It's the final Countdown...

Sorry for my silence recently. It's been a crazy past few days. This post is coming on Saturday. In less than 48 hours, I will be back in the USA, getting ready for school. Crazy, huh?

Anyway, since my last post, nothing interesting yet everything has happened. Here's a rundown:

Monday: We got back from Paris and enjoyed some nice R and R. It was actually sunny and nice out, so some of us ventured outside to play! Good times were had.

Tuesday: Easy day for my group. One short class then spent the rest of the day relaxing again. Liz and I went on a nice bike ride and followed the river. We saw Germany!

Wednesday: Final internship day. Sad times. It was cool though because the kids were doing a practice run of their Odyssey of the Mind projects and my group were the judges. All the groups did a good job. Rest of the day was prepping to pack

Thursday: FREE DAY! I went out on the town to get some souvenirs, do a last-minute visit to places that I wanted to go to (ate some beignets!) then packed up. Spent as much time as possible hanging out with the GSU people. I'm gonna miss those guys.

Friday: Up early for our train to Munich. We pretty much checked into the hotel then spent the rest of the day around town. Nothing too crazy except for the "beer challenge" we went on. Essentially, it was a guided tour of different establishments where we could get drinks. I paced myself because I wanted to be ready for the tour tomorrow.

Saturday: We visited the former concentration camp Dachau. It was a really sobering journey. I can't even describe how it felt to walk on the ground where thousands of prisoners lived, 70 years ago. I got chills down my body as we walked through the crematorium. Definitely a creepy feeling. Once we got back, we went to a restaurant we visited last night and I got some Schnitzel, which was delicious. Went back to the hotel after exploring with Claire, visited the hotel pool, then relax time.

Future plans: We leave for Frankfurt tomorrow. I think we plan on seeing a movie. After this trip, I think this group just needs some time to sit, relax and not think about anything. Stateside soon....

Parisian Paradise

So, just spent the extended Easter weekend in Paris! Woo! Instead of giving you a day-by-day account, I'll just post the highlights.

Eiffel Tower: Day
Drew and I decided to spend some time around the city before our tour of the Louvre. First stop: Eiffel Tower. We decided not to go to the top, as it would be a better sight during the evening. We did get pictures around it though with our flags and were even accosted by a street vendor! Good times.

Arc de Triomphe
Our second main highlight of the day, it was a decent walk from the Eiffel Tower here, though made much easier once we found where we were supposed to go. We walked around it getting pictures and met a guy who recognized our flying WV flag (he went to VT. meh.) We couldn't get pictures underneath it or go on top, as there was a long line and we had to meet everyone at the Louvre.

The Louvre
I could have spent all day here.  We spent 2 hours and I didn't even get to visit all the places in one of the wings. There are 3. I did make it a point to visit all the Greek and Roman statues/paintings though. And of course, saw the Mona Lisa, though.

Eiffel Tower: Night
This time, we ventured to the top. Claire, Drew, and I decided to make the trek to the top on foot (well, to the 2nd level then had to ride the elevator up.) It was definitely worth the wait. Seeing Paris during the night was a remarkable experience. I took pictures but they definitely won't do it justice. The only negative was that it was cold and windy at the top. Also, a random fact, I met some 4-Hers! I don't know where the first couple were from, but the second group was from California! How-How for 4-H!

Free Walking tour
We went on a free walking tour around Paris that was led by a student from the city. We saw Notre Dame from a distance, visited Pont Neuf, the Love-Lock Bridge, stopped by the Louvre, and ended in the Place de Concorde and saw where the guillotine was. Cool tour. Lots of pictures

Moulin Rouge!
Yeah, that's right. I went to the Moulin Rouge. And it was AWESOME! I don't even know how to explain it. The whole experience was spectacular. The show was split into different parts. The main dancers would do a themed performance (Amazonian dance, 50's jukebox, circus, etc.) then there would be a intermission act while they set up the next act. The intermission acts were pretty cool. The acrobatics performed were astounding. I saw a girl do a headstand on a guy's head, the same guy holding the girl doing a handstand, bend backwards over a chair then stood back up. CRAZINESS! A good way too spend the evening.

