Getting Schooled (Monday, October 3, 2011)
About 19.1 years ago, Brian and I went to Nigeria for a year, filling in first for the business manager of Hillcrest School for 6 months, then filling in for the business manager for the CRC's mission office there for 6 months. We absolutely loved spending that time there. We loved the staff at the school, but most of all we loved the kids at the school. Particularly we loved the kids at that school who were with our mission, because we got to know them best of all.
The Schras, while we visit with them in Vienna, have been gracious listeners to all our old stories that are still vivid in our minds after all these years. Those memories were even more vivid after visiting the International Christian School of Vienna, where we got a better feel for the school where Jeffrey and Lisa are working. ICSV is a small but robust school, adding students every year, and those students hail from countries around the world. It has all the wonderful attributes of Hillcrest: a Christian education with an incredibly diverse student population and a small size that keeps relationships close among all ages. Sigh. I am grateful for the blessing of the Christian education my kids get at home, but I would oh-so-love to have them experience a school like this.
Actually, Allison did get to, if only for half a day. She joined Xander's third grade classroom for a few hours. She was discouraged that she didn't learn any German in German class, but she did learn some new rhythms in music and got to go to science class, too.
After taking a tour of the school, we determined to educate our children some more. We took Andrew and Natalie and headed downtown for the Mozarthaus tour. While Mozart is a wildly interesting character, this museum did not make the most of his colorful nature. Most of the exhibits consisted of facsimiles of documents on the walls. The museum is housed in the apartment that he lived in the longest--2 1/2 years. It was the finest apartment he owned, and he made and lost a lot of money in that time. He moved in when he was 27, his wife 22. How could this not be interesting?! The apartment itself must have been something to behold in his day, but sadly there is little left to show but the walls and floors. There was, however, an immense display of one of his most personal belongings: a snuff box. Very ornate, and we worked hard to help the kids imagine the fact that Mozart himself CARRIED THIS EXACT SNUFFBOX in his pocket. Ah, well, it was probably a lost cause. But they had fun in the gift shop. We were just glad we didn't drag the youngest one through this.
We were all ready for a pick-me-up afterward, so we went to the center square, sat down in one of the millions of open air cafes, breathed in some more of the amazing sunshine, and ordered hot chocolates. Which were gulped down in a matter of seconds, so good. Just don't tell Allison. We'll never hear the end of it.
Jeffrey brought Allison to us, and we made our way to the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer palace of the Habsburgs. It is a beautiful place, or a nice summer cottage as Jeffrey mentioned, and we toured the rooms and the incredible gardens, mazes and fountains. Back to Vienna for a leisurely, authentic Austrian meal at a nearby restaurant (schnitzel for all the kids) where Lisa and Jeffrey even listened politely to Brian's Nigeria story of killing the cow, which doesn't make great dinner conversation. If you haven't heard it, don't ask. We topped off dinner with ice cream at a swanky ice cream stand, and we said our goodbyes to the Schras. It was such a treat to get to see what they are doing. They are able to be part of bringing hope and love to so many young lives. And they know a good restaurant.
With the beauty and efficiency that surrounds us, we couldn't help wondering aloud why it is that the Europeans cannot design a decent toilet? I mean, seriously. Windows that can open from the side or from the top; subways that tell you how many minutes until the next train arrives, ingenious space-saving design, and yet the toilets seem designed for another species. If you've been here, you know what we're talking about--the shelf. If you haven't, you probably don't even want to know. Anyway.
The Schras, while we visit with them in Vienna, have been gracious listeners to all our old stories that are still vivid in our minds after all these years. Those memories were even more vivid after visiting the International Christian School of Vienna, where we got a better feel for the school where Jeffrey and Lisa are working. ICSV is a small but robust school, adding students every year, and those students hail from countries around the world. It has all the wonderful attributes of Hillcrest: a Christian education with an incredibly diverse student population and a small size that keeps relationships close among all ages. Sigh. I am grateful for the blessing of the Christian education my kids get at home, but I would oh-so-love to have them experience a school like this.
Actually, Allison did get to, if only for half a day. She joined Xander's third grade classroom for a few hours. She was discouraged that she didn't learn any German in German class, but she did learn some new rhythms in music and got to go to science class, too.
After taking a tour of the school, we determined to educate our children some more. We took Andrew and Natalie and headed downtown for the Mozarthaus tour. While Mozart is a wildly interesting character, this museum did not make the most of his colorful nature. Most of the exhibits consisted of facsimiles of documents on the walls. The museum is housed in the apartment that he lived in the longest--2 1/2 years. It was the finest apartment he owned, and he made and lost a lot of money in that time. He moved in when he was 27, his wife 22. How could this not be interesting?! The apartment itself must have been something to behold in his day, but sadly there is little left to show but the walls and floors. There was, however, an immense display of one of his most personal belongings: a snuff box. Very ornate, and we worked hard to help the kids imagine the fact that Mozart himself CARRIED THIS EXACT SNUFFBOX in his pocket. Ah, well, it was probably a lost cause. But they had fun in the gift shop. We were just glad we didn't drag the youngest one through this.
We were all ready for a pick-me-up afterward, so we went to the center square, sat down in one of the millions of open air cafes, breathed in some more of the amazing sunshine, and ordered hot chocolates. Which were gulped down in a matter of seconds, so good. Just don't tell Allison. We'll never hear the end of it.
Jeffrey brought Allison to us, and we made our way to the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer palace of the Habsburgs. It is a beautiful place, or a nice summer cottage as Jeffrey mentioned, and we toured the rooms and the incredible gardens, mazes and fountains. Back to Vienna for a leisurely, authentic Austrian meal at a nearby restaurant (schnitzel for all the kids) where Lisa and Jeffrey even listened politely to Brian's Nigeria story of killing the cow, which doesn't make great dinner conversation. If you haven't heard it, don't ask. We topped off dinner with ice cream at a swanky ice cream stand, and we said our goodbyes to the Schras. It was such a treat to get to see what they are doing. They are able to be part of bringing hope and love to so many young lives. And they know a good restaurant.
With the beauty and efficiency that surrounds us, we couldn't help wondering aloud why it is that the Europeans cannot design a decent toilet? I mean, seriously. Windows that can open from the side or from the top; subways that tell you how many minutes until the next train arrives, ingenious space-saving design, and yet the toilets seem designed for another species. If you've been here, you know what we're talking about--the shelf. If you haven't, you probably don't even want to know. Anyway.
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