Dancing In The Rain

The fourth week of September came to an end and Stallie is very tempted to call it a very early night.  At the end of a work week I always sense how my body was pushed to its limits.  I did change some things since changing jobs like going to bed a bit earlier then I used to.  Not that it always is the guarantee that I will sleep like a rose but it does seem to help me to get the end of a work week in one piece.

Not that the month of September at the previous work spot wasn't hard to deal with.  I bet that many teachers out there feel like they are run over by a monster truck. The workload already has reached a certain amount that is hard to express in figures.  Guess it is part of the job description.  When I signed up for the job I was prepared for what was heading my way but still...

Today two people asked me some crucial questions that I wish to answer out here.  Yes, they matter in how I try to be the 'new' teacher/teacher assistant. Because I am fully aware of the fact that there might some people out there who wonder why in the world I wanted that different job challenge instead of the job security that I was granted.  Yes, I am fully aware that I had to give up some priveledges in order to be granted access to the international educational world I now live whithin during office hours. A world that I longed for.  But I am fully aware of what some people wonder when they question about me wanting to change.

First question that I was asked during happy hour and enjoying a well deserved Kriek:'Isn't it hard not being the teacher anymore?' Well, it might sound a bit surprising to many of you: no!! On paper I am teaching assistant and my job description states the many tasks that involves.  In reality I end up doing much more then the paper says.  My boss does care about what I think and she tries to get me fully involved when  it comes down to teaching the kids.  My suggestions and ideas are welcome and I already had some unforgetable fun moments in class!  So in a way it is not that hard but I am fully aware that it is sometimes a thin line between being the TA or the teacher once I enter a class room.

Second question someone asked me in an e- mail:are the pupils not a bit too smal for your liking? Well, yes that was something I was wondering myself. After 14 years of dealing with puberty in class rooms I did wonder if I was ready to enter the world of the primary school pupil.  But the transition goes a bit smoother then I hoped for.  The furniture is smaller and the classroom posters are more colorful but other then that it seems that I adopt easily.

Stallie must be then constantly zen and in 7th heaven, you might think.  No, I am not because Stallie is fully aware of how easily she slipps back into old habits or even suddenly faces an old 'monster'.  And that happened twice this week in some very crucial spots of my existence.

Once it happened in my car when I drove back home after finding out that I had forgotten my gym bag and was assistant coach netball after school.  No way that I was going to do that in office clothes. So I decided to drive back home the moment I got at work and ended up in the disasterous morning traffic.  I then went through all the emotions that I so many times dealt with when still was working at my former school.  Stallie changed into a voodoo doll and she produced tears.  My heart beat went up and I started to sweat.  My mind was racing and I knew that the rest of the day I was going to be a lost case.  That I would be running behind my own shadow and that many things would go wrong or not according to plan.  I even wondered how in the world I ever managed to survive that many rides to and from work in the past at this paste. 

The second time it happened on Monday evening while sweat was rolling down my spine and my head looked as red as the color of my ballet leotard.   It was only a year ago that I had decided to go back into that ballet studio and trying to move my body along with Mozart and Vivaldi.  Last 12 months I had a very nice time rediscovering my ballet past.  Monday evening became the evening that when I slipped into my ballet shoes that I did lock out everything and everybody and granted myself a gigantic dance therapy session.   It was like homecoming and on top of that did I made some new friends out there in front of the mirror and was suddenly not scared anymore to make some decissions.

But last Monday I was back in that one spot where I have been for 10 long years and it was pitch dark.  My mind went totaly blank and my body suddenly refused to move along with the music.  Nothing made sense anymore and I felt so out of place that it hurt.  My whole body communicated pain.  That my ballet teacher seem to know only one name and that I was the lucky one I did not consider a compliment either.   Freezing cold I was while the temperature was raising in that room full of mirrors and light.

It is very hard to describe what then goes on in my mind but I suddenly wondered what I was trying to do amongst all these very athletic looking young women who are able to jump very high and make every complex movement look rather simple.  Stallie wanted to run out, hide behind the shower curtain in the corner while a warm water would hit her face.  I wanted to get out of that space where I have to let go completely and passing myself over to a certain force that makes me rather vulnerable.

My fence was back up and I was so negative that I even started to panic and skipped certain exercises.  I even felt intimated by some of the new faces.  That I was the only one not wearing black made me even stand out more.   Panic and anxiety took over and yes I wanted to ask for a refund.  No way that I did belong in that room!

Funny how the brain works and takes you by surprise.  Because I had not been prepared for it to happen again.  So there I was standing again at that crossroad and was granted the opportunity to make a choice: stay and keep on trying and holding up my head high or leave and storing away those ballet shoes in a box in the attic and banishing dancing forever.  I had done it before and slipped already once into a world where dancing had no right of existence.  No walz, salsa or twist anymore to make my feet move and letting my body take over from mind.

