Change.

Garmisch.is.changing {to me at least}

Tuesday I woke up and started getting ready like I normally do. Right before I left, I looked out my window to see if it was overcast or not and this is what I saw:Keep in mind it was October 19. Why is it snowing so early here! I thought I had at least until November for the snow! But with that said, Garmisch is so beautiful with the snow. Two of my kids are from California (ironically from the same school in California and are new this year to Garmisch) and they have never seen the snow. It was pretty difficult for them to be excited about learning functions when there was snow falling outside! Luckily in the afternoon it was bright and shiny and melted all the snow! The next couple of days were the same... On Thursday my school had Hockey day. We went to the gym and about 7 or 8 men {very very cute men :) } from the Garmisch hockey team. It was so much fun to see all my kids so excited to learn how to play and just interact with them!


I have taken a picture from the same spot quite a few times, it fun to see all the change that has occurred since my arrival. I love the fall color of the trees and the wintery snow.


Today was my last day in my 4th grade class. My kids have been begging me not to go. They're so cute asking if they can skype with me once I get back to Arizona. Here are a couple of the cute things they've said/written to me concerning my leaving:

1. You were the best student teacher ever. When we give you presents please don't cry like are (our) other student teachers.
2. Please send us things when you get to Arizona. Send me a map so I will know where you are.
3. I think you can be a teacher!
4. Your the best. Your the best and all the cool words!
   
5. Here is something to remember me by, but it won't last forever. {She gave me tea because I drink tea all the time and they always commented on it}
6. Its so fun that you skip all the boring things
   

And here is the last picture of me with my kiddos today. As you can see they're a silly bunch :)
Man, I'm going to miss these sillies. Good thing I'll be around the school for the next 8 weeks.

-Linds

Lazy weekend

This.weekend.was.lazy

It was fabulous. My coop teacher went up to Stuggart (Germany) with her husband to see Michael Buble in concert, so I stayed at her house with her kids (13 &16). One of her kids was getting over an illness so this was all we did all weekend:



I have only heard about how wonderful this show it. Boy how true that really was. After the first 30 seconds of the very first song, I was not only hooked, but obsessed. This show just makes me so happy! I have head one of their cd's but now I want them all! It was so nice to be able to sit on an actual couch and stretch out! My apartment has two nasty little chairs and my bed, so the couch was a nice change :)

About halfway through Saturday, I realized I should probably do some work. I have one major assignment due this whole semester for student teaching. I'm really trying to put the finishing touches {and when I say that I mean actually do it} on my 'signature assignment'. So I put a pretty good dent into it and I hope hope hope that I finish it by next weekend.

This is my last week in my 4th grade with my kiddos. They were so cute when I told them when my last day was and they asked if when I went back to Arizona if they could skype with me! How cute is that :) Oh I'll miss them! When I leave the 4th grade, this means that I'm already halfway done with student teaching and living in Germany. That freaks me out like whoa. How did this all happen so quickly! But, I will be in the resource room and this means that I'll be able to see my kiddos practically everyday! Yay for that!

I really needed this weekend to do nothing. It was nice to be in a house instead of stuck in a small apartment. Garmisch has been rainy and coooooold all weekend so being inside watching Glee and sipping tea made the weekend that much better :)

-Linds

hey mambo, mambo italiano!

Italia.was.old

Getting to Italy {I thought} was scary. It was scary for one reason: I was alone. This was the very first time that I've gone all the way from post in Garmisch all the way to our hostel in Rome. The part I was most terrified of was getting from the airport in Rome {through the train, metros, and streets}. But, my lovely mother found very specific directions {literally told me what to look for and such} about which metros and trains to take and what streets to turn on. The only problems I had was:

1. I walked too far on both streets I had to walk on- easily fixed.
2. I was about to freak out in the metro. I had on all my lays {and my backpack} with it being jammed packed and hot as no other. I would not have lasted 10 more seconds in that thing.

Anyway, I was previously told that our hostel wanted the money from all five of us for all three nights up front in cash before we could get into our room. Luckily all they needed was to scan a copy of my id. Thank goodness :) So that night, I dropped all my stuff off in our room, and walked to a cute little restaurant. This was only the second time in my life that I ate dinner alone {the other time was in Austria while I was here too}. It actually was fun! I asked for just a glass of white wine and he brought this out {I was stunned to see on my bill it was only 3 Euros!}. Oh and this was my dinner too!

