Alright so I got a little behind in my blogging, but I will try to catch you up!!
Thursday 11/9- After school on Thursday night I went into Dublin to meet up with my friend Rachel from Saint Mary's. Rachel is studying abroad in England, but had come to Dublin for the weekend to get some sights in. I couldn't find Rachel (it turns out her plane took off an hour later than planned), but I was able to get some shopping in on O'Connel street. Dublin looks really neat at night because they have all of the Christmas lights on.
Friday (11/20)- The infants get out at 1:15, but the rest of the school gets out at 2:15. Saddie let me leave at 1:15 so I could have more time with my family. I took the bus all the way into Dublin and was able to see more of the countryside during my ride. I did not have the world's most helpful bus driver, but I eventually was able to find my way to my parents hotel at the Harcourt Inn.
It was great to see my family! It was also my mom's birthday!! Our hotel was right by St.Stephens Green, a nice park area that we were able to walk through. Then we got on Dublin's Hop On-Hop Off bus tour. This bus allows you to get off where ever you want and then get back on when you are ready. While you are on the bus they have headphones so you can listen to the history of the town. We stopped and looked at Trinity College. We also walked along Grafton Street which is a street with great stores and just for pedestrians (it is also lite up with Christmas lights). We had our first meal together at the restaurant at the hotel.
Saturday 11/21- We woke up in the morning and did the Hop On-Hop Off bus again. Our first stop was the Guinness Storehouse. It was interesting learning how Guinness was made and the tradition behind it. The Gravity Bar, is a bar at the end of you tour where you get your free Guinness and a good look at the city. It is the highest building in Dublin. We then got on they bus and went to the Modern Art Museum. There was some really cool and really funky art work. We then got a tour at Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). We had a super tour guide, he knew his history and you could tell he liked what he did. I liked the tour because not only did we learn about the jail but we were able to learn about Ireland's history too! We took the bus to O'Connel Street, walked around a little, and then had dinner at good ol' Subway. Oh, and if you want chips, make sure to say crisps!
Sunday 11/22- We went to Avis to get our rental car and from there the adventure really started. My dad did a great job driving on the left hand side, not to mention the narrow roads and many round abouts! But we did have some stressful moments too ;) We drove to Dun Laoghaire, a port town near my families house, to find our first Bed and Breakfast. Unfortunately, there were some complications and we had to wait around 1hr. 30min! Apparently they had our arrive date wrong and we had to find somewhere else to stay. We then went to my house in Killiney and I was able to introduce my family to my host family! Then we went to Einniskerry and I was able to show them my school!! We drove around Einniskerry's countryside until it got dark and then actually stayed the night in the B&B right next door to my school! We had dinner across the street at a place called Emilia's.
Monday 11/23- In the morning we had our first B&B breakfast experience. We were able to meet the other guests in the house and were served an excellent breakfast by Josie the owner. We then went to Powerscourt Gardens in Einniskerry. It is Ireland's best garden! The weather was not very nice, and so we basically had the entire grounds to ourselves. We tried to drive to Powerscourt Gardents, but the cost to see it was high and so we decided to head to Wicklow. We made a quick stop in Wicklow and then went to Lake Glendalough. Lake Glendalough is in the Wicklow mountains with two small beautiful lakes. This is where scenes from P.S. I Love You and Bravehart were filmed. The sun goes down around 4:30 and so our days touring are ended a little sooner than we would like. But we drove back to Dun Laogahaire and stayed at the Kingston Hotel. We at dinner at the hotel and watch some live music put on by some elderly Irishmen. They were great!!
