Camping in the Sahara Desert

This is probably one of the coolest things I have ever done! While in Morocco my friend Krista and I went on a camel trek in the Sahara Desert and slept out in a Berber nomad camp. I would never have done this if it was just the two of us, but we met up with about 20 other people for the experience.

We drove to Efroud, took a jeep 1 1/2 hours into the desert to where the camel trek began, treked on the camel for about 1 1/2 hours and then ate dinner at our Berber camp. We slept in tents that were merely blankets on the sand for the floor and blankets thrown over wooden poles for the sides and roof. I slept like a baby, I can sleep almost anywhere very, very easily. We had heard it could get really cold, but it wasn't too bad with a few Berber blankets on.

For dinner we had traditional food, tagine, which is kind of like a crock pot dinner and then were entertained with music and dancing. After dinner the boys tried to teach us how to play the drums, and I was told I was really pretty bad! We stayed up and talked and told jokes and played games with the boys until pretty late and then went to bed. They spoke very broken English and some Spanish, so thank you high school spanish for being a common broken language between me and some cute boys! Haha. We got up early the next morning and watched the sunrise and climbed the dunes then treked back to where the jeep dropped us off.

The Sahara Desert is really beautiful and had the charming lonesomeness that deserts do. The sand was unbleivably orange and desert grass was a pretty pale sage green, the contrast was lovely.

I got to be the lead camel on the way in so it made me feel like I was in some movie, or the Bible or something: Rebekka (?) leaving on a camel to go and meet her future husband Issac across the desert!

Disease!

Getting henna done in Fes, Morocco.

My arm is the one with brown and green on it, so pretty!



I just have to say that I DID NOT bring home a weird skin disease from Morocco, although it looks like it! While I was on vacation I had henna done on my hands like the Muslim women do when they get married. It is really pretty when it is just done, but a few days later it fades funny colors and starts to look like skin disease! :D

I had to go back to work with a funny looking hand and had to just own it! I told my students, yes, I had henna done over spring break, yes it will fade in a week or so, no I don't have tattoos or a weird skin disease! Some kids thought I was the coolest teacher ever for getting henna done, but a few kids said "Your body is a temple Ms. E!" I replied that is washes off in a few days, but one student said back, "So, would you use washable chalk on the temple Ms. E, I think not!" Okay, I said, "You win!" Haha. The good thing is long sleeves cover most of it, and it will be gone in just a few more days....





Although I didn't contract a weird skin disease I did however get mild food-poisining, and I haven't eaten hardly anything in days, but that is another story for another day! Another day when I am not wanting to sleep all the time....I will have some cools stories and pics for you all to see!

Au Revoir!

I'm off to Paris for spring break! Hopefully I will come back in one piece! :D

Romantic

Well, it was a romantic idea, anyway. So - I don't know that I ever blogged about the fact I met a fantastic man in Italy last summer, and yes, I did kiss him. (I know! Please judge.) He is 30, speaks 4 languages, has a master's degree in economics, has lived in Italy, Boston, and Bejing. He owns his own tour guide business in Rome and he is very handsome (at least I think so). He has had a lot of contact with Mormons, but is himself a cultural-Catholic.

Anyway, we met last summer in Rome and went out to dinner and then walked around a romantic park that overlooks all of Rome; the Vatican on one side and the Colleseum on the other. We had an instant connection and he was the perfect gentleman. Anyway -I won't labor you with details, or spin myself into fantastic memories, but he invited me to come back to Rome--he has a friend who ownes a hotel and I could stay for free....romanitic huh? This was after he found out I was going to Paris and he wanted to meet me in Paris, tried to work it out but couldn't because of high tourist traffic during that time. Anyway - I know, huh? Who has that happen? A handsome man I met a year ago in Rome has never forgotten me and wanted to meet me in Paris and then invites me to Rome!

Sadly it won't work out for me to ever see him again, and he is not LDS anyway, and ect.,ect., but wow, what a romantic idea!

