Tuesday may be one of the longest days of the week. You aren't close enough to the weekend to be excited but the previous weekend is over so the beginning of the week blues are still in full swing.
The past few days have been pretty uneventful here in Dublin. I've been spending a lot of my time at school the past few days to get some serious planning done.
I am feeling rather uninspired today to open up about what I am learning...soooo.....I will simply share some words of wisdom:
As the priest said today in our service, we must all LOVE one another first and foremost. If we remember to love, and allow ourselves to be loved then we will find our lives fulfilled.Part of this process is remembering to be compassionate and patient with those around us. Though it is hard and though we will fail...keep trying.
Tired and Rained out,
-J
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Long time no preach
Ok, so its been a while since I preached at everyone. Blogging is the strangest experience because you frequently feel as if you are talking to space. In face-to-face conversations your get feedback via voice inflection and body language, over the phone you voice inflection, over email people feel like they have to respond to you (same goes for texts, facebook, and twitter as well). Blogs are different though...no one really tells you that they like hearing what you have to say or that reading about your life impacts them in any way at all. Regardless, I will do my best to continue and document my two months in Ireland to the best of my ability.
Ok, so to recap my week....I have to send weekly reflections to my adviser at Duquesne and this week she said she was incredibly proud of my reflection as she felt it was open, and honest. I copied it into my blog because it really explains how I am feeling about my experience...
I went on to discuss the things that I hope to work on during the rest of my time here, but I thought maybe you, ambiguous readers of my life, would like to hear about my inner most rambling.
( Side note) HA! I just re-read this line... "Teachers should do a pump up dance every morning to their favourite song in order to go to school prepared to motivate their students." and realized that word here automatically changed favorite to favOUrite #dublinproblems.
Ok, so back to the real deal. Things here a great, I am having a blast learning more about myself each day that I am here. Sometimes I forget what an independent young woman my parents raised, but being here has made me realize how very well prepared for the world I am. I have also come to the conclusion that, despite my constant complaining of how much crap Duquense has put me through for the past three and a half years, I am INSANELY prepared for the world of music education.
For those of you that didn't know about my tendon problems, I injured a tendon in my foot. I have been seeing the physical therapist as Blackrock (in the "castle" no less) and it has been helping immensely! For the first time today, I could put weight on my foot and walk a full stride without tons of pain! So today when you take a step, please take a very large, very robust step in honor of me and my fully restored stride.
My final note for the evening, is that rugby is very misunderstood in the states. I saw my first official rugby match tonight and it was...different...the sport requires a great deal of teamwork, endurance, and brute strength to make it. These gentlemen have the biggest legs in the world and have such amazing budy build that I envy their dedication to their sport. This is especially true in Ireland because their sport players do not get paid any money...they all have jobs on the side to keep food on the table and heat in their house.
I hope everyone is enjoying their week back home...if you are in the area and you have time, would anyone be willing to take pictures of the following things for me and post them to my blog? I am missing home a bit and would love some home love:
-The pumpkin spice latte sign at starbucks
-commonplace coffee
-The Mary Pappert School of Music
-My mom
-My Dad
-My sister
-My brother
-My beautiful niece and nephew
-Target
-The black and yellow madness on weekends
- The leaves changing color and falling to the ground
-Pittsburgh at night
-Craft beer
-Cars driving of the "right" (the literal right, not right as in correct) side of the road
-Steering wheels on the left side of a car
-My friends
-The city skyline at any time of day
-Coffee creamer
-fage yogurt
As always, thank you for your constant love and support.
-J
Ok, so to recap my week....I have to send weekly reflections to my adviser at Duquesne and this week she said she was incredibly proud of my reflection as she felt it was open, and honest. I copied it into my blog because it really explains how I am feeling about my experience...
"I. Am. Tired. I knew coming into the world
of education that it was not a daily walk in the park and that things would
become hectic. It’s interesting, as a student you always thought that it is
easy for the teacher to be enthused and energetic about teaching every day.
