Graduation and Beyond!

July 18th, 2008 12pm= Freedom!

I graduated from Seattle University with a Masters in Teaching on Friday. I also earned my teachers certificate so now I can say "I is a real teacher now". LOL! A lot of people are surprised to find out that this Masters program is only a year, but that is typical for an MIT degree, as long as you are going full-time.

Now I have the joy of finding a teaching job. I have applied to Mukilteo and Everett and will apply to Edmonds shortly. So I'm looking for something in the area. Getting a teaching job, interestingly enough, is very competative, despite the pay (WA state is nationally 48th in Teacher Pay). Believe it or not folks, this chick is actually going to set up shop, get rooted and stay home in the U.S. (for now). I had a job interview with Everett last week, to be hired into a pool of teachers, but later learned that I didn't get in. This bummed me out until I remembered that I didn't really want to live in Everett anyway. I'd rather be closer to home.

Student teaching was one of the toughest things I've ever done. It was right up there with my Peace Corps experience...challenging, frustrating and also rewarding. My biggest challenge was behavior management, and I learned A LOT, so I'm feeling better prepared for my first year of teaching this fall

It doesn't really feel like I'm done with school. It seems like I should be writing a paper, reading a textbook or cramming for a test or something! I think it will hit me slowly during this next week.

Also, I spoke at a Peace Corps informational session on Saturday and it went really well. It actually got me nostalgic for Macedonia. It also reminded me that I need to write to my host family...

(By the way, anyone notice that Kosovo followed Montenegro and gained independence from Serbia in February? This is an area of the world to keep an eye on! Never a dull moment)

Hope you are all enjoying your summer! I'll try to get somewhat caught up with this blog before I start teaching and then you'll really think I fell off the face of the earth...

Finals! The end of Winter Quarter

It's finals week, do you know where your brain is?????

I wish that I had the time to make regular posts about how the Masters in Teaching program is going, but take my word for it, it is A LOT of work and at times it is VERY STRESSFULL. This is one of those times. I have 5 papers/projects to finish in the next 48 hours. So why am I bothering to take the time to make a post? I guess it's because I need to vent.

I just created a webpage to accompany my 50 page Literacy Unit, here is the website.

http://denazureus.googlepages.com/home

This quarter we have to do 3 unit plans, one on Social Studies, one on Literacy and one on Math. I still have to do the one on Math.

Wish me luck, I really need it!

On Monday, the 24th I start officially student teaching, even though I have already been working in my class, once a week, this quarter.

I am at Cedar Valley Elementary, in Edmonds with a 2nd & 3rd grade combination. The teacher and the kids are great!

Fast Forward 5 months...

I've been reminded by a few people that I am woefully behind in my updates. Those of you who know me personally know that I am now in the midst of a new adventure called graduate school. I am currently in the Masters in Teaching program at Seattle University, and loving it. Despite having to work and study very hard and trying to balance work and school and a personal life, things are going great. I started in September and will graduate summer 2008 with a teachers certificate and my Masters. I want to teach 5th grade somewhere in the greater Seattle area.

I am thrilled to think that starting in September of 2008 I'll have my own classroom. It is exciting and terrifying at the same time, but the Seattle U program is so great, I expect I'll be prepared when that time comes. I plan to do my student teaching in Edmonds with an experienced teacher.

It is hard to believe that almost a year ago I was in Macedonia getting ready to go on my trip to Tanzania. Although I had no idea what trouble lay ahead for me, and the challenges that I had to overcome, I am very grateful for how everything worked out.

Thanks to everyone for their support!

P.S. Since school keeps me so busy, I've been unable to get caught up with my posts about Tanzania, Macedonia, Romania and my sister's wedding. Well, they all went really well and were all amazing adventures. I hope to be able to include some more posts (with pictures) during my Christmas break. Stay tuned!

In Transylvania

My visit to Macedonia was like a whirlwind, but it was also very satisfying to see my friends (Macedonians and PCVs) again as well as my former students and host family. I went now so that I could be at my school on the last day, which is a day of music and dancing and celebration. I had a lot of fun. My time in Macedonia was full of smiles and laughs and tears. But I'm very glad that I did it, I have no doubt that it was the right decision.

