Masters of the Universe; Leaders of the Turtle Food
At my school each class has a name, as determined by the administration and the alphabet. I teach the Primas who are Pilots and Racers. The Segundas make up my swimming classes, and are fittingly called Neptunes and Oceans. Tercias are Masters and Leaders, and the Quartas answer to Heroes, Innovators and Jets. I teach Friends in Kvinta, and they are indeed friendly, but I don't have the Europeans who are considered the school's most difficult class. There is a good explanation as to why Bears and Kites are together and the fact that Guardians and Zillions just graduated, but it's not important. (I actually just had this mystery explained to me. At the same time I also found out there is an english-slovak on-line source for translation. That only took me nine months to figure out and now I have 3 weeks to actually use it. Argghh!)
But let's get back to those Tercias, shall we? Last Friday was International Childrens' Day (Like everyday isn't!) and all the schools celebrate it here. School is still in session but special events are planned for the day. Our 5th through 8th grade students got to choose to go to the cinema, bike along the Danube, go to the Prater (huge amusement park in Vienna) or remain here and do organized sports, all supervised by faculty. (Girls choosing sport played Vybijana - all day - what a surprise.) The Senior School students, apparently not considered children, did not take part and had a regular schedule that day.
Leaders and Masters had planned a long week-end for their version of Childrens' Day. Vilo, the Leaders class teacher had organized a trip to Orava up in the High Tatras, including hiking, an afternoon at a water park and a visit to Orava Castle. Eva, Masters class teacher and my aerobics buddy would be going and Nyall, her assistant class teacher. I had been tapped to be the fourth chaperone and was thrilled to be included. Orava is where Sona comes from (Sona ORAVcova) and she had talked about how I should try to get up there because it is so beautiful. I already knew Leaders and Masters were fun classes to teach, and of all our groups everyone agrees that Leaders are very special. (They are sometimes almost too nice and recently admitted the unthinkable: they just couldn't play Capture the Flag. Too accomodating to be competitive, the game was lackluster at best. In all my years of teaching I have never seen such a strange non-display of strategy and risk taking, except for Rebeka who unfortunately spent the whole game in jail because her teamates were too chicken to help her get out.)
Cut to the Thursday before the big trip. I can't get into the Leaders classroom where I usually have my weekly conversation class. The students tell me they have to clean it up and so we go elsewhere. Later Alex and Veronika of Leaders come and join our group after they had finished cleaning. They explain that some girls had smeared a combination of glitter and turtle food on the cabinet. (Turtle is long gone, one of the boys having broken the tank.) The boys are responsible for shoe prints on the ceiling and walls, and apple cores and bananas peels are strewn about. The girls 'fessed up but the boys refused to admit and/or rat on anybody. Uh-oh; this is the GOOD class that I'm about to chaperone? The long week-end is looking longer all the time.
Friday is June 1st and we board the bus to begin our extended celebration of Childrens' Day. We head northwest into the mountains, and it just gets prettier and prettier. We travel through fields where the hay is stacked like little houses with peaked roofs and openings that look like doors. There are streams and a few lakes, but mostly enormous clumps of towering pine trees. Vilo says they get 2-3 meters of snow up there, making for a long, hard winter. There are some cows and herds of sheep, but not too many seen from the road. We see storks and their huge nests way up high. We notice the building is way different here with unique wooden houses all designed seemingly from the same plan. We see farmers but small fields and not much machinery. Farmers are stooped over doing something in the fields; they're often women and usually wearing skirts.
Almost 5 hours later we arrive at our first stop, the Orava Castle. Built in the 13th century, and like all castles, extensively remodeled for centuries, it is one of the most popular castles to visit in Slovakia. In honor of International Childrens' Day there was a Haunted Fairy Tale Castle event with live performances at certain points starting with a Medieval sword fight. Most stagings seemed to be well received by the students but I still can't figure out why we saw a Sheherzade re-enactment in one of the dining rooms. On went her CD and she danced around the table, doing bad gymnastics limbers and strange feats of flexibility. I asked Eva what was THAT all about, and even she couldn't answer.
