From Seattle where it is sunny for the first time

The IB conference has been really good. Huge amounts of work to be done, of course. But a very interesting exercise overall.

Met up with all kinds of great people from all over the US, not one fitting the stereotype of American which many of us have!

School librarians in the US are all teachers as well, and are called School Media Specialists. They are the ones responsible in general for instilling good practice in information literacy into their kids, but again it's a variable exercise and some states have programmes in place, others don't.

The IB seems to be in a position to encourage really good collaboration between teachers and librarians, even if the librarians are not teachers as well - the skills needed are transferable, I think, and most NZ school librarians would find the expectations "meetable" - I know that is NOT a word, okay?

The library is significant in the IB programmes, and I see it as essential for librarians to be involved in the planning for implemenation of IB in schools in NZ, probably meeting with coordinators regularly.

I will write this up more fully later, but that's the overall impression for now.

Seattle rains a lot. Today it's sunny, for the first time in 6 days. Minor miracle , it seems, as from now till April it is usually overcast and grey and frequently raining. Sound familiar??

This has been a great end to my trip, and although I was pretty apprehensive about the whole conference, it has been a positive experience. Now my apprehension relates to the amount of work I will have to do back in NZ!

Signing off, but will keep this blog going I think just for local stuff and my deliberations on the way through this IB process.

suffering in Seattle!

Well, only in that last night's dinner was good then but not now!

Meant to write this funny story from the boat yesterday - the salmon hatchery is on the river just near where we were sailing, and apparently about 4 years ago a young male Californian sea-lion (problematical up here) found his way on to the fish ladder and stayed there, eating the salmon as they came back to spawn. The ag and fish people caught him, and returned him to Southern California. Next year he came back, and took up the same pozzie. They returned him, but further south still than his original starting point. Third year, same story - however by now ag and fish staff decided they could outwit Hershel (his nickname) and sent him to Florida where he leads a happily captive life miles from any fish ladders!

There is a storm warning out here - it was all over the tv and papers, and the morning telly only ran stories about how awful it will be, and what precautions to take etc. It is now blowing a bit, not specially bad for a welly-town girl, and is quite mild. I wonder how often they get such storms, given the panic that it seems to engender. Traffic delays this morning were up to an hour for a journey that usually would take a quarter of that time!! bizarre.

May have to eat my words, but gusts of 40 mph don't seem too horrific to me :)

Off to the Hilton tomorrow for the conference. ..........more from there.

Staggered in Seattle

This is a great place. everyone is helpful and what's more they all know where they are, unlike NY where everyone is "not from around here"!
I explored the Pike Street Market, got a good tip on excellent coffee, the barista gave me a good idea for a trip on Puget Sound, and the internet cafe gives you free internet for half an hour with a glass of wine (well, it is 6.30 pm!)
Plus the hotel is really very nice and walking distance from the centre of the city.
i am sold!, but then I am a soft touch, I loved NY, remember!

so, enough raving as my wine and my time are both running low!
more tomorrow, I expect.
Only a week before I am back, and will have to make up for all this trekking around and enjoying myself.
last thing I did in NY was to hang out with my lovely nephew Aaron at his flat and his recording studio (Matt Rogers, if you read this, eat your heart out!- the sound desk is HUGE and came from the Osmond family home recording studio. It is wicked, in a good way!)

Anyway, more later.

last day in NY

It has all gone rather quickly - today I just have to get to MOMA, and am also probably going up the Chrysler building (not the usual tourist stuff, my host has his office on the top floor there!)
Have now seen a bit of New Jersey - not at all what I expected. Thought of the turnpike and the Sopranos, and industry, instead of which i got dormitory suburbs full of trees and ENORMOUS houses, and squirrels everywhere. Remarkably pretty area, at least the bits I saw. View from the other side of the Hudson of the NY skyline at dusk is great, sure my photos won't do it justice.