Ten days flew by in a wink and then I took the bus/train to Bucharest, Romania and met up with my friend Matt. We were in the Romanian capital for 2 days, I was able to see a little bit of the city, which reminds me of a combination of Skopje, Budapest, Buenas Aires, and Brussels. Sometimes I would have to stop and remember where I was! I also took a tour of the Parliament Building, which is apparently the second largest building in the world, after the Pentagon.

Next we stopped in Sinaia, where there is a beautiful fairytale-like castle. Now we are in Brasov, in Transylvania. It is a beautiful country and a very interesting region. And yes, we plan to visit Count Draculas castle!

Last Big Trip (for now)

...Fast Forward a few months!

I've gotten very busy this spring with a new part-time job (selling Partylite Candles), taking little trips here and there (ie; Maui with my family, to visit my brother who now lives there) and catching up with old friends while making new ones!

After many months of paperwork and airline bureaucracy, I got my plane tickets from Seattle to Macedonia (originally in January) switched to June. I'm returning to Macedonia for a visit to see friends again and get some closure. Since I'm over there I've made arrangements to meet up with my friend Matt who is traveling around the world right now, and tour a bit Romania together (see his blog at http://velotrek.blogspot.com).

I leave Monday, June 4th and come back on the 27th. This will be my last big trip for awhile because...

I got accepted to Seattle University Masters in Teaching program and I start September 4th. I'm very excited about this opportunity, I'll finally make it official and get my Teachers Certificate. Just imagine, Fall of 2008 I should (hopefully) have my own classroom! I plan to teach general ed and I'd like to teach 5th grade.

Not only that but I just learned that I am a recipient of one of several $3,000 MIT alumni scholorship, for outstanding applicants who have financial need. I am thrilled and honored to be one of the chosen. Seattle U isn't cheap, but it does have an outstanding reputation and I know that I will get an excellent quality education in my pursuit to be an excellent educator!

(I still plan to post about Tanzania and my sisters wedding, just be patient with me!)

Medically Separated

Well, the verdict is in. Unfortunately I'm being medically separated from the Peace Corps. I just don't have all my medical issues resolved within the PC policy of 45 days.

I've been on medical hold for about 6 weeks, waiting to see if I could return to country or not. I got my answer about a week ago. It wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, but the good news is that at least I'm not in limbo anymore. Being sick wasn't fun, but at least it taught me what the more important things in life are (for me): family and health.

I just want to let you all know that I'll miss those of you in Macedonia and I've enjoyed my experience there and learned so much professionally as well as personally. I'm disappointed that I won't be able to finish my PC service, but it appears that it wasn't meant to be. My health has restricted me returning to country, but the good news is that I'm almost back to "normal" now, mainly I just need to regain all of my strength, although I'm doing a lot better now.

So, for now I'm focusing on my health and moving on. I've applied to graduate school this September at Seattle University (interviews are this month, fingers crossed). I'm also planning a short visit to Macedonia to say goodbye, probably in June before school gets out. At least I'll be able to get some closure then.

A thank you to the overwhelming number of people who have been so encouraging, supportive, and have kept me in their thoughts and prayers. I feel very blessed.

All the Best,
Jesse AKA Jill

P.S. Yes, I still plan to keep posting on this blog. Stay tuned for more info about my African Adventure and Wedding Photos!

Sick in Seattle

This wild and crazy adventure we call life never ends...

I have much to say about my fantastic travel experience in Dubai and Tanzania, which I will at a later time, however, this update is more pressing...

I got some kind of bug in Tanzania and got extremely ill on the plane back to Seattle (Jan 9th). I was taken by ambulance from the plane directly to a hospital once we landed and was in the hospital for four days, high fever, low blood pressure, and stuff coming out of both ends. They really are not sure what I got but blame gastro-enteritis. I was released from the hospital just in time for my sister's wedding (Jan 14th) and I was in a wheelchair for the ceremony. I returned to the ER a week later with a stabbing headache. In the ER they were not sure what was wrong with me and gave me some treatment that did little to stop the pain. They blamed a migraine, but that is not what it was. A few days later I went to a neurologist who diagnosed me with Trigeminal Neuralgia, which is a cranial nerve disorder. It is believed to have been caused by my illness. I am now taking medicine that has stopped the headaches entirely, which has been a blessing. I also had a CT scan and MRI which shows that my brain is normal (hey, proof that I am normal everybody! Ha ha!)

