Some highlights from the first night of BIX: The Boston Independence Exchange -
* a girl dressed in a floor length white gown complete with corset, face make-up, and elaborate hair accessory
* a rocking band called the Fried Bananas
* when the guy with whom I was dancing told me I was buff and asked if I worked out or lifted weights or something.
* when a guy spun me out into the arms of another guy who happened to just be walking by, who then proceeded to dance with me before spinning me back to the guy I was dancing with in the first place.
I love swing.
<3
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Unbelievable
Something amazing, crazy, and seemingly impossible is happening:
Today is the last day of classes.
I can't believe it. It feels like I've been here forever, or like I just moved in.
I am so excited about next year.
Today is the last day of classes.
I can't believe it. It feels like I've been here forever, or like I just moved in.
I am so excited about next year.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Displacement: Part Two
So, I spent the rest of the Rome trip trying (and pretty much succeeding) to not think about my apartment-turned-swimming pool. When I got back, however, I was faced with the reality- I had, essentially, nowhere to live.
The school had set up the "nanny apartment" for me while I was gone. Now, let me explain. The nanny apartment is a mid-sized room with a bathroom on the second floor of the apartment part of the Headmaster's house. This is confusing, I know. Basically, the Headmaster has a huge house, but the third floor of it is made up of four apartments for faculty. Under these -real- apartments, but not part of the Headmaster's house, is the nanny room. It's used usually for people coming to stay for a short period of time. I had heard all about this space from others who had stayed there, so when I found out that it was my turn, I decided that I'd stay with Chris in Somerville instead. So, after he picked me up from the airport, Chris and I headed out to Concord, where I saw the ruins of my apartment for the first time. The floor had been completely ripped up, furniture stacked on top of each other piled into corners. I almost wept at the sight, though the good thing was that there was no standing water. Then. So, I grabbed some clothes and we headed back out to Somerville.
I spent the week there, commuting 45 minutes each way. It was strange- I'd been living on campus the whole time, and now I had to get up earlier and spend a significant amount of time in the car before getting to work. I definitely felt more isolated from the community during this time, which I really didn't like, in addition to the fact that half my stuff was still in my place on campus. So, after a week, I decided that I didn't want to commute anymore, so I moved into the nanny room.
I say "moved into" because, by this point, my apartment had about three inches of standing water in it again. It hadn't stopped raining since we had gotten back from spring break, and it didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. So, to prevent all my clothes, etc, from getting moldy, I moved everything perishable into the nanny room. That was definitely tons of fun, since I had to wear big rubber boots the whole time, wading in and out of my place, and that room was barely big enough to hold everything.
By now, I despaired of moving back in before the end of the year. The head of operations kept telling me, "Next week! We'll get you in by next week, I promise," but it kept on raining. I became used to spending every weekend with Chris, getting out of Concord - and the nanny room - whenever I could. Finally, however, the rain stopped. My apartment slowly started to drain, and now all we waited for was for the place to dry out completely before work could start.
And start it did! Last week, the operations crew was able to start putting the new floor in. They raised it an inch or so, just in case, and are going to put a pump in outside my door, just in case. This past Saturday, I moved all my stuff back in. The new floor is beautiful, and I am just so happy to have my place back. There is still a bit of work that will be completed tomorrow, but other than that, I'm back in and snug as a bug in a rug.
I'm just praying that it never rains again.
The school had set up the "nanny apartment" for me while I was gone. Now, let me explain. The nanny apartment is a mid-sized room with a bathroom on the second floor of the apartment part of the Headmaster's house. This is confusing, I know. Basically, the Headmaster has a huge house, but the third floor of it is made up of four apartments for faculty. Under these -real- apartments, but not part of the Headmaster's house, is the nanny room. It's used usually for people coming to stay for a short period of time. I had heard all about this space from others who had stayed there, so when I found out that it was my turn, I decided that I'd stay with Chris in Somerville instead. So, after he picked me up from the airport, Chris and I headed out to Concord, where I saw the ruins of my apartment for the first time. The floor had been completely ripped up, furniture stacked on top of each other piled into corners. I almost wept at the sight, though the good thing was that there was no standing water. Then. So, I grabbed some clothes and we headed back out to Somerville.
