tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87103507078414297362024-03-13T11:28:47.829-04:00Kaulbach's Modern Worldmusings on education, life abroad & adventurewhitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-9649129479384268202020-07-28T07:18:00.000-04:002020-07-28T07:19:05.280-04:00Running as a woman in the world: Saudi ArabiaFor the last two years I have been living, working and running in Saudi
Arabia. I first learned to quiet my voice and then I gained my confidence back. Now it is time to share.
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-10867795136339501082019-07-22T10:29:00.003-04:002020-07-28T05:42:22.912-04:00Saudi Running. As a womanWhat a great summer! We left Switzerland, headed to our home in Vermont to get organized, get fit, soak in the family and friend time. And already its time to head back to living in Saudi.<br />
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I will be ready to head back after a few more walks through Vermont meadows and a few more adventures. As I plan to hit the races and miles again, I thought I would write about my running.<br />
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here's my link to my latest post using Adobe Sparks. https://spark.adobe.com/page/o8L3c3dj8Q2pU/<br />
<br />whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-9429109907005052152019-05-28T07:23:00.000-04:002020-07-28T07:37:11.754-04:00Coaching & Running in SaudiSpring of 2019 I published this post. I only recently migrated to Blogger. I
feel that it is not to late to add this back into my collection of stories:
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-75815810759550161512018-06-28T07:30:00.000-04:002020-07-28T07:37:54.136-04:00Howdi Saudi: A Leap of Faith<script id="asp-embed-script" data-zindex="1000000" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="https://spark.adobe.com/page-embed.js"></script><a class="asp-embed-link" href="https://spark.adobe.com/page/fUplpfCHbpTrX/" target="_blank"><img src="https://spark.adobe.com/page/fUplpfCHbpTrX/embed.jpg?buster=1595935709079" alt="Leap of Faith" style="width:100%" border="0" /></a>whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-15781789752801374852017-10-17T09:16:00.000-04:002020-07-28T07:40:02.700-04:00Hero's Journey. Presenting Game Based Learning at Tri Am Conference, Costa Rica (2017)Long ago, my husband and I found each other because we love stories that celebrate the individual, who has lost something of value. Striving against the odds, against the enemy the hero discovers powers along the way, creates alliances and return from an unordinary place, reflective and changed. What was lost is found with so much more. Why can't education be this sort of revelation?<br />
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For anyone who loves some or all of this story frame, we presented an open invitation to our game construct at the Tri-Association in Costa Rica. We whittled it down from a passion project into a presentation for any educator of any content in any subject area. <b>A Hero's Journey, Promoting Global Game Collaboration</b> involves a simple notion; students gain contextual knowledge within the construct of a story. The game becomes an incentive or reward for classroom learning. Unlocking levels of classroom content through a series of<span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">puzzles</span><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">locks. </span><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The backstory is the hero's journey, the content is the teacher's, the enthusiasm comes from the students. Why does this work? </span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">people like rewards. They take them when they are earned.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">P</span><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">uzzles engage students in content and problem solving, </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Locks allow students to leave the puzzle and move onto another level of learning. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Portals or links to communities with answers or social gathering are useful to problem-solving. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most English teachers I talk to have a lesson on the hero's journey as a genre or a construct. We all teach the same concepts of this narrative. If we could move beyond the</span> physical space of a classroom with digital platforms to provide asynchronous and synchronous opportunities for students to engage with the construct we are sharing a message with students that we are not alone in our learning.<br />
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Ideologically, social media gaming caused us to wonder how we could bring that communication into differentiated levels of classroom learning. What if we could embed opportunities for students in other countries to offer their own thoughts as they engage in asynchronous lessons divided by puzzles and locks? What if, collaboration unlocked solutions to puzzles? I've observed students reaching out to broad communities for AP test answers and biology outlines, Wikipedia and Goodreads. Why not do it for fun with another classroom?<br />
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We structure our lesson around BreakoutEdu, a company that promotes learning as a series of puzzles and locks by providing the educator with the lockboxes, the variety of locks both in physical and digital form and game ideas created by educators. The locks can be reset with a scrambled number or letter code, keys, directionals, color patterns etc. The educator decides what to unlock. We discovered that in game design, puzzles should be composed of two types of content.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Text, specific to a field of study and </li>
<li>technical text redundant to any field of knowledge. </li>
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For example, a <b>quest for truth</b> can be built into any field of study. Exploring debatable issues, unsolved problems, or questions difficult to answer is a goal. Framing that as a call to adventure is a level of learning.<br />
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We discovered with game creation how to involve other communities and keep rules simple. Rules must be flexible for global educators to build into their own class routines and content. Time zones, sudden disruptions, and school events make finding common meeting time between school communities difficult. Acknowledging asynchronous learning, accepting that each school might need to minimize game involvement and brainstorming when to connect, helps secure student global video chats that have many positive repercussions: <br />
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<ul>
<li>Mentor guidance- we created the first puzzles to establish the teacher as a guardian, allowing the teacher to determine how to move through stages of learning until they reach the need for an alliance, a question to solve. </li>
<li>The alliance is a digital portal in the form of video chat. Time zones are aligned, chat links are posted and students exchange questions and answers relevant to the game, but have time allowed for random chatter as well. Students, well versed in social media could carry this relationship, or not into other social forms such as Instagram Snapchat etc. </li>
<li>synchronous portals are classroom incentives. Someone teaching chemistry could decide to post a content question to their class but give the answer to the cooperating community without being completely invested in the game. The exchange of information can be useful even if it isn't literature students on the hero's journey can If getting the answer means performing a random task, say- a TikTok dance or cleaning the classroom etc. in order to receive the chat link, and that answer, you've just added a fun factor to learning</li>
<li>Reckoning- the last few puzzles are meant for one classroom only. It establishes the end of the journey.</li>
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The hero's journey as a metaphor for learning, is not complete without an epic battle, elixirs and atonement. In any field of study, elixirs can be metaphors for truth while atonement, an ethical dilemma. Teachers who are allowed to control this aspect of the construct have more control in the design of the learning environment. Do you remember that the hero's journey is wrapped in a quest? A quest revolves around something lost being found again by the individual student. In our game, the thing that is lost is a memory. Our backstory: an evil duo, Radix and Circe, have worked to destroy core memories of who are the heroes of fiction. A world without heroes is a world with subjugation. We embed readings and debates on a variety of topics: Nobel Prize winners, DC vs. Marvel, the dilemma of rewriting stories, tearing down statues etc. We incentivized the discussions with rap battles, dance battles, things that students wanted. The elixir was truth and atonement involved shared writings from the students.<br />
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The final reveal, the discovery of the stolen memory. Our English department, invited parents, former teachers, mentors, or friends to supply at least one letter defining truth & a personal memory about each individual student. Text messages, letters, Facebook messages, emails were organized into a spreadsheet. These were gathered without student knowledge, printed on paper, and locked in a final lockbox hidden on campus. Every single student has a core memory in the box. When it was revealed the shock on student's faces is of pure joy. We were able to demonstrate this at the Tri-Association. Over the course of the week, my husband and I were able to gather a few text messages for those attendees who had committed to our presentation. We were able to designate one educator the secret keeper who distributed the surprise memories. Reading a letter in which someone compliments you about a shared past experience is a true reveal, the final vocabulary term in our game. One educator told us, "it is the first time I left a conference crying for joy and feeling like a true hero."<br />
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At the Tri-Association I conferred with educators who agreed that in an era when the instruction can come from multiple sources, when a single learner can move through 9,000 digital swipes, before pausing, you have to ask yourself, what is it that makes learning, an experience worth sharing? The global quest to bring other educators into our "call to adventure" is only just a beginning.<br />
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<br />whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-14548309072617125822017-09-06T14:56:00.004-04:002020-07-28T05:52:46.987-04:00Rhythms Here's a link to my post using Sparks as a new format. I like the composition style more than what I already have.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I usually start my blog with a connection to literature. My recent subscription to the New York Times finally helped me see a connection. An article posted on March 5 outlined our country's administrative ideology towards to immigration</span></div>
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<span class="m_-8299697730930927884s1">The Breitbart site often describes an all-encompassing clash between “nationalists” and “globalists.”</span><br />
<span class="m_-8299697730930927884s1">In this worldview, American interests are assumed to be at odds with those of the rest of the world, and immigration is seen as undercutting the national identity — with “globalists” being the enemy within..."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Huh... Being a migrant here in the DR has made me more of an American than I ever cared to be. And travelling to the northern side of this island brought us an opportunity to meet some celebrity migrants that seem to handle their lives as globalists with sophistication. Meet the north Atlantic humpback whales. We are here in a small boat where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean. And this one whale named Jigger has quite a lovely history of showing off for tourists in Samana Bay. </span></span><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kjxpjCAnb6o/WKA8WA9pX-I/AAAAAAAAK-E/SaTF9lKUZnk/s640/blogger-image--1413333428.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kjxpjCAnb6o/WKA8WA9pX-I/AAAAAAAAK-E/SaTF9lKUZnk/s320/blogger-image--1413333428.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">He wasn't alone. Jigger was traveling with a pal whose name I can't recall and neither of them is a first timer here; Jigger gets around. By that I mean he has an identifiable fishhook scar near his right fluke and he has been photographed in the waters off of Greenland and the St. Lawrence down to the Silver Banks of the DR. I think he has been spotted near Europe too because he shows up in the global photo i.d. database that tracks whales and their history of migratory movements over years and years. YoHAH is the host organization working to document and improve the breeding grounds for whales in the waters of Samana and the Silver Bank region. Our boat from Whale Samana (whalesamana.com) under Captain, Kim Beddall is devoted to treating the visit to the water sanctuary with the utmost respect. Her international crew translated our expedition into 4 different languages, explaining how long Jigger would dive, what to expect when he surfaced, how they could predict his behavior based on their years of tracking him. We weren't just sitting in a boat but we were involved in the storytelling of a migratory mammal with an international audience together because we shared common interest. There was nothing negative about this globalist experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The whales were playing. 2 kilometers away we could see more whales breeching. Why do they do this? Maybe because they can? We were a bit early for the viewing of the annual migration and so the females were not around. Captain Kim informed us that males meet, size each other up and decide ahead of time who will play second fiddle during the courting of female whales. They continue on friendships intact, mate and move on. The females birth their calves, and they too will move back along a 1,500 kilometer route.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When Mr. Bannon cites sovereignty — in this case, to increase deportations — he conveys a need to assert control against a vaguely defined enemy.</span><span class="m_-8299697730930927884s1">Breitbart and like-minded websites often describe sovereignty as rooted in the nationalist premise that any nation-state is built around a core cultural identity that it must protect.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Admittedly, the day with Jigger (aka- BCX1188) gave me pause about our own migration. We returned to our gated community to swim in a private cove, to watch the sunset from a private pool and then dined in an open air dining room overlooking Samana Bay with Dominicans who were more interested in baseball games and the championship title than they were with the stars and sky. We are here, living a life anew as courteous guests with certain privileges and certain ideas that separate us from the locals. But we yearn to be integrated. I'm told constantly that it is dangerous for me to run on my own or to leave my compound.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet I see women and children</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">a<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">t</span></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> all times playing in the small towns, out in the parks and along the roads. I struggle to separate my own fears with my suspicions that the class divide and the racial divides might play into this misunderstanding about safety. It's Sunday morning. 7am. I approach the gatekeeper and take a huge breath, "<i>abierto porta, por favor</i>" he looks surprised and lets me go free. I start my sweaty run right down the middle of the road. I'm terrified in my head and my heart races with my exaggerated tempo. I begin recounting my dinner chat with Kata and Marc as I run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">"We are guests but we are also ambassadors. Our struggles, our actions are all watched with interest, admiration, and annoyance."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Sometimes, we inspire small change. Kata struggles to find a true friend since her peers are invested in friendships that began in kindergarten. Unsure of her long-term status here they politely keep a distance. The same kids do, however, notice her when she rides her bike to school and runs faster than any girl her age in gym competitions. They notice her stamina in soccer and her polite reserve in class. Some girls have even started to ask about running and being involved and maybe o</span>wning a bicycle. So maybe she is an ambassador of positive change... a new sovereignty?<br />
