May 21, 2010

Thought for the Day: "The only constant is change!"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, according to your point of view, Friday arrived at around 4:45 a.m! The mourning doves were alive and messaging each other. A pig could be heard in the distance acknowledging the presence of Eos, the Goddess of Early Mornings. And down the road, a gentle breeze was using the pine forest as its method of announcing yet another day, a pleasant one to be sure, at our digs here at Reymontowka. The awesome foursome plus the” awesome-champion” Dorota, sat down again to break the nighttime fast with a delicious “start-of-the-day” meal. The Thursday journal was read to the assemblage and our respective journeys to school followed.

Immediately after lunch Dorota and I headed into Siedlce to meet up with my student Agnes for a shopping expedition. I was interested in finding a simple summer dress but most of the fashions seem to be for slim young things!! I felt it was good experience for Agnes… taking me into several shops and helping me look, convey my questions to the sales clerk, and then try on a few items.

Georgianna’s students were all in their places with bright, shiny faces and homework, too. She took advantage of the sunny, breezy afternoon to camp out on the back patio with logbooks and lesson plan books and succeeded not only in completing all of the Friday logs but also all of next weeks’ lesson plans for grade three, both groups. She had time to do a half-hour session with her Pimsleur Polish Lessons before a short walk along the fields. A grand day to start the weekend.

Mary Martin had another lovely day with sunshine and fair temperatures: "Since students at Spoleczna school portrayed Polish historical figures of the Baroque era, the 1700’s, on Wednesday, I followed up our Monday historical timelines – which compared Poland to the USA – by showing them the photos I took of them on Wednesday. My pint-size Acer notebook proves its worth as I carry it from class to class. Using the wh—information question stems (who, what, when, where, how, and why) I ask probing questions hoping to elicit significant historical information from them.

May 20, 2010

Thought for the Day:

"It is only with the heart one can see rightly;

what is essential is invisible to the eye." –St. Exupery

At our team meeting following lunch, there was consensus that we are meeting our pre-established goals: To provide practice with English language, to build bridges of understanding and respect, to be personally enriched. members agreed that this is happening through interactions in our school environments, on the social level when we meet Polish people – drivers, cooks, principals and teachers – and even in our team interactions.

Dorota reviewed the characteristics of a strong team, which we had articulated earlier. Again, consensus on success.

We have passed the first half of our three week period. Each of us has a daily routine of teaching hours in the morning, tutoring hours on varied days of the week. We meet three times a day at our meals. Days are not set in concrete; flexibility helps to advert a sense of frustration or discouragement. Like gardeners, we plant seeds; we cannot control the factors which affect student progress, nor control the outcome of English language learning. We can offer our gifts and, as the song advises, “let it be, let it be; there will be a future, let it be.”

It was a day like all days, filled with the events that illuminate our times, and Georgianna was there, at Niwiski School! A tad scrambled, with some students at Reymontowka with a poetry competition and others in the mountains on a field trip and two third grade sections that took it upon themselves to change groups. Hence, group 1, instead of the usual students, was augmented by two students who decided to join the earlier session, probably because they could then slip away early. The nice part for Georgianna, was that group 2 had a much smaller number, so she could devote herself to individual attention to certain students, one at a time. Probably, not a positive for those students who were maybe feeling a little bit on the spot. It’s difficult and frustrating to be a third grader whose English skills are really limited to vocabulary, sentences being a whole new, overwhelming concept. But they survived and will live to tell the tale, probably in Polish.

Audrey had another good day teaching at Cisie School with Margaret, grades 4,1 and 6 today. The grade 1 students are great fun and we just take it very slow with colors and numbers and we use flash cards, that went over quite well. We sang some songs about our body parts—Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. She asked them to color a Canadian flag for that class hadn’t done it. I took my camera today and had my picture taken of this delightful little class.

Grades 4 and 6 are always a bit more challenging. Today we continued to build on sentence structure and especially on Time using a big yellow clock with moveable hands to great advantage. They have to translate clock time in words into numerals on the face by using matching slips of paper. Margaret drove Audrey home, so they were able to continue our English conversation.

Mary Martin brought home a bouquet of flowers – yellow tulips with white roses -- which the recalcitrant First Communion class offered her as an act of contrition for their “misbehavior” yesterday – recorded in yesterday’s notes. Cook gave her a pitcher for a vase and the bouquet graces the Global Volunteers workroom table.

