that last post was actually an email to my mom. and i only posted it for one reason: because the following sentence makes me laugh right out loud in the airport:
"slept in the airport, ate jerky for dinner."
will it still be funny after a good night's sleep? also, are you allowed to use two colons in one sentence?
the next post will be real. maybe not coherent, but real.
Monday, August 23, 2010
i really want my adventure to start, but instead i'm caught in a time trap called philadelphia international airport
home to chicago: smooth sailing, except the crying baby.
chicago to philadelphia: sat on runway in chicago for 30 minutes before captain crunch comes on and says there's weather in phil. we have to wait 30 minutes. it turns into 2 hours. they gave us the go ahead to leave, but by the time we could we had passed the "3 hours on the runway rule" (you can't be on the runway more than three hours without going back to the gate.) we went back to the gate, fueled up and sat in line to take off. pushed us back by 30 more minutes. flew to philly. bad weather, circled for 30 minutes, then rerouted to pittsburgh. sat for 30 minutes and went back to philly. should have arrived in phil at 5. got here at 9:30. missed my 6:00 flight to zurich.
philadelphia to zurich: stood in customer service line for 2 hours, got rebooked to frankfurt to zurich to lugano leaving the next day at 4 pm. slept in the airport, ate jerky for dinner. went to check in to frankfurt at 2, they said i'd been rebooked to zurich leaving at 6, but also, my flight to lugano had been pushed from 9 am to 1 pm. if all goes well i'll get to lugano at 2 pm on tuesday instead of 10 am on monday. i have missed my chance to bond with my fellow teachers and missed bore-ientation meetings that i was hoping to skip. but i was hoping to skip them so i could run errands and unpack and exercise, not so i could spend endless hours sitting in an airport chair.
so lame.
i hope the next time i fall asleep that i am horizontal.
chicago to philadelphia: sat on runway in chicago for 30 minutes before captain crunch comes on and says there's weather in phil. we have to wait 30 minutes. it turns into 2 hours. they gave us the go ahead to leave, but by the time we could we had passed the "3 hours on the runway rule" (you can't be on the runway more than three hours without going back to the gate.) we went back to the gate, fueled up and sat in line to take off. pushed us back by 30 more minutes. flew to philly. bad weather, circled for 30 minutes, then rerouted to pittsburgh. sat for 30 minutes and went back to philly. should have arrived in phil at 5. got here at 9:30. missed my 6:00 flight to zurich.
philadelphia to zurich: stood in customer service line for 2 hours, got rebooked to frankfurt to zurich to lugano leaving the next day at 4 pm. slept in the airport, ate jerky for dinner. went to check in to frankfurt at 2, they said i'd been rebooked to zurich leaving at 6, but also, my flight to lugano had been pushed from 9 am to 1 pm. if all goes well i'll get to lugano at 2 pm on tuesday instead of 10 am on monday. i have missed my chance to bond with my fellow teachers and missed bore-ientation meetings that i was hoping to skip. but i was hoping to skip them so i could run errands and unpack and exercise, not so i could spend endless hours sitting in an airport chair.
so lame.
i hope the next time i fall asleep that i am horizontal.
Monday, August 16, 2010
and just like that
it's over. again.
the kids are gone. half of my friends are gone. i'm gone.
but i'll be back. in a week. and that's what is weird about the whole thing.
right now, i'm a mix of nauseating emotions. actually, i think what is nauseating is the big mac i ate for brunch a few minutes ago here at the airport. i hate mcdonalds and everything it stands for, but the only other options were a burrito full of corn or pizza. (not a burrito full of pizza, just a plain pizza) and let me tell you, three summers in italy and italian switzerland has made me VERY wary of "italian food" even in german switzerland. yes, i am a food snob. but i ate mcdonald's. and the food gods will punish me for that. ANYWAY.
session 2 was loverly. this kid came back, so i knew we were in for a good time:
and because i adore him so, when i found him with snaps (you know, tiny bundles of rocks that snap when you throw them), i didn't have the heart to confiscate them. what can i say? i'm a sucker for a zit-faced, brace-faced russian with the voice of angel, which actually isn't that angelic anymore because his voice is changing.
liliya (russia) loved her teacher (me) so much she wrote a song for her. it kind of rhymes, mostly doesn't, and is very confusing. it talks mostly about my "nise boyfrend roos." and it's the sweetest thing ever so i carry it around with me wherever i go.
final night was not very tearful. but there were lots of hugs to go around. even all the boys in my class came to give me an awkward hug. much different from last session when at final night i pretended that enes, adar, and roman were invisible. oriol (spain) who spent the session kissing my arm and sucking up to me (why? i wasn't even his teacher) got his comeuppance when i planted a big wet one one on his cheek. he nearly outran me, but simon and will held him down for me. staff sticks together, yo.
