Hey...
After much effort, consultation with mentors (all under the age of 16), and nagging by Alex, I learned to add pictures to the blog. Thanks to all who helped. I hope it gives proper vision to the words.
Big news here is the addition to the school family born yesterday. Baby girl.
Imagine photo here
Big excitement in the elementary school as her older sibs are there.
We are trying to plan a short out of town trip this weekend to the medieval town of Obidos and the old fishing village of Nazare (place that Da Gama left on his epic voyage around Africa). Our plans keep getting interupted by Nina's social schedule. She is in high demand as one would expect from such a wonderful person. We sometimes miss her a lot. Last week end, she left for school Friday AM and came home late Saturday night before leaving again most of Sunday. Portent of the future, I guess. Nice to see her in class though.
Mike
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday Sept. 28
Hello, all
Friday night was a different experience. Nancy and the girls went to a baby shower with a bunch of other like-gender types (Americans mostly) in a town about 20 miles from here. I dropped them off and joined the other males from age 1+ to... well, me at the beach. There were about 20 of us. Played soccer in the sand, took a dip in beautiful waves, and found a roadside wagon selling fresh baked (in a wood fired oven) bread stuffed with various cheeses and meats (locally called pao com Chouriço) to take care of our hunger. It was a beautiful night.
Saturday we played tourist at the waterfront monuments. The Tower of Belem used to be a fort in the middle of the river. It is now on the shore as they filled in the north side of the river. It predates the 1755 earthquake. The Monument to the Discoveries was first built as a temporary site by the dictator Salazar in the 30's or 40's and then replaced with this permanent one in the 1960's. It is impressive and attractive in the special setting it enjoys.
Friday night was a different experience. Nancy and the girls went to a baby shower with a bunch of other like-gender types (Americans mostly) in a town about 20 miles from here. I dropped them off and joined the other males from age 1+ to... well, me at the beach. There were about 20 of us. Played soccer in the sand, took a dip in beautiful waves, and found a roadside wagon selling fresh baked (in a wood fired oven) bread stuffed with various cheeses and meats (locally called pao com Chouriço) to take care of our hunger. It was a beautiful night.
Saturday we played tourist at the waterfront monuments. The Tower of Belem used to be a fort in the middle of the river. It is now on the shore as they filled in the north side of the river. It predates the 1755 earthquake. The Monument to the Discoveries was first built as a temporary site by the dictator Salazar in the 30's or 40's and then replaced with this permanent one in the 1960's. It is impressive and attractive in the special setting it enjoys.
About a block away is a early Renaissance Cathedral (also an earthquake survivor) and attached monastery/convent. Vasco Da Gama's burial site as well as the final resting place of kings and queens.
Nearby is the site of the invention of a famous local delicacy... a kind of custard pastry... called Pasteis de Belem. The coffee house type place has been in business since 1837 at this site. It has has many smallish rooms as it has expanded over the years and taken over nearby buildings. It would be a great +place to play "paint ball" or hide and seek. Hot out of the oven, sprinkled with cinnamon and/or powered sugar and washed down with your favorite coffee/chocolate drink, it is great. Often imitated (all over the place) but never duplicated, it is said that only the owner and 2 trusted employees actually know the recipe. Sadly, there is a Starbucks 2 doors down and a McDonald´s across the street. I think it will outlast both...
Yesterday (Sunday) after church, we went to the "largest mall in Europe" for lunch and joined hundreds of others wasting their time, looking at stuff in stores. It was fun though and we didn´t get lost (much) at all getting there and not at all getting back home.
We are constantly reminded of contrasts here. Old (very) and new, side by side. Example of new. Underground parking garages at malls have a small green or red light over each parking slot indicating occupancy. The red is automatically activated when a car fills it up. Easy to spot open spaces from a distance, so that you can join the race to get there first. Some other things, like toilet paper that is a mixture of wood fiber and crepe paper, are not so "up to date".
Got my first hair cut today. (He pre-washed it, took 30 minutes "styling" it, and washed it again before my blow dry) 10 euros well spent and I feel beautiful...
Mike
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday Sept 23, 2009
Hump day---
What a great climate/weather pattern we are in here. Cool nights and sunny warm days. Our car has been in the shop with a muffler issue as a result of a high object in the road, so I have been walking home in the AM to do my household chores like hang the laundry or, like today, prepare dinner by turning on the crockpot.
