On Sunday we worked (yes, we did) and we went to have lunch in the oldest diner in town: Winstead's. We ate fried onion rings, some tater tops and a burger for me. Next we went out into the lovely autumn day to enjoy the sunshine and Kaufman's arboretum. We saw some stunning flowers and the bronze statue of the Kaufman's, who were adorned with parafernalia from the Royals. The Royals have one more base ball game to win and then they will enter the World Series! So the Kaufmans are important to Kansas not only because they donated the lovely arboretum, but made sure the Royals were part of Kansas City, back in 1969.
Then we had a stretching series in the yoga hall (sorry, no pictures ) and made our way home to do some work again. I am typing this blog during that time and I did some filing work for Diane, which gave me a good insight into the level of proficiency of her students (we would call them NT2-students).
After weeks of looking forward to going to the States it was time for Nina and me to go, October 17. After a short meeting at the airport to say goodbye and to wish each other good luck, we actually took off, Nina to Chicago and I to Minneapolis and a connecting flight to Kansas City. From my group of three participants, one was not allowed on the plane, so that was a problem! I was together with Elsbeth from ROC Tilburg, and we made it to Minneapolis and on to Kansas City without problems. Our hosts, Diane and Janice, were there to pick us up and they made us feel welcome immediately. We were each whisked off to their homes, but I had a detour through Kansas City Downtown, which, much to my surprise, is in Missouri! Kansas City, Kansas, is actually in the state Kansas, which is what I expected for the complete city. The home of Diane is, compared to other homes, fairly small, but it contains everything a person would need to live comfortably.
The evening we have spent talking a lot about family, family life and other topics that came to mind. Of course I was knackered after extending a normal 24 hour day with 7 hours, so I went to bed after dinner and was immediately oblivious of what went on in the world. Morning time saw us having breakfast and talking a lot about teaching; how to teach and what not to do during teaching. We were also comparing salaries, requirements and job conditions. Teachers here are mainly paid by the hour, preparation time is not paid. Many teachers hold a part-time job. Diane, my host, prepares her lessons on Sunday (six hours of work!) so at the moment I have some time to start this blog and write the first post!
) and made our way home to do some work again. I am typing this blog during that time and I did some filing work for Diane, which gave me a good insight into the level of proficiency of her students (we would call them NT2-students). 