What made me stay and jumping back into line? Well, perhaps that I made some promises to myself that I want to keep.  Dancing is one high up on that list and I then decided to push out Darth Vader and let then my ballet shoes be ballet shoes.   Letting the change that I was facing because it seems that it is at ballet school that I have the hardest time dealing with that or is it there that it hits me and I become fully aware of what I am going through for the moment.

Because let us be honest yes I miss my old work spot and the pupils I have been working with.  Yes, I miss my familiar classroom and the staff that I did hang out with for so many years.  After all I am only human and I do need some time to come to terms with the changes that I made.  I then also made an other promise this week while I was spending some time in front of a copy machine and that I had some time to reflect on my past:'I am never going to forget where I came from.' After all that one spot did shape me partly and has taught me some very important facts and not only about teaching.  No, also about life in general.  Does this come to you as a surprise?  Not to me after last Monday.

When I then last Thursday walked into a classroom and saw a certain poster (see the picture here above) I fully understood what message it tried to get across.  Because after all dancing in the rain is something that requires a lot of skills and practice.  It also involves letting go and trying to look a the pleasant and positive side of something that only seems to have negative effects.  For the ones who know Stallie quite well know what rain can do to her.  Not a pretty side and yes it does equal what she did look like that Monday night at the barre.

It was then I knew for 200% that dancing in the 'rain' will make me a stronger person even when it means that I might have a hard time.  But perhaps a pair of some colorful wellies might cheer up my dancing in the thunderstroms that might be heading my way.  If you care to join me then don't hesitate because the dance floor is big enough for two of us. Or any number that is.

PS: I did not go for the classic one but rather for this modern version of dancing in the rain. I did play this song over and over at a certain moment in my life.  Madonna also changes frequently and I wonder if you even remember that she did look like this.






 

Hiep Hiep Hoera Jip & Janneke

Just a very quick one because I pledged myself that I would go to bed rather early and this means before eleven.  Still I wanted to give two special persons the airtime they deserve on the day that fictional Bella Swan celebrates her 25th birthday and that my non-fictional lovely sis is celebrating hers . 60 years ago two little children entered the live of many and this by the means of illustrations and a rather straight forward but oh so recognisable story line: Jip en Janneke.

Yes, I know them because my grandmother bought me once a book in a Dutch department store and my son knows them as well because I ended up buying him the same book. Those two icons hang out now in many more places then just books.  Stickers, stamps, t-shirts, memory, candy, lunchboxes, shampoo and even lemonade.  Just name it and you will find it with them on it.  They have reached now the age of retirement but it seems that they still seem to be able to fascinate many.  Including the generation of who is told that they prefer digital toys and fast games above books.

Today I saw the force of 'Jip&Janneke' in front of me and I was amazed.  They still can go the distance.  Because let us be honest that you can silence 20 eleven year old ones is something extra ordinary.  So even in teaching Dutch to some demanding young students it seems that the classics still have a lot to tell.  Thank you Annie M.G. Schmidt for those amazing adventures  you wrote for these two and also a gigantic round of applause for Fiep Westendorp who came up with the design of these never going out of fashion story telling icons.  And where are the 'stroopwafels' to celebrate this special day?

A Normal Day At The Office

Okay, I got through my first week at the 'new office'. Yes, because I have never ever mentioned the places where I work by name and I don't have intention to change this now.  But it is a very nice kind of exotic spot to have my office at. But being a newbie at such a place is sometimes hard work.

This week was quite intense and also there were a few moments that I did wonder if this was just week 1 or that we perhaps already had got to week 15!  Being a newbie means that the first week seems to last an eterinity or at least that what the sensation is.  Now being sunny Saturday I feel for sure what I have been through this week. My body tells me that it is exhausted. Not that I did not expected that to happen.  Because going back to work after 2 months of summer is like detox in a way.  Painful and rather hard!  Just this year it was just a bit harder.

I do feel at home where I am now and I already had some very nice moments with pupils.
I am still the same Stallie if it comes down to finding my way around and I did stumble almost over a chair just the moment before going on to stage during general assembly.  Everybody has seen me you can be sure about that.  Then there is my accent that for sure gives me away. It also confuses a few people. 'You are not Belgian. You are Dutch.'  'No, I am Belgian but I was born close to the border with the Netherlands so that is what you might pick up. I am a border-child so to speak!'

