Blog Title

As many of you know, in a few short days I will be heading to Uganda to complete the first nine weeks of my student teaching.  I will be using my blog as a space to reflect on and share my experiences both in and out of the classroom while I am there.  So here goes one long, but seemingly necessary first post...!

First off, I would like to explain the origin of my blog's title- "Every day is a bonus."  Here is the story behind it: 

Always looking for something fun to do in Milwaukee, Nick (my boyfriend), asked me if I wanted to attend a movie premier at Miller Park.  He told me the movie was called "Honor Flight," and that the premier was in the running for a World Record for the biggest movie premier ever- cool, huh?!  So with that information alone, I agreed to go.  The event was incredible, and no words can do justice to the atmosphere of the event.  But I can try.  We got to Miller Park and I was taken aback by all the red, white, and blue that surrounded us.  It was as if everyone there was dressed for Grams' 4th of July Parade! And lucky for me, I had my Mom's completely obnoxious American flag windbreaker in the car from Super Hero Week at work where I dressed as Captain America!  I threw the windbreaker on and we headed into Miller Park.  The event began with several speakers, who spoke about the production of the movie and more importantly the WWII veterans that the event and movie honored.  There were numerous standing ovations and several times that the audience, including myself, teared up.  And all of this before the movie even began? Needless to say, the tears returned at various times throughout the movie itself, as it was completely moving and emotional to not only hear the story, but to sitting there among so many veterans.  The event is described on the website as follows: 

"Field of Honor is a once-in-a-generation event that seeks to re-unite these veterans one last time. To honor these men and women, Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, in partnership with Freethink Media, has produced Honor Flight. The feature length film captures the stories, spirit and wisdom of living WWII veterans...before it's too late. All proceeds from Field of Honor will ensure that Stars and Stripes Honor Flight can continue to fly veterans to Washington DC to see the memorials that stand in their honor." (http://starsandstripeshonorflight.org/index.php). 

So what does this completely American event have to do with my upcoming student teaching in Uganda you ask? Throughout the movie, the phrase "Every day is a bonus" was repeated over and over again. It was something one of the veterans said when speaking about a near-death experience. With Uganda just around the corner, all I could think of was how much I could relate to this phrase. First, with just two weeks left to spend with my family and friends before I left, I was feeling just that, that every day spent with them was a bonus. But in addition, I started thinking about the amazing experience that awaits me in Uganda and how every day there will truly be a bonus. And so, when I had to entitle my blog, the choice was easy.  

Here is a picture from the event. 

I have decided that this post is plenty long, and that tomorrow I will post the details of my time in Uganda.  Stay tuned!