Ups and downs of family holidays

Ah, the Christmas break is half-over (or half begun, for you optimists) and I've come to some realizations about holidays with one's family and away from one's extended family.

Firstly, the blessings: that we can have a wonderful quiet holiday and feel fulfilled among ourselves without traveling, shlepping, winter driving or mountains of presents. The following picture is a daddy reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as the bed time story before Pere Noel came to visit:
This was the first year that M and I have had ever on our own and it was peaceful, calm and reflective. We even got a chance to go skating, as per our tradition whenever we've been at the lake--but this time at Place St. Catherine in the heart of Brussels--lovely.


Another blessing: that our children were able (for the most part) get along with each other AND share the jointly received toys with grace and patience--at least on Christmas day...

Yet another joy: that technology has advanced sufficiently to allow video conferencing and frequent inexpensive telephone calls with the ones we love, so that we weren't too isolated or isolatory for those who love us too.

And finally: that we've made a modest collection of friends here so that our yuletide celebrations were not just with the four of us--that we got out, shared glogg, had friends in and shared lots of laughs and good times.

Food this season has been luscious as well: Barbecued lobsters and champagne (thanks so much, JJ for that bottle of bubbly...) for our lucky 13th anniversary of our engagement on Christmas eve, decadent turkey with all the trimmings including Grandma's ginger shortbread on the day of our lord's birth and a suite of creative and delicious leftover recreations (Tandoori Turkey, anyone?) that are now over, regretfully.

But alas, there were also drawbacks. The first: giving gifts to little relatives without receiving the moist, spontaneous, enthusiastic hugs immediately after and later that day while engaging them in play with the new dumptruck or imagination-inducing object.

Another: that the symphony of competing conversations only possible with those who have only a few times a year to catch up, have exciting news (job/house/family changes) cannot be experienced virtually no matter how advanced a video camera and high-speed modem can get.

Yet a third: that those who are gaining in years who have fewer and fewer celebrating years to share truly miss us and our children...we pray we don't miss the chance to tell them in person how much they mean to us.

And regretfully, there are always the "hangovers" to suffer afterwards--not the alcoholic kind but the letdown from the euphoria kind of hangover...toys break, one's patience gets lost, the fridge needs cleaning out, waistbands don't fit, marking piles don't get any slimmer, report cards need to be written and children get bored with their own company without school friends to enjoy...I hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to going back to work, and I think M is looking forward to getting his routine of rehearsals, audition calls and the children out from underfoot.

Sigh. All good things do come to an end. Good night, Christmas and good morning New Year!

Mensa Word List: Hip Lash

What does one call the injuries one gets from an elevator that suddenly jerks or when an articulated bus (where one happens to be standing at the extreme rear) hits a pot hole with its last axle?


It's not whip lash, because the injury isn't to the neck or head, since the position one is in is standing: it affects the waist because one's knees are typically locked--according to me its called HIP LASH...ask me how I know! I'm sure this would qualify for the mensa word list (for example, Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period), as it's only a removal or insertion of one letter to create a new meaning of a word or phrase. Any other suggestions, wordies?

So back to the Hip Lash I incurred: Think of instant compression of the Thorasic-Lumbar directly into the saccral-coccix....yet my feet never actually left the "ground". Those of you who have traveled in a bus on cobblestones, particularly in front of the Royal Palace on the way to the European Commission Buildings will know EXACTLY what I experienced today...AARRRRGH!

Matthew and I were laughing and almost crying at the same time because it was so rediculous with our "bus surfing"! Due to the crowds, the boys were seated but the adults had long ago given up their seats to other transit riders, inspite of our Christmas packages. When this extra-long bus went around a corner Matthew and I became intimate in an instant way...not that I minded, but it was a public place, recall! I think the 1.60 Euro I spent was a better ride than any I've had in a carnival or fall fair...now if only it came with included padding and contraception?

"Now, that didn't take long!"

We're now reconnected--ALERT!! You can now call our Toronto line again and get us in balmy Brussels--and please do!

Ah, the benefits of international telephoning via the internet...for just the low, low price of 35 CAD a month the Rose-Zadow family has two email addresses, unlimited calls to all Canadian area codes 416, 647, 905 and 287 and a voice mailbox...but with priviledges come responsibilities--like being polite to those "GD telemarketers"!!

IT TOOK A WHOLE 120 MINUTES BEFORE BELL CANADA REGISTERED OUR LINE TO THE FIRST-- "Hello, my name is Rashid and I have noticed you enjoy making international calls. Would you be interested in our special, limited time offer...?"

