And we're back...

Back at it again after we each arrived, safely, back from our Holiday trips! Later in the post, you'll get a little recap from each of us on how we spent our week.

Getting back into the swing of things was a bit crazy, but I think we are finally starting to readjust and get settled back into our routine. This week we have all started taking on my responsibility in the classroom, with each of us teaching a portion of the day. So far we are all loving teaching and getting to know our students! Emilie and I have started working on Subtraction and math with our students, while Jess has been teaching Percentages in math and Lars started working on his Science Fiction unit. The next unit of Inquiry begins sometime in the next few weeks for each of us and we are excited to see the progression the students make with these concepts! Stayed tuned!

McKenna & Jess: We spent a week in Greece and it was a FANTASTIC experience. We spent a few day in Athens, which was a blast to meet the people and get to know the city and of course see all of the amazing historic sites that comes with Athens. The weather was not fantastic while we were there, but the day we took to visit the Parthenon and Acropolis greeted us with beautiful weather and lots of sun! We then headed off to the island of Santorini and had an amazing time! The towns there are beautiful and the sunsets are breathtaking. We took a day to do a sailboat trip which allowed us to hike up to the mouth of the active volcano, swim in hot springs (that were more like warm springs by the time we got to them), and an amazing sunset in Oia. The next day was both of our favorite parts, but we rented an ATV and had the opportunity to drive around Santorini and discover some amazing sights! The best places we stopped were the red sand beach, the black sand beach and of course some wine tasting of the wines of Santorini. Trying to pick only a few pictures was difficult but below are a few! Overall if you get the chance to go to Greece, GO!!! (And eat all the Tzatziki you can, it's unlike anything you've ever had!!!!!)

One of the breathtaking sunsets of Oia, Santorini

The ATV we rented and explored with!

The Sunny day at the Acropolis! 

Lars: Wait, in Spain we get to each 5 days then have a 9 day vacation? Is that like an every week sort of thing or....? Having a 9 day break to travel and see Europe was an incredible opportunity. I was lucky enough to "Gustie Hop" across the world, staying with Gustavus friends studying in Barcelona, Florence and Rome. Each city amazed me. For 9 days I got up at sunrise and was out late into the night, energized by the new people, cultures, foods and surroundings dancing around me. I wore holes into my shoes walking the cobblestone streets and wore the same outfit more times than I'm ready to admit to the 8 people out there reading this blog. However, travelling reaffirmed my passion for the world and for new personal and cultural encounters and exchanges. Travelling teaches you a lot, both about yourself and the places you embrace. I figured out how to sneak onto the last train going to Rome when you accidentally buy your ticket for the wrong month. I learned that the Barcelona 6 am bedtime on the weekend is something I will never be able to handle. I was reminded of the gracious nature of strangers willing to go out of their way to help the ignorant American tourist lost on the street. Mainly, I was reminded over and over again how cool the really world is, and how exciting being outside of your comfort zone can be. I hope to bring the energy and excitement I found travelling to the classroom.

...,Can't figure out how to add pictures to this blog post so if you don't believe I went to these places, ask my mom or track me down on Facebook or Instagram!

Emilie: I went to Germany to visit a friend in Berlin and also a friend in Hannover. I flew into Berlin and met a fellow Gustie, Pa Moua, at the airport! We spent the evening cooking and hanging out, and we went into the city of Berlin the following day to sight see as well as to meet up with an exchange student I had in high school, Olga! The three of us walked all around Berlin and saw historical and modern locations throughout the city. Then, I took a bus back with Olga to spend a day in Hannover and tour the city! It was great seeing the city and making comparisons to Berlin! We hadn't seen each other for about 3 years, so it was lovely catching up and meeting her family as well! I ended my trip going to Granada, Spain, and found a wonderful hostel where I met a lot of amazing travelers! We went on a hike in the mountains near Granada by day and ate tapas (a cheap meal with a drink!) while chatting about our travels and lives by night. I definitely left my heart there and was very sad to leave. I hope to return with Lars, McKenna, and Jessica, since I can't stop talking about it! :)

(Left) A photo on one of the bridges from the hike outside of Granada! It was about 20 of us from the hostel who were on the hike. We became like a small family! 
(Above) A photo from the city of Berlin, which reminded us of Florence, Italy