badgerjenvstheworld

Welp, it's May. How? How is that possible? Once again, I'm doing a crappy job of keeping this blog updated. I've never claimed to be a blogger. There is no real purpose to this blog- is it about travel? is it about teaching? is it about life? Who knows? Who cares??? I guess between Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and life...my blog gets the short end of the stick. But there are people (ahem, my parents) who only see things on this blog, so I'm going to try over the next month to make this more of a space to write and reflect and share. I've said this before. We'll see if I keep it up- chances are slim. Anyhoodle... So much has happened ...sort of. I'm  to be real honest- the first 6 months living in Colombia sucked. Teaching sucked. The students sucked. The weather sucked. Life outside of teaching sucked. I almost didn't return after Christmas break. For real. At the airport in Denver, I sat in the bathroom when they were maki...

On our last full day in Leticia, we decided to sleep in a bit and stay on dry land. Or so we thought. We decided to go to Parque Ecologico Mundo Amazonico just outside of Leticia to see some rain forest plants. We took a nice taxi ride out and joined a tour group for an informational tour of medicinal, edible, and aesthetic plants. Also, a cultural talk and trek through rain forest. It was beautiful and quite educational. There were coca plants. Cocoa plants. Ayahuasca plants. And this: He was the guide's dog and trotted along with us everywhere we went.  Today there would be no sloths or pink dolphins or monkeys. But there would be this: And this:  Just as we were about to go on our trek through the rain forest...it started to downpour!! I was not really prepared for this. I had on a short sleeve shirt and tevas. But luckily they provided rubber ponchos and boots. So off we went- T, me and the female guide. As we were walking, the guide told us ...

Up early again...we headed down to the port and crossed the mucky island to join the tour group again. This time we were headed to Puerto Narino. But first, there were many animals to meet and hold along the way. Our first stop brought us to a tiny little village where local women had a menagerie of animals. There was a monkey, a tortoise of some sort, pretty green birds. And sloths!! I was standing there and this woman just plunked one in my arms. It was a super surreal experience. This was a baby and she or he (I didn't figure that out) clung to me- with it's big, sharp talons. And they do move sllloooooowwwwwwlllllyyyyy. Think the sloths in the DMV in the movie Sing! ha      ha         ha        ha Their fur is very coarse and almost greasy, but soft as well. What an amazing experience to have. I really can't even believe that just 5 months ago I was in Czech Republic and now here I am in the Amazon, holding a ...

October 11 couldn't come fast enough...mid-term break! As I mentioned in my last post, it has been a trying few months getting used to my new home, new school,  and new students. Especially...the new students. I have to admit- it was heaven not to have the students for a week. A few days of PD and then it was time for a 5-day weekend!  Another teacher, T, had invited me to go to Amazonas with her and I happily accepted.  We were headed to Leticia, Colombia. The southern most city in Colombia. Not really a city, more like a village on the frontier of the Amazon. Leticia is located in the point of Colombia right next to Peru and Brasil. In fact, it only fairly recently became part of Colombia. As you can see below, it is much closer to Peru and Brasil than to the rest of the country.  Well, I got my yellow fever vaccination, bought new hiking boots, and packed a lot of mosquito repellant (100% DEET) and off we went for a few days of adventure...

Hello my 4 followers (Mom & Dad, I see you!!)...I'm back 😀 And in a brand new country! After living in Europe for almost 8 years, it was time to change things up again and experience a new culture and language. So, I decided to pack up and move to South America. Colombia, to be exact. Back in October/ November 2018, I started talking with the Head of Colegio Colombo Britanico in Cali, Colombia. Also, at the same time, I started the application process to become an English Language Fellow through the State Department. Think Peace Corps for Master teachers. The application process is pretty thorough and after several months and interviews, I was accepted into the pool of English Language Fellows. The next step was to wait to see if I would get a placement. About the time that I was waiting for a placement with ELF, I was offered a teaching position with Colegio Colombo Britanico. As I was weighing the pros and cons, and trying to block out all the negative nellies who we...

Per usual, I have accumulated a mountain of planning and marking to do, so YOU, lovely readers, are blessed with a new post. And the final post about Gdansk...yes, Gdansk. Which I visited over 5 months ago. That Gdansk. What can I say? I'm slow. Anyway...this last collection of photos is from our trip to see Malbork Castle in Malbork, Poland. The train from Gdansk took about 40 minutes and then a short 15 minute walk to the castle grounds. The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site (check another one off the list!) based on the fact that it is the most complete and elaborate example of a Gothic brick complex. In fact, it is often referred to as the largest brick complex in Europe. It, also, shows the unique Teutonic style that evolved from the 13th century. The castle was established in the 13th and 14th centuries as the magnificent seat of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and represents the unique architecture of Teutonic Gothic ...