Week 2 of being an intern is underway! Last week was a little rough as I got used to the school, the teachers, and the first grade! I am working with all four first-grade classes. The kids are a great bunch, and from very diverse backgrounds – Italian, Israeli, Scandanavian, Greek, Japanese, Indian, English, American… just to name a few! That presents some unique challenges, as I must learn to deal with the energy of first graders in addition to a language barrier! Some of them are fluent in English while some have only a little understanding. Each day I spend half the morning in one class, and the other half the morning in another. This rotates each week. In the afternoons, I have been going wherever I have been needed. I have been working with individual students and small groups, leading the whole class in things like choral reading, and supervising “choice time” in the common area shared by all the classes. I have been doing a lot of helping with reading and writing, as a good part of the day is spent on literacy. They used a balanced approach to literacy, so there is whole-language work (journal writing, reading) and phonics work (focusing on letters and sounds).
This is all pretty new to me, so I’m learning a lot, too! Being an intern is way different than being a student teacher, which was the last time I was in a classroom, but I feel like I’m settling in to the routine. The teachers I’m working with are all wonderful, and each has their own teaching style, so I’m going to come away from this with a lot of good ideas!! I think the thing I like best so far is being able to be involved with so many different kids, but being able to get to know them all. My biggest challenge is learning how to manage a class full of first-graders who may or may not understand me!!
Last week the KD through 2nd graders had a ‘concert’ that was really pretty amusing to watch! Next week, we get to take a trip to the Antwerp Zoo – I promise pictures of that!!
Oh, Emily: The 1st graders have two guinea pigs and their names are Chocolate Chip and EMILY!! They are pretty cute and the kids love them!!


The fun stuff:
Cassidy is finally here!! Our team of interns is complete!!
Last Thursday, I found karaoke in Brussels! A group of us went out for a nice dinner that night, and then four of us brave souls checked out the karaoke place! Way different than home, but still fun….
On Friday night, my friend Ashlee came to visit – she is an intern at the Antwerp International School. She, Cassidy and I explored the city on Friday night and Saturday. Parade of the week: Friday night, we saw a ‘Roller Parade’ – a large number of people roller-blading down the street….. a few in the front were wearing costumes, but most of them were just normal people, blading in a bunch….
On Saturday we wandered around just to see what we could find… we found a cool church, and a really nice garden with fountains and statues. (pictures of both! Click the link!) We were right around the corner from the palace and a really cool cathedral, but didn’t know it…. It was good to see Ashlee and hear all about life in Antwerp (which I hope to visit this weekend!!)

Question: Somebody told me to buy them a spoon…. Who was it????

That’s all for now!! Check out the pictures - I changed to Kodak.... but still click on the "pictures" link!!

A WEEKEND IN BRUSSELS

Wow, this place is great!

Friday night, my roommate Katie and I went into the heart of the city with Jen, another intern. We had dinner and saw the Grand Place (above) and enjoyed the city at night. We also saw the Mannekin Pis, the statue of the peeing boy. Dinner was an enjoyable experience! There is a long, narrow cobblestone road with restaurants on both sides. The maitre d's from the restaurants stand outside and try to persuade people to eat there, often in many different languages. Large menus and outdoor tables crowd the road. We chose one of the first places we saw with a good deal and a persuasive frontman. We sat outside, and as we sipped our complimentary champagne, we watched the fascinating people walking by. Dinner here is a leisurely affair, I'm learning, and one shouldn't eat out if they are in a hurry!! At one point, a very bizzare parade passed by, with people dressed in brightly-colored jester-like costumes followed by a band. We saw them three times over the course of our dinner, and each time tried really hard not to laugh!! We also had fun watching our maitre'-d try to convince people to eat there, competing with the restaurant across the way (when I say ''across the way'' I mean 10 feet away!!!). After dinner it was dark, and we went to the Grand Place, a square surrounded by fabulous buildings that were all lit up. After a bit more wandering about, we caught the bus back home (it's about 20 minutes).

