hey there folks....i'm back in the usa....and will be here for the next year, maybe two.....people have been asking if i will still be writing a blog every few months and the answer is....yes!!! i have a job lined up here in the states, doing elementary science, grades K-3.....yes, i know, i will need to curb the sarcasm....but the best thing about the job, besides not having my own classroom and grading assignments, is that i will be traveling to different schools....around the states....so traveling is still in my future....which means the blog continues.....i think my first gig will be in tulsa, oklahoma....so here's hoping i introduce you to some places in the states that i have not been, or maybe you have not been.....so in a month or two i will be posting the first trip......the travel continues....
i did however take a trip to paris before heading back to the states, and even though it was whirlwind four days, it was fun with a friend from ghana, misty, and from meeting up with some old friends and students from croatia - the holtzapples and adian, one of my past students.....a good visit to a great city and fun hanging with friends....love that aspect of what i do....folks i know are everywhere....so on with some pictures from paris and some from being back in the states.....enjoy....
but one last picture from ghana....our last day of school and our amazing anna, the super baker and administrative assistant of middle school, made this incredible goodbye cake for all of us who were leaving.... if you look closely to the upper left corner, you can see my school picture from this past year....it was a great goodbye to all of us who left ghana at the end of the school year.....tasty too :)
onto paris.....this first shot is of the atrium of the place we rented for the four days in paris via airbnb....if you have not used this service, usually it is terrific....unfortunately the guy we rented from this time was a jerk....but his place was nice and in a great and very accessible part of town....and you have to love the way apartments are set up in europe with the atrium in the middle....loved it!
one of the places we visited while in town, as it was misty's first trip to paris and she wanted to tourist-it-up all the way, was the arc de triomphe.....this monument is huge and the start of one of the most expensive streets in town....the champs elysees.....but the arc itself is stunning....it was ordered built by napoleon, for the grand army of france, and was inaugurated in 1836, so we were there for it's 180th birth year....kind of cool....it is the world's largest triumphal arch....
as we wandered around paris, we needed to stop in a few times for the libations on hand....here is my first beer not in africa....it was belgian and it was tasty :) we did this a few times, as euro cup 2016 for football/soccer was happening all over france....games were every night and the amount of fans from the different countries in town was incredible....i saw fans from croatia, romania, ireland, wales, sweden, etc....it was a blast...
i love wandering the streets of paris and how you can suddenly turn a corner, and bam!....there's the eiffel tower....plus, as we were wandering the cheering from different groups, especially the irish, the brits and swedes, got louder and louder....i think there was some message to the followers of these countries to meet and surround the tower....
here's a shot, using misty's selfie stick, on the eiffel tower....it was one of the only places you could bring a selfie stick in paris....BUT, you could not bring a flag up of your country....we never did figure out why this was a rule....but luckily, we did not have a flag :)
soccer was everywhere.....they even had this huge fan zone with a giant screen where you could watch games being played outside of paris...no selfie sticks though....but i did love the soccer ball hanging in the center of the eiffel tower....it was huge....
one of my favorite things is traveling around the world and catching up with past students and families to see what they are up to in life....and paris was no exception to the meet-ups....here i am with aidan at a local sports bar around the corner from where we were staying....funnily enough, his family's apartment in paris was around the corner from where we stayed as well....couldn't have planned that better if i do say so....luckily the timing worked out.....and now that he is college, aidan is studying science....woot!!! not a surprise at all :)
the shot above is looking down from the main entryway side into the museum....the other two main collections i love are the sculptures, which you can see to the left and right sides, and the amazing amount of impressionist paintings they have....it is mind-boggling...but overall, i love the building the most!!!
one of the other things i love doing in paris is wandering down the seine, which i did....i love seeing the little booths like the one to the left of the picture, where used books and posters are sold....they are called the riverside bouquinistes.....it's amazing what you might find....not many were open this day, as it kept raining off and on, but the next day they were out in full force.....
the other super cool folks we had dinner with, from croatia, were the holtzapples....one of the greatest things about this was that i got to have some croatian slivovitz made from plums and some made from walnuts....it brought back some great memories....as did the conversations about when we were in croatia at the same time.....i love it when paths cross in places around the world....
