hello monday: back to the basics

I'm having a hard time getting back into a blogging routine, so I've decided to revive some of my old favorites to get the juices flowing again. What better way to begin than with a fresh Hello Monday post?

Hello Monday. Somehow you always seem to come at me too soon. Despite this being my seventh year of full-time teaching, it feels like my first all over again because I am new at ECA. Spending the majority of my weekend lesson planning is not necessarily restful nor particularly enjoyable, but I do like walking into school on Monday mornings (mostly) ready to roll.

Hello Pumpkin Spice Latte. I recently learned that this is the first year Spain has ever made you available. I'm not one of those crazy PSL-obsessed girls, but I enjoy a warm fall-themed beverage as much as the next person. Recently I have been getting into the habit of spending Sunday afternoons at Starbucks reading or working on lesson plans since I am already in the city for church. When you don't have a car it's easy to sometimes feel "trapped" in Camarma, so I've come to enjoy going into Madrid once a week for Spanish church, Starbucks, and other adventures.

Hello last week of October. Where did you come from? The last time I checked, it was August and the daily highs were in the 90s. I am not ready for winter yet, and living in Spain this year has afforded me some extra summer weather, for which I am grateful. I am also significantly tanner than I usually am at this time of year. I'm sure it will fade soon enough.

Hello quarter two. You and October must be in cahoots. Again, how did you get here so fast? I am still a "tourist" according to the government and yet I have already completed one quarter of my service here at ECA. At this rate we will be celebrating Christmas next week!

Hello legs. You are definitely feeling the burn as I pedal up hill all the way to school each morning (and then climb two flight of stairs to get to my classroom), but it's worth it because after school I can just coast home. I literally don't have to pedal at all and it's beautiful.

What are you saying hello to today?

quarter three update and prayer needs

Third quarter: past the halfway point and yet still so far away from the finish line. The stretch of time between Christmas break and Easter break is often the longest and hardest part of the school year for both students and teachers. The days seems to simultaneously crawl and fly by, so full of exciting events yet so exhausting. Weekends are quickly snatched up for retreats, conferences, and birthday getaways, and before you know it the cold, dark days of January have given way to the slightly warmer, ever-lengthening days of spring.

One of the best ways to brighten up a dreary winter day is to have a spirit day! The theme was "Candy."

In late February we attended the high school retreat in Nurnberg, Germany. This was a bittersweet weekend for me because it was the last time I will attend with my small group girls. They are only juniors but since I will not be at BFA next year, this is our last year together. During retreat we were refreshed by the worship times and challenged by the speaker to be rooted in the knowledge of Christ.

attempting selfies!

Seventh graders did their big research projects on the human body and presented on the various systems. The digestive system group had a lot of fun with their project and served us "brownies" which we ate with much enthusiasm!

Our next spirit day was "Books."

Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) 

Charlie Brown 

Piglet and Pooh

During the last week of the quarter, sixth graders wrapped up their scientific method unit by presenting their science fair projects. They worked hard to come up with a project idea, plan and execute an experiment, collect and analyze the data, and present their findings to the class. I'm so proud of their hard work on these projects!

And now, I am about to enter the homestretch. We are currently on spring break and classes resume next Wednesday. The two months until graduation honestly terrify me because the end is so near. There is still so much on my list - not only my "to-do" list (the responsibilities I must attend to) but my "bucket list" (the things I want to do before leaving Germany) as well. I am already feeling the temptation to check out but I can't afford to not be 100% present over these next two months. Please join me in praying in the following ways:

1) For financial provision that will enable me to finish this school year. As I wrote a few weeks ago, my support is dangerously low. I honestly do not know where the money will come from to meet the expenses facing me in these last two months, but I do know with certainty that God will meet all my needs.

2) For focus, strength, and good time management as I not only wrap up the school year but pack up and clean my apartment, and work through the "departing staff" checklist for BFA.

