Soccer and the Zoo!

On Monday I attended a middle school soccer (futbol) match between our school and CAS (another American school in Casa). Although we lost 0 to 6 it was fun to support our team and watch them do something they love. I even got some girls to start cheering with me! Sarah tried to convince them to do a pyramid but that didn't go over so well...something about Miss Smallegan volunteering to be bottom middle :)
(Pictures are in my AAC album on Picasa)
Today (Saturday) we went to the zoo in Rabat! One of our co-workers has a little boy and invited us to join them on their adventure. We weren't expecting much but it turned out to be pretty cool. I never would have expected to see a chipmunk in a cage...but I suppose in Africa you don't see many of those :) The craziest/coolest part was the lion exhibit. The "lion keeper" started to get them riled up...and soon we had a lion choir! It actually was a bit scary. He wasn't being very careful and one time I thought he was going to be a goner! It was a powerful display of the might of a lion...wouldn't want to meet it when it was angry (or hungry)!
(Pictures from today are in my Morocco album on Picasa)

Here we go again...

Getting back into the routine of things has been difficult these past two weeks. Snooze button...a must! Being productive at night...not really happening :) I've found my kids struggling with the same thing. Coming back from break was like starting school all over again. Rules, expectations...what are those? A positive change at school is the addition of our new 6th/7th grade English/Social Studies teacher. This fall one of our teachers left unexpectedly. She was a favorite of the students and my "partner in crime" with the 6th grade. The students have had to deal with the inconsistencies of substitute teachers and I often feel like I am the only constant for them (aka the only one keeping them accountable) So, having someone to crack the whip with me and work to mold them into responsible students is a huge gift.

Something you should know about my 7th graders is that they are a tight bunch and can gang up if they don't like something. After their first encounter with the new teacher (he is quite strict...which they need, but don't like), they came running to me about how they didn't like him. In this conversation they shared about playing tricks on teachers they didn't like and indicated plans to do something similar to him. I sat them down and told them they needed to give him a chance because I thought they would really like him (He's a funny guy with a quirky sense of humor). Next day in class..."Miss, he's so cool!" Success :)

Another new activity in our lives is weekly Arabic lessons. Over these past months we've developed a relationship with an English-speaking Moroccan. She has become a friend and offered to tutor us. Sarah and I are both excited about learning the language and all the new doors that will open with being able to communicate with people.

One final funny story about this week... My last period is a math assistance course for 11th grade students. It was near the end of class and I was not being as strict about working. I was at my computer entering in grades and all of a sudden the girls started to scream and were running to the other side of the room. What scared them you may ask...a tiny bird that decided to join us :) SO I have the girls huddled in one corner and one of my boys trying to capture it! After a few tries I was able to get the bird out. What a way to end the day! BUT the story doesn't end there. Two days later another bird rams into my window, almost knocks itself out, and then flutters away...crazy. There must be something about my classroom that is attractive to the birds...or maybe they just like math ;)

I think I want to be Italian :)

After visiting Italy, I'm convinced that I could live there and be quite happy! The history, the buildings, the landscape, the food... Honestly I don't even know where to begin or how to capture the incredible time we had. My conclusion: to let the pictures do the talking and give the highlights :)
1. Milan: parks covered with snow, castle, shopping, beautiful church, outdoor concert (brrr)
2. Pompeii: remains of an old city after a tragic volcanic eruption...really cool
3. Naples: churches, palace, castle, the Mediterranean, "real" pizza, coffee at the cafe where espresso was invented!
4. Rome: Spanish stairs, the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, and more...we literally didn't sit down for more than 15 minutes from 7am to 4pm! That's what happens when you try to see Rome in a day...call us crazy ;)
5. Florence: New Years Eve party at the hostel, rainy New Years Day...saw the city but put a damper on our day :(
6. Bologna: good food, beautiful buildings, great sales that we didn't have time to hit
7. Cinque Terre: beautiful scenery...I thought places like this were only pictures in books
8. Venice: 6 trains and 8 hours later we arrived!, interesting Australian hostel worker, more rain, incredible church, lots of wandering

We packed a lot into that week and a half. By the end we were exhausted and ready to come home...the sign of a good vacation :) If ever given the chance, I would love to go back!
http://picasaweb.google.com/laura.smallegan/RomaniaAndItaly#