Today I woke up at around 7:15 and went downstairs to eat breakfast at 7:30. After breakfast, everyone grouped up around a table in the breakfast area to plan out our last day in London. It was really hot in there (at least to me it was) and it took a while for us to make a plan. Eventually, we all made our way out to take a picture in Abbey Road. It was the furthest out, so we decided to start there and work our way down to the other places. We got to the train station to set off to our trip. We successfully made it through one train, but we were expected to get on more than one. Once we got off our first train, we all huddled up near a map of all the stops that every train would stop. It was there that Mrs. Spurlock had the great idea to have the students find the way to each tourist attraction. Sara started to figure out a way to get to Abbey Road first, so it was her job to figure out a way to get there. Since I was her partner, I had to help as well. I was more than happy to help, but to be honest, I am pretty sure that I was absolutely useless. Sara had it all together. I just kind of followed behind her. Jordan tried to take the reins a couple of times, but he eventually figured out that his time to take control would be soon, so he backed off a little bit. After taking another train and walking about a mile and a half, we made it to Abbey Road. We all took pictures like the Beatles had done for their album. As a fan of the Beatles, I really appreciated what we were doing; it meant a lot to me. A lot of people were there to take pictures as well. It was interesting to see groups of people just pause for a photo in the middle of the street. I felt really bad for the people who lived around that area and had to pass through the famous Abby Road. After everyone took a picture to their liking in the middle of the street, it was time to go to the Covent Garden. It was finally time for Jordan to shine and he was delighted to be in charge. DJ had to help him, but Jordan didn't really need it. DJ helped as best as he could. We made it to the Covent Garden, which was just a marketplace filled with shops and street acts. It had a lot of diversity in it, so there was plenty of things to keep everyone occupied. We were let loose for about two hours to do whatever we liked. In those two hours, Sara, Jordan, DJ, and I all ate and shopped in two stores. I spent a LOT of money there, but I couldn't help it. I really enjoyed getting things for my family. From there, we went to the Golden Globe. We made a long journey there from the Covent Garden. There was a lot of walking involved to the point where I couldn't really feel my legs hurting anymore. We finally got to the Globe thanks to Jacob, only to find out that we needed tickets to actually get in. That had everyone wanting to take a bus to our next destination: the Buckingham Palace. So after Mrs. Spurlock, Jordan, and I went to the globe gift shop, Hailey and Alyssa lead the way to the bus stop to go to the Palace. This is where it got interesting. We all made our way onto the bus exhausted and thankful to be sitting down. I sat down near a window so that I can see London as we drove to the Buckingham Palace. What I saw instead was far more interesting. As the bus started to drive off, I saw Jacob outside with a straight face waving goodbye to us. Everyone started to freak out. All the students were telling Mrs. Jones (Jacob’s partner) and Mrs. Spurlock that we had left Jacob. At first they didn't believe us, but eventually Mrs. Spurlock called Jacob and told him to take a cab to the Palace. What had happened was Jacob forgot his bus ticket on the windowsill of his hotel room. That one mistake cost him ten pounds. He was under control the whole time. He didn't freak out at all. So I guess in a way that if someone in our group were to be left behind, we were lucky that it was Jacob because he stayed calm and collected the whole time. After all that drama, we met up at Buckingham Palace. It was beautiful and big. After everyone took pictures in front of the Palace, we all made our way to the Green park. We sat there for about ten minutes resting and we also got ice cream. From there, Jordan and Mrs. Spurlock lead us to the National Gallery because we had time to kill before going to Cleopatra's Needle. After a long walk and two three trains later, we made it to the Gallery. Jordan, Sara, and I looked around and sat down for a bit. All the art was beautiful and I was happy that we stopped by the Gallery. From there, we went to a place to eat called Garfunkel. The food was nice and everyone had a good time. We all got to realize the DJ had a funny new laugh and paying the bill for a big group of people was stressful. We probably spent fifteen minutes figuring out who pays what. We finally made it out of there alive and made our way to Cleopatra's Needle. It was night time by now so London was especially beautiful. We got to the Needle and it was beautiful. Everything was lit up, and it was next to the London eye (which was also lit up). It was amazing. After that, we all went back to the hotel. We probably walked the most that day so everyone was very tired. Overall, the last day in London was eventful and nice. I really enjoyed this trip.
