Annalise Abroad

Dr. Jane Goodall

2011-05-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my weekend with Dr. Jane Goodall. Dr. Jane (as her Roots and Shoots kids call her) was in Warsaw for the film festival. She was premiring her new documentary Jane's Journey. (It's playing in Seattle this weekend at the International Film Festival for those interested) Jane's orginazation contacted my colleage Lynn Hammond and I because we are the only registered Roots and Shoots group in Poland! And she wanted to come and visit our school! We were so excited!! (Root and Shoots is a program that Jane Goodall started 20 years ago in 1991.)

I started Roots and Shoots with Lynn in 2009. Lynn had just comed from China where she had worked with Roots and Shoots for 8 years. (Fact for PT people: Ms. Mead ran the club with her for a few years in China---small world right?!) At the time, I was in the process of initiating a recycling program in the elementary school. Lynn came and wanted to start a RS club and I needed help with recycling. We joined forces because in Roots and Shoots the students are involved in 3 types of projects--projects that help animals, people, and the environment. Who would have thought that my actions to start a recycling program at my school would lead to meeting Dr. Jane Goodall!

Ok so this weekend......On Saturday I attended the premire of her docuementary with some of our Roots and Shoots kids. Jane Goodall spoke before the movie and it was pretty incredible. She has such a presence. She just radiates peace and seems so calm at all times. It's a rare thing, but definatly something that you notice right away. After her talk and a few questions, we watched her movie. What a journey she has been on! She is such an inspiration. She currently travels 300 days a year spreading her message and working with kids all over the world.

On Sunday Lynn and I were invited to a small dinner downtown with Jane and other Warsaw VIPs. I meet the director of the Warsaw Zoo, the director of the new Copernicus Science Center, professors from the University of Warsaw, some magazine editors and directors of the film festival. It was a very special night, indeed.

On Monday Jane visited ASW. It was a very big day and one that I was in charge of. My Roots and Shoots students ran her elementary school presentation. We prepared a slideshow of all our projects, talked about the start of Roots and Shoots, introduced Jane and ran the Q&A time. My kids did great! Everyone was so impressed and I've been stopped in the hallways nonstop by parents, teachers and kids staying that they want to be involved in Roots and Shoots next year! After Jane spoke to the elementary students I was able to join her in a small lunch at school. At lunch were 3 students from each school, some admin, and a few board members. It was really special for me to hear the high school and middle school kids talking with Jane. The students invited to the lunch truely look up to Jane and have even read many of her books. It was just so great to be apart of this special moment for everyone. Life changing in many ways!

I could go on and on about this experience, but I'll just leave you with some great pictures.

*Lynn Hammond my partner in crime

Our current Roots and Shoots club with Dr. Jane Goodall

*This is my 1st grader Nina who LOVES Jane. She knows her childhood dog's name and all the names of the chimpanzees. She came to the lunch and Jane signed her book. She thrilled!

*A message to my students (and to us all)!

Dr. Jane Goodall is an example of how one person can truely make a difference!

Weekend News

2011-04-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

A nice weekend is slowly coming to an end.. (but it's not over yet!) On Friday I went to a polish birthday party extravaganza. Lucy's husband and a good friend of his throw big birthday parties each year. This year, Lucy invited me to join in on the fun. In true European fashion the real party wouldn't really start until 10:30pm. So I came home from work, ordered some thaifood and vegged out on the couch for a few hours. Napping with my eyes open, if you will. Then around 9:00, I got off the couch (after some good pep talk/motivation from Tiffy) and put on some eyeliner, my new hat and some boots. I played some upbeat music, poured myself a tall vodka tonic and danced around the house. I was ready!

Lucy was having some girls over before the party so I updated my metro/bus card (for the last time ever!) and hopped on the metro for a few stops. It's been crazy windy here this week, so I had to hold onto my hat carefully. Lucy's house was filled with her girlfriends (and one gay guy--who was super great). It was fun to sit with my drink and observe. I played my usual game of 'try to understand every 5th or 8th polish word.' I entertained myself, but kind of looked like the werid girl in the back who was extra smily at everyone. But that's all I've got---over enthusastic body language. :)

After 45 minutes or so, we were ready to walk around the corner to the party. They had rented out a place in the middle of this small park. It was quite the birthday party! The space had a nice bar, a few tables spread out, vodka on the tables and a good dance floor, with a great DJ. It was all the right ingredients for a fabulous night out. I had fun meeting Lucy's friends and even her father. We stuck together for a while because we had the 'odd one out' thing in common. He could understand everyone around him and could enter a conversation at anytime, unlike me. But I had the age thing going for me. I could blend in with people my age, but couldn't understand a thing around me--besides body language. It kind of reminded me of being in Italy with Abby's nana. But it felt nice to have a buddy besides Lucy.

The highlight of the night happened just after midnight when a large 3 tier cake was rolled out. The music came on and a hot lady danced right out. It was the big birthday surprise for the two guys from some of their friends. It was a pretty fun experience! The rest of the night was spent dancing to MJ, Madonna, songs from Dirty Dancing and Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York". They went crazy for that song---it was hilarious! I danced until my feet hurt and left the party around 2:30---not bad for an old american on a Friday night :)

Saturday was more low key. I slept in, ate leftover thai food for brunch, saw a movie with Michelle (who's due date was Saturday--here's hoping Anton arrives soon), made a nice veggie stirfry for dinner and watched Erin Brokovich while cozy on the couch. Chris, Michelle's husband, showed me this new beer at the store and it's sooo good! It's like a real microbrew amber. I've missed these--sure beats the pilsner.

Today I had a nice afternoon to myself. I made a nice breakfast, took the sweaters out of my closet and put away the laundry. Then I biked to Wilanow to a nice cafe for a latte and some reading and letter writting. Then I biked home in the wind and drizzle to cozy up on the couch to watch Les Miserables. I am going to the polish production on Tuesday and needed a storyline refresher. Then I made a delicious tortilla soup just in time for Carly to arrive home from her weekend in Amsterdam. Carly joined me for dinner and we got caught up on the weekend stories. I just got off the phone with a wonderful skype call with my parents and now I'm ready to head to my bed to read more of my new book.

A great weekend indeed. Hope you are enjoying the end of yours. :)

Babies, Birthdays and Dancing

2011-03-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

*Carly and I threw Michelle a baby shower a few weeks ago. It was really sweet and fun to have some ladies over to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Anton. Michelle looks amazing and I can't wait to hold little Anton.

*The AMAZING cake a friend from work made for the shower. Impressed?!

Having fun with the little guys at the shower---

Baby Colin

*New little Oliver. I got to hold him for nearly an hour---so sweet!

*I meet the girls for a lovely brunch on my birthday. We ate yummy bagels, drank great smoothies and had fun catching up. We've been through a lot together these past 3 years.

*Carly's big 'bowl' of coffee

*The high school 5678 Dance Troupe invited a few teachers to dance in the show. Each year they have a teacher dance and this year it was a slow fox trot. The four of us had a blast and we've already performed in two shows and have one more on Tuesday. The show is really great and the kids are super talented. They choreograph their own dances and do all the back stage work--it's pretty impressive! It's fun to be a part of the show.

*A little wig fun at the spa last month.

Surprise Birthday Weekend

2011-03-20T02:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Carly organized a surprise birthday trip. I was told a while back to reserve the entire weekend before my birthday---make no plans! Then on Thursday Carly gave me my first clue. 1. Pack your bag. We are leaving on Friday from school and won't be back until Sunday. Bring your passport and bathing suit. Then all day at school on Friday people would come up to me and wish me a happy birthday and told me to have fun. So everyone knew the plans, except for me. And all the ladies I assumed would be a part of it were also telling me to have a great time. My guess was they were throwing me off and trying to make me think that they weren't coming. So by the time Friday afternoon rolled around I had no idea who was coming or where I was going. At 4:00 I met Carly at the front doors with my bag, ready for the adventure. Carly made sure I had everything I needed and then said, "Ok, let's go!" Then from the top of the stairs Maranda, Theresa, Cecilia and Catie appeared with their bags. It was so fun! So then I knew who was coming, but still didn't know where I was going. I was super surprised at who was coming and super flattered. Three of those ladies have young families and I was happy that they were coming on the weekend get-away. They were also excited and said they needed this girl weekend away. So we hopped in Cecelia's car and off we went.

We ended up at the train station and that's when I learned of our destination. We were headed to Berlin! Lucy met us at the platform, which was another fun surprise. So there were 7 of us and we were ready to have a fun time. The train ride to Berlin is just under 6 hours. The ladies came prepared: vodka tonics in coolers, snacks, wine, music, even an ipod speaker set and a boiled egg (inside joke from previous train trips). Needless to say, we had a great time!

Toothpicks--making sure our teeth are clean

Lucy!

We rolled into Berlin just after 11pm and we were tired. We hoped on the S train and reached our hostel in no time. We all climbed into bed and woke up the next morning ready for Berlin!

This was my 3rd trip to Berlin and it was nice not to have to worry about seeing all the 'highlights' of the city. We were in a new neighborhood in the northeast and we spend the weekend wandering around the cute streets. We shopped, stopped in cafes, ate great meals, and enjoyed some German beers. It was the first sunny weekend and we spent both mornings eating our breakfast outside. It was wonderful. I love when the cafe's set up their tables outside---it's the first real sign of spring.

Lucy and Maranda

After a day of shopping we went out to dinner at a wonderful Spanish Tapas resturant, down the street from our hostel. The food was amazing and the wine was perfect. It was a wonderful birthday dinner, indeed. At the end of the night the ladies made me climb on top of the bull for a birthday picture. After dinner a few of us went out for some dancing. It was fun to be out in a new city with new people to watch and interact with.

Theresa and I

On Sunday it was time for some pampering and relaxing. I got to experience my first German sauna. This was the reason behind the trip. Carly knew I loved spas and saunas and she knew going to a German sauna was on my Poland bucket list. So the ladies and I did like the germans do and got naked for an afternoon. The germans love their naked saunas, they are all over town! It was a wonderful experience. I love the Korean spa in Seattle and have been there many times. The german saunas, however, are for men and women. So that was new for me, but was still completely wonderful. We soaked in hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas and even swam in the big swimming pool. The swimming pool was also partly outside. You could swim under this bridge and you were outside! It was awesome. Swimming naked on a rooftop pool in Berlin---you know your normal Sunday afternoon. One guy was swimming laps in the outside part---with goggles on! We thought that was cheating a little bit. :) We laughed, we relaxed, we steamed out the stress in our lives. It was a great weekend!

Thanks for everything Carly! What a wonderful treat!

Sara Visits!

2011-03-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Sara finally made it across the ocean to visit me in Poland. I was so happy! I know it's a long way to travel, but I think she found that it was worth it. Sara came out to visit during my February break. We had a great time together. We started the trip off in Warsaw and then moved down to beautiful Italy.

It was fun to have Sara experience my life here in Warsaw. She came to my school, meet my friends, toured around the city, and of course we just hung out on the couch talking. That was our favorite part of the trip together--just hanging out in my apartment, ordering in Thai food and talking.

Italy of course was also incredible. I just love that country. We started off the week in Sorrento and on the Amalfi Coast and then ended with a weekend in Rome. It was the perfect combonation of relaxing small town on the water and busy exiciting city. I had never been south of Rome before, so I was particuarlly looking forward to our time in Sorrento. Sorrento was a cute little town at the tip of the Amalfi Coast. We enjoyed walking through the small colorful streets and breathing in the fresh saltwater. I do miss living by the water. The city was also covered with lemon and orange trees. It was beautiful! The land of lemoncello--yum!

One afternoon we took a bus down the Amalfi Coast to the cute town of Positano. The windy ride down was something else! Breathtaking views and sharp corners at the edge of the high high cliffs that literally took your breath away. It was incredible! It was the off season so most of Positano was shut down, but the beauty was still there. We hopped off the bus at the top of the hill and strolled down to the beach winding past shops and houses. It was fun to see the residential part of town and not feel surrounded by tourists. Once we made our way down to the beach we enjoyed a wonderful meal with the ocean steps away and the sun shining on our faces. It was just perfect! We planned to take the bus further down the coast but we were sitting in the wrong spot and missed it by seconds. We were super bummed, but all things happen for a reason. We ended up heading back into Sorrento and enjoying the wonderful spa at our hostel. Saunas, steamrooms, tubs and pools. It was a perfect end to a wonderful day.

