Things to be thankful for . . .

Whatever you call it: being "blessed", having good karma, luck, etc. the Chronicle has a lot of things to be thankful for this holiday season. This is meant to be an unconventional list, so if not seeing "The love of family and friends" makes you think I'm not thankful for them, then I will just say right off the bat that I value them first and foremost. That might even include you, gentle reader. So, in no particular order, here are just a few more.

1) Skype. The ability to see my parents on the webcam every week while talking to them when I am so far away (4,529 miles according to indigo.com) is truly a gift. Add to that the fact that it costs nothing to call them and you have something to truly be thankful for. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, download Skype today and give me a call! That means you Dave and Paul! Quit living in the stone age. Dust off the wallet and drop the dial-up internet.

2) Jogobella yoghurt. It's Polish, comes in really big containers, and is damn tasty. Pineapple and kiwi flavors are my faves.

3) My new roommate. Yes, I am "living in sin". Sorry Mom! But you always said that whatever makes me happy makes you happy too. I am happy : )



4) My job. I never take for granted a place where I learn far more from the kids than they learn from me. It's also gratifying to know that the people I work for value me as well, especially during these tough economic times. Thank you school board and parents!

5) Wizzair. You gotta love a no-frills budget airline that is ballsy enough to paint their planes fuschia. $100 round trip from Warsaw to Italy . . . que bueno!




6) Podcasts. Being able to load up the iPod every morning with my favorite radio shows from the states so I can get through the commute is priceless, and free!


7) Obama. Yes, their are still 55 more days left of shame, but I can already detect an audible increase in volume when telling people what country I am from. Hurray for the return of dignity, intellect, and humility to the White House! He could accomplish nothing over the next four years but it's just nice to have a cool President for a change.



8) Being able to watch episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report online. We are self-professed news junkies here at the Chronicle. These guys make even the depressing stories seem funny.



9) Facebook. Yes, this just sent all of you anti-establishment, "swim against the current" folks cringing. But it's just another one of those pieces of technology that keeps the overseas guy in the loop. I am especially amused by the photos posted by former students and younger cousins. Good to know that keg stands haven't gone out of style.

10) Sarah Palin. God, how I love that woman. She has given so much laughter to so many people. Where, oh where, can I make my contribution to the Palin campaign for President in 2012?

11) Free coffee at work. Sometimes its the little perks that make the biggest difference and nothings brings employees together like free coffee. A big thank you to Kasia who makes it every morning. You are appreciated :)

12) Visitors. Having friends and family who make all the effort, and spend the money to come and see me here in Poland is really appreciated. When are you making the trip?

Wanted: Teachers willing to relocate to faraway lands

It's that time of year again where I make the yearly plea to my stateside colleagues encouraging them to try teaching abroad. The last couple years resulted in two of my friends attending job fairs in Iowa and San Francisco, with both of them ending up in sunny Ecuador. The Chronicle is happy to report that D who worked down the hall from me in Middleton (Idaho) and K, who I used to work with at Green Mill in Fargo have found enormous job satisfaction and endless adventures near that imaginary line dividing the hemispheres. In fact, sources close to the KC say one of them (luckily the one that is not married) has even found a cross-cultural romance which might lead to a contract renewal for next year.

Are there any educators out there willing to take the plunge in 2009? It is astonishing how many international schools are opening up around the globe. One statistic published by The International Educator put the number of international schools in 2000 at 1,700. At the beginning of 2008, there were over 5,000. I will admit that not a small number of these are fly by night operations in dangerous geographic locales. They span the globe and even the alphabet from A (Azerbaijan and even Afghanistan) to Z (Zambia and Zimbabwe), so it pays to conduct thorough research before you land that dream job in the Grand Cayman Islands or Costa Rica. You could end up signing a contract to spend the next two years of your life in Kabul.


Even though I am thousands of miles from the nearest beach and Jack Frost is about to start farting white stuff all over Poland this weekend, the last couple years have been an amazing adventure both personally and professionally. Sure, the Polish winters are frigid and unfailingly bleak, but I consider myself quite fortunate to have ended up here at AS Dub. And if any readers out there in the business of teaching children are tired of it being just that, a "business", then write to the editors at the Chronicle and we will be happy to give you advice on how to get started on a career overseas. After all, I think Obama has too much on his plate to worry about trivial matters such as class sizes and a yearly raise for teachers that exceeds the rate of inflation. But don't delay, deadlines for registering at job fairs at the University of Northern Iowa (deadline: January 9th), San Francisco (January 5th), and Cambridge, MA.

Well, that's the spiel for this year. I hope we can report again on a successful candidacy around February after recruitment season. Thanks for reading!