3) For positive attitudes and diligence as I work with a team to plan and execute the annual eighth grade class trip. It's hard for me to accept change, and this year involves quite a bit of deviation from "tradition." This will be my fifth year on the trip and I want to see it through fresh eyes this year.

4) For diligence and boldness as I prepare for a summer of support raising so that I may continue to serve in Spain this fall. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of the people who will hear my story, and that I would be able to fully express my vision and heart for the TCKs in my care. Pray that God would provide miraculously through His people.

5) For logistics related to my transition from Germany to Spain. Visa paperwork, housing arrangements, and flight plans are just a few of the things that are causing me a lot of stress right now.

6) For healthy ways to manage my stress levels, which will hopefully keep my blood pressure down. I return to the doctor in June (perhaps the most stressful month of the year) for the final follow-up appointment to determine whether I will need to begin taking medication for hypertension. Pray especially that my blood pressure would remain low and that the doctor would get accurate readings.

I can't express how thankful I am for each and every one of you. Your prayers, your notes of encouragement, your generous financial gifts, and your interest in my students means the world to me and I would not be here today without you! THANK YOU!!

Madrid visit update

My time in Madrid was, in a word, amazing. I had a chance to stay with two staff members, Stephanie and Marie. Interestingly enough they both have BFA connections as Marie's brother attended BFA (he was a senior during my first year here!) and Steph herself is a BFA alum. So, we had a lot to talk about over the course of my visit! These girls were both incredibly welcoming by opening up their home to me, showing me all around Madrid and the surrounding area, and sharing their own stories and advice with me.

Seeing Christmas lights in downtown Madrid with Steph

Since I arrived on a Saturday morning, the first two days of my trip involved lots of touristy things: shopping, sightseeing, etc. I also had a chance to attend a progressive dinner with the ECA middle schoolers on Saturday night, and went to an international church on Sunday morning. I met several ECA staff members during the weekend, too. The rest of Sunday was spent in Madrid with Tour Guide Steph, who helped me finish my Christmas shopping, guided me to the best churros place, and basically showed me a great time.

Oh you know, just a ton of meat at the grocery store...

The city center of Madrid was jam-packed

Churros. That is all.



Meeting Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

Monday morning arrived and even though I was on Christmas vacation, I found myself walking to school with Marie for staff devotions! The staff were also very welcoming and I enjoyed chatting and getting to know some of them more throughout the rest of my visit. I sat in on several classes, mostly middle school ones but also a few high school one, too. I was blown away by how similar the students at ECA were to my own students at BFA. Aside from the language differences, they were almost the same kids. If I were to close my eyes and just listen to the conversations, I would have thought I was just sitting in my classroom in Germany. It was really neat for me to see firsthand how another international Christian school operates.

As you might remember from this post, I have been entertaining the thought of teaching at ECA during my totalization year. I asked you to pray for God to guide my thoughts and conversations while in Madrid, and for wisdom in how to respond if a job offer was made. Well, I am excited to share with you that during my visit, I was offered an invitation to teach in the middle school next year! I've spent the weeks since my visit thinking and praying about whether to accept, and within the last week several things have fallen into place that have affirmed for me that I should accept.

So now I begin the process of seeking approval for this transition from my mission, TeachBeyond. There are a lot of bases to cover before I can truly announce anything officially, but it's important for you to know where things stand right now and where they are (hopefully) heading. In other words, I am taking intentional steps toward spending next year teaching in Madrid, but it is not a done deal yet. I am simply continuing to say "Yes" to God until he closes this door.

