Shocking News

December 19, 2009 at 12:38 am (Poland)
Tags: ,

Main gate at Auschwitz

This morning while I ate breakfast, I checked cnn.com as usual.  I saw a headline that said “Nazi sign stolen from Auschwitz gates.”  I immediately assumed that they meant a small sign, similar to the warning signs for the electrified barbed wire, that was near the entrance.  (One that I had probably walked right past without noticing.)  I clicked on the link and was horrified to find that the “Arbeit Macht Frei” at the top of the main gate was stolen.  I first wondered how someone could steal then, then who, and why.  What are they going to do with it? It’s not as though you can auction it off on Ebay.  Or display it in your living room.  While discussing this at work today, someone pointed out that maybe someone wanted to destroy it.  This also horrifies me. 

I hope they recover the sign soon and can restore it to the complex.  It is a defining symbol of the Holocaust, and should be left as it was to remind people of what happened at Auschwitz.

I am also glad that I had the opportunity to see the gate this past summer on my trip.  I hope they can restore the original gate, and do not have to use a replica.  At least I had the chance to see the original.

Leave a Comment

A PR during a near perfect weekend, and on to the next goal

November 18, 2009 at 2:34 am (Running, Travel)
Tags: ,

The OBX Half Marathon has come and gone.  It was a great weekend, I set a PR, although I did not quite make my goal of 2:10:00.  Actually, 3 people in our house set a PR, one of them by 20 minutes!

We headed down on Friday afternoon and hit the race expo which was pretty difficult to find and very tiny.  I did get a cool OBX race shirt and a couple more of those Bondi bands I like so much.  One even has skulls and crossbones on it, in honor of the pirate theme for the race.

After the expo we checked into the house, which was awesome!  3 floors, a doorway onto the deck in almost every room, and a nice view across the sound and coincidentally the huge bridge into Manteo at the end of the run. 

Saturday we did a couple of touristy things, like visiting the aquarium on Roanoke Island and Jockey’s Ridge.  I’m not sure Jockey’s Ridge was the greatest idea, I don’t know if we should have been climing enormous sand dunes the day before the race.  Aside from jumping up and down on the sand dune, and trying to be in sync with three other people for a picture, I took it easy and watched where I was going. 

The aquarium was nice, there were few people there so we could take our time.  In one of the shark/large fish tanks they had divers cleaning with little vacuums.  That was interesting to watch, the fish paid them no attention and it was funny to see someone vacuuming underwater. 

Saturday evening (with about 12 people in the house) we fixed a huge pasta dinner and carbo loaded like crazy.  After a round of Scattergories everyone headed to bed early since we had to be up at 4am and out of the house by 5:30.  The 6 of us running took the shuttle to the start, where we had to wait about 45 minutes until the gun.  It was chilly, but warmed up fast once we got going.

I wasn’t happy for the first half of the race, I felt like my pace fluctuated too much and I kept getting stuck behind people and did a lot of swerving.  I actually thought for a long time, until about mile 7 or 8, that I wouldn’t be anywhere near my goal.  I was hoping to run 9:45 minute miles, but it just wasn’t happening.  Somewhere between mile 6 and 7 I fell in pace with an older guy and I stuck with him for most of the second half of the race.  He got me over the bridge, which is what I was dreading.  It looks very intimidating when you’re running towards it, and feels like it’s never going to end when you’re running over it.  We did of course slow down quite a bit over the bridge, but we ran every step of the way. 

The bridge took a lot out of me so I took my last gel a mile earlier than I had originally planned, but that was ok.  After the bridge we turned towards Manteo and were in the home stretch.  I picked it up as much as I could, because at this point I knew if I missed my goal it wouldn’t be by much.  And it wasn’t, my chip time was a 2:10:50.  Not quite what I was hoping for, but a PR nonetheless. 

And now I’m already looking towards my next goal, which is the Shamrock Dolphin Challenge.  The Dolphin Challenge is an 8k race on Saturday followed by a half marathon on Sunday.  While yes, I would like to hit that 2:10 at Shamrock, my main goal is to raise $1000 for Team McGraw, an organization that raises money for brain cancer research.  My grandfather died last year from brain cancer, and I’m running in his memory.  While I’m sure the time goal will float around in the back of my head, what I really want is to raise the $1000 (or more!) in honor of my grandfather.  If I can do that, my race will be a success, no matter what my time.

Leave a Comment

That feeling

October 1, 2009 at 1:45 am (Running, Travel)
Tags:

I made it through Rock n Roll, and very well I think.  I ran a 2:30:49, I said I wanted to run a 2:30.  I took it slow, had fun, and felt great afterwards.  (This was the first Rock n Roll where I didn’t throw up before or after the race.)  We had great weather, not too humid, and it was overall a very pleasant race. 

