Marathon? Who's running a marathon?

Friday morning came way to early as the Bosiak clan loaded the car and headed for Virginia to meet up with the marathon runner - Nick! Coffee wasn't enough and by about daylight, the fog was dense and the driving was interesting! Take a look at the pictures from that morning and the video of the fog rolling across the road! It was a perfect Halloween type setting!
ok... working on the video, but the pictures are pretty sweet!

Oh My! New followers ! I am really getting stoked now!!  So, Bosiak got this science award thingie and she will be very difficult to live with the next few days!!   Not only that, but she said she was going to take a picture of the award with the kids in her classes...... geesh. Wait a minute, does that mean I get to go back to school and hang out with those great kids? Whoo Hoo!!! 

I really think it is important to discuss the benefits of doing an earthquake drill. But before I do that, can you give me two reasons why we should have an earthquake drill?

No guesses on my questions? Ah how sad! the answer to the first question is a leech and the answer to the second question is a human from a bug's perspective. Off later today to watch the Wolfpack band bring home a first place trophy............ hope others will do the same. It is getting closer and closer to my Canadian trip. I wonder if anyone knows what I will have to take with me when I travel to another country or what kinds of questions that they will ask me when I get to the customs stop?

I know that I am just a wee sock monkey, but someone needs to say something to me.... I feel like I am talking to myself!!! So here is a little question or two to get us going:

What heals bruises by sucking them away?

What creature is at least 10 times bigger than most bugs; is almost hairless; poops and pees in the same place ( like the same special spot) ; has sweat seeping from its body ; covers the sweat with wax, plants, ashes, and fats ; and are quite ferocious?

Post your guesses!

What a great success from an awesome group of people.............
     I was a bit nervous showing up at school with a bunch of folks wearing orange, I mean I am blue and I sure wouldn't fit in. But, it was Unity Day and boy did I fit in! Bosiak's students all wanted to hold me in the picture and they even let Montee and Lil' Cosee sit in on it too.............. The wolves made a splash of color and made everyone proud of them as they showed by wearing all that orange thta they were celebrating differences and that each person meant something!! More later, but I wanted to get all the super photos online so we could share them.

Hi again, Cosee here!  A bit of a side post this evening! Tomorrow , Oct 10th is Unity Day, a continuing part of anti-bullying month. The most excellent school Lincolnton High School is now a Project Unify School and so they are celebrating everyone's differences as pluses........... join them all in wearing orange! I am hunting my orange now and will show you tomorrow what I have found. Take lots of pictures of the sea of orange, and post them so that I can steal them and make them part of history forever on this blog!! See you tomorrow!  Welcome to all new followers , including Boo-Boo Pop!!

Post from Cosee: The air has a definite crispness to it and while I am so so happy that I will be watching Nick race; I am exactly that - happy I will be watching Nick race. My idea of visiting the northern country is hanging out with friends, having a latte and enjoying the falls. By the way: does any one know how the falls were made? I mean , they are pretty awesome and I was just wondering. Check out this picture that my friend Bosiak took last time we were there.

So it was this really really cold day and my hands got stuck to the viewer........ and they left me hanging there......... I mean really!!!  But the view was incredible and although Steve lost my hat in the river, I would go back in a heartbeat!!  More coming soon!

The beginning of the second phase starts in DC. Cosee wasn't there with me except in spirit, but he got his stomp on with Flat Alex. That was probably not a very global perspective, but he is a sock monkey and will need to be shown the correct way of doing things. Cosee's and my next adventure will be to Canada and I invite you all to follow along as we get into mischief and have a good time with our neighbors to the north!!

............up and showered by 6 am?

