Life in Port Elizabeth

Greetings, blog enthusiasts!  It has only been a week since Gretchen and I embarked on our Southern Hemisphere adventure.  However, we have been incredibly busy acclimating ourselves to Port Elizabeth and its surrounding areas, so it seems like we’ve been here longer…in a good way!  Every day it seems we wake up and say, “Another beautiful day in Port Elizabeth!”  So, in this particular post, I will show you some of the incredible sights we have seen.  Allow the tour to begin….

This first picture is of a place within a 15 minute walk of our residence called The Boardwalk (cue Under the Boardwalk if you’ve got it, and sing along).  It has many shops and restaurants for us to try out, and we’ve gotten to a good start with El Greco…a wonderful Greek restaurant where we had immensely satisfying meals.  A bonus:  all of their wine was under $25 a bottle!  There is also a casino there which looks to be populated mostly by slot machines and a buffet that was not nearly as good as we had hoped.  Aside from that, there is a theatre and a…and I know this will shock your socks off…a boardwalk!  Yes, the boardwalk goes around a small man made pond that is very stunning at night.

 

This next scene is from a South African pizza chain called Debonairs.  I am enjoying their ‘four seasons’ pizza (ironically with five ingredients: pepperoni salami, mushroom, olives, green pepper and onion).  You can see the ocean behind me in the near distance.

 

 

Here is a good view from the balcony of our flat.  We are on the second floor and that green at the bottom is a roof below.  Anyway, behind Gretchen you can see the ocean and how close we are to it!  Literally, a two minute walk.

 

Across from The Boardwalk is a pier called Shark Tooth Pier.  Not much to say about this one…just a nice picture.

 

The next two pictures are of coastal rock formations.  I have never seen anything like them.  The first is at one end of Marine Drive (the main road along the beach).   The other is what is found closer to where we are staying.  However, in between these rock formations are beautiful sand beaches, many of them given the highest ratings.  The juxtaposition of the beaches right next to the rocky parts is incredibly peculiar.  In the first picture, all of that dark stuff is rock, not seaweed or anything else.

 

 

 

One thing Gretchen and I have noticed is the interesting advertising here.  A lot of humor is used, and for reasons unexplainable, this poster for CokeTM cracks me up!  If you cannot read it, the smaller text says, “It’s BRRR!!! on the Coke side of lifeTM”

The penultimate picture of this post is taken at a local bar called Barney’s.  We stopped there and had a garlic cheese roll (and I partook in the local brew, Castle).  You can see Shark Tooth Pier in the background and again, the beautiful weather.

 

 

Today (Sunday), Gretchen and I went to a flea market that was a bit past The Boardwalk.  There are many vendors with beautiful goods from all over Africa, or so they claim.  I suppose I’ll just have to take their word for it until I find the “Made in Taiwan”.  Anyway, here is Gretchen standing in it, you can see some of the vendors.  All of them were very nice and told us that they would “Give a good discount” JUST FOR US!!!  (We’re so lucky!)

Those are my photographs for now.  Don’t let your heart be troubled, we are far from done taking pictures!  However, I start my ‘official’ student teaching this week, so my next post will be about that experience!

The Culture Shock

We have landed in Port Elizabeth and have been living in our flat, as they say, for one day and two nights. It is Wednesday morning for us, and early Wednesday morning where I am from. The flights were safe and we got through customs at Johannesburg easily and caught our short flight to PE…(the abbreviation for Port Elizabeth). The first hill we overcame was the weight of our baggage. However, we had packed an extra suitcase and were able to avoid a $150 fine for each of our bags by moving some of the weight around.

At the beginning of our six hour layover in Washington D.C. we were graced with the company of my niece, Sasha, and her parents, my D.C. siblings, Bob and Carrie. To put it mildly, the two adults had a happier and more social disposition than my niece. She had just woken up from her nap and is not quite two years old, so I’d imagine going to the airport and seeing people she’s not been around since she was less than a year old was just about as much as she could handle. Luckily, her mom and dad knew how to ease her nerves, so she mostly clung to them and occasionally looked our way. Both Gretchen and I were very happy to have seen them because we were going to miss them visiting Ohio the next weekend.