Tuesday 11/24- When we woke up we had breakfast at the hotel and had a great view of the Irish sea. Then we walked Dun Laogahaire's piers and were able to see the awesome ports and yacht clubs. I had school off because their was a country wide strick. My family tried driving up to Malahide Castle, but when we got their we were told that it was closed because of the strike. The people there suggested another private castle. When we got to that castle we were told that it wasn't actually private and was also closed because of the strike. So we kept heading further north and ended up in a river town called Drugerda. We got out walked and window shopped. We then drove back down towards Dublin to a city called Howth. Howth is on the northern limits of Dublin's suburbs and is on a peninsula. My family checked in at Deerpark Hotel and then we went down to a restaurant called The Oar House. This city is based on it's fishing community and so we had a great seafood dinner. It was then time for me to say goodbye to my family. I was dropped off at the DART station and headed home.
Wednesday 11/25- I felt like I had been on a long vacation with my family and felt like I had been out of the classroom! The kids were squirly from having the day before off because of strick. It turned out that one of the other teachers was sick and Mrs.Honner was going to have to teach our infant class and the 4-6graders. So instead I taught the infants while she taught the other class. It was great being the teacher :) After I got back to my house I went out for a run and was able to see more of the neighborhood. Nola and John (my host parents) had left town with their friends and so Nola's mother came to our house to make dinner. She is a very kind woman and fun to listen to.
Thursday 11/26- Thanksgiving Day!! I went to school that day and was able to teach the kids a little bit about our Thanksgiving tradition. One of the other teachers was really cute because during lunch time she googled restaurants that had a traditional Thanksgiving meal (she even found a place with the NFL games on!) Mrs. Honner gave me a ride to the DART station and it was enjoyable chatting with her and finding out about her life outside of the classroom. It was a long DART and bus ride to my parents hotel at the airport. When I got to the hotel my family was away droping off the rental car. I was able to just hand and read my book (Lord Of The Rings). We had our Thanksgiving meal at the hotel's restaurant. I had a burger! Ha ha, probably will be the most unique Thanksgiving I will every have!
Friday 11/27- In school today the whole school started to get ready for their Nativity Program. Two people from the community came in to work with the school. It was so much fun listening to all of the children singing (my kids were hilarious!) At the end of the day Mrs. Honner's daughter came and it was nice getting to know her. She is in her first year of college, going to become a teacher too! After school I took the DART all the way to Malahide. It was about 1 hr. 15min. train ride. I got off and sped walked to Malahide Castle. I got their just in time for the last tour. I really enjoyed the tour and castle (it looks just like a fairytale castle!). On my tour with my was a couple with the baby from Ohio. I walked back with them to the DART station. I was glad they were with because when you are walking back through the castle grounds you have to go through a section of trees and it is really creepy in the dark. I got home and made myself dinner. I also made plans to get together with another student teacher from South Carolina. Tomorrow my plans are to go walk Killiney Hill and then meet up with her in Dublin. On Sunday, we are going to do a day trip to Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney stone!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Day Seven (11/18)
It was a drizzly walk to the DART station, but nothing like my first day. While I was waiting for my train I watched a brave, but crazy man go swimming in his speedo in the Irish Sea! It made me colder just watching him! If you ever decide to go to Ireland, I recomend packing lots of layers because it is always chilly!
I got to school a few minutes earlier and I was able to see their assembly. Everyday for about 7-10min. the entire school (65 students) meet in a classroom and sing songs about God and pray.
In my classroom I was able to read and go through flashcards with individual students. I worked with the senior infants in math and we used cubes to figure out the different ways to get the number 9.
I also read a big picture book called the Pig In The Pond. This is a story they have been working with a few days now and so they know it pretty well. Today we focused on the letter P and each student was given a construction paper cut out letter P. Everytime the students heard the letter P they had to lift their P high into the air! The students are creating their own Pig In The Pond story and finished drawing page 3 of their book today. Some student's pigs actually look like a pig, but other students draw a yellow blob and call it their pig!
After my class got out of school, I joined the third class in Powerscourt Hall (a building the school sometimes uses) and watched them learn how to make christmas chocolate pudding cakes. A few moms volunteer to teach a cooking lesson for all of the grades. The pudding cakes they told me are a Christmas Irish dessert, but they normally have fruits inside instead of just chocolate. Oh and the third class only has 8 students, but 2 were gone!