Here's my response, a bit cocky: "Um, thanks so much for your time, Rashid, but you see, you're calling me in BELGIUM on my Voice-over-IP phone, and I get free calls all over the world with this and SKYPE, so I have no interest whatsoever in your service. Good luck with the next call you have to make!"... Was that too polite? Should I have told him to take that headset and shove it in his curry hole? Perhaps a bit rash..."Um, Rashid, don't you want to wait tables in a tourist trap in Goa instead of doing this job? Aren't the hours better? You can at least see your friends when they come in for a coffee after their 1 a.m. shift is over..."

I will stop being sardonic (oops, and should I be much less R......t?) for a few sentences to tell you that we're launching into Christmas with a great amount of energy...here's a pic of our modest tree and our youngest... there's not much under the tree yet, but I'm not off work for another 3 days, so haven't done ANY shopping for those I love...soon. There is a great department store called Inno (similar to Holt Renfrew) that I'll visit if only to see what I can get cheaper elsewhere...starting Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Now for our holiday dinner...I am really hankering for the turkey. We missed it at Thanksgiving, though the school did one for the American festivity and it was really good with the pumpkin pie, stuffing (tho' because of the Belgian chef at school, it tasted a bit too much like herbes de Provence--sound familiar, Mary?) and all the trimmings. This will certainly fill a few of the corners of our tummies--or at least my eldest--have a look at those abs! Honest, we're feeding him...he's just burning those calories like a young boy should!!

thankfulness

Friday was my most recent day at work...we've all been sick here (check out matthew's blog here to learn the reasons and details) so my most recent memory of my students and lessons I have taught came back to me today on Rememberance/Armistice/Veterans' Day.

Friday while some children attend mass, the rest of us have "character education" hour where we discuss the Primary Years Program Student attitude of the month (thankfullness) or the value of the month (appreciation) or something topical. This day they all came into the discussion, thanks to a colleague's idea to read a picture story to the kids around the concepts of war, remembrance and sacrifice. This story, called "War Game" was about a group of British teens who obsessed about football (soccer) and how they were caught up in the glory of signing up for war in 1915 only to find that the glory was fictional--mud, gore, exhaustion, hunger and cold were the realities. The story goes (and fly-leaf states it is based on truth) that the rains abated only to have a frigid cold snap come upon them mid December, in fact just on Christmas eve. The "enemy" was not very far away and the Brits could hear their conversations when the shells slacked off and on that evening, could hear the words to their carols as well. There was an unofficial cease-fire and the return volley wasn't another round of ammunition, but choruses of christmas tunes that each knew in their own language. As the story goes, the young soldiers of both sides got out of their trenches and greeted each other with words of peace and good will. Enough English was spoken that they were able to share some good conversations and shared experiences. By morning, the hoar frost had whitened everything and the soldiers saw it as a fresh start, inspite of the bodies of their mates that hadn't been retrieved out of no-mans-land yet. Another greeting over the trenches was made, and sharing of christmas treats--tobacco, chewing gum, chocolate, and writing paper. From somewhere, a football came out and instantly, a game without rules and without score keeping began. Hats and helmets acted like goalposts, Brits in Khaki, and the Germans in Grey, and each played until the jackets were discarded and the nationalities blended. The young men on each side found it in their hearts to shake hands and again enjoy each others' company until the end of the day. By next day, the commanding officers had heard these stories on both sides and were none too pleased. An organizing general was coming in and wanted to see real battle at 15:30 the next day. Someone from the German side leaked over information to the Brits and told them to keep their heads down starting at 3:00 p.m. that day, so that no one would get hurt. Meanwhile, the german front guard was replaced by other soldiers, unfamiliar with their mate's new friends. The bombings ensued and the war progressed, but the Brits never forgot their momentary cease-fire, their shared caroling and their christmas day football match where no one won. Or lost. That day.

And in order that we didn't lose the moral of the story or the purpose of the hour, I had a copy of "In Flanders Fields" with me, written by Dr. McCrae, a Canadian. I started reading it, and to my surprise, many of the kids joined in with me. They had learned it by heart last year in grade 4 and knew the story well of how it was written. I choked up a bit at this, as there aren't a lot of references to Canada's war efforts in my school (being run by Americans) but this was one of them, and a sound one at that. I told the kids of people I know who are in service right now (Don, you came to my heart) and those who did their part for their country. We each in turn shared memories of those we knew who were either in that war, or other conflicts. One Korean girl told me of her dad who was lucky that he was too young by a few years to see active duty while in mandatory service. Another German child said his grandad was a commander in the army (when would that have been? 60's? He wasn't sure). The recollections were international and encompassed the last 75 years...incredible how broad these children's experiences span and each can share them peacefully with each other. I think that's the thing I'm most thankful for...that and my fun loving family, as seen here:

