Friday, February 17, 2012

OGO Schools

The Gelderland School where Margaret and I teach is considered an OGO school. An OGO school is one that follows the natural development of the child. Therefore, the children learn within themes, so all subjects are taught in context. For example, in our class the 5th graders are learning about geography, specifically islands and volcanoes. The students researched different climate regions and different countries to determine where their ideal island would be located. The students also studied various flags and the significance of the colors and symbols. Next week the students will be constructing their own class island.

Today, Margaret and I taught the English lesson in Laura’s classroom. Margaret brought letters from her 3rd grade Fort Worth classroom for our Dutch students to respond. Teaching students who do not speak English is very difficult but when they finally understand, teaching is so rewarding! On Thursday, Margaret and I are teaching all about our selves. I am very excited to share with my students! 

5th Grade Students or "Groep 7" in Dutch

Dank u wel - Merci beaucop - Thank you very much

A fun fact about Brussels, Belgium is that the city is bi-lingual. Half of the population speaks Dutch while the other half speaks French. With that said, Margaret and I were very impressed with ourselves that we were able to navigate a new city without speaking either of the languages. Luckily, we have some darn good map skills! During our mini trip to Brussels we visited the Mannequin Pis, which is the city mascot located near the Grand Place. We also went to The Museum of Musical Instruments. This museum was really enjoyable because with every instrument, we were able to plug in our headphones and listen to the sound the instrument produces. We heard instruments from all over the world like Tibet and Sweden – it was very interesting! We also visited St. Michael’s Cathedral, which is an absolutely gorgeous church near the museum area.

On Sunday, Margaret and I made the trip out to Gent, Belgium. Wow! Gent is a beautiful city! We visited St. Bavo’s Cathedral, which houses The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (also known as the Ghent/Gent Altarpiece) by Jan Van Eyck. My freshman year of college I studied this painting; never did I think I would have the opportunity to see such a significant piece of artwork. St. Bavo’s Cathedral is the most beautiful structure I have ever seen, words do not do it justice.  

Saint Michael's Cathedral in Brussels - Candles we lit at Saint Bavo's - Saint Bavo's Cathedral in Gent

Replica of the Gent Altarpiece at Saint Bavo's (you can't photograph the real one)

Just follow your nose…

The food in Europe is yummy or rather, lekker, in Dutch. I think Margaret makes me a braver person because I even tried mussels! My favorite Dutch treat is stroopwafels, which are two thin waffles filled with caramel in between. Margaret’s and my teacher, Laura, told us to place our stroopwafels over our hot tea to heat up the caramel so it melts, yum so good!

While in Brussels, Belgium, Margaret and I also enjoyed Belgium waffles on the street, mine with chocolate sauce and whip cream and Margaret’s with nutella and strawberries. Margaret, and two other girls from the trip Nicole and Amanda, and I also visited this awesome bar called Delirium that has over 2000 types of beer in house. One of my favorite beers was Barbar.

Lucky for me, I eat fries almost every day! I will say that the fries in Belgium were better than those in The Netherlands, but regardless I now love my fries with mayonnaise.  

Margaret - Rooftop Tea - Me

Belgian Chocolate Shop - Delicious Belgian Waffles

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Dutch, they’re just like us!

The Netherlands (which means “Flat Lands” by the way) is not what I was expecting at all! In The Hague, the local people go grocery shopping, ride bikes, ice skate, and shop. These are normal things that we do in the US, but I was expecting Europeans to be the complete opposite of everything American. Yes, they may eat their fries with mayonnaise and they may have parking lots only for bikes, but it is exciting to notice both the similarities and differences between European and American culture. 

Pathway to our Bungalow - Margaret and I with our students - Student Bike Park 


Ik heb koud.

I am cold. The Hague, Netherlands is having one of the coldest winters in fifteen years and they saved it just for me. Despite the low temperatures, I feel very lucky to be in a different country, to ride on a bus that speaks the stops only in Dutch, and spend my days with the sweetest 5th graders.

Here are some snippets of the fun I am sharing with the girls.
Complimentary wine on the airplane - The Hague College - Het Binnenhof 
The North Sea