Of Darkness and Light

The view during Sunrise Service this morning

When I first began to tell people I was moving to Prague, those who had traveled here before began to tell me of it's incredible beauty. And living here for two and a half years, it continues to amaze me with it. As I was standing in Letna Park overlooking the Vltava at sunrise service today, I was again just struck by the beauty of this city that has won my heart. I love Prague.

Yet, this magnificent jewel has so much darkness. It's seen during in the eyes of its people, with looks of hopelessness, loneliness, and despair. It's seen in the sex stores on the corner. It's seen in the nudity and marketing of the human body everywhere. It's seen in the empty cathedrals, functioning now as museums rather than places of worship. It's seen throughout the Czech Republic, in places like Lidice and Terezin, where the evilness of men is so evident.

The other night, the presence of this darkness hit me as I walked through Wenceslas Square. The clubs had opened their doors for the night. Around every ATM there were men crowded, pulling out wads of our smallest bill, 100 kc. I walked past several women propositioning men. And while hearing the mixture of languages I could see clearly that this is not just a Prague problem. This is a world problem. The English, spoken with both American and British accents, the Spanish, German, Italian, and multitude of other languages. The nationalities--European, African, Asian, North and South American. All of this pointed to the darkness not just being here in the Czech Republic, but somewhere much deeper--in the hearts of men.

Again this morning, as my roommates and I walked through the square again, passing people staggering to the metro and down the street, people throwing up on the steps of buildings, people obviously only then going to bed, we could see it. Not the darkness itself. But the symptoms of it. Signs that something is not right, that something is broken and needs fixing.

We kept walking, through Old Town, through the Jewish Quarter, past the oldest synagogue in the city. We crossed the bridge and climbed the many steps up to Letna Park. And at an overlook, we watched as the mostly-risen sun shed its light over this dark, yet beautiful city. And we knew that light had come.

That over 2,000 years ago the world was at its darkest. All hope had seemed lost. Death seemed to have won.

But then something marvelous and glorious happened. The stone rolled away. The tomb was empty. A dead man had been brought back to life. This was no ordinary man, but Immanuel. The Lamb who was slain for our sins rose again.

And as we worshiped with my church this morning, looking out over the city below us, I was reminded once more of why I am here. It may be a city full of darkness. But light has come. I'm here to share that light. Because He is risen. He is risen indeed.

On Holiday in the Alps

"You're on holiday in Germany, and you don't speak German?"
I had to laugh when I was asked that, partly because I am glad that not speaking a language doesn't bar you from visiting a country. Otherwise I would be limited to only English speaking and Spanish speaking countries. Also, because who wouldn't want to visit the Bavarian Alps? They are breath-taking. As I said goodbye (actually, I said "tschüss"--one of the few German words I do know) and continued on my walk, I was struck not for the first time by how beautiful my surroundings were.

Originally, I had intended on spending my Spring Break in Prague and not going anywhere. My adventure buddy had other plans with her mission organization, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go anywhere. Then, on a whim I decided to start looking at option for Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg has been on my list of places to visit for years, mostly because of my love on "The Sound of Music", but also because it's one of the places my dad is always talking about from the European tour his family took when he was growing up. So, after discovering that rooms were more affordable across the border in Germany, and kind of accidentally booking a room, my spring break plans began forming. My destination: Salzburg, Austria and Berchtesgaden and Königssee, Germany. 

(Confession time: When I got to Germany, I couldn't find where I had written down the name of the bus stop I need when I bought my ticket, so I may have gotten off six stops too early. However, it was an absolutely beautiful day, so I wasn't too concerned.)

Why I wasn't worried I had gotten off at the wrong place

Adventure 1: Berchtesgaden and Obersalzberg

After the adventure of reaching Germany, I decided that for my first day, I would stay close to where my pension was. One nice thing about my pension was that the city tax (which you have to pay at a lot of places in Europe) actually covered a transportation pass for the local buses. So, if I wanted to take a bus somewhere, then I didn't have to worry about paying for it. Part of the problem is that the buses only come every so often. However, the area is also very friendly to walking, with signs that give you estimates for how long it would take to walk places. So, when faced with the option of waiting a while for a bus or walking, I would often opt for walking.

The first thing on my list to see was Obersalzberg, former mountain retreat of none other than Adolf Hitler. There was a bus that would take you up there, but I decided to take a lift up the mountain and then walk the rest of the way  (like I said, it was pretty). My main reason for going here was to see the Nazi bunkers. They also have a documentation center with a lot of information about Nazi Germany. Afterwards, my plan included heading back to Berchtesgaden to explore the town center. 