Leonard and me after Rock n Roll

OBX is rapidly approaching, I think training wise I’m in week 9 of 14.  I’m looking forward to it and hope the weather is nice.  I’ve set a time goal for myself, I’d like to run a 2:10, which would take 2 minutes and 47 seconds off my best half time.  We’ll see, there’s the big bridge at the end heading into Manteo to contend with.  I’ve got to do some more speedwork. 

Working at Running Etc. is going ok.  I’m allowed to answer the phones now.  Eventually I’ll be trained in shoes.

I’ve been working on my unit plan for Poland.  It’s nearing completion, I’ve gotten 3 of 5 lesson plans (and supplemental materials for each of those plans) completed.  The other two I have outlined and almost complete, then I’ll just have to do the materials to go along with them.

So thinking about Poland and traveling (and listening to “The World at Large”) has given me that “I’m ready to go somewhere” feeling.  I’ve already looked into study abroad seminars for next year and have decided to apply for a two week seminar to Germany.  Based on some blogs I’ve read from past participants, it looks as though you can extend your stay to travel after the trip is over.  If I can work that out, I’d like to stay a few extra days and visit Switzerland.  I think I’d like to see the Alps.  I’ve got to work on my application, which is not due until February 15th, so I’ve got some time.  But that’s the plan (right now) to get me out of the country next summer for a couple of weeks and see a new place!

Leave a Comment

Rock n Roll

September 4, 2009 at 1:54 am (Running)
Tags:

A couple of weeks ago I signed up to run the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in VA Beach.  I’m even partially sponsored, a friend of mine paid half my registration fee if I’d run it.  He said I didn’t even have to run with him, he just wanted some more people he knew out there.  (I’ll stick with him, unless he decides to speed up.)

I haven’t properly trained for this race, not like I normally would, which is a little nerve wracking.  I did do two 8 mile and one 10 mile long run and made it through those with no problem, so hopefully I’ll be ok.  (Well, I did fall down during the 10 miler, but that’s because I turned around to ask Leonard if he was doing ok.  Big mistake.)  The biggest concern is that I have never tried the sports drink they’ll be offering along the course.  They’re using Cytomax, not Gatorade or Powerade which I’m used to.  So I decided to try out the energy gels.  (I also needed to start trying them because I started working part time at Running Etc. and I need to be able to offer advice to customers.)  I tried the Strawberry Kiwi and it went ok, so I’m going to go with water and the gels and hope I make it through. 

I’m also a little concerned since I participated in the Wellness Walk at work today.  The winner (whoever walked the most laps) will receive a $100 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods.  I decided I’d like to go for it.  So I got to Wilson and started walking as soon as they let us, which was around 8:20am, and didn’t stop until it was over at 12:05 or so.  I walked 141 laps around the Humanities wing.  I wasn’t allowed to run, no one was, although some people did.  But I think I may have finished ahead of them, I haven’t received official word yet.  I hope I won, I spent a long time walking, and I could definitely use some new running clothes. 

My legs are really tired now, and the lower part of my left leg, right above my foot, is very tight.  I’m trying to massage and stretch it out.  Hopefully my legs will loosen up and be ok by Sunday.  I’m taking tomorrow and Sunday to rest (although I’ll be on my feet quite a bit at work.)  We’ll see how it goes, I’m planning to do RnR just for fun, and I’ll shoot for a time goal at OBX.

Leave a Comment

My books, Mud, OBX, and the Holocaust

August 12, 2009 at 9:05 pm (Running, Work)
Tags: ,

After the ASYMCA Mud Run at Little CreekThis past Saturday I did the ASYMCA Mud Run at Little Creek Amphib base with Jeff and 3 friends from HRR.  (HRR is the Hampton Roads Runners, a running group to which I belong and am an assistant organizer for.)  We were “Team Clean Freaks.”  It was an awesome race and I’m glad we had a team together.  (Last time I did this individually, it was so much nicer knowing I had teammates who were suffering as much as I was.)  The weather was perfect, not too hot, and some cloud cover which really helped.  First mile was entirely on soft sand with some berms.  To me a berm is a method of torture, to other people I guess it’s just a hill.  A lot of the race was on soft sand, there were a few spots here and there on trail or pavement which was nice and where I felt like I knew how to run.  I do not feel like I know how to run when on sand. 

There are mud pits and obstacles.  The obstacle that worries me most was the 5 foot wall, since I don’t work my arms at all and must have the weakest arms in the world.  (Don’t worry, I’ve decided to work on them during cross training for the OBX Half.)  I figured one of the guys on the team would have to boost me over.  The two I was with however, leapt over it before me and I was left on my own.  I managed just fine, and got myself over.  Big accomplishment. 

