Thanksgiving in Ireland

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

Last week was Thanksgiving. Emily and I were a little bummed we were going to miss Thanksgiving, the parade and football at home with our family and friends, but we ended up having a great Thanksgiving.

Every teacher we saw on Thursday greeted us with “Happy Thanksgiving!” When we walked into the teachers’ room at lunch, it smelled just like home! One of the men who works at the school came in at 6 o’clock and cooked a turkey! They had turkey, ham, carrots, cauliflower, peas, masked potatoes and gravy. It was delicious. We all ate Thanksgiving together and talked about the traditions and our own traditions. Then, there was dessert! Most of the dessert was traditional Irish food. There was a trifle with cherries, chocolate, banana and mint custard, meringue with strawberries and loads of ice cream (which comes in squares) and fresh whipped cream. It was all so good. It was very hard to go back and teach after that delicious meal.

Both Emily and I taught our own classes about Thanksgiving. The teachers were very excited to have us do this since the kids see Thanksgiving in TV and movies. I told them about the history of the holiday, traditions and the food we eat. The girls had tons of questions, especially about the food. We then made a Thanksgiving bracelet and did some activity pages while watching last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Later that night, Emily and I met up with my family who was visiting to have a second Thanksgiving. We found a couple places online that said they did Thanksgiving dinner. We went to a place called Old Stonehouse. They were playing the Detroit Lions football game. For dinner, they served turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and vegetables. For dessert they served pumpkin pie with delicious homemade ice cream. Overall, it was a very good, delicious Thanksgiving!

Scotland, the home of plaid!

Hello all,

Lexi and I spent the weekend in Scotland, and it was absolutely lovely. Edinburgh, the capital, was such a beautiful place. We had the opportunity to explore inside the castle, which was incredible! Although we haven’t branched out too much in terms of food, we did purchase a type of candy called Edinburgh rocks, and are both very eager to try it! The hop-on hop-off bus tours of both Edinburgh and Glasgow really helped us out, as we really didn’t know where we wanted to go or what we wanted to see when we first arrived. However, I now know what I’d want to return to or add to the list if I went back! School has been wonderful, as always. I’ve been writing lessons for the first time this past week, and it is tricky given the differences between Massachusetts  and the UK curriculum, and also the differences in teaching style/approaches! However, that being said, I enjoyed the challenge, as it is one of the reasons we are here, and I am excited for my cooperating teacher’s feedback. Hope everyone is well and had a lovely Thanksgiving!

 

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Glasgow and Edinburgh Scotland

This weekend, Sam and I took a train up to Scotland!

We started our weekend in Glasgow, where we took an open top bus tour in 30 degree weather, absolutely freezing but totally worth it to be able to capture the views of the city! There we went into a traditional Scottish trading store, where I saw more plaid and kilts thanI have ever seen before in my life. We ended up at a pub called the Tenement for dinner. This is the most historical pub in Glasgow because up until the 1970s, women were not allowed inside. We decided it was only appropriate to go inside for some food and drinks and cheers to that!

The next day we took a train to Edinburgh which is an absolutely breathtaking city. The second we stepped off the train there were beautiful sights, and the Christmas spirit was in the air! We decided to take another open top, hop-on-hop-off bus tour (in much warmer weather thankfully) and got off a few times. We came off the Royal Mile, which has a bunch of shops leading to the Edinburgh Caste, the Edinburgh Castle itself, and The Elephant House Cafe, where J.K. Rowling famously sat when she wrote the first Harry Potter books.

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I’m so excited for next weekend because we are off to see Shannon and Emily in Dublin!

xx Lexi

ADVENTURES

Hey Folks,

Well this weekend has been quite a roller coaster that only goes up. Lisa, Jess and I went to a Symphony Orchestra on Friday. Wow, seriously amazing! So cheap too! Were going to see the Nutcracker ballet in December too, so tune in then!

On Saturday, we went hiking up the Tijuca Rainforest Peak! Such breathtaking views!!! Let the pictures speak for themselves.

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On Sunday, we went HANG GLIDING!!! Sorry mom! It was the best day of my life thus far. If you have an opportunity to do it, don’t think twice.

Rio is so amazing. I’m so in love with the lively culture, the electric people, and the beautiful lands. I got to speak with Dr. Marvelle today and we’ve been discussing my next big life step and I truly believe that Rio has assured me that International Teaching is something that I was destined for at some point in my life. (more on that later).

I could not feel more thankful being given this opportunity to explore my options outside of my comfort zone (which is still pretty darn comfortable).

If international teaching is calling, I think I might just pick up!!

And the Adventures Continue in Rio <3

Hey, everyone!

I hope your study abroad adventures are going great! We’ve been so busy, so it’s been awhile since I’ve posted… and so much has happened!

We are now regularly teaching in our classrooms, and we absolutely love our students! When we’re not in class we are exploring Rio as much as we can! This last weekend we went to Theatro Municipal to see a Symphony Orchestra, hiking at Tijuca Peaks in the rainforest (and swimming in a waterfall after), and haaaaaaang gliding! We’re really trying to experience Rio to the fullest, and we are having some of the best days of our lives doing it!

These pictures are from when we went to Sugar Loaf: two popular hills connected by cable cars. It’s one of the most touristy things you can do in Rio, and it was so beautiful! Our colleague gave us the tip to go at sunset… and it was definitely worth it!

I love seeing all of your posts!