She adds another highlight, “Today’s driver took the same county back roads which delighted me yesterday when that driver traveled by the same shortcut. This driver, along with her daughter, Natalia, turned down a narrow lane and stopped in front of their new home. We had time for the briefest of tours, but it was a great opportunity to get a glimpse of modern design for the many new homes which are popping up over Poland.”

May 19, 2010

Thought for the Day: You’ll be dead a long time! - Victoria Litwornia Chojnowski

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Tomorrow, tomorrow---that’s been our song for days but finally, today, tomorrow arrived and we could sing “Here comes the sun . . . .” as it broke through the clouds late in the morning. The world lit up and so did we.

We are, in Audrey’s words, settling into comfortable routines at our schools and here at home, Reymontowka. We have finally internalized the fact that dessert is with supper (colazion), not with lunch (obiad which means dinner). Obiad has soup (zupa) as the first course, then the full formal meal.

Georgianna’s day was nicely paced. The usual morning at Niwiski, meeting with four classes: a fourth grade, two third grades, and the fifth grade. This was her day without an afternoon tutoring session, so she holed up in the cozy yet spacious wood-paneled resource room under the eaves and worked her way through all three log books, one for each grade.

Audrey reports that she and Margaret (Gosia) are becoming more of a team every day as they teach together at Cisie---today grades 1, 4 and 6^. The highlight of her day was a lovely afternoon nap, followed by a walk in the countryside before our evening meal.

Jim spent the day with his Spoleczna school students witnessing an amazing production of student talent at a sports center in Siedlce. But it wasn’t nearly as athletic as it was artistic! As it turned out, the Baroque Project had been planned for the school featuring gorgeous period costumes, rehearsed dramatizations, dance routines, and other theatrics, all staged on a gymnasium floor. Properties such as draped folding chairs, microphones, posters depicting regal crests, and other paraphernalia were quickly carried to the performance area by the entertainers themselves, and just as rapidly removed for the next presentation. All of the scenes were laudable! It was obvious that the students, ranging in age from six to 15, had worked very hard at this project.

The afternoon ended with the return of Aneta and Joanna to Reymontowka for another tutoring session. A good time was had by all, exploring American idioms and slang!

May 18, 2010

Thought for the Day: "Yesterday is but a memory; tomorrow is a mystery; that’s why today is called the present – a gift!"

Tuesday, May 18

Today’s driver for Mary Martin has her niece with her; this Maja is a student at junior high school; judging by her flow of English, she is a highly successful student. “Strzala” she informs Mary Martin “means arrow.” Certainly many arrows have flown through the course of Polish history. Once again, classes flow by in a medley of themes: sports, routines of the day, telling time and the days of the week. The oldest group of students use an article to explore the meaning and significance of “environmental issues.” Some are clearly more confident with cooperative learning than others when they work in small groups with a definite task to perform. The friendly, pleasant staff paired with friendly, willing children create an atmosphere conducive to learning and self-expression.

At Spoleczna, Jim used word-search worksheets and city map locations, the ensuing classroom response to the lessons was quite enthusiastic.

Jim attempted his infant Polish vocabulary on his trip to and from the school on a very amused Roman, the morning and afternoon “chauffeur” – and slowly but surely, a bond is being formed with this most genial of Polish gentlefolk.

At four o’clock, Jim met with his two adult ladies for their regular tutorial sessions and enjoyed the encounter immensely. Aneta and Joanna have extensive vocabularies with only an occasional pronunciation “wrinkle” to correct. Aneta seems to be the “resource” person when Joanna stalls on a word selection. Both responded well to an English speech (delivered by a visiting big-wig) and the supposed translation of the speech into Polish (for an invisible audience).

The day was capped off by an invitation to an evening Chopin concert – one of Jim’s favorite composers – to be absolutely blown away by the talent and skill of a quartet of young people. The youngest, Aleksandra, was (guessing) eight years old and displayed an amazing gift at the keyboard. She was followed by Alicja, again guessing, a ten-year-old, who stroked the ivories with her renditions of a composition by Chopin and an etude by Liszt. The third and fourth pianists were older boys, Jakub and Igor, both playing other works of Chopin and Liszt. It was a most impressive concert.

May 14-16, 2010

Thought for the Day:

"We build the ladder by which we climb."

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Rain drums on rooftops announcing that the May festival will not be spared. Nor will Georgianna be deterred from the thrill of a horseback ride. She rode in the rain. Now that is passion!