An hour and 22 minutes later we collected everyone on our team and crossed the finish line.  Several pieces of pizza and a wade in the bay, and we headed home.  Good start to Saturday!

My package containing all my books and papers from Poland arrived yesterday.  I was pleased to see everything intact.  I took everything on the Holocaust to work with me, since I know for sure that I’ll do a lesson plan on the Holocaust.  It’s hard to decide what to focus on though, so I emailed Shelby for help and she called me!  It was nice to hear from her, and a big surprise.  She had a few good ideas, we brainstormed a little, and once I get my lesson finished I’ll share it with her.  There’s just a lot of information to get across to the students, and I don’t want to just focus on the horrors of the Holocaust and the camps because I don’t want to finish the lesson and have a room full of kids who have decided they don’t like the Germans.  Hopefully what I come up with will give them a good understanding  of what went on. 

And lastly, I guess since I’m an assistang organizer for HRR, that makes me the automatic organizer whenever the people I usually run with decide to do anything as a group.  Several of us are running the OBX Half Marathon in November and thought it would be nice to rent a place in Manteo together.  I’ve been working on this for about a week now and have finally received the lease and am hopefully close to getting the thing booked.  But then I may have another immediate project (besides remembering to get the balance of what we owe in on time) and that is another Mud Run in Roanoke in September.  This is a better Mud Run than the one we just did, because when you finish you are actually covered from head to toe in mud.  It’s a long drive for a short race, but we’ll see.  There are people interested and I would really like to do it, but first I’ve got to finish booking the house in Manteo.

Leave a Comment

Computers and Costumes

August 3, 2009 at 12:50 am (Running)
Tags:

My computer is finally fixed!  I took it to work for the tech people to look at it (since it is a school laptop) and I had some spyware.  They reimaged it, which meant that I had to take all my pictures off the computer or else I’d lose them.  So I backed them up, and I need to get them put back on the laptop so I can post more pictures from Poland. 

It took a few days adjusting to being back home.  I was tired for about a week.  I do miss the 17 or so hours of daylight in Poland, that was nice. 

I haven’t done very well getting back into a regular running routine, but that will change tomorrow, since I begin training for the OBX Half Marathon.  I’m looking forward to it, both the race and the training.  I do so much better when I have a training schedule to follow.  There are also quite a few people from my running group doing this race, which makes it more fun.

I’ve also signed up for the Blue Moon Wicked 10k, which will be held on Halloween.  This will actually be my last long run before the half marathon.  It’s a little longer than my scheduled long run (which is 5 miles) but I’ll take it easy, it sounded too fun to pass up.  This however, poses the question of costume.  What costume will I wear for the race?  I’ve started looking around online, and found a couple I like.  (One is Marily Monroe in her white dress, though I think the wig might fall off, and the other is a pregnant nun, which I just think is funny.)  A couple friends also plan to run this race, so we may get together and figure out something that goes together.  But whatever it is will have to be somewhat comfortable because I don’t want to regret my costume for the entire 6.2 miles.  Suggestions?

Leave a Comment

An uneventful trip home

July 22, 2009 at 1:32 pm (Poland, Travel)
Tags: ,

I got up early to wander Warsaw before I left, but it started raining so I didn’t make it very far.  Ola came to the hotel and took me to the airport, which was nice, and she got me in the right line to check in and left.  The line to check in at LOT was very  long, and when I finally got up to the desk, my suitcase was overweight.  So I had to repack.  The woman at the desk told me I didn’t have to get back in line, and she had someone else who was free help me when I was finished, and I was still overweight.  So I rearranged things some more.  This time she ignored me, and the other woman walked away from the counter.  She had sent me to an empty line to rearrange my stuff, and people kept trying to line up behind me, and since I was tired of confusing them and being ignored, I just got back in the long line.  Luckily, this time my suitcase was ok and I got checked through.  I had awhile before the plane took off, so I found my gate (stopped to get a candybar along the way) and read.  We were a little late taking off, about 35 minutes, but we landed in Chicago right on time, at 3pm. 

I couldn’t really sleep on the flight, and there were quite a few noisy kids.  I finished my book and watched one of the movies.  In Chicago I was starving (the food on the plane was not good, and for dinner I ate only the Kit Kat type candybar that was our dessert) so I got a Chicago style pizza.  I made it through customs and everything ok, I didn’t have to wait too long in line for anything, it just took awhile to get from one part of the airport to another.  But we left Chicago right on time and it was a short flight to St. Louis.  By now I was really tired, since it was starting to be the middle of the night for me, luckily it was only about a 45 minute layover in St. Louis.  Again we took off right on time and I couldn’t stay awake on the flight to Norfolk.  It was also a short flight, an hour and a half or so, and I dozed most of the trip. 

