Blogging Meme

Starting off the new year with a blogging meme which was started by @vanschaijik on twitter, then passed on to @1MvdS to @PalmyTeacher who tagged me lol. Rules are:

• Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
• Share 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
• List 11 bloggers.
• Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer, and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated.  Don't nominate a blogger who has nominated you.

A good opportunity to try out my new MacBookAir ;) #moredevicesthanbrains in this house... (my non-techoholic friends just shake their heads, but there will be a few techoholics out there like me who will understand... I hope...)

Thanks Sonya, Marnel van der Spuy, and Stephen Baker for tagging me ;)

Here are 11 random facts about me:

1. I grew up in a small town in Germany.
2. I met my husband while we were both playing in an orchestra
3. Most of my / our time before coming to New Zealand was spent playing (and teaching) music yet:
4. None of our three sons play an instrument
5. At school I learnt Latin for 8 years (complete waste of time in my opinion) and English for 5 years
6. I also went to Hungarian classes as an adult.
7. While I did quite well academically, I disliked school and chose to become a teacher because of this
8. "Techoholic" must be a genetic condition: My late dad was known in our family as 'Mr. Excel', my mum has a qualification in multimedia design and my younger brother has lived on the computer for as long as I can remember. I am married to a former network administrator, my oldest son wants to be a programmer, and right now the youngest wants to work in gaming.
9. I have had 10 education related jobs since coming to NZ almost 17 years ago (I think!)
10. In my free time I quilt (and blog at http://monika-quiltingjourney.blogspot.co.nz/)
11. My house keeping skills are very limited (or maybe just poorly practised??)

Answers to Stephen's questions:

1. Favourite memory as a child - spending time with the kids in our semi-rural neighbourhood, roaming the streets, orchards, fields, coming home only for meals :)
2. If I could, I would live in a place of eternal summer - nothing colder than the Far North of New Zealand will do! While the children still depend on us, it would be (unlike now) close to an urban centre with choices and opportunities for their education and out-of-school activities plus choices of jobs for us. Once they no longer depend on us, rural (like now) would be fine again.
3. Favourite person: I am not sure I have just one! There's lots of people I like and admire, in different fields and for different reasons! Love my hubby - he is definitely No. 1: He works hard (at work and at home), does anything he can to support me e.g. when I have to go away for work, and keeps me with my feet on the ground when I come up with silly ideas :)
4. Most inspiring teachers: There have been a few, usually women, usually older than me, often started out as superior / teacher / tutor and ended up becoming my friends. The first one was Hanna Feist, my flute tutor, who also influenced my thinking a lot. I was lucky to catch up with her when I went back to Germany in July (first time in 12 years).
5. Change one thing about your work place: I wish I wouldn't have to spend so much time on the road!!!
6. 3 favourite apps: Popplet, Puppet Pals HD, Write about this (watch this space...)
7. If I won 1 Mio. Dollars... I would have to think about this lol. I absolutely love the work, but there are times when it is very hard to juggle it with family life (see qus 2 & 5!)
8. Spare time - what is that?? I love being creative, I try to spend a lot of time in my sewing room. I need to spend more time with the kids while they are 'little' (9, 11 and 13), and I have started doing some much needed exercise.
9. Most proud of hmmm... the obvious one to say would be my children, but I think it's more than that. I was a difficult teenager, and mum said at some stage there were times when she despaired if any of us would ever amount to anything lol. I think my husband and I can be proud of what we have achieved, moved half-way around the world, built up our life here, have a beautiful home, 3 great sons, are in jobs we enjoy :) I have no aspirations of being famous (though rich would sound quite nice lol), just to be happy and do well at what I am doing - so I think I can be proud of this.
10. Dinner with 3 people: Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, Kate Sheppard. I think there would be fascinating dinner conversations!
11. 3 things I want to achieve in 2014: Better work-life balance, loose weight & get fitter, greater job certainty!

Now it's your turn! I tag @CatrionaPene, @kasseylee11, @mrs_hyde, @TeahuaPark, @EstherC, @gmacmanus, @PascalDresse, @ReidHns1, @traintheteacher, @CaroBush, @DianaWilkes. Sorry if you have already been tagged, working on my #11 (work-life balance) hence not following twitter all that closely at the moment!

Looking forward to reading your answers!

Oops, I almost forgot my questions:

1) What do you remember about your first day at school?

2) What made your favourite teacher your favourite?

3) Which skill you learnt at school do you find most useful?

4) How do you switch off from work?

5) Think of your most memorable students: What is the gender balance between those you remember for good and those you remember for less good reasons?

6) What advice do you give a young person at the verge of choosing your profession?

7) What can you do to overcome your currently greatest challenge at work?

8) Why do you tweet and blog?

9) What is the most important thing you learnt from using social media for professional purposes?

10) If you went to Mars, which 3 people would you take?

11) Please share a book title you are currently reading and give it a rating out of 10 (1=awful, 10=awesome)

THANKS!!!