Tuesday -
    It is quite sunny out this morning , but very dark clouds are on the horizon. Does this mean rain? Kolkata really needs it! Breakfast was lovely as always - watermelon, mango and cantalope ; the most intense multigrain bread I have ever eaten and my ever present cappucino. Today was especially pleasant because the servers could bring me one ( yesterday the machine was broken and they were so upset and apologized profusely). Such a small thing , but such great joy for all of us! Government school today in the morning; Brian will do his classroom teaching today and then we will be privvy to another cultural presentation. I really do love these!
  Arrived at school and was welcomed with morning ma'am and morning auntie! It makes me smile to see these great kids. As soon as we check in we were headed to the Loretto School on the opposite side of town. Whoo Hoo!! another taxi ride. The inside of the Loretto School is beautiful , with child painted murals everywhere showing flowers and nature. Great way to contrast the stark absence of the same just outside the walls and gate. This is an all girls' school with very deep ties to the U.N.. I noticed the teachers are very dedicated , but experience the same frustrations as we do. THe pride of this school is their Rainbow Programme. These are girls of all ages that have been brought in from the streets and provided with food, shelter, clothing, health care and education. the tradition girls work with these children and the school feels that both gain. The Loretto School is responsible for teacher training as well and they are working hard at providing inquiry training and techniques.
    The taxi ride to and from the Loretto School was probably the hottest thing I have ever experienced in my life!!!!! The sweat was unbelievable and I felt that I had been swimming, I was so drenched. Once back at Soma's school we ate chicken parcels for lunch and then went to the auditorium for a cultural programme featuring the music and songs of Tagore. It is hardto believe that our time here is nearly finished. One more day and then we will be off to Delhi.

A bit more sightseeing this afternoon ; Victoria Memorial and some brief shopping. I think I am getting a cold - sneezing and runny nose. Maybe it is just nerves, since I have to present to the 1science department tomorrow. Topic - Inquiry based teaching! In 1 hour only!


Wednesday - Brillant sunshine; no clouds and extreme heat ( it is only 7 am ).
     I will be giving two turtle seminars today and then teaching about inquiry based learning. I love talking to the students;hate talking to teachers........ not because I hate teachers, but because I feel they should be teaching me!
   It was so hot today that my clothing ( salwar ) felt like it was painted onto my body and when I tried to climb the 5 flights of stairs at school to get to the classroom , I really had a hard time even bending my knees. The critical thinking/inquiry based session consisted of all 10 science teachers and ended up being only 30 minutes because of conflicts that delayed our start.  After lunch I had two turtle sessions and that was an absolute blast! The students were very involved it is was surprisingly interactive. As the day drew to a close, the students and I began to realize that this was the last time I would see some of them; that our time had been too brief. What they didn't realize was how much they have changed my life and my perspective on so much.
    We closed our day with some gift shopping at a craft center that housed crafts from all the states. It was huge and overwhelming ,like most everything the past two weeks

Thursday - up at 6am which is quite late for me. The sky is overcast and the wind is blowing quite hard . Still no umbrella, so someone has a Wildlife umbrella from the US.
    I have packed and exchanged over &40 US in case there is an exit tax. I also need to have rupees to cover my share of Soma's costs. I am sipping the last drops of my last cappucino in Kolkata and it is wonderful as always. Have thanked the staff and written " atta - boys" to those that really helped. Soma arrived and with her our car . We exchanged the costs of our stay and left for the airport and as we were leaving I received my last daily Namaste. We travelled for about 20 minutes and the car started making some noisy sounds that didn't sound too encouraging. It finally stopped and as it did, we were left in the middle of a 5 way intersection!! That wasn't the worst part because we got a push to the road side and we were out of the way - the worst part was the anxiety about making a flight or not ................. happiness about 20 minutes later as the car started and we were on our way again.  The normal airport exchanges, hassles and security and we were on our way to Delhi.

we arrived in Delhi and were the last of the cohort to arrive. A quick supper, some sleep and get ready for sessions in the moring before our 5 hour drive to the Taj Mahal.
 

Is that Cricket?

Sunday -  
       We are picked up by Soma and off to the cricket training grounds. I am really stoked about this. It is a cloudy day, but really the most rain occurred the first night here and after that it has been ominously dry. We arrive at the training grounds and there are all ages of boys learning and finessing their game. We are taught how to hold the bat and the ball and most importantly  - how to stand and swing. Brian looks pretty natural , although he really is swinging it like a baseball bat. I , on the other hand, am really clumsy. I did mangae to hit 4/10 balls and my trainers were proud! Tea and crackers break our session and Soma laughed at me when I asked to take the little clay cup home with me. She said whe I was done, that I needed to just throw it on the ground and smash it. It is clay , it will return to the earth from whence it came..........