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I am running through the hill town of Naranja. women are washing clothes and their kids are swimming in the wash water. Men are already sitting outside their colmados, unabashedly pointing and catcalling or just smiling wide while muttering something about gringas. I wave and make a point at thanking them for the attention with a huge, dopey grin. I ignore them and run with my best, confident posture. I can only go a mile. That ability to be brave and to also be safe while being positive drains me just as much as the humidity does. The male sovereignty, the tradition of men having more freedoms than women seems like a norm worth challenging. Women running publicly should not be a stunt or an abnormality, it should be a norm. I turn and look down at some random pesos left in the road. Pocketing them, I press on back up the hills toward our condo. I happen upon a church service in the tiniest concrete building serving as a church. One man plays music on a keyboard and the priest sings his sermon. The packed congregation sings back, yelling and praising God in a cacophonyy of noise and exhileration. I made a quick assumption that this constant music fills in for hymnals that they might not afford or even be able to read. I walk in, make the sign of the cross and donate my meager pesos. Finishing the run for me is a victory. I've stepped out of my comfort zone, I engaged in dialogues and made myself known, maybe a return here and will be as welcoming as the welcome Jigger receives. And maybe there is a girl along the road side or in a car driving by that says, hey, I want to be a runner too.<br />
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<span class="m_4728521070240365960s1">Last footnote from the NYT- The United States apprehended 415,816 people in the 2016 fiscal year, so hundreds of thousands of people did not just “come in.”</span><span class="m_4728521070240365960s1">Under the country’s visa waiver program, citizens from some 30 countries are allowed to enter the United States without a visa for up to 90 days. Citizens from other countries must apply for a visa and could be rejected; waiting times vary. Refugees who are referred to resettlement in the United States typically wait up to two years.</span></blockquote>
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-67663081523581004812017-02-11T20:49:00.000-05:002020-07-28T05:44:48.202-04:00Restorative Shiva Powers: Expat Retreat<div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">“Sometimes,' she said, 'it takes a woman to bring out the best in a man.” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">― </span><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/133538.Christopher_McDougall" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Christopher McDougall</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">, </span><span id="quote_book_link_6289283" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><a class="authorOrTitle" href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/6473602" style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen</a> (goodreads.com)</span><br />
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Lately, I have been feeling the need to run away. I needed to discover a voice to assure me that running away was not a metaphor for fear but a testament to strength when faced with adversity. From the first page- I was hooked; this idea of being lost in pursuit of a mystic, an aberration and legend drew me in. At different points in my life, I too became lost in big beautiful spaces. <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Caballo Blanco's character,</span> an<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> ultrarunner of Copper Canyon drew me in and reminded me of that yearning to let go of time, place, and politics to focus on one pure thing. When the opportunity arose to join a yoga retreat on a mountain top in el Limon, the Dominican Republic, in a Shiva cave, how could I resist the signs?</span><br />
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Every day here is sort of an ultra marathon; I'm up against my own ineptitude at language, my own impatience and my own atonement for always being so certain in my core values without truly testing them. <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A women's yoga retreat in the mountains of Las Terrenas couldn't have been more apropos. The inauguration of a president and congress so divorced from my realities and my efforts to </span>inact<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> real change made me morose. A cleanse was in tall demand.</span><br />
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<span class="m_-2141103202586882022s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-align: center;">The bus transported us to a nameless dirt road and a hill climb too steep for cars. We walked and turned off our text messaging. This man machete hacked coconuts to quench our thirst and whacked them again in order to scoop out the meat. Our sustenance for the next few hours of our first session in the yoga cave.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"We run when we're scared, we run when we're ecstatic, </i></span></span><span style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>we run away from our problems and run around for a good time." </i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b>McDougall, Born to Run.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">90 steps down a staircase affixed to rock ledge overhanging the Shiva cave. I stepped away from reality. For 2 hours I opened my muscles and mind without distraction. I sweated (<i>yo sudo</i>) and breathed deliberately. We climbed from the cave up to the host's terrace for our meal and then retired once more to the cave for meditation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I tasted a single raisin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Actually, I almost missed the metaphor. Feeling full from the meal I</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> emphatically and carelessly rejected the offer of a raisin. Noting the awkward silence, I grabbed it and popped it quickly into my mouth. Again, a polite silence led me to concur I was still missing the point. The cave was lit against the darkness and all that which hurries and busies itself; I needed to slow down. In a haste to control or correct or check things off a list, we can miss the sweetness of things. A moment spent with a single raisin, placed between the teeth and rolled on the tongue before consumption is added to those I do not rue</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">. Small moments add up. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was dark when we awoke, shuffling out of mosquito netting, migrating to the kitchen for coffee. We held our cups without conversation until the caffeine found its course. Aching from the previous session we warmed up with the sunrise to the notion of the morning challenge. I sat on this wide open veranda thinking about caves and metaphors I was accustomed to. Plato's cave taught me to fear shadows on a wall (ie- Trump election drama on social media). But this Shiva cave was different, open to elements: rainbows and rain and the colors, sounds, and wildlife of Caribean farmland. Hummingbirds and lizards flitted in and out. Turkey vultures rode lazy air currents. </span><span class="m_-2141103202586882022Apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I became distracted not from the practice but from myself. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I found my yoga pose, the headstand that hadn't been there in years. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">And in this moment lay my rogue hope for a better tomorrow.</span><span class="m_-2141103202586882022Apple-converted-space" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> I'm not running away or chasing shadows. I am in this world as I was meant to be.</span><br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qmr1aDBXFrc/WJYvSjrTC3I/AAAAAAAAK18/P2OU6ZVNpBo/s640/blogger-image--1204608045.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qmr1aDBXFrc/WJYvSjrTC3I/AAAAAAAAK18/P2OU6ZVNpBo/s640/blogger-image--1204608045.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">There were may reflective moments shared and in quiet isolation during the weekend at Monte Placido. I read, I took time for some pampering with pedicures and massage. I hitched a ride to town and then ran non-stop past the beaches and coaxing sounds of Dominican pop. I set an intention to run all the way to our hilltop villa without pause despite <i>mi corazon</i> pounding through my chest. </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Unlike Caballo Blanco- I can not retreat for long. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">My daughter had specifically asked me to return with intentions to do my part as a woman and a citizen. Only 12 years old and she worries about the state of the current US government.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> The Million Women march in Washington was taking place so we gathered to send a video prayer and shout out to those activists. Claiming back my right to social media I thought about what could follow. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The stamina, </span>perseverance<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> and patience,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> taught me to love power not to hate it.</span>The cave has taught me to face all elements; this transpired into an idea- what if, a million women marched in August or October of 2020? Why not bring people together before an election instead of after it is too late? We walked out on the same road we came in on. Mary, one of the leaders and organizers has no idea how much this experience has done for me and how I'm already thinking of the future. I have a heart full of intentions on an island with some pretty awesome <i>chicas</i> by my side. I think you are going to see quite a bit of us in action in the months to come. </span></div>
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<br />whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-4712215380760075522016-11-13T15:36:00.001-05:002020-07-28T05:45:25.095-04:00Ex Pat Retreat<div class="m_-5488458769326050926p1" style="background-color: white;">
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Santo Domingo in October. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The mangos are gone but the bananas and lechosa still overflow the bicycle vendor's cart. From watching the custodians at school meticulously carve lechosa into crushed ice and evaporated milk blended into a mid morning treat, I too have something to look forward to in my own morning ritual. My morning has changed slightly. No longer does the drive to awake at 4:30 for a run in the park beckon me. Instead in a Proust moment, the smell of hay gathered from mowed grasses in the Mirador Sur draw me in for the late afternoon. Kata has soccer now so I have an hour alone. The hay is reminiscent of Vermont but new to me is the sound of baseball. the mowed meadows are swarmed by parents and coaches and young men in uniform, cracking their bats and calling plays. It has a rthym? or maybe not but I need to keep listening, watching because I have this need to put that acoustic in my memory. I have yet to go to a game but it will happen.</span></div>
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October weather is still in the 80 temps (F). And it is still an impressive humidity. A river of sweat is now only 2 single<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> trains trickling down my front and my back, pooling in my underwear like a overnight diaper. Advice to savvy travelers is to wear none.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We've been overseas for 3 months now. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our school leadership realized long ago, that this is when begin to lose faith, dwell on homesickness, develop aches and pains. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We are counting our pesos- we are trudging through the end of a quarter of the school year. Some of us are feeling lonely, while other expats are feeling crowded.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GDICNPEkW6w/WB9Kv5gBabI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/B2q02C7pf2sWZKLWfV6OYcmCrPv-zVlOACKgB/s1600/IMG_6446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GDICNPEkW6w/WB9Kv5gBabI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/B2q02C7pf2sWZKLWfV6OYcmCrPv-zVlOACKgB/s200/IMG_6446.JPG" width="150" /></a>A trip was planned for heading to the mountains of Jarabacoa to a ranch- Baiguate. The school chartered a bus and made all arrangements. It was a 2 hour bus trip/ party With a 1/2 way at a lovely brasserie for quipe and coffee and then the slow climb into the mountains. We were at least 3 or 4 degrees cooler at around 520 meters- not enough for a sweater but definitely a long sleeve shirt.</div>
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Kata had visited here with her class a few weeks earlier. She delighted in leading friends ahead of everyone to their sleeping cabins and walking us through the garden to the mess hall. It was dark when we arrived. And the lights of the bar- the sounds of kids running around screaming- it was all inviting. The buffet of fresh vegetables, salad, stew and yucca was heavenly. Weeks of chicken, beans and rice have built a craving in me for endless greens. Kata disappeared into the green space- I realize now that this is what I missed, her running out a door without a guard or chaperone. To be able to come and go, to visit friends whenever and to run freely, I had taken this for granted. </div>
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It rained. So we huddled around the bar and the Cubs game. And these are the sounds that helped me drift off to sleep. Sleep without AC- with cabin windows wide open. </div>
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I awoke, left Kata asleep with a smile and a blanket and orchestrated an early morning run up to the town of Jarabacoa with a group. We tiptoed passed each cabin. Parents had shut their kids out on their decks for extra snatches of sleep. In this 79? degree temp- the kids were contentedly coloring or reading or swinging in hammocks. Some inadvertently undid their parent's intentions by yelling loudly "good morning Whitney!" </div>
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We ran, gasping up a large hill, the first in my three months here. We proceeded pas watercress farms, flower farms, plots devoted to the pungent licorice smells of basil and the sweet smells of sage or mint. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">My inclinations to buy these greens at the grocery store are affirmed. I can't get enough of this.</span></div>