I was supposed to return to Macedonia on Jan 17th, but of course that didn't happen. I am at home, in Seattle now, recuperating and impatiently waiting word from the Peace Corps Medical Office. Unfortunately there is a chance that I will not be able to return to Macedonia. My deadline date for clearance is Feb 24th. The good news is that I'm slowly regaining my strength and energy (I lost almost 20 lbs). So I'm getting back on my feet so to speak and praying that I'll be able to return to Macedonia, at least to finish up the school year. I'll keep you all informed as things progress.

At least it's nice to spend a little more time with my family and my cat.

A thank you to the overwhelming number of people who have been so encouraging, supportive, and have kept me in their thoughts and prayers.

The Muslim World

Happy New Year!

From the Seattle PI, this is a well-written article about the need for compassion and tolerance for those of different faiths. I recently had a chance to learn a little bit about the Muslim faith when visiting a friend in Dubai, UAE, my first time in the Middle East. It made me realize that our society has a lot of misperceptions and misunderstandings about this part of the world and the people there. Not every place in the Middle East is dangerous and not everyone who is Muslim is a terrorist. We are quick to judgement and fear to make these kind of damaging associations. Extreme religious fever of any kind can be dangerous, and does not represent the vast majority. As a global village we are in need of more tolerance and understanding. I hope that this article can help people to realize that the common thread for many people of different faiths is for peace, love and compassion.

---------------------------------------------------------------
> I didn't find 'them' in Muslim world

> Muslims are savages, a reader told me. So I flew overseas to
> part of the Muslim world to see for myself. What I
> saw is something that can help people, in Seattle and
> beyond, grapple with the kinds of religious flare-ups that popped up
> so often in 2006.
>
* Read the full article at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/297855_robert30.html

Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai

This lavish luxury hotel of 202 suites is an architectural marval, designed to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. It opened in Dec '99 as the World Tallest Hotel (at 321 meters or 1053 ft) and has been a controversial project. It includes 3 restaurants, an enormous atrium, a helicopter landing pad and gold-plated furniture with rooms starting at $900 USD. 22-carrat gold leaf and marble are also part of its construction. It also sits on its own artificial island. Just to go inside and take a tour is 40 Euros (about $50 bucks). I'll see the outside and save my money on a desert tour and camel ride instead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_al-Arab

In Dubai

I am currently in Dubai, UAE in the middle east, at my friend Renee's Private International American school. I arrived at 2am this morning with no problems, flying from Skopje with a stopover in Istanbul. I'm at the school library and they are playing "The Nutcracker" music. This is such a strange and wonderful place, Dubai is a modern, multi-cultural, unique city with massive growth, commercialism, and attracts a lot of international business. It has amazing buildings, signs in Arabic and English as well as different ethnicities, with people in western dress intermingled with men wearing white robes with head coverings and sandals. It is "cold" at 60 degrees and winter time. I can't imagine how hot and humid it is in the summer!

I haven't seen much of the city yet, but I will in the next 3 days. Renee has been living and working here for the last 9 years and says there has been a lot of recent growth. More than 70% of the population is made up of foreigners and ex-pats (although the number of Americans is about 1% of that).

Renne's apartment is beautiful, right in the center of downtown and has a swimming pool. I have discovered that there is Starbucks here (as well as Seattle's Best!) and I can't wait to eat some Middle Eastern Food.

After school today Renne will take me around and give me a tour. I'm especially looking forward to seeing the world-renown "Burj Al Arab" luxury hotel that is shaped like a billowing sail and is an amazing architectural accomplishment. Also I'm hoping to take a desert tour which will include a 4 X 4 dune drive and a camel ride!

On Saturday the 23rd I fly to Tanzania and take a 1 day safari tour of Ngorongoro Crater and Wildlife Park (with views of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I'll be camping out on Christmas Eve and the next day fly to Dar es Salaam to meet my friend Maki with two of her Japanese friends. We will rent a car (safer than the bus) and go to a small village near Songea, passing thru Mikumi National Park to get there. We will also spend a few days visiting the touristy island of Zanzibar.