I spent the week there, commuting 45 minutes each way. It was strange- I'd been living on campus the whole time, and now I had to get up earlier and spend a significant amount of time in the car before getting to work. I definitely felt more isolated from the community during this time, which I really didn't like, in addition to the fact that half my stuff was still in my place on campus. So, after a week, I decided that I didn't want to commute anymore, so I moved into the nanny room.
I say "moved into" because, by this point, my apartment had about three inches of standing water in it again. It hadn't stopped raining since we had gotten back from spring break, and it didn't seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. So, to prevent all my clothes, etc, from getting moldy, I moved everything perishable into the nanny room. That was definitely tons of fun, since I had to wear big rubber boots the whole time, wading in and out of my place, and that room was barely big enough to hold everything.
By now, I despaired of moving back in before the end of the year. The head of operations kept telling me, "Next week! We'll get you in by next week, I promise," but it kept on raining. I became used to spending every weekend with Chris, getting out of Concord - and the nanny room - whenever I could. Finally, however, the rain stopped. My apartment slowly started to drain, and now all we waited for was for the place to dry out completely before work could start.
And start it did! Last week, the operations crew was able to start putting the new floor in. They raised it an inch or so, just in case, and are going to put a pump in outside my door, just in case. This past Saturday, I moved all my stuff back in. The new floor is beautiful, and I am just so happy to have my place back. There is still a bit of work that will be completed tomorrow, but other than that, I'm back in and snug as a bug in a rug.
I'm just praying that it never rains again.
Displacement: Part One
So, I mentioned in my last post that a lot has happened since we returned from that fairy tale land called Italy. In order to fully understand, however, we have to go back in time a bit...
When I met up with the kids in Rome, they told me that they were so happy to be there, since it was sunny and it had been raining in Boston all the week prior. Chris had mentioned this as well, but at the time, I thought nothing of it. A few days later, however, while Jamie and I were frantically trying to figure out what we were doing the next day, she got a call from our head of Operations at CA. Jamie talked to him for a bit, laughed, then passed me the phone saying, "He needs to talk to you." Feeling a bit of foreboding, I took the phone.
"Hey Ploy, how are you?"
"I'm fine..."
"Hey, I hate to be the bearer of bad news when you're on a trip like this, but I just wanted to let you know that, you know, we've had a lot of heavy rain here in Concord..."
-insert uncomfortable squirm in my belly-
"...about 10 inches in the last weekend alone, so yeah, the river is flooded and I just need to let you know that right now there are about 3 inches of standing water in your place."
-insert my stomach dropping out my butt-
"So, don't worry about it, we've moved all your furniture, and you were so great, cleaning up before you left, and you did everything right, leaving us your keys and telling us where you were gonna be and everything will be fine..."
-insert the beginning of a cold sweat-
"... and we've got the nanny apartment in the headmaster's house all ready for you when you get back, I'll leave the key in your mailbox."
"Uhh, well great, thanks for taking care of that for me..."
"Yeah, don't worry, we've got it under control. We'll call if anything else happens."
Anything else??
I put down the phone, look and Jamie, and figure that all I can do is laugh with her.
When I met up with the kids in Rome, they told me that they were so happy to be there, since it was sunny and it had been raining in Boston all the week prior. Chris had mentioned this as well, but at the time, I thought nothing of it. A few days later, however, while Jamie and I were frantically trying to figure out what we were doing the next day, she got a call from our head of Operations at CA. Jamie talked to him for a bit, laughed, then passed me the phone saying, "He needs to talk to you." Feeling a bit of foreboding, I took the phone.
"Hey Ploy, how are you?"