Our next stop was at a dam, but that's pretty much all it was. No one seemed to be expecting us for a tour; we saw the outside dam wall and got back on the bus. Shortly after our arrival at the hotel we had our first of what was to be very bland and marginally nutritious meals. Our students were served not one piece of fruit and no dairy products in four days; the morning of our scheduled hike we got bread, butter and jam. Sweet, hot tea accompanied every meal.
Later that evening, we went upstairs and checked the individual rooms, telling the kids the schedule for the next day. I thought it was odd that everyone (boys and girls) was in pajamas, matching tops and bottoms, like the polyester flameproof ones my kids used to wear when they were about 8 years old. Eva and I finished the rounds and went to bed about 11:00. Unfortunately, not everyone else did, and when Vilo heard noises at midnight, he found some boys visiting girls in their room. Decked out in their matching flameproof jammies, it was innocent enough but inappropriate and clearly against the rules. Next morning, it was decided that they would be allowed to stay but with a special curfew. However, one boy's parents felt their son should be taken home so they drove all the way up there to do just that.
Saturday's plan for Aqua Park got readjusted because the weather looked dismal. Instead we went to an outdoor museum with over 20 transplanted wooden homes, outfitted to show the life in Orava hundreds of years ago. I loved this, but the kids literally sprinted from house to house, their highlight being a goat nibbling on someone's jacket. We followed this up with a trip to a different, smaller water park that was mostly indoors. I thought it seemed boring, but a number of girls I quizzed later said it was their favorite part.
Finally we were driven to THE SLOVAK TANK, another highlight for even more of the students. Some guy in camo gave us the rules and boarded about 25 of us for a 15 minute ride over hills and through streams. I was in the back where it was bumpier but at least didn't have to look at the view from the front, especially the downhill parts. Some kids paid for a second ride, and the "general" drove them out again. Saturday night was eventless; it probably helped that everyone was getting tired. Kids kept busy with pool, ping pong, fussball, play stations and of course their music. No programs were planned but they seemed capable of occupying their time with little problem.
Sunday started out dry but dreary, so we started to hike after the afore-mentioned unsubstantial breakfast. Fifteen minutes out, occasional drizzle turned to steady rain and we all took refuge under a bus shelter. After one and 1/2 hours of this, including a reconaissance mission by Vilo, we canned the hike and returned to the hotel. Eva was getting a cold and had stayed home with a few of the other girls who claimed to also feel poorly. We took naps that afternoon and I realized how exhausted I was from the stress of the trip. Later, I took a hike by myself before supper, just needing to get outside and once again got caught in the rain.
Dinner was noodles, poppy seeds, and powdered sugar, our second "sweet" supper and something I always try to avoid in the canteen at school. Not to worry, though, because we later roasted hot dogs at the fire pit. Nyall split some wood helped by some of the boys. Vilo went grocery shopping and everyone else waited - a really long time. Marshmallows couldn't be located although they do sell them here and sadly, no one knows about s'mores. Our spicacky was delish, and many of us lingered around the now roaring fire. Some of the kids sang tramp songs; I forced them to listen to my version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". This last night was another of the favorites that kids talked about later on at school, with nary a mention of the educational stuff.
Monday was traveling day so we packed up and boarded the bus after breakfast. Our drive took a bit longer because we stopped several times so Ada could puke roadside. We watched "Bridget Jonesova" in Czech, and they selected the english sub titles for my benefit. (Ada told me later she was fine afterward, explaining that she had "autobus" sickness. She also showed me a huge yellow and purple bruise she got on her hip from the tank ride; rough week end.)
FLASH! At school today I have been notified that I will help chaperone the Quartas in their "Expedition". It is a tour literally around Slovakia, traveling in a circle and visiting most places that tourists never see. Sona traditionally organizes this in her capacity as geography teacher, but in her stead Vilo has has put together the program. Marcel and Zabco, class teachers, accompany Vilo and I will make the fourth. We have about 40 students and will be traveling 5 days, staying in a different place each night. Hiking and caving will be included and I'll finally be able to get to the eastern, more rural part of the country. I think it will be a wonderful experience for my last weeks at schools and look forward to being with the students in this type of environment. All of my deadlines just got pushed forward as my teaching will end before the trip begins. So pack your matching PJ's and dramamine - we're goin' on the Expedition!