Fun before the fall break

Have you heard of Pieter Brueghel? Here in Belgium, he's a darling of medieval art. In St. John's he's the focus of our second unit of inquiry that allows children to explore how "every picture tells a story". This is the Friday before the fall break (how sweet is this: no thanksgiving long weekend...instead we get a full week off school to revive ourselves and cruise into the christmas season!) and to finish off our lines of investigation about art, Benelux history, medieval anthropology and math involving time and calendars, we're headed into the gymnasium to play similar games to those children in Antwerp might have played in 1560, as immortalized in Brueghel's painting called Children's games (shown here):

In this painting there are more than 250 children playing over 80 games. This afternoon, the P.E. Department of St. John's has set up more than a dozen hand-made replicas of some of these activities so that the children can experience them for themselves: hoop racing, knuckle-bones, whipping tops, jousting (modernized by use of a mountain bike), "bowling", barrel riding, etc. We'll have more than 60 kids, from four grade five classes participating in mixed groups, experiencing for themselves what it might have been like to play the games of their ancestors. We've been very lucky obtaining the equipment for the afternoon: a kinesiology professor at the University of Leuven has made these toys for the sole use of schools wishing to reinact this particular part of Belgian history for children. We're all looking forward to this, so I'll be sure to take pictures and let you know how it went!

Turkey was "delightful"

Ah, the pleasures of working in an international school...instead of being sent up the road to participate in a workshop in a neighbouring county/district or township, we have been sent to a neighbouring continent to share and experience other international school systems....sweeeeet!

It was high time I got qualified in International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programming, so I had the priority this fall to be sent to be workshopped. Gee, shucks...it was in a coastal town of Turkey on the Agean Sea: the town of Cesme, to be exact, at a 5 star hotel that fed us and housed us all (300+ deligates from Asia, Europe and North Africa) and also hosted all the workshops and IB conferences. It was a twenty minute time-span from classroom to coast, including getting changed into my bathing suit and collecting my colleagues to be playmates and witnesses to our adventures in the sea. Must be tough, you're saying, right? Ah, but you should have tasted all that mediterranean food...yummmmmm.....!

Now don't you get the wrong idea: it was work too...before I even left. It took me about three days to get ready to leave my classroom for the three school days we were absent, making sure my grade 5's were not left behind because I had them put their activities and projects on hold. Also to get childcare was an incredibly daunting task: recall that M. was still away in Cork and wasn't going to be back until midweek after MY return. I started my search the first week of school to get a substitue parent for our two boys: thankfully, one of my colleagues' suggested her son's girlfriend who worked out wonderfully (aged 22 and a child of five herself, she wasn't fazed by the exhuberance of our active two)...we trialed her for an evening about a week before I left, and the boys loved her--or perhaps more accurately, loved trying to "con" her into things they thought she'd be none the wiser about. She was clever enough to let them THINK they had conned her, but sneaky enough to get them to do what she wanted anyway--now there's a talent! They barely missed me, which I guess was good...they were glad to see me when I arrived with Turkish Delight: magical Narnia's Edmund's food of choice--magical to see their enthusiasm for this treat, too!

As for the course, it was dauntingly long and detailed: at the end of each day and particularly the last, I felt like my brain was going to melt from all the friction: lots to remember, understand, assimilate, apply and communicate...all while trying to be on my best behaviour since as someone had said during this course, "you never know if the next person you talk to might be your principal, head teacher or director next year!" It was then I realized that the trainers and coordinators of this international system do travel around and they are all very well affiliated and qualified. Woe to the two Brits that decided to go on a vodka bender the first night then groan into the a.m. session only to crawl back up to their rooms an hour later and miss the next three sessions of the day...they'll likely not last in this system if they continue misbehaving like that! Of the seven St. John's staff that attended, not a one of us acted up at all--we were just so thrilled to be a part of the party that we were good as angels the entire trip (hey, plus that $60 bottles of wine in the hotel restaurant definitely had something to do with us curtailing our partying--muslim country, ramadan observance and government levies had a LOT to reduce our access to the grape or grain).

Inspite of us being rather "parched" we still managed to have fun in our off hours. The same colleague who recommended her son's girlfriend had also come with us on the trip and had brought along her Turkish born husband...we were very well treated and toured by him, as he was able to advocate on our behalf, order taxis, negotiate with the merchants all the while giving us the local history and colour. He was immensely helpful in showing us the sites we'd have normally not stumbed upon until much later in our stay: the little ancient village featuring the famous "stretchy" ice cream; the merchantile stalls with hand made goods of genuine quality; the tucked-away Turkish coffee house in the shadow of a mosque just emptying from evening prayers; the tiny bakery that only made a dizzying array of baclava and cheese buns; the beach tavern quietly selling locally made pilsner accompanied by mixed nuts, squeeky cheese cubes and olives that even I tasted and loved...we all agreed that our 4 evenings and 3 full days felt like a week, since we were able to pack so much into our stay plus get sunburns and body surf in the waves--wow.

