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Tales of a Traveling Teacher

I am a 4th grade teacher from Birmingham, Alabama. This blog is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of Rebecca Smith's and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.

A Full Week

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September 14, 2012

I made it through my first full week of teaching, so I thought a little award was in order!

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Senegal

April 21, 2023

Senegal. My hope when I applied up for this program was that they would take me somewhere in the world that I would probably not choose to go on my own. When I opened my email that day in December, I realized my wish had been granted. I have the very slightest of connections to this west African country. Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to have a student in my classroom who had once lived on the streets of Dakar. It was complicated circumstances that brought him to my classroom, but I was forever grateful for the opportunity of getting to know this remarkable boy. Another small tie that I have to the country is that a former pastor went to serve in Senegal for several years. It is actually one of the very few countries in Africa that I feel confident in its location, especially as I play Worldle every day. But aside from that, I am learning alongside the many of you, who have joined in my excitement about my adventure, while also questioning, “Now where exactly is that?” I k...

Good-byes

August 13, 2012

Life is full of hellos and good-byes, and so to begin this new adventure, we decide that a Hello/Goodbye party would be just perfect for Kelly and I. It was a wonderful way for me to say farewell to so many friends and loved ones and a way for Kelly to meet many new faces. The party made me realize even more so, what a life-swap this is. Kelly and I will depend upon each other's friends and family members to help us find our way and help us make a home away from home. I realized even more-so how incredibly blessed I am not only to have so many friends and family supporting me along my journey, but supporting Kelly through her journey as well. They have welcomed her with open arms, just as I expected them to, and I know they will look out for her throughout the year. For that, and for so many other things, I am incredibly thankful. I am so excited about my trip, and eager for the journey to begin. For months, this seemed so far away and now, I'm on...

Climb Ev'ry Mountain

January 02, 2013

Mother Abbess told Maria (in song) to: "Climb every mountain, Ford every stream, Follow every rainbow, 'Till you find your dream." Now, I have in absolutely no way climbed every mountain I've come across, but there is something I love about climbing! I've climbed just about every tower I've come across. In fact, I will admit that a few years ago when traveling through Europe with friends, I just about killed them, dragging them up every tower we came across: Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, St. Peter's, The Duomo, the bell tower at St. Mark's, and even the hill behind the abbey where Maria once lived. During this trip, I've climbed to the top of the Durham Cathedral, "mountains" in the Lake District, the Abbey in Bath, towers in multiple castles and today, I added a new height to my list! Today we climbed to the top of York Minster, an incredible cathedral over 500 years old, in the middle of the little city (it's a city because there ...