Greetings from Bandung, Indonesia!
As I write this blog I am sitting in a nice squishy, soft bed in a lovely hotel in Bandung... I had to throw in squishy and soft because the beds in Viet Nam are hard as rock! This weekend I came to Bandung for a reading conference, with the amazing Susan Zimmerman, on reading comprehension and it has been a wonderful couple of days!
A few months ago my coworker, Lena, and I found this great looking conference on the EARCOS website. We were very excited to have found a reading comprehension workshop because it is our school's biggest focus this year. I was personally excited because it is something that my class struggles with, and that I could learn to teach in a much more affective way. My excitement about the conference quickly evaporated when we found out only EARCOS member were allowed to attend unless the conference still had room five days before, and it sounded like the chances of that happening were slim. On Monday, Lena received an email saying there was still room and we were invited to attend. We were obviously thrilled until we found our school would only allow one of us to attend due to the short notice. I was very happy to take that spot, however I was also extremely stressed as this was my first time traveling internationally alone and I had all of three days to find flights and accommodation! So on Tuesday I spent a LOT of time searching flights and finding out that I would be missing the afternoon of school on Friday and all day Monday. This added even more stress in prepping for a sub for the first time! However, after a few hours I was all set to go and extremely excited!
I arrived in Bandung, a small town in Indonesia, late Friday night and headed to a whole day of learning at 7:30 Saturday morning. From the beginning of Saturday morning I knew it was going to be an amazing conference. Susan was a wonderful presenter. She was easy to listen to and her passion for helping children was prominent. Throughout the weekend we learned about the 7 Keys to Comprehension by using them in adult texts and picture books. The 7 Keys seem simple and are things I have learned about before; background knowledge (schema), creating mental images, questioning, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing, and monitoring for meaning ("fix-ups"). It was remarkable the way Susan presented these simple concepts. She made us delve into our own minds and think about the strategies we use while reading. I learned so much about how I need to slow my teaching down and allow more time for thinking, writing and questioning while reading aloud. I learned how to model my thinking as I read for my students. I learned so many things that seem so obvious, yet I don't do enough of! I am so excited to get back to my class on Tuesday and apply all of the things I have learned! Not only do I think this conference will help me as a teacher, but also as a reader; which seems silly saying as an adult, but it's true!
I also met some amazing teachers at the conference. It was really nice to network with new people from various parts of Asia. I am so thankful to have other people to turn to for ideas. This weekend has, again, shown me how amazing it is teaching abroad. To have a paid for trip to Indonesia and to meet teachers from schools in so many different countries is something that I never would have experienced if I had been in the states. I am so grateful to have had this experience and to have this life right now, I hope to never take any of these experiences for granted!
I wish I would have had more time to explore Bandung, however it was a very fast weekend! Last night one of the teachers from the school took us to an awesome Indonesian restaurant. Walking in felt like what I imagine being on the set of survivor at tribal council would feel like. We walked down a long side walk past fire and waterfalls underneath heaps greenery. The whole time I was waiting for Jeff Probst to tell me, "The tribe has spoken," and extinguish the flame on my torch. Besides the amazing ambiance of the restaurant, the food was also wonderful. I love traveling to new places and trying the food, and so far Asia has yet to disappoint me! We ordered a smorgasbord of dishes including fish, veggies, chicken and tofu. My favorite was the tofu with this yummy, spicy peanut sauce.... it makes me hungry just thinking of it!
I was absolutely pooped after the conference today, and getting around Bandung is not the simplest of tasks due to traffic, so I decided to indulge in some r&r at my hotel. I was happy to lay in my SOFT bed and watch the Golden Globs (I really miss award show season and my comfy bed!!). Now I am off to get some more Indonesian food before heading to bed nice and early. Tomorrow will be a long day of traveling with a lovely five hour layover in a rather small and boring airport in Kuala Lumpur. I am excited to hear how my kiddos do with their sub tomorrow. I have good faith they will be charming students and show her why I love them so much, but you never know!
I hope you all had fun filled weekends, and to my friends and family in Iowa, I hope you are staying warm and safe with all the snow you've gotten!
xoxo,
Michelle
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Oh, Happy Day!
Hello friends,
Well today has been quite the exciting day! To start, it is BOOK WEEK at AIS! My kids were also hilarious today and I found out I am going to Indonesia.. in three days! Yippee!