As a dear friend in Toronto said "oh, Maggie--you so deserved that!" I agreed: even though the efforts to get to Turkey: daunting; the workload while there: very intense; the play time was definitely refreshing and all that adult time after 5 weeks being a single parent: it was priceless.

Now where can I be off to next? Barcelona? Cairo? Moscow? Madrid? I could get used to this!

The first sick day

What a lovely weekend it was--not that I saw it from a fetal position in bed, but it must have been okay, since we're all still alive...

What shot me down? Food poisoning.

Saturday morning we needed groceries, so went up the street to the University district where there is a diverse shopping area which includes clothing, discount groceries, bakeries, cosmetics, chocolate shops, etc...but as we approached we noticed the bus turning around and people approaching us with helium balloons, so we figured something must be up (sorry for the weak pun). At the traffic circle there was a stage set up with a children's dance troupe doing hula moves, lots of tents selling artisinal crafts, crowds galore, and much to do and see for the entire family. D called it a Brussels "fun fair" as there were bouncy castles, ten-foot clowns, loud music, games of chance and lots of stalls selling BBQ and beverages. We investigated this for a couple of hours as the boys seemed to have a good time, but were getting hungry.

We checked out many of the displays and stalls, then around lunch decided to stop for something to eat. The BBQ right at the stage smelled delicious, so we stopped for chicken brochettes for me and D, mergueze sausages for M. All was fine until I got home, and noticed that the tummy wasn't quite right. I thought it might have been the glass of wine on an almost empty tummy (had before the brochette) and ignored it. By that night, I wasn't ignoring the cramps, multiple trips to the washroom or the body aches. I had something, alright! I stayed in bed all day sunday until dinner when the ibuprofen seemed to finally kick in enough for me to shiver my way downstairs to feed my children.

I wondered if it was a flu until that evening when D started coming down with it too...it must have been the chicken brochettes, since M was just fine. Now its Monday morning and I'm mostly recovered (tenderly drinking tea, eating dry toast and yes, mom, staying away from milk products) but D this morning had a fever, the shivers, didn't eat and has to stay very close to the washroom or laundry will happen. He's a trouper, so I know he'll be fine by evening and ready for school tomorrow. M went to school on his own on his bike, and since I didn't get a report from the local constabulary, he must have made it there safely...this year its not like I can walk to the corner and see him wave from the school yard gate, as we're about 1 km further away.

As for my school today, I was not popular when I called the office administrator and let her know I'd be staying home with a sick kid today...finding a supply teacher isn't easy in the international system, as if someone is qualified or has the proper work permits, they're likely unavailable since they're working already. I hear through email that the kiddies are being taught by someone, but that they'll be happy I'm back tomorrow. So will I--D's lapping up all this one-on-one attention and definitely faster at recovering than I was: "mom, can I have juice? Mom, want to read to me? Mom can I watch t.v. ipod? Mom, what'cha doin'? Can I get on the computer next?...."

(sorry for no photos, but hubby has the camera in Cork...for a look at his blog, click here.)

First Day of School Over! 174 more to go....

Well, its official: the first day of school is over and generally for the boys and me it was a success.

First about the boys:
Anyone who knows our firstborn will recall that when he is uncertain, stressed, under-slept or anxious he can have a very negative attitude (phew--that's an understatement!) and this weekend was no exception. He bickered, argued, criticized, whined, picked fights...you name it--right up until he was in the playground this morning when upon seeing the first familiar face, HIS lit up and he was okay. There were only a few fearful questions about where he was to line up and particulars about pickup time and I was released ("you may go now, mom")--or was that dismissed?

Whenever I had a moment to reflect on the day, I had a mini panic attack: will he be okay? will he let others make up games but still play? Will he find someone to eat lunch with? Will he get off to a fresh start with his teacher? Thankfully, my fears were for naught since in the afternoon, I couldn't find him in the playground because he was in the middle of a hide-and-seek game with another boy and having a great time. The smile on his face made my heart relax for the first time all day.