Our plane to Johannesburg boarded and the brutal 17-hour leg of the trip began. Basically, we took off from Washington and spent almost seven hours in the air in transit to Senegal. Before you call me a liar for saying the flight was to Johannesburg, allow me to explain. We fueled up in Senegal, but were not allowed off the plane. Some passengers got off and a group of young men (we think a basketball team) got on. That took close to two hours, and then we had an eight-hour flight to Johannesburg. I was able to sleep a couple of hours on both legs.

There was the start of our adventure…

However, what great adventure can begin without some sort of mishap? Our plane touched down at the Port Elizabeth airport and we exited down a ramp to the outside, then walked into the airport. We both concluded that the airport is about the size of the Canton/Akron airport back home, but upon further thought, I think in reality it is much smaller. Anyway, we went to the baggage claim and awaited our luggage. Sure enough one bag came through, then another…then we waited…and waited…Dr. Singh found us, and I went to talk to him and his son while Gretchen went to the counter to report my bag lost. Yes, my bag was left behind at Johannesburg. The most amusing part is that it made it all the way across the ocean, and across the Continent of Africa. Its downfall was the transfer from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth. We picked up all of our luggage in Johannesburg (including my bag), went through customs and re-checked it. No worries, however as we were told that our bag would be delivered by seven am the next morning. (I’ll just comment here that it did not arrive until after 10:30 and two phone calls!). Crisis averted, we can continue the post…

Things are a little different in South Africa…

First of all, there are the plugs. We knew about this so we got converters. However, what we did not know is that there are two types of plugs in South Africa…one for the outlet and others for smaller appliances. This was no big deal either because we were easily able to find a way to make things work. (Currently, however, Gretchen is not able to use her hair dryer because the plug does not quite fit…we will have to figure that one out today).

I almost forgot to mention the first thing that we noticed, so above should actually read ‘secondly’, instead of ‘first of all’, but I digress. People drive on the wrong side of the road here!!! Well, if Americans drive on the right side…ahem…yes, my humor has not changed in South Africa…moving on. So, they drive on the left side of the road, and it is very unsettling. Dr. Singh and his son are perfectly good drivers, but we both had the urge to grab the wheel on turns when our instinctive feeling was that we were turning into a head-on collision. I expect, as Dr. Singh suggested, we will become accustomed to it just in time to head back to America and be freaked out by the driving there!

Another point at which we had a little bit of a shock was when we received the bill to our firs dinner at Wimpy. It was 84.00…Ok, we already had the knowledge of the conversion rate but there is nothing like seeing that number for a couple of burgers and some fries. The conversion is around seven South African rand to one dollar, so our meal was $12.00…a bit closer to what we were used to. Although we are very much aware of the prices, we are still amazed at the high numbers and laugh about the amount of money we are spending. Our first day we spent over R400 on groceries and around R200 for our cleaning supplies and a water filter!

Something that is new to us is the idea of a ‘Pay as you go’ policy. Obviously the concept is self-explanatory and I know that there are things like that in the United States as well. Cell phones have this, but it is MUCH more common here than it is in the United States. What we found very different, as we had never heard of this before, is that electricity works in a similar way. The method for paying electricity that is common goes like this:

There is a box in your residence that tells how many Kilowatt-hours you have remaining before your electricity runs out. In order to make that number go up, one must travel to a place where electricity is sold. There are more places than gas stations that sell it, but that is where we buy ours. The electric box has a card with it that is taken to the gas station, and at the counter you tell the employee how man Rands you want of electricity. They take your card and the amount of Rands, and in return you get your card back along with what looks like a receipt…THIS IS NOT TO BE THROWN AWAY!!! On the receipt is a list of numbers that must be taken back to the electric box. On the box there is a keypad with numbers one through nine on it (basically looking like a pay phone’s keypad). You punch in the list of numbers, the screen flashes a few times, and your Kilowatt hours go up! It would be accurate to say we are extremely grateful to have had Dr. Singh to take us to the gas station and show us the whole process…you should be thankful as well, because without him, your desire to read of my adventures would NOT have been satiated.

I would imagine that the electricity is not more expensive than in the U.S. However, internet is quite a bit more expensive for us than at home. This is why I am currently typing this in a Microsoft word document offline and will be copy / pasting this into my blog. With the internet, you pay per data downloaded size. People who are into computers will understand this, but here is a bit of an explanation: When you are connected to the internet, your computer is constantly downloading and uploading stuff with the internet. When you do harder and more in-depth things such as a music download, the amount of data is increased. Once you run out, you must go to the store and ‘recharge’ your SIM card. (for information on what a SIM card is, click here).