The rest of the day was a car / walking tour around Kolakata and some of its museums and temples. We also visited the Marble Palace and Tagore's home. A decison must be made soon however as to the journey to Parash's school. It is outside of twon and on the way to the airport, but we are both concerned that we would get delayed and miss our plane. Lunch was amazing - local Bengali Chelo platter and mango soufle.... chelo platter had rice, tomato, egg, cukes, chicken kabob and goat kabob. It was delicious. We chatted for quite a long time over lunch and finally took the cab home. I went home, my umbrella stayed in the cab.... oh well ; there hasn't been enough rain to need it anyway.

Brian and I had a little time before nightfall , so we headed to the reebok store and stocked up on the Kolkata Night Riders Cricket gear............ I mean we learned to play, saw Eden Gardens ... what do you expect?  worked on lessonplan and went for 6.5 mile ride on stationary bike............ too much good food!




Monday -   
     well, so you know what happens when you lose your umbrella? It rains , of course. The first time in days. Sox are on again, battery charged and all material for my lesson is ready...... we will also be part of a global panel discussion later. My class went so well..... we talked about biodiversity and various other environmental concepts. Played Good Buddy and the kids were having a great time because they do not normally have activities structured as this one was. I learned some different answers that will work when we do this in class at LHS, as well.........My lessons finished, I went to music class where the students sang me songs and I receieved a white flower for my hair that was a blessing from Krishna. I had to teach them " Take Me Out To The Ballgame".
     From there we headed to a street children school that is government funded, only the governemnt isn't getting the money there somehow. No smiles, laughter or food.............. How can you come to school when your parents need you to help beg for food? Lunch of Tikka Chicken and then our global panel discussion. Topics: how globalization has affected India and the youth..........  Children are children everywhere and they just want to fit in............. Several bad thunderstorms today, but still no sustained, consistant rain.
 

    

Happy Fourth of July!!!

4 July    We were greeted with firecrackers and noisemakers to celebrate the 4th. What a great surprise. It was extra nice because although today started out great with a full night's sleep; I discovered that I had fallen asleep last night without taking my malaria pill. Well, I was told to take it as soon as I remembered , so I did. Bad choice!!!!!! About an hour after I took it I threw it back up so violently that I don't think I could have stopped if I had tried. So I have felt pretty iffy all day, not quite daring to eat anything out of the norm. Things are packed and ready for my 4:20 Thursday  flight to Kolkata. Before that, we have two schools to visit - Blossom ( an unaided private school ) and a government school. My day is ending with fireworks out my window..........

Thursday 5 July
    Slept very soundly and was awkened to the screech of a raptor. Took a very long and very hot shower and felt much better. Essentially today is a relaxing day before flights , so I think I will watch some baseball. The Red Sox are playing the Yankees and it is really pretty fun to think that I am halfway around the w orld and watching them. But first I had a last breakfast in Bangalore with Catherine , Joy and Shannon. As I sat and waited to leave for the airport, I was getting the nervous excited feeling in my stomach again............. new places and not really sure what to expect, but the excitment of going really was the overwhelming feeling.
     Our Flight was quite different than any of the flights to India. Brian and I left an hour earlier than we needed to because the taxi was available and so they suggested we use it. It took almost an hour to get to the airport ( in the States - 15-20 min drive ) . Dropped off at what we thought were the gates and we were summarily sent back to get our eticket ( this wa all outside the airport). Finally inside, we head to the counter to check our bags and are told they will not open for two hours............ wait some more. Finally - the counter opens and our bags are over .......... head to a different counter to pay 3750 IRN covering the extra weight; back to the counter to get the bags checked ; then security! Males and females do not pass through the same security checkp points, so we split up and went our separate ways. Passed security! Met up with Brian again and we go to the gate and wait!

