Birthday in Berlin

Great city! Great people! Great time of year! Have a very good feeling about being 29. It's gonna be quite the year!

Last Wednesday...

I handed in my Resignation letter. It means I am given a lot of money to pursue employment elsewhere. It also means that as of July 2010 I am unemployed.

Last week I also bought a plane ticket to a Job Fair in Hong Kong in January.

Today I am wondering.. "What in the world I am doing?"

Here we go again...

The best professional development I ever did experience!

The man!

The view of St. Paul's while standing outside The Globe

The stage.. perhaps all the world is one but this one is pretty great!

I'm coming out of the backstage doors and about to deliver my monologue...

The Globe it all its glory!

This past weekend I went to London with my English Department plus two drama teachers for some specialized Professional Development. It was... in a word.. inspiring! How cliche can you get? However the older I get the more I realize that there is a definite place in this world for cliche. Sometimes a little cliche is just what a girl needs... but I digress...

Friday morning we went to The Globe. We met with one of the actors who took us on a tour of the theatre, letting us sit in the seats and stand on the stage and explore backstage. To stand on the stage and look around at the seating put the entire Shakespeare experience in a whole new light. To see the interaction that was able to happen because of the theatre layout was enlightening. After we toured The Globe we went to one of the rehearsal rooms where our actor friend talked to us about making Shakespeare relevant and accessible for our students. We learned so many interesting little tricks and approaches that I'm finding myself counting down the days until I can teach it.. 63 to be exact... It was fun to act out various scenes with different members of my department and to brainstorm together about how we can directly apply these things now.

Kate, me & Kristen

With our Globe experience still fresh in our minds we boarded the train to Stratford. We checked into a nice little hotel and then met for a glass of wine before heading to see The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Twelfth Night. It was interesting to see how they gave it a mediterranean/arabian feel. Personally, it is probably one of my least favourite Shakespearean plays which I tend to forget until I'm about half way through it but I thought they did quite a good job. Also a few famous actors were starring in the production. One of them was in Sense and Sensibility while the other was in Notting Hill and Persuasion. I'll double check their names.

The stage and the theatre... all set for Twelfth Night

The next morning we wandered around Stratford at our leisure, visiting Shakespeare's birth place, popping into Shakespearan book shops, stopping in little cafe's before heading back to the hotel. On the train back to London I was part of a brainstorming session where I think we came up with a pretty great idea for a production incorporating all we've learned.. stay tuned.

Outside Shakespeare's birthplace..

Kate, Angelique & me looking artsy in Stratford...

Saturday night we went for a nice dinner and then saw Billy Elliot. It was actually my second time seeing it and I must say-- what an emotional event. I liked it even better the second time. You may have seen the movie and whatever your opinion on that was, don't rule out this production because it was all the things one wants theatre to be, happy, entertaining, inspiring, hilarious, tear-inducing...

Sunday morning we had a slow start and were free to do what we wanted in London. My friend Kate and I had breakfast in Covent Garden and then meandered down Oxford Street for some shopping. Later we met up with the rest of the group at St. Paul's where we took a Shakespeare and Dickens London City Tour. It was great to go down all sorts of back streets and see where Shakespeare walked and networked and learn about some of the things that perhaps inspired some of his plays. It was also fascinating to see where Dickens grew up. After sweating my way through A Tale of Two Cities I had pretty much written him off as dull and tedious but I always forget about his other works and I must say.. the tour made me want to give him a second chance. We were able to see places that definitely popped up in Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. Walking down dark side streets and through little parks and looking at intimidating old buildings did make those texts come more alive in my mind. I will give him a second chance.

This is a very important building that dates back to very important things but this was at the end of the tour and I'm not quite sure why it was so important... but it was! Trust me. I'm reliable.
St. Bartholomew's.. also the place where many a film was filmed... Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love.. just to name a few..
One of the places where they believe Shakespeare bunkered down to write a few plays..

A very nice park called... um.. sorry but it was featured in Dickens' works as well as the opening scene of the film Closer. The buildings around it are where they believe Dickens' had set parts of Great Expectations. Now that I've proven myself to be a total flake you are free to never check this blog again...

And so now I'm back in Dusseldorf, quite happy to have been able to have such a great experience and thinking about ways to use what I've learned in my teaching and writing.

Dublin.. I love you!

This past weekend I went to Dublin with my friend Kristen. It was my first time in Ireland and I certainly hope it won't be my last. What a great city! I don't even feel like I've really begun to scratch the surface.

Walls are nice for leaning and thinking...
One of the cutest bookshops I've ever been in. Books in English have become a novelty after living in Germany and so Kristen and I stocked up.
Temple Bar area at night...
He's big, hairy and fake.. totally my type... ha!
Kristen and I enjoying Dublin fun! The people we met were so friendly and most of the time we could understand them! Gotta love the Irish accent!
Christ Church... a very impressive church. Also do you know where Handel's Messiah was first performed? In Dublin! I kid you not!

Dublin Castle.. what a place and what stories this building could tell!

I have a thing for quaint cafes. Other than the fact that coffee was available in all sorts of cosy little places, most cafes were filled with people with books and notebooks. There is something in the air in Dublin.. it makes people want to write.

Just a few photos as I'm trying to keep things brief but anytime anyone wants to chat about how much I love this city.. just say the word!

Taylor Comes to Town

I have had an incredible week! Taylor Mali was at our school, working with our students and performing in assemblies. It was amazing to meet him-have dinner with him and the rest of my department- and watch him work with my students. He has so many clever ways of getting the students to open up and explore all of the things that are in their heads; it was inspiring.