It takes about 6 minutes to walk one way with about 2 more used to catch my breath and look at the view. Of the 6 minutes 4.5 are used going up a steep hill. About 400 yds of up hill closely akin to 40 stories of steps... I will be in shape soon if I don't get the car back. Nothing like starting class with a little sweat already worked up... here I go
M
What a great climate/weather pattern we are in here. Cool nights and sunny warm days. Our car has been in the shop with a muffler issue as a result of a high object in the road, so I have been walking home in the AM to do my household chores like hang the laundry or, like today, prepare dinner by turning on the crockpot.
It takes about 6 minutes to walk one way with about 2 more used to catch my breath and look at the view. Of the 6 minutes 4.5 are used going up a steep hill. About 400 yds of up hill closely akin to 40 stories of steps... I will be in shape soon if I don't get the car back. Nothing like starting class with a little sweat already worked up... here I go
M
Monday, September 21, 2009
September 21, 2009
I have come to the conclusion that we are having way too much fun on the weekends. That makes it hard to go back to work on Monday mornings.
On Saturday we took the metro and went to old downtown Lisboa...it is very old and very European...lots of pastry shops and sidewalk cafes. Lots of foot traffic...they actually have designated walking streets and large piazzas where no cars are allowed...that is quite welcome since we often feel we are risking life and limb when we walk on the regular streets....so narrow with cars dodging here and there. The day started off cloudy but half way into our venture the sun was out again. As a result half our pictures for the day show gray skies and half show blue.
Before we got to the downtown area, Mike gave us a lesson on some Portugese history...one of the many advantages to being married to him...one of the most interesting things he told us was about the tragic events of 1755...one Sunday morning the great city of Lisbon was hit by a massive earth quake. The quake caused fierce fires to break out all across the city. Only minutes later the city was hit by a devastating tidal wave that finished things off. Thousands were killed and all but one small part of the city was destroyed. I can't help but think the people must have thought this was the end of the world!
Since most of the city was destroyed almost all the buildings we see now were built after 1755 in grand European style... Think Paris on a shoe string as much wealth along with the lives was lost that fateful day.
One interesting site is the elevator, designed by a student of Eiffel, who transports people from the lower part of the city to the upper part. Another is the partially finished cathedral which was not finished because the people thought God was displeased with their effort and sent the earthquake as a warning.
As we wandered along the streets, we came to a bazaar where artisans were displaying their wears...Mike bought me a lovely necklace for only 10 euros...he said it does not really seem like my style...I told him it is my new Portugese look.
Sidewalk entertainers, tourists of all origins, cafes, shops, street vendors, and smells of strong coffee vied for our attention. We will definitely do it again and soon...
On Saturday we took the metro and went to old downtown Lisboa...it is very old and very European...lots of pastry shops and sidewalk cafes. Lots of foot traffic...they actually have designated walking streets and large piazzas where no cars are allowed...that is quite welcome since we often feel we are risking life and limb when we walk on the regular streets....so narrow with cars dodging here and there. The day started off cloudy but half way into our venture the sun was out again. As a result half our pictures for the day show gray skies and half show blue.
Before we got to the downtown area, Mike gave us a lesson on some Portugese history...one of the many advantages to being married to him...one of the most interesting things he told us was about the tragic events of 1755...one Sunday morning the great city of Lisbon was hit by a massive earth quake. The quake caused fierce fires to break out all across the city. Only minutes later the city was hit by a devastating tidal wave that finished things off. Thousands were killed and all but one small part of the city was destroyed. I can't help but think the people must have thought this was the end of the world!
Since most of the city was destroyed almost all the buildings we see now were built after 1755 in grand European style... Think Paris on a shoe string as much wealth along with the lives was lost that fateful day.
One interesting site is the elevator, designed by a student of Eiffel, who transports people from the lower part of the city to the upper part. Another is the partially finished cathedral which was not finished because the people thought God was displeased with their effort and sent the earthquake as a warning.
As we wandered along the streets, we came to a bazaar where artisans were displaying their wears...Mike bought me a lovely necklace for only 10 euros...he said it does not really seem like my style...I told him it is my new Portugese look.
Sidewalk entertainers, tourists of all origins, cafes, shops, street vendors, and smells of strong coffee vied for our attention. We will definitely do it again and soon...
Friday, September 18, 2009
September 18, 2009
Yeah...it is Friday of the second week of teaching! And, can you believe this, I have my lessons plans all done for the coming week. This could make for a relaxing weekend. Seriously, it may sound like I am glad it is Friday...and, well, I am...but that does not mean I am not enjoying my class. They are sweet kids and hard workers. I love starting the day out teaching a class on Bible and having a short prayer time...very different from when I taught in the public schools.
