really hard to say good-bye to Anna. I was surprised at how close we got in just three days. She gave everyone like 5 hugs. Her mom was so sweet. She said some really nice things to me and told me how much Anna enjoyed hanging out with me. I didn't tear up until Anna started crying as she left. I got her address though, so hopefully we can write each other. She is so precious.

We had a great day today. The weather was perfect, unlike yesterday. The mountains were beautiful--yesterday it snowed and today we could see the mountain tops covered in blankets of white--breathtaking. I am so glad I have been able to experience God's blessings here in Switzerland. I am amazed by the scenery He has left us and the wonderful experiences He allows us to have. I had bittersweet feelings today. I'm ready to go home, but I am also sad. I've had so much fun. Tomorrow we have a free day so I'm looking forward to that. But I will miss all of my friends here and the beautiful places we've been. Luckily, I have tons of pictures.


The Yummy Yummy cake. Yes, those are strawberries. Here's the Wild West group. Aww...sweet girls!The whole group!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

William Tell

This is a statue of William Tell and his son in Altdorf. Kacy and I at the lake. This is where William Tell jumped off the boat to save himself.
Today we took the "William Tell Express" to various spots around Altdorf where the story unfolds. We did a lesson with the students about William Tell on the Monday we first arrived in Switzerland so it was a neat opportunity for the story to come to life for the kids. First we stopped to see the William Tell statue, and the kids had to draw the statue. It was raining so that was difficult, but we had fun talking about it.

The next stop was the William Tell Museum. It had lots of pictures and stories about William Tell in the history of Switzerland. He is a hero and very symbolic to the Swiss. The students were encouraged to find 5 things they didn't know about William Tell. We also saw a little video about him. It was really interesting.

The third stop was the place on the lake where Tell jumped off the boat to get away from Gessler. There was a mural on the wall that told the story. The view was beautiful--a lake surrounded by cliffs with a foggy haze hovering over it. The kids had a lot of fun running around down there. Anna and I counted the number of steps from top to bottom--about 76.

The last stop was the field where Gessler was killed. We watched vignettes about the story and listened to a story teller. Then we walked down a path to a tiny Cathedral in honor of William Tell. We all squished inside for a little while then we headed back to Luzern. Most of us got off in Luzern for our last night of shopping. I bought a ton of chocolate to bring back.

It was a wonderful day. I got to hang out with Anna all day so that was fun. She's the cutest and sweetest girl. I can't believe we only have two more days in Switzerland. I'm ready to come home, but I love it here. I really want to come back. Sorry this is so short, but I have to get up early tomorrow.

Bern

The bus never came so Angie saved the day today. She raced back to the school. Got the school bus and brought it back to take us to the train. We were crammed in a bus for little kids and it was hilarious. Kacy and I are in the very back. Andrea took this picture of us.
Me in front of the river in Bern.

Me in front of th clock in Bern.
Megan and I are scared of the bear in the bear pit. They have a bear pit because the bear is the mascot of Bern. I was surprised it was actually awake. Kacy, Jessica, and me in front of the fountain by the History and Natural Science Museum.


Today we went to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. It was a holiday(Pentecost) today so all of the shops were closed. The train was packed with people headed to a soccer cup game between Lucerne and Basal. They were quite rowdy, but we got to Bern safely.

We went on a walking tour with a sweet little old lady. Highlights from the tour:
*fountains--man eating baby; bear
*Albert Einstein's house
*St. Vincent's Cathedral--my favorite stained glass window
*Bear Pit

After the tour Jessica, Kendall, Kacy, and I went to eat lunch. We ended up eating at an American food restaurant called "Neal's Hamburgers" even though we were trying to find some place a little more authentic.

We caught a trolley to the Museum of History and Natural Sciences. Inside was also the first Albert Einstein Museum. We went through the history portion of the museum first and we learned lots of facts about Bern such as goldfish were invented in Switzerland. I never knew Swiss culture had so much influence on American culture. Then we went to the Albert Einstein museum. It was soooo cool.
Interesting Facts about Einstein:
*His ethnicity is Jewish, but he was not a practicing Jew.
*He wasn't really a poor student, but the grading system in Switzerland is opposite from the grading system in Germany so the Germans spread the idea that he was a poor student.
*All records of his first daughter disappeared.
*Einstein's first was was Mileva; they had two sons together.
*Mileva was the better mathematician of the two, and she helped him on some of his theories.
*He divorced Mileva to marry his cousin Elsa.
*He spoke out against Hitler because he did not trust the Nazi's.
*Einstein and Elsa move to the US because he does not feel safe in Switzerland as a Jew. He becomes a professor at Princeton.
*He wrote letters to FDR warning him about the dangers of the atomic bomb.
*He became an American citizen, but kept his Swiss citizenship also.
*Einstein died in 1955 of heart failure. His last words are unknown because the nurse on call that night did not know German.

