Well it has been a while! I have been super busy getting ready for my first day of classes, and on top of it all I have been sick! ICK! Saturday I was feeling so poopy that I had an emotional fruitcake moment. LOL It wasn't pretty but Benjamin was wonderful through it. :)
Anyway, My classroom is set up as much as it can be. I would like to have more things to hang on my walls and more of a reading area, but hey I will get that all as I move along. I am super nervous about the kiddos coming tomorrow though! I am sure it will be ok but still its nerve racking!
We haven't had a chance to really do much around Anchorage between my working and us not having money, but we are looking forward to getting out. Apparently getting out during the winter is a must. So we will be taking up either Snow Shoeing (which is hiking with snow shoes on) or Cross Country Skiing. I dunno which though.
And for all those wondering, Ben hasn't found work yet, but there are a couple of leads that seem promising so we shall see how that goes. I really hope he gets a job that will work with our vacations back to MO... We shall see I suppose. Well I really ought to be getting to bed now. I hope everyone liked my post!
Love you all!
Kristina
Monday, August 15, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
My Brain Feels Like Exploding!
Ok, so today was new teacher orientation! It was eight hours of listening to people tell us all about Anchorage School District and how to use the website and who to ask all your questions..... However it was all so much to take in my brain feels like exploding!
Here are few things I have learned not only today but in the last few days.
1. We do not have snow days here, but we have ice days.. which means that if the temperature has been below freezing for a while and then one day the winds off of the Pacific bring in forty-fifty degree weather everything will melt and then once its dark its a terrible mess of ice!
2. The certification office asks a lot of us teachers!
3. I do not have to do any substitute training because I am already hired with the school district... woot!
4. Everyone here is amazingly nice! Especially the Human Resource ladies... They are awesome...
Over all I think I am learning a lot but man I am still so far behind. Tomorrow I have my GRE test, and then Saturday hopefully Ill be able to spend the day organizing my classroom... We shall see....
Well I gotta go!
Love you all!
Here are few things I have learned not only today but in the last few days.
1. We do not have snow days here, but we have ice days.. which means that if the temperature has been below freezing for a while and then one day the winds off of the Pacific bring in forty-fifty degree weather everything will melt and then once its dark its a terrible mess of ice!
2. The certification office asks a lot of us teachers!
3. I do not have to do any substitute training because I am already hired with the school district... woot!
4. Everyone here is amazingly nice! Especially the Human Resource ladies... They are awesome...
Over all I think I am learning a lot but man I am still so far behind. Tomorrow I have my GRE test, and then Saturday hopefully Ill be able to spend the day organizing my classroom... We shall see....
Well I gotta go!
Love you all!
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Fun Filled Monday!
So today we woke early to finish up some paperwork with the apartment complex and set out to find a new bank. We have a new account now, (my first joint account with someone I am a little nervous about it) LOL! Then we discovered that my Missouri Certificate is ready to go and I can finally get everything taken care of for Alaska! Woot Woot! Ill still have to start as a sub, but Ill be able to get paid sooner than I thought I would with the sub cert! yay!
Then we went up to the school I will be teaching at and I got to see my classroom! Its a mess but at least I have a promethean board! Which is like a SmartBoard! I am excited. Then I have a globe in my classroom too. I have a lot of work to do in that room too! Then I have training and meetings starting Thursday. I also went up today to get my curriculum, which I have to get used too as well.
Finally, we got our cable and internet set up. We were able to get our internet for free for the first month and we didn't have to pay for installation fees because my wonderful Benjamin knows how to hook us up! YAY! So now we are sitting here arguing about what to watch... haahaa Classic couple!
Love you all!
Then we went up to the school I will be teaching at and I got to see my classroom! Its a mess but at least I have a promethean board! Which is like a SmartBoard! I am excited. Then I have a globe in my classroom too. I have a lot of work to do in that room too! Then I have training and meetings starting Thursday. I also went up today to get my curriculum, which I have to get used too as well.
Finally, we got our cable and internet set up. We were able to get our internet for free for the first month and we didn't have to pay for installation fees because my wonderful Benjamin knows how to hook us up! YAY! So now we are sitting here arguing about what to watch... haahaa Classic couple!
Love you all!
New Update!
Hey Everyone!
I am starting a blog because I figure that my time here in Alaska will be very different from my life in Missouri! I probably wont keep this going forever, but as long as I have something to say I'll post!
My last update left us in Canada... As you can see by the pictures I posted on Facebook Canada went from being as flat as Kansas to as Mountainous as Colorado. We enjoyed the prettiness of the Mountains but not really the roads. The roads are bumpy and windy it makes for a tiresome drive. I still don't know how Marsha made it all six days without us switching off with her! When we finally made it to the border it was easy as pie to get back into the U.S. He barely looked at our passports and we were back! I must say that Alaska tries to trick you into believing that that their part of the Alaskan Highway is the best because there is a massive difference once you cross over customs, its like a line drawn down the road... but that only lasts for a couple of miles before you hit crappy pot holes and road construction.
The drive to Anchorage from the border was the hardest part of the trip. I was totally done with seeing the beauty and wanted to just sleep but we still had good six hours left. Ben was amazing because he drove most of the time that day, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I would have to say this part of the trip was the most beautiful! We say the biggest Glacier ever and the mountains were amazing!