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Jarabacoa is known for its guided canyoning expedition.<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We squeezed into neoprene wet suits that were missing knees and buttocks- much to our dismay and our giggles. Marc's flesh colored shorts did give us reason to laugh. The </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">diesel took us straight up dirt roads high into the mountains. I was hanging on to me and to Kata and leaning forward to compensate for the steepness of the road. A momentary stall and recovery gave me such panic as I looked over the edge.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-93L7PjCjvG4/WB9KvwOaMmI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/EKH3689SfTIhPlhWU97sUKa7_ybYv_s1gCKgB/s1600/IMG_6485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-93L7PjCjvG4/WB9KvwOaMmI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/EKH3689SfTIhPlhWU97sUKa7_ybYv_s1gCKgB/s200/IMG_6485.JPG" width="200" /></a>And then we were walking down a mountain stream. The guide with huge arms ripped an orange in half and squeezed it into the stream. We continued and the scent of <i>naranja</i> followed through the canopy, hopefully chasing away mosquitos. Whether it was true or not, it made the trip enchanting. A few moments later the same guide with ripped abdominals picked up a ripe avocado, broke it deftly in half and gave us each a piece to eat. It was sweet and creamy. I made a sardonic remark- how convenient it was that he so easily found all of these things to impress us with when I looked up. This was an <i>aguacate</i> grove. And these experiences are just to be expected. I stopped talking. Our group became divided with three of us, walking swiftly ahead with our outrageously fit instructor. One teacher is also<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> a true horticulturalist. naming off many flora and fauna, fruts and scents that I have only seen in exotic plant stores. but were here hanging like tents along the river banks and canyon walls. I know I'd pick her for a teammate on a survivor adventure or a Hunger Game. </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u9lpQNKnq84/WB9Kv0NiEMI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/6EyagHpVILEPoWYGnWYaXqPH7cDl-9z8ACKgB/s1600/IMG_6458.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u9lpQNKnq84/WB9Kv0NiEMI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/6EyagHpVILEPoWYGnWYaXqPH7cDl-9z8ACKgB/s320/IMG_6458.mp4" width="181" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The silent but powerful guide gave us a team name, plucking palm fans for our helmets to wear, Kata as our leader. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We rappelled down a 10' section of rock into a river. The instructions were simple. One hand behind, guiding with the other. Kata is an impeccable rule follower but not a dare devil. I went first. Then my friend, Amy. Marc went and we hoped Kata would follow? She went albeit slowly, and it was the last time I have seen her move slowly with fear. She was soon ahead of me jumping into water pools and second in line at every adventure to follow. </span></div>
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The rains had muddied the waters- making the water shoots and plunges into pools that much more exciting. Each confidence chased a new challenge. We zip lined and swam and eventually made our way to the last rappel. A waterfall, 60'- we took all of our skills from that last hour and put them into one death defying drop. I went second with Kata following. I felt heavy and sloppy and it took half of the rappel before I could be relaxed enough to let go. to just trust. When I saw Kata without fear inching her way like a spider down that rock, I was so proud. I felt this release in me, like the waterfall and I let go of my angst, my sorrows, my frustrations that I carried all this past year. I let go of the bouquet that my handsome guide gave me and ran to Marc through the muddy water to plant a wet kiss on the lips like I meant it.</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We returned ravenous and content to Baiguate. I had time to read and relax. Kata was off on her own running and playing. Once in awhile she stopped to bring me to a star fruit tree and to munch on plucked fruit. We pulled flowers from the Ylang Ylang tree to rub all over and breathe in that Chanel perfume. She came back having gathered macadamia nuts that she and other kids pounded with rocks and then gave to me as an offering. We carved pineapples into pumpkin style - Jack O lanterns to guide students on an organized trick or treat loop that took kids from cabin to cabin. The vats of piña pulp disappeared into a blender that magically appeared from a wizened camper. Ice and rum were blended into this lovely mess that also kept my glass magically full. A metaphor- glass half full of pina colada- never thought of that before now.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WPwwS6xasX4/WB9Kv68Z7gI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/kWFpoEGJuBwn2Xu3oR3hK6fU9UEFnc78ACKgB/s1600/IMG_6499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WPwwS6xasX4/WB9Kv68Z7gI/AAAAAAAAJ_c/kWFpoEGJuBwn2Xu3oR3hK6fU9UEFnc78ACKgB/s320/IMG_6499.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A storm was brewing and a steady rain followed. It did not impede the Halloween story hour or the viewing of the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. I took over Kata's toasted marshmallow and campfire costume, she wanted to continue her pace as a fast moving supergirl. We followed behind in a train of kids in costumes, trick or treating at every cabin. Meeting once more for more World Series, chatter, food and drink. Kids running in and out of rain that slowly tugged and melted the costumes. I once again trudged off to sleep with a smile on my face. </span></div>
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Sunday came with more walks in gardens along a river and a run back up to the mountains. more time was spent wandering and resting in hammocks, reading novels for pleasure or reading just to procure a nap.</div>
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It was difficult to leave this mountain escape. Knowing it is here gives me such relief. We napped all the way home on the bus. And we were bored with our apartment, bored with the view of the sea. The mountains keep calling. But I'm also following that calling of this community here in Santo Domingo. People take care of people. Having new friends who so easily include me in these adventures and willingly set aside their own time to share family and fun and talent... How lucky am I? </div>
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-78137432157366711982016-11-06T14:22:00.005-05:002020-07-28T05:50:15.980-04:00Ex Pat October<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>No man is an island,</i></span><br />
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>Entire of itself,</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>Every man is a piece of the continent,</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-boyjGQbPysQ/WB9SLoH1cdI/AAAAAAAAKAA/zbPygKNquesdjzhp36UWpUZLQ7KuOAzAgCKgB/s1600/IMG_5728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><i><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-boyjGQbPysQ/WB9SLoH1cdI/AAAAAAAAKAA/zbPygKNquesdjzhp36UWpUZLQ7KuOAzAgCKgB/s320/IMG_5728.JPG" width="240" /></i></a><span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>A part of the main... </i> (John Donne)</span><br />
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Celebrating our third month abroad today and it feels as if a lifetime has passed. We have a new appreciation for the geography of Santo Domingo, protected by its cliffs, its bay and its height above water since the visit with <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hurricane Matthew (September 28).</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> Living abroad reminds me daily of how insignificant I am, and a</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> hurricane speeds up that feeling like the double fast foward button on a remote. Days before it struck, we were partying on the Malacon and planning Marc's trip for a conference in Guadalajara, Mexico. At the time, I embraced the independence but that week brought me closer to my reliance on the communities of Santo Domingo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I reacted like everyone else and </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">stocked up on groceries. Here in Santo Domingo there are many supermercados but if you are traveling by bike, the best fresh fruits and vegetable variety is at Bravo. Organic produce is truly organic and inexpensive; the farm region where they grow basil, watercress, cilantro is hours from here in Jarabacoa. </span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1">Of course I overload my totes. And of course my keys sit on a hook at home as I stare at my locked yellow bike in front of the store. Walking the mile back without taking a shopping cart is not an option. I didn't even consider that it could be interpreted as stealing. Pretending its a workout I jog pushing it down side streets and the main road, avoiding the city sidewalk that are as gnarly as a class 4 dirt road. I'm running alongside motobikes and cars and cut thru a passage between two buildings carrying the shopping cart over piles of debris. Only then did I look over my shoulder to check for muggers. Only then did I see two men following me. I heaved that grocery cart and began striding deliberately up the stairs to the main road. I hoisted over the median and booked it to my street afforded a second look. It was just one man now. In a pink shirt. In a uniform from Bravo. </span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gy_4Llpbt7c/WB9NJ5fCnBI/AAAAAAAAJ_s/qjNm5IclXzI63C-T5EV4T61yteykQDKtQCKgB/s1600/IMG_5830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gy_4Llpbt7c/WB9NJ5fCnBI/AAAAAAAAJ_s/qjNm5IclXzI63C-T5EV4T61yteykQDKtQCKgB/s320/IMG_5830.JPG" width="240" /></a><span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1">My vision is blurred from sweat and from steam and of course I don't have my phone for translation. I open my gate and he follows me. In rapid Spanish he begins talking to me and the doorman. I'm trying to say that I'm sorry, I did not steal and that the cart will be returned. And I have not a clue as to what he is saying. <i>Una momento</i>- I race up to the apartment to drop the groceries, grab the bike key, my passport, my phone. I try to translate an apology or explanation as he begins to pull the cart from me and out the door. He is talking at me so rapidly, I can not keep up- I thought he mentioned his manager? I'm thinking I'll be pulled into an office for questioning, possibly the police. Will Marc forgive me for being arrested a day after his departure? Will Kata be ok staying with the neighbors a bit longer? I try to explain that I will push the cart back. And that I will prove that I left my bike locked. I will unlock it and I'm sorry, <i>lo siento</i>, so sorry. </span><br />
<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1">Mr. Bravo </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">won't share the pushing of the shopping cart. For awhile we walk and sort of fight over who gets to push it. Even as I contemplate my crime I can't put up with his machismo. Finally, giving up and walk ahead, and then something in me just says run. So I did. I ran all the way back to Bravo, unlock my bike and take off on a different side road. I decided to leave the scene of my perceived crime. Sure- I had guilt and regrets but I couldn't bear the thought of Marc having to intervene with police on my behalf or being banned from the best grocery store in the city.</span><br />
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"> It turns out, the mercados hire men to push grocery carts home for people for a few pesos. I hadn't stolen a cart, I had stolen a job and avoided a tip. Mr. Bravo wasn't lecturing me, he was telling me to let him do his job. I have sheepishly returned to shopping at Bravo but I improved my Spanish and my listening. And I tip the grocery baggers, thank the cashiers and I wear my bike lock key as a necklace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i>Europe is the less.... </i>(Donne)</span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1">I am a clod. Seriously, I spend many days evaluating my day in which I'm a big chunk of dirt that coulda, woulda shoulda done things differently. When Matthew hit the apartment and shook all the windows, the rain poured in through light fixtures and cracks in the doors, I was humbled yet it really was nothing compared to what others experience. Still, I felt the weight of karma and the need to be a better person. We had clear sky, bright sun for a day. Was this the eye of hurricane? Intense heat propelled me to bike with Kata to the pool and find other kids. We were there only 20 minutes when rain poured down in heavy sheets. It ended so we hurried home only to find our pathway underwater. I sped ahead of Kata, down the hill and rode waist high through the water to the other side of the road. It was thrilling to spin in waters over the top tube but nerve wracking when I realized that Kata was standing forlornly still on the other side. My options- ride back with her on an unknown route or power thru and get home quickly. I left my bike and waded back towards Kata. The water, as quick as it came, was subsiding. It was no longer thigh high but knee deep. And the Dominicans in cars, notoriously known for driving dangerously, braked to let me gather her onto my back as I pushed her bike back through the street to safety. We rode the rest of the way home unimpeded. When I pause to consider the street garbage that accumulates daily, along with the sickly animals and carcasses, and the various feces, the plastics and molded foods, I no longer find pleasure in adventure. We retreated to our home, rinsed with bleach and showered<span class="m_-5488458769326050926Apple-converted-space"> </span>forever. The winds and rains Of Matthew were once again upon us with an accumulated force. Kata and I snuggled all night in the hopeful safety of our concrete walls and marveled at the forces of nature. The three </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">days without school, the need to restock water or find friends brought us to the streets and the colmada. I had to interact in Spanish, I waded through more waters. I discovered what it feels like to sweat in the rain. </span><br />
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>As well as if a promontory were.</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>As well as if a manor of thy friend's</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>Or of thine own were:</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>Any man's death diminishes me,</i></span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>Because I am involved in mankind....</i> (Donne)</span><br />
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Santo Domingo sits high on a promontory and my flooding was nothing compared to the buckled roads and swamped houses that the city workers contend with. Our cook was able to convey that her home flooded and that she needed to build a flood wall for future protection. She is a single mom and was unable to travel to us for a few days. Through out the storm, Kata and I gave sandwiches to our guards and began saving pesos for our cook. Our school is amazing at rallying for organizations and non profits. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">One of the new teachers is married to a UN emergency response nurse. She was on a plane within the week and headed to Haiti.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Her husband worked with student clubs to organize fundraising efforts and the response was extremely positive. For a moment, it seemed that all was well in the world I know. But back in Vermont, families of the Mad River Valley were thrust into grief. In a single moment, a single senseless car chase by a man in a stolen vehicle, cost the lives of 5 teens. Anyone could've been hit by that reckless man who stole a police car, drove backwards on the interstate smashing into oncoming vehicles. His penance, should be a constant repentance. How fragile life is. How quickly my hubris is gone. I'm now more worried than wondering, looking with more worry and awareness of loss. I guard Kata closer. We are wearing helmets once more. Tragedy pulls at my heart longing for home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The rains and the sea slowly wash away sorrow. I found hope and redemption in a volunteer day with my school club <i>Es Posibla Una Sonrisa </i>helping children coping with poverty, AIDS and just being a kid. Sincerity rushes back in me like a wave and I am finding my place- involved in mankind.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; </i></span></div>
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<span class="m_-5488458769326050926s1"><i>It tolls for thee.... </i> (Donne)</span></div>
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<br />whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-80881064262482690972016-10-28T05:50:00.000-04:002020-07-28T07:39:04.815-04:00CampingPunta Cana area is the most visited tourist destination in the Dominican Republic, and is heavily dependent on pristine white sand beaches and healthy reefs to bring in tourism-based revenue. While most of the reef is unprotected and exposed to disturbances like overfishing, there is one protected site called the Aquarium, which also serves as a popular dive site and the focal site for our coral gardening program. Punta Cana Ecological Foundation, www.puntacana.org, Fundacion Ecologica PUNTACANA (facebook)<br>
