See the Pigs Run

While hiking in the Vienna Woods nature preserve, we saw some wild pigs (or are they boars?). It was such an interesting sight that I had to capture it on video. Check this out!

Staff Retreat 2009

Our staff retreat was held at the Romanian Baptist Church in Vienna. The facilities were just right for our group. Being on the opposite side of the city made it feel like we had gone away for the weekend, even though we were still in town. Altogether, it was a refreshing and relaxing time.

Tom led one of the praise and worship times. He chose songs that followed a blues pattern and asked Lukas to play bass and me to play the electronic drum set! That was a blast!

The dining hall room was a bit crowded with a group our size, but the food was delicious and nobody complained. We ate traditional Romanian dishes throughout the weekend. My favorite dish was cabbage rolls, filled with rice and ground beef inside.

The No Talent Show is always a hit and this year was no exception. These two guys did a very funny skit in which they pretended to be representatives from our insurance company here to answer questions about our policies. Most issues they addressed eventually wound their way back to "personal negligence", "failure to pre-certify", and "using services outside the PPO network". Funny stuff!During free time, I took a hike in the Vienna Woods with a group of staff members. The forest smelled wonderful and it felt great to stretch our legs and enjoy nature together.

Good-Bye Highleys!

This month we said good-bye to the Highley family. Nick has headed up the student ministries program at school and Melissa has been the elementary secretary. The older of their two daughters was in my fifth grade class last year. I'm thankful for the good memories I have of working with them over the past year and wish them the very best as they move back to the U.S.A.

Above, Nick (right) and his friend Jeff get sat on by Nick's daughter and her friend. Below, Melissa shares a fun moment with two other staff ladies from school.

Afternoon with the deJong Family

The de Jong family invited me over for lunch after church recently. Their oldest daughter is in my class at school. After lunch, we played games with the children and talked while sitting on their apartment balcony. At the end of the afternoon, we took a short drive to Grinzing, where you can get a great view of Vienna. Here my student, her mom and I pose with the city behind us.

The 2009-2010 Fifth Grade Class

Welcome back to school! This is my 2009-2010 class. We're a smaller group this year, but we hope that more students will join us as the weeks go by. This particular class is full of hard workers, good listeners, and smart brains! I'm looking forward to a great year with them!