The rain kept me away from my walk once again this afternoon after school (pretty soon I'll get the guts to tough it out in the rain). My plan was to go the the Silver Tassy, a pub near by, with the other student teachers but all of them canceled on me. So I ate dinner here with my family and am going to watch Shreik 3 with Anna.
Tomorrow I will be going into Dublin after school is done to meet up with my friend Rachel from Saint Mary's! She is studying abroad in England this semester, but is coming to Dublin for the weekend.
I got to school a few minutes earlier and I was able to see their assembly. Everyday for about 7-10min. the entire school (65 students) meet in a classroom and sing songs about God and pray.
In my classroom I was able to read and go through flashcards with individual students. I worked with the senior infants in math and we used cubes to figure out the different ways to get the number 9.
I also read a big picture book called the Pig In The Pond. This is a story they have been working with a few days now and so they know it pretty well. Today we focused on the letter P and each student was given a construction paper cut out letter P. Everytime the students heard the letter P they had to lift their P high into the air! The students are creating their own Pig In The Pond story and finished drawing page 3 of their book today. Some student's pigs actually look like a pig, but other students draw a yellow blob and call it their pig!
After my class got out of school, I joined the third class in Powerscourt Hall (a building the school sometimes uses) and watched them learn how to make christmas chocolate pudding cakes. A few moms volunteer to teach a cooking lesson for all of the grades. The pudding cakes they told me are a Christmas Irish dessert, but they normally have fruits inside instead of just chocolate. Oh and the third class only has 8 students, but 2 were gone!
The rain kept me away from my walk once again this afternoon after school (pretty soon I'll get the guts to tough it out in the rain). My plan was to go the the Silver Tassy, a pub near by, with the other student teachers but all of them canceled on me. So I ate dinner here with my family and am going to watch Shreik 3 with Anna.
Tomorrow I will be going into Dublin after school is done to meet up with my friend Rachel from Saint Mary's! She is studying abroad in England this semester, but is coming to Dublin for the weekend.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Day Six (11/17)
Well this morning was a little smoother getting to school. There was no rain, and I knew how to get on the train this time! Today I invested in a weekly bus and rail ticket which should hopefully save me some money and time.
Today at school I was working with a woman named Resa. Mrs. Honner takes a day off once a week to do administrative and principal duties. The kids were a little more out of control with Resa than they are with Mrs. Honner :) When Resa took one group of students, I would work with the other group. I helped kids sort small plastic bears by size, colors, and numbers. I also read with students and we practiced the letter D again.
Towards the end of the day I was able to read Herky's Summer Camp Adventure. This is a book I brought over from the states. It is a book that was written and illustrated by high school students in Winona. Their book was published and given to all of the elementary schools. The story talks about people from different cultures and countries and I thought it would be fun to share with the kids. They did a good job listening and when we were done I had them draw their favorite character or part of the story. I am hoping to send these pictures to my third grade class I had been student teaching before the trip.
My class, the junior and senior infants, get out of school about 30 min. before the other students. So after they were let out I was introduced to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd classes. I told them about myself and MN. Some of the questions I got were: Is your little brother annoying? Do you have museums? Was anyone famous born in MN? Have you meet President Obama? What are long johns (I told them about how cold it can sometimes get)?
Then I also read them Herky's Summer Camp Adventure...and answered more questions!
One of the special education teachers who comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays gave me a "lift" home because she lives in Killiney too. The plan was to go for a walk after school, but it is raining and is really cold today. So instead I think I will shower and start reading my book! Alicia borrowed me, Harry Potter: The Tales Of Beedle The Bard.
Today at school I was working with a woman named Resa. Mrs. Honner takes a day off once a week to do administrative and principal duties. The kids were a little more out of control with Resa than they are with Mrs. Honner :) When Resa took one group of students, I would work with the other group. I helped kids sort small plastic bears by size, colors, and numbers. I also read with students and we practiced the letter D again.