What you did not know, however, is that it is quite the opposite. Teachers
should do a pump up dance every morning to their favourite song in order to go
to school prepared to motivate their students. So much energy as a teacher is
displaced while trying to get students motivated and concentrated on the work
that is in front of them. For example, when I begin class there is always a sea
of apathy looking expectantly at me, awaiting the next ‘fun’ thing. I spend the
first ten or fifteen minutes of class trying to get the students to understand
that this thing called ‘music’ is a group effort. I cannot carry them all to
the ends of the earth on my back! They must learn to follow! As always, this is
easier with some classes and harder with others. I still believe that this
lesson is especially challenging to teach to a classroom of 35 teenage boys. No
matter how you slice it or dice it, girls pick up on certain concepts faster.
It is easier for girls to match pitch and to concentrate for ten consecutive
minutes in order to lean the music. Thus, trying to teach four part ALL MALE
choir is one of the singularly most challenging things I have ever done in my
life. Some days, running the half marathon was easier.
Despite this exhaustion, I am in love. I
LOVE teaching. There is something about it that makes me incredibly excited for
my future as a music educator. Getting the opportunity to impart wisdom to
students to make them into better musicians is one of the neatest things I have
experienced. I don’t know if I ever understood why people said that teaching
was an art form until I saw it in action. Music teachers take a raw product,
mold it, shape it, and grow it into something beautiful! We create art by
teaching the students we come into contact with. They are our raw product that
we spend time shaping and teaching until they become excellent musicians. This
experience has made me so excited for whatever job I am dropped into, I just
want to be a teacher! I want to help my students create something that is
beautiful, resonant, and full of musicianship. I frequently find myself
terrified that I will not be able to find a job and will be forced to let go of
something that is so near to my heart."I went on to discuss the things that I hope to work on during the rest of my time here, but I thought maybe you, ambiguous readers of my life, would like to hear about my inner most rambling.
( Side note) HA! I just re-read this line... "Teachers should do a pump up dance every morning to their favourite song in order to go to school prepared to motivate their students." and realized that word here automatically changed favorite to favOUrite #dublinproblems.
Ok, so back to the real deal. Things here a great, I am having a blast learning more about myself each day that I am here. Sometimes I forget what an independent young woman my parents raised, but being here has made me realize how very well prepared for the world I am. I have also come to the conclusion that, despite my constant complaining of how much crap Duquense has put me through for the past three and a half years, I am INSANELY prepared for the world of music education.
For those of you that didn't know about my tendon problems, I injured a tendon in my foot. I have been seeing the physical therapist as Blackrock (in the "castle" no less) and it has been helping immensely! For the first time today, I could put weight on my foot and walk a full stride without tons of pain! So today when you take a step, please take a very large, very robust step in honor of me and my fully restored stride.
My final note for the evening, is that rugby is very misunderstood in the states. I saw my first official rugby match tonight and it was...different...the sport requires a great deal of teamwork, endurance, and brute strength to make it. These gentlemen have the biggest legs in the world and have such amazing budy build that I envy their dedication to their sport. This is especially true in Ireland because their sport players do not get paid any money...they all have jobs on the side to keep food on the table and heat in their house.
I hope everyone is enjoying their week back home...if you are in the area and you have time, would anyone be willing to take pictures of the following things for me and post them to my blog? I am missing home a bit and would love some home love:
-The pumpkin spice latte sign at starbucks
-commonplace coffee
-The Mary Pappert School of Music
-My mom
-My Dad
-My sister
-My brother
-My beautiful niece and nephew
-Target
-The black and yellow madness on weekends
- The leaves changing color and falling to the ground
-Pittsburgh at night
-Craft beer
-Cars driving of the "right" (the literal right, not right as in correct) side of the road
-Steering wheels on the left side of a car
-My friends
-The city skyline at any time of day
-Coffee creamer
-fage yogurt
As always, thank you for your constant love and support.
-J
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Running
It's been a number of days since I last posted. Things have been busy around here and I have been especially worried about the half marathon. I am proud to say, however, that I DID IT! My time wasn't fantastic, but I only walked a half a mile and I finished the race. For those of you that want to know, I finished in 2:38. Again, not a very good time...but I totally did it.