"I'm fine..."
"Hey, I hate to be the bearer of bad news when you're on a trip like this, but I just wanted to let you know that, you know, we've had a lot of heavy rain here in Concord..."
-insert uncomfortable squirm in my belly-
"...about 10 inches in the last weekend alone, so yeah, the river is flooded and I just need to let you know that right now there are about 3 inches of standing water in your place."
-insert my stomach dropping out my butt-
"So, don't worry about it, we've moved all your furniture, and you were so great, cleaning up before you left, and you did everything right, leaving us your keys and telling us where you were gonna be and everything will be fine..."
-insert the beginning of a cold sweat-
"... and we've got the nanny apartment in the headmaster's house all ready for you when you get back, I'll leave the key in your mailbox."
"Uhh, well great, thanks for taking care of that for me..."
"Yeah, don't worry, we've got it under control. We'll call if anything else happens."
Anything else??
I put down the phone, look and Jamie, and figure that all I can do is laugh with her.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Italia
I know this is a very belated post, but things here have been crazy hectic since I got back (more on that later). For now, here is a general summary of our trip:
Four days spent in Rome, running around, doing everything possible, including: the Forum, Colosseum, The Borghese Gallery, the catacombs, and lots and lots of gelato.
A whirlwind 48 hour tour of Campania including: the Naples Archaeological Museum, Herculaneum, Paestum, and Pompeii. This tour also included a terrible bus driver and an awesome tour guide.
Basically, the trip was a total success. The weather was literally perfect the entire time; high 50s to low 60s and sunny, ever single day. The kids were great; really well behaved, enthusiastic, and interested. And chaperoning was totally fun- I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I guess I didn't think rooming with Jamie would be as fun as it was. It was almost like we were back in high school, giggling over events of the day as we tried to put together tomorrow's agenda, staying up way too late given the amount of walking we had done and the time we had to get up in the morning. And the other chaperon, David, was completely awesome as well, taking a back seat kind of approach, letting Jamie do all the big talking and planning but being a constant, positive presence among the kids.
*I meant to come back to this post and finish it the next day, but alas, life happened*
Anyway, the trip was fantastic and I'm really glad I got to be a part of it. I feel a lot more connected to the upper level Latin students, which is good, and I also feel more connected to CA in general. It's hard to imagine that we were in Italy this time last month!
Four days spent in Rome, running around, doing everything possible, including: the Forum, Colosseum, The Borghese Gallery, the catacombs, and lots and lots of gelato.
A whirlwind 48 hour tour of Campania including: the Naples Archaeological Museum, Herculaneum, Paestum, and Pompeii. This tour also included a terrible bus driver and an awesome tour guide.
Basically, the trip was a total success. The weather was literally perfect the entire time; high 50s to low 60s and sunny, ever single day. The kids were great; really well behaved, enthusiastic, and interested. And chaperoning was totally fun- I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I guess I didn't think rooming with Jamie would be as fun as it was. It was almost like we were back in high school, giggling over events of the day as we tried to put together tomorrow's agenda, staying up way too late given the amount of walking we had done and the time we had to get up in the morning. And the other chaperon, David, was completely awesome as well, taking a back seat kind of approach, letting Jamie do all the big talking and planning but being a constant, positive presence among the kids.
*I meant to come back to this post and finish it the next day, but alas, life happened*
Anyway, the trip was fantastic and I'm really glad I got to be a part of it. I feel a lot more connected to the upper level Latin students, which is good, and I also feel more connected to CA in general. It's hard to imagine that we were in Italy this time last month!
Friday, March 26, 2010
From the Other Side of the Pond
So, regrettably, I am back in the States now. And so much has happened since I got back, I don't even know where to begin.