So right now I am in the middle of the process of deleting info that I needed daily in my previous job and replacing it by new data.  This causes me headaches and when I get home it even feels like I got hit by truck.  Just very little things like:
-where is the closest toilet you can run to when you need to go
-what paper do I need to fill out when I am in need of  paperclips
-where do I find a list of all the new pupils with pictures because I need to remember all the names of upper Primary in a record time.
-what to wear now that denim jeans is something that I need to ignore and need to follow a more businesslike dress code.
- swapping languages constantly and not trying to mix up words when you speak or teach.
-how to put my lunchmoney on my ID-badge in order to obtain food in the school cafetaria.
-what button to push of a copy machine after being 14 years not been allowed close to one.
-what the meaning is of many abreviations or words are.  
-who is who and still mixing up names or not even being able to remember the most of those by lunch time.
-trying to remember where I have left one of my personal belongings after being all over campus. I seriously thinking about labelling all my personal things just like my pupils.
- keeping up with S, who is a linguestic miracle with her knowledge of 7 languages and impresses me daily with her teaching style.  She is one of a kind person and I love her already to bits for the energy and the inspiration that is pouring out of her. 
-getting used to working on a qwerty-keyboard between office hours.  I am very sorry in case that you get a message of me with many spelling mistakes but chances are then that I then am mixing up keyboards.
-getting to be used being called by my first name by all people at work, including the pupils I work with.
-singing and dancing being part of your lesson plan and trying to take yourself serious.
-etc

I guess you are getting the picture here and that I need some time to get my head around these things and that the list first will be come first even longer before I can tick off a few of them. But I guess I better the devil I know because they are all essential in order to get through a normal day at the office. The singing and the dancing I do for the moment consider the hardest! Not kidding!

Back To (a new) School

The first of September is a fact and that means the end of Summer and back to school.  Many of us will be confrontated one way or the other with that.  A did get his new school essentials and he is already getting back used to getting up at an early hour because I already am back at school or rather back at work! He even parked his newest red bookbag next to his bed what makes me very happy as a mum. I consider him ready to go back and what about me am I ready to go back?

Well, I wanted something to change in my professional life! And since this week I did embark on a totaly new adventure of that part of my existence. Okay, I had tow months to get used to the idea of leaving one place and boxing all my stuff and draging it to my car and then moving into a new more international flavored educational environment.  Easy pie but it was only after handing over my work keys and staring at the rather confrontating words:'Deactivated Account' that it hit me right between the eyes.  When I did drive home that night in the sun and got home I did have an emotional meltdown and that lasted till I walked into my new workplace.

Yes, I am anxious and also slightly a bit less confident as I use to be at this time of the year.  Because after 14 years in the same place becoming a newbie is a bit terrifying.  Lots of the data that you have been saving on your harddrive you are forced to delete in order to make space for new more essential life saving data.  Lots of my daily vocab will be now completely different and yes it involves also speaking an other language at a daily basis.  Something I do look forward imensely.

The last few days I got the grand introduction and I must say that my first impressions are overall more then just positive.  I did already pick up so much energy at that spot that it is mind blowing. It feels like I am swimming at the deep end of the Aquatic Center at the London Olympics.  Yes, I did cheer for Team GB because from now on I am going to spend quite some time with this nationality but not only them but I will find the globe in my classroom so to speak.

Yes, the new data input creates also some tension insside my head and some chaos.  Stallie also already managed to make tiny little mistakes like forgetting where the the m is on an qwerty-bord, forgot her rain coat in the cafeteria, walked into a door because she just did not know what way it was opening.  Obviously not the way I assumed!  Being the newbie can be painful in many ways so to speak! But I am having a lovely time out there.

Of course will I miss the next few weeks my colleagues and former pupils even a bit more because they have been part of my life for over a decade.  That is not something that you just erase by hitting the delete button. It is sometimes now at the most insane and awkward moments that I will have flashbacks.

Stallie already met her new colleagues and yes she is quite busy processing all the data, number, facts, graphics, words, Powerpoint- presentations, routes etc In a way am I stretching one of my elastic bands that my brain contains. The brain oh what a wonderful thing because after all that is something that we teachers rely on big time! Just how much are you aware of how it works because since the last few days and especially today I did find out that it so much more fascinating that I was told during a biology class.  It affects a lot of how we learn things.  Making mistakes is part of learning new things and so I am prepared to walk into a few more doors in the next few weeks. But I am looking forward to the 3rd of September a bit more then my son this year. 

As an extra I wish to share you some of the new insights that I gained during my first CPD at the new workplace.  Joan Deak is for sure a very entertaining person to have over during a day that you as an educational professional are forced to sit on hard chair and listen for hours to someone else do all the talking.  Because after she stopps you almost go down on your knees to keep on going for an other day.  Of course I could leave the gym without a copy of the lovely children's book she published and  am very sure that the others are also very well worth to read if you want to find out more about how the brain works.

So good luck all of you who will be going back into schools.  I will miss the old spot for sure the next few days a bit more but I guess that I will be creating tons of new memories in the weeks to come.  It was a fun Summer but this TA is ready to give her very best and to teach some kids something new. But I am sure that I will also pick up more then one new thing a day from my pupils. 