To start off book week this morning a bunch of the teacher participated in a flash mob! If you know me, you know I love to dance. If you really know me, you know that I have always wanted to be in a flash mob. Well a few weeks ago our awesome librarian came to me and asked if I would help her organize a flash mob to a remake of the Black Eyed Peas song, I got a Feeling, called Gotta Keep Reading. Yesterday after school about 20 teachers came to my room and I taught them the moves (that I stole from youtube) and we practiced for about 20 minutes. It was a lot of fun and very humors watching all of us try to learn this dance. This morning we all gathered around in the foyer and pretended to be reading. Then after a few a minutes the song started playing over the speakers. I started dancing around and soon several other teachers started dancing with me. The looks on the kids faces' were priceless! They didn't have a clue what was going on! After the song we all just walked away and kept 'reading' our books. It was so much fun seeing their reactions!
After such a great start to my day, I was already in a great mood when my principal came to my room during lunch to tell me I had been approved to attend a reading comprehension conference in Bandung, Indonesia this weekend. I am so excited to be going, it seems like it will be a great learning opportunity, plus it's in Indonesia! It was a very long day of finding flights and what not, but I finally got everything figured out and booked. I'll be headed there by myself, which is a bit unfortunate, but I am sure it will still be a lot of fun!
Finally my kids were really on top it with making me laugh today. The first thing that had me rolling was right after I had picked up the kiddos from Vietnamese class. Vietnamese is held in building B, which means after I pick them up we have to walk outside and then up the stairs to our class. When we got back to the room some of the kids were looking rather exhausted, so I asked them if they were tired. This is when one student informed me, "I'm so tired! I had to walk up the stairs!" At this point I am trying extremely hard not to laugh as several other kiddos join in saying how exhausted the stairs had made them! This is the first complaint I have heard of the stairs which they climb at least three times a day. Today, thought, they were so tired that a request for an elevator was put in.... hmmm I don't think that one is going to happen! After having a chuckle at this we got on with our day which was pretty normal until my little darlings were leaving at the end of the day. As they leave they all say goodbye and give me a hug, high five, or handshake. I love this part of the day, sometimes they are rushing out the door, other times they can't decide which to do, and everyday I get a least a few big hugs. Well today one of my little boys gave me a hug, a high five, and a hand shake. He was feeling pretty proud of himself as he walked past and then quickly turned around, and in a very loud voice said, "Ms. Michelle! I wear underpant today!!!" Once again it took everything I had not to die laughing! In the Vietnamese culture it is sometimes common for little boys to not wear underwear.. I'll let you use your imagination to guess why. Well apparently he was very proud because he had worn some today. Just another reason why I adore my students!
There you have it, I can only hope the rest of my week is as awesome as today! Hope you are all off to a great week as well!
Love always,
Michelle
Well today has been quite the exciting day! To start, it is BOOK WEEK at AIS! My kids were also hilarious today and I found out I am going to Indonesia.. in three days! Yippee!
To start off book week this morning a bunch of the teacher participated in a flash mob! If you know me, you know I love to dance. If you really know me, you know that I have always wanted to be in a flash mob. Well a few weeks ago our awesome librarian came to me and asked if I would help her organize a flash mob to a remake of the Black Eyed Peas song, I got a Feeling, called Gotta Keep Reading. Yesterday after school about 20 teachers came to my room and I taught them the moves (that I stole from youtube) and we practiced for about 20 minutes. It was a lot of fun and very humors watching all of us try to learn this dance. This morning we all gathered around in the foyer and pretended to be reading. Then after a few a minutes the song started playing over the speakers. I started dancing around and soon several other teachers started dancing with me. The looks on the kids faces' were priceless! They didn't have a clue what was going on! After the song we all just walked away and kept 'reading' our books. It was so much fun seeing their reactions!
After such a great start to my day, I was already in a great mood when my principal came to my room during lunch to tell me I had been approved to attend a reading comprehension conference in Bandung, Indonesia this weekend. I am so excited to be going, it seems like it will be a great learning opportunity, plus it's in Indonesia! It was a very long day of finding flights and what not, but I finally got everything figured out and booked. I'll be headed there by myself, which is a bit unfortunate, but I am sure it will still be a lot of fun!