Right now I'd ask your prayers in these specific ways:
- Official approval from TeachBeyond
- Spanish visa application (must be approved four months in advance and is very detailed!)
- That I can still be fully present and focused on my current role at BFA
- That God would clearly and firmly close this door if he doesn't want me in Madrid

Serving at ECA would be very similar to being at BFA in that it is also not a paid position, and everyone on staff raises support to be there. I'll be sending out more details in the weeks and months to come, but for now I'd like to ask you all to consider how you might join me in this next chapter of serving the kids at ECA. I'll be looking for new monthly supporters to join the team and praying that many of my current supporters will choose to stay on for this next year.

updates and FYIs

Today is the first day of spring break, and I have placed under house arrest by my principal, Ruth. Over the last month sickness has plagued our school in various ways, and my usually impervious immune system has, in fact, been compromised. Last Friday I woke up with a sore throat, I coughed all weekend, and by Tuesday morning I had completely lost my voice. Against my better judgement I came to school every day, despite the fact that I could only whisper, and I couldn't stop coughing. My colleagues volunteered to sub for me, but there was just too much to do before break!! So now I'm at home drinking nasty tea with honey -- I hate honey! -- and praying that my voice comes back soon.

One might think that since I'm on break, I don't need my voice. On the contrary, this Saturday our school is hosting the International Christian Educators Conference, the attendance of which is mandatory for all BFA staff. Christian educators from all over Europe will be coming to BFA and my friend Katrina and I have been selected to lead a workshop that takes place on Sunday morning. So you see, it's actually quite crucial that my voice comes back in the next few days so that I can lead my workshop! Please pray for my cough to go away and for my voice to heal!

In the meantime, I am catching up on grading, blogging, and newsletter writing. I came to the embarassing realization that I wrote a newsletter in mid January that was never published. I suppose that's what happens when you are exhausted and life is moving a mile-a-minute, but there's really no good excuse for that! So, even though it's almost two months old, here is my February newsletter.

February Newsletter

And because the third quarter is now over, here is a very short March newsletter.

March Newsletter


You may or may not have noticed that my blogging has been very sporadic since Christmas, and I hope to remedy that during our last quarter. The main goal of this blog is to keep you, my friends, family, and ministry partners, updated on what's going on in my life and service at BFA. So, I apologize for my extended absence and hope to get back into my regular blogging rhythm in the last quarter!

In the meantime, if you want to #stepintomyclassroom more often, follow me on Twitter (@bertschirae) or friend me on Facebook. I post daily updates, quotes, and snapshots of a day in the life of Miss Bertschi. Every day is an adventure, and I invite you to join us!

coffee cupdate: whispered edition

If we were to sit down for a cup of coffee, I would have a lot to tell you.

You would probably notice right away that I don't have a voice. I would boast that I am usually an impenetrable fortress of immunity, but that the fortress has fallen, and I have succumbed to some form of sore throat/laryngitis. Then we would enjoy a good laugh as I try to speak and only manage to squeak out a few words. From here on out, I would be forced to whisper in order to be understood.

I would sigh as I wrap my hands around a steaming mug of tea (with lemon, to soothe my raw throat), thankful that there is only one more day of classes before spring break. I would try to explain that this quarter has been basically nonstop action from the very beginning, and how the days have raced by faster than I've ever experienced in all my years of teaching. You would probably ask me what my spring break plans are and I would tell you about the International Christian Educators Conference that our school is hosting this year. I might sheepishly mention that I have been selected to lead a workshop with my friend and colleague Katrina, and that we are both very anxious about it! I'd probably ask you to pray fervently that my voice comes back before then.

I might also mention that at the very end of spring break I'm running in the Freiburg marathon with several of my friends. Before you got too impressed I would promptly inform you that I am absolutely NOT running a marathon, but that I am just running one "leg" of a team relay marathon. I would admit that I am still quite terrified of race day, as my part of the race is 14 kilometers, a distance I have never run before either in training or competition. I'd share how I've been training for months with my best friends and gush about what a huge encouragement they've been to me as I've trudged along with them through snow, rain, mud, and on a few days, sunshine. I'd ask for prayer for the mental battle that is currently raging inside my head, as I desperately fight to believe that I can, in fact, run 14 kilometers. And I'd admit that the last few weeks have been discouraging due to fatigue, missed workouts, and just being caught in the "February Funk" that seems to get me every year, and now that the race is less than three weeks away I am begining to feel anxious.