And yes Joan Deak did point more then once that what is said in this wonderful poster by one of my favorite American artist Mary Engelbreit are for sure true.  Most of us ended up being influenced in the choices we made by a teacher.  I am grateful to some very inspirational ones and for sure when I tomorrow will drive to my new teaching spot because there are a few ones who kept on telling me to never give up and keep on trying.  Guess that they were right after all! ;-)

In case you wish to find out more about Joan Deak you can find out more here:

http://www.deakgroup.com/our-educators/joann-deak-phd/

I CROSSED PONTE VECCHIO

Firenze is the past! And I have still not posted an entry here.  Why?  Well, because it was a very intense and emotional holiday for me. It was not just a city trip and the people who do know me quite well  know that it had been something I had been longing for quite some time.  Ever since my art history studies at the univeristy I longed to see  'live' all canvas, marble, architecture, stones, sights....  All the classes that I had about the content  of that Italian city made me even dream about it.  The moment that you take an exam about something it becomes part of you.  So that I never made it sooner to Firenze is due to many facts.

I had my own personal reasons because I would have loved to have gone with P&A but these two men can't handle the heat and also the amount of art.  I was then also very happy that my mother was prepared to join me for this very exceptional voyage.  And so it is in the summer of 2012 that I finaly made it to that one city that I longed for.

Next I could compose a very long entry about what I went through while I wandered through the streets of this very historical place... but I have changed my mind?  Why?  Well, because I wouldn't be good enough.  There are not enough words to express what I felt while spending 6 days in that city. Because let us face it, you were not there with me when:

- I dragged me, myself and my suitcase to our hotel that we could not find and that my mum and I are were about to collapse from the heat after having been used to wet &cold weather.
- I thanked the Lord almost on my knees for a bottle of sparkling water that we found in our lovely hotelroom when we arrived.
- I sat on the green (yes mum, your grass looks so much better then most of the heat struck grass we saw) grass of the Boboli gardens while writing postcards for friends and family.  Did we LOL out when she read the sign 'Keep of the grass' after whe had been on it for over an hour. Priceless moment!
- I picked out my newest wardrobe to wear for my new job while my mum was my personal shopper.  Pretty sure that we also checked out most of the handbag stores in town in order to find my newest assets.
- I took tons of pictures of many things that I wanted to frame and look at when I would be back in rainy Belgium. My camera sometimes used its close-up function also for the rather good looking Italian guys that were running around in town. My mum told me that if my sis would have come along that she would have had a fulltime job bodyguarding the two of us. LOL
- I tried to make up my mind in front of the delicous looking 'gelato' flavours and then seeing how my mum was enjoying here cup of dream flavours.
- I stood eye in eye with that one gigantic statue of David that where you have been reading so much about but still are not prepared for when you then meet up with. The impact of it is beyond any words.
- I lit candles in the numerous churches that we walked in to find a cool oasis and some silence.  In those places I found so much more then peace of mind and was I able to contemplate about my life.  Yes, many of you my beloved friends out there have been with me while I was in there.
- I picked out delicous sounding and even better tasting dishes! I can tell you that we ended up in some lovely restaurants.  Antipasti, primi, secundo, dolce, vini, ristretto...I had them all and enoyed every bite and sip of them.
- I read so many facts, stories and anecdotes about a city that I do now even love more.  Best guide book I bought was:'Florence, just add water.'  For sure a reference book you need to get if you ever travel with children to this city.  For me it was the best guidebook ever because in there was the only city map that did make sense to me. ;-)
- I tried to speak Italian but am very sure that I did sound so foreign that you would have LOL if you were a local.  The thing is that I love the Italian language so much that it even sounds like music in my ears.  And the typical gestures many guys make along with it are even more priceless!
- I tried to find the way but loved to get lost and bumped into unexpected situations like meeting up with artist Luca in no time found his way to my heart&of my mum or when resting on bench suddenly had lovely conversation swith some colleague tourists.  And yes there were moments that I did try to hide that I was Belgian because sometimes we are not well behaving when it comes down to travel etiquette. Just keep in mind:'When in Rome do as the Romans' also counts for Firenze my dear Belgians.
- I noted down words in order to hold on to images of things, places, people, artwork, food,etc...  My Moleskine is a bit more filled up with Italian inspired words and I hope to cherish them for a very long time.
- I bought liters of water and drank it in a personal record.  The tittle of that guidebook I mentioned here before is so fitting because you just can't survive without water inside the walls of this city.  Yes, it was very pleasant to find sometimes water in unexpected places and fill up your empty waterbottle.  Chances are that I did spend more on water then on gelato!
-  I was wearing my summer wardrobe and felt great! Never before did I wear that many dresses or short skirts.  But because of the high temperatures Stallie had just no excuse.  The pictures tell enough about the outcome of this.
- I talked with my mother about many things that we the last years perhaps not had find the right time and place for.  Yes, thanks to Firenze I do know & understand myself a bit better and where I come from.  You do travel to learn!
- I looked over skyline of this magical Italian hot spot and just dreamed away and tried to picture what Firenze must have been like to live in at the time of the notorious and powerful Medici family.
- I picked out the smell I wanted Firenze to leave behind on my skin once I would open a bottle at home. The many perfumes that hit my nostrils triggered such intense emotions.  The ones that now fill up my bathroom can do the trick.
- I got sincere smiles of many locals.  Yes, some of them were men who did just did seem to have walked out of on Armani commercial! Yes, some of them did own six packs!  The ones that I did spot in their great suits and wearing, lovely typical brown leather shoes, holding on to a tiny bouquet of white roses and dark sunglasses on their nose made almost faint.  Even my mum made then the comment:'Wow, they look so chique and sophisticated!' This qualifies then also for the ultimate Italian macho moment that I did share with my mum and enjoyed tremendously.
- I filmed my mother while she made some comments about the trip.  Still I love travelling around on this globe with her.  She is for the moment not having a very easy time but I am so grateful that before things were going to be a bit rougher on her that we did share this intense time.  Yes, she was the one wearing very stylish clothes and never leaving without a hat or wearing lipstick!
- I picked out that red bracelet made out of  sunflowers shaped pieces of fabric that many Italian women wear around their wrists. My mum declared me a bit insane that I wanted to spend money on something like that.  The thing was that I realy wanted something like that to take home and wear around my wrist to remind of that special place.  Because yes mum, I know that I will never be able to look like one of these very well groomed Italian women who always look like they are ready participate in a fashion show.  But then this was also not what I was after with this buy.
- I witnessed how a total stranger suddenly went down on his knees in front of his girlfriend and proposed to her while an orchestra was playing in front of Palazzo Vechio in twilight while there was quite a crowth.  Their faces were incredible and made fall alseep with a gigantic smile on my face.
- I wrapped those great white sheets around my cool skin that smelled lovely after that great late night shower and that tube of special shower gel I found in there. The goosebumps that were all over my body were not there because of the air conditioning.
- I opened in the mornings the window of my hotel room and did look at the dome! That view and the sounds my ears, the smells my nose, the images my eyes picked up made my heart jump for joy.  I can not describe what I felt then. It makes me cry for the moment because I dare to call it happiness and wish that I could have bottled it up for days that I will have a harder time. 
- I just let go and wandered off to places in my mind where I have not dare to go for quite some time.