My luggage made it home and I pulled out most of the stuff I bought to show Jeff when I got home, but I wasn’t up long, since I’d been awake (with the exception of the doze on the St. Louis to Norfolk leg) for almost 24 hours.  On Monday I got Chinese food for lunch and then took a 3 hour nap.  Yesterday was ok, I didn’t nap but I did go to bed pretty early. 

I still have pictures I want to post, that I’ll work on periodically, and now I’ve got to think about putting together my curriculum project for this trip.  Well, when I go back to work on August 3rd I’ll start thinking about it.  I’m going to enjoy the two weeks of summer vacation that I do get.  And when I go back to work, I’ll also start trying to figure out where I’ll go next year.

Leave a Comment

What I have not done

July 18, 2009 at 7:54 pm (Poland, Travel)
Tags: ,

I got up this morning to say good-bye to everyone.  A couple of people left very early this morning, so we said good-bye last night, but most people left this morning at 9.  I got up to have breakfast with them, and then saw them off.  I was a little jealous that they all get to leave together, it’ll make things much easier at the airport and on the flight.  Not everyone is on the same flight, but I think there were at least two people on each flight.  They should be arriving in the US very soon. 

I got some things together, charged my cell phone, and did 3 steady 10 minute miles on the treadmill.  Then I wandered around a little bit, got snacks and a book for the plane.  I did have a lengthy conversation with one of the guys who works at the bar behind the hotel that we went to.  It was very interesting, first because he drank coffee and vodka, and second because I got to talk to just an average Polish person about some of the things we discussed in our lectures, such as anti-semitism, traveling throughout Europe, etc. 

Then I went to see a movie.  I saw Public Enemies, which opened at home on July 1, and just opened here yesterday.  At the movie theater you have to choose your seat, and you have to sit in your assigned seat.  (Maybe not for a movie that isn’t crowded, but this one was.)  Since it was an American movie, it was in English with Polish subtitles.  There was no THX sound system like I usually enjoy, and the volume fluctuated quite a bit.  I enjoyed it though, and will probably go see it again when I get home.  (The subtitles were a little distracting, I kept trying to read them even though I could understand, but my eyes were drawn to it anyway.) 

After the movie I grabbed a quick dinner at McDonald’s and brought it back to my hotel.  There was a message from the reception desk on my tv when I got in, I’m going to guess it was something about cleaning my room, since I had the “do not disturb” on the door all day because I had my things spread out to finish packing and didn’t want to put them away. 

We sat around talking the past few days about the things we haven’t done since we left.  We’re all in agreement that it will be a sad thing when we have to do these for ourselves again.  The list included:  drive, cook, laundry, clean, buy groceries, cut the grass, send text messages, answer cell phones, eat a light meal, and buy anything with a debit card.  Now we have to do those things again, this kind of trip spoils you. 

I doubt I’ll sleep well tonight for fear of my alarm not going off, and there’s no one here to make sure I’m up on time.  I’m going to leave for the airport around 9, my flight leaves at noon, and it is somewhere between 9 and 10 hours long.  I should be in Chicago around 3:15 tomorrow afternoon, then to St. Louis, and finally arrive in Norfolk at 11pm.  I hope nothing gets broken and everything goes smoothly and that I get home on time!

Leave a Comment

Wrapping Up

July 17, 2009 at 11:01 pm (Poland, Travel)
Tags: ,

We had a late morning today, we didn’t have to be at the Fulbright Office until 10:30.  We had to take a taxi, since we turned in our boxes with our books and papers in them that we’ve collected over the past 4 and a half weeks.  I’m glad they’ll ship them for us, I would definitely be overweight if I had to carry that stuff. 

We started with a wrap up session, where we just discussed the trip in general, what we liked, any suggestion we have, etc.  They gave us an evaluation (the first of several I’m sure) that I need to finish and turn in tomorrow.  Then we went to the house of someone who works in the Embassy, I’m not sure who.  The US Ambassador couldn’t meet us for a reception, so it was moved to this poor woman who had all 16 of us in her house.  We had a light lunch, some small talk with some people from the Embassy, and then we were free until dinner.

I think most of us took this time to rest and start packing.  I did a little shopping, got a couple of shirts and a dress from a store near the hotel that I liked.  (It’s where I bought a couple of shirts before when I was running out of clean clothes.)  I thought about heading towards Old Town to do a last run through for souvenirs, but decided against it.  I figure I have all day tomorrow to do that.  So I came back to the hotel, worked on my evaluation, and took a nap which was nice. 

