Weekend Recap

John came to visit me this past weekend. We had a grand ole time! Saturday we went to the Spy Museum. Saturday night we went downtown for dinner at a nice little Italian place, then on to the Mad Hatter. It was a fun night! Sunday we went to Georgetown then went to the movies. Monday we visited Ole Town Alexandria, then I took him to the airport & said goodbye. We saw a lot of things and had great fun, I wish the weekend had lasted longer.

As for my classes, they are going fine. I have a total of 27 students divided into four classes. It's hard to believe my first assignment is almost over! It ends a week from this Thursday. I will then fly out Friday to attend Tonya's wedding in ATL! When I return, I have Monday off (yah for Columbus Day & school is out), and then I start at my second school.

I hope everyone is well in the lovely Magic City!

Here's a picture from the weekend!

Arlington National Cemetary

I decided to hop on the Metro this afternon & venture out to Arlington Cemetary. From the second you enter the gates you know you are somewhere sacred. They have little white tombstones everywhere. I always thought they were just unmarked, but they have the names and dates on them of the fallen solider. Some even have the names of their wives on the back. It was a very touching experience. You could tell everyone walked through it the same way I was - in awe - in silence. I got to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider just in time for the changing of the guards. That was so interesting to see! Everyone was seated on the steps in utter silence. Even when the change had taken place and the new solider was marching in front, people started to whisper, talk, and he turned directly towards us and said "Please keep silent in memory of those who have fought for our country." It caught everyone's attention & everyone shut up. It was a beautiful day to go out there. It was a moving experience. For those of you who love wiki facts - here's a quick link to learn more about ANC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_National_Cemetary



The view from the top!


The Tomb of the Unknown Solider.


Changing of the guards @ the Tomb of the Unknowns.

JFK's grave.


Jackie O's gravesite, buried by JFK. Eternal flame burning.

6am on a Saturday! Ugggg!

My alarm came early today! 6:05am on a SATURDAY! Yes, I have a four hour class on Saturdays - the good thing is it only meets three times & it's done! Today was my first "real" class. I had seven students - six boys and one girl. As I went around the room asking them all why they were taking Readak they all said the same thing, "My parents are making me." They loved being in class at 8am on a Saturday, let me tell you. Anyway, it did go by very quickly and they were all very receptive. They are sweethearts - they all mentioned they are excited to take this & hope it helps them. It touched my heart. I know that sounds silly, but I never imagined being a teacher before. It is great to know I could actually help these kids be better students. Also, it's still sooooo odd to hear them call me "Miss Hartman."

I know some of you want pictures of me lounging in the teacher's lounge - consider it in the works. I may see what I can do. :)

I am going to attempt a walking tour of the city tomorrow. I say "attempt" because my car's stupid check engine light came on. We'll see how far I can get.

That's all I got. Good night!

Old Town Alexandria

Wednesday my bossman, Gerry, came in from Boston to check in on me & the school I am at now. He took me to Old Town Alexandria to eat. I LOVED Old Town! It was beautiful. We walked down the same cobblestone roads that George Washington & Robert E. Lee skipped down. For all of those waiting for my wikipedia facts, you'll find a picture of a sign that tells of the history of Old Town. Enjoy.


Look who was in Alexandria!


And look who else!

Loungin' in the Teacher's Lounge

While in school, I always wondered what teachers talked about in the teacher's lounge. I mean, what did they do in there? Well, now I know. They talk about students! LOL... I've been camping out in the teacher's lounge this week. I've been doing mini-presentations in classes trying to recruit kids. High school students can be such smart a$$es. One kid, man, I wanted to slap him. Anyway, it's been a busy week. Kelly's apartment is without internet for the time being, so I thought I'd use my "school time" to update this. My first class is tomorrow. Four LONG hours. I have seven kids in there. We'll see how excited they are to get up on a Saturday to come to an 8am-12pm class. :) The weather here is great! I've been running and it's nice to not run in hot, hummid weather. The highest it's been was 78 degrees. I may go to a museum this weekend and go to a cookout. I hope Bham is lovely and I hope you are all well! xoxo!

The First Day @ School

My first day had a rocky start. Talk about BAD first impression. I get there early - of course- and am scheduled to meet Tom (my contact & the assistant principal) at 7:30am. They page him. He finally comes running in at 7:50am & yells "Who paged me?? What's so important?" The secretary says, "The Readak girl is here," and points to me. I wave & say hi, he then says, "That is NOT important and it's the least of my concerns right now!" They all look at me & sigh. Ugg... what a jerk. He then comes back 10 min later, smiling, laughing and I go back to his office & we talk. He reminds me of the gay guy from Will & Grace. He's real bubbly and maybe, early 30s. So...yah...that was my first day. I hung up posters promoting the program, met some of the 80+ teachers, tried to remember their names, got a lot of paperwork done, and even ate a canolli that an old student brought in to the office staff. :) It's so weird to be back in a school. From the second I walked in, that smell of the school halls, oh my, it was overwhelming. It took me back to high school. I never thought of being a teacher. I actually think this may be fun. My first class is Saturday from 8am-12pm. My day got off to a rocky start, but I think I'll survive.