Rome will forever be the most romantic city in the world for me, and I guess if I die single, at least I had one good, chick-flick romance, right?

An Attempt at Artistic

A little sister-sister bonding time has resulted in a few artistic attempts. I can't say ceramics is my thing; I am not used to the idea that you only get one take, have no idea what it looks like due to the muted paints, send it to the kiln, and can't un-do what's done. I perfer oils or acrylics where you can layer and layer and layer and re-layer, but we have had a lot of fun at Color Me Mine, and I guess I'm pretty okay with how these turned out. The joke is always if we don't like what we make, they will end up each other's birthday gifts, or Reece and Caitlin's wedding present!

If you have never heard of Color Me Mine, it is a cute little ceramic studio with tall tables and chairs and paints and ceramics galore. You pay a studio sitting fee and then pay the price of your item, so it can get a little bit expensive, but as long as you go on can-food-donation-night or two-for-one date nights (yes they let my sister and I be "dates"), it's not too bad. Anyway, these are my variations on the theme: Serving Bowls.

The Dress I WILL NOT Be Wearing...

to my little brother's wedding. My bridesmaid's dress came in the mail, and I guess I needed a reminder not to take myself too seriously. Please tell me you have had this experience? What you can't see is that the bottom of this dress fits my backside just perfectly. Oh, for a perfect body, huh?


No amount of alteration, to the dress anyway, could make this thing work. It's important to have a sense of humor in life, right? I'm trying to tell myself that very thing right now.

Mrs. Lame Man

I did the temple work last night for a woman named Mrs. Lame Man. I hope it is just a coincidence.

New Take: Old Story

I know this is old news by now, old news as in January 25th, but we get a temple in Payson! What makes this "old" news "new" again to me was a story I heard last weekend.

This is the DeHart's sod farm. Their daughter is a student of mine. The church called up the DeHarts and asked if they could buy their farm. The Deharts said, if you want the land to build a temple, you can have it for free.

My first reaction to hearing the story was, wow, you would probably be set for life with the money the church would pay for your land. When do they want to buy my dad's farm for a temple? I was really humbled and sheepish when I heard the DeHart's story because - if the Lord asks, you give. I have no doubt in my mind the family will be set for life for donating their land to the church. The Lord will take care of them for their sacrifice. And ultimately -- would you rather have the money as a blessing, or the blessings directly from the Lord? Of course if the Lord asks, you answer. Cool story, and good reminder of what is really important in life.

My Favorite Valentine

The biology teacher at the high school had his students make biology-related Valentines for their friends and teachers. I received a small pile. This one is my favorite. "To my future spouse, Ms. Baker: You are to my heart as athlete's foot is to my toes. You grow on me and grow on me until you finally take over everything." [On the back] Handcrafted with love from XXXXXX XXXXXXX. Another favorite: Ms. Baker every time I look at your maxilla I have to be resuscitated. :D


Happy Valentine's Day!

You are Never Too Old

...for a themed birthday party! 17 of my friends and I went to Pirate Island Pizza in Orem for my birthday! We didn't know what we were getting into, we thought it might be like a cheesy-Chucky-Cheese, but it was actually really fun! The food is not too bad and reasonably priced and the waiters and waitresses are all dressed up like pirates!






Little did we know Thursday nights are karaoke nights, so I karaoked for the first time in my life on my birthday as well! Well, first time somewhere other than a living room that is....

I have such amazing friends and am thankful that they are also the type of people up for a little random fun! Thanks for everyone who helped make me feel special on my birhtday!

Graduate School.

Life happens when you have other plans, right? I was fully not intending to turn the age I am turning in two days, still single. In the likelyhood I will be supporting myself on a teacher's salary for the rest of my life I think I might start a Masters of Education program, either at Utah Valley University or Southern Utah University - starting this June! Okay, so I applied to UVU yesterday....