Have been now to a lot of the places I wanted to get to, still not the Cloisters but I reckon having just come from France it is not quite so important to do that.

Way more important to hear my nephew play! really good trio he played with on Saturday night, piano, drums and bass (Aaron). Mostly original music by the pianist, really good jazz. Hope they do a CD sometime soon....

Heading for Seattle and the IB conference tomorrow. More days in Seattle than planned, travel arrangement glitch, but not to worry. Will be pleased to be home, it's been a long trip.

Will post again from seattle unless something really staggering happens today!

More from NY, the city that never sleeps1

Have spent hours at the Natural history museum - incredible and the Met - also beyond words, it's so enormous, so well conceived and just brilliant.
Guggenheim - an interesting exhibition of Richard Prince of whom I had not heard but had seen some of his stuff. Interesting article in this week's New Yorker about the exhibit and his work generally.
Among the things I cannot get to are - elie Wiesel lecturing on the Akedah, a klezmer-type parade in Chinatown, and a few other things.............there is just so much on offer. However, there's always another trip to plan, although Wiesel might not be a repeat performance!

Off to visit two schools today, earn my leave! Seattle on Tuesday and then home.
Weather is cooling down a bit now, thank goodness, but I did have to buy an umbrella - reckon it will be good in Seattle!

Hordes of dogs everywhere but no dog poop - NZ owners take note! everyone cleans up after their dogs.
Where I am staying, on the very nice upper East side, there are hordes of homeless people sleeping on the steps of the church on the corner of the street I am on. Unexpected in this area, but maybe that's all part of the general thing.

Full of contrasts, full of surprises.

More from NY

where all is expensive! however it's a great place. Have seen heaps, walked my legs off, been on the Staten island ferry at night (wonderful views) walked in Central Park, fed squirrels my lunch, struggled with directions - you know how hopeless i am- but have not actually got lost, which I think is a great bonus!
Aaron and I 'did" a lot of the natural history museum yesterday, plus several independent bookshops, amazing and so cheap.
Have sorted out some schools to visit so feel better about that, just now have to run madly to get everything done that I need to in the time remaining................and with fedex internet costs at $18 an hour, this is going to be a short entry.
Thinking of everyone at school as I melt in the 33degrees it was yesterday, but I gather seattle wil be cold,wet and similar to home!

NY

Now in NY - went to Bnei Jeshurun last night with some (now) friends from Havanashira listserv.
Amazing music, could easily have been a performance but managed not to be despite several instruments and several vocalists. However it was easy - and encouraged - to join in. Really very nice indeed.

Peter and Betsy's place ( + 3 kids, 2 dogs and a turtle) is very very nice and extremely comfortable. I believe there are at least 3 bathrooms..... There's a doorman who lets known people in!
Today I am pottering - so much to do I came out without a plan, which was foolish! however will make one for tomorrow and now am going to head to Times Square where I believe there is an information booth which might help!

Madrid

This has been a great if short stop. Madrid is a lovely city to walk around, or bus or metro if you are lazy. Lots of galleries, and I spent most of yesterday in the Prado and did not do it justice. Today I found the Naval museum - remarkable place, really interesting if you like old ships and weapons, it was great fun to cruise around it............
The Bot Gardens are also pretty impressive and lovely to walk in, and there was an exhibition based on Dylan´s song Hard Rain - deeply moving photos aligned to the text of the song, and a plea for work to help diminish global warming.

Then I found the Reina Sofia art gallery - all modern, heaps of Picasso including Guernica, and lots of Miro also. Huge place, very good.

Found some jazz - outside the art gallery, a band playing - bass, trumpet, clarinet, sax and two accordions!! they do multiply! they were really quite good and I have a little video clip of them.

Tonight having drinks with one friend and dinner with another who is really a relation even though I am not quite sure of the relationship! then a 3.30 start for the connecting flight from Madrid to Frankfurt, then to New York. Seems bizarre to be in three countries in one day, I must say. Even though it will be a very long day.....................