Along with first and second grade I am teaching art to my class and to the 3-6 graders. I am also teaching...now those of you who know me well will gasp at this...music...to my class. I know that is a bit scary but as I was doing it today I found I was having fun. God does work in mysterious ways. You have to remember I am teaching 6,7 and 8 year olds so they don't know a lot about music...thankfully for their music teacher.
Enough about school. Today I woke up at 5:30, thought it was 6:30...my usual time of arising on school days...and did not discover the mistake until after I had had my coffee...so of course there was no chance of getting back into bed and falling asleep. I was bummed about how tired I would be all day until I realized that since my clock was wrong this morning it was also wrong when I went to bed last night...so I got to bed an hour earlier than I thought I did. I felt much better after this realization. Isn't it funny how our minds work...or at least my mind.
Anyway, it was raining this morning. This doesn't happen often but when it does it can affect more than ones walk or ride to school...since we have to hang out all of our laundry on the clothes line we have discovered it does not dry in the rain...we have to plan when we do laundry around the weather. Luckily by midmorning today the rain had cleared and the sun was out so Mike went home before his first class (which is at 11 AM) and hung out the clothes I had thrown into the washer before we left for school. The really cool thing we have discovered about hanging clothes on the line is...you never need to use a loofa on your skin ...your stiffly dried clothes will do all the exfoliating you'll ever need!
Tonight we plan to go to a Chinese Restaurant (I never could spell that word) that has been highly recommended to us. We are looking forward to this experience in Portugal. One thing we have found with the restaurants here is you pay for everything....rolls, butter, pickles, etc. Anything that is on your table will be an extra charge if you eat it...so beware.
Tomorrow, if the weather is good we are going on a tour of old Lisboa (Lisbon). We have heard the tour is filled with lots of interesting history facts and the viewing of historical sights.
All in all, after almost a month (in four days) of life in Portugal we are settling in. Nina is starting to think of herself as a highschooler instead of a middleschooler...that is helping her confidence. I think she is realizing she actually can do 9th and 10th grade work...with more effort perhaps than she has had to put into school in the past...but she is learning a lot. Of course her favorite teacher is...Mr. Dubois...at least that is what she tells him at home. Kati is working on getting organized...we invested in a folder for each subject after she forgot her homework or thought she lost it three nights in a row...she found it the next day tucked away under something else. It is actually pretty cool to be going to school each morning together. Some days we go home at different times since the girls are taking Portugese after school a couple of days a week and Nina has a Bible study with the high school girls on another day. Soon I will be starting the women's Bible study one day every other week.
One more funny "slant" story before I sign off. Yesterday as we got home from school our neighbor was unloading groceries and dropped a rather large melon of some sort onto the road...the melon began to roll, faster and faster, and when it came to the intersection it actually turned the corner and rolled down another hill...finally coming to rest in many pieces in the middle of a downward slanting street after bouncing off a curb. down the block...it was a funny sight to see and no one even attempted to chase after it. They instinctively knew that once that melon escaped the confines of the bag it was in...it was gone forever!
Bye for now.
Nancy
Along with first and second grade I am teaching art to my class and to the 3-6 graders. I am also teaching...now those of you who know me well will gasp at this...music...to my class. I know that is a bit scary but as I was doing it today I found I was having fun. God does work in mysterious ways. You have to remember I am teaching 6,7 and 8 year olds so they don't know a lot about music...thankfully for their music teacher.
Enough about school. Today I woke up at 5:30, thought it was 6:30...my usual time of arising on school days...and did not discover the mistake until after I had had my coffee...so of course there was no chance of getting back into bed and falling asleep. I was bummed about how tired I would be all day until I realized that since my clock was wrong this morning it was also wrong when I went to bed last night...so I got to bed an hour earlier than I thought I did. I felt much better after this realization. Isn't it funny how our minds work...or at least my mind.
Anyway, it was raining this morning. This doesn't happen often but when it does it can affect more than ones walk or ride to school...since we have to hang out all of our laundry on the clothes line we have discovered it does not dry in the rain...we have to plan when we do laundry around the weather. Luckily by midmorning today the rain had cleared and the sun was out so Mike went home before his first class (which is at 11 AM) and hung out the clothes I had thrown into the washer before we left for school. The really cool thing we have discovered about hanging clothes on the line is...you never need to use a loofa on your skin ...your stiffly dried clothes will do all the exfoliating you'll ever need!
Tonight we plan to go to a Chinese Restaurant (I never could spell that word) that has been highly recommended to us. We are looking forward to this experience in Portugal. One thing we have found with the restaurants here is you pay for everything....rolls, butter, pickles, etc. Anything that is on your table will be an extra charge if you eat it...so beware.
Tomorrow, if the weather is good we are going on a tour of old Lisboa (Lisbon). We have heard the tour is filled with lots of interesting history facts and the viewing of historical sights.
