The long road to Monaco

The week was already off to a good start.  Early Sunday morning, we received the text that school was cancelled because of the 50^th anniversary of Kuwait’s constitution.  The timing was perfect.  During the previous week we had the school’s accreditation process while at the same time students were making up tests from the Eid holiday and getting ready for the end of the quarter.  It was a week filled with too many meetings to count, anxious college applicants, and numerous differences of opinion.  We were mentally and physically tired.  So, to have a day to do a whole lot of nothing was gift.  We slept in, went to the gyms, watched tv, racked a batch of wine, and pretty much nothing else. 

I am now in the Principality of Monaco, for my first Council of International Schools (CIS) conference.  My ticket in was the submission of a workshop proposal entitled “Addressing the Emotional Needs of College Applicants”, which was surprisingly accepted.  It should be nothing new to these folks but I hope to spin the paradigm a bit in which we work.  That will happen tomorrow.  Today, I had the great pleasure to explore this tiny country, which I can pretty much navigate on foot from the hotel. 

Right away this trek outside of Kuwait was different than any other.  I arrived at the airport at 11 pm to find no one there, and a general calm which is in stark contrast to how it usually is. I settled into the Pearl Lounge and once again gave thanks for having secured a Diner’s Club card that gave me access. It is really is a more sophisticated way to travel  especially with the prospect of flying business class outside my grasp.  Likewise, the plane was not full, and for the first time in recent memory, I was able to stretch out over an entire row.  That meant that I actually got to sleep for a few hours, which in itself was remarkable.  Furthermore, arriving at the Frankfurt airport was a pleasant surprise.  At 5:30 am, it was incredibly quiet and I was able to find a quiet dark corner.  I forewent the lounge as it is requires switching terminals and going through passport control twice.  I just was not up to it today.  It remained dark outside until about 7:30 and the temperature was just below freezing!

We arrived in Nice in the late morning.  Flying over the Alps was spectacular and coming into the French Riviera was just as you might imagine - yachts and sailboats dotting the harbors, the clear waters of the Meditteranen, and  steep mountains reaching down to the seas.  Open space is at a premium, and buildings seems to be built on top of each other.  

I was happy to see Ross, a veteran counselor from Kuwait who I knew another conference, and Leslie, my former boss from Simon's Rock College.  After the hour bus ride from Nice, Isettled in to the Hotel Columbus, a small boutique hotel on the waterfront.  I love the view from my room and I'll leave the window open for the first time since leaving the Berkshires.  It was sunny and pleasantly warm, a nice change from the dusty heat of Kuwait and the grey dampness of Frankfurt.

Found a small cafe to eat a late lunch at in the Old City (which is closed to cars and features pedestrian only alleys and streets) and then walked around for a few hours.  It is all very French, and awfully expensive.  Foregoing dinner, I am now getting things ready for the conference and the presentation tomorrow.