Our weekend in Rome was also amazing. Rome is such a great city. It was my 3rd time back (I guess throwing a coin over you shoulder at the Trevi Fountain does make you return to Rome again) and there were still plenty of new things for me to see. We stayed in a nice B&B in a good location. Just a 10 minute walk to the Spanish Steps. We had many great meals, saw many great monuments, and just simply enjoyed walking around the city. I could go on and on about the trip, but I'll leave you with yet another Animoto video montage. I tried to upload the videos, too. But my computer is acting up. I'll have to share them with you later.

Enjoy and I'm sure you will end up Falling for Italy, too.

*Click on the link below and it will take you to the video:

Falling for Italy

Oliver

2011-02-19T01:51:00.000-08:00

Oliver passed away this week and my heart is broken a little. This is the first pet I've lost, besides our cats Lily and Meg. Lily and Meg were so independent. They were mainly outdoor cats and we had such a different relationship with them. When we lost them it took a while to adjust to coming home and having them gone. No more warm pile curled at the foot on your bed in the morning. It was sad, too. But Oliver---he was a part of our daily lives. When I think about my parents I burst into tears. I know this is much harder on them. He was in their lives every single day.

But the memories we all share with him and the cute pictures will be things that I hold onto forever. He was a special guy. A true friend and companion and a very important part of our family. We will miss him!

Some memories that have made me smile this week:

*Our neighbor Luke when he was around 5 was Oliver's best friend. Luke would come over in the morning and knock on the door. "Can Oviler come out to play?" We would then open up the door and out Oliver would run. The two of them would dig in the dirt piles between our houses and throw rocks together all day long. How cute is that?!

* Jumping off the rock at Pinecrest Lake and having Oliver jump in moments after you trying to save you. He would swim out to us, bark and try to save us. He in fact only made things worse because he would try to climb up on you and push you down deeper into the water while clawing all over your back. But he would do anything for us!

*Walking on the beach with Oliver and the family.

*Throwing balls with the chuck-it

*Covering him with wrapping paper on Christmas morning

*His ability to rest on the couch even though it was against the rules and sometimes dressing him up to our amusement.

*His head tilt ---adorable at all ages

We'll miss you Oliver!

I heart Saturdays

2011-02-12T03:49:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to the sun breaking through my blinds. It was so exciting! This week the sun has started to poke it's head out from behind the grey grey clouds that have covered the sky since Christmas. I was so excited to open my blinds and let the sun shine into my bedroom. I even ate my breakfast in bed and watched the latest Grey's while enjoying the bright sun upon my face. It was the perfect start to a Saturday morning.

And Sara is coming to visit on Thursday and I can't stinkn' wait! We are going to spend a few days in Warsaw and then head to the Almafi Coast in Italy for my February Break. It will be nice to be by the water again and in Italy---a wonderful country. We end our trip in Rome which will also be amazing. So waking up to the sun and the knowledge that Sara's visit is so soon, made me smile and start my weekend off with the right positive energy.

Now I am off to they gym with Carly for a little workout and steam room. We plan to stop by a coffee shop on the way home for a warm lattee and a little book reading. Then Lucy invited us out to a "lonely hearts."party in a club. So I hope to end my night dancing.

Sounds like a good Saturday to me. I hope your weekend is also off to a good start.

Ps. I think I officially got rid of my sinus infection. I've had one all week and have been using my Nettie Pot like crazy. I love that thing! Way better than medicine and creepy Polish doctors. :)

Reasons to Move Home

2011-02-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

In the Fall I started a list to help me decide if I wanted to move home or stay abroad. I stumbled across this list the other day. Now that I am offically moving home this list makes me excited about all things I will be able to enjoy again.

· My family

· My friends

· Concerts in Seattle

· Waterfront Pizza

· Gasworks Park

· the beach

· dating options

· The Tractor Tavern

· Breakfast

· Watching football

· Amber beer

· Ferry boat rides

· All my friends/family in the same time zone (or close to)

· Oliver and Olympia

· Having a car to drive

· Pad Kei Mau

· Fall activities- pumpkin patch, dress up parties

· Portage Bay

· Bacon

· Target

· Thanksgiving in Olympia

· Picnics at Oyster Bay

· Be able to hold all the new babies coming into this world

· Walks around Greenlake

· Happy Hours

· Smoothies

· Paperboys

· Trips to Portland

· Sour Watermelons/Hot Tamales/Swedish Fish

· Blue Moon/Drop Top

· Rent movies at a movie store

· Watch shows on a T.V. and not the computer

beach walks

· Snow days

· Skiing

· Sledding

· Being by the water

· Chai tea lattes

I am currently working on a 'Poland bucket list.' I will share that with you soon.

Myanmar

2011-01-29T06:54:00.000-08:00

Myanmar was a fascinating country. I am so happy I was able to experience it. My friend/college roommate Brittany teaches 1st grade at the American International School in Yangon. After our trip in Thailand, Brittany, Tiffany and I flew over to Myamar for a few days. Myanmar blew my mind. I had no idea what to expect. First of all I had no idea it was considered a third world country. It was wild to drive down the street and see a woman walking with a basket on her head. The buses were packed in ways I didn't think were possible, people riding on the back of cars on bumpers was a common sight and people standing in the middle of a 4 lane highway waiting to cross the street was normal.

The money was also an interesting part of the trip. In Myanmar there are no ATM machines and you can not use credit/debit cards. It is a cash only system. And you need crisp dollar bills to do any sort of exchanging. A crisp but folded bill, for example, would not work! Luckily we had Brittany to help us out with this foreign concept. She took care of all the money and kept giving Tiffany and I stacks of bills to spend. 1,000 kyats = roughly $1. The three of us could go out to lunch with lots of food, drinks, and dessert for around 15,000 kyat. That's only $15---it was incredible! Our money went so far. Whenever Tiffany I wanted something we would ask Brittany, "Can we afford this?" And then she would hand over a wad of cash. They only have 5,000 and 1,000 bills. So when you pay for lunch you are usually giving over around 15 bills. It was like paying with only $1 bills the entire trip. This was my spending money for 2 days at Inle Lake! It was wild!

It was wonderful to see where Brittany lived and to see parts of Yangon, but my favorite part of Myanmar was our trip up north to Inle Lake. Inle Lake was incredible--it was completely untouched. It was like time had stood still. We stayed on a beautiful hotel on the lake. Our room was literally on stilts standing in the lake. It was incredible! Because we were on the lake, we had to take a boat taxi to get anywhere--and we could only travel during daylight because there were no lights on the boats.

Our first day in Inle Lake was a day I will never forget. We hired a boat taxi to take us around the lake for the day and we had a little glimpse into the life on the lake. We rode through small canals that lead us past wooden houses on stilts, golden temples, floating gardens, markets, and many different villages. It was incredible to see how a community of people live on a lake. We were often the only white people around--we would pass other tourists from time to time, but most of the day was spend observing and being a part of the local life. It's hard to explain--the experience was kind of like 'The Jungle Book' meets 'Swiss Family Robinson' meets the 'It's a Small World' ride at Disney Land We sat in our lawn chairs set up in the middle of the long, thin boat and watched a whole new world unfold.

The lake was filled with fishermen rowing boats and putting out nets. Inle Lake is the one place in the world where the men row their boats with their legs. They wrap the oar around on leg and row--all while balancing on their other leg. It was remarkable to see!

Our driver took us to a variety of local shops/businesses. We saw how women weave silk and locus into scarves, clothing and other beautiful pieces. We visited the silversmith and watched him melt the silver into pieces of jewelry. We stopped by the umbrella makers and watched them make paper and turn it into beautiful handmade umbrellas. We saw women making local cigars--rolling banana leaves and tobacco into a delicious cigar. We passed women selling jewelry from their boats, people working in their floating gardens, women rowing past us with boats filled with tomatoes and vegetables, and families heading home from the local festival. We also saw many monks--men, women, and young children in their colorful robes and bald heads. We boated back to our hotel just as the sun was setting---it was an incredible day!

I could go on and on about my time in Myanmar, but I'll leave you with another slideshow with pictures from the experience. A trip I will never forget...

Thailand

2011-01-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

Where do I even begin...? My trip to Thailand and Myanmar was incredible! Truly a once in a lifetime kind of trip. I guess I will start with Thailand.

The trip started off with a canceled flight due to the snow storm that hit Europe in mid December. My flight was re-directed through Amsterdam and I was upgraded to Business class from Amsterdam to Bangkok. It was pretty much the best thing ever! It is quite the different life up there. It was my first time on a double-decker plane and the top level held the 24 of us traveling in style. I was greeted with a glass of champagne and comfy socks to change into. There were so many buttons on the chair and I tried my best to look like I knew what I was doing. I gave myself away, however, when the flight attendant asked me what kind of wine I wanted and I simply said red. Then she asked what kind of red and then if I wanted to sample it. Fancy stuff up there, I'm telling you! I even got to special order my breakfast in the morning and was greeted after my amazing sleep with "good morning Ms. Johnson."

I arrived in Bangkok well rested and after a small mix up at the airport, ended up traveling to the hotel alone and meeting up with Brittany there. We were reunited once again and ready to hit the town. Bangkok is a fascinating city. There are people and street vendors absolutely everywhere and the city never sleeps. We got a foot massage one night at 11:30pm. The weather was hot and humid. My hair was soooo curly! Quite the change from the cold, dry weather in Warsaw. Brittany and I visited the Royal Palace, took a long 'tour' in a tuk tuk, went to the night market, took a boat ride on the river, enjoyed happy hour on a rooftop bar 61 floors up, and stood in line at the Myanmar embassy so I could get a visa into Myanmar. We also spent a little time shopping in the biggest mall I've ever been in and went to a movie. We both hadn't been to the theater in a while and decided on The Social Network. I thought it was a fascinating movie and so interesting to think about how quickly the digital world is changing in my lifetime. At the theater they showed a million preview/commercials and at the end they played the Thai national anthem and everyone stood up. Then they played a slideshow of images of their king. It was an interesting experience--one that would never fly in the states.

After 4 days in Bangkok we flew down to the islands for a week on the beach. We started on the island of KoPhangan and ended in Ko Samui. We arrived on the ferry at night time so our ride from the port to our resort was entertaining to say the least. In fact it was straight up terrifying. Mainly because we had no idea where we were going and how long it was supposed to take. Some of you may have read my facebook status that night, but we spent 45 minutes in the back of a pick-up truck driving on unpaved roads through the middle of the jungle and up a small Thai mountain range before arriving at our beautiful beach bungalow. But it was worth it! We woke up on Christmas morning to a sunny day in paradise.

Brittany and I spent Christmas in the sun on the beach. We also realized that it was our 10 year anniversary. We became official roommates in college after Christmas break freshman year--exactly 10 years ago. So that was a special silly celebration, too! The next few days we spent reading in hammocks, floating on the water, sipping cocktails, napping in the shade, eating amazing Thaifood for lunch, and getting $10 beach massages. We also got a 'medicure and pedicure'- aw it was the life! A few days after Christmas Tiffany and Karen joined us on the island and we continued to have a great time. One night we went out for a late lunch and ended staying around for dinner as well. The Burmese workers told us we ate and drank like men. They sure know how to flatter a girl.

Just before New Years we moved over to the island of Ko Samui. Here we enjoyed a little bit more of a night life. New Years Eve was a total blast! The best one I've had. All night I kept looking out over the water and down the beach thinking, "You are on an island in Thailand! This is incredible!" There were people everywhere, parties on the beach, music to dance to, buckets of jungle juice to be drunk, fireworks exploding, lanterns floating into the night sky, and a group of cute Australians to flirt with. We had the time of our lives! It was the perfect way to end one year and begin the next.