Because yes, I had kind of promised myself that Italy was only going to be granted the Stallie she is on special days.  No, you were not there with me! I was there all by myself. But to be honest that was exactly what I was after! The memories that I created on this trip are mine to hold on for the rest of my life.  In case I did send you post card you might have noticed that I did not write down many words.
But you can be sure that I wrote it while my heart was singing for joy and that I did wish that many of you were sitting out there with me in total silence and that world did pass by.  Even the ones that I can not write a post card anymore or I do not have the address of because of some obvious or less obvious reasons I did write you one and mailed it.  Believe me you were there with me for some very meaningful moments on this trip but I can only guess if you would have seen, smelled, tasted, felt and picked up the same things as I did. 
I do know now what Firenze looks, sounds, smells, tastes but foremost feels like and I know now for 200% sure my love for Italy turns out to be unconditional and it is stronger then ever!  Because yes, when I crossed Ponte Vecchio I crossed something very special in my mind and in my heart! I wish you had been there with me and that we were been able to hold out for our hands.  In my mind you did and that is perhaps what counts! 

Il Ponte Vecchio Di Firenze

Gaddi mi fece; il Ponte Vecchio sono;
Cinquecent' anni giá sull' Arno pianto
Il piede, come il suo Michele Santo
Piantó sul draco. Mentre ch' io ragiono
Lo vedo torcere con flebil suono
Le rilucenti scaglie. Ha questi affranto
Due volte i miei maggior. Me solo intanto
Neppure muove, ed io non l' abbandono.
Io mi rammento quando fur cacciati
I Medici; pur quando Ghibellino
E Guelfo fecer pace mi rammento.
Fiorenza i suoi giojelli m' ha prestati;
E quando penso ch' Agnolo il divino
Su me posava, insuperbir mi sento.  

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

BE(lgian) Olympic London

Stallie is back from Italy! She already has unpacked her suitcase, downloaded the pics, the laundry is done and she has given her 'precious' Italian souvenirs their rightful spot.  David is now brighting up our kitchen.  He might end up being a distraction while cooking the pasta al dente but then I will enjoy that view imensely while chopping up mozerella di buffelo or pouring some olive oil in a frying pan.  The athletic posture this fellow puts on a show did took my breath away because once you see him he just gets under your skin.  Gigantic fellow with visible atheletic superpowers.

What brings me at an other atheletic subject: the Olympic games.  I had to miss the opening ceremony because I was already wandering in Firenze and drinking liters of water to keep up my level of fluids.  I did try to follow a bit the headlines and yes it was nice to see these Italian water polo boys jumping into a pool and going after winning score.

