As the ship pushed back from the pier today in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I was overcome thinking of the magnitude of what lies ahead. I have done this before - stood on the deck of the MV Explorer - but that feeling never gets old. Looking straight ahead into the vast ocean, knowing that we will, as just this community, make this crossing together makes one (or at least me) feel fortunate.
What was once a quiet ship is now populated. And we are all at sea. Next stop Cadiz, Spain, on September 4. I am eager to watch this community of people (ranging in age from 6 months to 90 years old) grow to know one another.
Yes, today I boarded a ship to embark on a voyage that travels the world. And yes, I watched some of my best friends shrink in size as we motored out of the harbor. But I continue to remember the magnitude of what lies ahead. And I continue to be amazed.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Hittin' the road
Tomorrow got here fast. When I think about how long I've known I'd be sailing on the fall voyage, I remember feeling like it would never get here. And, now, all of a sudden, tomorrow is here. I can't wait to hit the road and head to Norfolk.
Th ship comes in on Saturday morning. Emily likes to joke and claims the MV Explorer is my real girlfriend. I disagree - but I sure do love watching her come into the final port. We sail to Halifax on Monday night (Emily too!) and then its off on my third voyage. Pretty exciting.
It's going to be one of those nights where I don't sleep much even though I am exhausted. I passed the torch to my graduate intern turned Interim Registrar today. She will do a great job. It felt strange to walk out of the office tonight knowing I won't be back there until January.
A huge adventure lies ahead, and I am grateful for the opportunity. As Kobi Yamada said, "Some experiences simply do not translate; you have to go to know." It's time to go...
Th ship comes in on Saturday morning. Emily likes to joke and claims the MV Explorer is my real girlfriend. I disagree - but I sure do love watching her come into the final port. We sail to Halifax on Monday night (Emily too!) and then its off on my third voyage. Pretty exciting.
It's going to be one of those nights where I don't sleep much even though I am exhausted. I passed the torch to my graduate intern turned Interim Registrar today. She will do a great job. It felt strange to walk out of the office tonight knowing I won't be back there until January.
A huge adventure lies ahead, and I am grateful for the opportunity. As Kobi Yamada said, "Some experiences simply do not translate; you have to go to know." It's time to go...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Diversity, Bus Counts, Horse Laughter, and (perhaps) Maximum Respect
It’s been a long time since I have been in a classroom setting with high school students, and to be honest, I forgot how taxing the process can be. My students (or “scholars” as they are called at the conference) are generally a great group. There are some really great kids in my Leadership Group Meetings (LGMs).
The most amazing part for me is working with students of such diverse backgrounds – my students come from America (from Hawaii to New York to Puerto Rico), Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahrain, Venezuela, Ireland, Brazil, and Hong Kong. They all bring such unique perspectives to the discussion and in that regard, it is fun to facilitate their leadership learning. We are working with three pillars of leadership: cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, and goal setting. I guess there is just something unique about putting a group of young people from around the world into one room and hearing them talk about their lives. The spark in their eyes when they realize that, despite their differences, they’re quite similar, is exciting and fuels me through this experience. After all, I am here for them.
By the way, I am looking out the window at the Hungarian countryside. Live. In color.
We had lunch on our first full day together with students at the Vienna City Hall, a beautiful gothic style building. Food was served banquet-style in the main hall of the building, and I have to say, it was fantastic. There have been some…well, cheesy things we’ve done with the kids, but this was the real deal. And while most of my faculty advisor colleagues were sitting at the reserved table, I was at a student table since one of mine was tasked with asking our politician speaker a question. In all seriousness, that meal may represent one of the highlights of all of my work with students in any setting. What better time to engage a group of students in a way that encourages cross-cultural interaction. After all, the students at this twelve top were from Venezuela, Guatemala, Jordan, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the US and Philippines. Their discussions were exceptional.
