First Day Jitters

Well, I had my first day today! I did get my first literal "fruit" apple today, Dad! One of the boys in my class brought me a red apple first thing in the morning! My kids are really sweet. We got a lot done in the morning and not as much in the afternoon because my schedule is kind of choppy due to lunch and special areas. I loved getting more information on the kids. As much as I'm nervous for the upcoming year (for being responsible for 22 young lives), I want to do as much as I can to benefit these children. It's inspiring, which is a good thing to feel at this point! I got hugs at the end of the day and even throughout the day. It actually went by pretty fast, so I can't wait too see what tomorrow holds. There is a link to the book that I read aloud today, First Day Jitters, in the title of my post. The book is so cute and absolutely perfect for a new teacher. I am so lucky to be at the school I am at, work with the teachers on my team, and try to touch the kids who no doubt will brighten my life!

Classroom!

Here are some pictures from my classroom. I added the kids names next to the brown sheets of paper on the bulletin board under "knowledge is power". It looks a lot better with the names next to each sheet. I got to meet most of my kids tonight and their parents because it was "Meet the teacher" night where they get to come in, unload their supplies, and meet me! Out of the 22 in my class, only 3 did not show up! It sounds like I have some great kids along with some equally great parents! I'm so excited and a little less terrified than I have been! We will see how this week goes! I still have to plan everything I am doing my first week because I have so many ideas! If anyone has a suggestion or idea for what I should read aloud to the kids on the first day or just general ideas for the classroom, please feel free to post!

P.S. - I owe a belated thank you to my cuz, Andre! I loved the birthday thing and I miss you!

Here I go...

Well, I start new teacher orientation tomorrow morning bright and early. I have heard from pretty much every person I have talked to that it is quite possibly the most boring and pointless week I will experience. Yea for me! I will post pictures of my classroom soon. Mom was nice enough to drive down to Austin and stay for like 3 days helping me! I have decided I will be the Lisee Lions next year! It's all happening so fast that it still sort of feels surreal. I'm sure all of you will get a panicked, incoherent phone call from me sometime in the next month. Congratulations to Zeb for fielding the first call already! I will try to keep this updated as best as I can!

Long time...no blog

So it has been forever since I last blogged, but I was kind of boring. A lot of the time was spent sun tanning, playing games, hanging out with family, and shopping. I am now moved back to Austin and living in my new apartment by myself! It is also my birthday today! Yea! I get to have a lazy morning, then hang out with friends in the afternoon, go to a comedy performance, and then downtown with friends! I will try to keep up with the blogging from now on!

Home Sweet Home

I traveled back to Texas on Saturday night. On Friday night I was thoroughly surprised with a surprise graduation party thrown by my relatives. What a night. It was awesome chatting and laughing with family until the wee hours. Thank you so much to everyone who was involved in this endeavor. I love you all!! What a fabulous way to end my 3 week vacation. I miss everyone already! Unfortunately, I left my camera in Connecticut so there will be a lack of posted pictures for a while. Once I get it back, I will try to add pictures from that wicked party! I was thankful that Sunday was father's day because I immediately got to see everyone in my immediate family, including Andrew, Jason, and Emma! All I have planned for the next 2 weeks is going to Austin at some point to sign my teaching contract, preparing for the move in July and teaching in August, and relaxing by the pool. It will definitely not be as exciting as Italy, Greece, or even Connecticut, but I am going to enjoy this stress-free time! It looks like everyone chose Italy on the poll. Both are excellent choices but I would love if some of you left comments as to why you chose it over Greece! There will be a new poll soon!

Connecticut Chapter

So I have been chilling in Connecticut since Saturday night. Our flight out of Athens was delayed 3 hours and I was able to get a later flight out of Philadelphia, but my mom was forced to stay the night and catch the next morning flight to Dallas. Sunday was a very relaxing day at Jacques and Kathy's hanging with Jacques, Kathy, Lisa, and her girls. Monday I hung out with Lisa, Imani, and Sahi all during the day. On Tuesday, I went out to lunch with Lisa and the girls. Then, I went to the pool with Robin, Jacob, Charlie, Maya, and Eve followed by dinner at Paul and Robins. Today I got to hang out by the river with a bunch of little kids so of course I was having a ball. I also got to have dinner with Uncle Pierre, Aunt Jackie, Andre, and Olivia. My schedule for the rest of the week is pretty much full and I am excited for it all. I can't tell you how much fun I have been having hanging out with my little and big cousins. It's great being around family...

Shopping Galore

Feel free to vote on the poll I added to the blog! I was curious! Well, Mom and I played it pretty easy today. We took our time getting ready and just made breakfast at the hotel before they closed shop. Our favorite addition to this Greek breakfast was yogurt with fruit and honey! Yum! Soon after breakfast, we walked to the National Gardens and explored for an hour or two. We were able to catch a view of the changing of the guards by the Parliament. They wear funny clothes and move almost robot-like so it was amusing. We snapped some pictures and we even stepped into a forbidden area without knowing it until we were yelled at by an officer. Next, we stumbled upon the original Olympic arena, which of course Mom loved. After snapping even more pictures, we made our way to the Plaka for a leisurely lunch at a cafe that we bumped into many times upon our multiple journeys searching for the frommer's restaurants. This was the first time that we actually enjoyed sitting for a couple of hours over lunch. We felt like we were actually living the Greek way! They had these fabulous dried black olives that are unlike any other olives I've tasted. Following our long lunch, we continued shopping around the Plaka and our favorite street, Adrianou. We have strolled up and down this street at least 10 times in the past 2 days. Mom even knows how to read it in Greek! It is actually lovely because it is pretty much closed to traffic besides the occasional motorcycle or crazy car, and just filled with all kinds of different shops and cafes. The local shop-keepers can speak so many different languages in order to keep up with the frequent tourists and pretty much everyone knows English. It is amazing to think about how many miles each day we have walked. Mom regrets not bringing her pedometer and I think that would have been a great idea. So far today we have made friends with a couple from Finland and we hope to meet more! It is 6:30 now and we will probably be having dinner on the rooftop restaurant of our hotel to catch the nighttime view of Athens. Upon review of our last experience with the crowded metro, unending stairs, and heavy luggage, I made the decision to pay for a cab to the airport. Thank you Paul and Robin. This is definitely a treat for myself! See you soon!