LOTS OF SNOW....AND LEARNING

 Today many of us saw snow for the very first time, amazing !!. But, oddly enough, the temperature was around 1 or 2 degrees C.
In the picture you can see the same Campus I showed you on Friday, but full of snow.
We had class time from 9:30 in the morning until 6pm. And from 6 to 7 we met our partner teachers (US teachers we'll be visiting in two weeks) for the first time .

Ainur, from Kazakhstan

View from the Comfort Inn Hotel

Book we need to read for the Pedagogy, Practice and Leadership Seminar. Dr Bevery Woody is the teacher in charge.

Classroom activity

ESL Research methods and Assessment seminar. We had a workshop in the afternoon, prepared by Dr Mattix 

TEA fellows and partner teachers. My partner teacher is Dana Garcia; she teaches in Westfield High School.

Fellows with partner teachers.

1st day of class. Workshop on TEAM-WORK

Today we went to Arlington, where another building of the University is located.

Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Ivory Coast and Zambia...awesome team!!

Here we are in the workshop. Great experience in a 3 hours workshop.

Bruce and Susan were our teachers in the workshop.

And after we finished, we came back to Fairfax and I went to a Korean restaurant with Noe (fellow from El Salvador).

1st visit to GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

 This Friday 27th, January was very active for us. After departing from the Washington Hotel we arrived in Fairfax (Comfort Inn hotel), and then we got to know the University Campus for the first time... Each one of us received an identity card which gives us free access to local transportation and discounts in all the Campus stores as well as in some stores and restaurants in Fairfax.

 

Getting to know one of our classrooms.

One of the Campus's buildings. It's plenty of stores and places to study.

Our first dinner in the Campus Caffeteria

Identity card provided by the University

NOTE: I will upload a video as soon as I have access to a better internet connection.
                

DEPARTURES from Hotel to Host Universities

After spending three wonderful days together, we must depart towards the University we were allocated. We feel really sad, but anxious at the same time. Martina has to go to Bowling Green University (Ohio), I will go to George Mason University (Virginia), while other TEA fellows are leaving to Chico (California) and Lowell (Massachusetts).
This is our last day together in Washington Hotel (nice hotel, very recommendable if you want to spend some days in DC).

This is the room where we left all the luggage. The fellow next to me is Lan, from Vietnam.

Sarah Bever (IREX)

I also have a video about our departure to upload, but due to the poor internet connection in the hotel where we are staying right now (in Faifax, Virginia) I haven't been able to. As soon as I can, I promise to upload it ;)

After spending three wonderful days together, we must depart towards the University we were allocated. We are really sad, but anxious at the same time. Martina goes to Bowling Green University (Ohio), I will go to George Mason University (Virginia), while other TEA fellows are leaving to Chico (California) and Lowell (Massachusetts).
These pics are about last day in the Washington Hotel (very nice hotel, absolutely recommendable if you want to spend time in DC).

This is the room where all the luggage was left.

The girl

 next to me is Lan, from Vietnam.

Sarah Bever (IREX)

I also have a video on our departure to upload, but due to the poor internet connection we have in the Hotel where we are staying right now (In Fairfax, Virginia) I haven't been able to.
On Tuesday we'll get access to the WIFI network at George Mason University, and then I hope to be able to upload it ;)

LAST WORKSHOP: Creating Gender Responsive ClassroomsSarah

Sarah Bever (Technical Advisor, IREX) and Randan Mason (Gender Consultant)

Great people I will always remember. In this photo we shared the table during the workshop, but the previous days we shared much more than that !! Thanks guys :)

Some outcome from the workshop

IREX staff. They did a great job organizing the workshops and paperwork :)

WASHINGTON DC CITY TOUR

All the TEA fellows went to the White House by bus. But once we arrived there, Martina and I decided to separate from the "big group" (we were allowed to do so, of course :) ) and continued sightseeing with the company of three great fellows we made from Latvia, Estonia and Tunisia (you can see them in some of the pictures bellow).
We spent a wonderful time talking to local people and taking photographs, even during the night, as you can see in some of the photos.
We also discussed about how the American people show respect for their death in war, and how inspirational it is to walk around the monuments and memorials.

Travelling by bus to the White House with a fellow from El Salvador

Being able to do part of the sightseeing at night had an extra impact on us....walking as a small group from one memorial to another, only guided by the lights that illuminated the statues and quotations carved in big stones was really awsome !!

The "walking" group on our way to the memorial

Great view of the Potomac river, very closed to the Lincoln's memorial

Memorial of the Vietnamese war

Lincoln's memorial entrance

Jefferson's memorial at night

Lincoln's memorial

Korea war memorial

Martin Luther King's memorial

The man on the left is a fellow from Estonia, and the woman on the right is Tunisian

Part of Roosevelt memorial devoted to the people who live in need

  The man with glasses is a fellow from Latvia
    Besides us is the Washington monument (Obelisc)

Roosevelt memorial at night

A quotation that inspired us all !!