Getting from place to place is, as one might expect, a unique endeavor. Commonly known as bus number four, our Czech-born bus driver, Arnold (picture Mike Myers, a la Austin Powers with gray hair) along with our Czech guide, Barbora, handle transporting the 42 students from place to place. Turkey and Austria (my group and Raabia’s group) are on it like white on rice. Mike from Toronto leads into the count with a chant that begins the disjointed count. Jonah, my rock star, finishes the numeric journey with a war cry that sends the bus into victorious cheers. Incidentally, Jonah also wears Ray Ban Wayfarers as eyeglasses, thus making him my hero.
Did I mention that vast Hungarian sunflower fields are all around me?
Now for the good stuff. My bus partner is Raabia – she is from DC and is fascinating. She did her master’s work in history, studying the concepts of history, memory, and politics as it specifically relates to the Cold War (check out her site: www.coldwarmemory.com). It is nice to be working with someone who brings out the fun in me. But, of course, we all fall victim to our own perceptions. Raabia thinks I laugh too much. At least, that’s what she tells me. I know that it’s in jest, but it has become the running joke. Apparently, I laugh like a horse. Horse laughter, as it is now called, is my trademark. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. But suffice it to say that I tried suppressing my well-known guffaw the other day en route to a gelato shop in Swedenplatz (Vienna), and it physically hurt to leave it in. Moral of the story: I laugh. A lot. And, I can’t keep it in no matter how hard I try! I suppose it could be worse.
The moral of the story – this has been a wild adventure so far. Every day provides new and meaningful opportunities to interact with incredibly talented and motivated students from around the world. We are the only people who will have this moment in time–these ten days–to make a lasting impact on each other. Factor in the talent and vast experiences of those with whom I work, and the opportunity for me, personally and professionally, is tremendous. For that, I am very grateful.
Side note: We just arrived in Budapest and had some time at the Citdadella (the Citadel). The view from the top, looking down over Buda (hilly) and Pest (flat) separated by the Danube River was really beautiful, despite it being overcast. I took some pictures, which were very serious ones. If you consider acting like a fool with my friends being serious. I am constantly impressed with my professionalism. I epitomize it.
In tribute to Raabia (in a British/Pakistani accent): “brick wall – imagine a brick wall between you.” [Insert horse laughter]
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Spoken by my Bahranian student during our cultural exchange in an effort to dispell misconceptions about Bahrain: "As much as I'd like to, I don't go to school on a camel."
Peace and love.
The most amazing part for me is working with students of such diverse backgrounds – my students come from America (from Hawaii to New York to Puerto Rico), Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahrain, Venezuela, Ireland, Brazil, and Hong Kong. They all bring such unique perspectives to the discussion and in that regard, it is fun to facilitate their leadership learning. We are working with three pillars of leadership: cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, and goal setting. I guess there is just something unique about putting a group of young people from around the world into one room and hearing them talk about their lives. The spark in their eyes when they realize that, despite their differences, they’re quite similar, is exciting and fuels me through this experience. After all, I am here for them.
By the way, I am looking out the window at the Hungarian countryside. Live. In color.
We had lunch on our first full day together with students at the Vienna City Hall, a beautiful gothic style building. Food was served banquet-style in the main hall of the building, and I have to say, it was fantastic. There have been some…well, cheesy things we’ve done with the kids, but this was the real deal. And while most of my faculty advisor colleagues were sitting at the reserved table, I was at a student table since one of mine was tasked with asking our politician speaker a question. In all seriousness, that meal may represent one of the highlights of all of my work with students in any setting. What better time to engage a group of students in a way that encourages cross-cultural interaction. After all, the students at this twelve top were from Venezuela, Guatemala, Jordan, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the US and Philippines. Their discussions were exceptional.
Getting from place to place is, as one might expect, a unique endeavor. Commonly known as bus number four, our Czech-born bus driver, Arnold (picture Mike Myers, a la Austin Powers with gray hair) along with our Czech guide, Barbora, handle transporting the 42 students from place to place. Turkey and Austria (my group and Raabia’s group) are on it like white on rice. Mike from Toronto leads into the count with a chant that begins the disjointed count. Jonah, my rock star, finishes the numeric journey with a war cry that sends the bus into victorious cheers. Incidentally, Jonah also wears Ray Ban Wayfarers as eyeglasses, thus making him my hero.