Towards the end of the day I was able to read Herky's Summer Camp Adventure. This is a book I brought over from the states. It is a book that was written and illustrated by high school students in Winona. Their book was published and given to all of the elementary schools. The story talks about people from different cultures and countries and I thought it would be fun to share with the kids. They did a good job listening and when we were done I had them draw their favorite character or part of the story. I am hoping to send these pictures to my third grade class I had been student teaching before the trip.
My class, the junior and senior infants, get out of school about 30 min. before the other students. So after they were let out I was introduced to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd classes. I told them about myself and MN. Some of the questions I got were: Is your little brother annoying? Do you have museums? Was anyone famous born in MN? Have you meet President Obama? What are long johns (I told them about how cold it can sometimes get)?
Then I also read them Herky's Summer Camp Adventure...and answered more questions!
One of the special education teachers who comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays gave me a "lift" home because she lives in Killiney too. The plan was to go for a walk after school, but it is raining and is really cold today. So instead I think I will shower and start reading my book! Alicia borrowed me, Harry Potter: The Tales Of Beedle The Bard.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Day Five (11/16)
My first day of school!! I had an early wake up call this morning when my alarm went off at 7am. I ate breakfast and left the house at 7:45. It was about a 15 minute walk to the DART station. Although, it was pouring rain and I got splashed by the passing cars. Unfortunately for me, the sidewalks were so small I could not get out of the way! It was a very wet train ride!
The DART tracks run along the coast, and while I was waiting for my train at the Killiney station, I was able to watch the waves roll in. I learned that the doors on the DART do not open automatically like our subway system. Instead you must push a green button to open them. Thank goodness their were people to help me!
I arrived in Bray around 8:20am and had to wait for the 8:45 bus into Einniskerry. When I arrived at my school, I was greeted by the school's secretary and my teacher, Saddie Honner(also the school's principal). We were in the office only for a little while before we went to our classroom. The school is very small and consistsof three tiny separate buildings/rooms. One of the buildings holds the 4-6 yr. olds, the other 7-9 yr. olds, and the last 10-12 yr. olds.
Our classroom is made of almost all windows, so lots of sunlight is able to shine through. The students were great and had many funny stories to tell me! They really liked that I brought pencils for all of them. Today I mostly just observed and helped the children when they were working.
Mrs. Honner's class has junior infants (4/5 yr. olds) and senior infants (5/6 yr. olds). She runs her classroom by first giving the senior infants a task to complete and then she teaches the junior infants. When she is finished, she has them switch roles. I saw the students work on writing (they practiced the letter D-like a drum!), math, and Irish. They sang Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes in Irish! It was so neat, but I was so lost! I could only do the hand motions!
Other things I found interesting: they split their lunch and recess times into two 15min. breaks instead of having one big break. They also pray before eating their food. In Ireland, they don't use the term grade (ex. My brother is in sixth grade). Instead they say class and year. It would start with junior and senior infants which is pre-school and kindergarten. Then 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th,6th year would be first grade to sixth grade. Then they move onto the middle/high school and it would be 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th,6th year instead of seventh to twelfth grade.
Later in the afternoon, Nola drove me around some of the cities on the coast and showed me some great places to walk. She also showed me where Bono from U2 lives! I spent some time with the girls and listened to them sing and play the piano. We ate dinner and then Anna and I started to watch Shirek 3.
The DART tracks run along the coast, and while I was waiting for my train at the Killiney station, I was able to watch the waves roll in. I learned that the doors on the DART do not open automatically like our subway system. Instead you must push a green button to open them. Thank goodness their were people to help me!
I arrived in Bray around 8:20am and had to wait for the 8:45 bus into Einniskerry. When I arrived at my school, I was greeted by the school's secretary and my teacher, Saddie Honner(also the school's principal). We were in the office only for a little while before we went to our classroom. The school is very small and consistsof three tiny separate buildings/rooms. One of the buildings holds the 4-6 yr. olds, the other 7-9 yr. olds, and the last 10-12 yr. olds.