All in all, after almost a month (in four days) of life in Portugal we are settling in. Nina is starting to think of herself as a highschooler instead of a middleschooler...that is helping her confidence. I think she is realizing she actually can do 9th and 10th grade work...with more effort perhaps than she has had to put into school in the past...but she is learning a lot. Of course her favorite teacher is...Mr. Dubois...at least that is what she tells him at home. Kati is working on getting organized...we invested in a folder for each subject after she forgot her homework or thought she lost it three nights in a row...she found it the next day tucked away under something else. It is actually pretty cool to be going to school each morning together. Some days we go home at different times since the girls are taking Portugese after school a couple of days a week and Nina has a Bible study with the high school girls on another day. Soon I will be starting the women's Bible study one day every other week.
One more funny "slant" story before I sign off. Yesterday as we got home from school our neighbor was unloading groceries and dropped a rather large melon of some sort onto the road...the melon began to roll, faster and faster, and when it came to the intersection it actually turned the corner and rolled down another hill...finally coming to rest in many pieces in the middle of a downward slanting street after bouncing off a curb. down the block...it was a funny sight to see and no one even attempted to chase after it. They instinctively knew that once that melon escaped the confines of the bag it was in...it was gone forever!
Bye for now.
Nancy
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
09-15-09
Tuesday already...
Another interesting thing about our area is the large number of dogs. Many of the loud barking watchdog variety on chains or behind walls, but also a number free roamers. No negative experiences yet (although some close calls when one fails to watch your steps carefully, if you know what I mean). The interesting thing about the roamers is that they seem to be missing the gene that controls the "get out of the street when a car comes" reflex inherent in most living critters. They sleep in the street, often in the middle of intersections, sit in the street, eat in the street, have meetings with several of their ilk in the street, etc. They do go to the sidewalks (at least near our house) to do their "business", but are very slow responders to the menace of auto tires or honking horns. Haven´t hit one yet but nearly did last night. Gray dog on a gray street at dusk... It survived... probably to breed more with the missing gene...
M
Another interesting thing about our area is the large number of dogs. Many of the loud barking watchdog variety on chains or behind walls, but also a number free roamers. No negative experiences yet (although some close calls when one fails to watch your steps carefully, if you know what I mean). The interesting thing about the roamers is that they seem to be missing the gene that controls the "get out of the street when a car comes" reflex inherent in most living critters. They sleep in the street, often in the middle of intersections, sit in the street, eat in the street, have meetings with several of their ilk in the street, etc. They do go to the sidewalks (at least near our house) to do their "business", but are very slow responders to the menace of auto tires or honking horns. Haven´t hit one yet but nearly did last night. Gray dog on a gray street at dusk... It survived... probably to breed more with the missing gene...
M
Sunday, September 13, 2009
9-13-09
Finally Saturday…
Nancy did school work all morning and I prepped for PE by walking up and down a hill with the GPS marking off 1.5 km for a fitness test.
This afternoon I forced them all into the car and we headed for the beach… Caparica.
We visited there 22 years ago and Mike Jr. and Lisa, sorry to say, were introduced to “nature worship”. No such untoward events today. Today it was beautiful. 10+ miles of sandy white beach and 3 foot waves of clean cool (very cool) water rolling in. Kati and I had a ball. Nina is a great swimmer but being from IL thinks that water you swim in has to have lots of chlorine and a cement bottom. She finally joined us but I had the most fun. Nancy took pictures and looked cute on the beach. She doesn’t do cool water.
I really feel rejuvenated and I think I can do another school week…
M
Nancy did school work all morning and I prepped for PE by walking up and down a hill with the GPS marking off 1.5 km for a fitness test.
This afternoon I forced them all into the car and we headed for the beach… Caparica.
We visited there 22 years ago and Mike Jr. and Lisa, sorry to say, were introduced to “nature worship”. No such untoward events today. Today it was beautiful. 10+ miles of sandy white beach and 3 foot waves of clean cool (very cool) water rolling in. Kati and I had a ball. Nina is a great swimmer but being from IL thinks that water you swim in has to have lots of chlorine and a cement bottom. She finally joined us but I had the most fun. Nancy took pictures and looked cute on the beach. She doesn’t do cool water.
I really feel rejuvenated and I think I can do another school week…
M
Friday, September 11, 2009
9-11-09
Another significant date... Powerful images remain. Who doubts that the actions of one have an impact of world events?