There were so many pictures taken. Here is a small sample--enjoy.

Myanmar post--coming soon.....

Vacation!

2010-12-18T01:26:00.000-08:00

Vacation has finally arrived! I can't believe it---things have been so busy at work! I've been running around trying to wrap up all the school projects and now I have 3 weeks off! Most of ASW flew to their destination this morning. I am happy to report that my flight is on Sunday around noon. Normally I am in the taxi at 4:45am for my 6:45 flight to Amsterdam. Needless to say I enjoyed sleeping in today. Plus a huge snow storm hit the Netherlands last night which meant all morning flights were canceled. That would have been me any other year! I fly into Paris tomorrow and from there I fly straight to Bangkok. I'm sending out good traveling vibes already---as of today Paris is fine.

I finally started packing this morning. It's odd to pack all my summer clothes when it is snowing outside and pretty cold in my apartment. Just seeing all the colors and short sleeves makes me so excited. It still hasn't hit me that I'm going to be in Thailand tomorrow (well early on Monday after my long flight) I am so excited to see Brittany and catch up on her year abroad so far. And then Tiffany will join us on the beach and we will all spend New Years together before we take the adventure into Mynamar. (Sara sent me some antlers to wear on the beach for Christmas...incase any of you were wondering about them in the picture above. Cute huh?!)

Well I need to get back to packing. Then I can enjoy my last cozy evening in Warsaw in the year 2010. Plus I plan to skype a few people before I'm off for 3 weeeks. I will leave you with some pictures of what I've been up to lately.

*The pajama party with my kids. We watched 'How the Grinch Stole' Christmas in our pajamas while enjoying hot chocolate. Fun times!

*Non-stop snow since Thanksgiving
*Old Town and the Christmas Market
* I missed Jessica's 7th Anual Cookie Party this year--so I had a cookie party of my own. The ginger snaps turned out great! I couldn't make my peanut butter kiss cookies--no kisses in stores in Poland.
*ASW's Christmas Party-- Cheryl and I
*My girls- Michelle, Maranda, Theresa, Carly and Lucy
*Me and cute preggers Kaszubs!
*The Santa Dance video we made for Ms. Lucy. Lucy was home with a bad case of strep throat this week and we really missed her in school. I almost forgot to teach the kids the Santa Dance this year and we made a silly little video for her. Enjoy the life of a 1st grade classroom hours before vacation!

Happy Holidays! I hope you have a wonderful time with your families and friends.

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-01T02:50:00.000-08:00

Winter has hit Warsaw in a big way! The tempuratures have dropped and the snow is falling non-stop. When I left my apartment this morning it was -18C (ZERO F) !! It is now lunch time and it has warmed up to -13 C (9F). There are feet of snow on the ground and there is a huge storm coming in tomorrow. They are calling for A LOT of snow. Not quite sure what that means, but we just got this email from our Security Director:

"Dear All,

Check the attached Weather forecast and use it to plan your tomorrow's day schedule.

As you can see we can expect a LOT of snow Thursday morning (similar scenario to Monday's when some of us needed >2 hours to get home...)

Traffic jams? Most likely...
Public transport delays? For sure...
Wind chill effect? Absolutely!

Good Luck!

BR!"

Um, I have a good idea....cancel school! I miss Seattle and the snow days.

I'll leave you with some pictures of the courtyard outside my classroom and a snowman the neighbors at my house built the first day it snowed a little. It is a beautiful time. I love the snow, it brightens everything up. It's just more of a hassle when you have to move on with your daily life, too.

I hope you are enjoying the start of winter and the holiday spirit that's all around.

Scotland

2010-11-27T08:06:00.001-08:00

Carly and I traveled to Scotland for our October break. We only had 5 days off this year, but we made the most of them. We stayed in Edinburgh and took a day trip out into the country and Highlands. The country side was absolutly beautiful! The fall colors were incredible--like nothing I've seen before.

I took tons of pictures and decided to try out my animoto account again. I got my teachers account and can now make longer movies. Now my problem is finding out how to add two songs to the show so I can make the pictures appear slower. I still think the pictures go too quickly, but that's what happens when you have so many to share :)

Enjoy my Scotland slideshow:

70's Night

2010-11-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

Last night DJ Nie Rozumiem (a teacher at my school) hosted a 70's Night at a local bar. It was tons of fun and everyone dressed up for the event. I decided to try to show the pictures from the night in a video slideshow. I went to a technology workshop at my school last week and learned about a few new websites and tools. This video was made on Animoto. Teachers can sign up for a free membership. I'm still waiting for my membership to be confirmed, so I was only allowed to use the free 30 second video option. (Next time I will be able to slow the pictures down. ) It was fun to play around with and I'm excited to try longer videos soon.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

What I've been up to....

2010-11-06T02:37:00.000-07:00

It's time for an update. Bullet list style:

*Shopping in Warsaw is always an hilarious experience. This is in H&M. What is up with this mannequin? Style around here always catches your attention.

*It is hard to tell in this picture but this is a floral full body suit. I saw a woman take this into the dressing rooms to try on. I was shocked! Then I saw her again in the check out line BUYING IT!! Oh dear....

*Speaking of Warsaw fashion---you may remember from my Whitest Boy Alive post that I commented on how the styles currently hitting Warsaw reminded me a lot of what I wore in middle school. My mom found my school pictures and my observation was correct. Here I am in the early 90's wearing floral, plaid and denim. Hilarious!

5th grade- floral: 7th- plaid : 8th-denim

*Zosia turned 1! I can't believe it's already been a year since Magda was pregnant. I attended ZoZo's 1st birthday party and was the only person there childless. I held all the new babies and enjoyed watching the bigger kids run around playing.

*Zosia and Lance--this is the sweater I bought her for her birthday. Isn't she so adorable in in?!

*I bought some new polish pottery. Here is my new Easter basket for my collection of eggs.

*Banana bread in one of my new bread pans. I also bought a few Christmas ornaments and these cute chopstick holders for my sushi nights in.

*At the end of October my class took a field trip into the local Wilanow community. We have been studying communities in school and had a fun time exlporing all the fun places in a community. The kids each had cameras and took tons of great pictures.

* Lucy and I inside the firetruck at the Fire Station.

*Class photo!

*Playing in the gorgeous Fall leaves.

*My adorable group. These boys were all good friends in Kindergarten (in Carly's class). How adorable is this picture? I just love it. We had a fun time exploring the palace gardens and running away from all the groups of girls. :) They thought it was pretty funny when Ms. Johnson would run, too.

*Halloween with 1J

*Those of you on Facebook can see pictures from my Scotland trip. It was an amazing trip and I promise to blog about it soon.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the change of seasons where you live. Shoot me an email, comment on my blog, call me on skype, send me a letter or postcard---I miss you and would love to hear from everyone.

VavaMuffin- Polish Raggae Concert

2010-10-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to my first Polish Raggae concert with some friends from work. It was Carly, myself and the 'Bad Mama Club' and their husbands. The 'Bad Mama Club' is a group of new moms at our school--I think they just named themselves last night--but they all had sitters and were up for a fun time.

The entire experiene was great. The openeing band was a group of 3 guys from Zakopane (the mountatins in the south of Poland). They played a bunch of Polish folk songs but with a modern twist. It was like Fiddler on the Roof meets hip hop. Hysterical! The audience didn't love them so much and after 3 songs started chanting "VaVaMuffin--VaVaMuffin" which was the band we were all there to see. They were chanting other things as well, but we of course didn't know what they were saying--but it didn't seem good. Then VaVaMuffin came on and the place exploded. They were really good and we had a fun time grooving to the beat. Everyone around us was singing along to their lyrics and we of course didn't know them. This is what it sounded like to us- police * * * *right* * * *I have * * * who is president? * * *today* * * and of course illegalize. We wanted to fit in a little more so Carly and I started to sing along to our own words. We sang what it sounded like in English---"cinnabuns, cinnabuns" and our favorite, "I got *#@! by a bandaid" Every once in a while they would count in English and we would join it -1--2--3! Fun times!

I was happy I went. I was feeling pretty sick Friday night and Saturday morning, but I gargled with salt water every 2 hours and drank honey, lemon tea all day long. By 6:00 I was feeling up for a little raggae music. Below is a link I found on YouTube of the band and one of their songs. Enjoy...

Fall in Warsaw

2010-10-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Fall can be beautiful in Warsaw. Sunny days, changing colors, people walking dogs, biking with their families, children collecting falling leaves, baskets filled with corn, children making little people figures from chesnuts and apples--tons of delicious apples!

October has been just beautiful! We have had a very bright and very crisp start to fall. The sun is out but the temperature has dropped! When I walk to the bus stop each morning it is 32F. Brrr It warms up to around 50F during the day. But I am not complaining--the sun is out and I will hold onto that for as long as I can.

With the changing temperature comes the first round of sicknesses at school. My kids are sneezing and coughing more and you wouldn't believe the amount of tissue we have been going through. And now it has moved onto me--their sweet innocent little teacher. But I am fighting it. I am staying postitive, going to bed early, drinking my EmergenC every morning and drinking the Polish remedy--tea of honey, lemon and ginger.

Yesterday I was feeling pretty crummy but it was so nice outside, I decided to take a little walk. It was a simple walk around my neighborhood but I thought some fresh air, sunshine on my face, and Joshua Radin on my ipod would make me feel a bit better.

*Bushes outside my apartment

*On my little walk a woman walked by me with a dog leash in one hand and a little baggie in the other. This was the FIRST person I've seen in Poland with a poop bag. Then around the corner in the park I saw this:

It translates to "dog pile" Love it!

Poland has turned over a new leaf! Maybe this year things will smell better when the snow thaws in the spring :) But for now I'm enjoying the sunny Fall days.

The Whitest Boy Alive

2010-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night I went to a concert with Lucy, her husband, and friend Kaja. We went and saw the band "The Whitest Boy Alive". They are a band popular and based out of Berlin and on the european scene. Lucy is convinced I need to get out more and experience Europe and I agree!

We had a lot of fun. Like any European evening out--going to just one place is never enough. Lucy and I dropped her car off at her house, met the group and headed to the 24 "non stop" alcohol shop near the metro. Here we shared a little vodka and started to feel the stress of the day fall off our shoulders. Then we took the metro downtown and stopped for a drink at one of their friends bars. It was a beautiful evening, so we enjoyed our next round of drinks outside.

After meeting up with another friend, we hopped into 2 taxis and drove across the river to Praga. Apparently the taxi driver was hilarious and entertained Lucy and Kaja for the entire ride. Lucy kept translating from time to time how funny he was. I guess at one point he asked why I was so quiet and told me it was okay to let loose a little since it was after 9pm. The best part of the ride was when we were driving down a small street and had to turn around because a black cat had crossed our path----It was a full moon that night and I guess our driver was a bit superstitious. :)

Then we arrived at the concert. It was in an old Vodka Factory and was a super cool venue for a concert. On the main floor there were two bars, and rooms with a stage and floor to ceiling bookcase full of books. The whole place was new but looked old. I really liked it. Then upstairs was the main stage--where you couldn't drink or smoke (sweet!)

The concert itself was fun--mellow with a little sway dancing to go along with it. It was fun to be out and surrounded with people. The band members are total nerds and that adds to their uniquness and sound. Just a couple of guys up there jaming together.

*Bottle room---Lucy feeling creative. Kaja told me the bottles used to be filled with the kind of alcohol that strips the feathers off chickens.

* We had fun during our bathroom break. The bathroom is set up to look like a train. It was so clever...

*Jumping pictures in the bathroom. Lucy finally got one of me:) Like I always say, "It's all in the photographer"

At the end of the show Lucy, Kaja, and I sat on the couches and people watched. We discussed the current styles and soon enough we were talking about the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Then I couldn't help laughing--that was it! I felt like I was at a Napoleon Dynamite costume party. The lead singer in the band was definatly rocking Napoleon glasses.