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Protections from fishing benefits coral reef communities. Surveys have shown clearly that protected sites in Punta Cana have higher coral cover and lower macroalgal cover, compared to similar unprotected reef sites....<br>
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Everyone I know has a mentor- a person who impacted them when they were very young. A few people grow up with their mentors, sharing opportunities and adventure and an equal level of friendship. This was one of those weekends that I had with my students in which I know that my mentor would be proud. And its a weekend here in the Dominican Republic that years from now I bet I will remember in good faith. I lived as Leigh Mallory would expect I live- camping simply with students in an unusual place. Doing something for others and sharing a great story.<br>
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I'm sitting in a mowed meadow in Punta Cana Resort where there is no resort. or is there? Somehow along the way, this exclusive island resort was abandoned for newer more luxurious buildings while this space slowly gave way to overgrowth. And then a privately funded ecological center was born out of necessity; these lovely beaches were losing the things that attract tourism economies because of misuse and overfishing. The research center moved into the building, started projects that incentivize change and somehow, our school was involved. Teachers with years ahead of me at CMS set up this pilot camping retreat. We would camp in the meadow and spend time rotating through model restoration work stations: turtle habitat, mangrove expansion, coral reef gardening, and ridgeway hawk habitat.<br>
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Talk to everyone- research leaders were really interesting. They sincerely wish to see more Dominicans involve themselves in ecology, biology and the future of the island. Sadly most research grants and positions go to international students. Money and glamor lacking or is it? My husband can't stand sitting idly on a beach. He would go on vacation if it entailed being useful and making a difference. He'd spend all day planting mangroves, setting coral in ocean beds, raking, entering data. He'd rather gather for a buffet dinner with locals anywhere than people just in from tanning or tennis.<br>
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selfies with tents rolling away.<br>
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Who knew that my casual experience with lifetime of camping would become expertise? Setting up 25 tents is really not a big deal. Standing back and teaching students to set up tents takes patience and anticipation of what we see as simple but to them is literally a ..... knot. Hours later students had tents up, pegged and flys tied as rain raced through. These 15 minute storms nudged us to move with efficiency, or to pack for the unexpected. If food was left it, it was soaked and thrown into compost. So students learned the benefits of being prepared.<br>
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Winds were gusty, air temperature an unusual 65?, enough to want a long sleeve shirt. The ocean was cool. Too cold and rough for snorkeling and setting up coral gardens, paddle boarding through mangroves and enjoying that fact that work would be balanced with beach play.<br>
rebuilding the beach wonders, one coral cookie at a time.<br>
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aparrently, tarantulas do not mind chatter. We did see legs suddenly shrink inside rocks and some skttered for shadows, but one the size of my palm slowly walked, but I think a tarantela dance is how they walk. feeling with feet before moving. Moving with diabolical grace or with sudden hurry.<br>
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And cooking meals- life here in the DR is not rich in self reliance but in designated duties to those with service in mind. Students are studied in education and charity work, writing and reading and promoting political circles but have few opportunities for living simply. Chopping vegetables, flipping burgers, building a camp fire are novelties. Preparing meals for 50 peers was downright monumental in its task. But with few exceptions students dove right in with washing dishes, prepping salad and fruits and lovely meals. They were often gathered in large circles, rolling and laughing with one another or throwing footballs, frisbees and using the wide open spaces that we seldom find in the urban scapes of Santo Domingo. It was such a luxury to just walk down a garden path or out to the beach alone. Security guards accompanied the students but when I offered to let students deliver snack packs to each work station they delighted in being unchaperoned for less than a 1/4 mile. Even when we returned to chaperoned hikes into a beach grove where fresh water pools sufficed as our one cleanse diving and swimming and snorkeling about. And despite a seguey or errant car, it was quiet,<br>
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i slept soundly and without awakening, The rain grew steady int he night, the cold air settled, a breeze blew- nature's AC.<br>
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favorite- mangroves<br>
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<a class="latest-tweet-timestamp js-nav js-permalink js-tooltip" data-conversation-id="819707315888627712" data-original-title="4:47 PM - 12 Jan 2017" href="https://twitter.com/WhitneyKaulbach/status/819707315888627712" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #8899a6; display: inline; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="_timestamp" data-long-form="true" data-time="1484268428">Jan 12</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #8899a6; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">: full moon- play in the ...... light. Dominicans seem rather noisy and chatty to me. I've been on moon walks before</span><br>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #8899a6; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">quiet whispers become a humdrum. Shrieks and loud talking between groups several feet apart.</span><br>
<span style="color: #8899a6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">"Quiet- I want to see an owl". "I'm quiet. YOu are talking. but I want to see an owl, so don't talk, well you can't expect</span></span><br>
<span style="color: #8899a6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">me not to talk. </span></span><br>
<span style="color: #8899a6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">Well, then you won't see an owl.</span></span><br>
<span style="color: #8899a6; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">But I want to.</span></span><br>
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<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fullmoon?src=hash" style="background: transparent; color: #8899a6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #ccd6dd;">#</span>fullmoon</a> <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sophomoreretreat?src=hash" style="background: transparent; color: #8899a6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #ccd6dd;">#</span>sophomoreretreat</a> we find.... tarantula. <a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/puntacana?src=hash" style="background: transparent; color: #8899a6; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #ccd6dd;">#</span>puntacana</a></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NnSi4Oaj3os/V9362YNRRSI/AAAAAAAAIdk/yNiKCLrxqdw/s640/blogger-image--854883916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NnSi4Oaj3os/V9362YNRRSI/AAAAAAAAIdk/yNiKCLrxqdw/s200/blogger-image--854883916.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's odd to have a dream become a reality. Fellow bookworms know exactly what I am talking about because who hasn't wanted to jump into the pages of a novel or live the storied world to escape reality? Earlier this month I strolled the <i>Calle de las Damas</i> in the Zone Colonial, Santo Domingo with sudden <i>claro</i>... and my heart leapt with joy. This is the <i>cuidad</i> of Julia Alvarez, this is the street of the women who demanded pavement for their feet as they walked to prayer several times a day. I am not one for constant prayer but I held my heart for a moment in honor of the Mirabals: Dede, Patria, Minerva and Theresa. I couldn't help but feel the history pulsing in the morning shadows of this Dominican sunshine. Where did Minerva live? Where did her revolutionaries meet? I walked right out of the pages of Alvarez and into my own reality. The Mariposas archetype sets a heavy precedent. I wonder will I bring any honor to this country, to its women, and my own global community while I am here?<br />
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We stride by the home of Columbus' son, wait, he had a son? And head to museum of Liberty honoring those who stood against Trujillo.The heat of August drove us off into a shaded sanctuary and I noticed its marble walls. This is no ordinary marble and these are not modern concrete wonders high on the hill of the Colonial Zone. The marble walls lining these city buildings are older than any city in the US; on careful examination is is marked with thousands of embedded fossils. The coral is living, it is telling me stories. Go to the beach.<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--axaHpWfyAA/V93qdJI2dCI/AAAAAAAAIdE/WKWqFT9vCkQ/s640/blogger-image--1246074457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--axaHpWfyAA/V93qdJI2dCI/AAAAAAAAIdE/WKWqFT9vCkQ/s320/blogger-image--1246074457.jpg" width="320" /></a>The beaches of this island are like mountains of Vermont in that each is distinct and everyone has their favorite. We start with <b>Boca Chica</b>. It was crowded with comings and goings of beautiful people in impossible heels and the smallest of swimsuits. We learned that when you attend a resort restaurant, you can order drinks and a meal and stay as long as you want. Or as long as pale, white skin can hold out against the unforgiving sun. Kata's dream became true when a glass of frozen <i>fresa</i> was presented on a small platter. She sipped this in the shade, ran, flipping off the pier into... blue is not the right way to describe this sea. I'll use <i>azul</i> because it sounds like turquoise, aqua- marine and midnight all blended into one.<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hym8u2IgFGA/V93qMnV1j1I/AAAAAAAAIcw/MWxayHINjfI/s1600/blogger-image-1123831520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hym8u2IgFGA/V93qMnV1j1I/AAAAAAAAIcw/MWxayHINjfI/s320/blogger-image-1123831520.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Punta Cana</b> was a two hour drive through a tropical storm. We waded through the flooded street to a tiny hotel sandwiched between two resorts. At first, it seemed that I had made a grave mistake. Our suite promised a kitchen but I guess it never promised a stove top or refrigerator or sink. It delivered a simple slow dribble for a shower and one tiny double bed. Maybe the point was to drive us out of our nest and into the lobby where fresh mango and coffee awaited us. Or maybe the point of simple accommodations was the means for pushing us out the door into a quaint street of locals and straight thru a tiny gate that led us to a palm shaded beach. Each resort claims its own beach entrance. Ours was small with only sixteen chaise lounges and a one man bar. We ran 5 strides into the water, soft sand underfoot. We could swim or walk for miles in each direction, so we did.<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kC7rfWOo86k/V93qTayKoPI/AAAAAAAAIc8/fmnYK5iRjfQ/s640/blogger-image--558440026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kC7rfWOo86k/V93qTayKoPI/AAAAAAAAIc8/fmnYK5iRjfQ/s200/blogger-image--558440026.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pS4IeYaAMAs/V93qJ1xOT1I/AAAAAAAAIcs/4ifAbEoFtxk/s1600/blogger-image-397553593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pS4IeYaAMAs/V93qJ1xOT1I/AAAAAAAAIcs/4ifAbEoFtxk/s200/blogger-image-397553593.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Punta Cana</b> seemed so small on Google Maps- I had no idea that our guided snorkel tour of coral reefs was still an hour away. And Uber isn't in Punta Cana. We 'what'sapp' another teaching couple and caught a ride to Playa Cana, getting to our snorkel just in time. We jumped into a small motorboat and rode out a 1/4 mile to the edge of the reef. Following a route laid out in rope on the sea floor, we snorkeled in an out of corals, viewing schools of snapper and barracuda. Did I mention coming eyeball to eyeball with the large singleton barracuda? It regarded me with <i>gringo</i> disdain. I swam through a bed of seaweed thinking this would be magical. The seaweed cut up my arms and face and left a stinging rash in its wake. We recovered on a beach with the <i>cerveza</i> & my first burger since leaving Vermont. The tropical storms were swirling out to sea. Some boats abandoned the waters for safe harbor. The blue/ black colors chased across the vast expanses of sand and sea similar to the purple/ orange reflections I have seen in New Mexican deserts. New colors, different expanses, I like feeling small and insignificant. Marc and I quietly and almost simultaneously said, "Hemingway" as we photographed a lone dinghy abandoned on the beach. Salty and dry,<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“Now is no time</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">to think of what you do not have.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Think of what you can do </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">with that there is- <i>Old Man and the Sea</i></span><br />
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<b>Juan Dolio</b> is only an hour away. We staggered towards her. The night before was a long one of my own making. Kata was staying with the neighbors, Marc and I entertained on our patio with all intentions of leaving early to attend the first Andy Warhol exhibit ever to hit Santo Domingo but we flirted too long with Dominican time and took off on our single speed bikes to ride the city. Because road signals and lines are a mere suggestion, we were about to do something slightly dangerous; courage fueled with intoxication -we navigated side streets to Noca, an upscale district 7 km away, missing the exhibit by minutes. We found solace in the glowing lights of a random Noca <i>colmada-</i> ice frosted E<i>l</i> <i>Presidentes, </i> a random concert and a fast ride home at 2am. Again, Hemingway is in my brain. Did he not mention to know a city is to know its bars? My fuzzy brain jarred awake to find a midnight text & invitation to my friend's beach house. I packed 3 light bags, some books and a brick of cheese- I had nothing else in the fridge! We sped passed Boca Chica this route out of the city becoming familiar. We pull off on a sudden side street and down a small whitewashed road crowded with solid concrete homes and apartment. A man greets the vehicle and swings wide these massive doors transporting us into another dimension. I now know what it feels like to be on the other side of the wardrobe in a C.S. Lewis story. We stepped out of the whitewash and into the blues and greens of a hide away beach head. The third floor apartment is lovely and I can't pull my eyes away from the open patio. The whole living room/ kitchen is separated from paradise by only an awning and a sliding glass door. My friend Jenn has arranged a simple wide couch bed piled high with pillows; the view draws the eyes through a frame of palms and mango foliage towards rhythmic crashing waves that roll in on a beach wider than that of Boca Chica. The clear sea is darkened by grasses thick on tables of maroon colored coral and so shallow that it seems as if everyone is walking on water. I see immediately why this beach is a personal paradise for Jenn's family.<br />