It was an interesting experience and I would love to do it again, I am not sure it will be in the near future but I will certainly keep it on my to-do list.
School has been going well, I am finding myself becoming more comfortable with the way things work within Blackrock and what the expectations are of the young lads who walk the hallowed halls everyday.
A bunch of us went out last night because one of our co-workers, Eoin (Owen), had his birthday this week. I went out for a bit but caught a taxi home early because my left leg was really sore from the race. It feels better this morning after I had the chance to rest and keep my weight off of it.
Not much else to report from Dublin...other than really boring teacher things that no one really cares about. I will try and keep my life exciting so my future posts will not be as dry as this one...
My love,
J
It was an interesting experience and I would love to do it again, I am not sure it will be in the near future but I will certainly keep it on my to-do list.
School has been going well, I am finding myself becoming more comfortable with the way things work within Blackrock and what the expectations are of the young lads who walk the hallowed halls everyday.
A bunch of us went out last night because one of our co-workers, Eoin (Owen), had his birthday this week. I went out for a bit but caught a taxi home early because my left leg was really sore from the race. It feels better this morning after I had the chance to rest and keep my weight off of it.
Not much else to report from Dublin...other than really boring teacher things that no one really cares about. I will try and keep my life exciting so my future posts will not be as dry as this one...
My love,
J
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
9.11
I have always been slightly off-put by people who openly share their love for America...You know, the people who drive pick-up trucks, own six guns, hunt with those six guns, and have no idea of what happens in the gigantic world that exists outside of the United States. I suppose that being a "progressive" and an "innovator" has always kept me from understanding this behavoir. I always felt like it was against who I am to be 'proud' to be an American (and not just because the song is so atrocious). I have always loved other cultures, other countries, and have such a deep respect and open mind for those who are different than I am.
For those of you who know about me and my love of musicals, you are aware of my strange connection to Hair. There is one song in particular that I have never quite understood but I think now I do...
***So, in case you are unawares of how the musical goes...it's essentially a story about Vietnam and how young Americans responded to the war and the draft (and subsequently how they fit into society despite this). Let's just say, it's pretty hippie, and there's a lot of sex and drugs.***
Regardless there is a song in which three of the characters sing a song that goes as follows:
So all the exposition leads to my epiphany of this song, and it took my living in another country to understand this. I may not always agree with the politics in this nation and I will never be 100% proud of decisions made by the government nor the everyday citizens of the states. We are a young nation with a great deal to learn...we can be head strong, competitive, and down right frustrating to other countries. Despite these things...I. Am. American. There is no denying it and I must be proud of this. Today, no one even mentioned 9/11 and that's when it hit me. I may be 'subversive', but being proud to be from the USA and being a part of the counter-culture movement are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
I may not scream my love of my country everyday and I may not wear red, white, and blue on national holidays, but regardless, I am a citizen of the United States. My family is in the United States, everything I know is there. Thus, on this day of remembrance I must say that I am thinking of home and the love I have for all of you!
...Strange how we learn who we are by first learning who we are not.
Forgive my 'rant-like' blog post. I have been trying to openly discuss what I have learned and this is the most importance lesson I have learned while I have been in Ireland.
As always...my love,
-J
For those of you who know about me and my love of musicals, you are aware of my strange connection to Hair. There is one song in particular that I have never quite understood but I think now I do...
***So, in case you are unawares of how the musical goes...it's essentially a story about Vietnam and how young Americans responded to the war and the draft (and subsequently how they fit into society despite this). Let's just say, it's pretty hippie, and there's a lot of sex and drugs.***
Regardless there is a song in which three of the characters sing a song that goes as follows:
Cause I look different You think I'm subversive Crazy for the blue white and red My heart beats true For the red white and blue Crazy for the blue white and red And yellow fringe
So all the exposition leads to my epiphany of this song, and it took my living in another country to understand this. I may not always agree with the politics in this nation and I will never be 100% proud of decisions made by the government nor the everyday citizens of the states. We are a young nation with a great deal to learn...we can be head strong, competitive, and down right frustrating to other countries. Despite these things...I. Am. American. There is no denying it and I must be proud of this. Today, no one even mentioned 9/11 and that's when it hit me. I may be 'subversive', but being proud to be from the USA and being a part of the counter-culture movement are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
I may not scream my love of my country everyday and I may not wear red, white, and blue on national holidays, but regardless, I am a citizen of the United States. My family is in the United States, everything I know is there. Thus, on this day of remembrance I must say that I am thinking of home and the love I have for all of you!