The Capitol City

I'm here! Aftering driving 9 hours from Boston to DC on Friday, I arrived safe & tired. The weather in Boxborough, MA was 62 degrees when I left and 97 degrees when I arrived in DC. Talk about a huge change! I miss the cooler weather. By the way, I hate, hate, HATE Garmin for taking me through the Bronx on my way here. Not a good idea and not fun. It gives me something to look forward to on my way to Long Island in November *touch of sarcasm* Anyway, so I met my new roommate, Kelly, on Saturday. She is truly fabulous! *Thanks again, Lauren!* She took me out with her friends on Saturday night & I had a great time. Her friends are great - so friendly and they loved my accent. I never knew I had a Southern accent until I went to Boston. I just thought people here in VA would sound somewhat Southern too, but nope. I stick out like a sore thumb. We went out in Arlington to watch the Ohio State/USC game. It was a fun night! My first day at Paul VI Catholic School is tomorrow. I already scoped out the area and it's only 15 min from here. I'm not nervous now, but ask me tomorrow at 7am. I have to be there at 7:45am. My day will last until 3pm, then I have a seminar tomorrow night. It'll be a long day. I hope my other friends traveling made it safely to their respective places (Halifax, Houston, Tyler & San Jose). Tomorrow is the start of a quick month. Gerry (boss man) promised us this time would fly by. We'll see. I hope everyone back home is great! I miss you all!

Razzy's!

We went out last night for Allison's birthday. We were in a nice little area of Boston called Sommerville. It's just a few minutes outside the city & cute. We went to Razzy's and that's exactly what it was: Razzy! It was a karaoke bar. HER idea, not mine. I did "razzle" the crowd with my performance of "Bad Medicine." Had a few high fives after it - I think I fit right in with the Boston crowd & karaoke here. These pictures are of our night. These are the first you'll see of my roommate, Taylor, and the other girls. It was a fun fun night!

I am actually leaving for Fairfax, VA tomorrow. I am not sure when I'll get to update this again ... but I will be staying with Kelly (Lauren's kind & generous friend) starting on Saturday until first week of November. She seems so fun and I'm very excited to meet her!

Me, Ali, Taylor & Allison.


Me & Taylor

Sweet, Sweet Massachusetts!

It's hard to believe my time here is almost over. I remember driving in on that night, scared to death and anxious. I've made some great friends here & I'm excited to see where the year takes us all. I am so excited & so ready to get to DC! I love that area and think this will be a fun two months. Thanks to my pal in Birmingham, Lauren, I may have found housing with a friend of hers. I hope it works out because she lives right in the middle of the two schools where I'll be teaching.

Every day we seem to learn more and more about what the year holds for us. We got to make a "wish list" today of places we hope to visit/see. I mentioned just about every country I could think of :) I did sorta find out if I don't get picked for the three month Australia bit then I'll get to go to Barbados. Not a bad trade off, huh? They are also working on getting a school in Indonesia. Yes, near Bali! I instantly thought of Eat, Pray, Love. They mentioned the first FOURTEEN assignments next year are in the Caribbean. If things go well this year, I may do a half of a year next year to just take advantage of that!

I have enjoyed Acton, MA and the Boston area tremendously. I could seriously see myself living in Boston one day. I absolutely love it. I had dinner with my good pal, Omar, and his wife Saturday night. They live in a great part of Boston - the South End - LOVED IT. Harvard Square is unreal. Charles River is amazing. I just can't describe in words how much I love Boston. For those of you who have been here, you know. It's one of the only places I've been where it does feel like home. It is a comfortable city.

This final week will consist of one final presentation (tomorrow), Wed night we're going to celebrate Allison's 23rd birthday in Boston doing one of my favorite pastimes ... karaoke! Thursday we only come in for two hours to finalize things, then we have our farewell dinner that night. Friday I will be off to Fairfax!

I hope you are all well! I miss your smiling faces & your laughter ... hopefully I'll see some of you real soon.

So MUCH love!
AC

Back to DC & NYC!

I found out my first THREE assignments today. I leave Sept 12th for Arlington, VA. I will be there for four weeks. I will then scoot over to Fairfax, VA for my second assignment. I will be there until November 7th (*day before my bday*) then onto Long Island, NY. I am very excited! I visited DC on my way up to Boston & loved loved LOVED it! I'm excited that I'll be there during the Presidential election and be in NYC for Christmas. I should finish up the Long Island assignment on December 13th & return to AL soon after for a few weeks.


Also, a fun & VERY exciting side note: Feb-May there will be three of us who are lucky to get to go to Australia. THREE MONTHS IN THE LAND DOWN UNDER! I mention it every chance I get, "Hey, I'm fluent in Australian," "I love to put skrimps on the barbie," "Hey, mate!" Gerry just rolls his eyes now. Given that there are five of us and two have been to Australia already, I have a huge chance! Also, I'd get 2 weeks off between the 2nd and 3rd assignment there. Talk about awesome! I would possibly get to see New Zealand & the French Polynesian islands (my dream). I feel so lucky to have this opportunity!