Through late morning hours stalwart Poles gather and under the sophisticated white tent, “the show must go on” as a talented and discipline dance troupe, composed of university students, delights the audience with folk songs and dances representing various regions of historical Poland. Zygmunt Wielogorski, equivalent to a U.S. County Commissioner for this region, attends, distributing certificates to mark the official closing of wood carvers’ workshop.

Local folk groups perform traditional songs. Stalwart. Vibrant. These senior citizens portray how one can continue to be actively engaged with Life despite the inroads age may take on one’s physic. I, Mary Martin, study their faces with wrinkles or creases that map out stories unknown to us. But, given their generation, they have surely witnesses sufficient harshness and suffering since that fateful day, September 1, 1939. I never heard my Croatian baba sing, nor her friends among Mrs. Starcevic, Mrs. Papic, Mrs. Miletich, girls who immigrated from the poverty stricken region of Like in northeastern mountains of Croatia. They always had sad eyes. Yes, the faces of Polish grandmothers, along with a sprinkling of grandfathers – for singers tend to be female – more than entertain us. They inspire us with the vivacity of Poland whose cardinal virture appears to be that of “endure, and celebrate Life.”

Jim remains in the audience. Georgianna is happily chatting with Polish friends, when Audrey and MM steal away toward the food court. Yuk yuk. Like everyone else, we find ourselves perilously slipping and sliding and balancing ourselves through trails turned into muddy quagmires. They begin to laugh, yet they are determined to reach that kielbasa stand! Photos testify to their near misses for firm footing. As a table of Polish folks begin to sing traditional songs, they creep over to listen. A Polish woman waves to them, “Come join us,” she gestures, making room on the bench. They join these warm-hearted hosts and soon are humming and swaying to the melancholic, soulful or romantic tunes. Dorota and her husband . . . come by and wave to us. Food is passed. Dancing begins. But 6:30 P.M. arrives, and lest they turn into pumpkins, Audrey and Mary Martin bid Thanks and Farewell, slipping and sliding their way back to the bright and dry shelter of their residence. It’s great fun to reunite with Jim and Georgianna for a recap of the day.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Jim and Georgianna team up to do their laundry and later, Jim “cleans up” by efficiently writing a play for his middle students to perform, entitled Breakfast Skit.

Georgianna enjoys excursion with a friend.

Audrey & MM bravely take the morning train into Warsaw where they join a tour for part of the day and explore Old Towne on their own for their final three hours. Audrey is fortunate in finding a water color print to accompany her home to Canada.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Georgianna spent a day with 2 classes of 4th graders, so she had a good time. She knows them well, meeting with them 2 hours a day for 3 weeks. “We moved through introductions by reading the day, date, and weather -- our standard for each day.”

Topics included families and the sound of th. Georgianna returned home, planning to ride a horse, but it was going to rain so she cancelled that and worked with Gosia (Margaret) in one-on-one tutoring.

Jim, despite a rearranged teaching schedule and some absent students, some of them now 2 days behind class work, believes that today all 4 groups handled word searches very well, and word chains exceptionally well. “We began the business of being interpreters of a city map for a group of Germans or Japanese or Peruvians who were asking about drugstores, hardware stores, and the like. I feel that the old American teacher is no longer a novelty. We finished the work, on idioms and slang expressions and conversed about fathers’ and mothers’ occupations.”

“Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to a new school I go,” chants Mary Martin as she joins Jim for the ride to his middle school site named Spoleczna. On Fridays and Mondays she is scheduled to meet with four classes. Today, three of those classes explored the question, “What is the difference between communication and language?” “I introduced myself and a brief family history in Croatian, writing supportive, visual information on the board – such as proper nouns or significant dates – and by using my USA and Iowa maps. We then determined how much information they gained about me, although I was not speaking English or any language familiar to them.

“Next, I role played the “slouching student” in contrast to the “alert student,” the “unhappy teacher” compared to the “happy teacher.” We used a T-square to compare Communication and Language – both involved in the transfer of information. However, communication includes non-verbal language (facial expression, tone of voice, body posture) while Language is a tool by which we share specific information through speech. (They arrived at the “tool” concept after examples of fork and spoon for lunch, pen for writing notes, axe for chopping wood to make a camp fire.)