View from my ride up the lift

This was a shaft the connected two levels

Adventure 2: Salzburg

The next day I headed off to Salzburg, Austria. I spent the day exploring the fortress, wandering the Old Town, learning about Mozart, and of course, searching for the different "Sound of Music" locations.

Adventure 3: Lake Königsee

When I told my father where I was headed for spring break, he almost immediately suggested I visit Lake Königsee. I wasn't sure at first, but as soon as I discovered it was 2 kilometers from my pension, I knew it was going to make my must-see list. And I'm glad it did. It was a cold, rainy, foggy day, but the lake was still gorgeous. My favorite part was the echo wall. It's a part of one of the mountains next to the lake that echoes back sounds. They play a trumpet for you, and you can here the echo of it. Quite lovely. (It was also one of the parts my dad liked.)

Getting ready to play the trumpet

Saint Bartholomew

The Lake and the Mountains

Adventure 4: Hellbrunn Palace and the Panorama Terrace

On my last day, I had a bit of time between when I arrived in Salzburg and when my train left, so I used that time to explore a few final places. One of those places was the trick fountains at Hellbrunn Palace. This was another thing my dad insisted I must see. The archbishop who built Hellbrunn loved to surprise his guest with hidden fountains. It was very fun, but also very cold and wet. I can see how this would be wonderfully refreshing during the summer!

The other place I wanted to see was the panorama terrace, with incredible views of Salzburg. This was also a "Sound of Music" location, since it appears in the "Do-Re-Mi" song (It's where Brigitta tells Maria that do-re-mi doesn't mean anything). Bonus: They have lifts you can take to the terrace. It costs a few Euro. Unless you have the Salzburg card (like I did). Then, it is free.

Quite a lovely holiday, I must say.

Revisiting my Time Machine or Reformation Visitors

If you have followed my blog for long, you may recall that when I taught second and third grade, I told my kids I owned a time machine and then used it to send my friend Fritz the Frog to Ancient Egypt. (Ok, so you probably won't recall that, but it did happen--true story.) I'm the 4th and 5th grade history teacher, and this class happened to be those 2nd and 3rd graders (plus some newbies).

In history we have been studying the Reformation, and a CISP 4th and 5th tradition during this unit is having different speakers come in for each reformer. We've had visit from Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and John Knox. So, when my kiddos began to question how Martin Luther could show up in our classroom (looking strangely like the secondary history teacher), I could just tell them I brought him to visit in our time machine. :D

It's been a fun unit (even teaching Calvin, since I am by no means a Calvinist), and I'll confess here that I have enjoyed not having to prepare lessons for Thursdays. (It really has cut down on lesson planning time.) It's also been a great refresher in church history for me, as well as a great introduction to someone I had never heard of before--Ulrich Zwingli. So, here is just a glimpse into what my classroom had looked like on Thursday afternoons:

Martin Luther began by trying to nail his 95 Theses to our classroom door

A rousing game of "Soldier, Priest, Gun" ( think "Rock, Paper, Scissors" or "Gorilla, Man, Gun")

Ulrich Zwingli even brought snack for our class.

John Calvin and his impressive beard came to visit.

John Knox was willing to sign autographs.

 

What Will You Be Doing in 10 Years?

It's CISP's tenth year, so we've been doing a lot of celebrating all year. On the 10th of each month, we have a Dress Nice Day (actually, they call it dress up day, but my kids thought at first that meant a dress in costumes day, so to clear up the confusion, I call it Dress Nice Day). There are plans in the works for our 10 Year Celebration Weekend in June. The staff have been sampling different cakes for the end of the year (most of the have been absolutely delicious!). And every class has been taking a turn decorating the bulletin board just outside our main office.

March is 4th grade's turn to do this. Since all my kiddos are 1) already 10 or 2) will be turning 10 this year, I thought it would be fun for them to think about what they will be doing in 10 years.

I knew this project would take a bit of work. I did not, however, imagine it would take the entire morning. Alas, I soon discovered that when you're ten, it is very hard to imagine what life might be like in a decade. Then again, it's not very surprising either. At this point, a decade IS a lifetime to them. They are also quite the indecisive bunch. One student complained, "Miss Miller, I'm just TOO imaginative! I don't know what I want to do! There are so many choices."