I am sure there will be many more things that strike us as strange while we are here in South Africa, and I will mention them from time to time. That is all I have for now, however, and I will end with some general information.

I will be going to Pearson High School on Friday for a couple of hours to get acquainted with it. My full start is on Monday as scheduled. Dr. Singh has been wonderful as have been our Realtors Mariette and Herman Rossouw. We have just today gotten internet, so we will be checking our e-mail from time to time. However, because of the cost and the way that it is priced, we will not be constantly online. Leave a message here or e-mail me any questions you have!

A Picture of Me with Dr. Singh

The Placement: Part 2

I previously discussed the actual school I will be in. I know you're very curious now about the area! To start off, I have a video to show. I apologize in advance as it is a cheesey tourism video, but you can see a lot of Port Elizabeth in it.

So, as you can tell, there will be a lot for us to do there! As the days become closer we are becoming more and more excited.

I know what you are doing right now. You're screaming at your screen demanding I tell you about my actual residence while I am in South Africa. Fear not, my dedicated follower! I come bearing pictures.

I will show you where I am living from the furthest out starting with the continent of Africa. If you do not know where Africa is...get a world map. It is south of Europe and is shaped like the map below. South Africa is the southern most country on the continent of Africa. (go figure!) If that is not a good enough direction for you, it is the salmon colored country directly south of Botswana, Nambia and Zimbabwe...and south of every other country in Africa. If you still cannot find it...you are on your own.

Real quick: The city of Port Elizabeth is on the southeast corner of South Africa, it is on the Indian Ocean side; it is west of East London and east of Mossel Bay.

The name of the apartment complex we will be staying in is Cape Marina. I have another google map for you to see (mostly because of how cool I think it is!). Cape Marina is the tall, white building on Bude Street. This gives you an idea of how close to the Indian Ocean I actually am!

View Larger Map

What is really cool is that this map may look familiar to you. I suggest you move the map southwest, you will get to my school! (to move the map, simply put your mouse on the picture, click and drag) From what Dr. Singh told me, it is less than a 10 minute walk from Pearson High School and a two minute walk from the beach. Some might say those seem backwards...I'd have to disagree!!

Ok, so now is the moment many of you have been waiting for...pictures of the inside of our apartment! A woman named Mariette Rossouw has been our real estate agent. She has been more than wonderful, and she found this apartment for us. It is a two bedroom apartment which is fully furnished. So, what you see in the pictures is what we get...adding two occupants, Gretchen and me.

This is Our Kitchen

Here is the Main Bedroom



This is the Second Bedroom



Here is the Lounge from the Kitchen



And the Kitchen from the Lounge



The View from Our Balcony

We were definitely not expecting something this nice. Make your reservations now, however, because dates are filling up with people visiting us!

Here are two other points of interest in our living accommodations: There is a golf course slightly southeast of where we are living which I hope to play on. Also, there is a shopping center near the apartment where we will buy our groceries and other necessities.

That is all I have for you now. My next post will most likely be from South Africa!

The Placement: Part 1

News has arrived. I have been placed at a school called Pearson High School in the city of Port Elizabeth. The country: South Africa. I know everyone is now wondering where that came from. Yes, out of left field as they say. COST was having trouble getting me placed in the countries I had marked, so they asked if South Africa would be acceptable. Acceptable? South Africa would be awesome! Or so I said. Everything I knew about South Africa, I am embarrassed to say, came from Lethal Weapon 2. So, I was incredibly nervous.

Now...

I am thoroughly excited. This will be a wonderful experience for me, and I cannot wait to leave. I will have to wait to leave, though, considering my visa has not come back yet and the lease on my apartment starts at the end of August!

I have decided to do this post in two sections, one about my school and student teaching, and another about my living arrangements and the city. There will be a lot of pictures, links and some videos as well.

First, my placement.

As I stated above, I am being placed in Pearson High School. I believe I will be with eighth grade students, but I have not found out who my cooperating teacher is as of yet. My contact there with Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (The COST cooperating school) is Dr. Prakash Singh. The high school is surrounded by Jenvy road. I will include this google map. Make sure you click on satellite in the top right hand corner as to see what the area looks like.


View Larger Map

As you can see, it is a beautiful area. The fields attached to the school are rugby fields. I am extremely excited to see the school's sports and other extra-curricular activities!