Finally my kids were really on top it with making me laugh today. The first thing that had me rolling was right after I had picked up the kiddos from Vietnamese class. Vietnamese is held in building B, which means after I pick them up we have to walk outside and then up the stairs to our class. When we got back to the room some of the kids were looking rather exhausted, so I asked them if they were tired. This is when one student informed me, "I'm so tired! I had to walk up the stairs!" At this point I am trying extremely hard not to laugh as several other kiddos join in saying how exhausted the stairs had made them! This is the first complaint I have heard of the stairs which they climb at least three times a day. Today, thought, they were so tired that a request for an elevator was put in.... hmmm I don't think that one is going to happen! After having a chuckle at this we got on with our day which was pretty normal until my little darlings were leaving at the end of the day. As they leave they all say goodbye and give me a hug, high five, or handshake. I love this part of the day, sometimes they are rushing out the door, other times they can't decide which to do, and everyday I get a least a few big hugs. Well today one of my little boys gave me a hug, a high five, and a hand shake. He was feeling pretty proud of himself as he walked past and then quickly turned around, and in a very loud voice said, "Ms. Michelle! I wear underpant today!!!" Once again it took everything I had not to die laughing! In the Vietnamese culture it is sometimes common for little boys to not wear underwear.. I'll let you use your imagination to guess why. Well apparently he was very proud because he had worn some today. Just another reason why I adore my students!
There you have it, I can only hope the rest of my week is as awesome as today! Hope you are all off to a great week as well!
Love always,
Michelle
Friday, February 15, 2013
Thailand!
Hello friends!
Well, I just got back from Thailand and it was an amazing way to spend the Tet holiday! Last Thursday I took off for Thailand with six other teachers. We stayed in Bangkok for two nights then headed off the not-so-small island, Koh Chang.
I suppose I should start with Bangkok. Our flight arrived pretty late and by the time we got our bags and Thai SIMs for our phones, it was around one in the morning before we arrived at our hotel on Khaosan road. This street is absolutely crazy. It is the main backpacker area in Bangkok. It's packed full of people, bars, food vendors, and people selling things like clothes and fake ID's. It's loud and dirty and a good place to drink. After settling in we decided to hit up the night life for a bit. It was a mild night for me as I was still feeling the aftermath of the night before, but it was fun going out none the less. On Friday Michelle and I were up bright and early and ready to do some shopping. We were told a good market to go to, so we hopped in a tut-tut and away we went. This market was interesting to say the least. There really wasn't much to buy at all. We both got some shoes and Michelle found a couple of other things. We then headed back to Khaosan after nearly getting lost within the market for some more shopping. The best thing to buy on Khaosan are dresses. They have tons and tons of dresses, many are the same, but they are so cheap! I think I bought about 8 dresses between the various times we were on Khaosan. After a day of attempted shopping I was pretty pooped so I took a cat nap before heading out to meet up with a friend of Michelle's who is teaching in Bangkok. We took the sky train to a completely different party of the city and ate an outdoor grill place. We then went to a street that was filled with Vans that turned into bars at night. The roofs pop up and there are places to sit along the street. It was another fun place to hang out. However, it was an early morning for me as we had a bus to catch to Koh Chang at 7:30 the following morning.
Saturday was a long day of traveling. We had a seven hour bus ride, a 45 minute ferry ride, then about a half an hour in the bed of a truck, or as they call it, a taxi. It was a very boring day on the bus, however once we got on the ferry we started to have a bit of fun as you could buy beer. So we did. This also made the ride in the back of the truck very entertaining. This would be a good time to mention that your not just sitting the back of some truck. It has benches along both sides and is covered. On top of the cover is where you put your luggage. There were quite a few of us, so a couple of Brits had to stand on the 'tailgate' and hold on the whole ride. I'm glad it wasn't me who had to do that! The ride to our hotel was gorgeous and a lot of fun. The middle of the island is a big mountain, so the roads are very windy and hilly. Our hotel was gorgeous! We had our own little porch and a whole wall of windows looking out to the pool and ocean. The very first thing I did was put on my swim suit and dove into the ocean. Then my towel got stolen. Sad day. After taking a dip we all got dressed and went out to dinner. We went to an amazing restaurant where you sat on pillows on the floor on your feet dangled over the ocean. They also had amazing Thai food! After din din I went out with Darren and Krystal. It was a lot of fun, we went out on Lonely Beach, near where were staying, which is a big party place on Koh Chang.