...Strange how we learn who we are by first learning who we are not.
Forgive my 'rant-like' blog post. I have been trying to openly discuss what I have learned and this is the most importance lesson I have learned while I have been in Ireland.
As always...my love,
-J
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Sunday night is alright
What a lovely weekend I had. Friday night..was ok...but Saturday night I went out with Marie and Joe to see A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde! What a lovely production it was. The Gate Theater was running it for the final week and I am so thrilled I had the opportunity to go. The play is magnificent and the company did a lovely job of putting it on. There are so many subtleties that they nailed on the head and I was completely overjoyed at the opportunity to go and see it.
This morning I woke up, cleaned my apartment and found my way on my last long run before the half next week. I am beginning to get concerned but my nine miles today felt pretty good. It took me a little under two hours, so it wasn't my best time ever but I was able to get through it and feel as if I could keep going. I am hoping that the adrenaline of the run and all the people around me will help me get through to the end. It will be an incredible acomplishment for me if I can make it through to the end and I know everyone at home will be supporting me to the very end.
I found my self across the street this afternoon at the Irish Craft Beer festival at the Royal Dublin Society. Ireland is, in the craft brew world, where the states were five or six years ago. It is still a rather small business but is rapidly growing as people find that the taste is better and they get a higher quality product. It was nice to do something that reminded me of home and made me feel like the states were closer than 3400 miles away.
Another week at school begins tomorrow and just like every other start of the week I am nervous at what the next five days will bring me. I am quickly learning that time moves just as quickly here as it does at home and before I know it, I will be boarding a plane back to the U.S. I will thus, enjoy my time here as much as possible despite the fact that I miss everyone very much and I look forward to seeing everyone's smiling face upon my return.
All my love,
J
This morning I woke up, cleaned my apartment and found my way on my last long run before the half next week. I am beginning to get concerned but my nine miles today felt pretty good. It took me a little under two hours, so it wasn't my best time ever but I was able to get through it and feel as if I could keep going. I am hoping that the adrenaline of the run and all the people around me will help me get through to the end. It will be an incredible acomplishment for me if I can make it through to the end and I know everyone at home will be supporting me to the very end.
I found my self across the street this afternoon at the Irish Craft Beer festival at the Royal Dublin Society. Ireland is, in the craft brew world, where the states were five or six years ago. It is still a rather small business but is rapidly growing as people find that the taste is better and they get a higher quality product. It was nice to do something that reminded me of home and made me feel like the states were closer than 3400 miles away.
Another week at school begins tomorrow and just like every other start of the week I am nervous at what the next five days will bring me. I am quickly learning that time moves just as quickly here as it does at home and before I know it, I will be boarding a plane back to the U.S. I will thus, enjoy my time here as much as possible despite the fact that I miss everyone very much and I look forward to seeing everyone's smiling face upon my return.
All my love,
J
Friday, September 7, 2012
It's Friday, Friday, Friday...
Happy Friday Everyone!!!
What a lovely week we have had here! The temperature has been in the mid sixties with nothing but sun on the sky. Talk about unusual for Dublin! It has been a lovely week and it seems that time has suddenly sped up and it sometimes seems like I am living in fast forward.
All boys schools are terrifying! They are respectful and all, but they do not respect women the same way they respect men. With male teachers they tend to be more quiet and ready to listen, I am unsure whether this is fear or respect. I am also a 'new' teacher so they often feel as if they can push boundaries with me and slide things past me.
Weird things that happen at Blackrock:
-Class begins at 8:45 (so late!)
-They have various class 'splits' so a student may attend two classes during any one period, thus they take somewhere around 11 classes per semester prior to junior certificate.