Today I woke up at around 7:15 and went downstairs to eat breakfast at 7:30. After breakfast, everyone grouped up around a table in the breakfast area to plan out our last day in London. It was really hot in there (at least to me it was) and it took a while for us to make a plan. Eventually, we all made our way out to take a picture in Abbey Road. It was the furthest out, so we decided to start there and work our way down to the other places. We got to the train station to set off to our trip. We successfully made it through one train, but we were expected to get on more than one. Once we got off our first train, we all huddled up near a map of all the stops that every train would stop. It was there that Mrs. Spurlock had the great idea to have the students find the way to each tourist attraction. Sara started to figure out a way to get to Abbey Road first, so it was her job to figure out a way to get there. Since I was her partner, I had to help as well. I was more than happy to help, but to be honest, I am pretty sure that I was absolutely useless. Sara had it all together. I just kind of followed behind her. Jordan tried to take the reins a couple of times, but he eventually figured out that his time to take control would be soon, so he backed off a little bit. After taking another train and walking about a mile and a half, we made it to Abbey Road. We all took pictures like the Beatles had done for their album. As a fan of the Beatles, I really appreciated what we were doing; it meant a lot to me. A lot of people were there to take pictures as well. It was interesting to see groups of people just pause for a photo in the middle of the street. I felt really bad for the people who lived around that area and had to pass through the famous Abby Road. After everyone took a picture to their liking in the middle of the street, it was time to go to the Covent Garden. It was finally time for Jordan to shine and he was delighted to be in charge. DJ had to help him, but Jordan didn't really need it. DJ helped as best as he could. We made it to the Covent Garden, which was just a marketplace filled with shops and street acts. It had a lot of diversity in it, so there was plenty of things to keep everyone occupied. We were let loose for about two hours to do whatever we liked. In those two hours, Sara, Jordan, DJ, and I all ate and shopped in two stores. I spent a LOT of money there, but I couldn't help it. I really enjoyed getting things for my family. From there, we went to the Golden Globe. We made a long journey there from the Covent Garden. There was a lot of walking involved to the point where I couldn't really feel my legs hurting anymore. We finally got to the Globe thanks to Jacob, only to find out that we needed tickets to actually get in. That had everyone wanting to take a bus to our next destination: the Buckingham Palace. So after Mrs. Spurlock, Jordan, and I went to the globe gift shop, Hailey and Alyssa lead the way to the bus stop to go to the Palace. This is where it got interesting. We all made our way onto the bus exhausted and thankful to be sitting down. I sat down near a window so that I can see London as we drove to the Buckingham Palace. What I saw instead was far more interesting. As the bus started to drive off, I saw Jacob outside with a straight face waving goodbye to us. Everyone started to freak out. All the students were telling Mrs. Jones (Jacob’s partner) and Mrs. Spurlock that we had left Jacob. At first they didn't believe us, but eventually Mrs. Spurlock called Jacob and told him to take a cab to the Palace. What had happened was Jacob forgot his bus ticket on the windowsill of his hotel room. That one mistake cost him ten pounds. He was under control the whole time. He didn't freak out at all. So I guess in a way that if someone in our group were to be left behind, we were lucky that it was Jacob because he stayed calm and collected the whole time. After all that drama, we met up at Buckingham Palace. It was beautiful and big. After everyone took pictures in front of the Palace, we all made our way to the Green park. We sat there for about ten minutes resting and we also got ice cream. From there, Jordan and Mrs. Spurlock lead us to the National Gallery because we had time to kill before going to Cleopatra's Needle. After a long walk and two three trains later, we made it to the Gallery. Jordan, Sara, and I looked around and sat down for a bit. All the art was beautiful and I was happy that we stopped by the Gallery. From there, we went to a place to eat called Garfunkel. The food was nice and everyone had a good time. We all got to realize the DJ had a funny new laugh and paying the bill for a big group of people was stressful. We probably spent fifteen minutes figuring out who pays what. We finally made it out of there alive and made our way to Cleopatra's Needle. It was night time by now so London was especially beautiful. We got to the Needle and it was beautiful. Everything was lit up, and it was next to the London eye (which was also lit up). It was amazing. After that, we all went back to the hotel. We probably walked the most that day so everyone was very tired. Overall, the last day in London was eventful and nice. I really enjoyed this trip.
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If I could look back at my past self and tell myself that tomorrow was going to be just as tiring, I would have laughed at that future phantasm and said “No way!”. But it was. Today was almost as exhausting, but with a better end result. Accomplishment. After today, I feel like I achieved the most out of a day compared to the rest of this week.