Drum Roll Please...

Ok, geez, I almost forgot! My options for round 1. I found them out last Friday & I got to choose where I wanted to go - but we won't see if we got our choices until this Friday. Here they are:

Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)
San Jose, CA
Fairfax, VA
Tyler, TX
Houston, TX

Round 2 options:
North Andover, MA
Arlington, VA
Oak Park, IL (Chicago)
Hendersonville, TN (I won't get this one)
Viva Las Vegas!
Nicaragua

First of all, there are two returning teachers from last year. One has already chosen the Vegas school & the other choose the Nicaragua schools (2). I choose San Jose first round because my good friends, Amber & Jason are there & choose Halifax as a 2nd choice. I mean, when would I ever get to be in Nova Scotia? Since our housing is iffy from place to place, they told us if we know of people we can stay with in any one location, chances are, they'll put us there. I also found out I may not be home for Thanksgiving, which is fine. I'll be home for Christmas for sure. They pay to send me back home no matter where I am - here or in Madagascar.

That's all I have now. I find out THIS Friday where I'm going. I'm nervous, but wherever I go, I should be fine!

Welcome to Boxborough, MA

Some of you have asked for more pictures of where I am living. This place is beatuiful. I have grown quite fond of it. The smell of the air is just lovely - it's this crisp, fresh smell that is like nothing else. It actually reminds of me of the way the air smells in Montana. Anyway...this is the area I have found to run in. I love it, wildflowers everywhere. :)

The Big Delicious

I left Boston on Friday for a weekend in NYC. I went to visit a friend of mine from Birmingham, Jason. What an experience it was for me to get there - I had to take 1 train, 2 subway trains, and the bus. I did the ultimate touristy thing - took a double decker bus around the city to see the sights. I actually saw everything I wanted to in two days on that bus. I can't describe how overwhelmed I was with the city. It was HUGE. Unreal. Enormous. I was very intimidated. I've seen a lot of different cities, but this one, this one was the biggest of the big. I loved Central Park. I stayed there both days and just about walked the entirity of it. Favorites of the Park were: Strawberry Field, Boat House & just the main mall area. My favorite NYC moment was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Pete & I did it! It was amazing to walk half way and turn around & see this huge city skyline behind you. It was unreal. We got to the Brooklyn side & we were going to eat some pizza at his favorite place, but it was a 2 hour wait! We opted for ice cream instead :) That night hung out in the East Village & went to some dive bar and then karaoke! And yes, people go crazy for Journey there as they do in Bham. It made me laugh pretty hard. After karaoke we made a stop for Belgium fries. YUMMY! Sunday I went to Serendipity (walked there on my own!). Jason had a little Labor Day party at his place that night & I got to meet a lot of his Cornell pals. They all were so nice! I had a lovely time in the Big Apple & hope to return again soon when I have more time to see other areas. Most of my pics below have little captions. I hope you all had a fun and safe Labor Day weekend!
love!!
AC



Yep. I went. Wait for party of 2: an hour and a half. Wait for party of 1: seated immediately! One of the only perks of sightseeing on your own :)

And this is the $15 piece of heaven I got. It was my lunch. What! I was on vacation! I wish I could have taken pictures of all the little kids in there -when their treats came their faces just lit up. It was a fun time.


Central Park (again).

NYC people LOVE to karaoke. That's the only thing we found in common. Believe it or not, we were singing my favorite Journey song.

Brooklyn Bridge.

The Brooklyn Bridge. Pete & I walked across the entire bridge. At the end, on the Brooklyn side are some amazing spots! It's a great view for the other end as well. It was my favorite New York memory.

Best pizza in NYC has a 2 hour wait out the door. It's on the Brooklyn side of the Bridge. I smelt it, but didn't eat it. One word: HEAVEN!

Quiz Time! Can anyone guess what famous man was shot in front of this building - on his way home? It's the Dakota Apartments. I must say, I look too excited to be there considering the history. The security guard yelled at me the second I jumped. By the way, the answer ... John Lennon.



Strawberry Fields in Central Park dedicated to John Lennon. Yoko donated $1 mil after his death to have this area in the Park for him. People lay flowers down everyday here. If you look close enough the word "Imagine" is in the middle. It's quite a sight to see. Very beautiful.

Boat House Cafe. Central Park. I had lunch here & it was one of the most beautiful places in the Park.

Pete, me, & Jason @ Belvedere Castle in the Park.

Central Park. Again.

One of my favorite areas in the Park. Look at the people in the pond canoeing. I loved it!

Central Park. Bike taxis & carriage rides.

Financial District. Ride 'em, cowboy!

Times Square. I got out of this place quick. Too much going on - a nightmare for someone with ADHD.


Somewhere near Canal Street.


Empire State Bldg.