-The boys all stand up when a teacher enters the classroom, I suppose this is a sign of respect? It is very foreign to me.
-Everyone in the entire building takes an hour for lunch...at the same time...it is insane
Week two is over and I am quite excited to have the weekend in front of me. Tonight a big group of us from school are headed out for a night on the town, it should be great fun (or craic). There will certainly be a great deal of drinking as we are in Ireland and that is what people here do. Tomorrow I am so very excited because Marie and Joe are coming down to Dublin and they have invited me to see A Woman of No Importance, which is currently playing at the Gate Theater in city center. I am overjoyed to be headed to see a show because I feel as if I haven't seen any art since I have been here!
Sunday I will be hosting a fake "tailgate" at my apartment because my roommates and I are all feeling a little homesick and are dying for some buffalo chicken dip. We will all be asleep during the Steeler game and will, unfortunately, miss it. Therefore, if you are sitting in front of the TV and find yourself thinking of me please start a "here we go steelers" chant for me. It will be so very appreciated (In honor of the Irish, please pronounce the 'c' like it is an 's' i.e. appresiated).
Love for the Black and Yellow,
Jackie
P.S. Each day is a gift we are given and we must take the opportunity to stop and see the world around us...Ireland has taught me this.
What a lovely week we have had here! The temperature has been in the mid sixties with nothing but sun on the sky. Talk about unusual for Dublin! It has been a lovely week and it seems that time has suddenly sped up and it sometimes seems like I am living in fast forward.
All boys schools are terrifying! They are respectful and all, but they do not respect women the same way they respect men. With male teachers they tend to be more quiet and ready to listen, I am unsure whether this is fear or respect. I am also a 'new' teacher so they often feel as if they can push boundaries with me and slide things past me.
Weird things that happen at Blackrock:
-Class begins at 8:45 (so late!)
-They have various class 'splits' so a student may attend two classes during any one period, thus they take somewhere around 11 classes per semester prior to junior certificate.
-The boys all stand up when a teacher enters the classroom, I suppose this is a sign of respect? It is very foreign to me.
-Everyone in the entire building takes an hour for lunch...at the same time...it is insane
Week two is over and I am quite excited to have the weekend in front of me. Tonight a big group of us from school are headed out for a night on the town, it should be great fun (or craic). There will certainly be a great deal of drinking as we are in Ireland and that is what people here do. Tomorrow I am so very excited because Marie and Joe are coming down to Dublin and they have invited me to see A Woman of No Importance, which is currently playing at the Gate Theater in city center. I am overjoyed to be headed to see a show because I feel as if I haven't seen any art since I have been here!
Sunday I will be hosting a fake "tailgate" at my apartment because my roommates and I are all feeling a little homesick and are dying for some buffalo chicken dip. We will all be asleep during the Steeler game and will, unfortunately, miss it. Therefore, if you are sitting in front of the TV and find yourself thinking of me please start a "here we go steelers" chant for me. It will be so very appreciated (In honor of the Irish, please pronounce the 'c' like it is an 's' i.e. appresiated).
Love for the Black and Yellow,
Jackie
P.S. Each day is a gift we are given and we must take the opportunity to stop and see the world around us...Ireland has taught me this.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
And the gold star goes to
Merry day everyone,
I must begin my blog by first giving out gold starts to Callie Hanau and Jordan Mroziak. Callie lifted my spirits yesterday when she sent me the most hilarious card with King Kong on it (just to give you an idea...it involves a water gun), and today Jordan lifted my spirits by sending me my extra clothing and my camera so now I can take fancy people pictures instead of just pictures with my iphone. So, mad props to them for making me smile!
The weather has been just spectacular for the fast few days! We have gotten no rain during the days and the temperature has been that perfect fall day where its crisp outside but you don't need anything more than a sweater or sweatshirt to keep warm. The unexpected amount of beautiful weather has put the Irish folk into a particularly good mood, so everyone has been warm, positive, and incredibly hopeful about life for the past few days.