Did I mention that vast Hungarian sunflower fields are all around me?
Now for the good stuff. My bus partner is Raabia – she is from DC and is fascinating. She did her master’s work in history, studying the concepts of history, memory, and politics as it specifically relates to the Cold War (check out her site: www.coldwarmemory.com). It is nice to be working with someone who brings out the fun in me. But, of course, we all fall victim to our own perceptions. Raabia thinks I laugh too much. At least, that’s what she tells me. I know that it’s in jest, but it has become the running joke. Apparently, I laugh like a horse. Horse laughter, as it is now called, is my trademark. I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. But suffice it to say that I tried suppressing my well-known guffaw the other day en route to a gelato shop in Swedenplatz (Vienna), and it physically hurt to leave it in. Moral of the story: I laugh. A lot. And, I can’t keep it in no matter how hard I try! I suppose it could be worse.
The moral of the story – this has been a wild adventure so far. Every day provides new and meaningful opportunities to interact with incredibly talented and motivated students from around the world. We are the only people who will have this moment in time–these ten days–to make a lasting impact on each other. Factor in the talent and vast experiences of those with whom I work, and the opportunity for me, personally and professionally, is tremendous. For that, I am very grateful.
Side note: We just arrived in Budapest and had some time at the Citdadella (the Citadel). The view from the top, looking down over Buda (hilly) and Pest (flat) separated by the Danube River was really beautiful, despite it being overcast. I took some pictures, which were very serious ones. If you consider acting like a fool with my friends being serious. I am constantly impressed with my professionalism. I epitomize it.
In tribute to Raabia (in a British/Pakistani accent): “brick wall – imagine a brick wall between you.” [Insert horse laughter]
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Spoken by my Bahranian student during our cultural exchange in an effort to dispell misconceptions about Bahrain: "As much as I'd like to, I don't go to school on a camel."
Peace and love.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Flip Charting, Pay-as-you-go Phones, and Electric Shavers
So far, so good. I have been spending time getting to know a great group of people in Austria. I will tell you, though, that this is HARD WORK. My life has been revolving around flip charts. Yep, you've got it. The old school version of PowerPoint. We don't have AV access in our leadership groups, so when the students get here in a few days, the fun begins with giant flip chart paper that we have each made into slideshows. I never appreciated what PowerPoint provided until this week.
I also made the mistake of thinking that when I bought my new cell at .08 Euro (8 Euro cents) per minute that eight cents would be the rate for calls to the US. Not the case. I put 25 Euro on the phone (about 600 minutes). Yep, about 30 minutes of calls and the thing is plum out of money. All I can do is laugh at myself for being ethnocentric and thinking that the rate would be one rate, even to call the US. I got what I deserve, and now I'll have to put more money on.
Tomorrow is the last day of training and then 270+ students arrive from 43 countries. 51% of them are from outside of the US, so I am very excited about the interactions to come. I would be remiss if I didn't mention my nerves, but I am keeping them under control...sort of.
One last funny thing of the day: I went to shave tonight using my electric shaver. I used an adapter because adapters are supposed to do the work, right? Wrong. About two strokes in, the shaver DIED. Died when I had a huge chunk of beard now missing. What option did I have other than to shave with a real razor? I haven't used one of those in months because I hate them. Just my luck. I have decided I will boycott shaving, and this time, when EVERYONE asks me if my razor broke, I will be able to respond affirmatively.
I am off to bed - its almost 1:00am in Vienna and I have to be up at 7:30. Sending good wishes to everyone.
Peace and love.
I also made the mistake of thinking that when I bought my new cell at .08 Euro (8 Euro cents) per minute that eight cents would be the rate for calls to the US. Not the case. I put 25 Euro on the phone (about 600 minutes). Yep, about 30 minutes of calls and the thing is plum out of money. All I can do is laugh at myself for being ethnocentric and thinking that the rate would be one rate, even to call the US. I got what I deserve, and now I'll have to put more money on.
Tomorrow is the last day of training and then 270+ students arrive from 43 countries. 51% of them are from outside of the US, so I am very excited about the interactions to come. I would be remiss if I didn't mention my nerves, but I am keeping them under control...sort of.
