Vienna Year Two: And So It Begins!

My Dearest Most Wonderful Blog Readers,

Alright.  So.  Um... About the last four months... They were pretty awesome...and rather jam packed...and so, well, okay so I've been slacking.  I know it and you know it and it's rather embarrassing but it appears that all of my self assurances that I would never be that blogger that leaves their dear sweet readers out in the cold, it seems that I did, in fact, become that person.  To the point where I have felt so blocked about figuring out how to pick up again and start again after four months I've been getting really overwhelmed and chickening out.

But I knew that I must rise above my writer's block and emerge triumphantly into a new year of blogging.  So I put "One Day More" on loop on Youtube (25th Anniversery Cast recording.  Don't even get me started on the movie.  I mean good gracious) and sat myself down resolutely and promised myself that I was not allowed to move until I've given at least a halfway decent update on what's been going on here in Vienna.

Ready?

Okay here we go.

For brevity's sake let's just fast forward through the summer.  It was a really great blessing to be back with my family and to meet with friends and supporters and share what God is doing in Vienna and how excited I was to come back.  I faced my great fear and went to the Cleveland Aquarium (seriously.  fish are gross.) and decided that the puffer fish isn't all that terrifying comparitively speaking.  Also the zoo.  And the State Fair.  You will all be pleased to know, I'm sure, that the Butter Cow is still doing well!

Reuniting with former students!

Feeding the Giraffe with miss Kelly Filipkowski

Bike Rides

Facing my fear!

Fleeing in terror from the T-Rex! 

So, to make 10 million adventures short, August came and I returned to Vienna, full of excitement and ready for a new adventure!  School began and I was greeted by my new classroom which currently houses 10 boys, and 6 girls.  (It makes for a VERY enthusiastic mix).  Countries represented this year include: Ethiopia, America, Zimbabwe, The Philippines, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iraq, South Africa, Angola, and Brazil!  So that beats my record from last year by one country :-).  Of course, if you count the students from 4th grade that I teach one class to a day you can also add: Australia, New Zealand, Macedonia, Namibia, India, and South Korea.  One of the greatest and most challenging aspects of teaching here continues to be the amazing diversity in the classroom.  Differentiation is a MUST!

I'm teaching Science now, so of course we started the year with The Great Baby Diaper Experiment as a way to learn the Scientific Method.  Below find some examples of our research!

On  September 19th we celebrated National Talk Like a Pirate Day because...well...why not?  Students came in costume and we had some piratey adventures throughout the day!  

Another new adventure this year?  I agreed to direct the high school musical with a fellow teacher!  We are producing Guys and Dolls Jr. this year!  I'm BEYOND excited!  It's a whole new fun challenge working with such a diverse group of talented students from so many different backgrounds.  It's hard enough explaining 40's New Yorker slang to a group of AMERICAN students.  Just imagine explaining "craps", "markers", "doll face", etc. to a group of students from as many countries as my 5th graders!  I'll try to take some pictures of practice for you all to see soon.  Pray that we are able to get everything done!  These students are CRAZY busy.  It's such a small school that many of the high schoolers are involved in 5 or 6 different activities.  Our performances will be December 14th and 15th.  So, you know, if you feel like flying to Vienna you should come see it!

At the very end of September  Sarah H. (I have a new roommate who is ALSO named Sarah so now I have to differentiate), Christine, Amanda (my principal) and I went on a weekend trip to Croatia.  It was amazing.  We hung out in a national park and stayed in really awesomely weird lodgings (like seriously.)  

Plitvice Lakes...one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to
in my life.  

Countless waterfalls

and crystal clear blue water

We also visited the Adriatic Sea!

We returned and October has been jam packed with classroom activities.  God answered all of our prayers at ICSV and brought us our long-awaited 4th grade teacher - Molly Brown!  No, we are NOT related! However, I did KNOW Molly before we ended up in Austria together!  In 2007 we worked a summer at the Top Thrill Dragster together at Cedar Point and even though we hadn't been in contact since, we remained Facebook friends, which is how she heard about ICSV and felt called to come teach at the school.  You really should check out her blog to see God's amazing provision in bringing her to school.  It's crazy awesome how he works and it blows me away every day.

We are almost at the end of the 1st quarter.  It's crazy to think that so much time has already gone by.  I feel like I still have SO much to do this year and I am praying for the knowledge and wisdom to meet all of their needs spiritually as well as academically.  There are three students in my classroom that are Muslim and others that don't know God - pray that I am able to minister to them and their families and that the Holy Spirit is active in their hearts this year!

And so with these last pictures I leave you!  NOT for four more months (I promise!).  

With Love!!!

Amy