The last thing I will leave you with about the school, until I have more information is this:

Maxime Do Operam - I do my best, I give my greatest effort

The List

I know all of you have been waiting patiently for the list. I completely forgot about it because things have been quite busy for me. No, I have not heard anything yet about the COST program...and yes I am going insane waiting!

As always, I have a few things to say before I get to the meat of the post. For those of you who are interested, this is what I have been up to that has kept me from typing out my musings and keeping all of my avid readers (haha) unsatisfied!

First of all, shortly after my last post I went on a mission trip with the Church of the Lakes youth group to West Virginia. It was a great experience for the youth to see what a totally different lifestyle is like and how some people live. While we were there we built a garden for a school that took in the 'undesirables'...yes, even in the poorest areas of the country children are separated. Anyway, the kids worked hard and really grew to appreciate all they have been given.

The very next week I went on a family vacation for a couple of days up to a place called Lakeside, which is on Lake Erie. My fiancee and I spent a lot of our childhood summers there and it was great to walk through the streets and reminisce. The following weekend I drove some of my friends to Chicago to go to a Cubs game and see some of our friends that live in Chicago. This was also a fantastic time, but very draining: I did not get a whole lot of sleep.

That brings us to this weekend. I am in Columbus, but I have some time so I thought I would post the list. This is a list, which may grow, of things for teachers to think about when they have a substitute.

1. Be Specific: The substitute does not know the layout of your room nor your curriculum.

2. Do not use Jargon, or if you must, explain what it is. It was frustrating seeing acronyms that were totally foreign to me.

3. BE ORGANIZED! A cluttered desk and scattered thoughts make a substitute's job much more difficult.

4. Tell where you think the students will have trouble and some hints to help them. I would often find out post-teaching that I was not a failure so much as that was an area that the class had been struggling with.

5. Allow a little wiggle room. I know it may seem hard, but it will make the substitute feel more comfortable and more in charge.

6. Write down expectations. By this, I mean if you only expect them to get through so much, say so. Sometimes I felt like I had to rush through some of the things to get all of it done.

7. Give different classroom management hints that the class will be familiar with. i.e. clapping, counting down, 'magic word', etc.

8. Have a fellow teacher who you partner up with to 'check in' on the substitute. It made me feel more comfortable when another teacher came in and talked to me about the plans and explained any confusion.

9. If there are strategies that your subject uses, explain them. This is similar to jargon. For example: The schools I worked in used 'Everyday Mathematics' which used different methods than I was used to.

10. Make sure you assure the substitute that their best is good enough. I feel that I was most effective as a substitute when the teacher wrote reassuring things. It made me more comfortable and confident.

There is my list, and as I said, it may grow. I think that in order to really take these ideas to heart, one must substitute themselves. This is why I think it is ideal if a teacher can substitute for a semester before they start their career!

Substitute Teaching

WARNING: THIS POST IS QUITE LONG AND MAY REQUIRE MORE TIME THAN OTHERS

Now that my classes are over, I am able to turn my attention back to what seems to resemble hemhoraging in my bank statements. Due to the ambiguous nature of the COST program, it is difficult to find a job when I cannot say the date of my departure. So, substitute teaching is a great source that I have been going to for the past two years since my graduation from Ohio State. I am fortunate in that the woman who calls for substitutes knows my father from when they were at Kent State together in an organization.

Here is a bit of background information for those of you who are interested in substitute teaching (skip ahead if this is of no interest):

I can only speak of what I know. I am licensed to substitute teach in Stark County. I believe all of Ohio licenses per county, but again, I cannot be certain. Anyway, in order to receive that license, there is a bit of paperwork, a transcript needed as well as fingerprints and background checks. In the application you indicate which license you are applying for (there is a long list), what school districts you are willing to substitute at (also, a list) and various other pieces of information. You give them your application along with the fee, and then you wait for them to send you the license or a notification that your application has been denied for any number of reasons.

Continuing my story:

One quick item to note for those of you who have a future that includes this line of work: even though I am licensed for middle grades, I can still sub short term at other levels. The specific licenses only limit you for long term substitute positions.

I chose to solely sub for one school district because my past experience had been that she called me mostly every day, and she called less when she found out that I subbed at other schools. It is always good to be the 'go to' person in this situation because the caller wants to make as few calls as possible, and if they know you will say yes, you will be at the top of the list. Also, I would imagine it helped when I told her that my schedule was open, I was willing to substitute at any level, and that if she filled it we would be BFFs. So, she has been keeping me busy which I appreciate.