I was starting on a master's equivalency program through BYU (Reading Endorsement), but then decided, maybe I just ought to get my masters if I am going to put in all that work. This might cramp my $$ and travelling style though. Priorities?

Enabling or Helping?

I'm afraid I have just officially become an enabler of failing students. Our principal wants us to save the world one failing student at a time, and I'm not against this, per say, but I have decided to go the extra mile this term and I think I'm enabling really and not helping some of these kids. Who is to say who deserves the help? I have helped out quite a few kids who do deserve it, but now, on teacher development day I am helping a kid past my deadline of helping, pass my class, argh!

I think everyone deserves help and mercy, it is in my nature, but some kids are truly better served by experiencing the consequences of their actions. But I set myself up for this one. In an effort to help more students I sent home personal notes with progress reports to every one of my failing stduents asking them to please come get some help from me. I guess I will just have to see if this motivates any of them to work harder next term, or whether I am a push-over this term and should be failing a million students instead!

Big Brother Anyone?

Do you remember reading 1984 in junior high and not being very alarmed by it? Nothing like that could ever really happen; cameras in the walls of houses? It was way past 1984 by then anyway. Then the movie Minority Report came out and the thought of anything happening like in movie was enough to make me stop at the preview. However, even then, far fetched, right? How about Eagle Eye? A computer single handedly taking over the United States by tapping into the vast surveillance data the country holds. I didn't buy it. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Talking, free-thinking computers reach beyond the limits of my suspension of disbelief. But with the new technology coming out in 2010...who knows what is around the corner.

I was watching the news yesterday and guess what new gagets are coming out and about. One, the new airport scanners that show every hair on your body. (Privacy violation, anyone?) Can you imagine the storage of sketchy pictures of everyone in their birthday suits? Two, cops in California are experimenting with video cameras that look like blue tooth devices they are required to wear and record every interaction with "civilians." Again, can you imagine the stored data of all of those events? Third, new cell phones (again blue tooth style)that can write texts by voice command. Can you imagine the instant upload of data of anything that comes out of your mouth?

It just doesn't seem like we could be too far off from Orwellian prophecies for the future. I'm not worried - but I just don't think it is as far fetched as I once supposed.

Hoping For Day 500

Sometimes love just doesn't work out. And it's okay. (Some of us who have been single for a really long time are becoming experts on being single!) Sometimes it's not that you don't have chemistry, it's not that you don't have things in common, or that you don't actually like hanging out with one another or have fun together. Sometimes it's just not there, and it's okay. Sometimes it's just the wrong hand in glove.

500 Days of Summer is not necessarily a movie I would recommend, there are sketchy moments in it, but it was a really good look at the struggles of being single and the magic of falling in love. Tom falls in love with Summer and it is magical, for him, but not for her. In the end, on day 500 of their relationship, she has married someone else and he can't understand it. He calls her out on how she always just wanted to be friends and never wanted a "real" relationship with him, and didn't beleive in love. She says he was right - right about love and relationships and right about marriage - just not right about her.

On day 500 Tom goes to a job interview and meets a new girl, Autumn, and he decides it's not fate the guides relationships, not the cosmos that necessarily drop the right person right at your feet, but taking advantage of good opportunities for love when they come. He gets her number and the rest is up to the viewers' imagination.

What I got out of the movie? Catharsis I guess. You move on from broken relationships and heal. Don't lose faith in the possibility love will come your way. And take advantage of opportunities for love. And I'm hoping for my day 500 - let's hope it comes in 2010. Maybe like for Summer in the movie: I will be reading in a cafe and he will come up and comment on what I'm reading and then he'll be my husband! :D

Spreading the Spirit of Christmas

I took a group of my jouralism students down to the elementary school today and we read to the special needs students. It was such a great experience. We went into two classes at the elementary school, one for grades K-3 and the other 4-6. We also read Christmas stories and sang to the special needs/severe unit at our high school. It was wonderful to see my little journalists reaching out to the special needs kids who ate up every moment of it! And the teachers loved that we were entertaining their vacation-restless students. I really feel full of the Christmas spirit tonight.

