Tag: summer

If Planning a Trip to Italy or France…

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Travel, Uncategorized

I did it! After all the planning and preparation over the last several months, I have just returned home from my very first solo international trip. I spent a week in Italy and a week in France, and it was even more than I expected it to be. In the months leading up to my trip, people would often ask me what I was most looking forward to, ask about my plans, even inquire about whether or not I was nervous to go alone. No matter how many conversations I had, books and websites I read, or research I conducted though, nothing could adequately prepare me for this journey. It’s much like having a baby. You can read about it, go to childbirth classes, and talk to the hundreds who have had this same experience before you, but it still does not prepare you for the reality of your own child birthing process and when your baby arrives. Many people have asked me about my trip though, so I am going to attempt to share some of my process with all of you.

To start with, I knew I wanted the bookends of my trip to be Paris and Rome. I eventually decided to start in Rome and finish in Paris because I knew I would be tired at the end of my trip and wanted to have more energy for Rome. I stand by that decision. Rome (all of Italy really) was hotter than France, and seemed to be more crowded and frenetic than Paris. Furthermore, in Rome I did a lot more walking (11-15 miles per day). I think if I had done it the other way around, I definitely would’ve regretted it. In all, I visited Rome, Florence, Venice, the Cinque Terre, Avignon, Versailles, and Paris. It was a whirlwind tour!

I chose to use Air BnBs as they were cheaper than hotels but nicer than hostels. With the exception of one location, I had entire apartments to myself for less than the price of a hotel room! I only used locations that were verified Superhosts, carefully read about the amenities, and researched the locations. I ended up with a view of the Colosseum in Rome, right in the middle of one of the most popular areas in Venice, the most perfect view in Manarola, practically next door to the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, and next door to the Picasso Museum and around the corner from public transit in Paris. It pays to do your research! The only time I wasn’t in the middle of things was my one hotel in Florence, and I had booked that based more on its price than paying attention to its location (a major mistake I won’t ever make again!)

Navigating the trains from city to city was much easier than I had expected it to be. After the first couple of times, I felt like a pro arranging my transport from one area of the country to the other. It is definitely cheaper to just buy as you go versus using the rail pass if you are just doing a couple of countries. Also, buying your tickets along the way allows you to have flexibility of staying longer in one area or leaving sooner than you had originally planned. The trains are generally clean inside, although many of the one in Italy have graffiti all over the outsides of them. Here’s a tip – the train stations (and actually most public restrooms) in both Italy and France charge one euro to use the restroom. There are bathrooms on the trains, and they are free (although they are just glorified portapotties).

For those of you planning your trips overseas, bring a water bottle! There are public water fountains everywhere, and the water is usually just as cold as if you bought it from the store, especially in Rome where the fountains are fed by aqueducts. It’s an adventure just exploring all the different fountains in the city, as there are hundreds – and all of them unique and beautiful in some way.

Lastly, I think one of the things I enjoyed the most about my trip was allowing myself the freedom of flexibility. If I wanted to sit in a sidewalk cafe and write in my journal for awhile, I did. If I saw a church spiral off in the distance I wanted to see up close, I’d figure out how to navigate myself to that point. Don’t pack your itinerary so full that you feel pressured to get it all done. Let the magic of the moment guide you at times and be willing to try new things. Do what matters to you, not what everyone else says you just “have to do while you’re there.”

In closing, my trip was all I wanted it to be and already has me planning for another. Thank you to all who read this quite lengthy post. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below and to share this post with others. Ciao! Au revoir! Until next time, I leave you with one of my favorite pictures from my trip.

Status Update

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Uncategorized

When I last wrote to you all, I had presented my summer “to-do” list. This being only the second time in my teaching career where I have a full summer break, I was purposeful at the beginning to make sure I would be using this time wisely. Fast forward three weeks, and the status update is as follows:

  1. Half-marathon training: I have been running more consistently than I have in probably a year. In addition to my running, I have been going to yoga and other workouts designed to help me build my strength and speed as a runner. My pace is still slower than I would like it to be, but as I focus on more speed workouts in the upcoming months, I am hoping that will improve.
  2. Organizing/Cleaning my apartment: I am happy to report that I have made quite a bit of progress in this area! When I look around my apartment, I can see the areas where there has been improvement. Alas, I can also see the many areas where I need to get it in gear, especially since I essentially only have two weeks to finish up these projects before I return to work.
  3. Focusing on writing: At the beginning of this summer, I set an ambitious goal to write a new post for both of my blogs at least once weekly. Well, that hasn’t quite happened, although in addition to writing for my other blog, I did also get quite a bit of journaling done. Next week I will be leaving for my vacation. I am bringing my laptop and plan on blogging about all my adventures, as this will be a first-time experience for me and many of my friends have asked for me to share my stories.
  4. Getting ready for my trip: I feel that this is where I have made the most progress. I did not realize how time-consuming planning a solo two-week European vacation would be. Not only did I book all my Air BnBs, but I have also researched and booked all of my tours, excursions, experiences, etc. While this has taken quite a bit of my time since I last wrote you, it has been very fulfilling. I am so excited for my trip and can’t believe that I will be heading out in only eight days!
  5. Preparing for my new website launch: This is probably the area where I have made the least progress, which is ironic because it is definitely the one I thought I would most focus on when this summer began. However, I still have some time to be more productive in this area and have made sure to include it in my schedule to ensure that I do just that.

I feel that going through this list, the wins/losses columns are pretty even at this point. Because of some work commitments that I have going on next week, I will only have two or three days before my trip to devote to anything. Upon return from my trip, I will have one week of vacation left before returning to work. I understand that it’s crunch time, which is why I am sitting in a coffee shop on a beautiful summer day writing to all of you and creating new content for my website. Thank you for supporting me as I focus on achieving my goals. Feel free to comment/share what you are currently focusing on so I can return the favor!

The Beginning of the End…and the End of the Beginning

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Education, Parenting, Uncategorized

Although it seems as if school has ended for everyone, the district where I teach still has another week to go. The last day for students is next Thursday, the 20th. For teachers? Well, we have not only Friday the 21st to go, but also Monday the 24th. However, it is close enough to the end of this year to finally feel it is the right time for reflection.

This year was one of major changes for me professionally. It was my first year in a new role and with a new district. I had to learn all new systems – and am still learning them. I had to get to know new administrators and teaching staff, and also learn how I fit into this organization. It was my first time not having my own classroom or a home room of my own students, but instead being a part of multiple classrooms and working with a variety of students in all grade levels. It was a year where I often felt I didn’t quite fit in, even though I was serving in exactly the role I wanted for myself. I was no longer a classroom teacher in the traditional sense, but I also was not technically an administrator. It has been a year of challenging myself in new ways and identifying new goals. On top of that, as I shared with readers in a previous blog, this past year was one of great loss and deep grief. Managing all of these obstacles has been hard, but I’ve made it. This is just the beginning of this chapter of my life, so I look forward to how the rest of the story will play out.

For all my fellow educators, I hope you have time this summer to pursue the things that are important to you. Parents, take the time to make memories with your children. Students, be open to explore new places and ideas because you are only young once. Congratulations to everyone for closing out another school year, but remember that summer is just the start of yet another adventure. Let’s go write the next chapter of our lives.

Spring Fever

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Education, Uncategorized

It’s May. Mid-May to be exact. While spring is a time of freshness and excitement as we leave behind the bitterness of winter, for teachers it is probably the hardest time of the year. For teachers, spring means students who are so close to summer vacation they struggle even more than usual to pay attention in class. Spring means students getting a week off from school and returning to class saying they don’t remember anything from the week prior. Spring means lots of rainy days where kids can’t go outside for recess. And spring means end-of-the-year testing – which will often determine whether or not students are promoted to the next grade and is also a large factor of a teacher’s performance evaluation.

Generally speaking, teachers are fond of assessments. We understand that in order to determine what our students learn, there must be an assessment given. We know that analyzing student assessments will guide our future instruction to make it more meaningful for our kids. We firmly believe that educators need to be held accountable for the education they are providing. No truly good teacher wants a bad teacher tarnishing the profession and creating an increased workload for his or her co-workers. However, the increased amount of standardized testing, the pressures it places on our students, and the degree of importance it now has been given to both students and educators is overwhelming. Children as young as eight and nine discuss being scared about testing because they’re afraid they’re going to fail. Teachers lose over a month of instructional time a year due to students taking standardized tests. Because these tests are now used as promotion criteria for many students, they usually take place about a month ahead of the last day of school. So teachers lose even more valuable instructional time because once these tests are completed, students simply check-out mentally seeing as they have already taken “the test.” And teachers who work with some of the most challenging populations are penalized on their evaluations because their students did not perform well due to a myriad of factors that were out of the teacher’s control.