Most of my days consisted on being pretty lazy. Laying on the beach and swimming. I was semi-active though. We kayaked and went zip lining. Michelle and I stayed with everyone on Lonely Beach for three nights and then we moved to a more secluded part of the island, White Sand Beach. Here we stayed in a little bungalow with our own private beach access. It was quite the romantic resort mainly occupied by older Russian couples, but it was amazing none the less. We were again quite lazy. We did rent a motor bike one day and ventured out to one of the waterfalls on the island. It was very pretty, but I must say, the waterfalls in New Zealand were definitely better! This one was cool though because you could swim there. The water looked extremely dark until you jumped in. Then you realized how perfectly clear it was. You could see all the way down to your toes. It makes me curious as to how deep the water really was. On our way home we stopped and got to pet a baby elephant. There were a couple of places where you could ride elephants on the island, but they all just looked so sad, so we skipped that part! After that was more reading and relaxation.
On Thursday morning Mich-Mich and I made our way back to Bangkok. It was another day painful day of traveling, but quite entertaining. Michelle had a few Hulky moments while waiting for our 'bus' which was really a large van. However, we eventually made it back to the city. Michelle found us an amazing hotel that was still pretty cheap. We spend our Valentine's night eating Burger King, reading, and going to be super early. Friday we met up with Sara and did some more shopping. We went to a huge mall that was really just terrible so after an hour or so we headed back to Khaosan for more shopping! Friday night we ate a place called Cabbages and Condoms. It was a restaurant with a great atmosphere and not so great food and at the end of the meal they gave you condoms instead of dinner mints. Unfortunately I didn't get the whole background story on the restaurant, but I believe it started in the UK and is affiliated with some organization to help with the prevention of HIV and AIDS.
Bangkok was a nice city, but it's got nothing on Ho Chi Minh! It's much hotter there, or at least it felt like it because of the humidity. I was constantly sweating. The traffic there is also terrible. It literally just stops for 20 minutes at a time. You don't even move an inch. So getting around wasn't that great. I did, however, love the tuk-tuks, they were a fun and cheap way of getting around. Before going to Bangkok I was told it was super dirty and there was a lot of sex. It was definitely dirty, but I didn't see a lot of sex, though there were quite a few 'lady-boys'. Outside of Bangkok was also much different from outside of Ho Chi Minh City. On the island we saw tons of monkeys along side the road. There were also tons and tons of stray dogs who were all very friendly! There were also a lot more bugs. My legs are covered in bug bites and they are itchy!!
Overall it was an amazing trip. My goal was to relax and read which I more than accomplished. I read three books and made it half way through another. When we first got there I finished One Day by David Nicholls. I then read The Act of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, which I highly recommend, and then The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I am still reading the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, another very good book thus far. I also am nice and tan now, so hopefully it lasts five weeks until the next time I am on the beach!
Our next break is only five weeks away and that is when my mom and sister will be here at the end of March. We will be staying in Vietnam and going to Phu Quoc, an island just south of the country. I am more than excited for them to come and see my life here. While I am sad this vacation is over I am ready to back into the swing of things and see my kiddos again!
Until next time,
Michelle
Well, I just got back from Thailand and it was an amazing way to spend the Tet holiday! Last Thursday I took off for Thailand with six other teachers. We stayed in Bangkok for two nights then headed off the not-so-small island, Koh Chang.
I suppose I should start with Bangkok. Our flight arrived pretty late and by the time we got our bags and Thai SIMs for our phones, it was around one in the morning before we arrived at our hotel on Khaosan road. This street is absolutely crazy. It is the main backpacker area in Bangkok. It's packed full of people, bars, food vendors, and people selling things like clothes and fake ID's. It's loud and dirty and a good place to drink. After settling in we decided to hit up the night life for a bit. It was a mild night for me as I was still feeling the aftermath of the night before, but it was fun going out none the less. On Friday Michelle and I were up bright and early and ready to do some shopping. We were told a good market to go to, so we hopped in a tut-tut and away we went. This market was interesting to say the least. There really wasn't much to buy at all. We both got some shoes and Michelle found a couple of other things. We then headed back to Khaosan after nearly getting lost within the market for some more shopping. The best thing to buy on Khaosan are dresses. They have tons and tons of dresses, many are the same, but they are so cheap! I think I bought about 8 dresses between the various times we were on Khaosan. After a day of attempted shopping I was pretty pooped so I took a cat nap before heading out to meet up with a friend of Michelle's who is teaching in Bangkok. We took the sky train to a completely different party of the city and ate an outdoor grill place. We then went to a street that was filled with Vans that turned into bars at night. The roofs pop up and there are places to sit along the street. It was another fun place to hang out. However, it was an early morning for me as we had a bus to catch to Koh Chang at 7:30 the following morning.