Anyway, we have completed the 1st week of school. I think I will call it a draw. I have enjoyed talking with my students and getting them to think about significant things but it is exhausting. Been very hot and the gravity thing takes it's toll. I notice it a lot when getting out of our little Toyota. It doesn't seem to matter where I park, it is always in a way that intensifies the impact of gravity on the exiting process. Up hill presses me against the seat in a way that is difficult to overcome, downhill tends to sent me running out the door and then clawing my way back up the side of the car. Sidehills exert odd pressures either out the door and down the hill or toward the passenger seat upon releasing the steering wheel.
You have to understand that some of our hills have a 40% grade so I have been told. That is a very steep hill. Many of them have lesser but still impressive grades. "Life on the Slant" is very interesting... I wonder if I can find a pizza place for a Friday night meal...
Anyway, we have completed the 1st week of school. I think I will call it a draw. I have enjoyed talking with my students and getting them to think about significant things but it is exhausting. Been very hot and the gravity thing takes it's toll. I notice it a lot when getting out of our little Toyota. It doesn't seem to matter where I park, it is always in a way that intensifies the impact of gravity on the exiting process. Up hill presses me against the seat in a way that is difficult to overcome, downhill tends to sent me running out the door and then clawing my way back up the side of the car. Sidehills exert odd pressures either out the door and down the hill or toward the passenger seat upon releasing the steering wheel.
You have to understand that some of our hills have a 40% grade so I have been told. That is a very steep hill. Many of them have lesser but still impressive grades. "Life on the Slant" is very interesting... I wonder if I can find a pizza place for a Friday night meal...
Thursday, September 10, 2009
More 09-09-09
September 9, 2009
Number one rule of blogging…don’t rely on the battery…plug the thing in! I just lost all that I had written. So, I will try to recap. The first day of school I dragged myself home, ate something, and fell into bed. Not all of the exhaustion was due to being out of shape for the rigors of teaching after being retired for eight years…I was suffering from a head cold and I had not been able to sleep much the night before. Luckily I have felt much better the past two days.
The days here are hot and by afternoon everyone is sweaty and sticky and somewhat fragrant…but by 6PM a cool breeze is blowing across the hills and cools everything off…by night time we usually need a sweater if we are outside. We leave our windows open when we are home…no screens…we share our home with a few flies so we keep our two fly swatters handy. Mike likes to hit them in mid-air…but I wait until they land and then…usually miss anyway.
My school day is pretty jam packed…not much time to plan lessons and organize so I try to do that before and after school. Today I decided that I would attempt to teach my students music once a week…I know that it is hard to believe I can do that…my musical ability is…well...shall we say…lacking! Any suggestions from my musically inclined friends and family would be appreciated.
Mike is doing a great job of taking care of us. Since his classes don’t start until 11AM he does the marketing and menu planning and sometimes the laundry…then after school he cooks dinner for us. Nina’s job was to wash dishes but since she is getting tons of serious homework I have taken on clean-up duty…except for sweeping the kitchen floor each evening…that is Kati’s job.
We are working with a nice group of people. All the elementary teachers are new and short termers like us…all the high school teachers, except Mike, are returning teachers. The elementary teachers consist of a young single woman, a couple about my age and me. We seem to be developing a good working relationship. I look forward to getting to know them more personally as the year progresses.
It rained today for the first time since we have been here…it was an actually rain storm with thunder and lightning…pretty unusual for this time of year we were told.
It sound like Swine Flu is heating up…we are constantly washing our hands and telling the kids to do likewise…I have to admit it is a bit scary to think about it. One of my constant prayers is for good health for all of you out there and for us here…it is all in His hands! Bye for now.
Nancy
Number one rule of blogging…don’t rely on the battery…plug the thing in! I just lost all that I had written. So, I will try to recap. The first day of school I dragged myself home, ate something, and fell into bed. Not all of the exhaustion was due to being out of shape for the rigors of teaching after being retired for eight years…I was suffering from a head cold and I had not been able to sleep much the night before. Luckily I have felt much better the past two days.
The days here are hot and by afternoon everyone is sweaty and sticky and somewhat fragrant…but by 6PM a cool breeze is blowing across the hills and cools everything off…by night time we usually need a sweater if we are outside. We leave our windows open when we are home…no screens…we share our home with a few flies so we keep our two fly swatters handy. Mike likes to hit them in mid-air…but I wait until they land and then…usually miss anyway.
My school day is pretty jam packed…not much time to plan lessons and organize so I try to do that before and after school. Today I decided that I would attempt to teach my students music once a week…I know that it is hard to believe I can do that…my musical ability is…well...shall we say…lacking! Any suggestions from my musically inclined friends and family would be appreciated.