And as for our social butterfly youngest son, he couldn't wait to get to school this morning. The only trouble with him was the weight of the backpack (his behaviour and whining reminded me of a certain 550 m Algonquin Portage where he sat down in the path and refused to budge--inspite of a canoe'd camper heading right for his crumpled corpse...but that's another story). According to him, the pack was too heavy and he thought I should carry it along with my own schoolbag, a purse, the overspill of each boys bags in Carrefour sacs and the bike I was trekking up 2 long steep hills...yeah, right--nice try!

So he went into the Garderie (day care) and hung up his coat with the backpack of pain and proceeded to greet everyone with hugs, high-fives and bizous. He didn't even run over (a wave only) when I called, "Goodbye, dear!"...I had been summerarily dismissed for the second time in as many minutes...Woe is the heart of a mom...but I knew he'd be alright, right from the core of my being, I knew it.

His end of the day took 10 times longer than his beginning, since he didn't want to leave without finishing his snack, disposing of his trash, kissing the attendants and checking in with a teacher (not his own) leaving the building--he needed to ensure his community would be okay without him, and that they wouldn't forget him until the next day when it would happen all again...wonder where this boy gets this trait? Hm......

As for me, this was my first day of grade five at the beginning of the school year. I lined up wrong, I forgot to dismiss the children for recess, I made a gaff in front of the new director, I didn't get the kids to P.E. on time, but other than that it was a great day...really!

Here's why.

For the teachers in my reading circle, I am being very particular about implementing TRIBES (collaborative learning) strategies in my classroom, since it neatly fits into our first project of inquiry all about being part of a TEAM. This started the kids off really well, and set the atmosphere very positively within the first 30 minutes of the class. The promise I've made to myself and to the students (because they'll always remind me) is to start and end each day with a community circle...to come together as a class and check in, to review our ability to work collaboratively, our emotional state, our classroom agreements, and to make statements of appreciation for each other (...those not tribes trained in my reading circle may be gagging right now, but let me tell you: when you hear only put-downs the entire day, you begin to wish someone had trained us as kids to give and accept compliments more concretely)! The process also demands adult modelling: making sure I treat each child with respect and recognize the effort they bring to class each day. It must have worked, since at the end of the day one child came up to me and made a special effort to say, "thank you for making me feel like I can make friends in this class, Ms. Rose!". I had to hug her, she was so sweet to say that.

So you can see we all survived...now we have set the stage well for the next 174 academic days...Not to be at all negative but the first week-long holiday begins October 24th...I can't wait...hm....will it be Spain this time? Italy? Morocco? Ah--the joys of international teaching!

I’m finally blogging, though it is in the airport on my way back to Brussels...If you’ve been keeping up with Matthew’s blog, you’ll know we’ve been “home” for seven weeks and have been going at full tilt. Our activity level reminds me of Christmas as then too, one is way too social, too busy and traveling more than normal. If I were to remake the "12 Days of Christmas" my first draft would look something like this (subsequent drafts will rhyme and have the right meter--that’s what music-wordsmiths like Johnathan and Matthew are for):

12 two-hour trips along the “401”

11 days of sunshine without rain (Belgian weather followed us here)

10 different beds I’ve slept in

9 dentist doctor and orthotic appointments between the four of us

8 suitcases grew from five that we brought

7 blissful nights in our very own Toronto house


















6 kids under 6 plus twenty other Zadows at the golf & pool weekend (where a significant birthday was prematurely celebrated-my 40th)

5 regretful hangovers (okay only one, but it was a “doozie”)

4 days of canoeing, swatting, and showing our children Algonquin moose


















3 appliances to repair for the new Swiss family renting our home (plus a toilet replacement--see second photo)

2 cottages we nested in, celebrating friendship, fireworks, fishing and swimming


















1 long weekend visit with Nicholas and Henry maximizing our last Canadian hours

mmmm...baguette right from the oven...

Today's the day we're leaving--I can't believe this day has come so soon. The bags are packed, the house is spotless (well, okay, I'm still doing laundry and waiting for M to have his last shower) and the several carloads of gear have made it to the new apartment 1 km away.

We take a train to Amsterdam mid day and a plane to Toronto in the early evening...only to arrive by the clock 40 minutes after we take off--sweet!

So since there's really no food left in the house and in order to make the goodbye rounds, M went to our neighbourhood patisserie and got a baguette still warm from the oven (still steaming: tender inside with a most delicate crust), a pain chocolat (croissant with chocolate within) an apple turnover that is made with mille fuille pastry (puff pastry directly translates to 1000 sheets) and a plain butter croissant. We are in heaven...M just bit into the apple turnover and I heard exclamations of yumminess from the other side of the table...

I will miss the food--there's no equal for breads, for fresh produce, and for cheese--sorry Canada, you've just not got the right mojo...we'll just have to come back in order to continue sampling your wares, Europe!

wonder if it got there?