Lisa 🙂

The tallest Loaf:)

The tallest Loaf:)

Gorgeous view from the first hill.

Gorgeous view from the first hill.

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At the top!

At the top!

Prettiest sunset I've ever seen. I'm so happy to be here!

Prettiest sunset I’ve ever seen. I’m so happy to be here!

Ring of Kerry

This last week has been rather hectic for us. Last week the school had parent-teacher conferences. The teachers were very frantic to get everything graded and displayed before the conferences, much like back home. However, the teachers did seem more relaxed about meeting with the parents.

On Saturday we did a tour of the Ring of Kerry, which is in the southwest part of the country. We booked a railtour that left from the train station at 7:00 AM! Through a series of unfortunate events, we missed our connecting train and thus missed the tour bus in Killarney. The tour guide arranged for a van to drive us towards the tour bus and meet them at a stop. We got there, but missed the museum. We then boarded the tour bus and spent the next five hours driving around the Ring of Kerry. It was very beautiful. After our tour, we took the three hour train home. It was a very long day, but the scenery was amazing.

This week, we both have family and friends coming. We are trying to plan things for them to see and get the whole Ireland experience!

 

Various spots around the Ring of Kerry

Paris for the Weekend

This weekend, Sam and I were lucky enough to travel to Paris. After a very turbulent ride on a small France Airways plane, we arrived in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Our first day of exploration took us to Notre Dame Cathedral. We approached the breathtaking building and saw a line, we hopped in it assuming it would take us inside the cathedral. Much to our surprise, and hundreds of stairs later, we came out at the top of the cathedral. With nothing but stunning views in front of us, we were able to walk around the top of Notre Dame Cathedral and take in the views of Paris from above. A truly special moment.

 

Paris, la ville de l’amour!

Hello!

This weekend, Lexi and I traveled to Paris by plane for a little over two days! It was absolutely incredible, and I now fully understand the meaning of the phrase “took my breath away”. We saw, we ate, we walked, we fell in love. Lexi and I covered as much ground as any human could in two days, covering the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, The Notre-Dame Cathedral, shopping, The Louvre, and so many little cites, cafes, and bakeries in between! We had a wonderful time.

On another note, teaching is going wonderfully, too! I taught my first couple of lessons this past week, and they went very well. Obviously there is always room for improvement, but Sophie had very many positive comments and only one suggestion! I feel comfortable with the children, and they seem to trust and respect me much more than they did when I first arrived. I am ecstatic to teach my Thanksgiving lesson on the holiday itself, so I’ll be sure to write more then! Here are some pictures of the lovely Paris!

 

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Hello from Rio!

Copacabana beach is right across the street from my place!

Copacabana beach is right across the street from my place!

Hi everyone!

We’ve been so busy since we arrived in Rio, I haven’t had the chance to blog yet. I’m going to begin with a “living in Rio” post. I live in a different area than Lisa and Lynn. When we arrived, we got in the car with the driver picking us up, who showed us a paper with two addresses on it, one with my name. I was nervous because I had no idea that I wasn’t living with Lisa and Lynn as I was previously told. So far, it’s been annoying trying to meet up because we have to make a 20 minute uber trip to one house or meet at our destination. At first, I was just living on WiFi but becauss of this living situation I bought a SIM card for my phone and after a week, I got it to work! Though I do wish we lived together, it’s nice because I live right on Copacabana beach! It has resulted in many beach days on days off and after school. There is always something to do around here. And both of the host families are awesome! I live with a 21 year old girl and her mother, who is very hospitable and is close friends with Lisa and Lynn’s host. We go out together as a group which is always fun.

Unfortunately, my host does not work at the school (Lisa and Lynn’s does) so I have to take the subway to a specific subway station to catch a shuttle bus that the school provides. It took me a week and multiple tries, but I finally figured out where to meet the shuttle bus. There are 5 exits at the station where the shuttle picks up. One day in the first week here, I got off at the wrong entrance and ended up walking around for 25 minutes at 7am but my phone didn’t have service and I had no idea where I was or where I was going (no service, no maps, no previous experience in this area). I ended up walking until I found a taxi to catch to go to school. BUT week 2 was a better because I was able to catch the shuttle every day and now I’m a pro at the metro (subway)!

Everyone speaks Portuguese except us so that’s hard. The most important things I’ve learned are “você fala inglês?” and “batatas fritas”. And no, it’s not like Spanish, the phonics is very different.

Rio is a beautiful city and exploring has been a lot of fun. More on that to come!

London!! AH!

This weekend, Lexi and I took a last minute trip to London! It was one of the most incredible, stunning experiences of my entire life. The city was much easier to navigate on foot than I expected and feared. I found it especially neat that Big Ben, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace are all in the same general area. This made it easy for Lexi and I to cover as much ground as possible with only 5 hours for our day trip! That’s right, we had to coincidence the beautiful city of London into only a five hour experience. That being said, we will be making our way back at some point, so we’ll try to squeeze in everything for which we didn’t have time. In terms of teaching lessons, we’ve both begun to do so. I taught a literacy lesson today, and it went very well! I already feel more comfortable in front of a new group of students than I did when I began student teaching in Massachusetts. Everything just feels more natural, and I was able to gain the students’ trust and respect almost instantly.  This upcoming weekend is our trip to Paris, so I’m sure we’ll have plenty more to share then! img_1195 img_1192