I also loved watching my male students really come out of their shells. I am part of an all female English department and while it's definitely a fantastic estrogen zone, I thought that it was so important for the boys at our school to see a "cool creative poet guy" in action. They were impressed and talking about it in the halls all day today. He definitely set our school buzzing!

Taylor Mali dedicates much of his poetry to future teacher recruitment and so it was a nice chance to feel a bit of validation for my career choice.

This is the poem that I first heard Taylor Mali present....

Quite a few of his poems contain a humorous element and he had the kids rolling in the aisles laughing for almost the whole hour...But when he delivered this poem he stunned the students into silence. They were all affected by it. Complete silence when he finished. It's a heavy poem but I love his comparisons and how he is so brutally honest about his past experiences.

So yes... it's been a great week!

Budapest for Business..

Just the Highlights

Why Hello there! Thanks for checking back here. Since returning to Duesseldorf in August, life has been racing by. I've been busy but happily so and so instead of going on and on about all that is going on.. I'll give you the Top 10 Highlights as of today...

1. New church where I completely stand out yet totally fit in. I found it randomly on the interweb and decided to check it out and suddenly felt like I was "home".. in a very exotic home sort of way.

2. Good, kind friends who are all so different yet so caring. Between my friends from last year and new ones I've made this year I feel surrounded by loving people.. it's a nice feeling.

3. Awesome classes this year. Busy and lively but fun! I'm teaching English to Grades 9,10,11,12 as well as a Creative Writing Elective for Grades 9 and 10. Plus Year 2 is so much easier than Year 1 in a new school.

4. Coordinating Project Thailand this year with some incredible fellow leaders and great kids. This year we'll hopefully be actually allowed to go. I now know what needs to happen to make this a beneficial project for my students and the kids in Thailand and have a great team helping me!

5. Will be attending a conference in Budapest with a favourite colleague in October. Yes.. should be a very Professionally Developing experience with a side of Hungarian Opera and Mud baths...

6. Workshop with my English Department at The Globe in November. This is something I am really looking forward to.. The Globe, 12th Night in Stratford, more musicals, Shakespeare Walking Tours, Dickens Walking Tours.. perfect for a department of English geeks.

7. Taylor Mali is coming to my school in October! Oh yes! He'll be running some assemblies and also working with some classes including my creative writing class!

8. Opportunity to be involved in community theatre as Stage Director. There are still some kinks to iron out in this process but it might be happening.. stay tuned!

9. Excitement of Job Hunting for 2010.. I use the term excitement loosely because really.. what it is is totally stressful and anxiety ridden but at the same time a kind of rush...I love Europe and I love my job but I just can't afford it unless I meet some nice Baron willing to solve all my problems.

10. Contentment of loving my present situation enough that to stay here longer is not a bad option at all... God has been very good to me this year and I feel truly blessed. I am finally able to relax in Him and trust that He'll work out all the details...

There and Back Again..

And I'm back in Dusseldorf after a fantastic summer. I loved being in Thailand again and had a great time checking out some new places and re-visiting some of my favourite hot spots.

I had a great time in Canada. It was so good to catch up with my friends and also to enjoy lots of quality family time. It has been a full summer and while I'm sad it is over, it is nice to return to my real life here.

One thing about this summer is that it gave me lots of time to think about what happens next. I signed a two year contract for my job here and after that... well it's hard to know. I am finally entertaining the idea of moving back to Canada. While it's not definite, it is an idea that I am growing more and more comfortable with. I am also looking into moving back to Asia.. or even staying here although really.. I so cannot afford this place! Anyway I take comfort in the fact that while I do have my dreams and desires, God has a plan for me and I can trust that whatever happens next.. will be His will.

So a new school year begins on Wednesday and I have a good feeling about it. I have at least one full year here and I am all ready to make it count!

One Down...and smiling!

Well-- I survived my first year of teaching in Germany! We had the Grade 12 Graduation last night and now it's all over with! Hard to believe that one year has gone by already. Hard to believe that this time last year I had no idea what living in Germany would be like, what my school would be like and how to properly pronounce Dusseldorf... Now I know all of those things!

It has been a fantastic year.. definitely a growing and stretching one but a good one nonetheless. I feel momentarily settled here in Germany and happy at the thought of another year here.

Tomorrow I am off to Thailand for three weeks and then I'll be in Canada for a month. I was supposed to be heading up our schools Service Project to Thailand but at the last minute the director canceled it.. due to the rising political situation or something. He didn't want to risk the students' safety but he doesn't mind risking ours which means that we teachers get to go to Thailand without the students. I was actually quite devastated to have the trip canceled but this silver lining is definitely shining bright! We're planning to pay a visit to the Orphanage/School we were supposed to visit and get things in line for next summer and then well.. we'll be exploring Thailand. I'm quite shocked by how well things have worked out.

So that was Year One! I'm excited to see what Year Two will bring! Happy Summer Everyone!

My Humble Abode

Just a few pics of the place I'm calling "home" these days. Nothing fancy but it does the trick. I do tend to live in one of the less imaginative buildings in Dusseldorf but if I wake up nice and early.. I get fantastic sunrises! This is the view from my kitchen.

This next one is what you see when you enter the flat.
And walking straight you hit the bathroom. My shower curtain reminds me that I do have friends and family all over the place!
This is the kitchen... small but works for my limited cooking abilities.
My boudoir. After having blue bedrooms for years.. I decided to spice it up a little!
My living room...
It's hard to see but through that door is a nice balcony.. perfect for a warm spring evening!

Most of these pics were taken before Spring had Sprung and so what you do need to know is that there is a lot more greenery in my life! I have lots of trees that make it harder for the neighbours to peer in (creepsters!) and it is lush and lovely this time of year!