Forty-five minute class periods were broken by fifteen minute pauses. In the faculty room Jim and MM were served hot tea, sliced fruit and some chocolates. “My final class of eight students sat in an informal circle and talked about what was important or special about each of them. Conrad played a short classical tune on his violin as an example of something he wanted us to know about him. A lad of Chinese origin, born in Spain but living in Poland, seem to huddle within his large self. One tiny lad appeared to be about six years old. The agonizing contrasts of emerging adolescence was obvious in this lively group whom I will revisit on Monday. They asked for our topic to be United States history. How’s that for being specific?!”

Before their van left Siedlce, their driver, Roman, paused at a kiosk so MM could fulfill her craving for green onions and fresh apples. Upon arrival at Reymontowka, Jim and MM found the dining room packed with a group employed by the prosecutor’s office. Georgianna followed on our heels, to round out our homey group of five. Hot mushroom soup brightened the gloomy, gray day, an appetizer to our plates overflowing with a pork cutlet, boiled potatoes and two kinds of salads, not to forget the bread basket – and fresh green onions!

TGIF it may be, but duties still await Audrey, who meets with a small group of children for conversation and a picnic lunch on the veranda, and Georgianna, who has a tutorial session. Dorota generously escorts MM to get train tickets for tomorrow’s excursion with Audrey to Warsaw, and for MM to get a haircut, a real treat with these accomplished Polish beauticians

Audrey spent the morning at Cisie School with Margaret/Gosia and she assisted her teaching Grades 4, 5, and 2. They all went well but the last is so much fun; it was my third time with Grade 2 who love to sing and all of them are so attentive and enthusiastic. Home for lunch and the usual, wonderful, “over the top” lunches. It is so nice to meet the rest of the team over our meals. I really like that time together.

After a short rest I went downstairs to meet a small group from Skorzec, seven of ten who arrived with two teachers. They are working on an EU project. They came with written questions about Canada. We sat informally around the table and had a lively discussion. At the end of our indoor time we posed for a picture with everyone wearing stick-on Canadian flags!!!! The heavy rains had arrived but did not deter us from the planned picnic on the beautiful grounds of Reymontowka. The cook took care of the sausages while we ate them under the picnic shelter. The children sang some Polish songs at my request …what enthusiasm!! The teachers and I had a little time to talk together. One little lad circled the group, amid much giggling, asking “Would you like a sweet? We took some photos and about four of the students asked me to sign their work books. The happy visit ended with thank yous and hugs all round!!!!

Rain, again, this time a persistent downpour that dims the afternoon, sends cobblestone workers home hours early, and drums with steady persistence on the roofs of Reymontowka

May 12-13, 2010

Thursday, May 13, 2010

We are settling into a routine, at least here at home at Reymontowka. Mary Martin, Audrey and Jim are the larks, up early---not quite with the sun, which rises by 4:30 a.m. at this time of year, but certainly before 6:00 a.m.---and working in the resource room by 6:30. Georgianna is the owl who prefers to finish her preparation the night before so she can get up at 7:10, in time to be ready for 7:30 breakfast.

And what breakfasts they are! Apple fritters or delicate crepes with fresh whipped cream and/or jam for toppings or scrambled eggs, and always with yogurt, dry cereal, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, cheese, cold meats, fresh rolls and rye bread and, of course, herbata for the larks and kawa for the owl. A nutritious start for the day ahead, on our feet in the classrooms or chatting in PolEnglish with the schools’ volunteer drivers, most of whom take time from their jobs or other duties to take us back and forth. It’s their contribution to the Global Volunteers’ effort.

Our assignments have shifted a bit from day to day, with changes in times and schools as well as in tutoring assignments, mostly because we are a very small team and so many schools want native speakers of English to supplement their own English language curriculum. The Polish teachers of English do a masterful job, often being shared by two schools due to a shortage of teachers trained to teach English. Like teachers in the United States, they are under pressure to get through the textbook and prepare students for exams and the next year’s curriculum. In the primary and middle schools especially, they must focus on vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension. Conversation, listening to and understanding spoken English, and speaking it take a lot of time and they often do not have that. We do and we are not accountable for getting through the textbooks or that full course of study.

So, we four are being very flexible, adapting to a situation planned for six volunteers, two of whom canceled at the last minute due to the family medical emergency. Each of us has agreed to do a little extra, whether taking on one more adult student to tutor or working with an extra class, to help fill in the gaps. It is, after all, only three weeks and we are here to serve as asked, not a difficult thing because this is fun and a grand opportunity to learn about Poland and Polish people.

