MaureenMacushla: 2015

Monday, September 28, 2015

Sand, Sea, and 'Surf'

Well, I've been in Abu Dhabi a little over month now, and I like it here. I have supportive colleagues, wonderful students, LOTS of interesting things to do, not to mention the awesome friends I'm making! So far I've went on a desert safari, been dune bashing, ridden a camel, enjoyed some amazing food, watched a belly dancer, began training in parkour, found a board gaming group, played cards, hosted a stop in our flat crawl, went to a Great Gatsby Party, the Abu Dhabi Heritage convention featuring falcons and other hunting breeds, attended an Irish Brunch, and went on boat rides nearly every weekend, so I could go swimming in the Arabian Sea.

I know what you're thinking - 'but you moved to Abu Dhabi to teach and for the opportunity to learn more and grow as an instructor'! True story. And so, I am. As with every new school experience, there is a rather steep learning curve. Every program here is new to me EXCEPT the PYP! Writer's Workshop, Reading Book Clubs, Everyday Mathmatics. I've dabbled in each of these (ok, EM is completely new for me) but have never been as fully immersed. Not to mention we are now an iPad grade level, so I'm getting to learn how to utilize these new devices to enhance student learning. It's taking me a while to get the hang of it, but I'm learning! At the beginning of a school year it always takes time to organize things and feels like you're juggling a hundred balls at once, so your bound to drop a few. Just pick them up and keep on juggling!

I do miss home. I miss the forests, the climate, but most of all my family and friends. I have so many wonderful people who love me, I count my blessings every day during morning yoga. But, when it gets really bad, there are tastes of home. I am sitting here typing this at Starbucks as I enjoy a pumpkin spice Americano, thinking of my siblings and dear friends who are also fans of this coffee company originally from the Pacific Northwest but now world wide - kind of like me, I guess! So please don't worry, I am doing alright, but remember that I love and miss you. Please write or call me anytime. Oh, and if you feel the need to send care packages, I would be over the moon if I recieved some more Good Earth Tea, peanut butter M&Ms, jolly ranchers, Ritter Sport Chocolate, Kinder Surprise eggs, photos and anything hedgehog. ;-) But really, if you do want to call or write, message me for my mailing address or leave a comment on my blog requesting it! Ciao for now!

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Monday, August 24, 2015

Finally, A Summer Vacation and Making Up For Lost Time

My summer started July 24th, and what a wonderful way to begin, with my parental unit AB (Achey-Barr) joining me in Germany to visit parts of Europe. This is especially special, because last year I skipped my summer vacation to begin work at FISW - one of the best decisions I've made, but intense without a break! So, after slaving away all year (ok, that's an exaggeration - it was a labor of love which I was paid for), I was exhausted and relieved to be looking forward to a 7 week break! The last day of school was bittersweet, saying farewell to friends while preparing for holiday. And what a holiday it's been!
This school year, aside from a trip to Belguim with some friends, I've only managed to travel locally in and around Germany.
It's sad to be in the middle of Europe without taking advantage of how easy it is to travel between countries here. So, I had a thrilling itinerary lined up:

France and Switzerland with my mom and step-dad, back to Germany to finish packing up, meeting my friend Sean in Italy, then traveling with him to Greece and one last stop in Germany before flying back to Washington State, USA.

I have to admit, it was lovely, and every bit as wonderful as I'd hoped. Sadly, it went by WAY too fast, and with so much I tried to squeeze in, I had to be in near constant motion to accommodate such a busy schedule, and even so there are still friends I missed! But I am grateful for the time I was able to share with those I love.

So - a quick recap! France was sunny and beautiful as always. Once again we stayed at the Kiefer's hotel in Itellsweiler, and again I rode through vineyards on bicycles with my parental unit near Barr, France.

We visited a fascinating war bunker from WWII, roamed around Salsbury, and ate delicious French food from some of our favorite restaurants.

We traveled south to Switzerland and hiked around in the gorgeous Jungfrau region, staying two nights in Lauterbrunnen which allowed us time to take the 4 gondolas all the way to the top of the schliterbahn for breathtaking views over breakfast at the rotating restaurant at the top of the mountain.

We played at the interactive JamesBond Exhibit before heading back down and hiking around the quaint villages of M... & E... Then enjoying Swiss fondue.

The next morning we visited the forceful waterfalls inside the Interlaken caves before returning to Germany for a few more relaxing days.

I dropped my parental unit at the airport, with a promise I'd see them again soon, then returned to my flat to get to work as I only had 4 days to pack everything up and leave my flat. A BIG thank-you to RC, Jose, Ivan and Israel - I couldn't have done it without your help. Everything was out of my flat in time for me to head to Italy where I met my friend Sean and we toured Rome and the Vatican together.