We went to dinner at Dom Polski, which is a very nice restaurant.  They gave us an option, turkey or veal, and I chose turkey.  I’m glad I didn’t unknowingly have veal again, that would have been terrible.  I couldn’t eat my dessert though, it was lody, and it was already melting when they brought it out, and I don’t eat melty ice cream so I gave it to Shelby.

Dinner was fun.  A few peple got together and did awards for everyone.  My award was “most dedicated to the pursuit of waffles and lody.”  We got gifts for our organizers, very nice gifts that I hope they will use and enjoy.  And then Kim stood up and passed out a piece of paper.  She has written the most awesome poem about our trip, starting with D.C. and hitting all of the highlights.  She read it out loud, it was amazing.  I would never be creative enough to do that.  I’m glad she shared it with us, it’s funny and sad, and reminds us of a lot of the thing we did here. 

After dinner most of us went to the bar right behind the hotel and hung out for quite awhile.  Tomorrow everyone leaves except me.  I’m not sure of everything that I’ll do tomorrow besides packing and having one more waffle and lody.  I am going to get up and have breakfast with everyone and say good-bye.  (Then I’ll probably go back to bed.)  And I have to plan my transportation from the hotel to the airport and make sure all those arrangments are made, and then I leave at noon on Sunday!

1 Comment

Mission accomplished

July 16, 2009 at 9:03 pm (Poland, Travel)
Tags: ,

This morning we went to Chopin’s house.  It isn’t actually his house, not the one he was born in, it’s a house that was constructed later on, and is symbolic of his life.  There is a room dedicated to his mother, his father, etc.  What we heard from someone who did this trip previously is that the grounds are very pretty, and contain very beautiful gardens. 

The grounds were closed for renovation.  We saw no gardens at all. 

We think this is because next year is the bicentennial of his birth, so they’re preparing for all sorts of events.  The house was very nice, but I’m sorry I won’t get to see the gardens after they’ve been renovated.

We headed back to Warsaw after that, and had lunch at the cafeteria restaurant.  Last time there, some people were happy about that, I didn’t think it was awful, we could have eaten worse I’m sure. 

After lunch we were free until dinner.  There were several things on the agenda.  First, a bankomat, I had no cash left at all.  A couple of people wanted to check out the Warsaw University bookstore for t-shirts.  We also hit a couple of book stores looking for children’s books in English and Polish.  Then came the really important thing.  Dessert at the Hard Rock Cafe.

We took a taxi since it was warm and we didn’t want Shelby to have to walk in the heat.  (Not that Laura and I complained about being driven though.)  We got a table and all of us ordered a hot fudge brownie sundae.  I warned them beforehand that I don’t eat melty ice cream and would eat my dessert very very quickly.  I don’t think they believed me, Laura teased me about it later as she was trying to explain to someone else how I inhaled my entire dessert before she could take two bites.  So now they know what it’s like to eat dessert with me.  I tried to tell them.  But it was very delicious, I was so happy to have one, and since we had now eaten something at Hard Rock, I could go into the shop and buy a shirt.  So, mission accomplished, we got our dessert (which we’d been talking about for about a week) and I got a shirt.

Headed back to Novotel after that to drop Shelby off, and then Laura and I ventured out to do a little shopping.  I did wind up buying a couple of cup and saucer sets, I hope I can transport these home in one piece. 

We didn’t shop too long, we both wanted some time to relax and start sorting our stuff.  They are going to ship books and papers home for us, so I sorted all of that out, and packed my carry on and one bag that I’ll check.  I’ll just have to finish packing my suitcase on Saturday, but I think I might be ok.  I hope it isn’t overweight, I tried to spread things out between my bags, but I guess we’ll see.  My hotel room was a horrible mess with stuff on every available surface, but I managed to get most of it under control.

Tomorrow is our latest morning yet, we don’t have to meet until 10:30 at the Fulbright Commission.  We do have to bring our boxes, so I’m thinking we’ll take taxis instead of trying to lug these boxes around.  And we have to be dressed for a reception immediately following our wrap up session, so I really don’t want to lug a box full of books and papers in my dress clothes.

We have some free time after the reception to do any last minute things, then one more group dinner.  I’m sure we’ll go out after dinner to grab a drink and whatnot, but this is the last time we’ll eat together.  Then Saturday morning almost everyone leaves and I’ve got a free day in Warsaw. Still not exactly sure what I’ll do to fill the day, but I’m working on it.

Leave a Comment

« Older entries