Therefore, today Georgianna taught three grades at Niwiski School and then, late in the afternoon, worked with the Niwiski principal and her husband, who have been learning English with Global Volunteers for the last two years. They, like all the adults we tutor late each day, put in full days at their regular, full-time jobs before driving as much as 20 kilometres (about 14 miles) to Reymontowka, usually a 30-minute journey in rush-hour traffic on Route 2, the highway that carries all traffic between Warsaw and Terespol on the border with Belarus. And then they drive back home. Their commitment and determination is remarkable. They work hard and they do it with good grace and great courtesy, showing appreciation for everything and anything we do.

Audrey, always chipper and calm, finished her usual stint co-teaching at Cisie School before dinner (served at our lunch time) before she went off to her new second school, Zelkow. She reported that it was quite satisfying, with focused students and a very supportive teacher, who had worked with the students beforehand to be certain they and Audrey could make the best use of the limited time available.

Jim’s Spoleczna assignment is stabilizing after two days of changes made to accommodate students’ prior commitments to a drama competition. He and the students are settling into a comfortable routine of four classes---gender-segregated as it turns out, probably by chance---three of which are terrific. The fourth is taking a little longer to settle in, but it will come. He is mulling over which play to put on with them, and may decide to write his own, something appropriate for his small classes of four or five advanced students.

As for Mary Martin, well, here is her very own report:

“I simply had fun, F-U-N!” MM begins. I experience a wave of energy and creativity by working with these young Polish children. Of course my mentor, Agnes, a gifted teacher and an energetic personality, is an ideal teaching partner. She gives me a topic and some guidelines, and away we go – sailing blithely into Grade 1. Grade 1 quickly takes to the song, “Good morning to you. . . with sunshiny faces. . . “ I react with great surprise when they sing their song, “Hello, hello!” With quick insight, I add some easy, rhythmic steps to their singing. Dorota wanders in, camera in hand, the ever vigilant Global Volunteers facilitator, who passed out chocolate bars to us (volunteers) earlier this morning.

Grade 5 come prepared with Job Project posters to complete in small task groups. I circulate, asking probing questions, but few feel competent enough to answer questions with other than one or two word phrases. I put a schema on the board to help them create answers: “Why is/was / she important? What does/did s/he do?” for our next meeting.

The entire school enjoyed a concert by a professional music group which played a mixed set of songs, from Polish classics to pop music influenced by U.S.A. jazz. Grade 3 class was shortened due to the concert, but we had time to practice the Days of the Week, and to look at vocabulary words. Suddenly, the school day was over.

Lunch is very satisfying.Vice-Principal Margaret arrives for a tutorial. She is intrigued by two idiomatic phrases: to knock oneself out and to be hot under the collar. We apply these to people in her life. Shortly after 4:00, Paulina arrives for her tutorial. “I hate the passive voice!” Paulina declares. “I hope we can make it your friend, “ I encourage. By the time she leaves, Paulina appears confident. Rain patters on the roof for few minutes. This upper floor feels cozy and relaxing.

And so, thus ended our public work day. After colazione (supper) at 6:30, we repaired to the resource room to work a while but then the larks fluttered off to their cozy nests under the eaves of Reymontowka. It is raining now, a lovely night to snuggle into our beds, and so I shall. Tomorrow is another day and another deluxe breakfast will await.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Thoughts for the Day:

* Keep calm and carry on.

* Do whatever you can, with whatever you have, wherever you are.

It’s Audrey’s turn to record the team’s day of activity so here goes. I awoke to another beautiful summer like day with birds singing and flowering shrubs and trees outside my window….this is the most beautiful place and it feeds the soul!! My new abode in the manor house overlooks the main entrance and is both cozy and comfortable. Breakfast gave us another Polish delight….apple fritters…yum yum…. but I managed to restrain myself this time!!!!

Off to school at 8.30am in Cisie again and today I met Margaret for teaching grades 4, 5 and 6. She is an excellent teacher and fairly strict. It was somewhat of a relief to observe that, even with her, some students can be chatty or inattentive at times.

