Last Week in April

Thought I would just share some of my anecdotes with you so maybe you can see into my world over here in Greece.

Sunday - did nothing and kept all the doors/windows shut because my allergies were so bad.

Monday - regular work day - Lebanese dinner at friends' place

Tuesday - work - listened to a discussion from security personnel from the American Embassy on home safety and internet safety. I learned a lot (even though it was geared for the students). There is a number I can call if I have any problem which goes right to the American Embassy and/or an officier on duty. Wow - this information would have been great to give us when we first arrived here in 2008!
It was interesting/odd to continue the conversation/discussion with my students about the safety/security of Facebook - my students are only 9/10 years old! I would say about a quarter of them tell me they have a Facebook account.

Wednesday - work - attended an interesting meeting by the head of my school - unfortunately I don't think it is public knowledge of the direction he wants the school to go towards in the next 5 years of his new contract. So I better not say anything yet..... Kate, Miah and I had crepes with Miah's parents - they are in town for a week on their way to US from Ethopia. It was good to see her mom again and finally meet her dad.

Thursday - work - attend cardio class aka boot camp! Kate and I really like this instructor as she is cheerful and energetic and participates with us - which is important as we have to watch the instructor since we don't understand what they tell us to do. However, Marina (the instructor) yells at us and pushes us with a smile on her face. I hate it and love it at the same time!

Friday - started this morning at Cosemote (my ON-the-Go internet company) to complain that my internet stick isn't strong enough to let me IM on Skype. He was surprised I had had it for 1.5 years! He suggested I get wireless internet and I thought that was a good idea. Though I didn't have my Passport on me so couldn't do it right then. work - oh Fridays are a long day..... have my students from 9-12.30 straight and the shadow teacher (who helps a student in my class - and helps me) was away. Anyway got through the day, barely!

After work, get all my errands done because tomorrow is Labor Day - no work/stores open. Went back to Cosemote, internet place, and signed up to have high speed internet at home - though we will see how long this takes to get up and running. I will be saving money on internet and will be faster yeah!

Every morning while I am walking down the hill to work I pass this man walking up the hill with his son or grandson - the adults always seem to carry the kids bags. There is an elementary school just a block down from me. I have been seeing this man every day since I moved here and only just this year we finally greet each other with a Kalamera -Good Morning in Greek. He owns a store at the bottom of the hill - beside Cosemote. So yesterday evening I finally went into his store and he chatting with me in Greek - so like I say to most "sorry I don't speak Greek!" thankfully he spoke English - he said b/c I said good morning to him in Greek he thought I spoke Greek! Anyway we had a nice long conversation but how it was 40 years ago in Agia Paraskevi (the neighborhood I live in). The boy he walks up with to school is his son (he looks like his grandfather not father). This man, Jerry, did live in the USA for 20 years while he worked on boats on the east coast, mostly in the canals. This is all I understood....

Saturday - apartment clean up, go into work and work in my classroom, over to a friend's house for real hot dogs and real hot dog buns - it's the little things!

Can't believe it is May already......

The Dentist

So, embarrassed as I am to admit that I haven't been to a dentist in almost 2 years, I finally went to one today. Now let me preface why I haven't gone to a dentist or any other doctor for that matter in almost two years. We really have no help finding a doctor/dentist. No help finding one which speaks English and one that is in our area or accessible via the bus/metro and close to where we live. So we all just haven't gone.

A colleague of mine found an English speaking dentist whose fees were not too high. So I finally made an appointment and went today. Her practices is very nice, new equipment, tools in packages which she opened in front of me, etc. I did warn her I hadn't been to the dentist in about 2 years and she did compliment me on how clean they were. But I still had a small cavity.

So since I was there and arrived earlier than my appointment, she luckily had time to fix it. Now I know this experience is a tad boring but I am sharing anyway! What I don't understand is that it doesn't matter where in the world you are, why do all dentists ask you questions when you have all these things in your mouth - how can one possibly answer the dentist????

April Shower Brings May(be) a job???!!!!

Hello everyone - sorry I have been so bad adding new news to my blog. Let's see... it's already Earth Day - wow the time flies eh? Last week a group of us went to TGI Friday's! Now, I have lived here this long I deserved some good old American grub. It was SO yummy! It is just like the ones in the US - the waitstaff wear red and white striped shirts with suspenders with different pins on them. The food is the same too - oh the baby back ribs were great!

Sunday the girls and I went to the theater and saw Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake ballet. Well that was interesting and different!

This Saturday I am volunteering to help beautify our school campus and Sunday I will probably just relax. The weather is getting nicer and I long to sit in my balcony and read and soak up the sun.

So the big question what am I doing next year? It is a big question. I am not going to post the answer here. If you want to know, please email me and I will be happy to share.

Au Revoir France!

Dwain and Harper
25 bottles of wine on the wall!

enjoying a good book

yummy - large right out of the oven meringues

La Fontaine du Vancluse

I did return to my favorite place - Les Baux (pronounced Lay Beau not lesbaus) and Dwain had researched about this cool cave where photographs and videos are shown. See photos below. So for about 30 minutes I watched pictures and videos all over the walls and floor of a this cave. It was really cool and almost every wall showed different photos so you would stand in one place and continue to look all about you.

SHEEP!!!!

Australian photographs and videos projected on walls in a cave!

rows of flowering almond trees

I had a very relaxing vacation. Thank you to the Millers for opening their home to me again!Although most days were spent on outings there were other days we just hung around Lambesc or did half day trips. There was no rush to get out of the house or be back at a certain time. It was lovely!

Bonjour France!

Well we have been here in Provence for almost entire week. Kate is here and Miah, Dwain, and their baby. We are staying at the the Miller's home in Lambesc due their generous hospitality and kindness to lend me their house again.

The comfort of hanging out in a welcoming home for breakfast and dinner and sometimes all day is quite relaxing. And cooking at home, doing laundry, relaxing on the patio, walking to the bakery - all comforting and enjoyable.

Thus far I have been to Camagrue - to see salt beds, pink flamingos, black bulls, white horses and the only cowboys in Europe; saw the Grand Canyon of Europe - largest gorge in Europe; Pont du Gard - an aquaduct; St. Remy - where there was a great market on top of the great shopping; Arles; Avignon; the castle of Tarascon, small towns and many caves (wine vineyards); the market here in Lambesc. I still need to go to Les Baux and Aix (both places I went while I was here in August).

I am on my second book, have played some games, drank wine, practiced my French, ate croissants and bread and looked for a job.

So that is what I have been doing on my spring break! Not too bad eh?