Here is a photo of a chestnut tree just like the one that Anne Frank references in her diary as being the one piece of nature that she could see from the attic sky light while in hiding. Imagine being grateful for the small blessing of open sky and a chestnut tree....
Hello there!
Drue arrived yesterday and so now the trifecta is complete. We have walked around this city and marvelled in unison at the beauty, the curiosities, the architecture, the food, and the customs.
What we know for sure:
1) Night almost never comes...it is light until around 11pm and then again by 4:30 or 5 am
2) Traffic of every genre, is out to get you...tram, bus, car, bike, motorcycle, and pedestrian seem to share all types of thoroughfares together...moving together on track, street, and sidewalk...none of them mind hitting you..however, miraculously they never do...
3) No one wears a bike helmet, even small children in bike seats or on their own bikes...riding on the street in between a bus and a car....do not have a helmet on. In fact, no one wears biking gear at all...women are in heals, men in suits, all on cell phones, many smoking cigarettes...while riding their bikes.
Also, the past two days have been a time of reflection and discussion. Having visited the Anne Frank House, the Jewish History Museum, and the Dutch Resistence Museum on Wednesday, and then today, visiting the van Gogh musuem.....Ardell and I have been completely moved and inspired to all sorts of ideas about incorporating what we are learning into Reading, Writing, and Social Studies projects for our students next year.
The history of Amsterdam and the contstruction of the city, the trials and tribulations of its people throughout so many political and economic upheavels, the personal stories of Anne and Otto Frank, van Gogh, and many other less famous citizens that we have learned about over the past week...have brought to mind many project ideas related to the themes of struggle, sacrifice, determination, patriotism, loyalty, activism, democracy, believing in yourself and figting for the common good...
I think it is fair to say we are changed and we have much to bring back and share already...and we have not even begun to venture into the country...which we do tomorrow.
Our barge leaves tomorrow at around noon from the Oosterdock....
More later!
Lenicia, Ardell, and Drue
Drue arrived yesterday and so now the trifecta is complete. We have walked around this city and marvelled in unison at the beauty, the curiosities, the architecture, the food, and the customs.
What we know for sure:
1) Night almost never comes...it is light until around 11pm and then again by 4:30 or 5 am
2) Traffic of every genre, is out to get you...tram, bus, car, bike, motorcycle, and pedestrian seem to share all types of thoroughfares together...moving together on track, street, and sidewalk...none of them mind hitting you..however, miraculously they never do...
3) No one wears a bike helmet, even small children in bike seats or on their own bikes...riding on the street in between a bus and a car....do not have a helmet on. In fact, no one wears biking gear at all...women are in heals, men in suits, all on cell phones, many smoking cigarettes...while riding their bikes.
Also, the past two days have been a time of reflection and discussion. Having visited the Anne Frank House, the Jewish History Museum, and the Dutch Resistence Museum on Wednesday, and then today, visiting the van Gogh musuem.....Ardell and I have been completely moved and inspired to all sorts of ideas about incorporating what we are learning into Reading, Writing, and Social Studies projects for our students next year.
The history of Amsterdam and the contstruction of the city, the trials and tribulations of its people throughout so many political and economic upheavels, the personal stories of Anne and Otto Frank, van Gogh, and many other less famous citizens that we have learned about over the past week...have brought to mind many project ideas related to the themes of struggle, sacrifice, determination, patriotism, loyalty, activism, democracy, believing in yourself and figting for the common good...
I think it is fair to say we are changed and we have much to bring back and share already...and we have not even begun to venture into the country...which we do tomorrow.
Our barge leaves tomorrow at around noon from the Oosterdock....
More later!
Lenicia, Ardell, and Drue
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