Day 19 - The morning was spent in last minute preparations for the arrival of Kat, Vic, and Katie, aka The Girls. Megan picked up our tickets at Cosports, grocery store, etc. At about 2pm, we took the students to see the Torch Relay.
Fun Fact - Did you know that the The Torch Relay was not part of the Ancient Games, however was added by Hitler at the 1938 Olympics in Berlin as a propaganda tool? Since then it has morphed into an opportunity to to spread the Olympic Spirit throughout the host country. We saw a Para Olympian run the Torch through Ealing, England, about a 30 minute tube ride from our residence halls.
Fun Fact - Did you know that only someone of Greek decent can carry the Torch out of Athens?
As with a lot of Olympic events, there is a bit of hurry up and wait. We arrived early, and scoped out our place along the route. We waited, and waited, and waited. A bit of a scheduling snaffo caused the Torch to arrive about an hour after when it was posted to arrive online. (We queued based on the time posted online .) The students, however, were troopers. I, personally, was really glad to be able to witness first hand the running of the Olympic Torch.
Fun Fact - Did you know that the Olympic Flame was extinguised here in London? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/torch-relay/video/9384448/London-2012-Olympics-Torch-flame-extinguished-whilst-on-white-water-raft.html
No Worries, Mates- there are three flames sent from Greece; so the light of the Olympic Spirit never goes out.
After the Relay, off to find dinner. About 12 of us found a little restaurant and chatted away the evening. I will have to reiterate, the students in our class are AMAZING. They are smart, funny, outgoing, and truly a pleasure to be around.
The Girls missed their connecting flight due to weather in the States, so although they were due to arrive on the evening of the 24th, they did not arrive until the Morning of the 25th.
Stay tuned dear readers all is not lost. The day of the girls arrival, turned out to again be one of the highlights of this trip. (And not just because they are here now:))
Cheers from the UK
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Quiet before the Storm . . .
Day 18- A Monday, which means early class for me. I have to admit, that I have LOVED this experience, both as a Professor and as a Traveler. But I will admit, it is a little weird to transition between the two roles. So class this morning was as hard for me as it was for the students.
Today, we wrapped up my sections (History of the Games, Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Gender and Minority Issues, and Drug Doping- and as you remember Megan did a fabulous class on the Technology of the Games.) From this point forward, students will be delivery presentations on the sport of their choice (a large portion of their grade). The first presentation today was on Diving and the student did an AMAZING job. The bar is definitely set high.
The afternoon was spent in preparation mode. Picking up tickets, and preparing for our small people to arrive (Kate, Kat and Vic arrive on the 24th for their Olympic Experience).
Then . . .
24th - The Torch Relay
25th - the FIRST official Olympic Event - Women's Football (Great Britain vs New Zealand). Thanks to the tenacity and resourcefulness of Megan we are able to take the entire class.
26th - Harry Potter Movie Experience
27th - Opening Ceremony
28th - Touring Parliament
and on with our tickets to Gymnastics, Tennis, Diving, Basketball (just Megan), and Beach Volleyball. In the mean time we will show the girls London- London Zoo, the Palaces etc, enjoy our time in this great city, and I will still be teaching:).
I promise to keep posting, but until the next time.
Mind the Gap
Today, we wrapped up my sections (History of the Games, Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, Gender and Minority Issues, and Drug Doping- and as you remember Megan did a fabulous class on the Technology of the Games.) From this point forward, students will be delivery presentations on the sport of their choice (a large portion of their grade). The first presentation today was on Diving and the student did an AMAZING job. The bar is definitely set high.
The afternoon was spent in preparation mode. Picking up tickets, and preparing for our small people to arrive (Kate, Kat and Vic arrive on the 24th for their Olympic Experience).
Then . . .
24th - The Torch Relay
25th - the FIRST official Olympic Event - Women's Football (Great Britain vs New Zealand). Thanks to the tenacity and resourcefulness of Megan we are able to take the entire class.
26th - Harry Potter Movie Experience
27th - Opening Ceremony
28th - Touring Parliament
and on with our tickets to Gymnastics, Tennis, Diving, Basketball (just Megan), and Beach Volleyball. In the mean time we will show the girls London- London Zoo, the Palaces etc, enjoy our time in this great city, and I will still be teaching:).