I miss everyone, but I'm enjoying my last few days here. More to come.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Divonne Market

Today we went to a French market in Divonne on the border of Switzerland and France. It was so cool. I bought quite a few things--soap, honey, lemon cookies, and tea. I also bought lunch and an apple crumble dessert. It was a lot of fun. After the market we caught the train to come back to Lucerne. We are "home" again at Hotel Felmis where we had a lovely dinner of Sweet and Sour chicken. They have spoiled us here with three course dinners every night. We have to get up early tomorrow because we're going to Bern tomorrow.

I didn't realize how weird it was for us to be eating like that until everyone who passed us was laughing at us. Granted, Kacy and Alyssa were eating tiny chickens with their hands, and I was eating out of a bag. Probably looked pretty funny.

Kacy eating her chicken.
Alyssa enjoying her watermelon. Stinky cheese man? This picture is for you, Dad. Let me just say that cheese smells really bad. Now I know why they say, "Who cut the cheese?"

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Geneva/Crozet

Sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. Thursday was super busy and yesterday we traveled to Geneva and we are staying in Crozet, France. Here are the pictures finally.

8th grade Shakespeare
Painting in the cafeteria of the Nepal International School. They are trying to raise money for the school. Thursday
We went to the Zug school to observe again. First I watched the 8th graders perform a readers' theatre of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was really cool. I was with the same 6th grade that I was with on Wednesday. At the end of the day we had to present a reflection of the our time in the schools and workshops to the whole group. Mine was a poem. I'll post it below. I got the idea from the 6th grade English teacher I observed at the Zug school. She had the students read the poem by Shel Silverstein called the "Whatif" poem. I did a spin off of that to write my poem. It's funny because I had no idea what to write and I prayed about it and it all came flowing out.

Last night as I lay thinking here,
Some whatifs crawled inside my ear,
And pranced and partied all night long
And sang their teacher whatif song
What if I brought the world to my classroom?
What if my students walked away as a better citizen as well as student?
What if I held my students to higher standards than anyone before?
What if my students learned to be deeply caring?
What if I was the first person to take an interest in their lives?
What if I never gave up on them?
What if my passion sparks their passion?
What if I never got caught up in the daily routine?
What if they learn responsibility?
What if they find the answers to their own questions?
What if learning became a joy instead of a burden?
What if creativity and work ethic were the only things graded?
What if I don’t just prepare them for their next test, but I prepare them for life?
What if their thirst for knowledge never ceased?
What if it wasn’t about me, but about them?
What if they changed the world one day?
What if they changed the world tomorrow?
What if I gave them the tools to change the world today?
What if every teacher thought about theses things before class started?
What if each one of us took each of these things (what we’ve learned on this trip) into our classrooms?
As the wheels turn in my head
The last thing I want is to go to bed
Anything is possible when
The only barrier is within…
Can’t wait for the whatifs to strike again.

When we got back to Lucerne. Kacy and I went to visit the Lion Monument in town. It is very famous because it represents the soldiers who fought against the French.
Friday
We got up early to go to a workshop at the Lucerne school. It was about teaching students learning a second language. It was very interesting. After the workshop we headed to the train station so we could catch a train to Geneva. It took about 3 hours to get there from Lucerne. On our way we passed through Lusanne. It is beautiful there. I really want to go back. Geneva is pretty too. Once we got to the train station, we were met by a bus who took us to our hotel in Crozet, a little town on the French side of the border. We have a beautiful view of Mont Blanc.

"We're in France!!" View from the bus...Our hotel in Crozet
Saturday
This morning we got on the bus around 9 am. The bus took us through the area where the International Red Cross, UN headquarters, World Health Organization, and other international organizations are located. It was really neat. Then we met a tour guided for a walking tour through Old Town Geneva. It was really interesting. I will write more about it later. After the tour we went out on our own. My group of girls went back to the Red Cross Museum for a tour. It was really really neat. Then we walked down to where the UN is located to take pictures there. After that we headed back to the airport where we met the bus to take us to our hotel. It was a really good day. More to come later.