Still I do not feel that optimistic for the moment when covering the Olympics. I even tend to call it rather dramatic games for the Belgians.  Why? It seems that we just don't make the cutting edge! It just does not happen and yesterday even my Vigo had to retire before the end of the Olympic tournement! Well, because once more it does show so openly that sports in our nation just do not matter. We just seem not to be able to coach athletes.  Let us face it! Our nation considers sport as a nice distraction.  Not that I think that every kid with ADHD should become a Michael Phelps and not each kid has got the genes to become an athlete but Belgium just does lack the profiency on many levels to raise a generation that will be able to use their talents on the highest level.

We are just not cut out of that kind of wood and I am very sorry but the last 10 years nothing much has changed to track down talents and coach them seriously and with proficiency.  In Belgium it still the brain training that matters most then breaking a European track record because you do need back up in case you fail or when you might brake a leg or fall without funding.

 Plus be very fair, fellow country men and women we tend to treat most of the our sporty Belgians as a curiosity.  When they openly call themselves good enough to go the distance we even tend to mock them openly.  The weeks for the Olympics many people even wondered what we as nation were going to do in London.  It seems as we are a bit ashamed of ourselves.  Because let us face it we do not have someone as Usain Bolt (but know that running the 400m is still considered harder!) or gymnasts that can make your head spin wild.

It seems that we out there in the sports arena show also the rather insecure personality we carry along in our genes.  Most of Belgians that tend to show excellence are tend to be called a bit 'awkward'or 'dikke nek'!. But is Belgium a 'good' spot on this blue planet to nurture their talents? Uhm, I tend to say...no.... I am so sorry. I am very proud of where I come from and I do cherish my heritage but we do fail when it comes down to sports.

Let us face the music that if our national delegation brings home 3 medals that this will be quite okay.  We are not the USA (no basketball dream team because we did decide to even let out best field hockey player at home because 'she did not fit into the team') or we are not Team GB who did invest millions of pound sterling in their athletes to grant them their best four years of prep time (some of our athletes are still amateurs and believe me that even the army is involved in some nations to employ atheletes) and no we are defenitely not Russia or China that already has selected their best for the Olympics in the next decennium!

Is this something to be ashamed of?  No, but perhaps to the ones who dare to go out there and enter the arena deserve a bit more attention once in while and the right after care.  Lionel Cox might look as Mr Bean but the guy did face an total empty press conference hall before focussing and then scoring. Being an athelete in this nation is not very easy.  And even if you manage to win an Olympic medal the after game is sometimes a bit...how should I put it...awkward.

Does anybody remember what happened to our Olympic medal winners after they brought home their medals?  I do not consider it okay that someone like 'Fredje' Deburgraeve ended up being a shoe sales person and Annelies Bredael might have sold you a Vauxhall/Opel.

I also just read a personal comment of our big chief of Bloso who has got figured it out why our Dutch neighbours bring home so much more Olympic medals then we do.  Turns out if we would be 8 cm taller and take some more risks out there in the sports arena then we might be able to bring more medals from Brazil! Rather mission impossible because the first one is linked to our genes and the second one..euh perhaps also.

It is so awkward that I even did predict this weekend that Evi would not manage to keep her first place in the regetta race and our Jumping team who for the moment is doing pretty okay is already announcing that a medal is almost out of reach because Vigo does not agree with the rather hard underground.  The horse is about to retire and longs for long  beach walks.   'We do not have two very good horses like other nations.'   Nope, we don't but many of the horses that are competing out there are born in our tiny nation.  We  have just decided to sell them to the highest bidder.

Belgium is not a nation known for athletes! Even our so Miss Symphatico Kim Clijsters found it out after being denied a wild card for mixed doubles.  You can bet that does sting!  But that is who we are!  But it is not easy having to face a total empty press hall when you would love to answer some intelligent questions about your sport once you made to the Olympic games.  After all these ladies and gentlemen did pass the Olympic exam! They did face hours of hard training, of overcoming dissapointment, failure, winning, losing, injuries, pain, joy, etc and most of did this all by theirselves.

Many Belgian athletes face the loneliness out there! It is their faith and I guess that it does make them stronger.  Competitive edge is not a word cut out for us!  Many Belgian athletes have been so used at training and figuring it out on their own that if they get to the Olympics that we wonder how the got there.  Practice, years and years of practice and feeling the passion for something that they truely love.  But they combine it in most cases with a college study or a profession that they stay true  amateurs.

Yes, Stallie did wonder as well if it wouldn't be better to invest my tax-money in research and education instead of sponsoring an Olympic athelete.  It makes me who I am: deep inside I am also a very Flemisch and do I tend to forget to think a bit more positive.  Yes, I am rather envious of Team GB who now wins the one medal after the other and I would love to see many of our Belgian athletes perform well.  But in our present context we just seem having to settle for top 10 spots and perhaps one unexpected medal.