Our classroom is made of almost all windows, so lots of sunlight is able to shine through. The students were great and had many funny stories to tell me! They really liked that I brought pencils for all of them. Today I mostly just observed and helped the children when they were working.
Mrs. Honner's class has junior infants (4/5 yr. olds) and senior infants (5/6 yr. olds). She runs her classroom by first giving the senior infants a task to complete and then she teaches the junior infants. When she is finished, she has them switch roles. I saw the students work on writing (they practiced the letter D-like a drum!), math, and Irish. They sang Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes in Irish! It was so neat, but I was so lost! I could only do the hand motions!
Other things I found interesting: they split their lunch and recess times into two 15min. breaks instead of having one big break. They also pray before eating their food. In Ireland, they don't use the term grade (ex. My brother is in sixth grade). Instead they say class and year. It would start with junior and senior infants which is pre-school and kindergarten. Then 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th,6th year would be first grade to sixth grade. Then they move onto the middle/high school and it would be 1st,2nd,3rd,4th,5th,6th year instead of seventh to twelfth grade.
Later in the afternoon, Nola drove me around some of the cities on the coast and showed me some great places to walk. She also showed me where Bono from U2 lives! I spent some time with the girls and listened to them sing and play the piano. We ate dinner and then Anna and I started to watch Shirek 3.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Day Four (11/15)
Outside my school! Powerscourt National School!
Castle lawn
Part of Dublin CastleThis morning I went to church with my family. Nola in the girls are part of a group at church called the Girls Bergade. It is basically a girls youth group from ages 5-17 where the girls learn about Jesus and play fun games. This morning they enrolled the newest members and preformed some songs for the congregation. When the service was done they had coffee and cookies for everyone after.
Nola's sister, Diane, offered to drive Alicia and I to Einniskerry where my school is. I wanted to know where it was so I wouldn't be late on my first day looking for the school. The town is small, but exactly how you would picture an Ireland town! It has many cute shops like the bakery, butcher shop, pharmacy, etc. And it is surrounded by gorgeous green hills!
My school, Powerscourt National School, is quite small. However, we looked in the windows and I am really excited to be at that school. I think it will be such a great experience, something I will have never done before. I am pumped for my first day tomorrow!
That afternoon, Alicia and I explored the city. We climbed fences, walked in fields, and on the golf course! We actually wondered upon it by accident and almost got hit by a ball! We also went and saw Powerscourt Estate. This is a beautiful stone building with a great cafe, garden, and store.
We got the bus, then got on the DART (train) to go home. I accidentally had us get off at the wrong stopped and we ended up having about 1hour 30min. walk home! Thank goodness Alicia had a map because by the time we got home it was dark out! Opps! The sun starts setting around 4:30pm just like MN.
For dinner tonight I had turkey drumsticks, mashed potatoes, and veggies. When we were done I was able to give my family the gifts I had brought :) After the gifts, we watched the X Factor.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Day Two and Three (11/13-11/14)
Top of the mornin to ya! I have made it safe and sound to Ireland. I a six hour plane ride from JFK airport in NY to Dublin International Airport. The flight went smoothly and I was able to catch some zzz's. While descending down we were able to get a spectacular birdseye view of the Ireland's coast and countryside!
After we landed I took a bus called the Aircoach to a hotel where my host mom Nola picked me up. It was weird having the sitting in the passenger's seat on the left hand side and watching her drive on the left hand side. From the hotel it took about ten minutes to get to her house in a town called Killiney. They have a nice home right on the corner of a pretty busy street. I am grateful to have my own room. It is small with a pink interior.