The Gardens of Versailles
Wow. The Gardens were spectacular. It can only imagine what it looks like once the trees and flowers are bloomed.  It was all very symmetrical and well-kept and amazing. Still, it was interesting to go around the area and hear the history of Louis XIV until Louis XVI. There were lots of fountains but no water was running as it would cost WAYYYY to much money. We weren't able to go inside though, because they had closed the ticket office by the time the tour was finished. Oh well.

Hotel d'Invalides
So, because of Easter, I didn't get to see much of this. I saw the main courtyard but the actual Army museum and Napoleon's grave were closed off. Still was kinda cool to see.

So, that was my Paris trip in a nutshell. Good times were had by all.

Thursday Teaching and Travels

Today would be the day I forget my camera. Today was a fun filled day of teaching and exploring the unseen side of Strasbourg. I apologize to my friends who are creeping on my Facebook pictures. I will try to recreate the experience at a later day, with camera in tow.

The day started out as usual: wake up, shower, breakfast, bus to school. It was about halfway to the bus that I realized I left my camera on my bed but I thought "Oh, I don't think I'll need it today. No big deal." Boy was I wrong. More on that later though.

6th Grade History:
This class was kinda cool. They started learning about Greek housing. Few main things from class: Mrs. Bisbee used the Smart Board and a website to have students place people into the appropriate places in a Greek house. The whole website was actually a really good teaching tool. It gave definitions of the different room types, which the students copied onto their own diagram of a house. The other thing was that she had an app on her phone called "Stick picks." Essentially, it is a classroom tool where students names, once inputted, are "drawn" from a cup. It's a completely random way to select students to answer questions or go up to the board. The app also let you take notes on each student about the types of questions you can ask them, so while it may seem at random to the students, it is all carefully planned (somewhat) by the teacher.

8th Grade History:
Civil rights! Yeah! The students went over the definitions from the readings we started with them earlier in the week. We then watched some PBS videos about the Freedom Riders, which was cool. Other than that, nothing too exciting or noteworthy.

7th Grade History:
We (meaning Sarah, Drew, and I) taught today! Since the students were exploring the Middle Ages, Sarah pulled out a lesson plan she had about the manor system and new agricultural methods. Overall, I think the lesson went well. The students asked plenty of questions, which was good. What helped was the fact that they already had the some of the information beforehand, so when we had them create a spider chart of what they knew, a lot of information was given. It was a bit weird sharing time with 2 other teachers, though. But, we made it work and Mrs. Bisbee was impressed. Score one for WVU!


And here is where I regret not having my camera. Drew wanted to go to Maundy Thursday service, so by the time we got done with school, there would have been no point in going back to the chateau. Instead, he and I decided to hop on a tram and just go wherever it took us. It was actually pretty fun. Got to hang out with Drew which is always a good time. Here's a list of the places I went today (including our break time during school:)

• the Juice Bar that I've passed many times. Unfortunately, all the drinks I saw were alcoholic, so I got a hot chocolate instead. probably the best I have had so far. Nice and frothy, good amount of chocolate. Delicious.
• the end of tram lines E and A. A ends near a college, I think. It was a bit weird and kinda felt like the ghettos. It was on the outskirts of town and there was a lot of residential areas. Drew and I quickly left (mainly because there was no more trams, except the way we came.)
• tram line E ends at a mall. Pretty standard as far as malls go except for one difference: THERE WAS A GROCERY STORE INSIDE OF THE MALL!!!! Seriously though, it was like Super Wal-Mart meets Super Kroger and had a giant baby. I would say that the store took up about 1/2 of the total square footage of the mall and had well over 100 different aisles of stuff. I want to go back just to take pictures of everything. The mall was at Baggerse.

**Side Note** On the way to the mall, Drew and I saw what we think is a giant movie theater and a diner modeled after the American 50's. I'm interested in returning

• Back to the list. I went to a Chinese restaurant while Drew was at service. IT WAS AMAZING! Once again, I wish I had my camera. I am definitely going back though. It was very traditional in service and I was the whitest person in the restaurant when I first walked in. Good times. Anyway, here's what I had:
• Shrimp Chips/Prawn Crackers/whatever else they were called. I haven't had these for a while, so it was a very pleasant surprise when they brought them out.
• Beef Dim Sum. Nothing fancy about that
• Duck with bamboo shoots and Chinese mushrooms. Delicious. Duck was very good. I love those Chinese mushrooms. All served with white rice. Yum.
• Green tea to drink. Made with the little tea ball that my brother has. Also good stuff. Finished off an entire pot myself.