I promise to keep posting, but until the next time.
Mind the Gap
A Weekend in Paris
Day 15 - 17- Since we were here- we decided to take the train to Paris-to see the sights. The primary goal, however, was to watch the end of the Tour de France.
Friday - we were out early on the 7:30am train. For all of you that have done it, traveling by train in Europe is an amazingly, easy, pleasant experience. We arrived in Paris and proceeded to walk in the direction of our Hotel. The thought was to walk a while, then grab the METRO. Well. . . 3 hours, and 11 kilometers (over 6 miles) later, we had traversed the city, seen a lot of the sights in passing and were within blocks of our hotel. Needless to say, we checked in, showered, and did what all good tourist do . . . . headed out for lunch:) After an amazing lunch, (I much prefer the food in Paris to the food in London) we wondered to see the Eiffel Tower. There we caught the end of a clycle for charity race. What fun to sit under the Tower and watch the world go by. At this point, yes, both of us were exhausted after a day of Cricket followed by a day of Travel, and went to take a nap. The nap lasted well into the evening. When we awoke, we watched the sun set peacefully on the Eiffel Tower, out our Hotel Window.
Saturday - we set out early. The goal was to beat the long queue's at the Louvre, and we were successful. After an amazing french breakfast, we set off to pay homage to the Mona Lisa. We both especially enjoyed the Napoleon Apartments at the Louvre. It is interesting to see how the French and English differed in their living quarters, especially compared to the Biltmore in the US (a house of the ruling elite and well to do).
Next on our tour, was Notre Dame. The queue was horrible. (For those who know Megan, know she does not queue well.) So, we sat and took pictures of the beautiful church, and absorbed the Paris sunshine. Next off to Sacre-Coeur, now any of you who have been to Paris, know that it sits on a hill. So off the Metro, up the hill and c'est fini for our travelers. We took pictures and went off to find lunch. (It is now mid afternoon.) Lunch turn into an early dinner and off to bed:). Another great day in Paris.
Sunday- the purpose of this Paris weekend was to see the Tour. A late breakfast, then off to scope out the route. We decided that since we were here, we wanted to see as much as possible, so we found a spot on one of the turns, right before the Champs-Elysee. (For those unaware, they do 8 Laps in the city center or the last sprint). After waiting for 3.5 hours, we saw them. I was not aware that an entire Carnival, proceeds the riders. What a fun experience (pictures are posted). Then off to the train station for our return trip.
A great weekend.
Cheers
(Now for those of you reading this, you might think this is a brief post compared to my others. You are correct. I very much enjoyed our weekend, and I am really impressed with the cyclists on the Tour. The sportsmanship showed by Wiggens and Team Sky was humbling. But overall, I found Paris much less pleasant than London. The easiest equation I have is: Paris is to New York, as London is to Washington, DC. All are fabulous cities, but DC and London are easy to navigate, their public transport is clean and odor free, and the volume of people feels different. In New York, and Paris, I find myself more anxious/nervous, with almost none of that while I am in DC and London. It may be familiarity; this is my second trip to Paris, and my 7th time in London. I don't think it is language- I speak New Yorker:) and on our second lunch I spoke solely in French and questioned our waiter about the best spots to see the Tour. The cities just feel different. For all my friends that LOVE Paris, all I can say it is that, thankfully, opposites attract:))
Friday - we were out early on the 7:30am train. For all of you that have done it, traveling by train in Europe is an amazingly, easy, pleasant experience. We arrived in Paris and proceeded to walk in the direction of our Hotel. The thought was to walk a while, then grab the METRO. Well. . . 3 hours, and 11 kilometers (over 6 miles) later, we had traversed the city, seen a lot of the sights in passing and were within blocks of our hotel. Needless to say, we checked in, showered, and did what all good tourist do . . . . headed out for lunch:) After an amazing lunch, (I much prefer the food in Paris to the food in London) we wondered to see the Eiffel Tower. There we caught the end of a clycle for charity race. What fun to sit under the Tower and watch the world go by. At this point, yes, both of us were exhausted after a day of Cricket followed by a day of Travel, and went to take a nap. The nap lasted well into the evening. When we awoke, we watched the sun set peacefully on the Eiffel Tower, out our Hotel Window.