More from Madrid

I realised in Morocco how dependent I am on electronica - am shocked at myself. Bereft of all forms of electronic communication I become edgy and antsy and stressed. Surely i am too old to be a geek?? maybe not.

I have a story for those of you who are familiar with the St Exupery book " Le Petit Prince". The prince is flying around the world, and wherever he goes (as those who have read the book will know) he asks various people to "dessines-moi un mouton" (draw me a sheep)
He goes to the Venus de Milo and says, please, dessines-moi un mouton. Says the Venus de Milo in an evil growl " P'tit con!"

Well, I think it's funny. Ask a francophone if you don´t understand!

Flying Royal Air Maroc

Got to Marseilles airport having tried to confirm my booking without success. The Royal Air Maroc desk was closed on Monday (the day I was to fly) and Sunday. A sign said ¡ go to the Air France desk! I did. It was closed. Further discussion revealed that there was another Air France desk in terminal 2 (Marseilles is a large airport). We went there (thank goodness Steph, my niece, was there to assist!)ç

The very charming man said, no he did not deal with Royal Air Maroc flights. When we said that their sign suggested that he did, he beamed and said "was´nt me who wrote the sign!" However, he was in fact extremely helpful. He could see my booking but could not take payment as it was a special prcie for the internet. (I must point out that Steph had phoned RAM from France, with her card details and had apparently paid. RAM does not take payment on the internet for foreign credit cards, so I could not pay it). So what to do? RAM had sworn on a stack of bibles that it was too late to pay that fare and that it could emphatically NOT be paid at the checkin.
So, the kind Air France man found me a fare - wait for this - of 770 Euros for a one way ticket to Casablanca. I very nearly stayed in France. However then he found that it was considerably, at least 500 Euros, cheaper to get a return ticket, which of course I could not give to anyone else to use the return part..........

So, I grudgingly paid up to ensure that I got to Casa as planned, that night, around 10.30 pm.

went to the check in where a chap from marseilles was having exactly the same problem excpt that there were three of them, and he ended up paying 1200 euros or something foul. However he had to spend an hour on the phone to get it sorted.

Suffice to say that Royal Air Maroc have not heard the last of this one!

Hola!

Hola!
made it to Madrid.
Morocco was very interesting. i could not possibly recommend travelling there during Ramadan if you can avoid it. Makes life tricky. However once I decided that my main priority was family - not having seen my sister for 9 years - I enjoyed myself. Unfortunately my great niece Alya was in hospital when I arrived, as she has had a cyst on the brain. It is NOT a tumour, and she IS going to be okay, and is home and recovering well. But it´s a big strain on a little kid, never mind the rest of the family. However what impressed me greatly was her determination - she,s only two and a half, but such strength of will and courage to make her leg and hand work the way she wants them to is amazing in such a little one.

So, lots of family time and catching up, with my sister and brother in law, not so much with my nephew and niece, but we did see as much of them as possible.

This meant that I did not contemplate trying to go to places far distant from Casa, and we explored Casa and Rabat, and I dealt with the heat. It was bloody hot and very sticky and pretty polluted too.

Casa is not at all the tourist idea of Morocco - but full of interest nonetheless. I particularly liked the juxtaposition of donkeys hauling carts laden with produce, rubbish or whatever, alongside the Mercs which were everywhere. the driving is mad, tooting all the time, all the Petit taxis (little red cars, Fiats etc)n are dinged all over, and it is not surprising when you see how they drive-. Road rules seem to be an indication only..............


see next post for how I finally got to Casa (not as easily as planned=) and Madrid

South of France, Cote d Azur

really, where should one begin?
Have spent the last few days pottering on the island of Porquerolles, by bicycle even - must be 35 years nearly since I rode a bike, but it is still possible :)
A couple of days on the c Cote d dAzur with my niece Steph - we looked at millionaire boats and their owners in St tropez but really they were not our type - not nearly literate enough. But seriously, the amount of obvious wealth is staggering; and the fact that all the lovelies have to hang out on the decks of their boats so that the hoi polloi passing by can see them is almost too much! discretion is not a term which I imagine to have much currency in this area........