           Overall, very good. Mom, you should be proud of me and I think you would enjoy it very much.

Afterwards, I decided to head back to the Chateau. However, seeing the city center at night was one of the most beautiful things I have seen this entire trip. It was like something taken from the movies, it was so picturesque. I definitely want to recreate this experience once we get back from Paris this weekend.

Wilhelm's Castle and Wine Tour Wednesday

Well, Wednesday was wonderful. Yay alliterations! Anyway, this post will have a very large lack of learning, as we had today off for some pre-planned excursions.

First stop: Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg
I WAS IN A CASTLE!!!! Not a "castle" as some call the chateaus, but a REAL CASTLE BUILT IN THE MIDDLE AGES!!!!!! Can I get a What What?

Here's the history of the castle in a nutshell:

• Built by at least the 12th century (first records of it)
• Burnt down during the 30 Years War (last record of Swedes doing anything aggressive other than banking)
• Abandoned for centures
• Found by Kaiser William II, restored but with German flair
• Switch back to French control by the Treaty of Versailles (1919)
• Suffered an invasion of eight West Virginians (2013)

Alright. Now to the castle. It was really amazing to see. Drew and I could have spent all day there and other castles. Seeing the intricate detail that was put into building it was astounding. Even the doors looked awesome. The armory was pretty sweet, as I got to see weapons that I only read about or saw while playing Lords of the Realm II. I tried to take pictures but my camera battery died. Many pictures were taken by my friends though. I doubt I'll need pictures to remember going to a CASTLE!!!!!

Pit Stop: Riquewihr
This was a small village that was actually pretty nice. Still, few pictures because of the dead camera. This was a quick stop for lunch and to kill some time before our wine tour. I tried some sauerkraut, which actually wasn't that bad. I assume it was a German special, since it was served with 5 different meats. Drew lived up to his "I'm in France, why not?" motto and ordered escargot (snails.) I decided to go the safe route and ordered some authentic French Onion Soup, or Onion Soup as it's known here. I got some batteries and chocolate from a small gift shop. I'm trying to save my souvenir shopping for Paris.

Next Stop: Jean Geiler Winery
What better way to explore the Alsacien region that is known for its wine than to go wine tasting? Our group had a small tour of the facilities on site after driving past hundreds of acres of vineyards. This winery makes hundreds of millions of bottles of year. Dang. After a quick tour, we got down to what some people were most excited for: wine tasting. I was indifferent to this. We tried 6 different wines then could request more we might be interested in. Overall, it was not a bad experience. Wine is still not my thing (or drinking in general) but I did find some types I don't mind that much. Apparently, wine for me has to be really dry or really sweet. The middle stuff is not my cup of tea. Oh well. Some people bought bottles to take back as souvenirs.

Pit Stop 2: Statue of Liberty!
'Murrka!!!! We had a small detour to check out a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Colmar. Of course, we had to do the tourist thing and take tons of pictures while there. Got a couple good ones of the group reppin' the state flag! Woo! Nothing too exciting but still fun times to be an obnoxious American.

Final Stop: home
Got home. Dinner, relaxing, get ready for school tomorrow. David and Sarah went into town to see the Philharmonic Orchestra that was playing. I thought about going but I didn't want to be the third wheel, though I am slightly regretting it now... Oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess.

Tuesday's Title

It's crazy to think that we only have a few days left in the school. Tomorrow is a day off, so all that's left is Thursday, next Tuesday, and Wednesday. It's crazy, man. Crazy.

Tuesday is fun because it is the easiest day of the week. All my group had today was the 7th grade theater class of the Tempest. For today, they were coordinating a scene where all the characters were being drawn to the center of the island by Prospero. The teacher, Mrs. Bloomfield (the British one) had them doing it as a sort of interpretive dance. It's hard to explain, but essentially, each group would be moving at the same time, then some would stop and others would continue. Then, somehow, a puppet theater comes into play. The students seemed to know what she was talking about, though, so it all works out in the end.

