“That we leave our homes, that we step through our doors to the world, that we travel our whole lives not because we want to collect exotic T-shirts, not because we want to consume foreign adventure the same Western way we consume plastic and Styrofoam and LCD TVs and iPads, but because it has the power to renew us—not the guarantee, not the promise, just the possibility. Because there are places our imaginations can never construct for us, and there are people who we will never meet but we could and we might. It reminds us that there is always reason to begin again.” - Stephen Markley, Tales of Iceland or "Running with the Huldufólk in the Permanent Daylight"
Let the planning begin! I'd like to introduce you to my exchange partner Arnbjörg Stefánsdóttir! After requesting a tutorial on the pronunciation of her name, I am embarrassed to admit just how relieved I was to hear she goes by "Dadda". I hate when people get my name wrong and was absolutely butchering hers in my head so Dadda it is! Whew.... Dadda has agreed to be a guest blogger in the coming weeks so look for her voice on here soon. For now I will offer a brief update on the planning of things and refer you to the I wonder page at the top here to see the answers to some of the questions I had rolling around in my head. Two weeks...it seems like a good amount of time to do things, see things, try things, and eat things but I am already feeling the crunch to make every the most of every day! We may have to revamp the bucket list a few times but for now we are working on a schedule that affords some meaningful work experiences alongside some truly Canadian personal adventures. I have the very best friends and colleagues, honestly! Upon hearing the confirmation of the exchange people started coming forward, offering invitations for Dadda to experience firsthand the plethora of opportunities found within the Calgary Board of Education. My amazing friend Michelle has invited her to spend the day at Niitsitapi Learning Centre, a learning environment that reflects and nurtures the mind, heart, spirit and body. Having spent time at Niitsitapi myself, I can only hope the impact on Dadda is half as much as it was on me...the staff and physical space give me hope that we can make authentic strides towards reconciliation through education. Who wouldn't want to spend a day working in the heart of Calgary's downtown - City Hall! The lovely and inspiring Sheila has offered her City Hall School classroom for a day or inquiry, observation, and generally awesome community connections for Dadda. Since its second year, City Hall School has been a full-time Campus Calgary/Open Minds site, in partnership with the City’s Calgary Neighbourhoods department. From urban planning to democracy, environmental stewardship to citizen engagement, City Hall School is at the heart of what makes Calgary such a great place to live! As for personal, and culinary adventures, we are starting with the obvious (Banff, Lake Louise, and a hockey game) and moving to the more obscure (Pinnovate, Locked Room and The Big Cheese for poutine). Any "must see" ideas? Please jot them down in the comments section! More to come, but for now have an amazing Labour Day weekend!
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Well, it's official, I have been matched with a Principal in Iceland! She will be here in one short month and there is so much to do! Flights are being booked, itineraries are being drafted, and we are sharing our questions, worries, and hopes daily. I hope to ask her to guest blog here but, until I do, I'll keep the personal details under wraps....but let the adventures begin!
So my questions for you is...what would you want to do/see/learn if you were given this amazing opportunity? Would you be fearless and throw yourselves into the language, culture, and experience or would you enter slowly, one toe at a time? Would you throw wide open the pages of your story or keep some pages closed, to heighten the mystery and add to the experience unveiling one page, paragraph, sentence at a time? In essence, if you were me, what would you do? My family is excited to share the very best things about our area with our guest, planning travel, detours, and side trips to make her experience here the very best and most authentic it can be. Any suggestions for an Icelandic-Canadian bucket list? Use the comments below and we will document our adventures! Looking forward to reading your ideas... A |
AuthorAubrey: "Leader of the Elves"....that's me. Mom of two amazing guys, wife to one bigger (yet no less amazing) guy and teacher of little ones. Blogging about the adventures (usually with my rubber chicken in tow) is one of my favourite things. Archives
April 2019
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