Happy Birthday Ainsley!

Ainsley turns 8 today (March 31st), so a big birthday greeting (or "Co' latha breith sona dhuibh" according to the card Bryan and Tracey sent) to the girl. We've spent the day designing cupcakes, playing "crazy golf", working on birthday crafts with one of her friends, and just having fun. She was up bright and early and you would have thought it was Christmas morning.

All the favorites: Sketch pad, Tintin book, Moshi gear, and a wild hat.

Thanks to everyone who sent along birthday wishes, it has been much appreciated. I think she's been counting down since around January 1st, so there's been quite the buildup here. Fortunately the nice weather continues to stick around and we were able to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Cupcake design station.

The blog will be a bit quiet over the next two weeks due to the Easter Break.  Here's hoping everyone has a nice Easter, and we'll have more updates around the corner.

Heat wave!

So what's wrong with this picture? Shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops- that's what. The thermostat hit 66 degrees today in Dunfermline, warmer than the current temperatures back home in California. Most people have been warning us about the weather since we started planning for this trip last March. In fact, while we were in Belgium during the October break, I went on a World War I battlefield tour for a day. During introductions with the other group members I explained I was an exchange teacher living in Scotland for the year. One of the ladies carefully turned to me and in a very soft, serious voice, slowly said "ooooh, bitter cold in winter" and then turned back to stare out the window. It was the only time she spoke to me the entire day. It turns out that the 25th of March is the one-year anniversary of our exchange notification. Maybe this is some kind of cosmic congratulations for our hard work? Most likely its just the another example of the wacky world of weather over here. 

The past two winters in Dunfermline, and Scotland for that matter, have been very harsh. There have been countless stories of the country grinding to a halt as the snow kept falling and falling, leading to almost two-weeks of canceled school and hikes to the grocery store with the kids sleds to carry back your bags. We have been as prepared as we could, and really have waited all winter for the harsh weather to return. However, as the end of March nears, it looks like we've been lucky enough to enjoy a very mild and warm winter. I can't say we're too disappointed with the light weather, but I know the kids are bummed there wasn't a bit more snow. Although Saturday was very foggy, the warm weather hit today and looks like its going to stick around through the week.

Milkshakes from a great little stand at the market.

Saturday we went to Edinburgh for a little shopping and a football game. We took the opportunity to hit the Edinburgh Farmers Market beforehand, and had a yummy lunch before heading off to our game. Christa took Ainsley out for a little birthday shopping while Will and I went to the game. She will turn eight on March 31st, and birthdaypalooza is just starting to hit its stride.

I've been trying to get Will to some of the different stadiums during out stay, and today we saw one of the two Edinburgh teams, Hibernian. They have not been doing well this season, in fact they're battling with our local team, Dunfermline Athletic, to stay in the top league. We saw them play Dundee United, who we were quite impressed with. The game ended with a 2-0 win for Dundee, and more colorful language per-capita than we have heard this year. Sorry about that Christa.

HIbernian (green) v. Dundee United (tangerine)

Life at St. Columba's: Observations

My classroom. Everything is still in one piece Bryan.

One goal of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program is for teachers to spend time observing at other schools. There is no official policy about this, but the schools are encouraged by Fulbright to let their teachers take advantage of professional development and observation opportunities that may occur during the school year. It turns out that my school has been terrific about this (almost like they want me gone....hmmm), letting me work in visits to two schools so far, an educational convention, field trips, and another school visit to come in May. They have been very clear that they think this is an important part of the learning process, and they want me to see different aspects of the Scottish educational system.

Their encouragement has been much appreciated, especially because I know this has not been the case with all the exchange teachers in the UK. Others have had a difficult time getting released from work. A  big part of this is the way classes get covered. At home you would simply call, or arrange for a substitute teacher. Here the teachers are expected to cover for absent colleagues, and typically only one "supply" teacher, or substitute would be called to a given school. I think there are some variations to this according to your school, but the bulk of class coverages are done by the teachers themselves. For example, I taught four of six periods yesterday, but covered for an absent teacher during one of my two empty periods. You get used to it, but it definitely is different than at home. 

I've really enjoyed my observation days because you simply get to be a "fly on the wall" and see how things work without the responsibility of teaching classes. Like anywhere, you can find a number of differences between schools, even if they're not far away from each other. The age/condition of the building, type of facilities, energy of the faculty, enrollment or "catchment" area of the kids, and administrative leadership can all have a tremendous impact on not just performance, but behavior and general atmosphere of the school. Having been at St. Columba's for the year, I've grown accustomed to one type of school, and these observations allow me to have a greater perspective on education here. As a result of these visits I've been able to see a wider variety of teaching styles and unique programs. I'm lucky to be at a school that sees the value in these experiences and has been so encouraging during my time here.

Happy Mothering Sunday

Today is the UK version of Mother's Day. This special day is two months before our traditional Mother's Day back home, and I actually just realized this a few days ago. No reason why you can't celebrate the mom's twice in one year though. 