The rest of my time in London was lovely. I spend a long, long time in the Parthenon room, staring at the Elgin Marbles and just feeling so encompassed by time and space...it was beautiful. I also spent quite a bit of time in the rest of the British museum, mostly looking at the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian stuff. Fantastic. I also: toured the Tower of London (creepy and fascinating), briefly poked my head into the Tate Britain, had a fabulous and expensive afternoon tea (scones with clotted cream and jam = <3), perused antiques at Portobello Market, wandered the National Gallery and ate fantastic Chinese food with my host.
So, the morning of the day I was to fly to Rome, I decided to walk around Hyde Park a bit, since I figured I wouldn't have to head out to the airport till noon. (This reasoning hinging upon my taking the Tube to Victoria Station to get the train to Gatwick) I had a lovely walk; the weather was sunny and beautiful and the flowers and trees were just starting to bloom. I leisurely made my way back to the apartment around 11:30, had a quick lunch, and was out the door at noon. Exactly as planned. Except the Tube between High Street Kensington and Victoria was closed. Which meant that I had to take a bus. Which took forever. Which meant that I didn't get to Victoria until 1:00pm, and then to Gatwick until 1:30, then to the proper terminal until 1:45. For a 2:05 flight. I ran to the ticket counter, desperate, throwing my passport down gasping, "Please tell me I can still get on this flight!!" The attendent took my passport, clicked away on the computer, then looked up at my sadly. "I'm sorry miss, but this flight has just been closed." At which point I burst into tears.
Fast forward a few hours and many tears to my on a bus to Heathrow. Basically, the next flight to Rome wasn't until the next morning at 7:30 and was out of Heathrow, and since I would have to get there so early, I decided it would make the most sense for me to just stay at a hotel near Heathrow. Unfortunately, this ended up costing me close to $500. Live and learn, eh? So, after a fairly depressing night alone in the Holiday Inn, I successfully boarded the flight heading to Rome.
But the fun doesn't stop there, folks! In fact, it only gets more exciting. As I was flying over the Continent, Jamie was taking the kids through the Vatican Museums. And, after lunch, she had somehow managed to book a super exclusive tour of the ancient catacombs under St. Peter's Basilica. And when I spoke to her on the phone from my hotel room the previous night, she said, "We'll be in the Square until 1:30. We have to meet the tour guide at 1:35, but we can wait for you until 1:30." So, that meant that I had to somehow get myself from the airport, through customs, to the hotel, drop off my bag and to St. Peter's Square, before 1:30. My flight, of course, was late taking off, and we landed in Rome at 11. Ok, two hours, I can make it. Getting through customs was a breeze, 11:15, ok, I can make it. Baggage claim, forever! 11:45, shit, I don't know if I can make it! Leonardo Express, 30 minute train to the central train station, leaving at 12:05, crap, there's no way I can make it now... Taxi to hotel, check in at 1:00, St. Peter's is only a half hour walk? OK, I can do it, I can't make it...speed walking to St. Peter's, chanting, I can do it, I can do it...At 1:20, I burst into the Square and look wildly around for Jamie and the kids. I don't see her, but I continue to circle just in case, but after a few minutes, it's obvious they aren't there. Oh God, you didn't get me here on time just to have me miss them, did you?! I made my way slowly towards the Basilica, on the side where the restrooms are, thinking my efforts futile. And then, like a ray of sunshine, I saw David, the other chaperon, and, I kid you not, I jumped into his arms. I made it!
So, I met up with the group in time for the tour, a little sweaty and out of breath, but there. And boy, was it worth it. The ancient necropolis was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen in Rome. Totally awesome and indicative of the melding of time and religions and people. It was so amazing, so stand there in front of what they think are St. Peter's bones. So yeah, it was worth the run. :)
More about the rest of the trip soon!
The rest of my time in London was lovely. I spend a long, long time in the Parthenon room, staring at the Elgin Marbles and just feeling so encompassed by time and space...it was beautiful. I also spent quite a bit of time in the rest of the British museum, mostly looking at the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian stuff. Fantastic. I also: toured the Tower of London (creepy and fascinating), briefly poked my head into the Tate Britain, had a fabulous and expensive afternoon tea (scones with clotted cream and jam = <3), perused antiques at Portobello Market, wandered the National Gallery and ate fantastic Chinese food with my host.