Saturday, I went back with Jen and Jo, a teacher at ISB. We hit up the more modern part of the area, going shopping, having lunch, and seeing the GrandPlace in the daylight. I tried my first real Belgian Waffle, and it was definitely fantastic, especially with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate!

That night was a late one, as I met some more of the teachers at ISB and we headed back downtown yet again - things stay open quite late here! Sunday, however, was a Car-Free Day here in Brussels, so I was able to sleep in quite late! Only public transport was allowed on the roads, and bicycles were everywhere. Also, each Sunday there is a fabulous market across the street from my house - they have all sorts of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, meat, bread, flowers and a whole bunch of other stuff. I enjoyed it immensely, and even survived with my pracically non-existent French!! (Although I have decided to learn it as soon as possible!!).

So far life here has been wonderful! I will write more about the school later in the week! Click on the link that says "PICTURES" to see some! (Sorry some are sideways, I was in a hurry!)

I MADE IT!!!!
After 17 hours, 3 flights, and 4 airports, I arrived in Brussels! The only sleep I got was an hour nap on a bench in London, but I was so excited to be there that I didn't feel very tired!

Our house is fantastic! It's five stories tall, located behind and above a clothing store. The first floor is the entryway. The second floor has Cassidy's bedroom and a really small bathroom. The third floor has the kitchen, living room and a deck. The fourth floor has Katie's room and the bathroom/laundry room, and the fifth floor has MY ROOM!!! It's got a slanted ceiling with a window in it, and it's pretty small, but it's got character!! There are no screens on any of the windows here - they must not have mosquitos!!!

Our whole house has character!! Tall ceilings in the kitchen, big windows... it's pretty old. The streets have tall buildings with red terra-cotta roofs. Businesses, restaurants, and stores are beneath and in front of houses. There are two grocery stores quite close, and the other interns are living about five minutes away. (I will post some pictures on Monday, or over the weekend if we can find the cord that's missing from our computer!)

I managed to lock myself out already! I left to find a bank to change my money and when I came back I could not get it open!! There is a trick to the lock, of course, but I didn't know it! Luckily, the lady in the shop was able to let me in!!

This morning I came to school - everyone seemed surprised to see me, but I had enough time to settle in yesterday, and I went to bed at 9, so I actually feel okay and I knew I would be bored at home!! Also this gives me a day to get a sense of some of the routines. I got a tour of the Early Childhood Center (ECC) and met all the teachers, whose names I will probably forget 20 times before I get them all right.... the building is really nice and all the teachers, in my brief meetings, seem great. I can see already that first grade is going to be both challenging and fun.....

There was a brief panic attack when I realized that we do not have a coffee pot but then Katie informed me that there was a coffee machine at the school, so it all turned out okay. Well, that's all for now!

I AM PACKED!!!
My suitcases are both very full, and the big one is VERY heavy (pretty sure I'll have to pay some extra on that one!), plus I am shipping some stuff.... but hey, I'm a teacher - I like to be prepared!

24 hours from now I will be waiting to leave Chicago O'Hare to fly to London!

Well, it's been a long process, but I finally have my visa and am leaving for Belgium on Wednesday, September 14th! I've been tied up with paperwork for almost a month now, sending things back and forth to the school and the Belgian consulate in New York. Today, the FedEx guy looked at me and said "Again?"

I'm so excited to leave. For the past few weeks I've felt like my life has been on hold - or to use my word of the summer, I've been in limbo. Not that having time to relax is a bad thing... it's just that I can only take so much. I miss having a purpose to my daily life - not that trying to watch all the seasons of Friends on DVD isn't a noble pursuit....

I found out I'll be working with the 1st grade classes, which should be a good place for me to learn alot about the younger age groups. The youngest grade I've had experience with is 4th, so I'll admit that this is a little scary, but I'm sure I'll appreciate the challenge.

Obviously, I'm going to miss all the people at home a lot.... I'm used to going away for school, but I can't just drive home for the weekend any more! Right now, however, the excitement is overriding any nervousness I have about being so far away from the familiar. The biggest challenge at the moment is trying to fit a year's worth of stuff into two suitcases.....

Now if only I can survive waiting 5 more days.........