Floral print is back and apparently so is plaid. I'm not sure if plaid is really back, or if it's just worn by real "Whitest Boy Alive" fans. But the floral print is out of this world. I saw two girls with dresses with the floral print in my 5th grade school pictures. I am going to have to have my mom scan my old picture to show you all. It's too much! Floral and fanny packs---everyone needs to come here and see it for yourselves---then I can stop blogging about it every other week.

I heart Poland. I really will miss this place!

Sarah and Jeris' Wedding

2010-09-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

My quick trip to Portland for Sarah and Jeris' wedding was amazing. I am soooo glad I was able to make it out there and celebrate this special day with friends. It was a beautiful wedding. Sarah had put so much work and into her special day and everything was just perfect. She was absoluty stunning, the location was beautiful, the weather perfect, the food was delicious, the dancing was a nonstop party, the drinks were endless, and the family and friends were all in great spirit. Even her photographer was a ton of fun. And she loved us bridesmaids! She said we were the best group she's ever had and she wished she could rent us out as bridesmaids. :) We were all great friends and we have all been in our fair share of weddings----so we pretty much know the drill. At one point she even said 'everyone made pretty feet' and we all moved our feet to the perfect placements. She was shocked that we even knew what 'pretty feet' means. Like I said, we are old pros :)

I can't stop looking at the pictures from the weekend. And I can't wait to see the professional ones. Here are highlights from the night.

*Sarah and her grandma out on the dance floor

*Sarah is so creative and fun. She had a 'props' station where you could try on hats, mustaches, boas, etc. We had a blast!

*JAMS girls

*Brittany was unable to make it to the wedding so she was on the spoon. A tradition we Binas have (you remember last March when I was on the spoon at Vanessa and Travis wedding) As you can see--she had a lot of fun!

*Britt and some bubbly

*Sarah's vacation friends dancing with Brittany

Congratulations Sarah and Jeris! I love you!

Warsaw update

2010-09-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a quick trip home for Sarah and Jeris' wedding. It was a wonderful trip and a fantastic celebration. Pictures from the wedding to come...

Before heading to Portland I got to spend the afternoon with my parents and Brittany in Seattle. My parents and I walked around Greenlake with smoothies and then meet up with Brittany for happy hour and lunch at the Greenlake bar and grill. Two of my favorite things--and both of them things I didn't get to do this summer. After lunch we went to the mall and we all bought the same purse--cute right?

Other random updates:

*School has started and my kids are pretty cute. I have kids from all over the globe again--Poland, Vietnam, Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, India, America, Israel, Slovakia and England.

*Quote of the week: "Ms. Johnson do you have a husband?" No "So are you a kid??" No I'm a strange kind of adult :)I love the mind of a 6 year old. My friend Carly had a funny story in her Kindergarten class that kind of parrallels mine. When they came in one day and their class snails had had babies the kids asked, "Ms. Ellis, so which snails got married?"

*Zosia comes over for a visit.

*Body Balance/Flow and Body Pump hit Poland. I am very happy to report that my Gold's Gym has started the Body Pump and Body Balance classes. I love these classes and take them when I'm in PT with my mom. It's funny to take them in Polish. I like that each class is the same routine for a few months before it switches. This way I can learn the steps and can anticpate what's coming next. Today's instructor was this cute guy who of course rambles and teaches in Polish. Well I was right in the front today--directly in front of hime-- and he kept saying things as we would hold the pose. Things like "keep holding it, we are almost there" and "can you feel it in your legs?" (Of course this is what I imagine he was saying---truth is I couldn't understand anything except "a little warm now?") Apparently I was nodding along like I knew what he was saying and Carly behind me couldn't stop laughing. :) Just another small adventure....

*Vodka popsicles! When we got back to Warsaw it was still pretty hot and Carly remembered she had a popsicle making kit. Then we had the great idea to add vodka to the juice and the brilliant idea of vodka popsicles were born. We made 2 batches during those first weeks of meetings and school. They were absolutly delicious!

*New flower boxes on my patio. I have always wanted more flowers on my patio so before we turned in our rental car after our Polish road trip, Carly and I went to the Polish version of Home Depot and bought tons of new flowers and hanging boxes. These pictures are hard to see, but my patio looks beautiful!

Polish Road Trip

2010-08-22T09:22:00.001-07:00

After arriving back in Warsaw Michelle, Carly and I took a little trip up to the Polish Lakes. It was nice to see a new part of Poland and it was super hot when we returned so it was nice to be in a place where we could cool off in the lake.

We rented a car and had an interesting time learning the rules of the road. Driving in Poland is completely different than any place else I've ever been. In the city is normal, but when you head out of town on the 1 lane highways all rules vanish. The speed limits are just suggestions and passing is absolutly crazy. There were multiple times when an oncoming car was still in the process of passing when I would have to move over into the shoulder. And this was normal and in fact expected! Most of the drive was spent driving half in the road and half in the shoulder so cars could pass all around us. After a while I kind of got used to it and started passing big trucks---but it was wild! Mom you would have never made it through that drive :)

The start of our trip to the lakes was a bit rocky. Things weren't turning out quite how we had expected, but soon we were having fun and relaxing on the beach. It always takes a little bit to adjust to being a foreigner again. Communication is so easy in the States and misunderstands are easy to fix. Being back in Poland demands a little more patience and flexibility.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

*Driving in Poland is crazy---this picture doesn't even come close to capturing this experience! Do you see the big truck coming?! Too many close calls for my liking.

*Old Town Square

*Relaxing at the Polish lakes. It was fun to see a new side of Poland--people with tans, tatoos and bathing suits. Although not everyone wears bathing suits--I mean we've adjusted to the "European" bathing suit look, but in Poland you also see a lot of people literally in their underware---not the best look. But we had a fun time people watching and laughing!

*Fresh fish! Magda recommended this little restuarant in the next town over. It was wonderful. You sat on a dock right on the lake and the fish was fresh and caught that day from their very own dock! We couldn't read the menu so Carly and I just picked a different type of fish. Hers came with the head still on it so I helped her remove it (Dad you would have been proud!) Both of our meals were amazing!

Ameryka in Poland? Only 1 mile long--who knew people could have the address Ameryka, Poland :)

It was a great trip before heading back to school for meetings and prep time.

Summer Shenanigans--East Coast Style

2010-08-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

*The Big Apple--I was in NYC for a week Reading Conference at Teacher's College. I learned a lot and have a lot to bring back to the classroom this year.

*Dunkirk, New York--Michelle's hometown tour #1--my first visit to one of the Great Lakes--beautiful Lake Erie

*Niagara Falls--we took the Maid of the Mist boat ride and had a blast! We got soaked!

*Boston and Rockport with Carly--hometown tour #2

*Flying into Seattle to a beautiful sunset---pictures couldn't capture it!

Time Traveler

2010-08-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back in Warsaw. It's a good, but strange feeling. I feel like I am a time traveler. I jump between two completely different lives. Carly said it's like we are Harry Potter--we just run through the wall and poof we are in a whole new world. I wish it were as easy as running through a magic wall, but it is still werid how I can start my day out in San Fran with my parents and then end up at my apartment in Poland.

Here's what I've been up to in the last 48 hours:

*watched Date Night and Night at the Museum on the airplane--started Funny Girl (never seen it)
*talked for a little bit with my chatty seat neighbor (I was happy to get my last dose of English from a talkative stranger)
*slept for a few hours--it was awesome!
*arrived in Europe to the land of super skinny jeans, fancy shoes, men in pink, and no baseball hats anywhere.
* ate some yummy noodles at a noodle bar in the London airport
*read my great new book Racing in the Rain--it's fabulous--really cute!
*took a taxi home and jumped right back into speaking Polish
*had a small breakdown while climbing into bed. I pulled something out of my suitcase and it smelled like the Twain Harte cabin. I guess it hit me that I'm back in 'this life'.
*woke up from 4-5:30 am--but then feel back asleep until 10
*went to the store, got more minutes for my phone, and updated my bus pass
*went to lunch with Michelle--while at lunch the following songs played; GhostBusters, One Night in Bankok, Jitterbug, I Just Called to Say I Love You. Hilarious right?! I just love Poland--such simple things crack me up. We stayed so long we heard the 'tape' twice. Ha!
*did a load of laundry--and hung it out to dry. I will miss you dryer...
*Unpacked a little--put away my clothes (many of which I never wore this summer--whoops)
*visited with Magda and Zo Zo on my patio
*watched an episode of My Boys--why did that show go away for a year or two? Werid!
*boiled 3 eggs

Now it's 7:10pm and I'm fading. I have to stay up for a few more hours. Maybe I'll give one of you lucky readers a call. It is good to be back.

Weddings and a shower

2010-08-05T18:48:00.001-07:00

My summer wouldn't be complete without at least 3-4 wedding events to attend. I was so luck to be in town for 3 beautiful events. Coquille and Severin's wedding in Port Townsend, Sarah's bridal shower in Portland, and Michelle and Chris' wedding in New York. I was sad to miss Greg and Brittany's wedding--I know it was a beautiful celebration as well.

Coquille and Serverin's wedding was just perfect. I love Port Townsend weddings. Nothing beats them. Everyone comes together and makes the event so special. Family friends arranging the flowers, cooking the fish, setting up the party hall---it's just amazing. The wedding was special, the dancing was fun, the family and friends were a treat to visit with, and the food was amazing (her dad grew all the greens and potatoes himself. And the salad was the best one I've ever had!!) Oh and I caught the bouquet....

*Beautiful bride

*Old first grade friends

*Coquille and Severin

The next weekend I headed down to Portland to celebrate Sarah's bridal shower. Her aunt hosted a spectacular shower filled with great company, yummy food, fancy drinks, and fun crafts. All of the Binas were in town so we also used this weekend to have a little bachelorette party for Sarah at the new Piano Bar in town (you all know how much the Binas love piano bars.)

*The Binas!

*Fun at the bridal shower

*Annalise and Sarah- I still think we could get into a twin convention :)

*Jumping in Portland

In July I flew East to celebrate Michelle and Chris--my Warsaw friends. They had a beautiful wedding in Dunkirk, NY right against Lake Erie. It was a beautiful setting and a celebration that was years in the making! I'm so glad Carly, AM, and I were able to be there to celebrate their special day. Plus it was great to meet her friends and family I've been hearing so much about.

*Michelle and Chris

*Jumping with new friends

*Tony's Angels

Summer Shenanigans "West Coast Style"

2010-08-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I know...it's been a month since I updated my blog. I've been enjoying my summer in the U.S.A. and I've been quite busy. Now I'm in beautiful Twain Harte, California at my family's cabin enjoying a glass of wine and I finally have time to update you all on my summer shenanigans. This is part 1- the west coast. Part 2- East coast is coming soon.

*Jumping with Jan in Port Townsend(almost got one)

*Old and new friends

*Orcas Island! I love my visits to Camp Murray where I get to visit with Amy, Kinnan, Lyla and Mona. It's so relaxing and amazing up there. Walks around the lake, swims before dinner, fresh greens and raspberries from the garden, fresh caught crab, boat rides, warm homemade muffins in the morning, deer and chickens in the front yard, nap time each day, and the cutest family in the world. I want to be Amy when I grow up!

*Why did I ever move?! I live in the most beautiful place in the world!

*Darts at Jeff's

*My first bulls-eye!

*Random bat in the house. Thom and Caitlin come to the rescue...

*Sara and Erica visit Port Townsend! We celebrated Sara's birthday with massages, walks on the beach, a visit to the bunkers, a stroll through the park, yummy breakfast, and their first ever taste of Waterfront Pizza! PS. They loved it!!

*Cute Oliver out in the garden

Paperboys Show

2010-06-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

I think I've found the best cure to jet leg---go to a Paperboys show! I landed in sunny Seattle at 6pm on Saturday. I was greeted by friends Sara, Erica and Justin and we had 3 hours to kill before heading to Ballard for a Paperboys concert. We decided to go to a happy hour at the Ivar's Salmon House right on Lake Union. It was just perfect. Great food, great drinks, great friends, great views. I was so happy to be home!