Time to load the flight and Brian is stopped at the entrance because his carryon is lacking the proper tag from security........... off he goes to retrieve it and makes the flight easily. 2.5 hours later, we are in Kolkata and it is POURING!!!! Welcome to monsoon season we are both thinking. Soma has arranged for a car to pick us up so we travel in style to the Hotel Kenilworth. What a fabulous place - like stepping back into colonial India.......... I started to unpack my bags and get my pjs out and discovered the lock on my suitcase was missing............. no surprise there. One last cappuccino with cinnamon before bed ( too tired and too late to eat much) . Listened to the most wonderful thunderstorm as I snuggled in the bed.........

Friday 6 July
 1st day at Soma's school. She me us this morning and we walked to school - really not far at all and a great way to see everything going on. We were greeted warmly by everyone and chatted with the principal ma'am while the girls gathered for morning prayer and assembly. We were called onto the stage and welcomed with traditional flower bouquets and prayer and bindi. We each gave a very short thank you speech and were off and running. Whe the assembly broke up - it was time for tea!!  WE spent the day giving talks and listening to class presentation. Lunch was amazing - cheese puffs out of flaky pastry with paneer. Soma took us on a small tour of the area and finished our first day off with Bengali sweets - Jamun............
What did I learn? Take toilet paper everywhere!

Saturday 7 July    We spent this morning with Soma's husband at the campus of Calcutta University . This campus houses all the sciences. Tea and biscuits with the professors and checked out examples of lab books/notebooks. We were lucky enough to get an insider's tour of his cutting edge cancer research. Very Cool stuff! After touring the university, we crossed the courtyard and toured the home of Rammuhun Roy. I am having so many names thrown at me , I must admit, my brain is on overload! The remainder of the day we spent with the girls and Soma at the Peace Fair......... a festival to celebrate the concept of world peace and how to accomplish such an enormous task..... I did meditation and they were rather proud of me.  Must sleep as much as possible because tomorrow we are off to the cricket training grounds!

our walking tour continued..........

We finished our tour and headed back for lunch. totally delicious, I shall be a small elephant when it is time to leave. The afternoons were spent in sessions........... I will admit to getting a wee  bit sleepy after the great walk, lunch and only 4 hours sleep. We did get a bit of shopping in this evening - I was pretty happy with my tunic for 690IR ( $13.00 US ) After shopping we headed to the restaurant in a Tak-Tak cab..it was a blast until our cabbie got pulled over for speeding and tried to claim it was our fault..................  the policeman was not buyng it and the cabbie basically drove us for free since his fine ( to be paid on the spot ) was the same as our cab fare.

Finally catching up.............

Hello again my dear blog,
     I am jumping bcak in time and reliving my India experience through the rewriting of my blog. If we start at the beginning, we will be on

30 June Saturday
           My nervousness has been relieved to a certain extent as my bag weighed in at about 41 pounds, under the limit. I do feel that I have disappointed Nicole since my bag is so far underweight. For me, I look at it as packing skills which will allow me greater treasure space on the way home! I am at the gate and feel rather alone as I am the only one here except a rather nervous looking old woman.  Iwish I had access to my camera as the airport is always a great place to take random " people" shots!  Nick is on his way to the Chicken Coop fried chicken place and I sort of wish I was too.... pretty hungry. I am hearing on the radio that my flight has a two hour delay. That is not unusual for Charlotte. Guess I will see what happens. It is now 6:15 ( 2 hours after my flight departure time ) and I am on my way on a direct flight to Frankfurt instead of flying through Newark - I'll take that.