We cruised through Monaco in the mercedes ( always nice to be in a good car, evidemment!) but also found it not to our taste! However Menton, another story, very pretty place. Alas through poor preparation _- or perhaps just lack of time on our parts - we had failed to look up the address of the Katherine Mansfield villa; what was really interesting was that no-one we asked knew anything about her, despite my perfectly fluent explanations; Not even the Kiwis we found by the beach knew about it.........;I should have phone JoEllen or Lloyd, but alas.......

We dined in italy, in ventimiglia - I realise that sounds wonderful but in truth it,s half an hour from Menton! still, it was pretty nice: there was a duo playing songs, and they specially played Hava Nagila for a visiting diner from - wait for it - Libya! alas, they realised that it was not Libya; nor a libyan song even; but Lebanese! when the realised their mistake they quickly compensated by playing an Arabic melody§ Steph and I were tempted to request Bella Ciao but it was already 11 pm and we were sleeping in Nice..................

Nice is lovely, particularly the old part ( see pictures on Picasa please, ask David for the link) and we also went to the Chagall museum which was fabulous;, literally;

I have learned some great French expressions - hope I can find ways in include them in conversation when home, but I am not sure - it is not every day that you find the need to say that something "pue de fric" ( st Tropez) or that someone farts higher than his bum, meaning has ideas above his station!
Anyway, enough! off to Casablanca tomorrow, will be intersting to see how one deals with Ramadan and tourism§

More from Porquerolles

Zhat caan I say? or, indeed, what can I say? damned French keyboards!
however, it is amazing to be able to walk on the island and pick figs, almonds, and those round orange things whose name has temporarily escaped me - NOT oranges, persimmons - and swim in the Mediterranean ( although i have not yet done that, only dipped the feet........) - it really is a very beautiful place, this island; am trying without success to upload photos, will work it out before I come home - where are my tech experts when necessary?

Bonjour de Porquerolles

Arrived here Sunday by the train: saturday in Paris I finally located the internet cafe which was - amazingly - not far from where I was staying::........... of course, it closed at 5 on Sat and did not open on Sunday - ah; la belle France!

However, managed to send some emails, then found a huge outdoor market selling everything including halal meat; Later caught some of the match between the ABs and Portugal - a walkover even in the early stages so I gqve up in favour of more cultural pursuits, found a very very beautiful old house on ile saint louis; open for les jours du patrimoine (closest I can translate is cultural heritage), which had been built by some fellow named Cgarles Gruyn for his second, young; wife. Beautifully preserved or restored, more likely, as in later years it was a hangout for the poetic fraternity including de Nerval among others, who worked there but also famously smoked weird substances and wrote about the experience of eating a green cake made almost entirely of drugs and absinthe!

After that, wandered along the island and came across a swedish juggler, very good and taking advantage of le rugby to demonstrate the national juggling characteristics of each country - including those who, like the Swiss, do not tqke pqrt. It zas very funny but really you had to be there..............

Then there was a trio playing on the bridge, very old-time early jazz/swing, who were really good:

Then decided to take a look at why there were dowzens of police and vans around - there is a huge screen in front of the hotel de Ville, for le rugby, of course; no doubt the fact that there was a match to be screened live shortly meant therer might be trouble; so the cops were well prepared - mostly it seems to manage the crowds of drunken Scotsmen.

More Paris

Staying in the 12e is really very easy - Gare de lyon a few minutes stroll, and lots to see and do:
coffee has improved considerably since last in Paris; dogs everywhere, not very friendly but neither are the owners - no, thatWAS a blague:

pleased to say that my French is doing well - fotunate; as very few people seem to speak English; so i have had to push myself; am contemlating watching the All Blacks this afternoon - well, you have to shw interest, and besides i must have walked hundreds of kms in the last few days:
there,s a beautiful area here called the promenade plantee which goes for a long way on the top of old ramparts - its full of roses, trees; grassed areas and seats for old people and young ( and not so young) couples in clinches! snogging, if you prefer! very beautiful to walk through in the early evening.