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Their beach leads into a mermaid pools. An oasis of light azul water, a natural lagoon surrounded by coral. There are several smaller tidal pools that dot the expanse with that icy blue color. People wade out carefully avoiding fragile sea urchins to sit with their lovely beverages and their laughter. I lie as I would in a bathtub, floating and bumping along the sandy bottom of such a lagoon.. I'm nursing a running injury and find that this soak is perfect for the body and soul. Ever so often a wave sends what feels to be a cooler current of water. The Vermonter in me seizes upon every current and I see Kata do the same.<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y2Rjy6KBHA0/V93p2Klze0I/AAAAAAAAIco/tR9mv3_HdXY/s640/blogger-image-650442577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y2Rjy6KBHA0/V93p2Klze0I/AAAAAAAAIco/tR9mv3_HdXY/s200/blogger-image-650442577.jpg" width="150" /></a>Juan Dolio is a smaller scattering of hotels and restaurants, nothing too ostentatious in comparison to Punta Cana and I already want to come back. Did I speak too soon? A helicopter lands, several Dominican celebrities teetering on high heels step out to sashay over to an all night Corona sponsored DJ Jam. There's a temporary stage, lights, drones filming people swarming toward the music. The stage blocks the beach so that ticket holders can swim. I see our friends from the night ride out in the waves and swim past security towards them. I find these encounters enchanting and such a change from my reclusive persona back in the US. Stars come out, Kata is cartwheeling in the dark with Jenn's daughter why we sip chilled wine and rest from a lovely meal. I plan on waking up, heading to the porch to begin the day with novels I need to use in the classroom. Steinbeck's <i>Of Mice and Men</i> is waiting for me. I could feel guilty, juxtaposing George and Lenny's predicament with my own luck. Instead I choose to reread that passage about simple dreams. George kicking back and saying, "to hell with work" living in a home with food and shelter and simple necessities. Could I find such a simple dream here? For now I have another Alvarez novel, <i>In the Name of Salomé.</i> I'm in search of more magic.<br />
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-28893572240509066622016-09-01T22:50:00.004-04:002016-12-26T07:38:20.133-05:00Modern World Dominican- Expat Week 2<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this Dominican whirlwind of daily ups and downs I look forward to a new favorite Saturday morning sound. It is that of the mango man. He cycles by with a whistle prelude, waits and begins calling out in a rhythmic voice: "</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">plantana, mango, pina aguacate"</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. There is little traffic on a Saturday morning so the sound is clear and because of him I can now ask for these items anywhere I go. </span><a href="https://youtu.be/LVD7BOIZNNw" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">https://youtu;.be/LVD7BOIZNNw</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another positive comes from the nightly homework I give myself. I slowly and painstakingly writing a note to M, the woman who takes care of us and our new home. M makes a killer eggplant </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>guisada</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that, depending on our hunger, we drizzle or dump, over the rice and beans. </span><br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tnksqrM0LVg/V8eWDKmIeMI/AAAAAAAAIcA/8nq_tNmxtQ0/s640/blogger-image--1996733485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tnksqrM0LVg/V8eWDKmIeMI/AAAAAAAAIcA/8nq_tNmxtQ0/s320/blogger-image--1996733485.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meat is very expensive so I'm discovering that locals eat tons of fruit and veggies and are mostly vegetarian. By building a relationship with M through many miscommunications, we seem to understand that life is easiest when we let go of control. She makes most of the cooking decisions. We happily run out to hunt for oddities and grocery store abundances that transpire into fragrant smells of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">la cocina</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Comfort food helps this place begin to feel like home. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Libertad- a scorching trip to the Colonial Zone after Marc did his homework on finding </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">la bicicleta</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. A website, emails, & foot searches in the city secured the name of a man who sold bikes out of his apartment. For cash. Questionable or not it was an experience. Inspiration added to Marc's fluency in Spanish. So, we tested several on the streets and on the roof of his home before settling on single speeds. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We rode home along the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Malecón</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It did little </span></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t_SBMg7OZaE/V8eWlta_0tI/AAAAAAAAIcE/DT2EEQcJvhU/s640/blogger-image-1840302251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t_SBMg7OZaE/V8eWlta_0tI/AAAAAAAAIcE/DT2EEQcJvhU/s320/blogger-image-1840302251.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to separate us from short sea cliffs, rolling seas and the heavy traffic of Santo Domingo. The sea spray periodically splashed up, seemingly beautiful until we looked down at the swirling refuse of glass, plastic and all that is wrong with humanity. I rode fast keeping my eyes on a spray that might carry a broken bottle in its force. My gringo responsibility- recycle and do more to help this country save itself from this.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bikes bring freedom- We can outride the humidity en route to school. Kata is no longer trapped in the apartment or the small park of Mirador Sur. We have yet to find a friend her age who rides and it is somewhat disarming to have her rolling along in traffic right behind me. But the freedom to get to a grocery store or a mall or anywhere overrules entrapment. We are somewhat self reliant now. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Downs</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- We took an uber at the wrong time of day only to sit in the notorious traffic of Santo Domingo. Our “Uber hombre” zipped wrong down one ways, and over medians to deliver us to a less than important destination. When we left the stores to head home. We discovered how much of a battle takes place in the city between taxi drivers and Uber. Taxi drivers intimidates me w/ shouts, "no Uber!" I complied but then none would or could give me a ride. Thinking it was my poor communication skills I showed them maps, called </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mi esposo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and made them talk to Marc for directions to no avail. Maybe they couldn’t read a map? Now its 7:45pm it was dark, Kata was scared and I'd had it. A Haitian coconut seller assisted me in French but the taxi hombres still sat without providing a ride. Women jumped in and out of rapid conversations on my behalf and still nothing. A few full taxis that lacked doors rattled by with offers for us to hold on to the fenders. Finally a man who spoke English helped me cross to the other side of a street to another mall where the right taxi there took us home in 5 minutes. 8:30 on a school night. He too couldn’t understand my map but followed my directions of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>izquerda</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> & </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>derecho</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In addition, the word " </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>cerca</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" is now in my daily speech.</span></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NOboUi8ojko/V8eWCB2uTMI/AAAAAAAAIb8/sbhURDOx8y8/s640/blogger-image-640902972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NOboUi8ojko/V8eWCB2uTMI/AAAAAAAAIb8/sbhURDOx8y8/s200/blogger-image-640902972.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Ups & Downs.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Humidity is a constant. We’ve adjusted from 3-4 showers daily to 2. Everything changed with the onset of the tropical storm season. The winds hit briefly sending some relief from humidity. At 2 in the morning I was dragging in laundry from the deck with furtive glances at the sea, the electric sky. Downpours followed and both excitement and fear surged thru me. Would we have a storm day off from school? Nope, just another day in the DR. Transport to school meant options, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walk knee deep in water, wait for the bus or bike? We chose bike. Taking higher streets and bike fenders kept us dry. Classrooms have AC but the covered walkways between buildings are open to the elements. It was my first experience seeing walls sweat with condensation as AC met humidity. The journey home was a soaking experience as rain pelted from all directions. Two day of steady rain followed. Cars near the <i>Malacon</i> flooded, our Mango man stayed away. People continue to ride or wade to work but still stop and to say, “Hola how are you? And it's important to always always say hello back.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I met a colleague whom I now count as a friend. Jen Legra's advice on living here is met with great fanfare <a href="http://theplanetd.com/what-my-kids-learned-from-living-in-the-dominican-republic/">http://theplanetd.com/what-my-kids-learned-from-living-in-the-dominican-republic/</a> - and it has helped the city open up to me. I now get supplies at our <b>colmada</b>, I wait to let people smile and speak slowly for me. And I shower appreciation on M’s cooking now that I can tell her it is more than just <i>bueno</i>. It’s <i>tan</i> </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">saboroso.</span>whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-66065812058373584172016-08-16T15:28:00.004-04:002020-07-28T05:46:31.508-04:00Modern World Dominican- first week abroadMarc, Kata and I have left everything we know that was normal to us to plunge headlong into adventure here in the Caribbean. I'd like to start this blog with some relativity. The Dominican Republic is relative in size to Pennsylvania or Mississippi. Vermont is relative in size to Haiti. Together the whole island is almost 60,000 square miles or a bit bigger than the state of Georgia. So far, every day is hot and humid. It's the consistency in the weather that is the hardest for me to understand. Relative to Vermont, I need only one raincoat and maybe an umbrella for shade instead of a coat or sweater for every 10 degrees of weather above and below zero. Relative to Vermont I need many shoes. Women here wear the highest impossible heels with grace and always, always dress for notice. Casual does not mean casual. I'm sorry Bernie Sanders, but I can't wear that tshirt with your crazy hair and cute socialist face to a BBQ anymore. Yes, I wore a tshirt and shorts to a BBQ with air conditioning, gloved waiters and women in evening gowns. My name is Whitney, I'm a recovering Gringo...<br />
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Story Published through <a href="https://shar.es/1ZjXKn" target="_blank">Search Associates</a> about our career move.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">First day in the apartment on Calle Ramon del Orbe. We are on the top floor so we lucked out with a rooftop patio and a view of the sea. Not luck really. We are teaching at a school that understands the value of keeping people feeling safe, secure and content in order to foster that spirit of strong academic learning and hard work from educators. Each educator gave the school an idea of their lifestyle and needs, the staff worked to find apartments that could match this. We requested a quiet street and the views of the sea were a bonus. The nightly breeze means we seldom need AC. Of course, the one evening I needed it, it broke. That same evening, a rain storm hit, I pushed all of the rain into a gutter which was clogged. Our ceiling in the kitchen began leaking and chipping away at the same time that the plumbing under the sink fell apart. Each day in the DR is filled with ups and downs, epic wins and epic fails. At least I sleep completely exhausted. Well, not exactly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Twice I was awakened by the sounds of parties at 3 am. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We are next to the UN, embassy row and some posh apartments with pools- (we hope to make friends?) Gazing from the patio I could hear people singing in chorus, some Spanish song. A solo would ripple up to me and then the chorus would boom in. It was worth the lost hour of sleep. The other time, I awoke to a bocci? ball party. Everyone was cheering and counting and cheering someone who must've been winning? I can't wait to actually understand what it is that people are saying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Did I mention that we live near a park? It's a lush space filled with green grasses, mango groves, flowering trees. Paved pathways swerve through the park under the canopy. I see many dog walkers, kids on bikes, couples old and young. I can't wait to learn the names of all the fauna and the wild chickens that roam. I got up and ran at 6am in the park right near the house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Don't worry- hundreds of people workout and run or race bikes on the road which is closed to vehicles. The whole 10 km is lined with police and security volunteers who are allowed to ride in on motorcycles </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> I think they must volunteer just to show off. They watch you work out. It's a bit weird but so so safe. The first day I was only able to run 2 sweaty miles.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">And it was a beautiful run. Marc and I share the morning time. Another day I went i</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">t was already crowded. As I approached the end of the roadway I noticed a workout station with outdoor ellipticals and a Zumba class. People were jumping in and joining so I did too. I can't do it proper justice but it required big smiles, passionate movement with very expressive thrusting of all body parts that mamma gave me. My pelvis and thighs and breasts are actually supposed to move. In opposing directions. And up, down, around.... I'm so used to dancing my warm up like a Vermont runner and then there is this..... That made my day. I actually felt awake for the first time. </span></div>
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We survived the first four days with lots of repairs on the apartment, remember that ceiling leak? And the installation of wifi. Marc buzzed himself into the apartment, dripping with sweat and proudly holding a large tv. We promised Kata that she could have one if we moved to a new country. That was probably a shady deal. Whatever. Most of the channels are in Spanish, but at least we had some Olympic coverage. She really wanted to see the gymnastic events but the DR is devoted to volleyball and wrestling. So we watched that instead. Internet is fast even though the powerlines running up and down the streets look like a tangled web of danger. I've yet to have a phone working. I'm so used to being connected to social media that it feels like camping when I go days without it. </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">ah life at the Lagos. My language skills are pretty weak. I speak mostly in Spanish nouns with very few verbs in my vocabulary. "Coffee- me", "food yes" "door". So lots of miscommunications.</span></div>
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I need to explain something to Bernie Sanders. Before he chides me personally on the evils of capitalism and the dangers of socio economic gaps I must admit I love having a doorman and a maid. I'm completely terrified by the idea and I find myself having difficulty talking about this service publicly. But our maid is really a member of a welcome committee assigned to me to be patient and kind. She will teach me Spanish if she would learn to speak very slowly, with nouns and fewer verbs. She needs to think of me as a 3 year old. She loves kids and hugs Kata every time she sees her. She is great with Kata. I came home from school and M---- our maid, greeted me but gave me a lecture that I think I understood. "</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Americans are messy, you in particular need to put your shoes away. You are obesssed with recycling and leave messes everywhere. Get a respectable coffee pot - what is this Aeropress thing anyways? Why don't you have meat in your fridge- how can you cook without it? No wonder your daughter is starving. Here is a list of necessitos, get it or I won't be your friend anymore."</i></blockquote>