It started out earlier than the rest of the week, definitely. I was downstairs and ready to tackle the day by 7:30 in the morning. I also managed to make one of the hotel workers give me an angry look by trying to jump over a rope and making it fall over and make a loud noise. But it’s not like that’s important at all. After breakfast, I learned to better navigate subway stations in London, which I’m sure is relatable to almost any other underground tram station in any other major city. On and sit, and stay and wait, and up and out, and walk and on. The cycle repeated. The London Tube is basically an underground city as vast as the one above it, and one that has a completely different vibe than the normal city a few meters up. It took a lot of getting used to, but now I think I have more confidence to be out on my own in a big city, which is something I want to depend on when I get older. It’s great to learn life lessons that will become useful when you’re older. Aside from the complicated London Tube, we saw a huge amount of attractions in the city. My favorite thing today was definitely the London Tower. There was so much history, and so much to be seen there; it was incredible. We got to witness the Crown Jewels, some torture and execution locations, as well as the Armory for the Old English Army. I had a very immaculate epiphany whilst standing at the execution site of Anne Boleyn. It made me realize that where I was standing had major historical relevance, and that there are just people walking past it. After having that revelation, it made me stop for a moment and actually take in my surroundings even more. After the city of London, I faced one of my fears. I had to ride in a boat across the River Thames. It’s better to do that, than to keep hiding from something. Even though I didn’t exactly embrace it either, I just kind of stayed to myself in the center of the boat without looking over the edge. That was enough for me. Today was all about life lessons, and that was definitely one of them. After our tours of London, we ate at a fancy yet inexpensive restaurant before taking the London Tube back to the hotel. Again, the struggle through the day was worth the end result. So today was an extremely interesting and eventful day. It was also kind of emotional due to the fact that I had to say goodbye to my partner and his family. It was sad becuase we had bonded incredibilty well. I awoke only slightly fatigued and already packed so I had a relatively good start. I went downstairs made myself a protein shake and slowly began to dread the moment in which I had to say my farewells. Eventually, I gave a hearty uplifting hug and goodbyee to Wessel’s siblings ,Anouk and Twan, who I now consider my own kin. I said my goodbyes before we left to school just in case I did not have an oppurtunity at a later moment. Then we packed my suitcase into Mr. Van Twist’s vehicle and cycled to school. We arrived at the school and sat down at a table with all the other exchange partners and as soon as Laura said she was going to the train station, Wessel got up and rushed to find his teacher so he could come with me to the train station. The rest of the group than went outside, I met up with Wessel and I gave a warm and hearty goodbye hug to Michelle and Robrecht. I told them it wasn’t a goodbye and I would eventually return at a later date. Everyone than went to the train station and gave an emotional goodbye, I even choked up a bit. We then went in and waited on the train, the train arrived and I slept most of the way to Brussels where we then boarded another train and cleared U.K. customs and I slept once again on the way to England.
Once we arrived at England, we exchanged currency and then went outside to take a taxi to the hotel. It was an interesting ride and once we arrived at the hotel we checked in and had a disscussion about ground rules. We then went upstairs checked all our stuff in and took a well needed 30 minute rest. We then met up again downstairs, walked to the end of the pier and took the Emirates air tram to the O2 arena. The O2 arena was extremely large and interesting, there were tons of quotes carved into the tiles outside the arena which dealt with the Prime Meridian. We then entered the O2 and were given 2 hours to walk around and eat, I had an entire pizza to myself with the rest of the group and we then walked around the O2 arena and looked at shops. We then walked outside and took the Emirates air tram back to the hotel, but first we stopped at a Tesco and picked up some needed supplies. I then went to the lycamobile shop across the street to attempt to have my cellphone fixed. I then crossed the street back to the ibis hotel and went upstairs to my room in order to have some much needed rest for such an eventful day. In the morning we woke up and ate breakfast. I had a grilled cheese type thing, I'm not quite sure what they would call it. After getting prepared for the day we had to go to PE. Since Laura has dance for PE, it was actually quite exciting. We were all able to learn a dance with the Dutch students. Since I'm a cheerleader, I felt right in place while learning this dance. After PE we had to go to school and get ready to learn! During the day we went to a couple classes, but the fun part of the school day was working on the memory wall. The memory wall is a cool thing where we can put pictures of memories from our trip. Each american student was able to print and post pictures of them and their partners. The wall turned out great and now for the next year people in Dordrecht will be able to see pictures from the amazing time we had there.
