May 20th
Today was a busy day! We woke up early and got ready and of course ate breakfast. Around 9:10 Elena (an English teacher of the agricultural institute-high school) picked us up to take us to her school. She had arranged everything for us to go to her class and talk with her students. She even went the extra mile to post it in the school schedule that is posted at the entrance.
When we arrived the students were so well behaved and they asked us questions and we asked them questions. We visited two classes, they both did very well with their English. I had the group read the book to me and they did great! They may have thought that the children's book was silly because they were in high school but it turns out that their way of teaching is very strict. So being able to see and experience something out of their norm was great and fun for them. Also, even though we know they are in high school, we sung them a song. We sung to them "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". We did this exact lesson with the children in the elementary school and they loved it. Since the high schoolers, were able to get up and dance and sing, the activity was fun for them too. Everybody participated! At the end, they even surprised us. They decided to sing a song to us.
Once finished, Elena took us on a tour to Cogne. She took us to see the Pont D' Ael an Augustan Age Bridge. We even walked across it and through it.
After the bridge we headed to Cogne. On the way to the national park, we saw water falls, great views of the mountain, hiking trails along the way, and much more. When we got to the park, we walked for about 20 minutes. It was really cold and windy for me. I had no jacket ( Oh, yea! That is what I forgot to pack! Duh!)
After walking and seeing the beautiful mountains and taking picture, we headed for a little tour of a very nice and fancy hotel! Elena's cousin greeted us and was a great host. I had the most wonderful hot chocolate. That hot chocolate sure did warm me up! After giving us great information about the area, she had someone give us a tour of the hotel. The rooms were amazing. All of the rooms they showed use were different. The spa looked like it was great. There were lots of paintings and gorgeous decorations. Oh they even showed us the cheese cave. The cheese cave is where they keep their cheese stored for 2 or 3 years, until it is ready. Boy did that room smell funny! 
Lastly, dinner at "The Crazy Cow", mmmmmm I don't think I will order polenta anymore! Polenta is very similar to grits but the maiz substance has A LOT of cheese. The maiz substance is good but the cheese or fondue not so great! Nope, not at all! I tried to eat it but nope I couldn't do it. After dinner we said bye to Elena and I thanked her for all that she has done for us!
I also enjoyed the high school students. Their reaction to our songs and books made me realize there is really not such a difference between this age group and elect army children. They really enjoyed Where's Walrus, but also Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. They liked the temporary tattoos like younger children! I am so glad I picked those up at the NCTE convention in Nov. even though Inwas not sure what I would do with them back then!
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