But let's get back to those Tercias, shall we? Last Friday was International Childrens' Day (Like everyday isn't!) and all the schools celebrate it here. School is still in session but special events are planned for the day. Our 5th through 8th grade students got to choose to go to the cinema, bike along the Danube, go to the Prater (huge amusement park in Vienna) or remain here and do organized sports, all supervised by faculty. (Girls choosing sport played Vybijana - all day - what a surprise.) The Senior School students, apparently not considered children, did not take part and had a regular schedule that day.
Leaders and Masters had planned a long week-end for their version of Childrens' Day. Vilo, the Leaders class teacher had organized a trip to Orava up in the High Tatras, including hiking, an afternoon at a water park and a visit to Orava Castle. Eva, Masters class teacher and my aerobics buddy would be going and Nyall, her assistant class teacher. I had been tapped to be the fourth chaperone and was thrilled to be included. Orava is where Sona comes from (Sona ORAVcova) and she had talked about how I should try to get up there because it is so beautiful. I already knew Leaders and Masters were fun classes to teach, and of all our groups everyone agrees that Leaders are very special. (They are sometimes almost too nice and recently admitted the unthinkable: they just couldn't play Capture the Flag. Too accomodating to be competitive, the game was lackluster at best. In all my years of teaching I have never seen such a strange non-display of strategy and risk taking, except for Rebeka who unfortunately spent the whole game in jail because her teamates were too chicken to help her get out.)
Cut to the Thursday before the big trip. I can't get into the Leaders classroom where I usually have my weekly conversation class. The students tell me they have to clean it up and so we go elsewhere. Later Alex and Veronika of Leaders come and join our group after they had finished cleaning. They explain that some girls had smeared a combination of glitter and turtle food on the cabinet. (Turtle is long gone, one of the boys having broken the tank.) The boys are responsible for shoe prints on the ceiling and walls, and apple cores and bananas peels are strewn about. The girls 'fessed up but the boys refused to admit and/or rat on anybody. Uh-oh; this is the GOOD class that I'm about to chaperone? The long week-end is looking longer all the time.
Friday is June 1st and we board the bus to begin our extended celebration of Childrens' Day. We head northwest into the mountains, and it just gets prettier and prettier. We travel through fields where the hay is stacked like little houses with peaked roofs and openings that look like doors. There are streams and a few lakes, but mostly enormous clumps of towering pine trees. Vilo says they get 2-3 meters of snow up there, making for a long, hard winter. There are some cows and herds of sheep, but not too many seen from the road. We see storks and their huge nests way up high. We notice the building is way different here with unique wooden houses all designed seemingly from the same plan. We see farmers but small fields and not much machinery. Farmers are stooped over doing something in the fields; they're often women and usually wearing skirts.
Almost 5 hours later we arrive at our first stop, the Orava Castle. Built in the 13th century, and like all castles, extensively remodeled for centuries, it is one of the most popular castles to visit in Slovakia. In honor of International Childrens' Day there was a Haunted Fairy Tale Castle event with live performances at certain points starting with a Medieval sword fight. Most stagings seemed to be well received by the students but I still can't figure out why we saw a Sheherzade re-enactment in one of the dining rooms. On went her CD and she danced around the table, doing bad gymnastics limbers and strange feats of flexibility. I asked Eva what was THAT all about, and even she couldn't answer.
Our next stop was at a dam, but that's pretty much all it was. No one seemed to be expecting us for a tour; we saw the outside dam wall and got back on the bus. Shortly after our arrival at the hotel we had our first of what was to be very bland and marginally nutritious meals. Our students were served not one piece of fruit and no dairy products in four days; the morning of our scheduled hike we got bread, butter and jam. Sweet, hot tea accompanied every meal.
