Christmas Soup... A Little Bit of Everything

Yesterday was the last day of school for three weeks. I told my students, "Now, Ziaci, I know that you are sad. I know that you are going to miss doing homework, taking quizzes, writing papers and sitting in class. Don't worry. You'll be back in just three weeks, and we'll have plenty of work for you to do!" My students, well used to my obnoxious sense of humor, grinned, rolled their eyes and told me they wouldn't cry too much.

On Thursday, a second year student and my first year class surprised me with Christmas gifts. Mick, one my brightest (and sassiest) students walked up to me with a list of sentences. Thinking that he had written wall-paper for me (I will not be late to class, I will not be late to class...), I frowned at him and asked, 'Mick, what's this? You haven't been late to class." "Oh, this?" he asked, "This is your Christmas present." I looked down at the paper he handed me. Written about fifty times was the sentence:
"Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Miss Large"
See, I told you he was sassy! I laughed and told him he had lost his mind and that I loved the gift.

Two hours later, I walked into my first year class with their Module 11 tests in hand. When the bell rang, I gave them the universal test taking command that all students know no matter what their language, "Put everything away and take out a pencil." The students just sat there smiling at me. "Ziaci," I announced, "Can you hear me?" "Yes," Babetta told me. "But we have present for you. Present first, then test." I gave the class a weird look not sure if they really had a present or if they wanted to get out of taking their test. "No," I shook my head. "Test first. Then we'll do the present." "Okay," Barby said taking out a beautifully wrapped present and setting it on my desk. I looked at the wrapped paper and smiled at my students, "Never mind. Present first!" The students laughed, and as I unwrapped the gift, I pulled out a bright yellow shirt with the country of Slovakia on the front, and all of my students' nicknames scrawled in their own handwriting on the back. I looked around the room, and the class was beaming. "D'akujem! Thank you! This is wonderful!" I walked around the room and hugged each student. "I love it!" I put the shirt on then and there over my sweater. Then, the students took their test.

I think God smiled favorably on Christmas Boot Camp because on Wednesday afternoon it started snowing! Right now, it's 6:45am on Sunday morning, and there are still little flurries falling from the sky. (It's also a whopping 7 degrees farenheit outside... but hey, my southern blood is starting to thicken.)

This Christmas, my friend Colleen and I will be spending serious time with the pope in Rome. We fly to the Holy See on December 23rd, and we are looking forward to attending midnight mass at St. Peter's Basilica and listening to the pope's Christmas address at noon on Christmas day in St. Peter's Square. From there Colleen and I will head to Florence and Venice so that we might drink good Italian wine, find David, ride a gondola and get lost in the streets of Italy. We have been practicing our Italian, memorizing phrases such as:

"Bonjorna Pappa Benedetto. Piacere."
(Hello Pope Benedict. It's nice to meet you.)

"Naturalmente io sono cattolica. Ave Maria, piena di grazia..."
(Of course I'm Catholic. Hail Mary, full of grace...)

"Passa mi piu gelato!"
(Pass me more gelato!)

"Vacca sacra! Credo di aver mangiato troppo."
(Holy cow! I think I ate too much.)

From Italy, Colleen and I will travel back to Bratislava for New Years.
On January 1st, Colleen will go home to Poland, and I will set out for adventure #2. My good friend Hope, who I have grown up with, is flying from Charlotte to meet me in Frankfurt. We are going to spend a week together walking through Luther's old haunts, eating Belgium waffles in Belgium, and smiling at each other under the Eiffel Tower. Life over the next few weeks will be frenzied and fabulous. I am looking forward to every minute of it.

Finally, the most important part of this Christmas soup: to everyone back home, I wish you holiday blessings. May the Christ-child bring peace and joy to you and yours.

Buon Natale!