The best part of my night was of course the Paperboys show and my 12 friends/family who greeted me there. It was the best homecoming yet! I was tired at happy hour and my body was adjusting from being on an airplane for 12 hours, but once I got to the show and the music started I caught my second wind and danced the night away. As you all know, Paperboys shows are my favorite. It just makes me so happy. I was surprised I stayed awake so long. I didn't get to bed until 3am. I slept well and woke up on Sunday feeling good. I've been home 2 days and I feel good. Best jet leg experience yet. Here are some pictures from the night. It was great to see everyone...

Johnson kids together again!

Cousins!

Rosie, Courtney, Brittany

Coquille, Severin, Sara

SMM friends- Erica, Sara, Sue (Justin was nowhere to be found)

Summer time!

2010-06-10T09:06:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe the school year is over. My 6th year of teaching is hours away from being complete. Blows my mind!! This year was one of my favorites. As a teacher I am only getting better and better and my class this year was a pretty awesome group of kids. I felt a part of the community this year and enjoyed seeing my old students roaming the halls each day, too.

Here is a picture of us at our end of the year picnic/field trip---cutties huh?

Silly picture...

I'm excited to come home on Saturday and can hardly believe I'll be with my family and friends again. I'm looking forward to so much! I'm sure a list will be coming soon.

Back to packing.....

Kaszuba Time

2010-06-07T10:12:00.001-07:00

On Saturday night Carly and I hosted a bachelorette party for Michelle who is getting married this July. It was a great night! We started at my apartment where we ate Michelle's favorite foods, drank on the patio, and sang some karaoke.

*Cherrios, margheritta pizza, grilled cheese, pretzels, rice cakes, and fries---all of Michelle's favorites!

A little Karoke before hitting the town. Made me homesick for my old SMM staff. We used to always busted out the Karaoke machine at those staff parties. :)

After a little party at my place we jumped into some taxis and headed downtown. We went to this great club that played awesome music. The best we've heard in Warsaw. We spent the night dancing to our favorite songs. Below are some pictures of us downtown, including my top 3 favorites of the night.

We are so Polish now---we ordered a bottle of vodka for the table on ice. A first for us!

Me and my Polish teacher Kasia

#3- We heart the DJ. Carly and I being silly like always...

#2- I love to take people's accessories on the dance floor. Looking good in some new shades....

#1 Picture of the Night- Carly about to grab some fanny----packs! Not one, but two! This is what we have to work with ladies. Oh dear....

It was a great last weekend out in Warsaw before we all head home for the summer. Congratulations Kashoobs!

Thunderstorms

2010-06-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

I think I might just blow away tonight. The weather in Warsaw right now is crazy. It's warm and muggy all day long. Usually overcast, but somedays nice and sunny. By the afternoon the wind begins to pick up and the clouds start to get darker. Then by 8:00 it is a full blown storm with terenchial downpour, strong winds, lightning and very loud thunder. (Carly and I actually screamed on the walk home when the thunder was directly above us---seconds after the lightning) I feel like I'm in the movie the Wizard of Oz. The storm lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours! Tonight Carly and I got stuck in it--moments before entering our apartment complex. I had to run the last 3 minutes into my apartment and got COMPLETELY soaked in the process (with my new umbrella). It's werid to run in the rain in a skirt and t-shirt. Warm storms are kind of my favorite, though. (My hair would disagree with you!)

I hope the storms stay away this Saturday. Carly and I are having a bacheolorette party for Michelle at my place and we are counting on the balcony for good party space.

Zo Zo

2010-05-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

I had to post this picture. It is too cute not to share with everyone. Isn't she just adorable?! I mean look at those arms....

This is Zosia, Magda's baby for those of you who don't know. My new favorite picture of her.

Flooding in Poland

2010-05-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

"About 100,000 people have been told to flee Warsaw after the river that runs through Poland's capital burst its banks. High waters have already killed 12 people throughout the country and caused the Vistula River to overflow its banks on Sunday.
Floodwaters have softened walls running along the river, prompting authorities to close 220 schools and many nearby streets. On Monday, water reached the second floors of some buildings." --MSNBC News

The flooding is getting pretty scary. My school has not been shut down and is far from the river. Families at our school who live on the other side of the river, however, are effected. I was running at the gym tonight and watching the images on the Polish news channel. It is pretty crazy and hard to believe. There is water everywhere and towns literaly under water. They showed images of police and military carrying old men and women to saftey and even a few children. They also showed a lot of dogs being rescued. Just thinking of Oliver and Olympia in that situation made me start to tear up. It has been raining in Poland for weeks now but most of the damage seems to be from the broken levies.

I hope things start to get better soon.

Vanessa and Travis' Wedding

2010-05-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Back in March two wonderful friends got married on our college campus. The place where they met and started a wonderful friendship. I wasn't able to make it back to Portland for the big day, but I was there in spirit and on a spoon. :) I'm not sure how the idea all started, but a few years back when one of the Binas wasn't at an important reunion, we cut out a picture and taped her to a spoon. And from there a wonderfully silly tradition started.

*Vannessa and Travis- true soulmates

*My beautiful Binas

*Looks like I had quite the night! I am so lucky to have such great friends who make sure I'm included even when I live so far away. These pictures make me smile, tear up and laugh!

*Riding Bill Reed's cart back from Mehling Hall

What a wonderful celebration. I can't wait to see the Bina's this summer in Portland! I'm one lucky lady!

Random Notes

2010-05-12T03:47:00.000-07:00

Cześć everyone-

Spring is cruising by here in Warsaw. I can't believe that I'll be home in 1 month from TODAY!! Yahoo! 21 school days left--it's hard to believe my 2nd year in 1st grade is nearly over.

Here's what I've been up to:

*At the end of April when the weather was really nice, I would start off my weekend mornings in the sun on my favorite patio chair. I would crawl out of bed, make a fruit salad and some tea, and head out to my patio to read some of the final Harry Potter book (yes I still haven't finished this series---I'm so close!)

*Polish Kapusta! The cabbage is huge here! It's a very popular Polish vegetable and I bought my first bundle the other day. I made my mom's delicious cabbage salad and had left overs for days! (There is still some kapusta in my fridge 2 weeks later!)

* I started reading the book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle again. I just LOVE it! For those of you who haven't picked it up before, I recommend it! It is making me slow down and enjoy the present moment. It makes me less stressed and keeps me grounded. Things in school that used to drive me crazy and make me feel anxious and frustrated, now don't. It's really awesome! There are also podcasts on i-tunes with Oprah and the author where they discuss each chapter. :)

*Zosia is 6 months old! She is super adorable. I love when I get to spend time with her and Magda.

*I've been biking to school when the weather isn't gross, gray and wet. It feels so good to workout both before and after school. What a great release! Today I rode to school in the sun. It was just perfect out. The wind was blowing against me the ENTIRE time and made me work twice as hard. It took nearly 30 minutes for my face to cool from red to a normal color again.

*I got my first flat tire a few weeks ago on the ride home from school. (There is glass everywhere!) I decided to fix it myself and after a trip to the bike shop, and a few YouTube videos, I successfully taught myself how to change and repair my rear tire. I was so proud of myself!

* The other day I got caught in the rain and thunder during the last 5 minutes of my ride. I arrived at my apartment soaked only to find out the power was out in the entire complex. I was in bed by 8:45--not much to do by yourself in the dark. :)

* A new look-- I've always wanted to try the big belt look and so the other day I purchased a cute red belt. Here is a picture I took of myself the first time I tried it on. Later in the week I wore it out to a friends' baby shower. I felt good, I got compliments, I think I pulled it off. :)

*I've been making plans for the summer and I just can't wait to be home. I'll be home the ENTIRE summer! June 12-August 7th. I'll be in PT, Seattle, Portland, NYC, Boston, and Twain Harte. Tons of great plans and tons of time to see everyone I love and miss!

Spring Break in Zakopane, Poland

2010-05-01T02:18:00.000-07:00

We love tulips in Holland!!

Just kidding---we never left Poland!

Amsterdam and the tulip fields will have to wait. Due to the volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajoekull, we were stranded in Poland. All the major airports were shut down, including Warsaw. We made the best of our Spring Break trip being cancelled and hopped on a train. We went to the southern border of Poland, to the Tatra Mountains. Zapokane is a big skiing town in the winter and is a great place to hike in the spring and summer. It was on my list of places to see before leaving Poland. It is a beautiful, small mountain town. It reminded me a lot of Leavenworth in Washington. Cute little shops and restaruants where everything, even the McDonald's, had a wooden cabin like look to it. We stayed in a nice cabin ourselves right between the train station and the downtown.

Wooden church and cemetery

We took a lift up to Kasprowy Wierch, a popular skiing slope. The cable car took us up and up for 10 minutes! I've never been up so high in my life. When we reached the top we were shocked! We were at the very top of the mountain and there were people skiing and hiking all around us. The view was spectacular! Like nothing I've seen before. We had no idea skiing was still happening at the end of April. But the sun was out and everyone was enjoying the late ski season.

Since we didn't have the right clothes to hike up in the snowy mountains, we had a nice hike through the valley. It was nice to be outside with the mountains around us and a small river running beside us. It was so green and reminded me of home. At the end there was a little hostel and we sat and enjoyed a piwo and a slice of apple pie.

This Spring Break trip ended up being just what I needed. It was a nice slow pace with lots of room for reading and relaxing.

A Polish Tragedy

2010-04-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

I am not sure how to begin to write about the events that have taken place in Poland during the past 3 days. Poland is in a state of shock and disbelief. Everyone, however, seems to be coming together to mourn this horrible tragedy. It's honestly beyond comprehension what took place on Saturday. The Polish president along with 95elite polish leaders perished in that plane crash. Poland's tragic history has become present once again. This is a year and a moment that Poles along with expats living in Poland will remember forever.

I was in Krakow over the weekend and heard the horrible news around 10am, just over an hour after the crash. We turned on the news immediately and watched in horror as they showed live footage of the plane crash site. It has been hard to be an illiterate spectator throughout the unfolding of this tragedy. All the newspapers, radio, and t.v. information is of course in Polish. I was in shock like everyone else, but unable to get real information. But even though the reporting was in a foreign language we still couldn't pull ourselves away from the t.v. When they showed the pictures of the people who died in the crash you didn't have to speak Polish to feel the magnitude of sadness and heart break.

Another hard part to grasp is the irony of it all. The tragic death of President Lech Kaczynski and Poland's political and military elite among the trees of the Katyn Forest is surreal, given that in those same woods, thousands of Polish prisoners of war were murdered by Joseph Stalin's secret police. In 1940, Stalin ordered the assassination of Poland's military and political leaders in order to create a leadership vacuum so he could prop up a Communist puppet state in Warsaw. On Saturday, the airplane was on it's way to the Kaytn Forrest to honor the 70th anniversary of this horrible massacre. Many of those killed in Saturday's plane crash helped to overturn Soviet Communism in Poland in 1990. They included Poland's top generals, several bishops, the head of the national bank and several deputy government ministers. In 2007 there was a movie made to tell the story of the Katyn Massacre. I've been wanting to see it since I moved here and learned the horrible history of the 1940 massacre. Now it will mean a lot more.

When we arrived back in Warsaw on Sunday evening we walked straight to the palace to light our candles. We had missed the procession of his body through the streets of Warsaw by only 20 minutes, so the streets were packed with people. It has been estimated that 100,000 people have visited the Presidential Palace in the past 3 days. It was extremely crowded by the palace and we were unable to place our candles there. We went over to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider where there were also people gathering to pay their respects. There are flowers and candles all throughout the city. I've never seen anything like it.

Interim Polish President Bronisław Komorowski declared a week of national mourning and this morning we started off our school day with a minute of silence. Our morning meeting was a little different today and my students each shared how they were feeling. At school today you started to feel how close to home it is to some families and friends. Poland has not only lost a President, but close friends and family members too. One of my students has a friend who lost a grandfather in the crash and the priest/family friend who baptized Magda's baby Zosia was also aboard the plane.

It is another sad moment in Polish history.