Perhaps the greatest positive effect of being a substitute teacher for those whose ultimate goal is to proceed to full time teacher is that you get a very good sense of what age level you want to work with. This brings me to a story:

There was a priest who was looking for a new bell ringer for his church. The day of the interviews (which I am sure were extensive due to the complicated nature of the work), on young man came in and inquired about the position. Unfortunately, he did not have an application and futhermore, as the priest politely indicated, the young man did not have any arms; thus seemingly negating all possibility of him filling the position. Upon hearing this, the young man became very excited and told the priest that he was sorry about the application, and he would fill one out, but he did not need arms to ring the bell. It was close to five o'clock and the priest, tired as he was, had an understandable curiosity. So, he led the young man up to the belltower and gave him the chance to show the priest what he could do. The young man took two steps back and ran full force into the bell, face first. All things considered, the bell was rung and sounded just as good as any other time. The young man turned to the priest with his nose broken and bleeding, but smiling and ran into the bell again. Again, it was a fine ring, but the priest had to interject as the young man's face was becoming more grotesque by the minute. Despite the priest's pleading, the young man ran at the bell again. Unfortunately he tripped and fell all the way down the tower and died on impact. The priest raced down and townspeople had gathered at the site. One woman asked the priest, "Do you know this young man?" The priest responded, "No, but his face sure rings a bell!"

For a longer version of the joke, go here.

The point of this whole story is about teaching kindergarten. Basically, I would rather have no arms and ring a bell with my face than be a full time kindergarten teacher (which some might argue have their similarities). Now, this gross exaggeration isn't to say I do not like children that age, I do. I simply would go insane trying to educate them. The content is nowhere near my interest area and the age level is definitely out of my expertise. That being said, if I was called, I subbed kindergarten with a great big smile. (Money is money, and a day or two here and there was perfectly fine). The more I substituted, the more I narrowed my focus to somewhere in the sixth to eighth grade range. I thoroughly enjoy working with this age group and I am comforted by the decision I have made.

I would recommend that all preservice teachers substitute if possible for this reason alone!

Substitute teaching, however, is not entirely the bee's knees. Upon arriving on one of my days substitute teaching, I was given my folder and entered the room. On the desk was a detailed prophecy of what was going to occur in that classroom. To sum up the overall feel of the letter, the last thing written was "DO NOT DEVIATE FROM WHAT I HAVE PLANNED". There was no please, no have a good day or anything of that sort. So, valuing the income substitute teaching provides, I put away my out-loud reading book and other various things I brought. Luckily, this was an exception to the rule and, for the most part, I was able to impliment some of the ideas I had learned in my classes. As in my fieldwork, I had to ask one of the students how the teacher gets the class's attention from their work to an announcement, to which they usually replied, "Oh, they just yell..." It was difficult then, to use my own methods I have found to work as it takes more than one day for students to get used to counting down, clapping hands, or even a 'buzz word'. It was also disappointing that I was not able to use my ideas for the content, as there was always a book that was suggested. I suppose my shot at innovative techniques will have to wait. However, I do believe I made use of the 'wiggle room' given.

One interesting phenomenon in substitute teaching is that the older the grade you are substituting, the less it seems you are entrusted with actual teaching. In an elementary school, you go through the lessons as they were created with little deviation. In middle school, there is more paperwork than you would think (and hope) is normal and the students are often given tasks to be completed individually. However, many times I was entrusted with a book to guide me through a lesson with the students. In high school, there is virtually no trust and more often than not the teacher has left a video for you to show...five times...or busy work for the students.

Note for future substitutes: If you are like me, you will walk around the room while students are working and try your hand at teaching the content one on one. The best circumstance is if you feel comfortable with the school and you can use ideas you have learned with the whole class. One of the best days was when I was able to actually use some of the activities I used in my fieldwork! (It went very well, by the way) So, it is possible to use what you've learned. Simply use caution as to not upset any teachers and potentially burn bridges.

My suggestion here is to bring a book or something to do as there is a distinct possibility you will not be teaching every period and that during planning periods you are left to sit and stare into space.