I arrive in Seattle on Jan 8th and will be in town until Jan 17th, with my sister's wedding on the 14th. It will be an exciting and busy time.

I don't expect to have internet access while I'm in Tanzania and don't know when I'll be back online.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Chreken Bozheek and Happy New Year!

Another Great Travel Opportunity

January 14th is my sister Heidi's wedding to my future brother-in-law Rick. I am excited to be the maid of honor. So, naturally, I have been planning a trip back to Seattle at that time.

Then, about two months ago, my friend Maki (from Japan & came to visit me with my sister last Spring) called me up and told me she is going to Tanzania in December with some friends and would I like to come along?

Would I?

This is a dream come true for many reasons. Not only have I never been to Africa, but it is the last of the 7 continents for me to visit! I am incredibly grateful and blessed to have been so fortunate with opportunities to travel the world, it has always been a lifelong goal to visit all 7 continents. It's also been a dream of mine to see Mt. Kilimanjaro. I also plan to take a safari of the Ngorongoro crater (a World Heritage site), where I'll get to see all the typical wildlife in their natural state.

A couple of weeks later, while investigating airfair costs and itineraries I happened to notice that many European flights to Tanzania have a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in the middle east.

...and it just so happens that I have a friend Renee (an American ex-pat) who lives there, teaching at a highschool.

So, now that I have managed my itinerary, budget and flight details I can announce my next adventure!

Starting Dec 19th I leave Macedonia for Dubai, spend 3 days there, then fly to Tanzania, take a 1 day camping tour of Ngorongoro, fly to Dar es Salaam on Christmas day, meet Maki and her friends, travel to another safari site, visit a village school and Zanzibar island with a total of 2 weeks in Tanzania. On Jan 7th I fly to Seattle, the wedding is on the 14th and I return to Macedonia on the 18th after 10 days home.

It's going to be a real whirlwind experience I have no doubt.

So let the adventure begin!

Kitten Caboodle!

I don't remember if I said this or not, but my kitten Miloyka was adopted by the PCV couple who took care of her while I was on med evac status this summer. They fell in love with her and asked if they could keep her. It was a tough decision but I decided to let them keep her. Besides, I have a cat back in America anyways. That was back in August. So once again I was living solo without a "roommate" this fall.

But I have a soft spot in my heart for animals and Macedonia has plenty of stray animals to go around. So, about a month ago after returning from a weekend in Skopje I discovered a little kitten crying in the hallway of my apartment building. This is not the first time that this is happened, so I did what I normally do and gave it a bowl of milk. This kitten didn't act afraid of me, as most other stray animals do. She was very affectionate and purring all over the place and...

Well. You know the rest. I now have another kitten as a "roommate".

Her name is Mila, which means "dear" in Macedonian. Don't be fooled by her adorable looks, she really is quite a rascal and gets into more trouble than Miloyka did.

However, it is nice to have some company around the apartment, especially now that winter is here and it gets pretty cold at night, so I have something warm and fuzzy to snuggle with now.

Mila 


Mila, the "Angel" 


The Rascal 


Mila's favorite place 

Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving 


Thanksgiving dinner is a big celebration in Macedonia where all PC volunteers and the new trainees attend along with their host family members. We must have had about 300 people there. Turkeys are ordered, everyone brings food, and an entertaining program follows dinner. This year, due to the large size of attendees, was held at a Veles hotel instead of at a local restaurant. I believe 17 turkeys were consumed. I made a Jello salad topped with whipped cream (I had brought Jello back with me when I was in the states this summer). The Macedonians didn’t know what it was and asked me if it was sweet or salty. They must have liked it because it was all eaten up. In fact, all the food was consumed. Dinner was served buffet style. I made sure that I got a little turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and desert. It was delicious! After dinner all the training groups put on skits or songs, one group even did a fashion show of traditional Thanksgiving dress including an American Indian and a Puritan Pilgrim. It was really funny! That weekend Shauna and I went to visit our host families. One sunny afternoon we got together with our host family children and went on a walk in the nearby hills.