For those of you wondering how I fared with my new sewing machine, here's evidence that it works like a charm and that its the equivalent to driving a jaguar after a jeep...lovely and I can't wait to bring my quilting back from Canada to use it again in the fall.

The above quilt was made in memory of a wonderful quilter, friend, mother and partner who died too early to meet her grand daughter. I made it from her fabric, for her daughter's newborn baby Mia, born on the same day as my son's birthday. We've sent it to the baby and hope it has made it to Germany safely.

My Dutch Experience with 75 others...

I'm back from Arnhem and I had a great time...fun staff to work with, fun activities (lots of them! More to follow on that one) that we enjoyed, good hostel with great food, easy enough travelling and reasonable weather...what do you want to hear about first?

I guess I'll start at the beginning:

Day 1 Monday, June 9th : Departed 7:15 AM from Waterloo, Belgium,
We arrived in Arnhem in Holland, the Netherlands about 11:30 and went directly to the Arnhem Road Bridge and Memorial Park. We met the hired counsellors, had the kids do some sketching, then we got back on the bus for an afternoon visit to the Airborne Museum in nearby Oosterbeek. This museum is devoted to the subject "Operation Market Garden" (made into a movie called ‘A Bridge Too Far’), the biggest airborne invasion in history. This was the renowned British military leader ‘Monty’ Montgomery’s effort to end World War II early, by getting straight to the Rhine and into Germany. We then went in the late afternoon to the hostel, where we had some time to settle in before supper. This evening, we walked about 20 minutes to the bowling alley and had the entire place to ourselves. Unfortunately, the lead counsellor and the head teacher weren't in attendance, since one of the boys fell from his bunk setting up his sleeping arrangements and fell, badly cutting his ear. They went to explore the Dutch Hospital system. Yikes...that will be my responsibility next year!

Once we got back to the hostel, it was nearly lights out. The kids of course were very excited, and in spite of being tired (myself and many others got up as early as 5:30 that morning) they were up very late being silly (girls) and sneaky (boys)...typical stuff. The counsellors, teachers and I had a "briefing" in the bar over fermented beverages and got to know each other a bit. They were from all over, the leader (Stuart, 43) being a Kiwi, the one woman (Rebecca, 23) from the suburbs of London (accent sounded like something from corronation street) then a Californian (Kurt, 48) and Yippe! A Canadian from BC, Dave (not sure his age, I'd guess 27-30). He was really nice and is in the midst of Teachers College at Lethbridge, so it was fun chatting to him since he and I knew many of the same cultural references, something I relished after being away for ten months now.

Day 2 Tuesday, June 10th
This morning after breakfast, the entire group got on the coach for the 45 minute trip north to the town of Hattem. We spent most of the day here at the Vadesto Adventure Centre. Half the group (35) got outfitted for canoeing and received instruction before we headed out on the canal. This was really interesting, since they were Coleman canoes, and only a handful of kids had ever used any form of paddle before. I got into the stern of one boat and the two girls with me were thrilled, since we led the pack, then doubled back and helped the slower ones, all the time playing a game of chase and splash with Rebecca's boat (she said she'd get me later and she did by pushing me off the dock just before lunch). The second group remained on land, for "off road scootering" and a "raft building" project with oil drums, ropes and planks led by the guides at the centre. We took a break for lunch and then in the afternoon the two groups switched, but I remained on the water, this time in a Kayak in order to assist with canoe instruction for those boats having difficulty. It was great fun and wonderful weather, and since we were supposed to be there to investigate bridges, I got a picture of a typical bridge, a la Van Gogh:When we were all back on dry land, after a good thorough swim (and for me, a dunk first) we played some field games which the kids absolutely loved. The kids were beat after this, and the trip home in the bus was quiet except for a full rendition of 100 bottles of beer on the wall by two of my students sitting directly behind me...I coulda killed 'em...at least they were in tune.

That evening, we had more field games after dinner, a game of "Clue-Whodunnit" (yours truly played Barbara Bunny whose weapon was a carrot and preferred a hollow tree as a hiding place) and more debriefing in the pub on site after the lovelies were all nestled so soft in their beds...hall duty for my male colleague was very easy...he said he finished only one article of Atlantic Magazine before not a peep was heard--water and sun made some of us very tired.