Other than Theater class, it was smooth sailing from there. The three of us returned to the chateau. Drew and I met up with Liz and Emily (GSU) to go to the observatory/planetarium. When we got there, we found out it was closed until 2, so the ladies decided that it was a sign to go shoe shopping. Drew and I tagged along since it was something to do other than sit around at the chateau. So, we all went shoe shopping then grabbed lunch at a thai noodle place which was delicious. The ladies needed to go back to the chateau for class, so Drew and I proceeded to go to the planetarium. It was open this time, however it was only open for University needs, so we weren't allowed in. Our plans thwarted, we decided to return to the chateau and do some much needed laundry. I also picked up some hot chocolate from the market, as it was FREEEZING (literally) outside. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at home, reading, drinking hot chocolate, reading and playing games with the GSU people. I did cook some rabbit for dinner, which everyone was intrigued by, so point for Ryan!

School observations:
The threat of disciplinary action is a very effective tool. Proper classroom behavior must be taught and enforced to the students from an early age. Students were acting up in class and all it took was the threat of a "Behavioral warning" to get them back into line. From what I have seen in the past, students do not react well when it comes to the point where they get into serious trouble.

It's a Monday...

Captain's log, Stardate 03-25-2013.

I find myself trapped in the early 21st century in what is known as Strasbourg, France. Many of my crew are missing, with only 8 of us remaining. We have decided to take the roles of student-teachers in order to find more about this environment and split into 3 groups. I can only blame Q for this inexplicable turn of events.

Today marked the first and only day that I will be observing the educational patterns on the day that is known as the locals as a "Monday." It was a standard away mission, our main objective being fact-gathering. The daily routine of the locals appears to follow a similar routine, with some variance depending on the day of the week. For today's observation, I followed local children to 3 different gatherings, know as "classes."

 This first class involved students in what is known as the 7th grade, a ranking based on knowledge and age, surely, learning about ancient Earth cultures during what is known as the "Middle Ages." The main focus of today's meeting was to inform the students about a project they had to do. The students were allowed to pick their partners to form groups of 3. Each group was then tasked with creating their own away mission for their local surroundings, explaining to their peers about the historical aspects of certain areas or buildings. Each group mission had to have a specific theme that tied all their areas together.

After this class, there was a small break in my observation of the students, so I decided to take the rest of my team into the surrounding town to gather information about this environment. Many facilities were closed, though we did happen to find a cafe where my team and I partook in the local beverages. I personally sampled a "chocolat chaud" and a "croque monsieur." After the break, we returned to the school as the students were to engage in a technological lesson. These students were to practice becoming more efficient in their use of use primitive input devices, or "keyboards."  They were also to practice in creating an early version of logs that were typed into the computer, known as a blog. As both Ambassador Spock and Admiral Janeway once said, it is like using "stone knives and bearskins."

The final class my group observed involved "8th graders" learning about a 20th Century economical movement called the "Industrial Revolution." Students were divided into groups to finish reviewing a piece of literature written during the age, a novel known as "The Jungle."

One of my crew decided to continue with her explorations. As these people seemed harmless, I allowed her to continue as First Officer Calandrelli and I returned to our local residence. From there, it was simply a matter of finding nourishment and adjusting to our environment.

Butler out.


P.S. Bonus points if you read this in your favorite captain's voice. Double for Picard.

Weekend in Strasbourg (3/23-3/24)

Everyone decided to spend this weekend around town. As of this post, I am in the middle of what will probably be the most confusing and frustrating game on Monopoly I will ever play. So, I will be posting the highlights of the weekend and hopefully will flesh it  out later.

Saturday:
headed to town. find lunch spot. visit game store. more wandering. Visited the musee alsacien, botanical gardens, and the zoological museum. Unfortunately, the observatory was closed. We did walk around Petit France and went shopping. A lady was doing what I guess was a Bachelorette/Wedding Scavenger Hunt and my group got dragged into doing a Gagnam Style video. Candy shop! fancy restaurant for dinner. people went to see Passion. The rest of us went home, played chess with David, played Cards with everyone. bed

Sunday:
Church at Notre dame. Lunch. Climbed to the top of Notre Dame.
Museums:
-archeological
-decorations (napoleon lived 1805-1806)
- 2 art

Planned our Paris trip. Met with Isabella about our first week. Played board games.