The Turkey 


The Dinner Dash 


The Dinner 


Yum! 


Host Family Members 

The Roman Aqueduct near Skopje

I went to Skopje to visit PCV friends Noell and Anya in November and we went to a cool historical site nearby. It is called the Roman Aqueduct. No one knows how old it is, some say it goes back to Roman times and it is believed to have been used in the 16th century by the Turks (perhaps to fill their baths?). It is possible that this one was built on the ruins of a Roman aqueduct, hence the name. Unfortunately there is little being done to protect it, although a small portion has been renovated.

Roman Aqueduct 


The Aqueduct 


Noell & I 


Anya & I  

The 2nd Annual Field Day Extravaganza!

October 21st was the 2nd annual Field Day of all PC volunteers in Macedonia. This tradition began last year by the Mac 9’s and now it was Mac 10’s turn to try to do as good a job, if not better than the previous group. This is a project that I headed up with an organizing committee of about 10 other PCVs. However, because I was the closest to the location (Prevalec) and because I was the head of the committee, yours truly ended up doing a lot of the work! There were games to organize, budgeting to sort out, awards, lunch items to decide on, T-shirts to design, supplies to collect and purchase and lots of logistics! We had the fortune to use last years’ event to base our plans off of and improving on. So this year was quite a success and a lot of fun for everyone. At the time we had almost 100 PCVs in country (Mac 9’s are in the process of finishing their service and returning to the US and the new group, Mac 11, is an unusually large 49 trainees!) We had about 80 people in attendance and 60 of them were participating with about 10 people running the games. There was a potato sack race, tug of war, egg-toss, steal the bottle, 3-legged race, shoe kick, egg-spoon relay, limbo and a potato chip eating contest. I hope this tradition continues as long as Peace Corps exists in Macedonia. It is the only official volunteer event that is purely for fun and socializing amongst the volunteers and it is a chance for the current volunteers to meet the new group of trainees and often the last time that the “old group” get to hang out before the end of their service. We were also fortunate to have good weather and lots of helping hands to make the day a lot of fun and well worth the hard work!

A Great Line Up 


Tug-of-War 


Potato Sack Race 


Lunch Time 


3-legged race 


Eating Contest 


My PC Training Put to Good Use 

Work? What work?

I realized that I never mention my work on this blog, just about my travels, discoveries inside fruit and special events like holidays.

Well, I actually do work. I go to school 5 days a week and work with the local Macedonian teachers teaching English. This year I loathe my schedule because classes start at 7:30am everyday (except Mondays, which are at 9am). Ugh. There are three English teachers that I work with, following around and going to class with them. All the teachers in Macedonia use the same book, "Dream Team" and all the kids here learn British English (also, all the teachers have British accents, which was weird for me to get used to at first). During the lesson, from time to time I am able to teach part of the lesson, or add to it if I have personal experience. For example, yesterday the lesson was about London, so I shared a little bit about my being a tourist there in the past. One time last year there was a lesson about Australia and I brought in some Aboriginal music for the kids to listen to, which they loved. Sometimes I do the reading so kids can hear a native speaker. Sometimes the teachers are absent so I teach alone, which is, at times, nice because then I get to do my own stuff and make the lesson a bit more interesting. "Dream Team" is a fine book except the kids need more practice speaking English and learning grammar.

So I am at school about 25 hours a week in the classroom (which is a full teaching load in Macedonia) and then I have my afterschool English club. All the kids are welcome, but there are often just a small core group of about 8 girls who attend. We meet twice a week for an hour at a time and we play games, read books and sometimes listen to music, which gives them a chance to practice their English. I also have some crossword puzzles that the kids can also color, which are a real hit.

In addition, I just started up a Club GLOW at the local highschool. This is a club that is based directly from the girl's summer camp I worked at this summer. We just had our first meeting and we will meet once a week for an hour and learn about topics similar to camp like leadership, health, environmental issues, self esteem, etc. Think of it sort of like Girl Scouts. I never thought that I would enjoy working with highschool students, but I really love these girls, they are so much fun to work with.

