It's been a while since I last wrote here. We were very busy preparing the 2nd mobility of our Comeniusproject in our school and at VTIZ. Now it's 3 days left... I think I have everything under control... I hope that it 's not pride before the fall...
Nowadays I'm teach everything: English, Project General Subjects (history, culture, geography...) and my own subjects. Our English teacher broke her right wrist so she had to have an operation and is out until the first of March... that's the end of the second mobility... Unfortunate for her... she misses all the preparations and all the work but also all the fun! So very unfortunate because I still love this project! A lot of our energy is going into the project but it's worth every second! It's a giant step forward for my students. Speaking English in natural circumstances with students of their own age is a great opportunity! 6 Office in my school are also looking forward to meeting the foreign students. Of course the boys are really more interested in meeting foreign girls but I don't mind that! I think it's really sweet and great fun seeing them socialize and working together...
I already did the Antwerp tour with 5 and 6 Office separately. Both times I was so astonished that they don't know basic things of Antwerp. They are of course new Belgians but I was so amazed they didn't know Peter Paul Rubens or the difference between a priest and a monk... On the tour I had to tell them about the famous painters of Antwerp, the famous history of the Flemish people, de Guldensporenslag, de Leeuw van Vlaanderen... Hendrik Conscience... My God... I didn't realize this enormous gap in their own culture... Of course it is not their culture... but they are living in this country... Luckily for me they were very interested and I really got a kick out of explaining them everything. Of course they especially liked the stories about the giants in Antwerp and how Antwerp got his name... We were received in the Carolus Borremues church by a very friendly guide who also explained them a few things and draw their attention to some similar things between the catholic customs and muslim ones... Very, very kind of him... I'm very curious because tomorrow it's a kind of general rehearsel... They are going to show me around and tell me some remarkable things about Antwerp...
They are all very proud that we will be received at the town hall of Antwerp by the mayor himself: Mr. Bart De Wever. To tell you the truth I'm also very eager to meet him... I'm so terribly glad my principal arranged this. It's a big honour for us!
Today my class and I did some really secretarial tasks... We prepared the maps with all the information and made the badges. Hard work... They had to arrange themselves how they are going to receive the guests on Monday, a great practice opportunity for them!