Thoughts on Italy, Obama, and the closing of Damascus Community School

It's been a long time since I poured out the contents of my grey matter onto this keyboard. Since then, it's been quite an eventful couple of weeks with a trip to Tuscany, an historical election, and the political expulsion of some colleagues down in Syria. All of these are worth their own separate blog entry in the Chronicle but since there is a lot more going on in the near future, I will cover all of these issues en masse.

First of all, let me say that I have a newfound love of Italy. Being able to spend a whole week in the northern part of the country opened my eyes to both the natural and man-made wonders of Tuscany. This was my second trip to "the boot of the Mediterranean" and the first I was inspired to write extensively about. Longtime readers will remember a trip to Rome with my brother Dave and the parents back in the spring of 2007, but that entry focused mainly on the beauty of Slovenia and a tearful family reunion. I can say that I was awe-inspired by the world famous scenes of historical importance such as the Coliseum, Forum, and Pantheon or the extraordinary religious significance of the Vatican. However, the real beauty of Italy lies in the culinary delights, vineyards, and the idea of "la dolce vita" (the sweet life) that is the very essence of the Italian countryside.

Our trip started with some gorgeous weather in the Cinque Terre, a collection of five rustic seaside villages dotting the Italian Riviera. The three days we spent there consisted of hiking the trails along the cliffs, sipping the acclaimed white wine produced in the region, devouring anything dipped in pesto, and trying to avoid the disciples of Steves.



Okay, I will admit that I enjoy the Rick Steves guidebook series. His refreshing takes on how to travel through "the back door" by focusing more on the holistic experience of travel rather than a checklist of landmarks, churches, and museums are a philosophy everyone should subscribe to. Be that as it may, the followers of Rick Steves' books have become victims of his success. It seemed that wherever we went in the Cinque Terre, per his recommendation, we found my fellow Americans. The majority of those encountered were quite pleasant and it was enjoyable to chat with people about where they were from, including the lady from Blaine, Minnesota who was on sabbatical from her teaching job for a stint teaching at a boarding school in Switzerland. I also had the chance to converse with a fellow North Dakota State alum in San Gimignano after inquiring about whether she was Canadian or Minnesotan. You can't miss that accent. Okay, I shall digress, since the more I consider things, I'm coming to the conclusion that I should appreciate the fact that Americans are not letting the terrorists win by cowering in fear back at home. (This last statement was with tongue firmly in cheek).

Pisa was one of the definite highlights of the trip even though we were enjoying it under a torrential downpour. Seeing one of the most recognizable sights anywhere on the globe had an almost mythical quality about it. This feeling was quickly replaced by bewilderment associated with countless people striving for that perfect picture of them keeping the tower from falling over.

Not much hasn't already been written about the aesthetic virtues of Florence, so I won't even make an attempt except to say that it does deserve another visit. Our itinerary only allowed for one day of sightseeing there though it was our base of operations for three days. I have no idea how insane the crowds must be in the summer time months, and am in no hurry to find out. Crowds were thick even in the low season of late October.





We also visited Sienna, a fantastic historical rival to the larger Florence, and surrounded by the rolling vineyards of Tuscany. We took advantage of the inexpensive Chianti which flows like water but still managed to trudge 360 steps to the top of the town hall tower for a stunning view of the countryside.

Tuscany managed to meet the sky high expectations created by the endless guide book hyperbole. With so many sights to see in Europe, and having an open-ended tour of duty here, a repeat visit will have to wedged in there somewhere, especially with the election restoring some modicum of goodwill towards the American people.


Yes, I must say, my faith has been restored in democracy and my apathy towards the political process in general has ebbed to a historical low point after reaching an all-time peak in 2004. Even if Obama fails to deliver on most of his promises and the impending financial crisis and military quagmire extinguish this upwelling of hope, at least we have shown that anything is possible in the US of A.


With that being said, old W still has more than two months to really muck things up for his successor. He has already had a direct impact on the careers of four former ASW colleagues. The military operation conducted within Syria's borders caused a slight backlash leading to the closure of the Damascus Community School. Two couple that I had worked with here in Poland were told they had 48 hours to pack their bags and get out of the country. I guess a six month paid vacation is not so bad but now they have to go back to one of the international job fairs and go through the cattle call once again.

Congrats to Danielle and Dave in Ecuador! They have decided to extend their contract for another year of adventure on the middle of the globe. And it sounds like Dave is studying to become a teacher too. It's a good life. Thanks for reading! Happy Independence Day to all my Polish readers and to all those stateside, thank a veteran. Do widzenia . . .

Italia!

Haven't had time to post in a couple weeks. Sorry about that. But enjoy some footage from fall break! Tuscany exceeded all my expectations. Will share more thoughts on that later.

Do widzenia,

Mark

Making history in Albania . . .