Dear Ms. Johnson

2010-04-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

I am on a short break from a long list of student-led-conferences. It is spring conference time already and this year I am loving it! The kids are leading the conference---they are doing all the talking, explaining and reflecting. My hard work is over. I got them prepared for the conference, I made them reflect on their learning and now it's time to sit back and be a proud teacher. My kids are doing so well! I am beyond proud of them. The are so cute talking about the strategies they use when they get to a hard word, or the things they are proud of/want to improve. Their favorite part seems to be when they get to show their parents the Morning Meeting(calendar) on the ActivBoard. Plus the parents are beyond impressed to see their little one up on that big board moving things around. :)

I've been talking with Ms. Nina in between conferences and together we just came up with the best idea. I was sitting in the conference of one of my Korean boys and he was explaining something to his mother in Korean. I sat there thinking about how incredible it is that this 7 year old can go back and forth between English and Korean. Then I started to wonder where he would be later in life. I would love to have a way to keep track of my former students. I was telling this to Nina when she suddenly said, "You should create a blog or something?!" Then we talked it over and came up with the "Dear Ms. Johnson" blog idea. I could create a blog/website where my former students could log in and post a letter/update. They could post pictures, tell me about what they are doing, etc. ---it would be awesome! Now this is a new idea, but I think it could be pretty amazing. Dear Ms. Johnson---I love it! Thoughts? I still need to work a few things out, but I'm excited!

Here are some pictures of my little ones practicing for their conference:

Palm Sunday

2010-03-28T11:57:00.001-07:00

Today was a lovely day in Warsaw. I started off my morning not hungover or tired (I stuck to my 2 beer plan last night and got plenty of sleep!) I sat at my table with the sun shinning onto my face as I enjoyed warm cinnamon rolls (no I didn't make them), seedless green grapes, and a big cup of tea. As I sat enjoying my breakfast I couldn't help think of Gramma Helen. She would have loved all those things, too.

After breakfast I got ready to head downtown to Old Town. There was an Easter Market in the square and I wanted to check it out. Today was also Palm Sunday, and in Poland Palm Sunday is a big deal. Everyone was out and about with their families--and everyone was carrying their colorful palms. I love this day in Poland.

The market was cute and had lots of neat crafts, pottery, jewelry, knitt goodies, and of course tons of yummy polish food. It was fun to wander around in the sun and be a part of the livelihood. People were in skirts, light jackets, flat shoes, open toed heals, and 1 out of every 5 people had a lody(ice cream) in their hand. Warsaw has unthawed and I am so grateful for this Spring energy. Today was also the Warsaw Half Marathon--the race ended at the start of Old Town so there were also big tents, balloons, and music playing to encourage all the runners.

New fresh flowers

This year and last years palms

Some of my eggs....getting ready for Easter

It was a wonderful day in Warsaw. I can't believe April is this week! Time is flying by. April is going to fly by for me because I have travel plans EVERY weekend. This upcoming weekend--Easter Weekend--I will take the train 5 hours to the beautiful town of Wroclaw. Then April 9-11, I'll be in Krakow enjoying the spring some more. April 17-24 is my Spring Break and the girls and I are going to bike around the tulips in Holland and enjoy a few days in Amsterdam. The last weekend in April is a 3day weekend and we are going to fly to Coopenhagen.

Stay tuned for pictures......

Paris, France

2010-03-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Paris was spectacular! It was just how I imagined it would be. Friendly people, beautiful language, bread, cheese, wine, champagne, espresso, museums, parks, artists along the river.....it is a beautiful place that I would love to return to at some point. For this trip it was just Carly and myself. I wanted to treat myself to Paris for my 28th birthday and Carly hadn't been since she was 10 years old.

We had 3 full days of walking around, eating incredible food, and visiting all the 'must sees' in the city. Rick Steves, our favorite travel guide, also tagged along and we took a few of his 'walks' through the cute streets of Paris. It was a fun filled weekend.

Eiffel Tower-- I was mesmorized by the massive 1,063 foot, 7,300 tons of metal tower that sits in the west of the city. We weren't sure if we wanted to go all the way to the top, but I'm glad we did. What an incredible feeling---standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower. (They also had a bathroom at the top so know I can say I peed at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris!) The lines were long, and you had to change elevators at the 2nd level, but it was worth the wait. I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to handle the elevators, but once we started to go up, the views were so incredible you forgot to be scared.

Notre Dame-- This church is also massive and takes your breath away. The exterior alone is impressive. Inside was crowded and hard to move around. Sunday mass was starting in an hour and they had parts of the church closed off to visitors. Still an incredible place to stand.

One of the Ricky walks we took was in the Montmartre district. Up on this hill lived monks stomping grapes (1200s), farmers grinding grain in windmills (1600s), dust-coated gypsum miners (1700s), Parisian liberals (1800s), Modernist painters (1900s) and all the struggling artists, poets, dreamers, and drunkards who came to this district for cheap rent, untaxed booze, rustic landscapes, and cabaret nightlife. On this walk we saw artist's old houses and studios, cafes and cabarets where they would frequenct, and a few remaining windmills. We started out at the Sacre-Coeur Basillica where it was crowded but then moved into the side streets where you began to fell like a local out for an afternoon stroll. Here are some pictures from our walk.

Sacre-Coeur Basilica--the church on the hill

St. Denis- story says on the walk to be executed for spreading Christianity the Roman soliders got tired of walking and beheaded him in the street. Denis picked his head up and carried it another three miles before he died. All the statues and paintings of St. Denis show him holding his head in his hands.

Picasso's Studio/Apartment

Vincent van Gogh's House

Moulin Rouge

On the streets of Paris--- artists, cheese, sunsets......

Louvre Museum-- On our last afternoon Carly and I spend a few hours at the incredible Louvre Museum. The day before we went to the Pompidou Museum of Modern Art. We didn't have time to see the Orsay Museum with the Impressionist art--maybe on my next trip. The Louvre is the old royal palace. It is HUGE! It holds over 30,000 works of art. Take the art out and the building alone is impressive. We focused on one wing and saw many great pieces of art. The Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samorothrace, a jewled crown worn by Louis XV and XVI, and Napoleon, Liberty Leading the People, The Marriage at Cana, and of course the Mona Lisa.

Another incredible trip and a great way to kick off my 28th year!

The Canary Islands

2010-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Carly, Michelle and I just enjoyed a wonderful week on the island of Lanzarote. It was a the perfect get-away from the harsh Warsaw winter. We stayed in the south of the island in Playa Blanca. We spent our time relaxing on the beach, reading books, warming up in the much needed sun, enjoying fruity drinks and exploring the island. We rented a car for 2 days and drove around the island taking in the unique enivornment.

There are more than 300 volcanoes sprinkled throughout the island and between 1730 and 1736 continuous volcanic erruptions occured, transforming the face of Lanzarote. This long eruptive process is one of the most relevant and spectacular in the Earth's volcanic history. As we drove around the island we saw that a large majority of the land was covered with volcanic rock. Along the road, what looked like turned up soil from a distance, was in fact layers and layers of volcanic rock. There were volcanoes everywhere you looked, catcus in some regions, and craters. It looked like images I've seen of the moon. It was wild! A very unique island, indeed.

Along the coast we found many gorgeous beaches and viewpoints.

El Golfo-

Playa Blanca--our part of town

Playa Papagayo--a peaceful little cove

We took a ferry to the island of Fuerteventura on our last day:

One of the best views we had of the volcanoes and craters was at the National Park- Timanfaya. It was truely a remarkable experience. You are allowed to drive into the park, but then you must take a guided tour through the winding roads that lead you around the stark land. On the bus we drove upto the multi-colored volcanoes, looked into the craters, and enjoyed the desert-like moonscape with the villages and sea in the distance. The ground is so hot in the park that you can create geyers by putting water into holes in the ground and the local restaurant cooks it's food from the natural heat.

It was a wonderful trip and just what I needed to head into Spring.

Update

2010-02-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Poland is experiencing quite the Winter. Every Polish person you talk to will tell you this is the most intense winter in years. I've even heard people say it's the harshest Winter since 1978.?? I'm actually managing quite well. There are mountains of snow everywhere---it's up to my hips in places! Today was the first time it got above 30F since returning from the US. I'm trying to make the best of it and still get out there. I have Lucy to thank for that! She's always planning fun nights out. Here we are all bundled up---you should see the things we have to check at the coat check :)

*Cute little Zosia in the baby scarf I knit.

*Getting ready for the Canary Islands on Saturday. I got some funny looks on the walk home from the spa. One security guard even stopped me and pointed confused at my feet. I did my best to explain in Polish....

*On Valentine's Day I started my morning at a local art show at the Sheraton Hotel, finally saw Avatar with Carly and AM, ate a wonderful pizza dinner, and bought myself some pretty tulips.

Berlin- Last Thursday-Saturday I was in Berlin with a group of teachers for an Activboard training. It was a great group, a good training, and great to see Berlin again---this time in the snow.

Mardi Gras

2010-02-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

*Last weekend we had an early Mardi Gras party. Our teacher/DJ friend "DJ Nie Rozumiem" played at a local polish pub. We came in our masks, beads, and boas. The locals thought we were a bit crazy at first, but then they joined in on the fun. Some Polish girls actually beat Carly and I to the dance floor. Here are some pictures from the night. A big welcome to Mark G. who finally made it on Annalise Abroad. :)

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

2010-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing since I arrived back in Warsaw. It is just beautiful! The snow just keeps piling up and it is still soft powder. You can't even make a snow ball it is so soft. Warsaw is pretty prepared for snow and the roads have been no problem. Walking to the bus, however, is interesting. You should see the gear I put on just to get to school---leg warmers, 2 pairs of socks, welly boots, scarf, hat, gloves, coat.... ASW has never closed school due to snow (boo) so I guess we just have to adjust and enjoy.

This weekend I finally played in the snow a little bit with Carly. Here are some fun snow pictures taken outside our house.....

Playing with my kids at school.....

Look at all that snow!!!

The view from outside the classroom looking in...

2009 Highlights

2010-01-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Jessica always ends the year with a little review. I have always loved the idea, and like her, love lists. So here are some of my 2009 highlights....

*traveled to Ireland, a place I've always wanted to visit
*finished my first year teaching 1st grade
*started my 2nd year of International Teaching
*celebrated 2 new babies in the O'Neil family (although I still have to meet them)
*spent time in Portland with the Binas at Lisa and Tyler's wedding
*learned to love vodka
*taught many new friends how to basketball dance
*another great O'Neil gathering and Cody and Rachel's wedding in Olympia
*went to Africa for the first time
*went to a Madonna concert with Abby, Carly, and Michelle
*spent 3 wonderful weeks traveling with my parents in Europe
*learned how to give directions to taxi drivers in Polish
*wrapped up the year with the Paperboys and their biggest fans
*spread the joy of jumping pictures
*turned 27
*spent a night with old 1st grade friends and our moms
*watched 2 great friends become wonderful mothers
*kissed a boy who wore a fanny pack
*coached a middle school girls soccer team, and traveled to Istanbul, Turkey
* fell in love with sushi
*spent a great weekend on the beach with Abby, Nicole, and Marina
*started a recycling program in the elementary school at ASW
*met Shannon in Portugal
*kept my blog updated

Thanks for sharing 2009 with me. Here's to a great 2010!

Bus Admirer

2010-01-05T23:11:00.000-08:00

Today the funniest thing happened on the way to school. It was freezing walking to the bus stop today...and I mean windy and -10---freezing! After waiting a bit in the winter weather, we hop on the 710 bus. On the bus are some of our regular friends- Waldo and Pushy McFee. Waldo nods hello and we continue on our way to school. As I get off the bus at school Waldo walks up to me and starts to show me something. He holds up a bag and pulls out a cat calendar. "Beautiful," I say in Polish (he seemed very proud of it). Then he puts it back in his bag and hands the whole bag to me. "For me?" I gesture. He nods. "Dziekuje" I say back. Then he pulls it back out and points to the two cats--he touches the white one and points to me, then he touches the tan cat and points to Carly. Ha! I'm white and she's tan! Inside the bag was also two huge chocolate bars. How sweet! Waldo gave us a Christmas present. Our very first bus friend. (Remember that post last year? Oh the Bus ) And the sweetest thing about it all is that he was probably carrying it around with him for the past 3 weeks, waiting to see us.