Teacher Appreciation Week was already held at the beginning of May, but if you didn’t get a chance to thank a teacher, it’s never too late. As the school year is winding down, take time to acknowledge the growth your child has shown over the course of the school year and to appreciate your child(ren)’s teacher(s) for the part they played in it. If you don’t have school-aged children, send some encouragement to your friends who are teachers or maybe even drop off a surprise at your local neighborhood school. It will only take a few minutes of your time, but will mean a whole lot more than you know.

So Much for the Updates

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Uncategorized

Hello, there! Well, we survived Bonnaroo…although as you can tell, I was not able to update you on our experiences while I was there. Connection was very limited, and electricity even more so. So allow me a few moments to fill you in now.
Bonnaroo is an experience you can’t truly appreciate or understand unless you have been there. It is filled with music, art, activities, comedy, and more. People representing every stereotype are present, yet within the confines of the farm, those stereotypes don’t exist. People assume the best about people instead of the worst. My daughter dropped her iPhone 5…. Twice….. And it was returned to her both times. I had a random individual hand me the sweetest card with butterflies and well wishes. Yes, on the farm people are still imperfect. But our imperfections are accepted, even embraced.
Of course, there would be no Bonnaroo without the universal language of music. Just like every type of person is represented at the ‘Roo, so is every genre of music. Rock and roll, alternative rock, indie rock, hip hop, rap, bluegrass, country, folk, and even Weird Al (he deserves his own category, don’t you think?). This year, the knighthood was even represented. Sir Paul McCartney performed Friday night and hit it out of the park. No words can express just how epic his performance was. The crowd was filled with people young and old, all singing along. Jack Johnson did an amazing job of stepping in for Mumford and Sons at the last minute and put together a fantastic show. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis had everyone dancing while Matt and Kim had so much infectious energy it was ridiculous. I personally watched all these shows, plus: Of Monsters and Men, Passion Pit, The XX, ZZ Top, Portugal. The Man, Bjork, The Lumineers, R. Kelly, Billy Idol, Weird Al, Delta Rae, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, The National, The Mowgli’s, and Tom Petty. Wow. And you wonder why I say there are no words.
Don’t get me wrong – going to Bonnaroo is a commitment. No electricity, weak phone signals, limited hot water in showers for which you have to pay, dust and mud, and those Port-a-potties…. Scary. However, if you are brave enough to venture out of your comfort zone, you will definitely be rewarded. Happy Bonaroo, everyone.

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Time to ‘Roo!

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Uncategorized

Wow! I didn’t realize it had been such a long time since I last wrote. I think that’s because I started a post several times, but never quite finished any of them. Yet, in my mind, I believed I had. Either way, it has been a busy week and a half since I last wrote. I have been actively looking for jobs in Chicago, sending out resumes, and filling out applications. I have worked at my restaurant job almost every night so I can save up money for my move (yet another reason why I haven’t written). I have also been packing – packing my house for my move while at the same time packing up everything I need for my week on the farm. Yes, you read that right. My kids and I are headed to Manchester, Tennessee, to volunteer at the Bonnaroo music festival. Back when I was first introducing myself to you, I mentioned many words that could be used to describe me. One that I forgot was music lover. If you haven’t heard of it, Bonnaroo is a four day music and art festival with more music and activity than you can even imagine. We have never gone before, so we are extremely excited. Yet preparing to go has been exhausting. We have to plan to be completely self-sufficient for the entire festival. Plus, we are volunteering, so we have to be there a couple days earlier. That equals seven days’ worth of provisions! Needless to say, my poor Hyundai Sonata is filled to the brim. Technically it’s filled even more than that, since I also have a roof bag on the car. I am actually writing this post from a rest stop just off I-10. As we get closer to the festival site, we get more excited about what is in store. My plan is to post about my experiences while I am there, but I can’t promise how consistent those posts will be. It is 700 acres in the middle of nowhere with 80,000 people all trying to stay connected at the same time. So, I’ll see what I can do. Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy this experience vicariously through my posts. Until then…
Bonnaroo