Merry Christmas everyone! May your holidays be bright.

A Compliment Goes a Long Way

I received a really cool compliment from my administrator yesterday. He said I work really well with the at-risk students. He wants me to consider getting my ESL endorsement (paid for by the district) because of how well I work with that demographic. That just made me feel really good because I do work really well with at-risk students as well as ELL students and I feel a lot of accomplishment and feel success in my ability to help kids who are having a really hard time academically and in life. I am happy that that is something that is known about me as a teacher! He said I am known as a good teacher and that feels great.

Twilight at Temple Square

The funniest things happen when you are not even trying to have fun. A group of friends and I went up to Temple Square to see the lights last weekend and we had this funny idea to make fun of peple who kiss at Temple Square while seeing the lights, so we posed for fake kissing pics. Then we decided for the first pic to think of captions and came up with: Suddenly she noticed his two, very long, very sharp, white teeth. Haha, I call it the Temple Square Twilight Picture.

Broaken

Broaken: the way this English teacher spelled broken on the white board this week. Embarassing? Not really. Yes, but no. I am almost incapable of being embarrassed anymore. But yeah, very embarrasing for an English teacher. It happens on occasion. Here is the deal. I am a visual learner and learned to spell by reading. So now that I am a teacher I read all sorts of awful spelling and I absorb a little bit of it on occassion - but just momentarily. I catch myself, but gosh knows what my spelling will be like in 30 years! Here is an example of what I read this week while reading student journals. Look at all of the creative spellings this one 10th grade student had for the word Journal:

Jernal

Jurnoh

Jranal

Jurranol

Juronl

Save me now. i think I need a new job before the kids think spelling is not important because even their English teacher cannot spell (only on occassion, but always when I am on the spot!)

Read this with a glass of apple cider.

"All-in-all this is a very good book and should be on the top 100 books to read before you die. So learn that this book should be cherished by all, with a blanket by a fire and a nice big glass of apple juice."


The Crucible by Arthur Miller is one of my all-time favorite pieces of literature. I read it every year with my 11th grade students. I talk it up by mentioning that it is (and it is) on the 10 ten banned book list for public schools. It is banned because of sexual reference, swearing, religion, witchcraft, murder, hatred, slavery, and disturbing content.

After we finish the play I have them write persuasive essays about why the work has merit and should be read. I recieve arguments about how we learn repentance, forgivenss, about peer pressure, pride, to listen, about our history, the early court system, self-worth, integrity, and my favorite, redemption. But if those reasons alone cannot get you to read the book here are a few of my favorite arugments from my students:

"What comes to mind when you think of a great American love story, with withcraft, murder, crappy court hearings, and real jerks? That's right, one of the greatest books in America. No, not Harry Potter, The Crucible you crazy. Now pay attention, this could change your life: 'This book should be read in class,' said Chuck Norris of The Total Gym Commercial." (Male student)

"If I had my choice I would read this book again; I would totally go for it. It was a good book and made me almost cry. The passionate kiss at the end was among the top three most passionate kissess ever in my book." (This from a boy!)

"This book should be read by everyone because it shows that, I know it's hard to believe, but there are some bad people out there. Also is shows there are a also a lot of good people that are willing to die to save others. And last but not least it shows us discipline. "You will keep your seat." (84) And sticking your neck out could get it cut off." (Need I say it again?)

Anyway - sometimes grading student papers is not boring, and sometimes we welcome these responses only because they make us pause to laugh out loud in the middle of a public place.

My pitch for reading the book is that it forces you to take a look inside yourself and ask yourself if you believe in yourself, in your name, in forgiveness of self and others, and in redemption. You cannot read this book and not be changed.

Happy Halloween!

Maybe someday I will be just like you and have a kitchen, and a husband, and kids, and stuff. And maybe cute aprons too. *sigh* I guess for now I will just have to dress up as a wife for Halloween!