What would you tell me?

hello monday

Hello Monday.

Hello insane day of blessings. You can bet I'll have a lot to share on Thankful Thursday this week.

Hello 94%! I am so excited! God has done amazing things in the past few weeks and I am so humbled by all that he's done to bring me this far. All that remains is $120/month!

Hello free airport wi-fi. Without you I would have nothing to do for the next hour and a half while waiting for my flight.
Hello Chicago, London, and Basel. "Today" I will visit all three of you, even if it will only be airport visits. I am not looking forward to the long layover in London, but at least I will be in an English-speaking airport.

Hello jet lag. You will strike soon, but I will vanquish you this time!

five things friday

I'm so excited to be in Greencastle, Indiana this weekend visiting good friends and sharing about my year at BFA with the Lifebuilder Community Church!! Here are five things that are on my mind right now.

{1}

This week my mom and I attempted to make the short version of this dress. The tutorial makes it look super simple, and for the most part it was. We just couldn't get the elastic thread to cooperate, so we improvised. Now that we've figured out our own tricks, we hope to bust out a few more of these in different colors before I head back to Germany!

{2}

Sesame Street has spoofed Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe with the Cookie Monster. I can't stop singing this song. (Email subscribers may need to click on the title of this post to view the video)

{3}

Speaking of cookies, Happy Birthday, Oreo. If you like birthday cake and Oreos, you will love these special edition Oreos celebrating the cookie's 100th birthday! They are super yummy, and my pack was gone within two days. Don't worry, I shared!!

source

{4}

The game Zug um Zug (Ticket to Ride in English) is one of my new (within the last few years) favorite games. Alot of people think board games are boring, and I will agree - most American board games are boring because all you do is roll the dice and go in circles around the board. Europe sort of has us beat in that area. When playing Zug um Zug, no two games are ever the same, and there are expansion packs available to add even more variety! It's a strategy game with only a litle bit of the "luck of the draw" tossed in. My family now has the Europe, USA, Asia, India, and Switzerland maps and we have been playing a LOT this summer. If you're a local reader, you should come over and play with us sometime. :)

the Swiss map

 

{5}

Support raising continues to be a slow process. I know God is working and moving in people's hearts to generate generosity, and I know He is reminding me to trust in HIM rather than myself. Resting in peace is a daily choice, as I have always struggled with anxiety and the uncertainty of the next few weeks isn't helping. Just two days ago my mom commented on how much hair I'd lost in the shower - a physical indicator of just how stressed I truly am. I do not believe that God would call me to this ministry and then frustrate me by withholding the resources necessary for me to serve. Please continue to pray for me to find the people who will partner with me financially this year!

track meet at Heidelberg

This weekend Katrina and I drove 2.5 hours to the American military base in Heidelberg to cheer on the BFA Falcons at their last regular season track meet of the year. BFA competes against other international schools - many of which are American schools on military bases. This year we had the most middle schoolers in track than I can remember, so we really wanted to be there to support them.

Andrew, a freshman, from my first 7th grade class at BFA

Carl, a sophomore, from my first 8th grade class at BFA

Laura, current 8th grader, finishes strong!!

Brenton, a freshman and former student of mine on the far left

Middle school 4x100 relay team: Cailynn, Abby, Anna, and Stephanie

Praying before their race

Carl throwing discus

Andrew throwing discus

Nathan, current student, running hurdles

Middle school 4x400 relay team: (l-r) Erin, Olivia, Laura, Anna

Anna takes off with great form

Handing off to Laura

Olivia runs the third leg

Erin takes the final lap

It was fun to see not only my current students compete, but also cheer on my former students who have gone on to high school. I reminisced about my own experience throwing shot and disc in high school! And despite the sunscreen I kept slathering on, I did end up getting a bit of sun, though thankfully not nearly as much as I did watching my kids play soccer a few years ago!! Overall, it was a great way to spend one of my last free Saturdays of the school year.