The Gaelic Football match was INCREDIBLE! I had such a lovely time, and it was unlike any experience that I have ever had previously. The game was held in Croke Park, which is where all Gaelic Sports are held. This means that the "all Ireland" football tournament is held here, along with the "all Ireland" hurling tournament. If I did not explain previously, let me back track by mentioning that football in Ireland actually refers to Gaelic football, and soccer is used for...soccer. Gaelic football is a mixture of soccer, basketball, ultimate Frisbee...and a lot of other things.
Just follow this YouTube link for a better idea of the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAbWrdB9XU
The final is this weekend and it is sure to be a fast paced match with a lot of screaming fans. Miss Alyssa Newberry noted that it seems as if I am becoming quite a sports fan...and I guess that's true. The difference is that here you don't really have much of an option, especially because EVERYONE here takes part in sports and it would be challenging to constantly tell people how I don't follow sports...So I have turned a new leaf on organized sporting events!
As for teaching...yesterday was rough. I fell apart in my lesson when I realized that I did not have the tools to teach these boys in a way they understand. I have known solfege for so long at this point and have been able to easily communicate through musical terms for so long that I don't remember how to teach music to students that don't read music and haven't been aurally trained very well. After yesterday, I went back to the drawing board and decided that I would start from scratch with these boys. Therefore, today I taught them do-mi-sol and talked about how "do" is home, so anytime we are lost, we just have to hear "do". This seemed to really help the boys improve, even just in one lesson! For the first time today, I saw them realize how great they can sound when they really focus and concentrate on the music. I still messed up and I know that I will have more failure days ahead, but for today...I leave satisfied that maybe I taught someone a skill that before today they didn't have.
Below are some pictures I took at Hubert park this afternoon:
Croke Park:
Croke Park Fans:
Madness After the Match:
I must begin my blog by first giving out gold starts to Callie Hanau and Jordan Mroziak. Callie lifted my spirits yesterday when she sent me the most hilarious card with King Kong on it (just to give you an idea...it involves a water gun), and today Jordan lifted my spirits by sending me my extra clothing and my camera so now I can take fancy people pictures instead of just pictures with my iphone. So, mad props to them for making me smile!
The weather has been just spectacular for the fast few days! We have gotten no rain during the days and the temperature has been that perfect fall day where its crisp outside but you don't need anything more than a sweater or sweatshirt to keep warm. The unexpected amount of beautiful weather has put the Irish folk into a particularly good mood, so everyone has been warm, positive, and incredibly hopeful about life for the past few days.
The Gaelic Football match was INCREDIBLE! I had such a lovely time, and it was unlike any experience that I have ever had previously. The game was held in Croke Park, which is where all Gaelic Sports are held. This means that the "all Ireland" football tournament is held here, along with the "all Ireland" hurling tournament. If I did not explain previously, let me back track by mentioning that football in Ireland actually refers to Gaelic football, and soccer is used for...soccer. Gaelic football is a mixture of soccer, basketball, ultimate Frisbee...and a lot of other things.
Just follow this YouTube link for a better idea of the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAbWrdB9XU
The final is this weekend and it is sure to be a fast paced match with a lot of screaming fans. Miss Alyssa Newberry noted that it seems as if I am becoming quite a sports fan...and I guess that's true. The difference is that here you don't really have much of an option, especially because EVERYONE here takes part in sports and it would be challenging to constantly tell people how I don't follow sports...So I have turned a new leaf on organized sporting events!
As for teaching...yesterday was rough. I fell apart in my lesson when I realized that I did not have the tools to teach these boys in a way they understand. I have known solfege for so long at this point and have been able to easily communicate through musical terms for so long that I don't remember how to teach music to students that don't read music and haven't been aurally trained very well. After yesterday, I went back to the drawing board and decided that I would start from scratch with these boys. Therefore, today I taught them do-mi-sol and talked about how "do" is home, so anytime we are lost, we just have to hear "do". This seemed to really help the boys improve, even just in one lesson! For the first time today, I saw them realize how great they can sound when they really focus and concentrate on the music. I still messed up and I know that I will have more failure days ahead, but for today...I leave satisfied that maybe I taught someone a skill that before today they didn't have.
Below are some pictures I took at Hubert park this afternoon:
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