Day 3 Wednesday, June 11th
In the morning, everyone headed for the Hoge Veluwe National Park. On arrival, again we split in half with one group going biking in the park. In the meantime I was part of the second group and we visited the renowned Kröller-Müller Museum, home of an outstanding Van Gogh
collection among other items. Inside, I took the kids who weren't fast enough to join with their favourite teacher or counsellor, so I ended up with some rather challenging and less than art enthusiastic boys. It was all good, though, as I got them interested in some of the paintings by telling them stuff I knew about Mondrian, Picasso and Monet from my fashion history and design days. We ate our packed lunches in the Sculpture Garden, which was a
fun place to run around, and then in the afternoon the groups switched activities. Our group took over the bikes the first group used and we did a tour through the national park visiting a monument of the first Nature Philanthropist of the park (a retired general who stocked the park with at one time 1200 Elk for hunting), got to visit the hunting lodge complete with viewing turret, man-made lake with 50cm carp who liked croutons we threw at them and an ice cream bar. We also visit the ‘Underground’ museum after we dumped off our bikes and this was a really neat spot showing animals, minerals and vegetation that reside below the surface....well done displays with hands-on elements and an environmental focus, but not too preachy.

We got back to the hostel in time to relax a bit before supper, and this evening
the students had a Quiz Show...the adults actually did some work and wrote notes about the students' groups for grade 6 next year...it took a good hour now that we had lots more information about how these kids interacted in new situations!

Day 4 Thursday, June 12th
Following breakfast this day, we packed our bags for this evening’s departure, and stored them on the bus. We then took a short walk from the hostel to the Open Air Museum. This wonderful settlement of buildings, barns, cottages, windmills and farmhouses (mostly from the 18th and 19th century) were brought in from all parts of the country. The students visited a working bakery and paper-maker, played on antique iron toys, and walked through houses
and shops decked out in period detail. We were getting a bit drizzled on so went inside the museum and saw a spectacular Diorama presentation (unfortunately only in Dutch) that had life size displays and archival video footage. We ate our packed lunches in the museum and continued our inside visit that I found really interesting because there was a great display of cultural costumes, home life for a typical Dutch family and lots of antique cross stitch samplers and exquisite embroidered items. Following our visit, we went to the gift shop then waited for the bus to come get us, as the heavens had now opened with abandon. Once back at the hostel we had an early dinner, then we boarded the coach for the trip back home to Waterloo. We arrived home at exactly 22:10, got all but one kid home safely and only had to phone one parent to retrieve her son (the one that had two tearful fits of homesickness: wish it had been any other kid!). A colleague drove me home and I was sipping a dram of cognac by 23:15...exhausted, but very pleased overall with our experiences!

I think that makes 4 countries this trip...now how can I get my husband to take me to Montpellier or Cannes this fall....Hmmmmmm.....thinking!

Let the race begin!

"Ah, what a sweet thing reunions are....sigh...M is back. Ahhhhhhh............."

Ahem. AHEM! Stop daydreaming and start typing!

"What? Oh, sorry!--I now return you back to your regularly scheduled blog post!"


M just got back safely this morning, the summer is beginning (not that you'd know it from the weather), the school year is wrapping up, there's roses taking over the garden, the boys are chatting about Canadian friends and family, and we're heading home in two and a half short weeks! As the title implies: fasten your seatbelts, we're in for a bumpy ride! The to-do list is getting incredibly long, the time incredibly short...how does that inverse mathematical theorem occur? Planet alignment, string theories, tarot cards...these things I understand...ratios and fractions...Hmmm. Not so much.

Now for fair play: I'm going away for four days with 65 kiddies from St John's. We'll be staying at a hostel in the Netherlands (Arnhem or Arnheim, depending on the language used) and checking out historic sites that played significant roles in ending the second world war. It will be 4 days X 24 hours a day of teaching, 9 of those hours on a double-decker highway bus....ARRGGGHHHH! (actually, I am looking forward to it--really!) Now I just wish the weather looked better -- three cool days followed by a day of rain--joy of joys.

As for the to-do list, this includes packing for Canada, packing for our new place, buying furniture, cleaning this house from top to bottom, calling a window washer, moving boxes, bikes, suitcases, finishing my report cards, getting the last minute gardening done, saying goodbye to our new friends for 8 weeks, making plans with our old friends for 8 weeks, all on top of the normal family activities! Oh, and to make things even more challenging? We need to ensure our permissions to stay in this commune get done before we leave (a matter of waiting for the bureaucracy of Belgium to run us through its very slow machinery)...Phew!

I'll let you know how we're faring this list--wish us luck!

exhausted, humorless and lonely

Warning: low mood to follow...turn back now if you're not keen on witnessing the blues...