1July ( Sunday )  We are 1 hour from Frankfurt after flying all night and since it is 6am here I should be hungry. I am not , just sleepy since the plane was cold and it was hard to stretch out much. Coffee will be most welcome and I am looking forward to a real European latte so I can compare. Currently watching NCIS and finding the comfort of a familiar show and the sun si streamimg through my window which at least makes me think I am getting some warmth. There really is no perspective of time - it feels like one big blur. I was amused as people that were traveling with TGC found the McDonalds in the airport........... I haven't bought too much here at the airport because I do not have Euros and the exchange rate is rather high. It is raining now and very ominous, brooding clouds....makes people watching easier because it is no fun to look at the clouds. Amazed that people here do not seem as germophobic as Americans. Large numbers of people waking barefoot everywhere, including the bathrooms..........  Supper on the plane was our first taste of Indian food! So So good!!! Loving the spinach and paneer already. Drinking tons of water to stay hydrated on the plane, but whoo - that creates its own problems. Aririved in Bangalore about 12:30 am and the baggage claim wait began. As we all know, mine were the absolute last ones off  the plane and were wet and muddy.......... hmmmm that is really odd.

2 July ( Monday ) Our first day at the Royal Orchid in Bangalore. Great xample of  the duplicity of India; regal hotel surrounded by guarded gates and outside that construction and urban blight. Bangalore does not strike me as the typical littered Indian city, but we will see. Monday's sessions have been educational and informative on the education system we will encounter during our stay and then more on the two sides of India. traditional versus the new young western thought. Dinner tonight will be a traditional meal and tomorrow we will explore the city on a walking tour.

3 July ( Tuesday ) Today started WAY too early! I was up at 4:30 and am listening to the city begin to wake up. Honking has started in earnest , so the work day has officially begun. Toured around Bangalore - fabulous! Our guide gave us a brief history lesson and then we started our tour. First impression - the gardens are beautiful and the dog we adopted along the way looked like it needed a friend. Our first experience with a street vendor was a woman who made personalized , individual juice that were meant to address specific concerns. mine was made with Brahmi and carrot..... eye and brain enhancers. it was really, really , really green. It was very good also. Did I mention it was very green? We toured around the " British" section of the city , but soon left it for the more village model. Along the way we hit up the vegetable and meat markets. It was crowded and bustling, each person having a very distinct purpose and destination in mind. I was treated to a samosa and a huge piece of jaggery. Both were delicious and I wish more of the cohort members had been adventurous to try some. Next stop - a Hindi temple for a special ceremony arranged for us. We removed our shoes and chose our flowers for tribute ( mine were Jasmine with small orange blossoms) Barefoot and beflowered, we headed into the 1000 year old temple for what awaited us. We gave our flower gifts to the God and recieved our gift in return. As we proceeded around the interior square of the temple, we stopped and paid homage and received our blessing. At the shrine to Lakshmi , the priest blessed all of us and then spoke to Maya and I , giving us a rose and another blessing. She told me that what he told me was that he was blessing me, because he sensed in me an old, understanding soul.......... Maya said Lakshmi was giving us back the gift for luck.

So I finally figured out why this is so hard emotionally................... it was supposed to be the trip that my dad and I shared and that is not going to be the case.... at least not in the traditional sense.  Lots of blogging will help...........

oh oh...... just checked the forecast for Bangalore.... temps in the 70's and 80's...... umm that is not what I packed for...... better go through in a jacket......

Kolkata - 90's and rain.......................  geesh!

The day is finally here and my stomach feels like a billion butterflies all in one spot - nervous anticipation is what most people call it. I call it a yucky feeling that I wish would go away.I am struggling with the excitement and the feeling that I already miss everyone.Two weeks in the grand scheme of things is such a short time. In the short term - an eternity. But I am excited and I think that I will change my : big question" to something dealing with girls or special needs students. It is going to be a hot day in Charlotte ; they say somewhere close  to 106F. That is a scorcher! Ha! I will master days hotter than that , from what I am told. Nick and Delta will be going home today and getting ready to move and Nathan is having a good time in Boston. Steve will spend some time with my mother and that will be a good thing. Breakfast completed and now time for some espresso ..... last for a while?

Cosee's wee blog: Ok, I am ready to go. Not much to pack - changed into my Red Sox shirt so that I would be more dressed up . Soon it will be time to take up residence in the bookbag and sleep for a while. Catch you on the flip side.