A special thank you of course goes out to Christa, who has been keeping the family together during our year abroad. The blog may make it seem like its one big vacation, but there is a lot of work that goes into packing up your life and moving to a new country for a year. My teaching commitments have meant that Christa has had to handle virtually all of the school responsibilities with the kids, be my personal therapist as I adjust, and carry the bulk of the load keeping the house functioning. She's been really amazing through this whole process, which for all the wonderful times can be quite exhausting. So Happy Mothering Day to Christa, my mom, and all of you moms' out there!

Golfing at Carnoustie

If you're a golf fan you know that Carnoustie Golf Links is a world famous course in Scotland. The course jumps to mind for me when I think of French golfer Jean van de Velde losing the 1999 British Open on the 18th hole, after shooting a triple-bogey 7 and finding every possible hazzard. Anyway, after a morning football game for Will, we headed off for a little road trip to visit Carnoustie Golf Links and nearby Dundee to see the British warship HM Unicorn.

Will in his new strip before this mornings game (remember- no photos are allowed at the games). Today was the first game of the spring season, a match-up with the ever-feisty Pitreavie Pumas. The game did not go as the boys would have liked, but Will did score a first-half goal and made a number of nice saves as keeper in the second half. In fact he was named Man of the Match for his play. 

First hole at Carnoustie

18th Hole looking towards the clubhouse and hotel. (The scene of Mr. Van de Velde's 1999 meltdown

)

 

Carnoustie-  One of the most demanding courses in the world.  Crazy golf was pretty tough too.

Now we can say we played golf at Carnoustie (Leisure Center). In fact, Ainsley can always brag about her hole-in-one on the 6th hole. As we left the golf course to make our way to the HM Unicorn, we stumbled upon an awesome playground, complete with "crazy golf". I've sung the praises of European playgrounds before, but this might have been the best one yet. The weather was so nice, and the kids were having such a good time, we bailed on our trip to Dundee and spent the rest of the day here.

It's like some kind of Mad Max/Hunger Games kind of place, but with lots of laughing and no Tina Turner. There's even more things that swing and spin which are not in the picture, and a zip line obstructed by the climbing structure.

A see-saw that also spins. Cool, huh?

I'm not sure what the temperature was, but it was perfect. The funny part is, I bet it was 60 degrees at best, but after eight months here, it felt like summer. I couldn't remember a time when were outdoors and felt so warm. We could have sat sitting by the ocean and listening to the waves splash against the rocks all afternoon, but eventually we had to head back home. An unexpected day in the sun and sand was just what everyone needed, and to think Spring Break is only three weeks away!

The beach at Carnoustie

Lochgoilhead

Loch Goil

This weekend the Scottish Teachers Club organized an outing to Lochgoilhead, a small village in Argyll, Scotland on the west coast. Thirteen of us spent the weekend "caravan camping", sharing mobile homes at the head of Loch Goil. The campground also has a leisure center, with a heated pool, small ice rink, lawn bowling, and arcade area with badminton, ping pong, and billiards. There was also a golf course, although I didn't play, and ample trails for walking and hiking. It was a much-needed break for all of us, and plenty of kid-friendly activities (translation: no castles, cathedrals, or palaces) to keep everyone happy.

A view of some camping caravans. You needed to be very careful not to walk into the wrong one, they were identical. If you know Noreen you can ask her about that very problem.

 

 Lochgoilhead is part of the Loch Lamond and Trossachs National Park, and has especially beautiful scenery when the skies clear. A cold Saturday night brought a little bit of snow, but not low enough for the kids to play in (and I certainly was not going to hike them up to it).

Most of the weekend's camping crew heading out for a hike.

I can't say enough about the Scottish Teacher's Club. There are a number of regional clubs in Scotland actually, but they combine forces for most events. It's such a great support network throughout the year. Not only do they organize outings for events/places you might not have known about, but its an opportunity to hang out with people who know exactly what you're going through and can offer support and advice. Its also a great time to hang out with the current exchange teachers and check-in on how they're all doing.  I am so thankful that these groups of former exchanges have taken the time and effort to help us along during our stay. 

A local highland cow knee deep in mud (I think)

We took a beautiful hike up into the mountains on Saturday afternoon, braving the occasional rainy patch. The kids were very good sports, pushing themselves along with no complaints. It was good to get out and get some fresh air, escaping to the outdoors.

Will and Calla were great hiking buddies during our walk.

As we made our way to the top of our trail loop, there were a number of waterfalls and streams slicing their way through the Argyll forest.

 

On the way back from Loch Goil, we decided to take another way back to see a different part of Argyll. After driving along Loch Eck, we took a car ferry from Dunoon to Gourock, across the Firth of Clyde. I think the kids really enjoyed driving the car right on to the ferry and sailing away. It was a good warm-up for when we travel to Ireland, and a chance to see some stunning views.

View from the Firth of Clyde (you can see a bit of snow in the distance)

Another view, but with a rainbow this time!

The deal is, one nice picture, then one silly picture (doesn't always work, but that's the bargain with family shots)