Now if that wasn't enough, I also have lots of projects that I work on. I'm very involved with Peace Corps activities and I attend meetings often, and go to the PC office in Skopje about twice a month. The following are projects that I have worked on in the past or ones I'm working on now:

Member of VAC (Volunteer Action Committee), think Student Council
Head of the planning commitee for Field Day (last weekend, more on that later)
Coordinator for the National Essay Contest in English, including holding essay writing workshops at my school and the nearby highschool.
Member of TIP commitee (Human Trafficking, a big problem in Macedonia)
Working on getting the PC traveling photo exhibit to come to Kochani (next month)
Moderator of English Teaching Listserv for PCV's and Macedonian Teachers
Co-editor of "Pauza" the Macedonian PCV magazine
Writing supplemental curriculum (grammar focused) for "Dream Team" and having it available on the listserv (in the future will add it to the Resource room at the PC office)
Working on getting English books donated to my school.

In addition, I started attending the local Methodist church in town. It is very small, many people are surprised to learn that one exits here. The other interesting thing is that all of the members are Roma, there are no Macedonians that go. But just like Macedonians they are very friendly and welcoming. The second time I attended the minister asked me if I would teach the congregation English after the service. I was hestitant to agree (everyone heard the conversation), but I'll give it a try and see how it goes.

Lastly, I also hope to start a class to teach the teachers at my school English, as many have expressed a real desire to learn. So, if I can sort it out in my busy schedule that is also another secondary project I hope to start up this fall.

So, I guess I had more to say about work than I had thought!

Stay tuned for pics and info about the 2nd annual Field Day event that was last weekend.

Baths & Buildings in Budapest

“I’m on vacation” became the theme of our trip, whenever my PCV friend Stuart and I would question whether or not to splurge for desert, sleep in or have to exchange money with a lousy rate. (It also became humorous trying to convert in four different currencies; Euros, Hungarian forint, Bulgarian lev and Macedonian denars)

Budapest is an incredible city and for some reason I didn’t expect it to be crawling with tourists, although I can understand why. This beautiful and ancient city was once actually three cities divided by the picturesque river of Danube; Buda, on the west, O’buda in the north and Pest on the eastern side of the river. There are still Roman ruins nearby, although I didn’t have time to check them out myself. I did however enjoy seeing the very old buildings from the earl 1900’s on the Buda side of the river, including the medieval castle and Independence monument, with amazing views of the city, the Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church and of course, relaxing in the fantastic Turkish Baths which are a true highlight of this wonderful city.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Budapest is such a great place (some say it’s better than Prague, although I haven’t been there myself yet to say if I agree or not). However, with a mix of old and new, fantastic views and really cool architecture and beautiful buildings, there’s a lot to see and do. It’s also a huge city that Stuart and I ended up spending much time just walking around, especially up and down the river and across several of its picturesque bridges.

The original purpose of the trip was because my friend and fellow PCV Sara is running in the Annual Budapest Marathon and we were going to be her personal cheering squad. But unfortunately, due to an outbreak of violent protests two weeks prior, the Marathon was postponed until later. The protests were a reaction of Hungary's prime minister admitting he and other officials had lied about the economy. It was a tough decision, but I decided to stick with our original plan of going last weekend, especially due to the fact that I’d already booked my flights out of Sofia, Bulgaria and hostel reservation (Sara will go to Budapest with her visiting family two weeks later). I was concerned that the protests might flare up again and make it difficult to get around the city; however we swung by the mammoth parliament building on the last day and found it to be very mellow and peaceful.

Three days ended up not being enough time to see and do all that I’d wanted, but I enjoyed visiting the city and seeing all that I did. And who knows? Perhaps I’ll be fortunate enough to return for another visit after I finish my Peace Corps service next year. I wish I could have had more time there; a longer vacation. But isn’t that often the case when it comes to vacations?

Budapest Photos

Parliament building 


Hungarian Dolls 


Matthias Church 


View of Budapest from Castle Hill 


Gate at Castle Hill 


Church and Park 


Chain Bridge 


Basilica St. Stephen 


Inside St. Stephen Church 


Fishermans Bastion with Matthias Church  


Colorful Buildings 


Szechenyi Bath (by belgianchocolate at www.virtualtourist.com)