It is Friday morning, way too early and I know it. Tomorrow will be a long day and it will be almost as if parts of the day don't exist. Today consists of finishing all the minor details that are not so minor and getting myself ready for the next two weeks. I am excited and nervous - what if I screw up, what if they don't like me, what if I am just too different? What if , as Steve says , I put ideas into these girls' heads and I start a movement? That is heavy , more likely a riot.  More after I finish registering with the US Embassy who apparently is very busy...... wonder if they are filling out their health insurance forms so they have no penalties?

a week to go and getting so nervous, too much to do, too many things to remember and not sure  what I want to take for a gift. My first choice sort of wimped out on me and hasn't even responded to emails. I am trying to find something dogwood related and apparently that is a problem as well...... off to try and figure this out.

Since I will be going to an all girl's school.... this is an appropriate article. I love the way David posts articles and I am going to steal some and post lots!!

 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/breaking-caste/

Day 2+ some change.......................

     Day two dawned and  was anxious to get going. I really wanted to get to the India session , hoping we would get more guidance with what and where and how and all of the other 3 million questions rattling around in my brain. Breakfast was delicious and I finished about the time the DC Shenanigans cohort showed up. Seems it was a wee bit later in the evening that they had come back to the L'Enfant Hotel. Looking great for their adventures, we chatted and psyched ourselves up for the last of our sessions. But first, we met with all of the participants from our state and their accompanying administrators to try to put some sort of plan for implementation of global ideas within our schools and districts. Time passed quickly and hopefully we got some ideas in place......
    Off to our individual cohorts and hopefully answers to " lingering questions"........  India presentation was awesome ( gosh he spoke fast!! ) and we learned somethings and those things raised more questions that need answers.... so much for tying up loose ends. Most of all I was happy to get to meet and see a small bit of the personalities of my traveling companions. Nicole and Carla - it will be some kind of fun.............
     Lunch was bittersweet ; knowing it would be the last time I would get to be with some friends and the Shenanigans cohort until October. We had a blast at lunch; laughed until faces hurt and then we parted ways...... Some of us off to the airport and others to continue their explorations of DC. Thank you to everyone involved for a grand adventure and incredible learning experience. Safe travels home to all and safe travels abroad. David - you will be getting a batik order before you go!

DC day 1.5......................

   Ah the start of a new day...  Breakfast was more food than I should eat in a week, but I was good and ate fruit and 1/2 of a bagel. Mr Worley was at breakfast and as I sat down I realized that David Burton , long time blogger, facebook and global teacher acquaintance was also at my table. Acquaintance became a thing of the past almost instantly and it was a friendship that was to grow over the next two days. We all finished breakfast and amidst introductions as we left, went off to the first of our many sessions of the day. Our lesson plans were evaluated for global competencies and I picked up some great guidelines and ideas. Lunch rolled around and I was beginning to feel like I was rolling too........... coffee, I need coffee to keep me going ( 12 am doesn't mesh well with early meetings). Got to get coffee. Success: keep that travel mug full. We had a full afternoon of classes and introductions of people and ideas and potential issues that we might encounter on our travel.
    We all made it through and supper was served. Have to say it was a delicious spread for every meal and I was lucky that there were plenty of vegetable options. The after supper shenanigans with Friends David, Jennifer, Nicole and their principals was worth all the meetings and stress of the day. Touring the monuments at night was amazing and Cosee had a grand time as well. He had felt somewhat neglected over the previous 24 hours so he was relieved when he was allowed out of the suitcase. Prepared and anxious, he donned his knitted hat and waited until we were ready to go. It was an amazing evening and I felt bad when I hit that wall................. had to turn down further adventures. However, they are being planned , scheduled and refined for October. I wandered back to the hotel and my room; found the shower and cleaned up. As I was sitting on the edge of the bed, ready to jump under the covers, it dawned on me that I hadn't printed my boarding pass for my Saturday flight.
     Pulling on jeans over pjs and putting on my wolves jacket, I headed down to the business center. I never made it that far as the most wonderful concierge asked me if I needed anything and I mentioned a boarding pass. The man said the most wonderful words I could have heard at that point, " NO worries . I will print it for you". Boarding pass in hand, I headed back to my room and bed. Sleep was elusive for longer than I hoped as I ran through the day in my brain and thought about how grand my new friends were and that I truly hoped we would stay friends even after the exchanges were completed.  Cosee also crashed under his wee small quilt designed to protect him from things that go bump in the night and monsters.
 

home again.................