Okay, that,s all for now, next one from South of France at some time.

Paris update _ Saint maclou la briere trip

On Thursday I bravely set out to parts unknown - that is, towards le havre, on a rather long train trip (although a very fast train)? to a very small village (1000) called Breauté. Having previously arranged for the only taxi in Bréauté to meet me, we worked out that he would take me, collect me an hour or so after, and return me to the gare at bréauté; So far, so good: i found the mairie but not the mayor; the secretary gave me a map of the village -600 inhabitants - and i set off. Have several photos of the memorial, and the village: the madame who runs the epicerie (only shop in the village, doubles as bar, infomation centre and everything else) made me welcome, made me coffee, and in short order m le maire arrived to find me. We had a good talk about james stellin, and it is quite apparent that they regard him as a "fils de France" and are hugely proud of him. (The secretary at the mairie had located the mayor - it,s a small place, what can I say??) The taxi arrived as promised, took me back to Bréauté for a really good lunch - omelette fromqge, salade vert, petit verre de vin rose, un noir) and then took me back to the gare, thus saving me a 3km uphill slog, and increasing his daily takings - he did well!

Ah, Paris!

t Frqnkfurt, so no time to explore the doubtless expensive shops on the way (i hear David saying thank god!);
Found my way toute seule to the hotel, which is tiny, friendly; comfoprtqble and budget. this moorning I move to Maison Zen, looking forward to thqt. Sorry about the random letters, am using a french keyboard,
yesterday got myself all over the place, and am constantly amazed by the numbers of drunken scotsmen, all wearing kilts, our tutors would fell quite at ho,me. So far have avoided the excessive tourist traps, but have just tzaken in so many sights; sounds; tastes etc. it,s great fun, even coming home from synagogue late on wed night on the bus which was delayed "service perturbé _ manifestation" - i wondered if the drunken scotsmen had got out iof hand after winning the football!

Ah, Paris!

HongKong airport

is in fact all it is cracked up to be, thank you NickM! used the lovely lounge (expensive but worth it with 6 hours to kill) - shower, massage, ongoing food and drink, option to take a2 hours nap, but passed on that one.
Found the LokFook jewellery store, I kid you not, but refrained from taking a photo of it. About to go and walk a hundred miles to the gate for Lufthansa. More from Paris.

en route

First stop HongKong for a few hours, then Paris via Frankfurt. Quite exciting, and I am nervous, as it's a while since I travelled on my own..............fortitude, I believe! the kids on the I team gave me chocolate, which will come in handy to reduce nervousness. (so nice of them to do that ).

2 days to go!

Finally, getting there.
Leave NZ on 10 September, arrive Paris 11 september. My mobile phone will not work in France, Spain or Morocco........go, Telecom!! contact me on gmail (shoshannashira@gmail.com) or via this blog.
From France, to Morocco on 24 September or so, then to Madrid on 2 October, then to NY on 5 October. In NY until 16th, then via San Fran (alas no stopover) to Seattle. My phone will work in the US, so that's something.

6 days counting down

Today was nuts - Mikado (school production) dress rehearsal. Took most of the day and all the energy.However it looks and sounds great and the kids, as usual, pulled out all the stops for performance.
Still things to finalise for trip, such as visits to NY schools, but other things mostly sorted, which is a relief.
Now, if I could just find time to think about clothes..........................

Only two weeks to go, getting stressed! However things are falling into place, or maybe they are being pushed, not sure which.

Study Leave

On Sept 10th I have study leave from Scots to visit IB schools in Europe and the US.
This blog is intended to keep you up to date with what I am doing, and to save me emailing everyone I know!