My birthday in Singapore

Waking up in Singapore for my birthday - what a treat! Can hardly believe we have a day of MAGIC in store... Off we set on the hop on hop off bus for the guided bus tour! When we arrived at the marina we hopped off and went on the Singapore flyer! 

How awesome to have 360degree views all around Singapore! And I really do seem to have gotten over my fear of heights to a degree! A gelato down by the water then back on the bus for the rest of the tour and back to the hotel to get ready for the big night out!!! 

A taxi ride across town and we arrived at 1-altitude! Wow! Up the elevator 61 flights, then transfer into another lift for one more flight and we arrived on the triangular glass edged roof of 1 Raffles Place! 360 degree views from ever so much higher than the flyer!  We were greeted by our host Raymond who made us feel like royalty from the moment we stepped onto the rooftop! He took heaps of photos of us and seated us at a table in the middle over looking the harbour!!! He recommended starters for us and bought us a beer and a long island iced tea! Then when he found out it was my birthday he really started the princess treatment! He bought over a birthday cake and the staff gathered round and sang along with the band then they asked everyone to clap... and the band dedicated a song to me! Very emotional.... As the sun set over Singapore the lights and colours changed.... Pure MAGIC! Watching the laser light display over the marina was amazing. Music, laughter, warm breeze, stunning views, what more we ask for. We had possibly the most amazing night of our lives! Gorgeous dinner and many yummy cocktails later... That sure is a birthday I will remember for ever... 

Day 11 - Rome to Singapore

Down to the dining room for a last breakfast in Rome and it was great to catch up with a few of the crew again! At 8am Flavio took Robert, Arnick, Grant and I to the airport. We ably negotiated check in, security, passport control, the train to the gate, duty free shopping and even caught up with Irene and Bill again just before we departed! 

Onto the flight with grandiose plans of sleeping all the way.... Not a chance.... Sleep eludes me! Movie watching, blogging and eating broke the trip up and at 11.30 pm as we flew over Delhi at 12,000 metres I was shocked to receive a stunning birthday cake and 2 glasses of champagne! WOW what a surprise! The lovely hostess asked me who it was from.. I can only assume the wonderful Jenny  organised this as well! How overwhelming and how incredibly special! This was followed up nicely with a Singapore sling... Agh MAGIC... but one hour to go on a 12 and a half hour flight and sleep still eludes me! 

We arrive into Singapore at 5.30am and I am guessing we can't check into our hotel til 2pm so this could well be a very long day.... 

Well how wrong could I be? We got the shuttle to the hotel and arrived at 7.30am and they took be look at us and said we could check in then to get some sleep.... Bliss.... Three hours of slee then we were upgraded to a suite on the top floor... Very impressed with this service...

All settled into room then took courtesy coach into the heart of the city - a mere 15 minutes away -  and we had a wonderful walk around the mall and orchard road! Absolutely overwhlemed by the heat and the humidity... Back to the hotel for dinner and drinks... Day one in Singapore - awesome!

Day 10 - Assisi to Oriveto to Rome

We awoke in Assisi to a fog covered valley, very picturesque! After a wonderful breakfast together we boarded the bus and headed for Orvieto to extend our modes of transport... 

We travelled up to this hil top town in a funicular, then a minibus then walked to the main plaza? Down the street to a wonderful morning tea of exquisite patisseries and a delicious caffe latte! A tour of the Absolutely amazing Church followed then time to shop and eat! I finally bought myself a gorgeous leather handbag - yes - you guessed it - orange! I love it! After a walk back down the hill to board the funicular then onto the coach for our trip back to Rome! We arrived at our stunning hotel to find it has an enormous swimming pool so in we went! Oh my goodness how beautiful it is to be in the water in this intense heat! After an amazingly relaxing time at the pool it was time to get dressed for the last night

 Opera entertainment! Off we headed in the bus, but a short distance into the journey and it became obvious that the traffic was incredibly busy, until we got close to the stadium and you simply couldn't move, there was a Peche Mode concert in... Eventually Flavio was able to negotiate the bus away from the jam and we arrived quite late.,, to a crowd of 200 awaiting the start so the Opera and we were seated right at the very front! Seated and the show and the dinner began! What an incredible experience and an incredible mix of Opera and comedy, very entertaining. A cast of four sung three scenes and interacted and entertained us all! I hope the pictures help to tell the story! real highlights were singing Happy Birthday to Kay, all of the cast, and will and Jisille up dancing! a truly memorable last night in Rome! 

Back to the hotel for many of the farewells, then a large number of us headed down to e bar for a last drink, chat and reflection on an incredible journey we've been on together! It was very very interesting to hear everyone's highlights. Aida, Flavio, Globus, thank you for a truly MAGICAL experience! 

Day 9 - Leaving Venice, Heading for Assisi

Waking up in Venice again... Bliss! Another stunning breakfast in the waterfront then we were collected by water taxi from right off the breakfast deck! Surreal.. 

Soooo sad to be leaving Venice! I sure do hope to return one day! 

Across the water back on the bus and off to Ravena where we visited the Basilica and St Appolinus in Classe. 

Very beautiful and another stunningly hot day although Aida has warned us that the weather forecast for later in the day is for showers. And indeed the showers arrived as we travelled towards Assisi. 

We arrived in the rain and it was hilarious to see us all rush off to buy umbrellas, especially as the rain never really came to much. We checked into our amazing hotel on the hill then off to meet our tour guide Maura. What an amazingly quaint, cute unique ancient town on the hill too! We visited St Francis Basillica! WOW how amazing to hear the story of St Francis from our very passionate tour guide! What an amazing chapel within a chapel! Simply stunning artworks, ornate sculptures and artworks telling the history of the place. Off up the street we went to learn more of the history. It is completely surreal to stand by a facade from 1 BC, to see the wells and the fountains and the first washing well... Absolutely gorgeous little streets and doors everywhere! Great shopping for yet more souvenirs and gifts and back to the hotel in time to shower and dress for dinner! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together then a wonderful nightcap on the balcony overlooking the valley.... Stunning!

"We make the road by walking..."

Today I have the privilege of reading around Reggio Emilia. I want to capture quotes as I go, to help shape and record my thinking:
The fundamentals of the Reggio Approach are:

• Children as:
• protagonists;
• collaborators;
• communicators

• Environment as:
• third teachers;

• Teachers as:
• partners, nurtures, guides;
• researchers;

• Documentation as:
• communication;

• Parents as:
• partners...

I love the phrase... "the transformative power of education based on dialogue and critical inquiry."

"The way to do something is to start doing it and learn it."  "The question for me is how is it possible for us, in the process of making the road, to be clear and to clarify our OWN making of the road".  (from conversations between Myles Horton and Paulo Freire (1990).)

It is crucial for us to clarify our own identity, culture, way of being, before we copy the ways of another.  

A way to begin could be with an in-depth look at the following:

1. What children deserve;
2. What families deserve;
3. What staff deserve.

And adding 'why'? 

The Hundred Languages of Children

I am really excited by my new learning today!  Indeed, I want to hold onto the phrase "We make the road by walking..."

Reference: 

Caldwell, L.B. (1997). Bringing Reggio Emilia Home. New York: Teachers College Press

Carter, M. (2009). Doing Reggio?