Saturday was a long day of traveling. We had a seven hour bus ride, a 45 minute ferry ride, then about a half an hour in the bed of a truck, or as they call it, a taxi. It was a very boring day on the bus, however once we got on the ferry we started to have a bit of fun as you could buy beer. So we did. This also made the ride in the back of the truck very entertaining. This would be a good time to mention that your not just sitting the back of some truck. It has benches along both sides and is covered. On top of the cover is where you put your luggage. There were quite a few of us, so a couple of Brits had to stand on the 'tailgate' and hold on the whole ride. I'm glad it wasn't me who had to do that! The ride to our hotel was gorgeous and a lot of fun. The middle of the island is a big mountain, so the roads are very windy and hilly. Our hotel was gorgeous! We had our own little porch and a whole wall of windows looking out to the pool and ocean. The very first thing I did was put on my swim suit and dove into the ocean. Then my towel got stolen. Sad day. After taking a dip we all got dressed and went out to dinner. We went to an amazing restaurant where you sat on pillows on the floor on your feet dangled over the ocean. They also had amazing Thai food! After din din I went out with Darren and Krystal. It was a lot of fun, we went out on Lonely Beach, near where were staying, which is a big party place on Koh Chang.
Most of my days consisted on being pretty lazy. Laying on the beach and swimming. I was semi-active though. We kayaked and went zip lining. Michelle and I stayed with everyone on Lonely Beach for three nights and then we moved to a more secluded part of the island, White Sand Beach. Here we stayed in a little bungalow with our own private beach access. It was quite the romantic resort mainly occupied by older Russian couples, but it was amazing none the less. We were again quite lazy. We did rent a motor bike one day and ventured out to one of the waterfalls on the island. It was very pretty, but I must say, the waterfalls in New Zealand were definitely better! This one was cool though because you could swim there. The water looked extremely dark until you jumped in. Then you realized how perfectly clear it was. You could see all the way down to your toes. It makes me curious as to how deep the water really was. On our way home we stopped and got to pet a baby elephant. There were a couple of places where you could ride elephants on the island, but they all just looked so sad, so we skipped that part! After that was more reading and relaxation.
On Thursday morning Mich-Mich and I made our way back to Bangkok. It was another day painful day of traveling, but quite entertaining. Michelle had a few Hulky moments while waiting for our 'bus' which was really a large van. However, we eventually made it back to the city. Michelle found us an amazing hotel that was still pretty cheap. We spend our Valentine's night eating Burger King, reading, and going to be super early. Friday we met up with Sara and did some more shopping. We went to a huge mall that was really just terrible so after an hour or so we headed back to Khaosan for more shopping! Friday night we ate a place called Cabbages and Condoms. It was a restaurant with a great atmosphere and not so great food and at the end of the meal they gave you condoms instead of dinner mints. Unfortunately I didn't get the whole background story on the restaurant, but I believe it started in the UK and is affiliated with some organization to help with the prevention of HIV and AIDS.
Bangkok was a nice city, but it's got nothing on Ho Chi Minh! It's much hotter there, or at least it felt like it because of the humidity. I was constantly sweating. The traffic there is also terrible. It literally just stops for 20 minutes at a time. You don't even move an inch. So getting around wasn't that great. I did, however, love the tuk-tuks, they were a fun and cheap way of getting around. Before going to Bangkok I was told it was super dirty and there was a lot of sex. It was definitely dirty, but I didn't see a lot of sex, though there were quite a few 'lady-boys'. Outside of Bangkok was also much different from outside of Ho Chi Minh City. On the island we saw tons of monkeys along side the road. There were also tons and tons of stray dogs who were all very friendly! There were also a lot more bugs. My legs are covered in bug bites and they are itchy!!
Overall it was an amazing trip. My goal was to relax and read which I more than accomplished. I read three books and made it half way through another. When we first got there I finished One Day by David Nicholls. I then read The Act of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, which I highly recommend, and then The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I am still reading the Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, another very good book thus far. I also am nice and tan now, so hopefully it lasts five weeks until the next time I am on the beach!
Our next break is only five weeks away and that is when my mom and sister will be here at the end of March. We will be staying in Vietnam and going to Phu Quoc, an island just south of the country. I am more than excited for them to come and see my life here. While I am sad this vacation is over I am ready to back into the swing of things and see my kiddos again!
Until next time,
Michelle
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