Montenegrins – Brave, NOT Aggressive

Generous, caring and brave are some of the words that describe the people I met during my EMU Study Abroad in Ulcinj, a small town on the southern coast of the breathtakingly beautiful country of Montenegro.  My positive experiences with Montenegrins will resonate with me forever and here are a few examples:

• There are no words to fully thank Silvija, who is hugely responsible for opening her native Montenegro to us. As busy as she was, she graciously educated us on the culture, answered even our silliest questions, and went above and beyond to ensure the program’s success. Who does this? A Montenegrin does!
• My daughter and I were whisked off on an unforgettable late afternoon tour by Medina, a gregarious woman who wears many hats, including being a local English teacher. Knowing how busy Medina is, I kept thanking her and telling her to go home to her lovely family. She insisted that she wanted us to experience some of her favorite places and continued to grace us with her time, energy, and fun personality. Oh, and we saw INCREDIBLE areas that we probably would not have seen on our own. Who does that? A Montenegrin does!!
• One of our local drivers (we called Joseph) opened car doors, patiently waited for us to have our morning coffee at the local bakery, happily agreed to our often-inconvenient requests of driving ALL OVER, made helpful connections for us, and MUCH more — with a smile and without keeping the meter running. In fact, on numerous occasions, Joseph refused to charge us for short trips! Who does that? A Montenegrin does!!
• The staff at the Copacabana Beach Restaurant graciously treated our entire Study Abroad team of teachers to a delicious dinner – just to thank us for being teachers! Who does this? You got it. A Montenegrin does!!

I have countless more stories like these. Needless to say, I was appalled to hear anyone describe Montenegrins as aggressive. That was quite the opposite of my experience and anyone who takes the time to get to know the people would surely agree with me.

Thank you to the lovely people of Montenegro!

Montenegro – Day 3 and beyond

Unbelievable! The clear blue color of the water in the Adriatic Sea is mesmerizing!

Days 3  and 4 of my Study Abroad were filled with teaching, sunbathing, and exploring. The school and our apartment are located in Stoj, which are basically suburbs of  Ulcinj,

My morning routine is to walk down the street (about 10 minutes) to the bakery, have a fattening breakfast of  Burek or other delicious pastry, and of course COFFEE.  We ask for “American” coffee and it’s a hit-or-miss because they basically bring out whatever they feel like it — usually cappuccino.  (By the way, I tried Turkish coffee, which is super thick and nothing like American. Let’s just say it’s not for me.)

After sitting for a few minutes (since they don’t like to give  “to-go” cups), we start the hike over to the school. On the way, we encounter several animals, including COWS, sheep, cats, and dogs. Oh, and there’s a rooster singing his song nearby. The cows stare you down and are basically grazing wherever they want. The stray dogs have clipped ears — I was told it’s to show that they are neutered/spayed and safe.

The hike to the school (from the bakery) is about twenty minutes. I’m loving the exercise, but we had a couple of rainy mornings and I was totally not prepared! Luckily my roomie bought an umbrella for me. So sweet!!

The kids are adorable! They absolutely love everything we do, but they especially LOVE a particular song that is now forever engraved in my dreams — Baby Shark!  They beg us to let them sing it EVERY DAY! These kids are so eager to learn that they show up 30 minutes early every day…in the summer!

Basically, after school, I am either doing lesson plans, homework or sneaking off to an adventure like the beach or the downtown, which they call City Center.  I also went to nearby towns called Budva and Kotor. Both of these places had cobble-stoned streets and little quaint shops and restaurants.  So fun!

On the weekend, I went off to Croatia with four other teachers. It’s an adventure just to get there since we had to catch a ferry and go through customs.  Once we got settled in, we explored Old Town, where Game of Thrones was filmed! So exciting. We also went on a private boat tour and stopped at three islands. At one of the islands, we swam inside a cave, which had the most beautiful blue water I’ve ever seen!

After that amazing trip, it was back to work on Monday morning and, even though I was exhausted, the kids’ enthusiasm made me forget how tired I was. I even played soccer (for a hot sweaty couple of minutes.} The weather warmed up quite a bit, which made our morning walks difficult. And sweaty.