So, the morning of the day I was to fly to Rome, I decided to walk around Hyde Park a bit, since I figured I wouldn't have to head out to the airport till noon. (This reasoning hinging upon my taking the Tube to Victoria Station to get the train to Gatwick) I had a lovely walk; the weather was sunny and beautiful and the flowers and trees were just starting to bloom. I leisurely made my way back to the apartment around 11:30, had a quick lunch, and was out the door at noon. Exactly as planned. Except the Tube between High Street Kensington and Victoria was closed. Which meant that I had to take a bus. Which took forever. Which meant that I didn't get to Victoria until 1:00pm, and then to Gatwick until 1:30, then to the proper terminal until 1:45. For a 2:05 flight. I ran to the ticket counter, desperate, throwing my passport down gasping, "Please tell me I can still get on this flight!!" The attendent took my passport, clicked away on the computer, then looked up at my sadly. "I'm sorry miss, but this flight has just been closed." At which point I burst into tears.
Fast forward a few hours and many tears to my on a bus to Heathrow. Basically, the next flight to Rome wasn't until the next morning at 7:30 and was out of Heathrow, and since I would have to get there so early, I decided it would make the most sense for me to just stay at a hotel near Heathrow. Unfortunately, this ended up costing me close to $500. Live and learn, eh? So, after a fairly depressing night alone in the Holiday Inn, I successfully boarded the flight heading to Rome.
But the fun doesn't stop there, folks! In fact, it only gets more exciting. As I was flying over the Continent, Jamie was taking the kids through the Vatican Museums. And, after lunch, she had somehow managed to book a super exclusive tour of the ancient catacombs under St. Peter's Basilica. And when I spoke to her on the phone from my hotel room the previous night, she said, "We'll be in the Square until 1:30. We have to meet the tour guide at 1:35, but we can wait for you until 1:30." So, that meant that I had to somehow get myself from the airport, through customs, to the hotel, drop off my bag and to St. Peter's Square, before 1:30. My flight, of course, was late taking off, and we landed in Rome at 11. Ok, two hours, I can make it. Getting through customs was a breeze, 11:15, ok, I can make it. Baggage claim, forever! 11:45, shit, I don't know if I can make it! Leonardo Express, 30 minute train to the central train station, leaving at 12:05, crap, there's no way I can make it now... Taxi to hotel, check in at 1:00, St. Peter's is only a half hour walk? OK, I can do it, I can't make it...speed walking to St. Peter's, chanting, I can do it, I can do it...At 1:20, I burst into the Square and look wildly around for Jamie and the kids. I don't see her, but I continue to circle just in case, but after a few minutes, it's obvious they aren't there. Oh God, you didn't get me here on time just to have me miss them, did you?! I made my way slowly towards the Basilica, on the side where the restrooms are, thinking my efforts futile. And then, like a ray of sunshine, I saw David, the other chaperon, and, I kid you not, I jumped into his arms. I made it!
So, I met up with the group in time for the tour, a little sweaty and out of breath, but there. And boy, was it worth it. The ancient necropolis was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen in Rome. Totally awesome and indicative of the melding of time and religions and people. It was so amazing, so stand there in front of what they think are St. Peter's bones. So yeah, it was worth the run. :)
More about the rest of the trip soon!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A Quick Report
Hey all, I am alive and well, not that anyone reads this anyway. haha. I'm in Rome for one more night, and since I have to pay for this internet, I am going to update in full when I get home. So, keep an eye for the full story of: how I missed my flight to Rome, how I eventually made it to Rome and met up with the group, and how a week in Italy with high school kids is actually totally awesome, even if you can't drink.
Stay tuned...
Stay tuned...
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