Mike is doing a great job of taking care of us. Since his classes don’t start until 11AM he does the marketing and menu planning and sometimes the laundry…then after school he cooks dinner for us. Nina’s job was to wash dishes but since she is getting tons of serious homework I have taken on clean-up duty…except for sweeping the kitchen floor each evening…that is Kati’s job.
We are working with a nice group of people. All the elementary teachers are new and short termers like us…all the high school teachers, except Mike, are returning teachers. The elementary teachers consist of a young single woman, a couple about my age and me. We seem to be developing a good working relationship. I look forward to getting to know them more personally as the year progresses.
It rained today for the first time since we have been here…it was an actually rain storm with thunder and lightning…pretty unusual for this time of year we were told.
It sound like Swine Flu is heating up…we are constantly washing our hands and telling the kids to do likewise…I have to admit it is a bit scary to think about it. One of my constant prayers is for good health for all of you out there and for us here…it is all in His hands! Bye for now.
Nancy
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
09/09/09
Interesting date, huh? We had a very unusual thunderstorm this AM. It seldom rains here until later in the year. It almost never experiences thunder and lightening. I hung the laundry out just minutes before a brief heavy shower on the mistaken notion that it was over. Not only did the clothes get a "final rinse", so did I on the way back to school after my household chores were done.
GLCA has diversity! I have kids from Korea, Germany, Angola, Tibet, Canada, & USA. Some have lived here a long time and some have not been here as long as I have. Some speak several languages and some don't seem to speak any... at least, that I can tell what it is. They all seem to be willing to learn stuff so we are working to give them a great learning experience.
I found the Post Office tucked in the back of a tiny storefront today. I was doubting the GPS but it was right.. Only went down one 1-way street the wrong way to get there. Had lots of people help me recognize the driving error as I did last night when I tried to check out of the shortest line at a crowded market that happened to be reserved for PG moms and handicapped people. They did let me stand there until I was next in line...Talk about embarassed!
Once again if you would like pictures to see some of this stuff, let me know via email and I will copy you in for those.
GLCA has diversity! I have kids from Korea, Germany, Angola, Tibet, Canada, & USA. Some have lived here a long time and some have not been here as long as I have. Some speak several languages and some don't seem to speak any... at least, that I can tell what it is. They all seem to be willing to learn stuff so we are working to give them a great learning experience.
I found the Post Office tucked in the back of a tiny storefront today. I was doubting the GPS but it was right.. Only went down one 1-way street the wrong way to get there. Had lots of people help me recognize the driving error as I did last night when I tried to check out of the shortest line at a crowded market that happened to be reserved for PG moms and handicapped people. They did let me stand there until I was next in line...Talk about embarassed!
Once again if you would like pictures to see some of this stuff, let me know via email and I will copy you in for those.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sept. 7,2009
Labor Day has taken on a new meaning for us. We labored, actually toiled, today in honor of the event. First day of school was hard on all of us. Lots of real hard work but we are on a mission and are going to go to bed early and get ready to do it again. It actually was a lot of fun but also very taxing and challenging for us. We will be ready for the weekend for sure. We will tell you about our students another time. Lots of diversity here at GLCA
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sept 6, 2009
I still can´t get over the view from our house and from the school. My classroom is on the down side of the hill (thankfully) and I can see the Tejo (Tagus in US) river and the otherside all the way to high hills in the distance, at least 20 or 30 miles when it is clear. Since I face kind of east in my desk, I can see the hills that were opposite the old school (our 1986-87 experience) as well. There are still barren of houses and have olive trees on their flanks. I also see the airport and look down on the planes as they land and take off invariably (so far) from the west to the east. If I lean a bit forward I can see downtown Lisbon (which we have yet to visit), a couple of hugh soccer stadiums, and the roof of the largest mall in Europe. I think a foray Sunday pm into the city may be in order if I can get my guts up to drive it. The GPS is great but not foolproof. The driving is more of a challenge than I remember. I think because we didn't drive that much then and it was less busy as well. The freeway system is well developed but I have not yet been able to make it orderly in my brain. Plus once you are on it, right or wrong, exits are few and far between. There are also no as yet discovered, easy-off easy-on situations either which makes for a high price extracted for entering a wrong on-ramp. Landmark recognition is still out of my grasp as I have to focus so much on avoiding contact with the other zipping little autos trying to qualify for the next Formula 1 race...
I bought a butane tank for the house yesterday... another "great" learning experience. My inability to glutterize and roll r's at the same time led to lots of puzzlement on behalf of the gas station staff. Another quart, oops, liter of sweat on that one but finally got it. (saved by someone who knew English).
Also found the Ramada (formerly Odiveles) church yesterday. It is at the bottom of our hill and surrounded by housing. It was isolated on a dirt road before.