Tuesday afternoon, about 15 of us ventured out to Ada Bojana Beach. It was the BEST day! We hung out at the beautiful beach and then hopped on a boat to get dinner at a seafood restaurant. The staff was attentive and the food was yummy! We were all so happy with our little adventure.

Today (Wednesday) was interesting. We were told the power was going to go out for the whole city. Why? Who knows? Then we found out that it’s not happening. Meanwhile, there were two earthquakes in neighboring Albania and many people said they felt it here.  (I didn’t.) Later in the after school, all of us were treated to a special dinner cruise by one of the locals. It was relaxing and a fun way to end our week. Well, almost. Our last day of school is tomorrow and then on Friday, the kids will perform for all the top officials in the area. Oh boy. I’m going to miss these kids!

Stay tuned. for Rome…

 

Montenegro – Day 2

Excited faces and voices crowded the foyer of the Montenegrin elementary school and then suddenly it was time! This is what we’ve been preparing and waiting for! Originally we had 16 and as if by magic, we now had 26 eager 3rd/4th graders.  The classroom was smaller than my own classroom back home and we literally could not squeeze another desk or chair. Despite the large sized group, the students behaved so well and we had no behavior issues. It was a productive and fun-filled day! They were all still smiling at the end of the day, so this was definitely a successful first day! I loved every minute of it! More about the kids later.

Later in the afternoon, we hit the beach. The beaches in this area have funny names. This one was called Copacabana! The sand was a dark gray color and very soft. The water looked a brilliant blue (more pictures coming soon), and the sun was hot — until the clouds started getting darker and we finally made a run for a beach cafe when a sandstorm practically threw us at it.  More on the food another time.

Here are some observations and things I’ve learned about the culture and community, so far:

• Montenegrins don’t buy coffee on the go.  On our walk to the school, I stopped for a quick breakfast bite and wanted my coffee in a “to-go” cup. They laughed at me and amongst each other for a minute before handing me a tiny cup with the coffee, which was delicious, by the way).  I guess they don’t believe in Starbucks here and are not upset about it.
• Cows roam free on the streets. I saw at least 4 cows on this same morning walk. So cool. They didn’t bother us at all as we basically walked around them on the path. I love cows!
• The kids in our class are VERY SIMILAR to the kids back home. They love many things and especially SOCCER (they say football) and DOGS! They loved EVERYTHING we did with them and especially anything with music, dancing, singing, movement,  and interactions with partners or in small groups.
• The kids here do the FLOSS dance too!! If you’re not a teacher or a parent, you may not be familiar with it — omg! Youtube is most likely behind this! Ditto with FLIPPING water bottles — well, only one kid was doing this, but it’s a fad I’m glad is mostly over in the U.S.

My jet-lagged brain needs a break…more tomorrow! And yes, more pictures too…

 

Study Abroad Countdown….1 day to go

Soon I will be in a foreign land and utterly and completely jet-lagged. I will experience culture shock, be working, and feel 1,000 years old in every crevice of my body. All the while, I’ll be smiling like the summer sun behind a cloud. Why? I will be learning about a different culture and, hopefully, making a positive impact on a group of children. Where am I going and why? MONTENEGRO! It’s for a Study Abroad for the TESOL graduate program at Eastern Michigan University in which I get to teach English to Montenegrin children. I get to do this within a brief walk to a hot vacation beach spot. Oh, did I forget to mention, the gorgeous beaches!!!

I’d never heard of Montenegro before now. Most people I’ve spoken with hadn’t heard of it either unless they’re from that part of Europe. To the north, Montenegro borders Serbia, while in the southeast, it borders Kosovo and Albania, and to the west are Croatia and Bosnia. Here’s a Google map to show where’s it’s located in proximity to the U.S.:

My suitcase is mostly packed and I’m a bit of a nervous wreck (due to a too short layover from Rome to Montenegro — ugh — will I miss my connecting flight?), but MOSTLY I’m super excited!! What an opportunity!! I know it will be a life-changing experience because I went on a similar trip (Educators to Japan) years ago.

Stay tuned to see if I made my connecting flight and how I endure jet-lag, but most of all, what I learn about the Montenegrin culture and how it goes with the kids. I can’t wait to meet them!!