So we wished him a happy new year and went our separate ways. But really---it was the funniest thing ever! Who would have thought.....

San Diego

2009-12-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I spend a wonderful 4 days with Abby, Marina, and Nicole in San Diego. It was just perfect! The weather, company, food, beach---everything was just what I needed. I was so surprised how warm it was. It was 75-78 and sunny everyday! We rented a cute studio apartment 3 blocks from the beach. It had a nice patio, BBQ set, and 4 bikes for us to ride around on. We cooked great meals, caught up on the patio, and rode our bikes to the beach every morning. It was great to feel the sun on my back, eat fish tacos, drink good beer, and look out at the ocean again!

Wrapping up 2009 in Warsaw

2009-12-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

So I just found this post. I forgot to write about my 2009 wrap up. Oh well---here are the 2 pictures I started to post.

My cute kiddos during our Polar Express Pajama/Popcorn/Hot Chocolate Party

Goodbye Mariana. She is moved to the Dominican Republic and I will miss her. She was in my class last year and comes by almost every morning this year to say good morning. Cutie pie (she's in the white)

Thanksgiving and Dusseldorf, Germany

2009-12-05T07:45:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful again this year. This year the 'old newbies' decided to rent out a cafe for our Thanksgiving celebration. It was such a great idea! Many of the teachers live near and regularly frequent Four Corners Cafe. After talking with the owner, he agreed to close his cafe early for us, cook our turkey, and provide mashed potatoes, bread, and salads. We brought a variety of side dishes and it was a wonderful feast. I of course brought GG's Tex Mex Dip and it was enjoyed by all. I missed my family, but was happy to celebrate with my friends here in Warsaw.

Thanksgiving Weekend- Dusseldorf, Germany

Carly, Kaszubs, AM, and I flew to Dusseldorf to jump start our holiday spirit. We were also excited to see a German Christmas Market. Dusseldorf was a cute city and was all decorated for the holidays. It defiantly got me in the holiday mood. We walked around the 6 markets scattered around Old Town, drank hot chocolate and spiced wine, and stopped in for a beer when we got too cold. It was a fun weekend. The shopping wasn't as exciting as we had hoped for, but we had a great time.

Yummy treats

Hot Chocolate break--and you get to keep the cup!

Enjoying some spiced wine while looking over the market guidebook

Happy Holidays!!!

I love my job!

2009-11-23T06:09:00.001-08:00

I am just so happy at work! My kids are absolutely wonderful. They are excited to learn new things, enthusiastic about sharing new ideas, good friends to each other----and they teach me something new each day! I'm one lucky lady.

I wish you could all fly over here and meet them. They are super cute and make me laugh every single day!! I love this time of the year because this is when they begin to take off. All that modeling, and patience pays off!! They begin to read, write using spaces, work independently, and take pride in their work!! (Can you tell I just wrote 19 report card comments? :)

:) Here are some pictures of my cute little ones!

Catching up....

2009-11-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been out of touch. I've been trying to adjust to this new weather. I don't like the fact that it starts to get dark at 3:00 each day. Nie dobrze. I'm also experiencing a bit of the Sophomore Slump--the newness is wearing off and there is still a long haul ahead. I don't mean to mislead everyone---I'm still having a great time living abroad!! I just need a little push to get through this winter.

On a more positive note---here are some of the amazing things I've been up to....

**Halloween- a group of us went out and danced it up at the Hard Rock

* My cute 1st graders

*Carly and Michael the cat. Have I told you about Michael our neighborhood cat? He lives next to Michelle and he LOVES her!! Michelle doesn't like cats, hence the name we picked for him, Michael. As we were drinking our Szarlotka's this Halloween night Michael jumped onto Michelle's balcony and began meowing at the door. Carly and I let him in for some snuggles.

*All Saints Day---a beautiful day in Poland where the cemeteries are decorated with flowers and lit with candles.

* Snow already?!

*30 years of Maranda. A group of us took a fun filled train ride to Poznan to celebrate Maranda's 30th birthday. We toured the Leck Beer Brewery and had a lovely night out on the town.

**My first milk bar experience. Polish milk bars, "bar mleczny," are a holdover from the Communist era, when the government subsidized low-fare diners for workers. Still a popular tradition today, I enjoyed my plate of pierogies, frytki, and kurczak for a whopping $3.

*Construction on my street Al. Wilanowska continues to get messy. This is the deathly path I have to cross each evening on my way home from school. I took this picture during the day---mind you I normally cross this mud bridge in the pitch black!!

**The planks to help us cross the muddy mess---are you kidding me?!

**I finished my first scarf! Isn't it pretty?! Thanks Mom for teaching me how to knit and thanks Daryl for tying off the final end.

Coming soon---a trip to Dusseldorf, Germany for the famous Christmas Markets.

and

Will Poland close down all schools due to the Swine Flu outbreak? Romania and Ukraine schools are shut down for 3 weeks. Today over 300 students were out sick at ASW. Yikes!

Stay tuned...... and stay healthy!

Friday Night--Warsaw style

2009-10-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

Friday night was Shannon's last night in Warsaw and we lived it up. After a lovely day in the Jewish district and pottery shopping we ended back at my house for some pre-funking. Shannon had to pack--so we made the best of it. We listening to the new Paperboys CD Sara had just sent in the mail and drank szarloka warmed on the stove. Szarlotka means apple pie in Polish and is a delicious vodka drink. Normally I drink it cold, but on this special occasion we warmed the apple juice on the stove, added some cinnamon and then topped it off with Zubrowka vodka. AMAZING!

After quite a few szarlokas it was time for a dance party. Normally I wouldn't post all these pictures, but I want to make sure Shannon sees them. So the rest of you can enjoy as well. :)

Beyonce's Single Ladies

Footloose

The Macarena

I Have To Pee Dance (my face is perfect because I had some practice earlier in the day. I had to pee for over an hour while in the Jewish district and we couldn't find a bathroom!)

Birthing the baby

Egyptian Massage

The Annalise and Shannon ??

After our dance party we were ready for the long haul to Pub Lolek. This pub is in the middle of a park and is not easy to get to. But it is totally worth it!! They have the best kielbasa in town. I was also happy that Shannon got to experience the live music and dancers in Poland. What an experience. The English songs they sing are just hysterical. The band opened with the song from Grease "You Better Shape Up." They also sang a song from Dirty Dancing "She's like the Wind' and this crazy, totally expressive guy danced. I am posting the link at the bottom of this post. It was so fantastic. The crowd also laughed every time the main singer said, "Sexy bitch." (you can also catch this towards the end of the video) I love Poland!

Yummy piwo, and kielbasa at Pub Lolek (Shannon likes that in Poland girls drink beer through a straw!)

Picture with the lead singer "Sexy Bitch" (Shannon made me!)

I'm so happy Shannon got to see my life here in Warsaw. Who's coming next?!

**The video won't upload. Sorry!

Portugal

2009-10-23T08:31:00.001-07:00

For my October break this year I met up with my good friend Shannon for a few delightful days in Lisbon, Portugal. Portugal is absolutely gorgeous! It was great to be on the water again, and to dust off the kapris and tank tops for one last time. The weather was just perfect!

Lisbon is a city amongst hills and water. Shannon and I stayed in a wonderful hostel in the downtown Baxia district. It was the perfect location and from here we were able to walk around the city and explore the 3 main neighborhoods. Baxia is the center of town and borders along the riverfront. Alfama is up on the hill and is home to the castle, cathedral,and some pretty incredible views. The Chiado and Bairro Alto is across town from the Alfama district on an even higher hill. This area of town was my personal favorite. In the Chiado was ruins of an old Convent. The convent, along with much of the city of Lisboa, was destroyed in the 1755 eathquake. In the Bairro Alto you wander uphill through streets filled with restaurants, bars, and shops. In the evening it is a favorite hot spot. We had 2 amazing dinners on this hill and listened to some great life music, including some local Fado music. The bars are tiny and the people pour out into the street to enjoy the evening together. A waiter from a town just outside of Lisbon described this area as, "A little Amsterdam." I've never been to Amsterdam (and I'm pretty sure it's not really the same), but I had a great time up in the Bairro Alto.

Lisboa!

Alfama district

Baxia District
Sintra- We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon in the cute town of Sintra. Sintra is home to many palaces and castles. We wondered in and out of some local shops, had a nice lunch, and then explored Pena Palace and the gardens. What an incredible palace! It felt like a fairy tale---high up on the hill with the view of the water all around....amazing!

Cabo da Roca- Most western spot in Europe---

Cascais- After our afternoon in Sintra we headed to Cascais just in time for the beautiful sunset and a delicious fish dinner.

Back in Lisboa......beautiful tiles on the sidewalks and buildings

Amazing beach!! We finally found our way out to the beach (a ferry ride and bus ride were needed to get there.) It was just heavenly. I listened to the crashing waves and some Michael Franti and soaked up the sun. That is until the dark clouds started to roll in. When the clouds started to come we headed to an opened beach hut for some pizza and sangria and some more relaxing on the beanbag like chairs. Pefect!

Belem- On Monday we took the train into the neighborhood of Belem. It took us a bit longer than expected because we got on the wrong train. We hopped on the first train heading west because there is only 1 train line that stops at towns along the river. What we didn't realize is that not ALL the trains stop at ALL the towns. We apparently got on an express train that passed right by the town of Belem. Whoops---luckily the train ticket guy understood and let us off the hook when we were riding back into Belem with expired tickets.

Belem was cute with a nice memorial on the river dedicated to all the Portuguese Discoveries, a gorgeous Monistary, and the best pastry shop in town. Belem is famous for these small 'cakes'---little bit size pastries. They sell over 10,000 a day! And they are AMAZING! You can pour on all the cinnamon and powdered sugar you want. They taste just like my mom's Christmas monring Blueberry French Toast (minus the blueberries). Mom you could be famous!!!

Last day in Lisbon--reading on the waterfront with San Francisco's cousin in the distance.

I would go back to Portugal in a heart beat. Plus there is so much more to explore!

Baby Zosia

2009-10-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

After school today I finally got to meet baby Zosia. She is soooo adorable! It was great to see Magda and to spend time with her and the new little one. Zosia Ruby Yuen was born last Wednesday and is just perfect.

She loves the baby sweater, Mom. That was super sweet of you to make one for Zosia. Magda and I love the colors you chose. :)

What a little sweetheart!

Istanbul

2009-10-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I flew to Istanbul with my Middle School girls soccer team. We were in town for 3 days playing in a tournament against other International Schools. We played teams from Budapest, Prague, Istanbul, Moscow, and Bucharest. It was a jammed packed few days and the girls had a great time. They played really well and we came out in 4th place. We were sooo close to that 3rd place trophy--our championship game came down to a shoot-out. It was intense and our goalie did amazing! Prague defeated us and we placed 4th.

Istanbul is a gorgeous city and the weather was heavenly. It was 25-27 degrees the entire weekend (77-80 F). At the fields there was no shade, so my face and chest got quite the tan. But I soaked it all up. That is most likely my last tan of the year. The city is full of life and the people are very friendly. My friend and the other coach Brooke feel off a curb and fractured her ankle on our 2nd night in town. On Saturday night we were determined to see some of the city and I pushed her in a wheel chair through the bumpy, cobblestone streets. Europe in general is not 'wheelchair friendly' but at nearly every curb there was a nice local there to help. We laughed a bunch and ended up having a nice night.

On Sunday we had a few hours in the afternoon with the 15 girls before we had to catch our flight back to Warsaw. We walked around some shops and went into the Blue Mosque. The building and Mosques in Istanbul are incredible! Full of detail and lots of color. On Sunday we also had to play body guards and protect our gorgeous blond girls from the very aggressive and verbal Turkish men. I had a wonderful time with the girls, but middle school energy is very different than the energy I deal with daily in 1st grade. I was tired of hearing giggling 24/7 and listening to the girls sing super annoying songs. Their 'theme' song this trip was "The Bad Touch." That song that came out like 10 years ago and who's lyrics are, "You and me baby ain't nothing but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the discovery channel." Apparently they play this song in middle school dances throughout the International schools. God help us! (oh great it's in my head again!)