School starts tomorrow and we are all ready. I hope I don't start drifting into day dreams as I glance out the windows...
I bought a butane tank for the house yesterday... another "great" learning experience. My inability to glutterize and roll r's at the same time led to lots of puzzlement on behalf of the gas station staff. Another quart, oops, liter of sweat on that one but finally got it. (saved by someone who knew English).
Also found the Ramada (formerly Odiveles) church yesterday. It is at the bottom of our hill and surrounded by housing. It was isolated on a dirt road before.
School starts tomorrow and we are all ready. I hope I don't start drifting into day dreams as I glance out the windows...
Friday, September 4, 2009
September 4, 2009
As you may have noticed we have lost count of the days we have blogged and are now using the date as a reference...I hope we will be able to remember the date!
I wanted to share about an unusual place we visited a few days ago...it is called Boca du Inferno. It is a place on the coast where the ocean has weathered out a huge, and I mean huge hole in the rocky coast. The design of the hole is such that the waves wash in and water sprays up hundreds of feet. The day we were there it was quiet but when Mike was here three years ago he saw it in action and said it was amazing. We will visit it again on a more turbulant day. It is located in a beautiful seaside vacation area about 30 minutes from here...quite a beautiful area.
One strange thing I have noticed here is that most things you buy in a store, even in the "supermercado" are packaged in small amounts. I am so used to big packages and places like Sam's club. Mike says it is a throw back to the days when there were only neighborhood markets and the people shopped everyday. It is certainly different.
Some things that are hard to find here or non-existant or very expensive are chocolate chips, peanut butter, hand sanitizer, and hand lotion with a pump top. There are probably others but so far this is what we have run into.
Well, we are off to get ready for a potluck lunch for the staff at school. Mike is making Oriental Slaw since we were assigned to bring a salad.
Mike's dad who was in the hospital for 4 days is home now, thanks for the prayers on his behalf.
Bye for now.
Nancy
I wanted to share about an unusual place we visited a few days ago...it is called Boca du Inferno. It is a place on the coast where the ocean has weathered out a huge, and I mean huge hole in the rocky coast. The design of the hole is such that the waves wash in and water sprays up hundreds of feet. The day we were there it was quiet but when Mike was here three years ago he saw it in action and said it was amazing. We will visit it again on a more turbulant day. It is located in a beautiful seaside vacation area about 30 minutes from here...quite a beautiful area.
One strange thing I have noticed here is that most things you buy in a store, even in the "supermercado" are packaged in small amounts. I am so used to big packages and places like Sam's club. Mike says it is a throw back to the days when there were only neighborhood markets and the people shopped everyday. It is certainly different.
Some things that are hard to find here or non-existant or very expensive are chocolate chips, peanut butter, hand sanitizer, and hand lotion with a pump top. There are probably others but so far this is what we have run into.
Well, we are off to get ready for a potluck lunch for the staff at school. Mike is making Oriental Slaw since we were assigned to bring a salad.
Mike's dad who was in the hospital for 4 days is home now, thanks for the prayers on his behalf.
Bye for now.
Nancy
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sept 3, 2009
Sorry it has been awhile since I've blogged. It seemed every evening when I started to do it the internet was down. So here it is early on Thursday morning.
We have been furiously getting ready for school to start. It officially starts on Monday but there is an open house (they call it a family tea) this evening. My classroom looks ready but my mind is a bit boggled with the curriculum I will teach...although I have only 3 students I have two grades (1 and 2) and a separate curriculm for each. The school has a lot of materials so it looks and feels a bit overwhelming. I'm sure things will fall into place as I get to know my kids and what they need and how fast they work. We had a teacher meeting yesterday and it seems the tone of the school is fairly low-key. The other el-ed teachers seem very nice...we are all fist timers here so we can kind of help each other out.
Along with grades 1 and 2 I have been asked to teach 2 art classes...I'm looking forward to that...but of course that means two more preps and no planning time...but hey, I'm here to work and I'm looking for any opportunities that God puts before me. Since Mike's schedule is quite a bit more open than mine he has decided to do the grocery shopping and cooking for our family. I sure won't complain about that. He is already the best cook in this family anyway.
We have set up a tutor for the girls so they can learn Portugese...they will be taking the class for an hour after school once a week. The 14 year old daughter of one of the new missionaries will be taking it with them.
I found out that one of the missionary women is going to hold a women's Bible study. She plans to do a Beth Moore book about John. I'm looking forward to that. There is also a baby shower planned this month for one of the missionaries who is having a baby. She doesn't seem a bit nervous about having a baby here.