Only her 11yr. old daughter, Anna, was home when we arrived. We picked her up and the three of us went into town to run errands. There we did some clothes shopping, went to the bank, 2 Euro store (like our Dollar Store), grocery store, and had a cup of coffee. It was a day that almost everyone has spent with their own mother. We went back home to have dinner and there I was able to meet the rest of the family. My host dad is John and my other two host sister's are Emma, 14 years old, and Laura, 17 years old. For dinner we had lasagna, baked potatoes, and veggies. It was a good, but very filling meal.
The next morning I woke up at 9:00am (MN time 3am) and left the house by 10am. I met up with another student teacher named Alicia. She is from Iowa and staying with Nola's sister. We hopped on the bus (sat on the 2nd level!) and rode into Dublin. In Dublin we walked around for awhile and I was able to start learning my landmarks. We stopped in the vistors office and I was able to pick up some maps and brochures.
Then we went on to go visit a famous library called Chester Beatty Library. It was really neat because we were able to see books published from the 1500s! One of the books I saw was an atlas and it was so interesting to see what people thought the world looked like back then. No USA :( After the library we met up with two other student teachers from North Carolina (Heather and Erica). The four of us then went to buy passes to tour Dublin Castle. I found this castle really interesting because some of its rooms are still used for goverment meetings!
After the castle Alicia and I went to resturaunt called Lemons. This place was famous for its crepes and waffles. I had the American Dream Waffle :) Once we finished dinner we took the bus back home. That night Alica and her host parents, Diane and Steve, actually came over to my house to watch the X Factor. A very popular show, just like American Idol. Apparently it is a show you do not miss! ha ha
Tomorrow I am looking forward to going to church with my family and then hopefully going to Einniskerry with Alicia to find where my school is!
After we landed I took a bus called the Aircoach to a hotel where my host mom Nola picked me up. It was weird having the sitting in the passenger's seat on the left hand side and watching her drive on the left hand side. From the hotel it took about ten minutes to get to her house in a town called Killiney. They have a nice home right on the corner of a pretty busy street. I am grateful to have my own room. It is small with a pink interior.
Only her 11yr. old daughter, Anna, was home when we arrived. We picked her up and the three of us went into town to run errands. There we did some clothes shopping, went to the bank, 2 Euro store (like our Dollar Store), grocery store, and had a cup of coffee. It was a day that almost everyone has spent with their own mother. We went back home to have dinner and there I was able to meet the rest of the family. My host dad is John and my other two host sister's are Emma, 14 years old, and Laura, 17 years old. For dinner we had lasagna, baked potatoes, and veggies. It was a good, but very filling meal.
The next morning I woke up at 9:00am (MN time 3am) and left the house by 10am. I met up with another student teacher named Alicia. She is from Iowa and staying with Nola's sister. We hopped on the bus (sat on the 2nd level!) and rode into Dublin. In Dublin we walked around for awhile and I was able to start learning my landmarks. We stopped in the vistors office and I was able to pick up some maps and brochures.
Then we went on to go visit a famous library called Chester Beatty Library. It was really neat because we were able to see books published from the 1500s! One of the books I saw was an atlas and it was so interesting to see what people thought the world looked like back then. No USA :( After the library we met up with two other student teachers from North Carolina (Heather and Erica). The four of us then went to buy passes to tour Dublin Castle. I found this castle really interesting because some of its rooms are still used for goverment meetings!
After the castle Alicia and I went to resturaunt called Lemons. This place was famous for its crepes and waffles. I had the American Dream Waffle :) Once we finished dinner we took the bus back home. That night Alica and her host parents, Diane and Steve, actually came over to my house to watch the X Factor. A very popular show, just like American Idol. Apparently it is a show you do not miss! ha ha
Tomorrow I am looking forward to going to church with my family and then hopefully going to Einniskerry with Alicia to find where my school is!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Day One- Creating this blog! Woo Woo!
So I am attempting to expand my technology ability by creating a blog to record my Ireland experience! I am working with a talented individual, Sonja, at SMU helpdesk who will show me how to work this thing! This will definitely be an interesting experience, so wish me luck and enjoy!
This was my surprise going away party my friends held for me on Halloween!
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