Saturday, November 3, 2007

Fontana de Trevi (Trevi Fountain)



This beautiful fountain is the very end of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC. It provides water to all the fountains in the center of Rome.









The legend about Trevi Fountain is that if you stand with your back to it and throw a coin over your shoulder, you will return to Rome. You can see that I am really hoping for that! (I was also hoping not to hit a tourist with my coin, because it was so crowded that I couldn't get close to the fountain).

High School Choir in Rome



Oh yes, and the kids did sing while we were there! In fact, they rehearsed for most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday in order to perform on Friday. The choir was composed of our kids from Tunis as well as an international school choir from Lisbon (Portugal) and Rome. The director from Lisbon worked with the kids all week and the result was fabulous. Stay tuned to hear a clip from YouTube in a few days when I figure out how to do it.

Colosseum






Can you believe that construction started on this building in AD 72? (For all you Blazer fans - the whole "Colosseum" idea didn't start in Portland).


















GLADIATORS....although I don't think that the real Gladiators were quite so affectionate.

















Look closely at this photo and you can see the hundreds of tourists on the second level of the building. Pretty amazing!

Pantheon


The Pantheon was built over 1800 years ago, but it still stands in the center of Rome. I loved the juxtapositioning of the Pantheon with modern day Rome surrounding it. We were walking down a busy street when the building seemed to appear out of nowhere!

Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica

I've been helping with the choir at ACST, and this week, the students performed at an invitational choir festival in Rome. We toured Vatican City and saw St. Peters, the largest church in the world. Did you know that Vatican City isthe smallest "city-state" in the world? Enclosed by Rome, this state has an area of less than one mile, and a population of 800 (made up of guards, nuns, priests, and the pope). Inside the city, there is the famous St. Peter's square, the church, the tombs of the popes including John Paul II, the art museum, Michelangelo's dome, and dozens of post office boxes! Rain or shine, this sight alone was worth the trip to Rome.

St. Peter's Basilica














We were prepared for all weather!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

More views of the sea

Last weekend, I took a two hour drive south to the beautiful beach town of Sousse, where you can ride a camel on the beach!


























Our first stop on our sixth grade field trip was the natural hot springs in Kelibia. The boiling water goes straight into the ocean, making it a great spot for swimmers all year round.






































The hotel room was not very nice, but you can't complain about the sunset view off the balcony!

Ancient Ruins of Kerkouane

Our class field trip this week took us to the ancient Punic city of Kerkouane, located at the tip of the Cap Bon peninsula in Tunisia. This amazing settlement was abandoned in the 3rd century BC and never reoccupied by Roman or Byzantine settlers. The site was discovered in 1952 and is remarkably well-preserved. We were able to see remains of mosiac tiles, jewelry, pottery, art, a figure-head of the god Baal, and many pottery kilns. In the photos, the red color in the baths is from a famous Tyrian dye, extracted from the shellfish along the coast, and unique to this region. There is evidence that this was a thriving artisan community that traded extensively with Greece. Note the coins in the photos!









Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Post up-do hair


Would you still be my friend if I wore my hair like this?

Johnny's seasoning

Many of you will be familiar with Johnny's seasoning, a garlic salt used for breads and meat. It's easy to find in the USA, but impossible to find here in Tunisia. I don't even really care that much about Johnny's aside from the fact that you always want what you can't have when living abroad. While shopping in the states this past week, I purchased an 18oz. bottle of this special seasoning to bring back in order to make garlic bread to my heart's content. Imagine my surprise when I SMELLED my bag coming off the baggage claim at the airport in Tunis on Monday night. Yes, something crushed my suitcase on the way over, breaking the wheels, destroying the fabric of the suitcase, and, yes, distributing 18 ounces of garlic throughout my luggage. Nothing in my biggest suitcase was spared: I now own garlic clothes, garlic sheets (and most of you know how I am about my sheets), and garlic books. (If you don't use Johnny's, then imagine dumping 262 Top Ramen packets into your luggage and you will know what I mean). I am currently washing a load of laundry for the 4th time, hoping for improvement. They say garlic is good for you, so I should be a pretty healthy girl this winter!