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Actually, she is super sweet and probably said nothing of the sort. I bought everything on the list. She even took me to the store, we bought the right soaps and scrups and brooms and coffee pots. I guess I still need a mortar and pestle to make her my true friend. I'm working on this...And did I mention that she cooks for us? Shopping and cooking have become monumental chores. But I come home to her Bandera- the Dominican Flag otherwise known as rice, beans & chicken. She has a special way of dripping the beans over the rice like a sauce. I slow down and eat too much. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Kata is pretty amazing. She has not been able to run back and forth or do cartwheels or walk around naked like we could at home in Vermont. She seems a bit stir crazy in the adjustment to urban living, tropical living and such. But the nanny/ maid came to school a day early and Kata was fine with saying good bye, walking with her all the way to our apartment by herself and spending the day with her even though the house temperature was well over 80, humid. I took her to the park last night and we cheered her on as she did cartwheel after cartwheel atop the concrete park benches. Many passing Dominicans cheered her on too.</span></div>
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Our doormen always smile. They sometimes help us make phone calls to order 5 gallon <i>botellons</i> of agua. </div>
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Every day I begin a simple conversation with either Leon or Luis. "<i>Hola, como esta</i>?" </div>
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And then I have nothing more to say. So I start talking in nervous English. They always smile and respond with "ok". Sometimes I write down a sentence, practice it and then go downstairs to tell them that I will be going for a run or visiting the neighbor. They smile and say, "ok". When I get nervous I immediately respond to people in French out of habit from Vermont trips to Quebec. Finally Leon mentioned that he spoke French. I responded gleefully with my own French. He responded back. "ok". Lately, I find myself in conversation with Marc, telling him what I need done for the next day or what issues arose in my daily trips to the store. He responds, "ok". hmmmmm.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">General living for me is based on how coffee is made. And here is it always amazing. Food is really cheap. $.50 for a bag of rice, mangos the size of Kata's head for .20. Bottled water is delivered by a man on a motorbike in 3 minutes. for $1.30- you call, speak bad Spanish and go to the window to hear him drive fast through the city right to your door. But get the wrong food or item and it is expensive. Herbal Essence shampoo- $8.00, pasta? $3.00. Despite our best intentions s</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">ome of us had diarrhea last night, all night, every hour. I won't mention names. I stayed awake all night feeding people water and helping them clean up. I went to work exhausted and then my system began to crumble. I was able to stay just ahead of whatever could've happened. I had my Pepto Bismol To Go, and several expats had stronger stuff on hand. The organic way- Papaya and probiotic pills helped me stumble through my Friday inservice and then stumble home for siesta. Lessons learned? life moves slowly. Patience is necessary for survival. Every down is followed by an up, tomorrow is another day.</span></div>
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-81722758887715895262016-08-16T15:28:00.002-04:002016-08-16T15:28:28.227-04:00Modern World Dominican- first week abroadMarc, Kata and I have left everything we know that was normal to us to plunge headlong into adventure here in the Caribbean. I'd like to start this blog with some relativity. The Dominican Republic is relative in size to Pennsylvania or Mississippi. Vermont is relative in size to Haiti. Together the whole island is almost 60,000 square miles or a bit bigger than the state of Georgia. So far, every day is hot and humid. It's the consistency in the weather that is the hardest for me to understand. Relative to Vermont, I need only one raincoat and maybe an umbrella for shade instead of a coat or sweater for every 10 degrees of weather above and below zero. Relative to Vermont I need many shoes. Women here wear the highest impossible heels with grace and always, always dress for notice. Casual does not mean casual. I'm sorry Bernie Sanders, but I can't wear that tshirt with your crazy hair and cute socialist face to a BBQ anymore. Yes, I wore a tshirt and shorts to a BBQ with air conditioning, gloved waiters and women in evening gowns. My name is Whitney, I'm a recovering Gringo...<br />
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uUnbuDS-W8k/V7Nfl5XymrI/AAAAAAAAIaQ/wbaEYfno0Sc/s640/blogger-image-194334493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uUnbuDS-W8k/V7Nfl5XymrI/AAAAAAAAIaQ/wbaEYfno0Sc/s640/blogger-image-194334493.jpg" /></a></div>
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Story Published through <a href="https://shar.es/1ZjXKn" target="_blank">Search Associates</a> about our career move.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">First day in the apartment on Calle Ramon del Orbe. We are on the top floor so we lucked out with a rooftop patio and a view of the sea. Not luck really. We are teaching at a school that understands the value of keeping people feeling safe, secure and content in order to foster that spirit of strong academic learning and hard work from educators. Each educator gave the school an idea of their lifestyle and needs, the staff worked to find apartments that could match this. We requested a quiet street and the views of the sea were a bonus. The nightly breeze means we seldom need AC. Of course, the one evening I needed it, it broke. That same evening, a rain storm hit, I pushed all of the rain into a gutter which was clogged. Our ceiling in the kitchen began leaking and chipping away at the same time that the plumbing under the sink fell apart. Each day in the DR is filled with ups and downs, epic wins and epic fails. At least I sleep completely exhausted. Well, not exactly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Twice I was awakened by the sounds of parties at 3 am. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We are next to the UN, embassy row and some posh apartments with pools- (we hope to make friends?) Gazing from the patio I could hear people singing in chorus, some Spanish song. A solo would ripple up to me and then the chorus would boom in. It was worth the lost hour of sleep. The other time, I awoke to a bocci? ball party. Everyone was cheering and counting and cheering someone who must've been winning? I can't wait to actually understand what it is that people are saying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Did I mention that we live near a park? It's a lush space filled with green grasses, mango groves, flowering trees. Paved pathways swerve through the park under the canopy. I see many dog walkers, kids on bikes, couples old and young. I can't wait to learn the names of all the fauna and the wild chickens that roam. I got up and ran at 6am in the park right near the house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Don't worry- hundreds of people workout and run or race bikes on the road which is closed to vehicles. The whole 10 km is lined with police and security volunteers who are allowed to ride in on motorcycles </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> I think they must volunteer just to show off. They watch you work out. It's a bit weird but so so safe. The first day I was only able to run 2 sweaty miles.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">And it was a beautiful run. Marc and I share the morning time. Another day I went i</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">t was already crowded. As I approached the end of the roadway I noticed a workout station with outdoor ellipticals and a Zumba class. People were jumping in and joining so I did too. I can't do it proper justice but it required big smiles, passionate movement with very expressive thrusting of all body parts that mamma gave me. My pelvis and thighs and breasts are actually supposed to move. In opposing directions. And up, down, around.... I'm so used to dancing my warm up like a Vermont runner and then there is this..... That made my day. I actually felt awake for the first time. </span></div>
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We survived the first four days with lots of repairs on the apartment, remember that ceiling leak? And the installation of wifi. Marc buzzed himself into the apartment, dripping with sweat and proudly holding a large tv. We promised Kata that she could have one if we moved to a new country. That was probably a shady deal. Whatever. Most of the channels are in Spanish, but at least we had some Olympic coverage. She really wanted to see the gymnastic events but the DR is devoted to volleyball and wrestling. So we watched that instead. Internet is fast even though the powerlines running up and down the streets look like a tangled web of danger. I've yet to have a phone working. I'm so used to being connected to social media that it feels like camping when I go days without it. </div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">ah life at the Lagos. My language skills are pretty weak. I speak mostly in Spanish nouns with very few verbs in my vocabulary. "Coffee- me", "food yes" "door". So lots of miscommunications.</span></div>
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I need to explain something to Bernie Sanders. Before he chides me personally on the evils of capitalism and the dangers of socio economic gaps I must admit I love having a doorman and a maid. I'm completely terrified by the idea and I find myself having difficulty talking about this service publicly. But our maid is really a member of a welcome committee assigned to me to be patient and kind. She will teach me Spanish if she would learn to speak very slowly, with nouns and fewer verbs. She needs to think of me as a 3 year old. She loves kids and hugs Kata every time she sees her. She is great with Kata. I came home from school and M---- our maid, greeted me but gave me a lecture that I think I understood. "</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Americans are messy, you in particular need to put your shoes away. You are obesssed with recycling and leave messes everywhere. Get a respectable coffee pot - what is this Aeropress thing anyways? Why don't you have meat in your fridge- how can you cook without it? No wonder your daughter is starving. Here is a list of necessitos, get it or I won't be your friend anymore."</i></blockquote>
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I bought everything on the list. She even took me to the store, we bought the right soaps and scrups and brooms and coffee pots. I guess I still need a mortar and pestle to make her my true friend. I'm working on this...And did I mention that she cooks for us? Shopping and cooking have become monumental chores. But I come home to her Bandera- the Dominican Flag otherwise known as rice, beans & chicken. She has a special way of dripping the beans over the rice like a sauce. I slow down and eat too much. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Kata is pretty amazing. She has not been able to run back and forth or do cartwheels or walk around naked like we could at home in Vermont. She seems a bit stir crazy in the adjustment to urban living, tropical living and such. But the nanny/ maid came to school a day early and Kata was fine with saying good bye, walking with her all the way to our apartment by herself and spending the day with her even though the house temperature was well over 80, humid. I took her to the park last night and we cheered her on as she did cartwheel after cartwheel atop the concrete park benches. Many passing Dominicans cheered her on too.</span></div>
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Our doormen always smile. They sometimes help us make phone calls to order 5 gallon <i>botellons</i> of agua. </div>
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Every day I begin a simple conversation with either Leon or Luis. "<i>Hola, como esta</i>?" </div>
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And then I have nothing more to say. So I start talking in nervous English. They always smile and respond with "ok". Sometimes I write down a sentence, practice it and then go downstairs to tell them that I will be going for a run or visiting the neighbor. They smile and say, "ok". When I get nervous I immediately respond to people in French out of habit from Vermont trips to Quebec. Finally Leon mentioned that he spoke French. I responded gleefully with my own French. He responded back. "ok". Lately, I find myself in conversation with Marc, telling him what I need done for the next day or what issues arose in my daily trips to the store. He responds, "ok". hmmmmm.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">General living for me is based on how coffee is made. And here is it always amazing. Food is really cheap. $.50 for a bag of rice, mangos the size of Kata's head for .20. Bottled water is delivered by a man on a motorbike in 3 minutes. for $1.30- you call, speak bad Spanish and go to the window to hear him drive fast through the city right to your door. But get the wrong food or item and it is expensive. Herbal Essence shampoo- $8.00, pasta? $3.00. Despite our best intentions s</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">ome of us had diarrhea last night, all night, every hour. I won't mention names. I stayed awake all night feeding people water and helping them clean up. I went to work exhausted and then my system began to crumble. I was able to stay just ahead of whatever could've happened. I had my Pepto Bismol To Go, and several expats had stronger stuff on hand. The organic way- Papaya and probiotic pills helped me stumble through my Friday inservice and then stumble home for siesta. Lessons learned? life moves slowly. Patience is necessary for survival. Every down is followed by an up, tomorrow is another day.</span></div>
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-57708917123005898782016-03-23T12:24:00.001-04:002020-07-28T05:47:04.238-04:00Live! From #deeperlearning<div><br></div><div>We are starting with the power of student voice not teacher voice. And a slide show of students put to a poignant hip hop song - all my life I've been struggling. Where do we go from here? Straight to the top.</div><div><br></div><div>This is definitely something I'm not doing enough of in class. I give students a chance for voice but is it empowering? Not yet. This music is sooooo empowering</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-azLj1zJ6kvk/VvLGIPudJJI/AAAAAAAAHuY/RvjfV1o5f4I/s640/blogger-image--722458231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-azLj1zJ6kvk/VvLGIPudJJI/AAAAAAAAHuY/RvjfV1o5f4I/s640/blogger-image--722458231.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>This is so awesome. Why not start a day with just a bit more happiness?<div>Here I am at @hightechhigh and we are starting the day with a teacher band<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m1j5PAOn0eI/VvLDVuOeyyI/AAAAAAAAHuM/ljxJvsFvagQ/s640/blogger-image-1980848570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m1j5PAOn0eI/VvLDVuOeyyI/AAAAAAAAHuM/ljxJvsFvagQ/s640/blogger-image-1980848570.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-60710288431734763712015-01-23T00:22:00.001-05:002015-01-23T00:22:38.964-05:00Shedding Light on Current Issues- Students of LUHSArticles posted on Theeducatorsroom.com- <a href="http://theeducatorsroom.com/2014/12/steam-inspired-spin-social-studies/" target="_blank">part 1</a> & <a href="http://theeducatorsroom.com/2015/01/steam-ahead-social-studies-lesson-part-2/" target="_blank">part 2</a><br />
link to student <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enAZQm0pVLg&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">presentation</a><br />
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<iframe class="vine-embed" frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://vine.co/v/OXBEK573AOV/embed/postcard" width="600"></iframe><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>
<iframe class="vine-embed" frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://vine.co/v/OXBF9weVgvK/embed/simple" width="600"></iframe><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>
<iframe class="vine-embed" frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://vine.co/v/OXBUxAudJiQ/embed/simple" width="600"></iframe><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>
