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!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
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.
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.
.......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.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
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!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
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...............
Saturday, February 11, 2012
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)