At this point I would like to express that if I felt I were able to impliment my abilities I would have. However, the students' grades would suffer if they did not get through the work, and one only has to spend a day or two in the teacher's lounge to be scared into compliance, (it truly can be brutal) unless obtaining money and future substitute positions is not something you fear losing.

I do not want to seem like a Debbie Downer, and so I will say that of all the part time jobs I have done, this is probably among the ones I enjoy the most. In between classes and even during classes if time permitted, I was able to talk with the students, joke around with them and create connections with them. As most who know me are aware, I enjoy working with children and being around them. The interaction with students truly makes substitute teaching a great experience.

One final note. Substitute teaching has taught me about organization. The experience can become extremely frustrating in a short period of time if the instructions left by the teacher are not clear. In my next post, (or I will later edit this one), I will have a list of things that substituting will help me remember when I become a full time educator.

You may feel like this at some point, but persevere!

The Proposal

Commitment: an agreement or pledge to do something in the future. This word causes many to cringe and others to enter a state of euphoria. It is one of those words that seems to be a hot topic in any relationship and everyone is interested in just how 'committed' one is. A man, who will remain nameless, once told me that it was no mere coincidence that getting engaged was being committed, and that same word is used in describing consignment into an asylum!

I am the youngest of my family, so it is reasonable that my three older siblings would be married before me. However, what has seemed to have cause more consternation, particularly in females, is that I have been in a relationship with one person, Gretchen, for close to seven years without any signs of moving forward. (other than staying with her, which I have always claimed and believed was a sufficient showing of progression) Regardless, the looks I have received from the general public indicate the belief that I have a fear of commitment. My rebuttal, because my original argument that simply staying with a person is a sign of commitment is rarely sufficient for anyone, is that I was in school and had no desire to be taking classes, working and plan a wedding all at once. In vain I tried to assure those concerned that I would indeed take the necessary steps when the time was appropriate. "When I am finished with school..." I must have said those each time a person found out about my relationship. I had often thought about creating a business card, "7 years: when out of school I will take the next step!".

Why do you care and what does any of this have to do with my travels?

Gretchen will be traveling with me to whatever destination the COST program sends me. While we are there, we have hopes that she will be able to get a part time job to both help with the cost as well as give her something to do. In order to do any of this is to get her a work visa. Here in lies the problem: upon discussion with my professor, Dr. Cushner, and through various governmental websites, I have found out that countries are not as freely giving work visas out as one might expect. As with any governmental enterprise, the processes is long and arduous. My visa is not so difficult as I am working with the COST program. The good news is that countries are much more amiable towards the idea of Gretchen receiving the desired visas if there was some show of commitment (that's the word they used)...

You've got to be kidding me, that word! I'm sure they have their reasons, but seriously?

And now...the rest of the story...

Recently, I asked Gretchen to join me in the lifelong journey (and commitment) of marriage. I am taking the plunge, tying the knot, getting hitched, et cetera. Actually, if you are into that sort of thing, I recommend reading the origin of these phrases, very interesting. Ok, back on topic.

I know what you may be thinking, and I assure you this is not the case. Some may think the ONLY reason I have done this was to help with the visa situation and you could not be further from the truth. This was simply a way to include an important part of of my life here without deviating fully from the theme. I am a man of my word, and I have always said that I was fully committed to Gretchen and I would happily move forward once I was done with classes. We are planning on getting married next May, so that fulfills my need to wait. Although some details may deviate between my version and Gretchen's version of the story, here is how it happened from my perspective:

It was a normal day and I had nothing spectacular planned as I wanted her to be totally surprised the moment I asked. We went out to a driving range to hit golf balls and we returned to my house. At that point, I mentioned going out on the boat. When we arrived at the boat, Gretchen mentioned that it was getting close to dinner time and perhaps we should simply wait until after dinner and invite my parents to go with us on the boat...

The truth is I had no good reason to demand a boat ride at that moment and without the parents other than the one with which I wanted to surprise her. So, sweating profusely, we hung out by the water chatting and played around. Gretchen had gotten these bubble sticks that produced bubbles and created a certain ambiance. I decided that the time was right and so I proceeded into what I had planned. At this point, I was incredibly nervous, and I can only tell you what my plan was, I do not know how well I executed the words and it was such a surreal and exciting moment that both of us have trouble recalling exactly what was said.