<iframe class="vine-embed" frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://vine.co/v/OXB0aHgPPVv/embed/postcard" width="600"></iframe><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-37155440996023098392014-09-18T15:13:00.001-04:002014-09-18T15:13:14.680-04:00Hey, What Kind of stuff are they learning in school?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overlying Questions for Modern World History</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These questions are the foundations for specific units but can be reviewed time and time again as the year progresses and knowledge of the world expands.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How is our world connected? (See <a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/geoliteracy/?ar_a=1" target="_blank">National Geographic site</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Using National Standards of geo-literacy a geo-literate individual is able to reason about the ways that people and places are connect to each other across time and space.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We should be able to:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">analyze digital and paper maps of a place or thematic topic and construct geographic questions to investigate issues.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">analyze current trends in population and constructing geographic questions to investigate the sources and future projections of the trends.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">analyze a current news report and construct questions that would provide a focus or resolution of the topic or issue.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">know what interactions and interconnections determine what outcomes of actions. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we integrate and evaluate of multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media we can address a question or solve a problem.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sample Questions from the curriculum</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How has citizenship developed over time?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What style of leadership best fits the needs of future governance?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you could explain why 3 moments in modern world history matter to an audience, what stories would be most important? What artifacts would you rely upon for this collection?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How would you change an unjust government?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What costs and benefits result from a global reaction to a revolutionary idea?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why is democracy growing worldwide?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How should governments balance the rights of minorities with the power of the majority?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How does tradition survive change?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How prepared are you for living and surviving in a global network?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are the implications for reliance on or discover of valued resources?</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How should people work to make the world a better place?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How has trade shaped the world over time?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other Skills</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">document analysis of a variety of sources and materials</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">identify more than one point of view</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">develop meaningful questions</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">debate discuss and concur.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">improve and strengthen writing with specific evidence.</span></div>
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For a detailed curriculum, send me an email or leave a comment. I'm happy to share.whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-78589693512651002742014-08-15T20:25:00.001-04:002014-08-16T06:11:43.870-04:00Summer Field Trip- Veloventure IIEvery year my husband and I try to bike sections of the bike trail system of Canada.<br />
5,000 km of safe passage for bikes on gravel or paved roadways known in Quebec as La Route Verte.<br />
This year my 9 year old daughter wanted to ride this with friends. So we called it bike camp and invited 4 others to join us. In return, the other parents took our daughter on week long adventures. It was a great swap and it gave us an adventure as well. This is our 2nd year taking kids so we thought we would ramp up the mileage. With another parent, a mini van and our Subaru, we had the opportunity to piece together the best and easiest sections of trail separate from regular traffic. It was a success! 4 days, 2 nights camping and one hotel, we looped from Waterloo to Noyan and crossed the Border in Alburg, Vermont.<br />
You can see that they finished happy. Their big request was to plant one foot in Canada and one foot in the US. And this granite post on the US side of the Border allows for this.<br />
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La Route Verte parallels the Chambly Canal. We rode point to point from Chambly to Richelieu.<br />
9 year olds love distraction and they need plenty of space to wobble or sway on their bikes without worrying their parents about oncoming vehicles. I love that the only traffic was other bikers and large boats. Riding side by side also gave the parents a chance to help stragglers. Using the invented, "Tour de France" move, my husband could put his hand on their camel back and ride along side a kid, gently pushing them along at a faster pace. With a bravo! and final push, he could send them speeding past other bikers. We gave many "Tour de France" on this day. This was our 18km ride, finishing at the Auberge Harris which also had a pool.<br />
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Our first day was also a point to point which means, we all rode together and then 2 adults ride back to get the vehicles and drive to the finish. We chose to start in Waterloo and head toward Granby & Yamaska National Parc. This was approximately a 30 kilometer day. We had great weather, our campsite reserved so we sped along the old railtrail. Kids who attended the veloventure last year were ecstatic to find that they were much faster. They kept looking and reminiscing about pit stops made that they no longer needed. This was my favorite day because I was so happy to listen to bikers chat about the change in their ability and their progress.<br />
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When we camped at Yamaska, the kids had the freedom to bike to the playground, to the campstore or to swim in the reservoir. They loved setting up tents and using wheel barrows to retrieve stuff from the car. We spent one day biking into Granby and out to the zoo. The weather held so we swam in the water parc at the zoo. Some rode home and some jumped in the sag wagon.</div>
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All in all 65-75 miles completed by our kids.</div>
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And lots of clambering for a new adventure in the years to come.</div>
whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-39626570364471123262014-08-15T15:37:00.003-04:002014-08-19T08:48:08.739-04:00infographics<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
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The infographics world is chock full of visuals that appeal to the teaching and understanding of world history. From student submissions I can assess at a glance, their ability to contextualize comparisons between historic events or to identify patterns of change & continuity. Why is this important? Students of Advanced Placement World History (#WHAP) know that determining the meaning of words and phrases to present analysis is the difference between zero credit and that perfect score recognized by colleges worldwide. Misinterpretation of what is asked in the standard essay questions can translate into student writing at length to develop the wrong answer.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><i>Analyze similarities and differences in the rise of TWO of the following empires. (Aztec, Mongol & or West African states)</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Hundreds of students made comparisons between Aztecs an Mongols but failed to explain how each empire <b>rose</b> to power thereby losing the thesis credit. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">So how can this habit be corrected?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The quick access for assembly of Vhemes and objects </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">to </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">illustrate</b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> <wbr></wbr>understanding was achieved in one class session and refined for homework. Class critique and analysis allows students to immediately identify what they know and what they need to know to answer all parts of the question. Deciding how to illustrate an idea also pushes students to <b>quantify</b> their collective understanding especially if they publish for larger communities of WHAP students. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/easel.ly/all_easels/457117/riseempires/image.jpg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">example</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">While my example may not the best visual ever created, it and others in the infographic library are available for students to improve upon. That process of editing and redesigning is also giving students the propensity for research that relies on building specific content and in depth knowledge. And that <i>is</i> the habit that educators want students to learn. </span><br />
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-58309395220923227692014-03-13T09:00:00.001-04:002014-03-13T10:44:47.659-04:00Pie for PI DayMarch 14th, 3.14, PI day is not just a celebratory day for math lovers, schools and rocket scientists. It can be a great day for the populace to gather over communal pie and discuss truly enlightening ideas. Due to weather and scheduling of events our school Pie/ PI celebration came early. Our public school volunteers actually call themselves P.I.E., Partners In Education. The director organizes businesses and parents to donate pies for the all day, all you can eat fund raiser. People come, they drink coffee, they jam on musical instruments, they chat about math and other things.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NRh-fvgMd7M/UwztCppn3ZI/AAAAAAAAETo/a0l8pudqheE/s640/blogger-image-1621025799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NRh-fvgMd7M/UwztCppn3ZI/AAAAAAAAETo/a0l8pudqheE/s640/blogger-image-1621025799.jpg"></a></div>A few of us spend the night prior to Pie/ PI day posting failures and successes on Facebook. The virtual gathering is fun. My mother never impaired me with pie making skills or secrets. Many friends are in the same situation, living far away from family. We post pictures, recipes, questions and jokes. We drink wine. This year we got creative. I will never be able to match that apple pie made by the grandmothers who have done it forever so I found myself a lovely blue cheese, sweet potatoe bacon pie. Or I made up the combination myself, I can not remember. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Yy0dhjRHZbY/UwztFDK7oMI/AAAAAAAAET4/FvTqoZ0POOc/s640/blogger-image-105488246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Yy0dhjRHZbY/UwztFDK7oMI/AAAAAAAAET4/FvTqoZ0POOc/s640/blogger-image-105488246.jpg"></a></div>Regardless, no two pies have to be the same. <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-roWrf8MPUmw/UwztGmRrFhI/AAAAAAAAEUA/AGVa0pNG3aU/s640/blogger-image--22386299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-roWrf8MPUmw/UwztGmRrFhI/AAAAAAAAEUA/AGVa0pNG3aU/s640/blogger-image--22386299.jpg"></a></div>We differentiate between sweet and savory choices.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KfytzzRSS_8/UwztD8CYclI/AAAAAAAAETw/T_ApxoSnM_Y/s640/blogger-image--1232741351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KfytzzRSS_8/UwztD8CYclI/AAAAAAAAETw/T_ApxoSnM_Y/s640/blogger-image--1232741351.jpg"></a></div>We supply endless pots of coffee and served over two hundred slices of pie.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_ud7c987NR4/UyGsAKTYXVI/AAAAAAAAEm4/ZJtBba2OV2Y/s640/blogger-image--464204260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_ud7c987NR4/UyGsAKTYXVI/AAAAAAAAEm4/ZJtBba2OV2Y/s640/blogger-image--464204260.jpg"></a>Like the number PI, we were able to encourage infinite possibilities for the future of our education. </div></div>whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-45242639012766017042014-02-26T09:29:00.000-05:002014-02-28T23:28:19.720-05:00week 5/6 1:1 iPad rollout- To differentiate<div>
Living in Vermont means making amends for educational productivity when a perfect snowstorm blankets the state. Students and teachers embrace the cold powder while it lasts. We ski, we snowboard, we play hard. No wonder that 16 Olympians are from Vermont. At school we gained one actual snow day and then a week of residual effects as smiling, exhausted populations loped through the doors. Now we are on our winter break. Week 5 merged into week 6 of my experience with a 1:1 iPad rollout but not without sound accomplishment.<br>
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<b>Smart Technology- </b>Students no longer groan when I request their weekly download of additional apps. I offhandedly created a metaphor to explain I need them to access a variety of apps. Imagine<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">the iPad as a "dumb" robot. Each application that we add to it gives it a function like a brain. We are the masters building the brain of this device. Instead of playing games, we need to control the games, control the applications. <i>We</i> make it a "smart" technology.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Roll of Master-</b> A roll students seem to accept the roll through experimentation with apps like Stencyl, Scratch and GamePress. I am out of my comfort zone so I turn lessons over to my husband/ tech integrationist. He assured me opportunities for game design during winter break directing me to a webpage he had ready to guide beginners through the gaming process. Content wise, my world history students are studying philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. We use the basis of 18th century theories to examine contemporary issues that students are already urgent to discuss and explore. After the winter break we will use a conversation rubric to prepare a variety of Salon style conversations performed for peers. Blending visionary philosophies of Voltaire, Locke and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin with game theorists like Jane McGonigal and James Paul Gee has immediate appeal for gamers. Students are so used to gaming that being in charge of designing a game is quite new to them. I never thought that I would be the first to suggest this to them. </span><br>