One last funny thing of the day: I went to shave tonight using my electric shaver. I used an adapter because adapters are supposed to do the work, right? Wrong. About two strokes in, the shaver DIED. Died when I had a huge chunk of beard now missing. What option did I have other than to shave with a real razor? I haven't used one of those in months because I hate them. Just my luck. I have decided I will boycott shaving, and this time, when EVERYONE asks me if my razor broke, I will be able to respond affirmatively.
I am off to bed - its almost 1:00am in Vienna and I have to be up at 7:30. Sending good wishes to everyone.
Peace and love.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Running on Reserve Power
My computer just warned me that it is "running on reserve battery power." The icon is flashing in red in the top right hand corner of my computer, a constant reminder to plug in soon. If I don't, another message will appear. In fact, it just now popped onto my screen: "Please connect your computer to AC power. If you do not, your computer will go to sleep in a few minutes to preserve the contents of memory."
This got me thinking about life. It's weird what prompts these moments of clarity.
Tonight, at this very moment, as I finish a paper and try to find the energy and intellect to read five articles for tomorrow morning's class discussion, I find myself wanting to plug into the wall, if only for a moment, to find that surge of power to keep me charged.
Graduate school. Full time job. Travel. I suddenly feel like a computer running on low battery. I find comfort knowing that I am surrounded by reasons to recharge.
Peace and love.
This got me thinking about life. It's weird what prompts these moments of clarity.
Tonight, at this very moment, as I finish a paper and try to find the energy and intellect to read five articles for tomorrow morning's class discussion, I find myself wanting to plug into the wall, if only for a moment, to find that surge of power to keep me charged.
Graduate school. Full time job. Travel. I suddenly feel like a computer running on low battery. I find comfort knowing that I am surrounded by reasons to recharge.
Peace and love.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Joining the Blog World
I have officially decided to join the world of blogging. I have read enough blogs from other people that it's now time to try my hand at it. This came about for two reasons:
1. I am procrastinating - this project that is due tomorrow is in need of some serious revision and refining, but this seemed like more fun. As if browsing Facebook for the last 20 minutes wasn't procrastination enough.
2. I am about to travel to Europe for 3 weeks with 300 high school students and decided I might try to keep up with a blog while I'm gone.
To be honest, #1 is the real motivating factor.
Let's talk title. I decided to call my blog The Persistence of Memory after a painting by Salvador Dalí (La Persistencia de la Memoria). It is a really cool piece - I think most everyone would recognize it. It's the one with the clocks that are melting and oozing away. Lots to think about with this painting - but in the end, I think it is Dalí's way of reminding us that time, whether we want it to or not, slips away. Though I doubt he was a general optimist, this painting, in a weird way, makes me want to hold on to time and enjoy the experiences that come my way.
Since this is my first post, and because it is 10:20 pm, and because I still have hours of work left to do, I am going to publish this and see if I did it correctly. I am (surprisingly) looking forward to this weird concept of blogging...
Peace and love.
1. I am procrastinating - this project that is due tomorrow is in need of some serious revision and refining, but this seemed like more fun. As if browsing Facebook for the last 20 minutes wasn't procrastination enough.
2. I am about to travel to Europe for 3 weeks with 300 high school students and decided I might try to keep up with a blog while I'm gone.
To be honest, #1 is the real motivating factor.
Let's talk title. I decided to call my blog The Persistence of Memory after a painting by Salvador Dalí (La Persistencia de la Memoria). It is a really cool piece - I think most everyone would recognize it. It's the one with the clocks that are melting and oozing away. Lots to think about with this painting - but in the end, I think it is Dalí's way of reminding us that time, whether we want it to or not, slips away. Though I doubt he was a general optimist, this painting, in a weird way, makes me want to hold on to time and enjoy the experiences that come my way.
Since this is my first post, and because it is 10:20 pm, and because I still have hours of work left to do, I am going to publish this and see if I did it correctly. I am (surprisingly) looking forward to this weird concept of blogging...
Peace and love.
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