Later that evening, we went upstairs and checked the individual rooms, telling the kids the schedule for the next day. I thought it was odd that everyone (boys and girls) was in pajamas, matching tops and bottoms, like the polyester flameproof ones my kids used to wear when they were about 8 years old. Eva and I finished the rounds and went to bed about 11:00. Unfortunately, not everyone else did, and when Vilo heard noises at midnight, he found some boys visiting girls in their room. Decked out in their matching flameproof jammies, it was innocent enough but inappropriate and clearly against the rules. Next morning, it was decided that they would be allowed to stay but with a special curfew. However, one boy's parents felt their son should be taken home so they drove all the way up there to do just that.
Saturday's plan for Aqua Park got readjusted because the weather looked dismal. Instead we went to an outdoor museum with over 20 transplanted wooden homes, outfitted to show the life in Orava hundreds of years ago. I loved this, but the kids literally sprinted from house to house, their highlight being a goat nibbling on someone's jacket. We followed this up with a trip to a different, smaller water park that was mostly indoors. I thought it seemed boring, but a number of girls I quizzed later said it was their favorite part.
Finally we were driven to THE SLOVAK TANK, another highlight for even more of the students. Some guy in camo gave us the rules and boarded about 25 of us for a 15 minute ride over hills and through streams. I was in the back where it was bumpier but at least didn't have to look at the view from the front, especially the downhill parts. Some kids paid for a second ride, and the "general" drove them out again. Saturday night was eventless; it probably helped that everyone was getting tired. Kids kept busy with pool, ping pong, fussball, play stations and of course their music. No programs were planned but they seemed capable of occupying their time with little problem.
Sunday started out dry but dreary, so we started to hike after the afore-mentioned unsubstantial breakfast. Fifteen minutes out, occasional drizzle turned to steady rain and we all took refuge under a bus shelter. After one and 1/2 hours of this, including a reconaissance mission by Vilo, we canned the hike and returned to the hotel. Eva was getting a cold and had stayed home with a few of the other girls who claimed to also feel poorly. We took naps that afternoon and I realized how exhausted I was from the stress of the trip. Later, I took a hike by myself before supper, just needing to get outside and once again got caught in the rain.
Dinner was noodles, poppy seeds, and powdered sugar, our second "sweet" supper and something I always try to avoid in the canteen at school. Not to worry, though, because we later roasted hot dogs at the fire pit. Nyall split some wood helped by some of the boys. Vilo went grocery shopping and everyone else waited - a really long time. Marshmallows couldn't be located although they do sell them here and sadly, no one knows about s'mores. Our spicacky was delish, and many of us lingered around the now roaring fire. Some of the kids sang tramp songs; I forced them to listen to my version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". This last night was another of the favorites that kids talked about later on at school, with nary a mention of the educational stuff.
Monday was traveling day so we packed up and boarded the bus after breakfast. Our drive took a bit longer because we stopped several times so Ada could puke roadside. We watched "Bridget Jonesova" in Czech, and they selected the english sub titles for my benefit. (Ada told me later she was fine afterward, explaining that she had "autobus" sickness. She also showed me a huge yellow and purple bruise she got on her hip from the tank ride; rough week end.)
FLASH! At school today I have been notified that I will help chaperone the Quartas in their "Expedition". It is a tour literally around Slovakia, traveling in a circle and visiting most places that tourists never see. Sona traditionally organizes this in her capacity as geography teacher, but in her stead Vilo has has put together the program. Marcel and Zabco, class teachers, accompany Vilo and I will make the fourth. We have about 40 students and will be traveling 5 days, staying in a different place each night. Hiking and caving will be included and I'll finally be able to get to the eastern, more rural part of the country. I think it will be a wonderful experience for my last weeks at schools and look forward to being with the students in this type of environment. All of my deadlines just got pushed forward as my teaching will end before the trip begins. So pack your matching PJ's and dramamine - we're goin' on the Expedition!
posted by Joan Vande Velde @ 3:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home