It has been a rough week, folks...M left for the homeland on Tuesday and we're here on our own for the total of three weeks. Tuesday night I had a meeting...the boys got picked up, fed and pj'd by a neigbhour. Wednesday I had to sign our new lease (in french, all by myself), so the boys got to see me 5 minutes before the "garderie" (daycare) closed. Thursday night I had a computer software course, and got home an hour plus later than normal. Tonight I'm just fried. If I had to do anything intellectual it would have to be redone tomorrow anyway (maybe its a good thing I can't do report cards from home: less guilt about not doing them). I haven't done anything since the boys got in bed, in fact I'm in PJ's myself and the sun's still in the sky...pathetic.

On a lighter note, here's some pics of the new place...very small, but that's okay, we haven't much furniture anyway. This is an all-new kitchen, and it opens to the living/dining room, that is the second pic. This is the second floor, and there are two bedrooms above with a new bathroom and a tiny little attic that will serve for storage (suitcases) above that. Its all very clean, very new and bright, and we're not too much further away from school and friends...bikes will be our best mode of transportation next year, I think. Can only be good for us.

Speaking of furniture, we're working on it...getting the goods second hand and via yard sales once we get back...we may be sleeping all together the first few nights, as we've only got two single beds for the four of us so far!

Back to why I'm bummed out: its been a rough week because I am not eating or sleeping properly with M gone. Its easier having a piece of cold pizza (or 6) than a real dinner, and I'm bad at regulating my own bedtime when I haven't someone around to be with...surfing online or reading obscure stuff on websites seems to have kept me up way too late recently...hence the reason why I'm also humorless these days.

M. has been calling and keeping me updated on what's happening, but in a way, its only making it worse: I'm (emotionally) ready to go back to Canada for a few weeks and feel like he's doing it without me...even though he's working while there. I'm getting cuddles from the cute ones (see pic) but it's just not the same.

I know, I know...you'll tell me to knock some sense into my head and go do something, visit with someone, have an adventure with the boys or SOMETHING--and I will, right after I have a good mope and a few glasses too many of Chablis or half a box of Neuhaus chocolates...and after I finish downloading daytime t.v. to my ipod so I can watch junk t.v. until I crash...

--told you to turn back before I pulled you into the depths of dulldrums--I did warn you!

too busy socializing to blog...

Ah, there's been visits from Canada, birthday parties, long weekends with glorious weather, fun fairs, community school fetes, and all in the last two weeks...when is anyone expected to Blog around here? It's just not possible what with all the barbequing, drinking to others' health and all!

But not all is cake and bordeaux around here...since I'm preparing to be a single parent for the next three weeks. Now I know how military wives feel (and there are quite a few on my staff to empathize with)...Matthew is off to the land of Habs and Sleeman starting tuesday to sing to Queen's University graduates and their families no less than 19 times in ten days: National anthem and God save the queen.

I am nicely finished with the major fifth grade culminating project, getting geared up to take 63 ten-eleven year olds to Arnhem for a 5 day school trip all while finishing up the curriculum we set in the fall and writing report cards (this will be my first set of elementary reports...you can pity my sore typing wrists now as this is an extensive task with much composition at the computer--yikes). The last unit of inquiry is all about Bridges which encompasses history, geography, design & technology, health (yes, I said health: bridges as a metaphor for the transition to adolescence that these kids are already starting via the lovely hormones already wreaking havoc on their wee bodies and unsuspecting brains), science of forces and matter, literature (no, not Bridges over Madison County...more like Bridge to Teribithia--a much more appropriate novel for this age-range) and even math, though I'm still looking for that metaphor to connect math to bridges...geometry, maybe? That sounds good to me!

I cannot believe this year is coming to an end so soon. We're barely settled and we're to the finish line for my sabbatical year. How did that happen so soon? I think its like a roller-coaster: interminable wait in line before it happens; thrilling ride that ends too soon and leaves the rider just a bit dizzy as they approach the exit gate and costed way too much for the time spent on it...ah, but we line up again, don't we? And we are making plans for next year... Particularly since we're searching for apartments here so that our second year will be in the same community--albeit with much less posh digs, sorry to say...friends: backpackers welcome provided they bring their own bedrolls...you might be on the floor if you visit (well, okay, not that bad, but how does an IKEA pull-out couch sound? Better than a hostel? Thought so...)

Ah, the parties...there'll be pics soon enough. I have to wrestle the camera out of one of my boy's hands and download them soon. Forgive me for none in this post...next time.

Sorry Emily...looks like the good weather missed you!

	Monday May 5	Tuesday May 6	Wednesday May 7	Thursday May 8	Friday May 9
High	20°C	21°C	21°C	21°C	22°C
Condition	Sunny	Sunny	Sunny	Sunny	Sunny
Low	8°C	10°C	10°C	10°C	11°C

Updated:Monday May 5 2008,12:01 CST - Brussels