katie and i had all our dreams come true when we were assigned the clean up duty of "bunker," which is the bomb shelter where our program stores all our supplies. walking in there makes my skin crawl because it is a disaster area: several of the boxes are marked "random" and those that are marked clearly, do not contain what they say they do: a box marked "letters" had train pieces, a tape dispenser, and a goldfish net. and although there are several very nice shelves on which to place clearly marked boxes, most boxes are stacked in a precarious pile that looks like a giant jenga game in progress. katie and i may or may not be, but definitely are, organizational nazis. so we relished the job of "bunker" which we interpreted as "throw out as much crap as you can when the boss isn't looking." we got a lot more done when he wasn't in there. also, brett was very distracting when he found a map with all the flags in the world and started quizzing me on them. he must know that i'm a sucker for geography...and for bets i know i'll win. brett now owes me 300 chf.
and on that ridiculous tangent, i will end.
to be continued...
the kids are gone. half of my friends are gone. i'm gone.
but i'll be back. in a week. and that's what is weird about the whole thing.
right now, i'm a mix of nauseating emotions. actually, i think what is nauseating is the big mac i ate for brunch a few minutes ago here at the airport. i hate mcdonalds and everything it stands for, but the only other options were a burrito full of corn or pizza. (not a burrito full of pizza, just a plain pizza) and let me tell you, three summers in italy and italian switzerland has made me VERY wary of "italian food" even in german switzerland. yes, i am a food snob. but i ate mcdonald's. and the food gods will punish me for that. ANYWAY.
session 2 was loverly. this kid came back, so i knew we were in for a good time:
and because i adore him so, when i found him with snaps (you know, tiny bundles of rocks that snap when you throw them), i didn't have the heart to confiscate them. what can i say? i'm a sucker for a zit-faced, brace-faced russian with the voice of angel, which actually isn't that angelic anymore because his voice is changing.
liliya (russia) loved her teacher (me) so much she wrote a song for her. it kind of rhymes, mostly doesn't, and is very confusing. it talks mostly about my "nise boyfrend roos." and it's the sweetest thing ever so i carry it around with me wherever i go.
final night was not very tearful. but there were lots of hugs to go around. even all the boys in my class came to give me an awkward hug. much different from last session when at final night i pretended that enes, adar, and roman were invisible. oriol (spain) who spent the session kissing my arm and sucking up to me (why? i wasn't even his teacher) got his comeuppance when i planted a big wet one one on his cheek. he nearly outran me, but simon and will held him down for me. staff sticks together, yo.
katie and i had all our dreams come true when we were assigned the clean up duty of "bunker," which is the bomb shelter where our program stores all our supplies. walking in there makes my skin crawl because it is a disaster area: several of the boxes are marked "random" and those that are marked clearly, do not contain what they say they do: a box marked "letters" had train pieces, a tape dispenser, and a goldfish net. and although there are several very nice shelves on which to place clearly marked boxes, most boxes are stacked in a precarious pile that looks like a giant jenga game in progress. katie and i may or may not be, but definitely are, organizational nazis. so we relished the job of "bunker" which we interpreted as "throw out as much crap as you can when the boss isn't looking." we got a lot more done when he wasn't in there. also, brett was very distracting when he found a map with all the flags in the world and started quizzing me on them. he must know that i'm a sucker for geography...and for bets i know i'll win. brett now owes me 300 chf.
and on that ridiculous tangent, i will end.
to be continued...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
my afternoon delight
(not that kind, pervert)
we sing this song in music class every afternoon. it never, ever gets old. you can't see it, because i'm filming, (though i'm pretty sure you can hear it) but i am singing my heart out and if my hands weren't full, i'd be clapping up a storm. and although it
doesn't really show on their faces, the kidlets love it, too. highlight of my day.
and fyi, this is from first session because it took me that long to figure out how to get the stupid thing on this blog.
this session the music teacher made it my job to teach this song to the kids during music. that's how enthusiastic i am about it. unfortunately, they are not as impressed with my vocal abilities as i am.
ps. i find it very amusing that these rich, international kids are singing about roads in west virginia taking them home.
pps. see that adorable boy in the argyle sweater? spawn of satan.
ppps. see that boy beating the cowbell in another boy's ear at the very end? he won one of my class awards for best student. i probably should have reviewed this footage when making my decision.
we sing this song in music class every afternoon. it never, ever gets old. you can't see it, because i'm filming, (though i'm pretty sure you can hear it) but i am singing my heart out and if my hands weren't full, i'd be clapping up a storm. and although it
doesn't really show on their faces, the kidlets love it, too. highlight of my day.
and fyi, this is from first session because it took me that long to figure out how to get the stupid thing on this blog.
this session the music teacher made it my job to teach this song to the kids during music. that's how enthusiastic i am about it. unfortunately, they are not as impressed with my vocal abilities as i am.
ps. i find it very amusing that these rich, international kids are singing about roads in west virginia taking them home.
pps. see that adorable boy in the argyle sweater? spawn of satan.
ppps. see that boy beating the cowbell in another boy's ear at the very end? he won one of my class awards for best student. i probably should have reviewed this footage when making my decision.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
little bits of nonsense
i thought i'd be so good, giving you totally unnecessary and boring updates on trivial parts of my summer, but i manage to stumble into bed past midnight every night, with blogging the last thing on my mind. a new session is here (and halfway over) and every day i still walk by that lake and marvel that i am here.
last tuesday i went on the most beautiful hike i've been on in switzerland, valle verzasca. we crossed streams, meandered in and out of the forest, and strolled by quaint little cottages, all of which ross promised to buy me when he became rich, as long as i promised to let him use them for love shacks. ew.
i tried my hand at tennis and really, i see in myself the makings of a great tennis player.
took a group of kids to a bird show on friday. and there was only one way to describe the look on luigi's (italy) face: enchanted.
my class this session is the exact opposite of my last class: awesome. they behave like human beings! we have a good time! i don't want to pull out their eyelashes! but their puppet show was crap. we won't be winning any awards (real or otherwise) with it, but i don't care!