Roomies! Kacy, Alyssa, and me in front of the Opera house in Geneva at the beginning of the tour. Me in front of the monument that represents the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin was born in Geneva and started Geneva University.Eating a yummy dessert after lunch.



Lady with the rabbitThe entrance to the International Red Cross Museum

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Sixth Grade

Today I was in a sixth grade class at the International School in Zug. It was a lot of fun and I have learned a lot too. We are going back tomorrow bright and early. I need to get ready for bed, but I wanted to make an entry really quickly. I'll probably write more about today sometime tomorrow. I've added a few more pics to flickr. Thanks for all of the comments. You guys are awesome! :)

Things that surprise me about Switzerland...
1. It's more beautiful than I could have imagined
2. There's so much to do
3. How good the food is
4. They speak Swiss German as opposed to High German (spoken by people in Germany)
5. The number of flies and mosquitoes
6. How hot it gets in the afternoon (about 80)
7. The number of people who continue speaking to me in German even though they know I don't speak it
8. There are not very many Americans here.
9. How hard it is to read a map in German.
10. How easy it is to travel around the country
11. How beautiful the gardens are.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Zug

I had to take down pictures of the students so I removed the one of Anna and I.

Today we went to the International School of Zug in Zug, a town about 45 minutes by train from Lucerne. They took us on a tour of the school, which used to be a monastery. This school has almost 700 students grades pre-k through 8th. They use a method called "Inquiry" in the primary school, which focuses on the student and the teachers' desire to create life-long learners. It is centered on student initiative, meaning the students come up with a lot of their projects and research the questions they have. They also focus on "internationalism"; everything is about embracing world cultures and each individual student from the different cultures within the school. Art and projects cover every wall and window. It's very colorful. It's amazing what students can do when teachers hold a high standard. The students always meet or exceed their expectations. In 5th grade they have an exposition. They are put into groups with a mentor and they come up with a way to help the community--they raise money, do acts of service, or anything they can come up with where they see a need.

My quest is to find out how to apply what I learn here to my future classroom. I love the idea of a student-centered classroom, where they students have lots of choices and class is fun for them. I want to teach underprivileged students about the world even though many of them have never been outside of their city or neighborhood. After talking to Dr. Wiese about my ideas, I've decided I will do that through world literature split up into units based on each continent. Based on the unit, I will incorporate art, poems, writing, music, and the culture of the area to our study.

My other goal is to break stereotypes. I don't want to just have food days when we eat Mexican food and color the Mexican flag. I want them to really understand and appreciate other cultures. If they can't travel the world, then I want to bring the world to them in a very authentic way. So far this trip has been very motivating and inspiring. I will have to adapt numerous things, especially considering they don't have standardized testing in these schools, but I think that my mind has been open to new concepts. I have noticed that many American classrooms are teacher centered- do what the teacher says, exactly the way she wants it done, many times without any creativity or thought put into what appeals to the students. What are they curious about? What will make them love learning? Where do they excel? When my students leave my classroom, I want them to be able to feed themselves with knowledge, not regurgitate everything I have spoon-fed them. There are still a lot of things for me to learn, but I think with time and the grace of God, those things will come. I want to be a learner along with my students and that's exactly what I will be.


After our workshop, Kacy and I went into town. We went to the Picasso Museum and then shopping. The museum was mostly pictures OF Picasso. It was interesting to see how quirky he is and to see pictures of his workshop. That was pretty cool. I was really excited that we got in free to the museum because of our youth train pass.


Well, I need to go to bed, but I put some more pictures on Flickr. If you scroll down and click on the little box with the pictures in it on the right of the screen it will take you to those pictures. Love to all.

Monday, May 21, 2007

The past 3 days

Sorry it has been a few days since I've been able to write or put up a few pictures. I'll try to cram in the last 4 days on here so bear with me
Saturday
First we went to the market in Lucerne. It was wonderful. There were fresh fruits and veggies, flowers galore, bread, and more. Kacy and I split some strawberries. I also bought a chocolate pastry (delicious!) and a pretzel with rosemary on it. Everything was soooo good. I loved it! I really want to go back, but I don't think we will be able to. After the market we got on the bus and then a train to go to Engelberg. The train ride was beautiful. When we got to Engelberg we walked around for awhile then decided to go up to Mount Titlis. It took a couple of cable cars to get there, but it was totally worth it. I have quite a few pictures here from the trip.
The best strawberries ever!