I asked her what she like most about our relationship and she gave me an odd look, but then proceeded to answer. I believe she was saying something about us feeling comfortable with each other and being able to be ourselves, but my mind was not really focused on her words. I know I fail to listen at times, but I think this is one time she will forgive. Anyway, at some point I interjected with what may have seemed abrupt with an "Oh, that's cool" or "Yeah, I agree". Then I continued with a quote which I am sure I butchered.

You should not marry someone because you could live with them for the rest of your life, you should marry someone because they are the one person whom you cannot imagine living without.

I knelt to one knee and asked her, "Gretchen, will you marry me?"

Now, I cannot remember which form of the affirmative she chose to use, but was an excited affirmative. We hugged and went and sat on the boat and talked for a while enjoying the moment that will never come again. Sharing the moment as the only people aware of the monumental change that just occurred.

"In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities."
- Janos Arnay

The Wait

I applied to the Consotium for Oversease Student Teaching (or COST) in January. I still have not heard where I am going or when. This is to be somewhat expected as they had warned me in a meeting.

However...

As I am given more time to myself, I naturally and compulsively check my e-mail and wait for the USPS truck to drop of the daily mail. I may have a tinge of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but in my defense, I am beyond excited for this upcoming adventure. The question most want to know, and naturally so, is where I hope to go? (hey, that rhymed)...anyway...For those of you who are sitting on the edge of your office chairs at this point in complete captivation, I will explain the process of the COST program. For those who prefer to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, here is the horse's mouth

First off, here is a list of the items I needed in order to apply to the COST program: The application, a current photograph for the cover, a valid passport, three letters of recommendation from various sources, and BCII and FBI background checks that create a positive image of the Student Teacher to be.

The Application - Okay, so in the application it asked for a lot of information, but the only piece you, the engaged reader, care to know is where I am going. I had to put down four choices which I will list in no particular order as I will be psyched to go to any of them. They do have rank to me, and if you have talked to me about it you know. New Zealand, Australia, Greece and Scotland are the four places I may end up.


The sticky wicket of the situation is preparation. Without specific knowledge of where I am going, it is difficult to plan things such as air transportation or accomodation for the duration of my not quite vacation. I needed another 'a-t-i-o-n' word that I hadn't used this paragraph...and could not think of one that would entail a semester of hard work and and adventure to help me become a teacher. Dr. Cushner has been a wonderful help to me personally as I have been working through this process. There was a chance that I had a contact in Australia with whom I could student teach for. Unfortunately, this did not work out. However, Dr. Cushner checked it out for me when he was over there and has kept me updated on what was going on.

So, what have I been doing? I have always found it helpful to read up on a place before I go there. Currently I am reading In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. This is a very funny book about Australia. I recommend it even if there is not the vaguest possibility that you will go to Australia. When I am through with that, I will move on to another book about one of the countries.

What looks to be the most exciting and advantageous experience of my life is also becoming quite a nerve racking one! You, my loyal reader, will be among the first to know where I am going when I find out.

Until then, I suppose I will just have to be complacently stressed and try not to think about...the wait.

For you, however, I have provided mindless and endless entertainment!

A Journey's End

Today I had my last class with my cohort. For those of you who have somehow stumbled upon this blog without any knowledge, allow me to explain.

I am working to become a middle school teacher. Kent State University is helping me reach this goal via their middle childhood education program. This school year (2008 - 2009), I have been placed with a group of peers. They are my cohort. We all have one teacher in common and that is Dr. Rishel. Other than that, who our professor is depends on the content areas of our choice. My areas are Mathematics and Social Studies.

Back to the story...

So, today was our last class together and it is the epitome of bittersweet. Throughout this school year, I have made many friends and grown close to these other pre-service teachers. I came to Kent State with one goal in mind: receiving my degree and license. At first, I attempted to keep my distance from the others with this day in mind. If I did not make any friends, there would be nothing to regret of getting the hell out of dodge, so to speak. Upon meeting these people, it became clear that this would not be possible and thoughts of this day and the feelings I am experiencing now faded into the background.

A wonderful group of people have touched my life and they will not be forgotten, and these feelings I had feared at the beginning I now welcome. I have sadness that these people, these friends, will go their separate ways. However, I am a better person and a happier person for knowing them. I hope that through technology such as this very blog I can keep in contact with as many as possible. If you are one of those people that has made an impact these last two semesters, thank you and please send me an e-mail or response to keep in communication.

I will leave you with this quote from Anais Nin

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."