As they've worked on this project, I've noticed two things: 1) They are very creative and 2) They don't seem to realize that a majority of the next 10 years will be spent finishing their elementary and secondary educations. But aside from that minor detail, like I said, they are certainly creative. So, here are just a few of 4th grade's 10 year aspirations:

In 2024, I will be 19 years old. I will be a soccer player and in the army, but I'm going to be really old at that time. I might be a dancer like mhmhmmhmmhmmmm Michael Jackson auo! or a film character like James Bond or a rock star ta tou ga tu di!!!  

(I asked about the colorful teeth, and with an expression that clearly said that it was obvious and my question was ridiculous, student answered, "It's a mouth guard, Miss Miller." You must read this story out loud, with the sound effects, while also acting it out. Do it. I dare you.)

In 10 years I will be 20 years old. When I'm 20 years old, I will be in the army, or I will be a hockey player. 

(I'm fairly certain they don't allow Mohawks in the army, but maybe they'll change that policy in ten years.)

In 2024, I will be a hockey player. I might also be a soccer player.

(This student was very insistent that he would be playing hockey for the Czech Republic in 10 years. I feel obligated to mention that none of my boys are actually Czech.)

Somehow, I didn't get a picture of the illustration for the next story. However, it is probably my favorite. It's a good one. Read and enjoy. :)

In 2024, I will be 20 years old (I was born on the same year as CISP started). I will be running my megafarm. A megafarm has fields of wheat, barley, yeast, corn, hay, beets, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, sugar cane, bamboo, and cocoa beans.. I would have a zoo with every animal that isn't in a farm.
I would have 100 henhouses with 150 chickens per house, 200 acres of pasture for my 200,000 cows, 199 acres for my 2,000 horses, and a 60-square-yard pen for my 150 pigs.
I would also have a forest and a mine. My megafarm can make anything that has been invented (not to mention inventions I would be working on). My megafarm could do almost anything. 

I love their creativeness and inventiveness. I love their crazy imaginations and sometimes wild ideas. I love the fact that at one point yesterday I had to step out of my classroom to regain my composure because they were just so funny. I love that I get to teach these kids. They are a pretty awesome group.

Iditarod Fun

I was browsing Pinterest a few weeks ago, as I often do, and noticed that many of the teacher boards I follow were pinning ideas about the Iditarod. Now, who doesn't love the story of Balto (historical accuracy aside, of course)? So, I decided to look up the starting date. When I realized that it started the first weekend of March and there fore hadn't started yet, I immediately knew that this was something my students would follow this year.

I presented them with what the race was, had them choose a Musher (racer) to follow, and they ate it up. We've also successfully tied this into Language Arts, as they have practiced reading comprehension skills, researching skills, biography writing (after researching their musher), comparing and contrasting (comparing and contrasting two different mushers), and now friendly letters (to the third graders about what they have learned about the Iditarod). One of my favorites was the banners they made to cheer on their mushers.

So, here is a glimpse of fourth grade's Iditarod Unit (which is still on going, since the Mushers are still racing):

One of the banners

Every morning we check on their mushers.

Musher Biographies and Pictures

Iditarod Inspired Reading

Life Lately

Some months it seems like not much is happening. Other months is seems as if life is rushing by, barely giving me a chance to breath. February always seems like one of those months. So, here is a little glimpse of life in Prague recently:

Lovely Elementary Teachers at Winter Banquet

Although we can sometimes be goofy

4th and 5th Grade with my cousin's Flat Stanley Project

Showing her Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge

100th Day Physical Activities--stretching for 100 seconds

100th Day physical activities--Jumping 100 times

 Hanging out Prague's Olympic Park

       Prague Castle in the Background

Cheering for the Czech Republic

That Team I'm Cheering For Sunday

Normally if you asked my about my favorite football team, I would probably stare at you blankly, give some answer about being bribed with amazing sugar cookies to cheer for the Green Bay Packers, or give you a facetious answer that I go for FC Barcelona (iVisca Barca!).

This year, however, my answer is slightly different (and I'm actually tempted to watch the Super Bowl, albeit, not tempted enough to actually to stay up and watch it. It will be the middle of the night here, after all.) Why do I care, you ask? This year one of the teams is much more then a team. It represents so many things I love.

It represents summer vacations, fish and chips from Ivers (and feeding the seagulls there), and salt water taffy. It represents crabs (that may have been dropped into my hand by my uncle) and sea glass. It represent Alki Beach, the Space Needle, and ferries. It represents cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and family reunions. It represents the destination of cross-country road trips, flights, and train trips. It represents rain and the smell of the sea. It represents the place my father went to college and the place where my parents were engaged. It represents my favorite city in the USA.

Why, yes, I'm cheering for the Seahawks. It's my family's team. Proud to show my Seattle roots this weekend.