Vacation Time is Catch-up Time

Yesterday, Sarah was the guest blogger. I am trying to persuade David to take a turn. Actually, I would like everyone to take a turn. So maybe I'll work on that. In the mean time, turn the clock back eight months to Spring Break. While Sarah was in Ghana making bricks and David was in Kazakhstan eating wild horses, the rest of us plus my mom and dad were exploring Northern France.

I give you Normandy, Brittany, and the Loire Valley:This is the fishing village of Honfleur--one of the most charming villages in Northern France

The kids posing on one of the German 155mm guns guarding Normandy beach at Pointe du Hoc.

Mont Saint Michel--an amazing monestary built during the 12th century on a stone outcropping off the coast of Brittany.

The Chateau Chambord built by King Francois in the 16th century as a hunting lodge. He only lived here for a total of six months. It would take longer than that to find your way around the place...all those turrets.This staircase at Blois is attributed to Leonardo DaVinci -- nice place for prom pictures.

Our favorite Chateau--Chenonceau. Amazing gardens, amazing kitchens, amazing love triangle...

The archictecturally odd Chartes Cathedral--strange towers but fabulous carvings, and a mammoth maze tiled into the floor. Matthew loves his mazes.

The French countryside is blanketed by field of field of bright yellow rapeseed. Last stop: Monet's Garden. Wow, that is just about all I can say, wow!

Chocolate Rain

Hey everyone this is Sarah. I am here to finally report about Ghana ... only 8 months late (:

€ 1,700, lots of muffins, and a couple painful shots down, 21 students and 4 teachers packed up for 2 weeks of spring break and traveled to ghana to work with Habitat for Humanity. Our goal was to build three Habitat houses for African families in need.

The destroyed hut belonging one of the families we built a new house for.

After a layover in Casablanca, a 3 a.m. arrival in Accra, and a 10 hour bus ride, we were greeted enthusiastically by the members of the Kofiase village, some of the happiest and cutest people I have ever seen.

I spent an amazing 13 days working with the people, learning about the culture, and playing with the children.

Our favorite little girl, Adjwa, who we nicknamed Chocolate Rain ... for a reference check the youtube link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA

Over the 2 weeks I was in Ghana, we built bricks and made mortar

Went into the village to watch a crazy Chelsea FC vs. Liverpool soccer game (most of the locals are die-hard Chelsea fans because they have a Ghanaian player, their enthusiasm is obvious from the picture below)

Participated in dance and drumming nights with the Ghanaians

Ate LOTS of the most disgusting rice I've ever had and visited the King's Palace

Attended a Sunday church service and met the village chief

Played a soccer and volleyball match against local teams

Attended local schools to donate books and school supplies

Explored the Cape Coast Slave castle

Went on a tree canopy walk through the Ghanaian rain forest

But most importantly, loved and served people in need.

Definitely one of the best experiences of my life and I hope to have the opportunity to return someday!

Oh and Brennan -- here's your shoutout, thanks for surviving Malaria!

Merry Christmas

There has been nothing new here for awhile. I have reasons.

1. I am still teaching 5th grade and loving it. Who knew 10 year olds could be so cute.
2. Sarah and Benjamin are in the middle of exams. I am trying to fill the pit of despair with encouraging thoughts.
3. My friend Jessie came to visit last weekend and we spent three glorious days digging through the best junk Brussels has to offer. Lots and lots of pocket watches...
4. I am not finished Christmas shopping yet.
5. There are lots of holiday parties that need parental support.
6. When I sit down, I fall asleep.
7. What is for dinner???
8. Two weekends ago I went to Poland with 10 friends and we bought lots of pottery...again. You can't write while you are buying pottery.
9. I have no words left at the end of the day.
10. I don't want to leave Europe, so there is a little wacko part of me that thinks if I don't write about the last time we do things, maybe it won't be the last time. I know, completely crazy.

The good news is that school ends Friday and we have three weeks to recover. Check back. You may find something interesting...

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Benj!

Beloved of the Ladies... Incredible Eyes.. Funny, responsible, helpful, smart, and...

Now that he is 16, alone no longer...potentially...

Random Spanish Weirdness

We spent last week in Spain. I will post intelligent pictures next time. Today, you get Passeys uncensored.

Enjoy.

This one is not so weird. It is actually pretty nice.

Yes, I know...

There has been a shocking lack of activity on this site lately. By way of explanation:

We are leaving this fabulous country in a short 8 months.

I feel compulsively driven to see and do everything I possibly can in those short months.

When I am seeing and doing, I am not writing.

And in a completely counterintuitive twist of fate:

I am teaching 5th grade for the next 6 weeks.

It is amazing how logic and reason can abandon us at crucial moments in life.

I will try to do better...on all accounts.

Julia in Paris

A few weeks ago (this has been on the to-do list for too long), Sarah, Anna, and Benjamin all had competitions in Paris. Matthew has taken to muscling in on the concession stand management at the football games and couldn't miss an opportunity to handle LOTs of money while simultaneously bossing (nicely) people around. David took Matthew duty, which left Julia and I looking at each other with the same twinkle in our eyes: Lets go to Paris! So under the guise of sibling support, we loaded up the car and attempted to pack an unrealistic amount of experience into 8 hours. Here is how we did:We stayed at a really great small hotel run by a friend of a friend. The place was great--nice location, lots of quirky Parisian charm, and a magical convergence of fates that allowed us to park right out front.First stop: Lunch at a corner bakery--Patisserie to all the purists. She shared a few bites.
Next stop was Notre Dame and ALOT of souvenir shopping combined with the heart wrenching decision on whether to wait in the line to climb the towers or move on to:
Of course Mona won. This is, in fact, the entire reason that Julia wanted to go to Paris in the first place. She took this picture and made the following observations:

"It is bigger than I thought."

"She is pretty in a weird sort of way."

"That Leonardo, he was kind of good."

"I think I like Raphael's ladies better."

We then moved on to the second real reason for a trip to Paris: The Eiffel Tower. After waiting in line for 45 minutes, they closed the upper viewing deck 7 people in front of us. Undaunted, we sailed up to the first platform on a double decker elevator and waited patiently until the upper deck was re-opened. We arrived on top just as the sun was setting and the first thing that Julia did on exiting the elevator was...wait for it...run into the gift shop! Not even a glance over the city. Not one oooohh or aahhhh. Straight to the tacky pencils and brass Eiffel key chains. It was a bitter pill. I left her there to admire the tacky while I admired the view.

Paris is lovely at night.

When we made it back to the bottom, Julia spotted just what she had been looking for in all those gift shops: A glass, multi-colored, light-up Eiffel Tower, sold by the thousands across the bridge from the tower by a United Nations of emigrants who probably know how to barter in every language known to man. Julia paid 5 euro. She was thrilled. Our last entertainment of the evening was watching, and listening, as the wave of international street-hawkers took off at full speed, Eiffel Tower key chains clanging in cheery cacophony, right toward, through, and past us followed by the Parisian street police. What a day.

P.S. The volleyball games and cross country meet went well. I did show an uncharacteristic amount of self sacrifice and restrain as I drove past an amazingly tempting Brocante (massive French yard sale) that stretched for a good 2 kilometers on the way to the school. Sigh...