Stallie will keep on wearing proudly her red t-shirt she bought to support those Belgian olympic athletes.  Just live the moment out there! And all other Olympic athletes  that already having it made to London are also worth an extra hand of applause.  In case you run, jump, ride, swim, row, cycle or make other olympic movements while coming across one of these modest Belgian athletes please smile,wave or even pinch them!  Because chances are that they might think that they are still dreaming and forget to live the moment!! After all the emotions we get to witness while the Olympic flame is burning are unforgetable intense!

P.S.: by the time I did finish this entry our Belgian Evi Van Acker won the bronze medal in sailing.  Very happy for her because 4 years ago this very bubbling personality did come back with some shattered Olympic dreams.  And if you come to think of it does it take Usain Bolt about 9 seconds to win an Olympic race and Evi had to keep focused and find the right wind for her sails for about 9 long days.  That does make it a completely different race! Congrats Evi!!!  Way to sail to Olympic glory! 

Click here for a very nice selection of pics take sometimes very close up! Enjoy!

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/08/london_2012_olympics_one_week.html

And to play along with the pics one of the best Olympic sounds ever or at least in my humble personal opinion.

Olympic Horses in London

London 2012 is almost a fact and Stallie is totaly fired up for such an Olympic event.  I then change into a person who wants to find out everything there is about a sport.  Yes, I cheer many of them on and when they have date with history then I am genuiely happy for them.  Because after all the Olympic Games are still something special.  Many of the athletes that will come in action in the following 3 weeks have been longing perhaps for this event longer then we can ever imagine.  It is the icing on the cake!
 
The thing is that this year I will be hanging out somewhere else while many of the best of the best will perform there in London.  I will be in a city where I have been longing for and this for a very long time. It has been on my wish list of places I wanted to visit for sure in my life.  When the Olympic flame will enlighten the British capital I will be having a Martini Bianco on a terrace or a 'gelato' for dessert.  Firenze is calling and I can't wait to fill up my suitcases with my Summer wardrobe!  Yes, I even bought 3 dresses in order to survive the Italian sun! Not that I will forget to take along my sun lotion ph50 in order to come out unharmed!  Stallie and sun do not agree always.

This means that I will miss some Olympic highlights and that I  will have to catch up once I am back from my 'Room with a view'-holiday in 'la dolce Italia'.  And therefor I already leave out here  an Olympic entry.  Because Stallie wishes to express her admiration very openly for one kind of athlete that will be out there pursuing the Olympic fame and glory .   It is the kind of athlete that we tend to forget.

Because let us be honest in the first place we think of people when we think of athletes.  Bet that Usain Bolt,  Michael Phelps,  the Dream Team (US basketball players),  Rodger Federer are just a few that pop up randomly in your head.  I mean how many of you have been thinking of Chippieh, Rubi, Kenny, D'Niro, Painted Black, Vrieda O?  How many of you have been thinking of horses when hearing the words Olympic athlete?

Some of these athletes will have to run very fast, others will have to be able to jump with precission and others will have to perform a kür with perfection and there will even be a few who will have to combine all of this in what we call eventing.  And they will do this in most cases in a very focused state, or with grace or perfection.  It are these athletes that I will be cheering on.  Because let us be honest we tend to forget them that they are out there during these 3 Olympic weeks.

I can't wait to see some of these very special animals in action.  Some have been on boats, planes and trains and trucks to get to their Olympic stables.  If I come to think of it , they even have to overcome jetlag and in some cases even first have to go in quarantaine before they allowed out to perform.

Do I have a special reason to be so into horses?  Well, it is not that I ride myself a horse. At least not anymore.  There was a time I did but then there comes this moment that you need to make choices. I then did prefer ballet slippers above some shiny riding boots.  But still, the love for the horse is still there and I do try to keep it alive and kicking! 

I have had tons of kids in my classroom who just went in overdrive once the did hear the word 'horse'.  Some of these 'special ed' children were able to get me back into the world of horses.  Because in the world of special ed, horses have gained a very special spot.  Especialy in the world of children with autism.   I challenge you to google 'equine assisted therapy' and there will open up a whole new world you might not have known the existence of.   The first time I did hear of it was during my special ed teaching training. The positive side effects I saw in my pupils after being allowed near a horse for a few hours made me as a teacher become aware that a horse can make a difference in the live of many childeren.

Horses can also trigger something in Stallie her mind.  Some of you might now how far the love goes. And no, it is not only because of Mr Darcy being so handsome on a horse in 'Pride&Prejudice'! Nope! It does go a bit further then that.  They inspire me and do so much more then I can express out here. Yes, they have been part of my childhood. A happy time where I got to meet up with gigantic big mares by the lovely names like Mephisto, Fiber and my favorite and most loyal friend Pedro.  Vividly I remember the smell of leather that hit my nose and crispy sound of the saddle that my ears did pick up once I got into the saddle.  Also the very special sensation I felt like once that animal moved.  The world looked quite different from up there.