It was SO HOT! We lucked out and stumbled upon a tour group that invited us to join. Not only were we able to skip the very long line, we had an extremely educational experience from TWO guides for the Coleseum, Palatino Hill, & Roman Forum. Then we went for a pint to cool off with the rest of the guides from the tour company(Romearound). We had such a great time, that we booked our Vatican City tour with them as well. The Sistene Chapel was extraordinary, as was St. Peter's Basilica, which was much larger than I expected it to be! So much interesting history.

After Rome, Sean and I flew to Athens, Greece. Still hot, but windy which made all the difference. Again we lucked out (apparently Sean is part leprechaun), and we scored a major deal at a 5-star hotel. We explored the Acropolis and Pantheon before touring the city.

We went on a day cruise from the port in Piraeus to the islands of Hydra, Poros, Aegina. Along the way I learned some traditional Greek dancing, visited a purely pedestrian island (the only other form of transportation is by burro), and swam in the Mediterrranean Sea!

Our final day we visited my Uncle Kostas's family in Athens. Such wonderful and welcoming people who welcomed us whole heartedly, cooked us an amazing meal, and even shared tiny chocolate mice ice cream cakes with us because it was Sean's birthday. We flew back to Germany full of food and happy memories. Sean was a wonderful companion, going with me as I finished my final moving tasks and spent time with wonderful friends who I will miss greatly.

We left Germany on July 23rd and it took us over 24hrs to make it back to Washington state. I was SO tired, and my eyes SO bloodshot, that I looked like something out of a horror movie. Seriously - I looked and felt like the undead, and probably scares small children. Sean deserves a medal for patiently putting up with a tired and hungry Maureen. I must have tried his temper - transcontinental travel shows you who your friends really are, and Sean is a keeper! His sister collected us from the airport and after a night to attempt recalibrating my system, I was off to camp at the Highland Games in Enumclaw Washington with the crew that attends every year. How I had missed them, and what a marvelous way to be welcomed back.

Sean accompanied my mother and I to Wicked with dinner at the Melting Pot before heading to Yakima where all my sisters were together for one glorious evening and breakfast. Then a whirlwind of friends and family, trying to squeeze everyone in. Sadly, there's a few key people I missed, but I will double my efforts to see them when I return. For the ones that I was able to see, I am thrilled to have spent so much quality time with those I love and have missed. Thank-you for making time in your schedules to visit with me.

My summer has officially ended as I have reported to my new international posting - but more on that later. Overall, summer seemed too short, but was well spent. I am blessed with the amazing family, wonderful friends, and awesome places I've visited. Stay tuned for my next adventures...

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Sunday, July 5, 2015

Fond Farewell, Fabulous Future

Hello again, loved ones! Another year has passed without much written, and yet again I am promising myself that I will be more diligent in my postings. What a year it has been! Part of why I've neglected my blog is because I've chosen to channel most of my energy into my work. This year I had an opportunity to teach with Frankfurt International School (FIS), an excellent institution for concept driven learning. It is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, and I was on the Wiesbaden Campus (FISW) which offers the Primary Years Program (PYP). This is a model of student centered teaching; the entire program, from pre-primary to 5th grade, teaches 6 Transdisciplinary Theme Units. The teachers plan together before each unit to incorporate math, science, social studies, language (both in English and German), PE, music, art, library and technology into the theme and lesson plans. It's a wonderful program that I am so grateful I was selected to learn, but took much time and effort. Check out the animation I made to help explain some of the PYP: http://goanimate.com/videos/0HjZq1Dz6h20
At first it was daunting - so much was new and I had to pick it up fairly quickly. I was lucky to have 16 amazing students and many fantastic colleagues to help me along. The year was far from perfect, one of the MOST challenging of my career, but I learned SO much! I still have room to grow, and I've decided to stay with the PYP because I think it rocks. Sadly, my campus is small, and there is usually only one class per grade level. That's actually why I received this opportunity - they happened to have a double 5th grade this year and needed an extra teacher, so I signed on for the year. Because it IS such a wonderful school, no one ever really wants to leave! The ones that do generally go on parental leave or retire. It has to be a pretty irresistible offer to convince people to move on...
So at the end of this year there were no open 5th grade positions, and next year's 5th grade has only one class, with the irreplaceable Mrs. AB, who was my co-teacher this year. What to do? Apply to other IB PYP schools, of course! After much deliberation, I have chosen to accept an offer from American International School of Abu Dhabi (AISA for short), in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I'm excited for my ne w adventure! I will be on a team of FIVE 5th teachers - I intend to learn as much as I can from my new colleagues, as I did at FISW. I start at my new school August 17th. Wish me luck!!!
My year in pictures (since my last post):
September