After school we went home and ate some soup. Laura's mom's tomato soup has become my new obsession. Later we went to the farewell dinner. We ate delicious Chinese food and listened to people give their speeches. Us Americans had to give a speech in dutch which was sort of difficult. Also the dutch students who traveled to America earlier this year said some words on their experience in America. At this farewell dinner we saw some of the dutch students who had traveled to America last year. It was nice seeing them and being able to reconnect on old memories of the previous year. During this time we took lots of pictures (of course). After the farewell dinner Laura's family took me out to get some ice cream. The place we went to was really delicious and we could chose 3 flavors in one cup! On the way home from the ice cream place we were all singing loudly to the radio and having so much fun. When we arrived home I had to pack and get ready for the next day. I'm so excited for London, but sad to leave Dordrecht. Sent from my iPhone This morning was kind of rough. Jet lag hit pretty hard and I slept in a bit too late. But it's all good. I got dressed and did my make up(typical girl things as they say). Then I went to have my "typical dutch breakfast. After breakfast we went by bike to Noa's school. Once school started we had a 2 hour Greek lesson. It was pretty interesting. I remember learning about it way back in Freshman year, like that's a long time ago. Then we had a normal school break but you know it's always longer than the ones at El Cap. After break we had an art lesson where we had to draw portraits of each other. I had to draw Jacob and it actually came out okay! Then we had Q&A sessions with different class levels. All the students I talked to were super nice and hilarious. I even talked to 12 year old kids who were SOOO sweet!! After the Q&A we got to go home early because of Noa's schedule. After school she took me to the supermarket that they usually go to, it's nothing like back home. I saw lays chips though! something an American would be amazed by as she said. After the supermarket we went home and got ready for our night in Rotterdam. An American day is so much more boring than a Dutch day, they do so many more things than us in a day it's crazy. Once we arrived in Rotterdam Noa and her mom took me to the Markthal (Market Hall). It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. It was a huge building filled with different food carts and on the sides of the hall were apartments. It was great! I had a version of frozen yogurt and kind of tasted like the tart froyo! After dessert we had Turkish pizza, dessert before dinner (my favorite). It was the best thing I've ever tasted compared to stroopwafels. It had a great sauce on a tortilla like bread, then they heat cheese on it, put a salad type of topping on it and a garlic and spicy sauce. After we ate we walked around the shops which I could tell were a lot nicer and cleaner than the stores back home. We then headed for the movies. After the movies which the theater was huge we went to go see her dad play korfbal. It was pretty cool but I didn't really understand it. Her dad was pretty good as I could tell. We stayed there until 9:30pm. We then headed home to finish up some homework and then we are heading to sleep. This is one of the best experiences I have ever had. Thanks for reading my day in the Netherlands blog!:)
Hey everyone!
Today was our first day of going to school at Stedelijke Dalton Lyceum. My partner and I took the bus this morning from 's-Gravendeel and got to school around 8:15. First we got a tour of the campus from our partners and then met the principle of the school. The school was pretty confusing compared to our campuses in Merced. Then we had our Dutch lesson where learned how to say "Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening," how to say what we would like, and how to say "thank you" and "good bye." Although I may not remember these by heart, I'll have them handy with me for now on. After Dutch, I had math class with my partner, where I basically just sat quietly because everything was in Dutch. We had a free period where I was able to some homework and talk with some other students. Then business and marketing class and the lunch period. After school, we traveled to Old City Center in Dordrecht to see the many old building they have. We were able to go inside the church and see some beautiful stain glass windows and other architectural details. It's very cool to see the old buildings because there aren't really anything like them in the US. Once back home we went out to dinner for some different fried foods. We got french fries and fried sausages and meatballs. It was interesting but tasted pretty good. When we were done we cycled to Jumbo, the local supermarket and bought some Dutch foods I've been told I need to try. Now we are back at home watching tv to end our day. I think all in all it was an exciting and fun day. Hello everyone!
Today we met up with the rest of the students and their partners, as well as some students from the previous year, at the school. We left on a bus and drove for awhile until we got to Kinderdijk, the largest collection of windmills in the Netherlands. There were about 12 windmills that were very close to the road so everyone took pictures with them in the background. We then went to the Madurodam, a miniature replication of all the major spots in the Netherlands which also housed miniature people and cars and such. Afterwards, we traveled to the Hague where we saw the parliamentary buildings and we also went shopping. My favorite store there was called Primark and it's my favorite because everything in there was extremely cheap. I was able to buy two pairs of shoes, two shirts, and a sweater for about $32. I'm looking forward to seeing what all else the Netherlands has in store for us and enjoying the Dutch culture Hallo Amsterdam!
