Wanderlust

I am overwhelmed at the thought of reflecting on all that has happened since my last blog post... over 3 weeks of school & 2 adventurous trips, I will attempt to recap...

I am beginning to feel more settled and comfortable at BBIS; both with the staff and my students. I was away last Thursday and Friday (more on that later...) and actually missed them! I think both my students and myself are finding that we are more deeply bonded than originally expected. I remember (very recently) still sitting on the question of, "how do I connect?" I am relieved to announce it has finally happened, as there is nothing I value more in my work than my ability to read my kids.

My week-long Autumn break took me to Moldova, where I was greeted at the airport by a favourite familiar face! We hopped into a rutiera (bus), and made our way to the capital of Chisinau. We cracked a beer, told endless stories, and enjoyed the fact that our trip had started. Over the course of the week, we traveled into Drew's village for a delicious, traditional meal prepared by his host mom, watched in awe of Drew's finesse of another language, met other PCV's and Drew's local friends, crossed over the Ukrainian border into Odesa, back packed the roads of Moldova to get a feel for what was there, and spent lots of time on the road in between! Drew was patient with me when I didn't understand, and took great care in explaining as I inquired about my surroundings.

It was bittersweet to visit with Drew, as it stirs about the emotions we have as expats. It took me a few days to re-adjust back in Berlin; only a few days is all I had. Just 4 days after returning from Drew, I skipped back East again to Istanbul, Turkey for an ASCD "conference." I now fully understand the theory of "working" on the golf course! Karen and I were arranged for, and fully taken care of in terms of hotel, money, and transportation. Our trip included, (but was not limited to!)... yacht cruise along the Bosphorus (the river Istanbul straddles); The Blue Mosque in head dress; Dolmabace (palace); the men's bathroom (on accident!); great company of Karen and international colleagues; bargaining with the locals over jewelry, tapestries, & linens; kebaps; cheeky Turkish thieves and shoe shining; pro-gro opportunities; Efes beer on the roof overlooking the Bosphorus; laughter over how (un)cultured I am, and the realization that... the more I travel, the less I know!

All is well here. I will attempt pics at a later date, as they seem to take 'til Christmas to post, in which case, I will be home with you to narrate with a glass of red!
In the words of AM…

my best,
kate xo