our final day included a stop in st. chappelle.....and even though i have seem many, many churches in my travels, this is always one of my all-time favorites.....the stained glass in this chapel is just incredible and mind blowing.....it is considered a royal chapel, as it was built for louis the IX.....they are in the process of restoring the stained glass, and are using lasers to do this....modern science meets artwork from the past.....a great combination....
of course one my favorite things in all cities is the ability to use public transport and of course the metro in paris does not disappoint....and when riding the metro, you always have to get a shot of the signs for the metro you can find in certain places....like the one above....gotta love the art nouveau of them....
we went from one grand chapel to the most famous cathedral of paris....notre dame.....this one is a medieval catholic cathedral in the center of paris....i have two things i love abut this cathedral...one is the rose windows....they are just amazing....as you might be able to see from the shot above.....
and i decided on this wander and photo-taking walk, that my favorite shot this time of the cathedral, was actually the back of it.....we had a stunning time of day and the clouds and blue sky, plus the cathedral made for a great shot....
from notre-dame we headed to my favorite bookstore in the world, found in paris, along the seine....it has grown to include a cafe now, but inside is still as magical as it has been every time i have been there....shakespeare and company....so many books, so little time....this store was opened in 1951 and takes after the one that was around in the 1920's and 30's that was home to the "beat" generation.....love it!
as it started to rain again on this walk, i ducked into a church on the edge of the latin quarter and got to see these cool stained glass windows....i have actually not seen any like these before and i thought they were photo worthy....i don't know the name of the little church, but i sure liked it's windows....
this last shot of paris is from the pyramids of the louvre, the largest museum in the world....unfortunately i did not get to go in this time, as i lost my museum pass to get in.....but the day was so nice, it was great just to sit outside, people watch and enjoy not sweating in the sunshine.....overall it was a whirlwind trip to paris and full of tasty treats, wandering the streets and hanging with friends....a great way to start summer....
i returned to the states in time for father's day....and above you can see my dad's gift and my matching version, that my amazing friend thomas the rock star, had made....which you saw in the last post.....anyway...this is called a batakari, also known as a fugu....these are worn generally by women and men in the northern part of ghana.....these are a mark of power & tradition in that part of ghana....so figured it would be cool for my dad to have one.....looks good and a quick shout out of thanks to thomas for all of his help.....
i have been adapting to being back in the states and have been enjoying summertime stuff as well....one of the things i did was go see a phillies game....not their best year by any means, but i do love to go watch a game...i am definitely not a "watch on tv" person.....but when the game is live, it's just a good time....and of course it is always fun to see the phillies phanatic....
i got to go to the game with friends of mine from my china days....josh and shannon....they did a baseball stadium tour this summer....ten different games....and crazily, nine of the ten home teams won when they were in the stadium....should have made a bet in vegas i say.....it was great to reconnect and catch a game with them before they headed off to boston for a game on july 4th....a terrific stadium to be in for the fourth.....
another thing that changed here in pennsylvania was my folks' mailbox....this is "the dude"....made from metal and really cute....he has had a lot of pictures taken....as he surprises most folks who pass by....very welcoming :)
and of course i have been experiencing the many different types of beer here in the states.....soooooo many to choose from, it's overwhelming....actually, there is just so much to choose from of everything....it has been a bit overwhelming.....so the transition to being here has started....and here i am with a friend's flight at the local victory brewery.....yummy....
sooooooooo....there you have it, the beginning of my "reverse" culture shock is in full swing and i am trying to adapt to living someplace i have not lived in since 2003....yes, i am happy to be here, but yes, i am also overwhelmed, and a bit freaked out that i do not have a plane ticket taking me to a new country in the next week....most of my international friends have headed back to their previous jobs or are off on new adventures, and it is wild not to be doing that this year.....but i am adapting to this "new" adventure....and even though i still pay for things with cash, get a bit stressed with the drivers and the politics here, i know i will adapt eventually.....so wish me luck...and if you are in the philly area, be sure to get in touch, as that is where you will find me for the next year at least....hope you are all enjoying summer/winter....to those in new positions, all the best with the start of the new year....and to those returning to old positions....i hope it is a terrific year for you too :)
until the next post....peace out & have a fab day :)
dani
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