Unique Perspective

Last night I was inducted into the education honor society. It was a beautiful ceremony, complete with inspirational speeches, prayers and candles. I felt very much part of the college community, despite my ripe old age. There, I said it. I’m not a young’n anymore. However, this does not stop me from pursuing my dreams.

When people ask me whether they should go back to college as an “older” adult, I ask them if they were planning to retire in 3 to 4 years (or however long it would take to graduate). When they say no, then I point out that they would be turning that age anyway – why not with a degree too? I am extremely blessed because this is my second degree. My second career. And why not? We are multifaceted people. Many people have to change careers as they get older, for one reason or another. In my case, I took an opportunity and ran with it.

As an older adult in college, there are a few things to keep in mind. Firstly, we belong there just as much as everyone else, including high school graduates. I know that some may hesitate to speak up in class, for fear of coming across as the “older student who can’t stay quiet”. However, our perspective is unique and adds color to group discussions. Don’t hold back. Be yourself. We have years (maybe even decades) of experience that others can learn from. It’s okay to appear eager and attentive. We want to be there – why not show it?

Secondly, our challenges are different than younger students. We usually have jobs and families to juggle along with our studies. My advice is to find a certain time of day when no one interrupts you. My homework/study time is usually in the early morning. Yes, I get up too early and would rather be in bed. However, the early morning works for me because my mind is fresh and the house is quiet. I admit I also burn the midnight oil sometimes. I would be a liar if I said I had this completely figured out, but I do burn the candle at both ends for much of the semester. I’m still finding my balance here. One thing that helps is to plan ahead and use windows of opportunity. For example, when I knew I had a research paper to write and it would be due at the same time as essays from another class, I began to write the essays early so it would give me more time later. Of course, it helps that I love to write.

Thirdly, we can learn new things or refresh old – even geometry and algebra! I had to take a couple of college-of-education entry exams, which included math, reading and writing. After scheduling the exams, I began to study, especially for the math portions. It had been SO many years since I’d figured out these kinds of math problems and it was frustrating at first. I enlisted the help of my teenagers and used every resource I could, including library books and online exams/study guides. I filled out notebook after notebook of problems. I studied at every chance, including road trips and waiting at the dentist/doctor’s office. I took this quite seriously, as if I was taking a math course. Finally, I took the exams – a month apart – and I PASSED! Phew! My hard work paid off. I learned that you really are never too old to relearn math. Or anything.

Lastly, don’t worry about being the “oldest” in the classroom. So what? Get over it. There are always older people going back to college, even if they are not in your class. I met someone the other day who is getting a second masters and she’s at least two decades older than me! It’s actually great for our brains because we are putting off Alzheimer’s since we are challenging our brain cells. After studying for those math exams, I could practically feel my new brain cells growing!!  

If you get the opportunity, like me, to go back to school – DO IT!! It’s not easy, but it’s well worth it. Now, I’m considering taking on a leadership role in the honor society. It could be fun…

~~ Maggie

Study Maybe — a Decade (or two) Later

Guess who is going back to college after what feels like FOREVER? Yep – me! Today is my first class and I’m so GEEKED – I’ve already read all the books.  So what if the books were mostly picture books – for Children’s Lit & Drama – but hey – I’m beyond excited, okay? 🙂

Why am I going back NOW, especially when tuition is so expensive and I have two high schoolers who will be in college soon?  Why torture myself with late night studying and homework, projects and all that that entails? Two good reasons: I received a grant and I’m not paying a dime – even for books! Can you believe that? How can I pass that up? Secondly – I love learning and bettering myself — keep my mind active and all that.  I’ll have a teaching degree, so that’s cool.  Did I mention, it’s a FULL RIDE? 🙂

Butterflies in my stomach? Maybe a couple, but mostly I can’t wait!  I know there have been a ton of changes since I went to college.  Obviously – technology will make things easier – like studying apps – flashcards and such.

Before I go get ready, I HAVE to watch Dodson Study Maybe – a hilarious video by a dedicated and amazing staff.  LOVE IT!

I’d love to hear from anyone else who went back to college after so many years.  What was your experience?  What were your challenges and how did you overcome them?  Any tips are welcome!!

~~ Maggie