I really don't know where to start. I suppose that I should start at the beginning as all good stories do.
.......Once upon a time, there was an average girl with a huge dream. That dream was to help all of her friends understand what a blessing diversity is and how wonderful sharing in other peoples' culture can be. She was at a loss of how to effectively accomplish this until she received an application in the mail for a program called Teachers for Global Classrooms. She struggled mightily with the application; second guessing and asking for guidance as she progressed through the process. With the application finished, her fingered hovered over the submit button - still wondering. She pushed the button and the waiting began. Finally , the notification letters and emails were delivered and she was accepted.
      The work was not finished and she began the onerous task of an online class that would tax her to the known limits began. It was finished and the work relaxed. Suddenly, out of the mists of forgotten time and things came an email reminding her of the next step - heading to DC to meet  the other global teachers and her travel to India cohort. The story could end there, but let's pick up with the adventures that ensued as she headed to DC. psst.... in case you hadn't figured out who this was, it was me!
     My flight was scheduled to leave Charlotte NC and head to DC on Thursday 16 Feb. While there should have been no issues, I knew better than that since we are talking about Charlotte Douglas Airport. After making it through the security checkpoint - fullbody scan included; I headed to the board to check my gate. My flight was listed , but alas there was no gate. Not to be discouraged and knowing that I had 2.5 hours before we were scheduled to leave, I headed down to the United Airlines terminal. As I rounded the corner to the first gate, I saw what appeared to be something like a small riot. Gate A4 was the home to about 100 people that had been waiting in the neighborhood of three hours to find out the fate of their flight to Chicago. It seems that the airplane arrived with a broken part and the delay was in trying to locate a replacement part.At the time we boarded our plane ( late ) two hours later, the line for rescheduling flights was still about 30 people long.I can sympathize because I have been there.
     The flight to DC was about an hour and some change and when I arrived and headed out. I discovered that it was not that simple. We left the plane on the tarmac, climbed our stairs to the gate, walked up another flight, down a hall, and then another hall and up another flight of stairs that took us to the airport subway. Now we ride the subway to the main terminal and head down a hall and up two flights of stairs and then a hall and down a flight of stairs to the Supershuttle booth. By now I am wondering if I could have made better time driving. The Supershuttle booth was unmanned for several minutes - apparently the gentleman sitting on the seat two down from me was the booth caretaker. He shook himself awake and  checked my reservation. At that point he asked me to have a seat and wait for my number. Long story short - I waited until there were several more shuttle passengers and then we left. My journey that night took me to Fairfax and Arlington and several DC locations before we reached my hotel I have now spent more time in the Dulles Airport and shuttle company than I did in the air...................
       I reached my hotel - finally and when I walked up to the Concierge I was greeted with, Hello Kathy. We are happy you made it. It appears I was the last to arrive. I checked in and headed for the elevator, entered , pushed my floor button and the elevator didn't move. Seems he had forgotten to tell me to use my card ( security and all ). Finding my room , I unlocked the door and was greeted by ," Hello , Kathy". My roommate woke long enough to say hi and then thankfully she fell back asleep so I didn't feel too bad. I changed into pjs and hit the sack..... morning would come soon enough and it had been a day of adventures.
    

beginnings................

Today is the beginning of the third stage of this voyage. First stage was filling out all the applications and waiting the seemingly eternal wait for a decision. Second stage was completing the coursework and garnering a concept of Globalism. Today , I leave for DC and tie up some loose ends, while creating many more. I am concerned however, as I have flown many many times and always receive check in notifications 24 hours before departure. I am at t-minus 10 hours and have had no communication about my flight since December....guess I will see how the last few hours go and update my post later..... safe journeys to all.............we meet each other soon!

sari dreaming......................