Kacy and I on the top of Mt. Titlis



View from the Ice Flyer

View from the train
Sunday
We took a train to the third biggest city in Switzerland-Basel. We didn't have a whole lot of time, but we went to this museum Fondition Beyler, which is a modern art museum. Their current exhibit is Edward Munch, who is most widely known for the painting "The Scream." You know, the one with the ghost looking man with his mouth open and his hands on his cheeks. We also saw Picasso, Matisse, and Monet. It was a lot of fun. I learned some Swiss German vocabulary words from looking at the paintings and trying to figure out what the titles said. After we went to the museum, we ate lunch and then visited a church in town. It was called the Elisabethan Church. Kacy and I climbed countless stairs to the top of the bell tower where we could see the whole city. It was really cool. After that we caught the train and then the bus back home. I think we might go back to Basel on our last free day.

Poster for Edward MunchMe outside of the museum

Elisabethan church
Me on our way up to the top. It was very tight in there.
View from the top of the bell tower Today-Monday
We went to the International School of Luzern today. It is the most beautiful school I have ever seen. I love it! I got to work with the 3, 4, and 5th graders. My buddy was Anna, and she is adorable. After school we tried to go to the Glass Factory in Hegerswil, but it was closed by the time we got there so we are going to go another day. Here are some more pictures of the school.

The back of the school/Chateau

Me in awe.
Sorry that was so long. Also, I responded to your comments from a few days ago. Thanks for those!

Friday, May 18, 2007

Ice Cream and Rats

View of school and scenery from higher up.
The front of the school in Lucerne.


The view from the back of the school in Lucerne overlooking Lake Lucerne. Today-Friday

This morning we had a workshop at the International School of Lucerne with Angela Hollington and Jax Webb. They taught us about the Primary Years Program of inquiry, which is the type of teaching method they use in international schools. It was really neat. Inquiry is focused on the student and encouraging the student to become a learner, not to just accept what they are told at face value. They learn to explore and ask questions and then find the answers for themselves. It's a very neat concept. I hope to incorporate it into my classroom even though I will be teaching in the States.

The school is beautiful. It is in this old chateau that overlooks Lake Lucerne. The pictures do not even do it justice. We were there most of the day for the workshop. They fed us pizza for lunch, which was quite good. Angela and Jax are so sweet--they used their day off today to teach us!

After the workshop we got on the bus and took our books back to the hotel, which is about 5 minutes from the school. Kacy and I took a nap because we stayed up late last night and now I am up late again. lol. This is the only chance I have to write because Alyssa is not using her computer. Nonetheless, I am grateful to be able to use it. Our walking tour started at 4:30 so when we woke up, we rushed down to the bus. We caught the bus to the urban part of Lucerne where we met the rest of our group who were waiting at the train station.
We saw the weirdest thing when we arrrived. A teenage girl was leaning against a concrete wall eating bread and talking to her friends and all of a sudden I saw a rat come our her hood, which was on her head. She started playing with the white rat and letting it eat her bread with her. I was totally freaked out. Then she would put it down her shirt and let it just crawl all over her. Yuck!

Alyssa and me in the city part of Lucerne on the walking tour. This spot overlooks the river.


The walking tour was really neat. We learned a lot of the history of Lucerne and our tour guide took us to some really neat spots around the city. Its a lot to write here, but I will tell about it later or in person. We walked around the city for about 2 hours and then we were free to do what we wanted. Alyssa, Kacy and I walked around and finally found an ATM machine. Then we went to a candy shop where Kacy and I got some ice cream. It was strawberry and vanilla, just like the ice cream we had the night before. After we got ice cream, we went to the supermarket-Coop to get some bread for sandwiches. Then we waited for the bus to take us back to our hotel.


Once back at our hotel, we ate dinner. It was bow tie pasta with chicken, beef, and a nice sauce. Our dessert was strawberries with vanilla bean ice cream and whip cream served in a parfait dish. It was lovely! Then we had a German lesson with one of the hotel owners. After that we hung out in our room and that leaves me where I am now. Gotta go to bed!