I'll leave you with my amazing pictures. I can't wait to go back to Istanbul on my own time without 15 middle school girls to look after.

Group shot outside of the Hagia Sophia

Aw...soccer games in the sun

Brooke and I on our crazy Saturday night on the town

View from our amazing hotel downtown

Rug Shopping- I didn't buy one, but I did enjoy the yummy apple tea they served us as we viewed the variety of rugs

Beautiful pottery

Hagia Sophia

The Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque- over 250 windows

Washing your feet and head before entering the Mosque for prayer

Oh another favorite part of the city was the prayer call every few hours. There are loud speakers throughout the city that announce prayer time. Pretty remarkable to hear.

My morning commute

2009-09-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love biking to work! It's nice to feel awake when I arrive at work and I've loved the break from the smelly bus. I hope to keep this up until the weather takes a turn. The tunnel phase is approaching and I want to be outside for as much as this gorgeous fall as I can.

I have some new 'friends' on my biking commute. The woman and son riding into school, the guy in blue (he's a serious biker with all the biking gear), the speed walker who swings his arms across the front of his body, the woman walking her golden lab, and the crossing guard at the local Polish school (he is my favorite---we nod 'dzien dobry' to each other each morning).

I took some pictures last week--here's a glimpse at my morning ride.

Field of cabbage

Signs inviting you to the bar/beer tent along the side of the bike path. It's a great spot for after school happy hours!

Peace Day!

2009-09-21T03:47:00.001-07:00

Today is International Peace Day. This morning all the first graders at ASW got together to celebrate this special day. Each student made a peace pinwheel and peace necklace for the celebration. We met first in the tower where we read a story about how to say peace in different languages. Then we went out into our courtyard and placed our pinwheels in the grass for all to see and enjoy. This week we are going to continue to talk about peace. We are going to make our very own 1J peace book and are going to talk about what peace smells, tastes, looks, feels, and sounds like.

I hope you are finding peace in your life.....

Fall

2009-09-20T12:00:00.001-07:00

Today was the perfect Fall day. It was in fact, on of the nicest days I've seen in Warsaw yet. It was sunny, warm, and full of life. I started my morning with a nice breakfast at Jazz Bistro with Magda and Michelle. Then Michelle and I decided to make the best of the beautiful day and rode our bikes out to Powsin Park. Powsin Park is attached the the Kabaty Forrest and is filled with bike trails, open fields, and a few beer tents. On nice days everyone and their uncle comes out to enjoy the sun. We felt like one of the locals out on our bikes.

Michelle and I ended our evening with our traditional Sunday dinner--minus Carly and Ann Marie who were in London for a Coldplay concert. Michelle made homemade tomato soup and I grilled up some grilled cheese sandwiches. Yummy!

It was a wonderful Sunday! I hope you are enjoying yours....

Powsin Park

The sunflowers along the bike path. I bike past these sunflowers every morning on my way to school. They are getting a bit droopy now, but they make me happy. (Marina I always think of you when I pass them.)

It all started in Poland....

2009-09-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Around the world people have been honoring the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII. There have been shows on CNN, parades in Polish cities, picture displays on the streets, and banners hung throughout the city. This is the Honor banner hanging on the Palace of Culture in downtown Warsaw.

I have watched many interesting speicals on CNN this past week. One that has stayed with me was from the perspective of Great Britain. During the special they interviewed 3 women who worked as short hand secretaries in the underground bunkers when the war first broke out. In their 80's now, it was incredible to hear them share their memories and experiences and talk about working with Churchill. It made me think of my own grandmother, who was working for the War Department at the same time in Washington, DC.

Another pretty incredible time to be in Poland...

Pimp My Ride

2009-09-05T07:43:00.001-07:00

I am the proud owner of a new silver trek bike. It was time to upgrade! Ironically it is also the weekend anniversary of my first Polish bike, Laura. Considering I bought Laura at the market for 180 zloty--she has held out quite well. Her rusty frame, worn out tires, and missing screws and bolts will be happy for this rest. My new bike needs a name. Any suggestions?

Anne Marie, Carly and I rode our new bikes home from the shop and the ride felt great! It was nice to have gears!! It was nice to have a comfy seat and shocks. I even pimped out my bike at the store and added bigger tires, a kickstand, and a cute basket. I am ready to hit the town! I am also looking forward to riding to school for a few weeks before it gets too cold out.

Farewell Laura----

First Day of School!

2009-08-18T07:13:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of school! I felt extremely calm and prepared for the first day this year. It was so nice not to be new this year. What a difference that made! I can't even tell you how overwhelmed and stressed I was last year (oh, wait--I'm sure I did). Anyway today was a huge success. My kids are super cute! They are from all over the globe again. I have students from Sweden, Korea, Denmark, Japan, America, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Portugal. They really are a great bunch. No new students this year, so everyone came into class today excited to see their old friends. It's fun getting to know a new set of kids with new personalities and new passions. It's just hard to start all over again with the routines and procedures, but the kids will pick it up in no time. It's just me who has to be patient!

It was also great to see my old students and their families. Most of them stopped by at some point today, or I saw them around the school in their 2nd grade lines. I feel even more like a part of the community now.

First day down---179 to go. And I need a nap!

Ms. Johnson and Ms. Galazka's 1st grade class
2009-2010

Madonna

2009-08-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday a group of us went to the Madonna concert here in Warsaw. It was a fun experience. The show itself wasn't anything to write home about, but it was a fun night and now I can say I saw Madonna. The best part was dressing up for the concert. Carly, Michelle and I had this plan all summer to find crazy 80's outfits. Well Carly and I bought neon belts up at the Batlic, and that's about as far as we got. Luckily with some last minute accessories we were still able to pull off some silly outfits. Michelle's Target silver fanny pack defiantly made my outfit!

The show was outside at an old airport landing strip on a beautiful night. I hear there were 80,000 people there. It was crazy! We were way in the back and the crowd was pretty laid back--but we still had fun singing along and dancing to some of her old songs. My favorite song of the night was Like A Prayer. (see video below) Another impressive thing about the whole show was not her singing, but the way she looked. She's doing good for 51!

Leaving the concert was an experience all on it's own. 80,000 people slowly showing up in a field during 2-3 hours in one thing. 80,000 people trying to leave AT THE SAME TIME --is another. We had to hop a fence with around 100 other people just to make it onto a tram that took us back into the city. I'm glad we hoped the fence, or else we would have been waiting in line for HOURS.

Anyway--Go to a Madonna concert---check.

Snapshots from my summer in the States...

2009-08-16T04:08:00.000-07:00

My trip home was wonderful! I got to spend time in some of my favorite places, I ate all my favorite foods, went to all my favorite events, and got to see all my favorite people. It was perfect! Here is a photo overview of my summer in the states....

Cody's wedding in Olympia

Jeff's new card shop on Queen Ann- I bought my first 2 baseball cards here

The siblings after lunch at Red Robin

Lake Chelan- Swimming in the lake, BBQ's in the winery, movie night, thai food, blueberry picking, dance parties, Franny= Paradise

Visiting with Payton and Shannan

My favorite spot in Seattle- Gasworks Park

Polish beer in Seattle?

Port Townsend!!

Amy and her new baby Lyla Grace Murrary

Australia Reunion in Portland

Lisa and Tyler's Wedding- Portland

The Cucina Bambinas are together again :)

Auschwitz

2009-07-10T02:51:00.000-07:00

**This reflection turned out quite long. It was a pretty intense experience. Please do not feel obligated to read it all. It was a reflection piece for me, but I am happy to share with whoever wants to read it.....

Exhausting, intense, unimaginable----how do I even begin to put into words what I experienced today at Auschwitz. The moment I walked through the gates mockingly marked “Arbeit Macht Frei”--- ‘work makes you free’ my mind raced with so many thoughts and questions that my body almost felt numb. My parents and I debated going with a tour group, but in the end I am happy that we did. It was kind of comforting to walk around the camp experiencing this horrific piece of history with complete strangers. Our tour guide, who was extremely passionate and educated, prepared and informed us about everything we saw. Without her I worry that I would have been lost in that horrible place.

Everything was so still and calm as we walked in and out of buildings that used to house thousands of European Jews and other political prisoners. Everyone was so quiet, trying to comprehend what we were being told through our headphones. Auschwitz I consisted of old Polish Army barracks and contained brick buildings that made for ‘better’ living conditions than in Auschwitz II. Most of the buildings have been turned into museums where you can see pictures of the murdered victims, piles of old shoes, pots and pans, suitcases, baby clothes, and combs. We also saw a room filled with human hair—that has turned gray since Liberation. These displays reminded me of the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. But knowing that I was standing in the exact rooms were it all took place added an extra element of emotions.

The hardest parts for me were walking through the basement of a building where they punished and tortured prisoners, and walking through the gas chambers and crematoriums. Prisoners would be punished if they produced bodily fluids at the wrong time, could not work fast enough in their starved bodies, or showed kindness to another suffering friend. In this basement they had a suffocating room, starvation room, and standing room- - all of these rooms were made from the cement foundation. The suffocating room contained no windows and would hold 39 people, most of which wouldn’t survive through the punishment. If they put me and even 10 other people in that room and closed the door I would have begun to panic immediately. The starvation room was where they would put people with no food or water for a minimum of 3 days and up to 2 weeks - - pretty much as long as it took for you to die. The standing rooms were absolutely unimaginable. They were tall brick spaces about as wide around as a chimney. The prisoners had to crawl into the ‘rooms’ through a small wooden door (just bigger than a fireplace glass door) and stand in the small dark space until the guards decided to let them out. It was horrible, inconceivable, and beyond belief.

The gas chambers and crematoriums at Auschwitz II/Birkenau were bombed and destroyed to cover up evidence just days before Liberation. Auschwitz I still has one intact and we were able to walk through it. Standing in line watching the groups of people file into the door ahead of me gave me chills. My mind jumped back into all the books I’ve recently read on the war and concentration camps and it was hard not to imagine us all in stripped uniforms. Inside we stood in a long cement room with 4 ‘vents’ where they would drop in the poison (the shower heads were put in at Auschwitz II to keep the prisoners calm, but not at Auschwitz I). In the gas chamber where I stood they would gas 700 prisoners at a time (Auschwitz II was bigger and could gas 2,000 at a time). This is where my mind and body felt the most numb and unsettled. I felt dizzy with just 25-30 people in front of me—it is absolutely unthinkable for me to imagine 700 people in there at once. On the way out of the long room we passed the 4 ovens that would cremate the bodies after their slow and painful death. Our tour guide told us it was not a fast death—the gassing usually took 15-20 minutes to kill the prisoners.

Auschwitz II was so massive a picture could never capture what we saw. It was here where the trains would pull up and unload the thousands of Jews and prisoners arriving from the Ghettos. It was intense to be standing on the tracks and under the main brick station I had seen so many times in history books and movies. Auschwitz II was mostly destroyed leaving a few wooden buildings but mostly barbed wire and chimneys made from bricks stand there today. Today it is a memorial, museum, and cemetery.

One powerful moment for me was looking at a picture board displaying the scene of the Jews standing in line in front of the German soldiers and doctors just after arrival. In the picture you could see the train tracks, a line of people waiting for inspection, and one wooden building. In the distance you could see a line of women and children walking down a path. Our tour guide brought to our attention that we were standing in this very spot. I looked around—train tracks behind me, and a small wooden building still standing in front of me. Standing in the picture I saw in front of me was mind boggling. How could I really be standing in the place where the Germany doctors decided the fate of strangers? Left you went straight to the gas chambers; right you were tattooed with a number and sent to work in the labor camps. How does it feel to have walked down the same path women and children walked on, on the way to their deaths? Nauseating, appalling, maddening…

*The only air that is allowed in the Suffocating Room goes through these small holes

*Gas Chambers