The fact that your feet are from the ground and that you have to let go so to speak is quite a challenge.  Yes, I did fall of them and I can tell you that it did frighten me. The funny thing was that I never did hesistate to get back right away into the stirrups and that the trust was still there once we were linked back together. Strange what a horse manages you to do!

I also remember how the older ones got to ride their favorite horse into the woods and when they came back they all looked so happy and content. Like the had been on ride through paradise. Also as a kid I always envied the horse riders that I got to see in action during the evenings out at the beach!  The way the water was splashed up by them running through it made me already feeling a bit more refreshed.

Now, I could go on for hours about horses and even start to mention some very historical horses like Bucephalus (Alexander the Great), Marengo (Napoleon), Copenhagen (Duke of Wellenington) and Traveller (General Robert E. Lee.). There is also the endless list of fictional horses that did add some speed to a good story or two: Frou-Frou (the race horse of count Vronsky in 'Anna Karenina'), Shadowfax ( Gendalf his white stalion 'the lord of all horses' in 'Lord of the Rings), Hengroen ( the loyal King Arthur's horse), the Trojan Horse (a gift that won't be easily forgotten!) and the so funny horse Jolly Jumper (who always puts up with the cartoon cowboy Lucky Luke) , 'My Little Pony' (the plastic toy horse that colored up my room and even took along to bed!)and the list could go on and on...

But there is also the troubled horse, the horse that did come across trauma one way or other and needs time to find back its balance. Some of the Olympic athletes with shining riding boots might have come or come sooner or later across some kind of horse like this.   Top of the bill in that category is the fictional horse by the name of Pilgrim.  This horse introduced us into the rather mystical and hard to understand world of horse whisperers.  Yes, horses can get traumatized and then the rider and its companion seem to be lost together. The voyage they then have to embark on is one that is comparble to chasing after Olympic gold.  They are both lost and chances are that they might not find back the balance they once had.  That is if they are not prepared to put back trust in each other.  Use also all the patience and faith you would put in your best friend.   It will cost tears and sweat to find back that one beat you after to make it work out there together as one team. 

So I guess that are reasons enough for me, Stallie to cheer on a bit louder for the olympic horses. Because believe it or not it is not only the rider who needs to qualify.  No also the horse needs to qualify. If the horse falls out for one reason or an other then the game is over.  So the bondage that you will see at work is the result of some very hard work.  The athletes in the saddle don't take it for granted, they are fully aware of how fragile this all is.  Some horses might already get not unharmed out of the transport phase.  What will for sure hurt and believe me that then the equestrian will suffer as well.

One of the best passages I ever read about horses and people also comes from 'The Horse Whisperer' by Nicolas Evans:
"If you want the horse to do something you begin by letting the horse know it is okay to be a horse. Not your version of what you think you need. It is about understanding who you are and respecting your place with one another.  To have that kind of acceptance requires a certain degree of spirtuality.",
(said by the character Tom Booker)
I am pretty sure that many horselovers are fully aware of what this means.  The energiefield that gets activated between a rider and horse is not always visible to the untrained eye of the audience. But I am sure that the Olympic riders who are now preparing their teammates know what Tom Booker tries to tell us.   

So ladies and gentleman, Stallie is putting all her fictional fortune on these Olympic Belgian horses by names of: Dunkas-A, Cyrano, Gazelle de Brasserie, Nepal du Sudre, Donnerfee, Lully de Aulnes, Valentina Van 't Heike, Bufero van het Panishof, Cadjanine Z and for sure Vigo d' Arsouilles, the world champ jumping who will retire after these London Olympic Games.  (If I have forgotten someone, then please forgive me!)

In case you have managed to obtain Olympic tickets have a great time!  I do envy you and for sure if it are tickets to see some of the above horses in action.   Wasn't it after all an Englishman who once made an English king, Richard III say:'My kingdom for a horse.'? Well, Shakespeare would for sure be hanging out at Greenwich Park in Olympic London.  Still, in these Olympic times this sentence won't be used ironically because in order to reach for the Olympic dream the horse is essential!   Good luck, Belgian riders and enjoy the Olympic ride!  You will be cheered on by Zeus and you beloved team mate with a saddle will have Pegasus! What an Olympic combo!

And take a deep look into the eyes of the horse here above. You might be starring into the eyes of an Olympic athlete!

P.S.: Also get well soon to Mensa G, the horse of Olympic horse rider Carl Bouckaert who did get injured during the transport to London! Let them take good care of him at the Olympic stables! 

 Because my love for horses can't be just 'framed' in one clip I post here two:

1. My favorite scene of 'The Horse Whisperer'.   That Robert Redford got to play 'Tom Booker' made me just smile. Plus I do like the character Annie in this one also a great deal.  She finally finds her way back to her own 'stable' with the help of the mysterious horse whisperer.





2. Yes, I dare to admit it here openly that I sometimes even sit down to watch 'Amika'. And I do sing these songs along as well.