When we finally arrive in Anchorage we get there and are staying in downtown, and it just happens to be the time of night where everyone is drunk. Within five minutes of us being there Ben gets hit on by this woman who is totally wasted and then we are asked if we have lighters! LOL Why is it that drunk people never seem to have a lighter? I don't get it! Once we have gotten checked in, we have to go through out nightly battle of "Kristina you can't sleep on the floor it will kill your back..." "No Marsha its fine I can't let you sleep on the floor.." "Kristina Mom is offering to sleep on the floor..." routine before I won and slept on the floor. There was only one night where I didn't win that battle!
Then the next day my meeting got changed to a different day, so we called the apartment and got to meet with the manager early. We signed the lease paperwork, and got the keys and started unloading! The apartment is not nearly as small as I thought it would be and I think that is due to the layout of it. It has taken us three days to get out apartment organised and cleaned but it is pretty much done. We just have to get a few things when we have money for them, like and entertainment center, coffee table, and a small dresser for my clothes.
Friday we took Marsha down Seward Highway and we did a ton of fun Stuff! We stopped at Beluga point and tried to see some Beluga Whales, but they were a no show! Then we stopped at this place were we got to pan for gold! Dave was the guy that helped us and he has been doing this for fifty-two years! He was hilarious! When my family comes to visit we are so stopping there to see him. LOL. We then went down to the Wildlife Conservation Center, and saw all kinds of animals! Marsha kept trying to buy us the whole shop, but I kept being reasonable. LOL Teller her no to $29 pajama pants! We then went down to see the giant glaciers. They are beautiful! Then for the last bit of the day we drove an hour to Seward, and stopped at Resurrection Bay! The beach was amazing... there was no sand! YAY! We then ate at this awesome seafood place there, and Marsha spent way too much money on us! The drive back to Anchorage was long but Marsha and I switched off. When it was my turn to drive I somehow ran something over that made the loudest noise ever! We were all freaked out! Thank goodness it doesn't seem like anything is wrong with his car but it really made us worry..... The next morning we took Marsha to the airport and went home to sleep more. That night we went and hung out with Joel, a friend of mine that is living up here! Ben got to spend some time playing games with some other guys! I was very excited for him!
Well that brings us back to now! We are getting tired now so I must go!
I'll write again soon! I know I will have a lot to say about school soon!
I love everyone!
I am starting a blog because I figure that my time here in Alaska will be very different from my life in Missouri! I probably wont keep this going forever, but as long as I have something to say I'll post!
My last update left us in Canada... As you can see by the pictures I posted on Facebook Canada went from being as flat as Kansas to as Mountainous as Colorado. We enjoyed the prettiness of the Mountains but not really the roads. The roads are bumpy and windy it makes for a tiresome drive. I still don't know how Marsha made it all six days without us switching off with her! When we finally made it to the border it was easy as pie to get back into the U.S. He barely looked at our passports and we were back! I must say that Alaska tries to trick you into believing that that their part of the Alaskan Highway is the best because there is a massive difference once you cross over customs, its like a line drawn down the road... but that only lasts for a couple of miles before you hit crappy pot holes and road construction.
The drive to Anchorage from the border was the hardest part of the trip. I was totally done with seeing the beauty and wanted to just sleep but we still had good six hours left. Ben was amazing because he drove most of the time that day, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I would have to say this part of the trip was the most beautiful! We say the biggest Glacier ever and the mountains were amazing!
When we finally arrive in Anchorage we get there and are staying in downtown, and it just happens to be the time of night where everyone is drunk. Within five minutes of us being there Ben gets hit on by this woman who is totally wasted and then we are asked if we have lighters! LOL Why is it that drunk people never seem to have a lighter? I don't get it! Once we have gotten checked in, we have to go through out nightly battle of "Kristina you can't sleep on the floor it will kill your back..." "No Marsha its fine I can't let you sleep on the floor.." "Kristina Mom is offering to sleep on the floor..." routine before I won and slept on the floor. There was only one night where I didn't win that battle!
Then the next day my meeting got changed to a different day, so we called the apartment and got to meet with the manager early. We signed the lease paperwork, and got the keys and started unloading! The apartment is not nearly as small as I thought it would be and I think that is due to the layout of it. It has taken us three days to get out apartment organised and cleaned but it is pretty much done. We just have to get a few things when we have money for them, like and entertainment center, coffee table, and a small dresser for my clothes.
Friday we took Marsha down Seward Highway and we did a ton of fun Stuff! We stopped at Beluga point and tried to see some Beluga Whales, but they were a no show! Then we stopped at this place were we got to pan for gold! Dave was the guy that helped us and he has been doing this for fifty-two years! He was hilarious! When my family comes to visit we are so stopping there to see him. LOL. We then went down to the Wildlife Conservation Center, and saw all kinds of animals! Marsha kept trying to buy us the whole shop, but I kept being reasonable. LOL Teller her no to $29 pajama pants! We then went down to see the giant glaciers. They are beautiful! Then for the last bit of the day we drove an hour to Seward, and stopped at Resurrection Bay! The beach was amazing... there was no sand! YAY! We then ate at this awesome seafood place there, and Marsha spent way too much money on us! The drive back to Anchorage was long but Marsha and I switched off. When it was my turn to drive I somehow ran something over that made the loudest noise ever! We were all freaked out! Thank goodness it doesn't seem like anything is wrong with his car but it really made us worry..... The next morning we took Marsha to the airport and went home to sleep more. That night we went and hung out with Joel, a friend of mine that is living up here! Ben got to spend some time playing games with some other guys! I was very excited for him!
Well that brings us back to now! We are getting tired now so I must go!
I'll write again soon! I know I will have a lot to say about school soon!
I love everyone!
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