We finally have arrived in the Netherlands after a 5 our flight from San Francisco and 8 hour flight from Newark to Amsterdam. Before boarding, we decided that Mrs. Spurlock would be in charge of the boys and I would be in charge of the girls. Both of us have become mother hens to 8 wonderful students. We are ardently keeping a close eye on all of them. We are also teaching them some travel lessons. The students guided us to the proper gate and had a quick snack before boarding. During the longer flight, most of the students were able to sleep. This teacher not so much. At 7:45am, we landed and made quick progress through Dutch customs and then were greeted by a small crowd of smiling faces. One by one, the students were whisked off by their host families and explored the city of Amsterdam. Mrs. Spurlock and I were guided through the city by two teacher from our host school, Mrs. de Hoon and Mrs. Middendorp. We walked, shopped, ate poffertjes. And when we were done, we walked some more. Next, we took a boat tour through the canals of Amsterdam before boarding a train to Dordrecht,. I noticed on my pedometer that we walked 13,000 steps in about 5 hours. In the evening, our host families treated us to a traditional l Dutch dinner and as we tried to stay up for coffee and pleasant conversation. However, most of the students and both teachers went to sleep very early. We had a long day. I wonder what tomorrow has in store for us? This week I am embarking on my seventh trip to the Netherlands and the sixth trip that involves our student exchange. All this is part of the Dutch Fulbright Project that began in 2009. This current excursion merits a little background and (perhaps) an outline of our
upcoming 10 days abroad. As I mentioned earlier, it all began in 2009 while I was a teacher at Golden Valley High School. I placed my name into a database sponsored by the Amsterdam Fulbright Project. They were seeking American and Dutch teachers who wanted to collaborate and team teach. It was that simple. Put your name in a database and voilà you are done. Actually, it was not quite that easy. The pairing took months and then it was the teachers' charge to interview each other and find a compatible match. Mrs. de Hoon and I found each other after a few failed attempts at pairings with other teachers at other schools. On second thought finding, Mrs. de Hoon was the easy part. Elma de Hoon is an amazing teacher and person. Before Mrs. de Hoon’s and I began this leap of faith, I had never flown over the Atlantic, owed a passport, or believed it was within my grasps to travel. I grew up and still live in a very small and impecunious community. To be honest, the few inhabitants who get out of our small farming community rarely return and some who stay are conditioned by lack of funds and perspective to think that the notion of European travel is little more than a wild pipe dream. I was the latter. But one day, I (unceremoniously) threw caution to the wind and followed my heart...and here we all are six years later. My goal from the beginning has been to encourage my students to embrace adventure. I want to teach them to travel safely and to ignite in them a passion for travel. I want that sense of adventure to allowed them to rise beyond the perimeters of their social class and individual perspectives. I wanted them to join me. And they did. Together, I hope that we will become lifelong learners and adventurous souls. I did not do it alone. I have a tremendously supportive husband and great colleagues. I cannot imagine a better partner in this project than Mrs. de Hoon. I received great mentoring from my then site administrator, Craig Chavez. Together, we all have built a program that is sound, organized, and structured in the best interests of our students. I am forever grateful that Mr. Chavez saw the value and richness this program brings to our schools (Dutch and American), districts, and global/local communities. This program has inspired and encouraged over 250 students (at last count) to suspend their judgements and pause their stereotyping so that they can embrace tolerance and cultural diversity. Saturday, I will see Amsterdam for the 7th time and it will be through the eyes of my first time travelers, my own thirteen year old son, Connor, and a new teacher traveler, Ms. Angela Jones. The adventure continues. As a result of our gracious hosts from Stedelijk Dalton Lyceum, we will live for a week in the beautiful town of Dordrecht. We will learn about the local culture and Dutch educational system. We will make new friends, and see some old favorites. We will visit The Hague, Kinderdijk, Madurodam, and take a weekend jaunt to London. This trip is a whirlwind. We will leave SFO at 6:00 a.m. on Friday and by 10:00 a.m. Saturday, we will be walking along the glorious canals of Amsterdam. You will find us tasting the poffertjes, bitterballens, stroopwafels and having a nice koffie vekeerd! Oh, the places we can go and the things we can do when we believe we can! |
Dutch American Project StudentsWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2018
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