So the next day, we all got up early {the girls got to the hostel pretty late that first night} and we made our way tooooooo:

Collosio

Ruins

Gelato of course!

Roman National Museum
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
That was all one day. The next day we hopped a train to Naples then from there to Pompeii. I had originally wanted to do my DODDS placement in Naples. My Aunt Susie told me how scary and unsafe it was. Boy, was she right. It was so sketchy there. I hated it. I have never felt so unsafe in my life. May have just been all in my head, but still. Didn't like it really. But as far as Pompeii goes, it was really cool! I have wanted to go here for yeaaaarrs. It did not live up to my expectations but nevertheless, it was pretty amazing. Here goes for the Pompeii pictures:

Mt. Vesuvisu

Fast food- Pompeii style

Anyone who truly knows me, understands just why this pizza was my favorite!

Well this was Italia for me! Can't believe that this was my 3rd time being here and my 2nd time in Rome. Wow how blessed am I! No trips planned for the near future :)

-Linds

Autumn-ey

fall.has.begun {and i love it}

Autumn is by far my favorite season! And Garmisch most definitely is looking 'fallish' lately . I just love it! All the trees are either naked or have yellow or red or orange leaves. It's absolutely beautiful here. This was what I look at when I walk to/from the gym:

I was so excited about the world turning all fall-ey I made a cute new bulletin board at school about it! My kids did some art thing in art class so I displayed it. Speaking (typing I suppose) of my kids, we went to the Munich zoo today! It was so fun! It was supposed to be miserable weather in Munich, but it ended up only being a bit sprinkley and wayyy overcast. Which of course, being the fall lover from Phoenix that I am, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My class consists of 5 girls and 4 boys. Two of the boys had their mom's with them as chaperons and one of my girls was absent (vaca in Italy!). So my mentor teacher, the principal and I took the 4 girls. So easy to keep up and keep track of only 4 of them, especially being girls. So much more mature than boys! Here goes for the pictures of the kiddos.

This is my entire class {minus one}

The girls in front of the monkey exhibit {yep, she's picking the monkey's nose}

Now for my favorite animals :)

Giraffes! So cute!

Zebra!
Cute cute cute :)

We saw lots of monkeys!

A couple of these monkeys were nursing their babies and the babies were grabbing onto them as the moms run around {look closely under the monkey}.

Okay. So i've been to a few zoos back in the states just like everybody else. But this zoo, was beautiful. It looked like a legit forest with animals in it. I didn't see many cages and fences but exhibits. Most of the outdoor exhibits had no, i repeat no fencing around them. They had electric fences so they couldn't run away.....haha no. They had a big ditch around the edge of the exhibit so they couldn't get out. Seemed a little more humane, well as humane as keeping animals away from their natural environment can be. Here's a few pictures of around the zoo.

Garmisch Hockey

hockey.is.fun!.

Last night I went to a hockey game here in Garmisch with my teacher's husband and my nau supervisor. It was so much FUN! I love sports. I love watching them! I feel like I haven't been to a sporting event in such a long time, which made it all that more fun. Especially since it's hockey. I always have fun watching hockey. My favorite part of the game is watching all the fights. BUT here in Germany, fights are not allowed during the games. Which I thought would be a slight disappointment, but it really wasn't. Everybody in the crowd was so into the game which made it even more fun to be apart of. Every time we would score a goal, they would hold up this big ol' flag and people in the crowd would wave flags that they had brought to the game while this loud music played. Here's a video.



Here's a couple more pictures of the game and my dinner (I've been told by the best friend {tessa campbell} to take pictures of all the food I eat, so i do and here it is):

More brats and beer!

Today was a good day. I made it the entire day without putting 'real' clothes on, I got to stay in sweats for a full 24 hours. Reminds me of living in Flagstaff with my Christine. Also got lots of cleaning done around my apartment; also filled out big kid job applications. When I say big kid I mean I filled out job applications to be a first grade or a fourth grade teacher. Whoa. Tomorrow will be spent at school. Bulletin boards, grading, planning and organizing. Honest to goodness, I'm excited for it. Field trip to Munich Zoo on Tuesday with my kiddos... yay!

-Linds