Last year around this time, the Chronicle reported from frigid Ukraine after taking the ASW middle school cross country team to the capital, Kiev. As we strive to push the touristic envelope by squiring you, the reader, to the deepest, darkest, least visited corners of Europe as well as the more popular destinations, the Kielbasa sports editor was sent to Tirana, Albania a couple weeks ago.

"Why Tirana?" you may be asking, as well as a few parents concerned about their child's safety. Well, think of CEESA (the Central Eastern European Schools Association) as a sports league, in the same vein as major league baseball except without the steroids and exorbitant payrolls. Schools in Warsaw, Moscow, Prague, Budapest, Istanbul and Bucharest have outstanding facilities for hosting the team sports, i.e. soccer, basketball, volleyball, and softball. These are the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox of international schools, which operate on healthy budgets but charge twelve dollars for a beer and a hot dog. Oh wait, that's still baseball.

International schools in cities such as Vilnius, Tallin, Riga, Zagreb, and Belgrade are the small market teams, the Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals if you will. They lack the facilities to host the major tournaments so they take turns hosting smaller events such as tennis, Math Counts, Knowledge Bowl and Speech and Debate. Oh yeah, and cross country too. It doesn't take much to host a cross country meet except a big park, some road construction cones, and a few volunteers.

So consider a school like Tirana International to be the Nashville Sounds, a AAA affiliate of MLB. They want to be invited to the major leagues but have to prove themselves worthy by hosting an event. Which is why the Chronicle sports department was witness to the first ever cross country race in Albania's history:





One of the more fascinating, albeit tragic, reminders of Albania's isolationist past are the bunkers that dot the landscape from the coastal beaches to the rugged mountain terrain. Everywhere you look, there are small, cylindrical concrete shelters large enough for only one man. Albania's Stalinist dictator, Enver Hoxha, commissioned the construction of 600,000 refuges, enough for 25% of the country's population. He feared invasion not only from the West, but from his ally, the Soviet Union as well. Check out some of the beachside huts of Albania:

Frogs pick up the Czech and another Capital's Cup

Some of you may or may not know that one of my hobbies is playing old man rugby with the Warsaw Frogs. I really shouldn't characterize this brand of the English sport with such a condescending denomination since being 34 makes me one of the club's elder statesmen. Truth be told, there are a large number of quality players from around the world making up the squad. They just happen to have landed in Poland's capital for a variety of reasons, be it love of country, a good woman, or money.

One could go as far as saying that the Frogs are a mainstay of the social scene for ex-pats in Warsaw. There are around sixty guys involved in various team functions, be it actual matches or just hoisting the occasional pint while wearing team gear. The annual Warsaw Tens tournament in May is attended by more than a dozen teams from around Europe and as far away as Tahiti and the United States. But our season culminates in the fall at the Capital's Cup, hosted by either Moscow, Vienna, Warsaw, Budapest, or this year's team, the Prague Barbarians.

Since all touring sides live by the credo: "What goes on tour, stays on tour.", I will provide only a partial glimpse into the weekend. Defending the title with ease (bulletin board material for the archrival Moscow Dragons)after only allowing one try to be scored against us in five matches, the Frogs hoisted their third consecutive cup. Amazingly enough, this ugly mug remained unscathed by the usual contusions beneath my eyes. My only badge of honor this year was a nasty spike-shaped bruise upon my derriere.

The real fun began after the actual playing of the matches. Every year the team braintrust chooses a different theme for the trip. This year's was a parody of the world famous French bicycle race. But instead of conquering the Alps and Pyrenees, the "riders" in the 2008 Le Tour De Frogs spilled into the streets of Prague clad in various shades of spandex and brandishing a thirst for adventure rather than pain and agony.

For those unfamiliar with the sport, the physiques required to play rugby vary from the dainty, waif-like backs to the robust members of the scrum who never miss a meal. Hilarity ensued when the whole traveling party of twenty four guys were squeezing into outfits which left little to the imagination.

The rest of the weekend is contained within the classified files at the Chronicle, only to be revealed upon court order.

What the hell is going on over there?

It's clips like this of angry mobs that make me very scared! Are there really that many angry mobs back in the U.S.? Alright, I realize that he's not exactly speaking to a gathering of MENSA but it really makes me feel warm and cozy to be far far away from people like this:



My apologies for not posting in a couple weeks, but with the three day weekend in Prague, defending the Warsaw Frogs' title as the best ex-pat rugby team in Central / Eastern Europe and then the four day junket to bizarrely picturesque Tirana, Albania for the CEESA cross country meet, I have been kind of spent.
You can look for a more extensive update in the next few days as things return to normal around here. For now, I will just give you a couple teaser pics from Prague and Albania. See you in a little bit . . . oh, and head on over to Danielle's Living the Good Life blog for some great pics of mountain biking in the Andes. Pretty damn cool stuff.













ALBANIA! The country's motto: It's really not as bad as you'd think!