(hmmm...actually,maybe there's something wrong with them. the photographer had just told them to "act crazy!" look at that front row of russians and germans let their hair down...especially louis the angry german "i show you crazy")
ahh, that's better.
ross and i abused my connection in the office to ensure that we are assigned as dinner table partners every week. chicken and potatoes every day is actually fun now.
i went on an overnight trip to andermatt, just got back today. i bonded with anachiara (usa), timur (russia) and sam (slovakia) and did some scary things. i walked on a glacier. this may not seem scary, but when you have an overactive imagination, it is. the glacier did not swallow me and i even climbed up one of its walls. i see in myself the makings of a great ice climber. so fun. then we hiked a very steep trail to a hut (all the while telling the italians to STAY ON THE TRAIL!!) where we slept. well, where masa slept and the rest of us tried to sleep in spite of his snoring. during my sleepless night, i learned two very important things: i will never marry a man that snores and i have self-control greater than i thought, because masa made it through the night alive. today i did another scary thing: rock climbing. it was not actually that fun and i will never do it again, but the important thing is i conquered my fear. also, i ate lots of sandwiches, which is always the best part of our trips.
sunday was swiss national day. we rent a boat, cram 120 middle schoolers on it, and have one rockin' dance party. oh, and there's fireworks. everyone dressed up but me.
because i can only do my best dance moves when i'm wearing my pink floyd tee.
see?
i was festive for a while, though. so was will.
brett and i (unintentionally, of course) wore matching v-neck tees to staff bowling night. when i pointed it out to him, he said, "yeah, i noticed we were both sporting the deep v. on you, it's ok. on me, slightly gay." i laughed for literally minutes at that one.
(all pictures stolen from facebook due to the continuous malfunction of my camera.)
one night, while chatting it up and having a great time with my new dinner table, olena (ukraine) said to me, "you look like a very happy person."
she's right...and is there any wonder why?
last tuesday i went on the most beautiful hike i've been on in switzerland, valle verzasca. we crossed streams, meandered in and out of the forest, and strolled by quaint little cottages, all of which ross promised to buy me when he became rich, as long as i promised to let him use them for love shacks. ew.
i tried my hand at tennis and really, i see in myself the makings of a great tennis player.
took a group of kids to a bird show on friday. and there was only one way to describe the look on luigi's (italy) face: enchanted.
my class this session is the exact opposite of my last class: awesome. they behave like human beings! we have a good time! i don't want to pull out their eyelashes! but their puppet show was crap. we won't be winning any awards (real or otherwise) with it, but i don't care!
(hmmm...actually,maybe there's something wrong with them. the photographer had just told them to "act crazy!" look at that front row of russians and germans let their hair down...especially louis the angry german "i show you crazy")
ahh, that's better.
ross and i abused my connection in the office to ensure that we are assigned as dinner table partners every week. chicken and potatoes every day is actually fun now.
i went on an overnight trip to andermatt, just got back today. i bonded with anachiara (usa), timur (russia) and sam (slovakia) and did some scary things. i walked on a glacier. this may not seem scary, but when you have an overactive imagination, it is. the glacier did not swallow me and i even climbed up one of its walls. i see in myself the makings of a great ice climber. so fun. then we hiked a very steep trail to a hut (all the while telling the italians to STAY ON THE TRAIL!!) where we slept. well, where masa slept and the rest of us tried to sleep in spite of his snoring. during my sleepless night, i learned two very important things: i will never marry a man that snores and i have self-control greater than i thought, because masa made it through the night alive. today i did another scary thing: rock climbing. it was not actually that fun and i will never do it again, but the important thing is i conquered my fear. also, i ate lots of sandwiches, which is always the best part of our trips.
sunday was swiss national day. we rent a boat, cram 120 middle schoolers on it, and have one rockin' dance party. oh, and there's fireworks. everyone dressed up but me.
because i can only do my best dance moves when i'm wearing my pink floyd tee.
see?
i was festive for a while, though. so was will.
brett and i (unintentionally, of course) wore matching v-neck tees to staff bowling night. when i pointed it out to him, he said, "yeah, i noticed we were both sporting the deep v. on you, it's ok. on me, slightly gay." i laughed for literally minutes at that one.
(all pictures stolen from facebook due to the continuous malfunction of my camera.)one night, while chatting it up and having a great time with my new dinner table, olena (ukraine) said to me, "you look like a very happy person."
she's right...and is there any wonder why?
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