Yesterday our electricity suddenly went off but in no time at all Mike had solved the problem and had it working again. He is amazing!
Our landlord, Senor Martine is out working in the yard and garden everyday. Two different days he called us over to where he was working and wanted to cut some fresh roses from the yard for us. They make a lovely and fragrant centerpiece for our little kitchen table.
Two days ago we made a trip to the AKIA store. We bought a few household things and had lunch there. We took Meridith one of the young single teachers with us.
Yesterday Mike and I decided to buy things for dinner so went to the local vegetable market for a few things and then walked across the street to the meat market for what we thought was some hamburger patties. After we cooked them we decided they were probably pork burgers. We looked up in our Portugese/Ingles dictionary how to say hamburger and guess what....it said "hamburger". I guess that will make it a little easier to order next time.
Today we are going to try to find this market/street fair we heard is held on Thursdays...it may be our last chance to check it out since we will be in school most Thursdays.
The girls are doing great...they even cleaned the house for us yesterday while we were working at school, then walked up the hill to join us when they were done. Kati joined one of the missionary families who has a daughter who will be in her class to go to see the movie "UP" yesterday afternoon. I think Kati and Tori may become good friends while we are here.
I don't know how often I will be blogging during this first couple of weeks at school but we will for sure share any new and exciting experiences we have. I talked to someone the other day who told us about a Portugese orphanage here in Lisboa...I want to find out more about that.
Bye for now.
N
We have been furiously getting ready for school to start. It officially starts on Monday but there is an open house (they call it a family tea) this evening. My classroom looks ready but my mind is a bit boggled with the curriculum I will teach...although I have only 3 students I have two grades (1 and 2) and a separate curriculm for each. The school has a lot of materials so it looks and feels a bit overwhelming. I'm sure things will fall into place as I get to know my kids and what they need and how fast they work. We had a teacher meeting yesterday and it seems the tone of the school is fairly low-key. The other el-ed teachers seem very nice...we are all fist timers here so we can kind of help each other out.
Along with grades 1 and 2 I have been asked to teach 2 art classes...I'm looking forward to that...but of course that means two more preps and no planning time...but hey, I'm here to work and I'm looking for any opportunities that God puts before me. Since Mike's schedule is quite a bit more open than mine he has decided to do the grocery shopping and cooking for our family. I sure won't complain about that. He is already the best cook in this family anyway.
We have set up a tutor for the girls so they can learn Portugese...they will be taking the class for an hour after school once a week. The 14 year old daughter of one of the new missionaries will be taking it with them.
I found out that one of the missionary women is going to hold a women's Bible study. She plans to do a Beth Moore book about John. I'm looking forward to that. There is also a baby shower planned this month for one of the missionaries who is having a baby. She doesn't seem a bit nervous about having a baby here.
Yesterday our electricity suddenly went off but in no time at all Mike had solved the problem and had it working again. He is amazing!
Our landlord, Senor Martine is out working in the yard and garden everyday. Two different days he called us over to where he was working and wanted to cut some fresh roses from the yard for us. They make a lovely and fragrant centerpiece for our little kitchen table.
Two days ago we made a trip to the AKIA store. We bought a few household things and had lunch there. We took Meridith one of the young single teachers with us.
Yesterday Mike and I decided to buy things for dinner so went to the local vegetable market for a few things and then walked across the street to the meat market for what we thought was some hamburger patties. After we cooked them we decided they were probably pork burgers. We looked up in our Portugese/Ingles dictionary how to say hamburger and guess what....it said "hamburger". I guess that will make it a little easier to order next time.
Today we are going to try to find this market/street fair we heard is held on Thursdays...it may be our last chance to check it out since we will be in school most Thursdays.
The girls are doing great...they even cleaned the house for us yesterday while we were working at school, then walked up the hill to join us when they were done. Kati joined one of the missionary families who has a daughter who will be in her class to go to see the movie "UP" yesterday afternoon. I think Kati and Tori may become good friends while we are here.
I don't know how often I will be blogging during this first couple of weeks at school but we will for sure share any new and exciting experiences we have. I talked to someone the other day who told us about a Portugese orphanage here in Lisboa...I want to find out more about that.
Bye for now.
N
Sept.2, 2009
Hey
We went the whole day yesterday without getting lost once! OK, so we only went to school which is 628 meters away but it does involve hills (of course) and a couple of narrow twisting streets... School starts next Monday so we are focused on gearing up.
We went the whole day yesterday without getting lost once! OK, so we only went to school which is 628 meters away but it does involve hills (of course) and a couple of narrow twisting streets... School starts next Monday so we are focused on gearing up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)