Aside from the smell that permeates my apartment, it's been a pretty good transition back. I haven't had too much trouble with jet-lag, and nothing in my classroom went awry in my absence. This weekend, I am off to the coast for a few days, as we have a day off on Friday for the conclusion of Ramadan.

Foot twins


Below is a creepy picture of two different people's feet. Yes, that's right. This is not a pair of feet. Can you tell which one is mine and which one is Emily's?
This is a special talent of ours that we love to share.

Em's a MARRIED WOMAN

In response to overwhelming requests from those who read this (okay, in response to Rebecca), I am posting a few pictures of Emily and John's wedding. The happy couple became man and wife on Friday night, October 5th. Below are a few photos of the occasion. 1) the bride and groom 2) action shot - the ceremony 3) the chandler kids 4) first dance 5) amanda




Sunday, September 23, 2007

On the road again...

Though I have just been here long enough to get adjusted to the time zone, I am heading back to the states this Thursday to celebrate the marriage of my sister Emily and her husband-to-be John. Photos of the happy occasion will be coming soon.

Shopping in the Medina






This fountain marks the entrance to the medina. The medina hosts several dozen colorful shops and colorful characters selling their goods. Their favorite game to play with the foreigners is to guess our nationality. As I walk by each shop, the workers call out, "Francaise? Italienne? Anglaise? Suisse?" So far, only one person has guessed correctly! The Berber pottery is brought up from the southern parts of Tunisia, where Berber populations live in the Sahara Desert.

The Classroom


For those of you who are starting to wonder whether I do any teaching at all, here is a photo of my classroom. It looks bare, but the kids have filled it up since this photo was taken. (The first photo is the courtyard outside my classroom door).

I am currently teaching two sections of 6th grade Language Arts, and preparing to add two Drama classes next quarter. The teaching has been quite enjoyable. I have two groups with 22 students in each, and that enables me to see every student for 70 minutes, every day. It's been fun to hear about the diverse experiences of this bunch. They have kept me on my toes, and I truly love it.

Pretty in Pink


One of the benefits of living alone is that you truly can paint your living room hot pink! This wasn't supposed to be quite so shocking, but I have come to love the splash of color on these two walls.

Rooftop-warming


Here's a downtown view of Tunis, taken from the roof of a new friend's home this past Friday night.

La Mer (The Sea)





About a mile from my house is the neighborhood of Sidi Bou Said, famous for its great views of the sea and the classic "white-house, blue door" look of every home. Shops all along this hill lure tourists off the cruise ships, which port right here in the Bay of Tunis.

Parasailing on the Med

Picture number one: Pre-parasailing: Relaxing on the beach with Sandy, my friend and fellow ACST teacher

Picture number two: This is me pretending to understand all the directions being given in rapid French. How's my acting?


Picture number three: Liftoff!
Picture number four: "Is it too late to ask them to repeat the directions?" (That little dot near the center of the photo is my parachute).

Honestly, this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. From the air I could see miles of the white sand beach and the blue-green sea. The palm trees were waving in the breeze, and it was as breathtaking as you would imagine it to be.

Finally, I got my stage!


My mom always said I needed a stage...or did she say that I thought the world was my stage? Either way, check out this one! This is the amphitheater of my school. I will use this stage for drama productions (and for dreaming about my future career). The only problem is the direct sunlight and the temperatures of 104 degrees. Good thing I don't teach drama until winter!

Chez moi (My house)




Here is my new home, located on the edge of the La Marsa neighborhood in Tunis, Tunisia. My apartment is the second story. I'd like to say the balcony overlooks the Mediterranean, but the truth is that it overlooks the identical apartments across the street.