My dear friend and her student are encouraging me to plan my sari purchase. I have been told jewel tones will go good with blonde hair , but that I should be wary of silky ones because they are hard to manage and it is my first time. I asked what that meant and was told that they slip and are hard to keep up. Well, since I plan on wearing my sari to school , I would say that slippage is definitely not wanted..... so now I have to save my money and make sure I buy the correct type.. can't wait! I have been asked to have Cosee take his picture somewhere in India with a Summit Coffee flag, not sure if that is okay ; but will certainly ask. Plans and ideas are flowing faster than I can keep track ; wish that my essential question would pop into my head just as quickly...............

almost time.................

The days are growing longer and so the time before we all convene in DC is growing shorter. I am excited and nervous and full of anticipation; all tinged with a sense that I didn't complete something or that it won't quite be what was expected of me. I feel like my students the night before a big project is due. I will be traveling with Cosee and he and I will be getting there somewhat after the dinner, due to scheduling conflicts. Hope my room- mate will fill me in on the particulars. My administrator will be attending as well and with that said, it should be productive and very worthwhile for our county. I have discovered that there are a lot of people who are enamored with the idea of incorporating global studies into their curriculum; that is until you really ask them to put their words into deeds.

Cosee, my wee travel companion ( sock monkey that has traveled the world) is gathering his quilt and other essential items for his voyage to DC as well............ Gotta love Cosee. The kids will follow his adventures far more often than mine.

computers are what they are..................

Postings and musings will be as often as they can be. My trusty computer of 5+ years is struggling and takes it easy when it feels the need. I have gathered a few more potential lesson plans to change and in looking at some of them , feel quite happy with myself. I have apparently been creating global plans all along - albeit not as good as I should have; but Hey! it is a start..........................

Slacking................

I wish that I could blame it all on exams and basketball, but I would be lying. I have gotten distracted by crocheting and organizing and chatting and wishing it was warm and even more  - wishing I could be closer to a friend and share coffee and good stories . Soon I guess. The time is passing so quickly and I know that I have not accomplished what I am supposed to have finished before we go to DC, it seems we all feel a wee bit deserted and with many lingering questions. DC will be the answer spot , I hope. Working on the 30 day Shred will get me ready for travel and the summer..........................

pondering.............

It has dawned on me that there was a great list of things to be completed by the travel to DC time. I am not sure what still needs to be done or whether what I have done is adequate. I am thinking that if nobody got back with me that my work was at least initially satisfactory. That would be a comfort and create much less stress. Guess time will tell.

Friday..............

Friday is finally here!!! I pulled together a number of examples of student work using the Welcome to my Jungle lessonplan. They are of course pre-modification by the TGC class and so I am a bit nervous about how they will stack up. I think that my APES did a great job;we'll see. Time will tell.

Success.........

Since I am paranoid about not being able to access my stuff ; I once had a motherboard meltdown that even impressed the computer IT folk ; I thought I would try my password after having slept. Huzzah!! It still works and I can now move on to working on things that must be accomplished. Cosee has now made his debut .

Remembering passwords is the only way to go...............

The small level of embarassment is outweighed by the high level of relief that comes with technology working. It seems that the password was messed up and is now working; or maybe it was I that was messed up and am now working. Either way, it is a go again. I was notified that my administrator will be traveling to DC so that he may get a better understanding of the program  I have embarked upon. That is a good thing, because without school level and county level help; the programs will not work. I have also begun an on line folder with livebinders.com to start placing global material into. Hopefully, it will be of help to my colleagues as we all begin a new type of teacher assessment.

The beginning

I guess that everything has a start , a middle and an end. This is the beginning of my voyage,  but really it is the middle of the pre-voyage voyage. I have finished the application , been accepted and finished the classwork. What awaits me now is the initial symposium in DC where I will get further training and hundreds of questions will be answered as thousands more are generated. I look forward to this experience and have trepidations as well..... Laurissa says I am worthy. I will go with that at the moment.