Margaret began by introducing me to the class and with the map asked me to show the class where I lived and also where my family lived: the distances, climate, etc. Then each student introduced themselves to me: name, age, brothers and sisters, pets and Margaret would ask them for names and colors, etc. After that the workbooks came out and Margaret involved me in asking questions: names, colors, how many, etc. and relating it to objects in the room. Some students gave full answers and others just one word answers but Margaret said that was okay. They feel good when they get the right answer…of course! . In the last class she asked two students to come up front and the class to describe their clothes. The Pani (Principal) always greets me when I arrive at the school and serves tea and goodies in the staff room between classes. This morning it was so nice to be greeted inside and out by many students calling out Good Morning Mrs.!!!

We were a foursome for lunch today as Mary Marten was having lunch at her school . Afterwards I did some paper work, took a rest and later on a walk before dinner. Dorota has asked me to tutor another small group on Friday afternoon and I am happy to do so. Tonight we had quite a discussion during and after dinner covering many topics relating to the war years.

In speaking with Georgianna she reports it was her first full day teaching all 3 grades….5, 4 and 3 with a lunch break of course and she enjoyed it very much.

Jim reports that Day 2 went quite well but still had a few wrinkles in regard to scheduling. He enjoyed his students very much and is impressed with their language skills. He teaches ages 13-16. Today he taught the English alphabet in CODE using a Poster ‘THINKING TOGETHER IS FUN’ in teams of 2. He also spent some time stressing the difficult TH sound and its many applications, also talked of family, food and colors. His day was capped off nicely with the two ladies from yesterday in another two hour session.

It’s a full day for Mary Martin. Four classes at Strzala School pass in rapid succession: grades 6, 1st, 3rd, and 2nd. As a “bonus”, the principal asked Agnes and me to cover an “older group” at 12:35, since a teacher was called away. This was followed by tea and chatting with the principal before being escorted into the gym where a professional photographer was taking photos of each class group. The principal, Agnes, and I posed together for a photo.

Next, Mary Martin was a guest at Agnes’ home where she met her husband, Peter, her grandmother, her 21 month-old daughter, Susana, and Agnes’ mother, who came to take Susana for a long walk while MM assisted Agnes with questions about her thesis preparation. There was time, however, for tea and cheesecake! On the return trip to Reymontowka little Susan, from the backseat, cooed in English, “Cow, cow! Dog, dog! Baby, baby!” as she peered out her window. Life in Poland is full of the unexpected under bright sunshine.

Tonight both Jim and Audrey took up Mary Martin’s kind offer to use her SKYPE telephone and made calls back home. Time to ‘get horizontal’ now…..as Jim would say!!!! Goodnight everyone…..in several languages!

May 8-11, 2010

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Thought for the Day:

"We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love." Mother Theresa

We started our work day at 8:30 with a Team Building exercise, starting with Team Goals:

To provide English practice

To be personally enriched

To build bridges of understanding and respect

Next, we agreed on the characteristics of a successful team:

Common purpose

Mutual support

Non-judgemental

Sense of humor

Sharing ideas and experience

Involvement

Openness

Flexibility

Patience

Listening

Respect

Trust

Courtesy

Self-care

Responsibility

Enjoys the experience

The afternoon brought us a small taste of Polish culture, the everyday local variety, as well as an inkling of Polish hospitality. As special guests at the Niwiski School Community Fair, we were publicly recognized and thanked for volunteering to teach in Poland. We then joined the local dignitaries for tea and sweets. A lovely occasion.

But then, back home to Reymontowka to meet our principals and teacher colleagues and plan for the days ahead.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

The team convened at 5:30, just in time for an elegant “Welcome to Poland” dinner in the elegant Fireplace Room. The dinner table had been made even more elegant and welcoming by the students from Grala, who had prepared small bouquets of wildflowers and handmade cards.

After dinner, we introduced ourselves. Who are we?

Jim —Once an Air Force man, a “Remington Raider,” Jim spent 37 years as a teacher and drama coach. He lived and taught in Japan for a total of six years and was a Global Volunteer teacher in China three times.

Mary Martin—A Sister of Humility for 14 years, and now an Associate of the Order, Mary Martin was also an elementary school teacher in the United States for fifteen years, before shifting focus and efforts to Teaching English as a Foreign Language for the past 32 years. She traveled to Siedlce from a Global Volunteers project in Hungary, by way of a visit to Croatian cousins.

Audrey —Has also traveled over her lifetime, from her Liverpool birthplace to Wales and then to Canada as a 17-year-old. She’s been a private secretary, a full-time at-home mother and homemaker, and then a physiotherapist for special needs children, which she absolutely loved.

And then, introductions over, everyone went off to bed or, in Jim’s words, “. . . to be horizontal.”