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<b>Immediate Response lends to better discourse</b>- Quizzes are posted through our Haiku platform which student take multiple times, on their own time, with only highest scores recorded. This week I introduced the app, Socrative. I preloaded a multiple choice questionnaire meant to separate student responses relative to their political affinities: radical, liberal, conservative, reactionary. Students click on the app and enter the room number assigned to my account, and begin answering questions at the start of class. It is so easy to process results and present them as a spreadsheet for examination. I present political ideologies as a spectrum and project the results along the spectrum. I take time to answer or engage each student's opinion regarding the outcomes. C<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">ognizant of classroom management </span>with a need to break away from the iPad, we close them down, engage in<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> physical activity, then a reading from a tangible text.</span> <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Over reliance on one technology just as over reliance on one textbook is not conducive to differentiated learning.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The class comes full circle back to d</span>iscourse comparing political platforms to ideology. Feeling impulsive<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I type up one Socrative</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> exit ticket- <i>What idea is worth fighting for</i>? Students were spurred to answer and view results. The gambit of "love, freedom, guns, ur mom"... ended class on a happy note. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>I have underestimated the appeal of game shows. </b></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> My husband urged me to check out the gamified assessment tool through getkahoot.com. The site allows me to access publicly shared quizzes or create my own. Set up for my own current news quiz took 30 minutes. I downloaded images and hit launch. Instructions cued me to display the game room number and offer lobby music while students prepared for game play. iPads become instant response systems once they entered Kahoot.it through their browser and choose their displayed nickname. Students opted to compete individually or as teams. The surface of the iPad displays brightly colored multiple choice buttons. My screen displays the countdown timer, the leader board for quickest, correct response and of course, the lobby music. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Students had so much fun racing each other to get onto the leader board shrieking and yelling loud enough to draw a perturbed math teacher into the room with a request to keep it down. While I am in the experimental stage with Kahoot it is possible to download the quiz data and track team/ individual results over time. I can't wait to explore the shared quizzes and share my own. </span><br>
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<b>Notability- I sing its praise weekly but Storyme adds that <i>je ne sais quoi.</i></b><i> I</i> have changed assignment structures to depend on review and synthesis of notes. Ideally we spiral back to our notes throughout the year affirming or changing how we think. It was especially useful to return to notability and collected images when I asked students to illustrate comparative studies of world leadership. I introduced Storyme as a perfect app for illustrating a point in a storyboard. It turns photos into comic book sketches. It allows for simple, short captions and bubbles for dialogue. I had to share this app with a few teachers who responded by sending me Storyme emails instead of the usual typed text. It has been awhile since I have enjoyed playful banter with colleagues. Take a selfie, add a message and end with a bubble(dramatic), " <i>noooooo! Swoon! Not another faculty meeting!"</i></div>
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<b>An educational shift is taking place in the 1:1 iPad classroom.</b> Students arrive each day for the most part with notebooks open, writing utensils ready. The notebook is their iPad, the utensil. A finger or stylus. Total homework completion is on the rise, not one student has lost a single assignment and I'm working with various students individually or collaboratively by choice. And here's a real thriller for high school teachers...I'm observing students reading. The access to choice readings based on thematic research has led to students spending class time reading deliberately. And they pause to summarize for me their readings. One student, absorbed in the biography of Che Guevara, was unaware that class had ended. His final assessment piece was handed in later than other students but I couldn't penalize him with a late work grade in good faith. I had to give him more time. Guess what? He wasn't reading from <i>wikipedia</i>. I give students the option to default to <i>wikipedia</i> if the video links, trusted sites and academic databases supplied are too difficult or lacking in intrigue. The librarians have helped create accessible pathways to academic databases. We routinely model use of databases comparative to search engines. Choice and ease of access is compelling. My nonchalance and persistent expectation for comparative review of more than one source edges students towards exploration of the myriad of perspectives on the internet. While I am happy to have vacation time to enjoy the last days of Vermont winter I must admit, I can not wait to get back to the classroom.<br>
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-86767457865610181432014-02-16T17:12:00.004-05:002014-02-16T17:19:57.321-05:00Week 4 - 1:1 iPad rollout- Digital Learning Day<div>
Did you know that it was Digital Learning Day nationwide? PBS offered a fantastic opportunity to connect educators. I stepped up my enthusiasm for digital learning by telling students to SMASH APPS! and tweeted class totals (#dlday). Smashing immediately connotes images of destruction but according to my twitter community it simply means using more than one app to create something digital. My students had opportunities to using sketching apps with text apps, work flow apps with platform apps and as an added incentive, would be allowed to use class time for gaming or bonus points on past assessment scores. Guess which incentive won out?<br />
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Our school launched our Follow Your Dreams project during DLD week. Every week a senior or alumni of has the opportunity to present their work towards a dream, TED Talk style in our library media center. During a 20 minute advisory time students voluntarily choose to attend a variety of club activities, conferences or down time. We kicked off the FYD project with a senior who, last semester, lived abroad in Ecuador. She will finish her senior year riding a bike cross-country. The library was packed, standing room only. We recorded the presentation and tweeted it out from our school Twitter feed. Students attending filled out paper exit tickets highlighting their own dreams. I threw together a 6 second Vine stop-motion video posted to Twitter with immediate retweets. Making a Vine video has been a goal of mine for some time. I can't believe how easy it was to learn.<br />
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Four weeks into a 1:1 iPad rollout and my iGeners are developing a work flow. "Patience grasshopper" is an idiom constant in my mind as I navigate the small changes in my teaching/ management style. I am learning that it is not wise to build lessons limiting and controlling students' choice of apps. I avoid design one app lessons- ie Book Builder lesson or a Thinglink project. Instead, I incorporate apps as classroom routines that build towards CCSS (Common Core State Standards). Just as we learn vocabulary every day, we now learn how apps provide choices in learning. Bill Ferriter (@Bill Ferriter) reminded me in a recent tweet, "iGeners aren't always the best students. Working quickly instead of carefully, they 'info-snack' their way through class flitting from instant experience to instant experience." They push aside meaningful learning.<br />
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This is why I am convinced that veteran teachers should embrace technology with fervor instead of reluctance. They know how to engage and differentiate meaningful lessons for a variety of learners therefore technology can assist in this process. Keeping this in mind, I made the focus this week on sharing and sending work instead of incorporating new apps. Since students were at different stages finishing their creative pieces from the previous week it actually worked well to differentiate with a checklist of assignments and tasks published in PowerSchool. I rotated through the room conversing with individuals in regards to work completion, final edits and guidance through the options for handing in work replacing the whole class lecture. I taught students how to change creations from a variety of apps to pdf, to download google drive for saving all assignments and how to attach them to a Haiku Learning platform. It is so important not to allow students the option of emailing assignments, email can become cumbersome.<br />
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By the weeks end students were ready to move onto evaluation & analysis tasks. Merely creating a research project encourages synthesis of knowledge but I needed to assess students on analytical thinking. I offered three choices for comparative analysis of world leaders posted on our Haiku Learning wiki. By reviewing each other's work online and conversing with one another in class, students could choose to create a comparative evaluation tool, or they could write an essay, or they could write a letter to a real world leader. I posted the assignment expectations on Haiku and again, rotated through the classroom acknowledging choices each individual would make. Options included work produced on iPad or paper or with other technologies.<br />
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There were times in class that I caught students gaming as I rotated throughout the room. Our school does have a iPad removal process and I did have to use this with two students whose gaming addictions became quite apparent. Most students could be convinced to set personal goals for task achievement and their own gaming incentives. I actually had an opportunity to enjoying some of their gaming suggestions. I know that Dumb Ways To Die is not a deep nor analytical game but it was easy for me to navigate much to the delight of the students. It is worthwhile to discuss gaming strategies with students who have so much to say and share. In fact, gamification will be a future focus of the iPad rollout. For now, I end my evenings experimenting with more apps, Storyme, Instagrok and Socrative are on my mind.<br />
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-24433987625676228582014-02-09T16:48:00.001-05:002014-02-09T16:48:23.920-05:00Favorite links<div>
Just a quick push for some blog favorites. I'm so busy watching the Olympics and tweeting at the same time, I really can't focus on anything else! Vermont has a number of athletes attending and several of them are from my area in the northern region. Even better, I coached and hovered behind coaches who worked with these athletes since they were in elementary school. I basically grew up, learning to be a better educator because of these kids and my fellow coaches. </div>
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This is a blog by my husband and 1998 Olympian, Marc Gilberston. His focus is still on skiing. He is currently racing in the Canadian Ski Marathon. But he also makes time to meet with a colleague and librarian each week to help our school keep a heads up on tech changes.</div>
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Check out: </div>
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Weekly Geek</div>
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This girl started as a fantastic high school runner but quickly became much more. She went to Burke Academy, was coached by Matt Whitcomb and they went on in ski racing. He is currently the US team coach at the. Olympics! </div>
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I watched the Opening Ceremonies, started tweeting and following skiers. Liz Stephen was my first choice. Her blog is beautiful. The pictures make me feel like... an Olympian!</div>
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What a great week for a senior at our high school to share her story with the younger grades. Olympian effort shows up in many places. Anytime someone is striving to be swifter, smarter, stronger, deserves a podium. This student spent a year raising $13,000.00 to live for a semester in Ecuador as a student in a sustainable development program. And now she prepares to bike across the US. She gave our school a TED TAlk style Question and Answer presentation in the comfort of our library. Check her world out.<br />
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<a href="http://sonyabugliongluck.blogspot.com/">http://sonyabugliongluck.blogspot.com</a></div>
whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710350707841429736.post-88874728033826313822014-02-03T13:11:00.000-05:002014-02-03T13:11:58.819-05:00Week 2- rollout iPads- 1:1 With Aggregators<br />
Week 2 of my focus on technology. "Chilly" in Vermont means starting each day with -20 temperatures. Head colds are circulating through the school and a surprise Lock Down drill happened right in the middle of a well planned lesson. No worries. My students huddled into a dark corner of my classroom during the lockdown with their iPads in absolute quiet. Each student was gaming or texting like crazy. I took a selfie and forwarded it to the principal. <br />
Last week I introduced lessons to accommodate Luddites and iPad enthusiasts and this week was dedicated to keeping routines. I really need the transition towards technology to be smooth or learning will be set aside for entertainment value only. Notability is my go to workflow application for downloading and editing class notes. Each day, students followed the same work flow using various templates that I designed or chose- vocabulary organizers, CLOZE activities and reading comprehension charts. In Notability you can download the same template over and over to add to a note, building a word bank or a file on a particular subject. It was worthwhile to give students time for mastery, learning to utilize the text box, the text tool and the drawing tools. I try to increase student capabilities for blending text with illustration to increase text connections. Some students concentrated on adding details and colors to their sketches or finding images to copy/paste. There is more enthusiasm for sharing and presenting student work on what used to pass as mundane task.<br />
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Student pace varied quite a bit. Luckily I had a second classroom routine already set up. I put QR codes around the room, under tables, on windows and walls. Scanning a QR gives students static or interactive links to information. It is a timesaver. Never again do I have to spell out the letter combination of a a URL or tell students how to search the internet for a particular item. In this case, they all accessed the same historic map image. Students who were ahead could spend time downloading the QR reader app, students who were behind could have the colored map emailed from another student. The accompanying questions were based on the analysis, not the coloring. For my AP World History students, I tape a QR code to the classroom entrance and pen the date on the paper to keep track of itineraries for absentees. The daily itinerary and immediate access to class materials is a powerful motivator. Curiosity draws students towards the scan of this odd black/white code and the discovery of carefully selected activities effectively catches the attention of procrastinators. No one likes to be left behind.<br />
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Technology has added value to activities that used to be considered insignificant. I never could get away with worksheet activities because there used to be a reliance on me as the director of the task. Management of the 1:1 classroom takes a ton of planning but it releases students to work at their pace,relying on itineraries not teachers. Students naturally are quite excited to share and aid their peers. Conversations are richer. With this in mind I launched the use of agrrogrator applications, Feedly and Flipboard.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Aggregators present a selection of blogs, tags or searches or they allow you to personalize your choices. Instead of following the news presented by one source I require students to follow three sources. Flipboard allows students to follow stories and to flip them into a magazine, Feedly organizes the sources for easy access, eliminating the need for single searches. Students set their app up with a news category adding- al Jazeera and the BBC. They also added a news source of their own choice. Class time was used for perusing headlines and settling on a analyzing two different versions of a story. It was great to hear them share headlines out loud and then compare story details. Each student used my paper template to record their analysis to be reviewed later. The real understanding of the news comes from the conversations that fill the classroom</span></div>
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whitneykaulbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03271803253979187378noreply@blogger.com1