Greetings! I am currently stuck here in Greece for my Winter Break, which was unexpected. However, one benefit of being stranded here is that I now have more time to catch up on many personal and work-related projects. One of which, is sharing a new blog or two! Please bear with me as I am now working backward and sharing some past trips and memories. I like to use this blog as more of a personal journal, to document my memories, experiences, and photos; and if anyone else has an interest in hearing about these adventures, read away!
Last month, I traveled to The Hague, in the Netherlands for the AMIS Conference (Association for Music in International Schools). This quick trip was nothing less than meaningful and memorable. I hopped on a short flight from Athens to Amsterdam, followed by a smooth and easy train ride from Amsterdam to The Hague.
I was not only attending this Music Educators’ conference, but I also was going to present my very own workshop! I felt like this was huge for my career. To be freshly 27 years old, traveling to attend AND present at one of the world’s largest international Music Education conferences… I was very stressed and nervous, yet I found this entire experience thrilling and worth it.
As soon as I set foot at The American School of The Hague, I started feeling excited. I felt almost giddy to finally, after over four years as a music educator, finally, finally able to attend an in-person conference; let alone an international in-person conference! I also had an anxious feeling when I stepped into the space I was assigned for my presentation. However, that wasn’t going to stop me!
As you can see from the visual that the conference provided me above, I presented on a topic that I am quite passionate about – how I use projects in my middle school general music class to empower students to take ownership of their learning. I created and shared an hour-long workshop that was informative and interactive. It was such a valuable experience! I was definitely in over my comfort zone, speaking to other professionals that have been teaching internationally as long as I’ve been alive, but it was such a worthwhile experience. I’m thankful I took the initiative to apply for this presentation opportunity.
The majority of this trip revolved around the AMIS Conference, however, I did have a few pockets of downtime. The first thing I did was meet up with some friends from my hometown! The Andreasens were involved in my community of Sheboygan, WI growing up and we were connected in various and numerous ways. They live in The Hague, and Jennie’s school was the host for the conference. It was great to feel a local Sheboygan connection while 4,000 miles away from home, what a small world we truly live in!
One evening after a day spent in workshops and growing as professionals, there was a social gathering that took place in the center area of The Hague. The walk was absolutely beautiful.
I enjoyed seeing the ‘predictable’ sights, including windmills and canals. They were breathtaking!
Before I knew it, my four-day weekend trip came to an end and I returned safely back to my apartment in Athens, Greece.
I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity. I felt like I grew as a professional in an incredible way. I had many ‘takeaways’ from this conference that I have already implemented into my everyday teaching. The AMIS family was so welcoming, especially as a ‘first-time attendee’. I hope to stay active in this amazing group and attend the next conference that will be taking place in Croatia in 2023!
Thanks for reading.
❤️
~Anna
Anna Abroad 