Saturday - we set out early. The goal was to beat the long queue's at the Louvre, and we were successful. After an amazing french breakfast, we set off to pay homage to the Mona Lisa. We both especially enjoyed the Napoleon Apartments at the Louvre. It is interesting to see how the French and English differed in their living quarters, especially compared to the Biltmore in the US (a house of the ruling elite and well to do).
Next on our tour, was Notre Dame. The queue was horrible. (For those who know Megan, know she does not queue well.) So, we sat and took pictures of the beautiful church, and absorbed the Paris sunshine. Next off to Sacre-Coeur, now any of you who have been to Paris, know that it sits on a hill. So off the Metro, up the hill and c'est fini for our travelers. We took pictures and went off to find lunch. (It is now mid afternoon.) Lunch turn into an early dinner and off to bed:). Another great day in Paris.
Sunday- the purpose of this Paris weekend was to see the Tour. A late breakfast, then off to scope out the route. We decided that since we were here, we wanted to see as much as possible, so we found a spot on one of the turns, right before the Champs-Elysee. (For those unaware, they do 8 Laps in the city center or the last sprint). After waiting for 3.5 hours, we saw them. I was not aware that an entire Carnival, proceeds the riders. What a fun experience (pictures are posted). Then off to the train station for our return trip.
A great weekend.
Cheers
(Now for those of you reading this, you might think this is a brief post compared to my others. You are correct. I very much enjoyed our weekend, and I am really impressed with the cyclists on the Tour. The sportsmanship showed by Wiggens and Team Sky was humbling. But overall, I found Paris much less pleasant than London. The easiest equation I have is: Paris is to New York, as London is to Washington, DC. All are fabulous cities, but DC and London are easy to navigate, their public transport is clean and odor free, and the volume of people feels different. In New York, and Paris, I find myself more anxious/nervous, with almost none of that while I am in DC and London. It may be familiarity; this is my second trip to Paris, and my 7th time in London. I don't think it is language- I speak New Yorker:) and on our second lunch I spoke solely in French and questioned our waiter about the best spots to see the Tour. The cities just feel different. For all my friends that LOVE Paris, all I can say it is that, thankfully, opposites attract:))
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Field Trip . . . . A Day at the Cricket Pitch
Day 14 - I know that I keep saying this was the best day, and that the most recent thing we saw was the most amazing. But today will definitely be one of the highlights of this trip. Today our class learned to play Cricket.
Before I go any further, I want to say thank you to Peter Wellings of Coaching Cricket Excellence, http://www.coachingcricketexcellence.co.uk/ without him and his staff, this day would not have been possible. Peter and his team took 22 American with a little more than a cursory understanding of the game and molded them into a group of Cricket Enthusiasts. Peter's skill development techniques, knowledge of the sport, passion for the game, and warm and witty personality made this a wonderful day.
We left by coach at 8am this morning to make the trip to Surry. Yes, our students were none to happy with the early departure but the coach ride was uneventful. (Don't despair- the response at the end was "I thought 8am was way too early, but it was worth it.") We met Peter's team and were off.
We started with some simple drills and warm ups, followed by throwing drills. (In Cricket you throw underhanded, a little weird at first.) Next we moved to catching drills. Now for many reading, "ok for US students (baseball/softball) how hard can catching be, right?" Well, a ball in Cricket is 5 times harder than a baseball, and you catch it BARE handed. (We used tennis balls, thankfully.) Peter took a tennis ball and WHACKED it stories in the air, we scrambled to get under it and catch it. A couple of times, it bounced off one player and was caught by another. All of which is fair in Cricket.
With catching drills it was off to the races with our intra-team competition. (The oldest rivalry in cricket is England vs. Australia, so we divided into those two teams. Winners get bragging rights. At this point I have to comment that although there was plenty of trash talking and competition, the amount of sportsmanship our students showed was PHENOMENAL.) After catching, it was batting. Individuals with a baseball/softball/golf background were not always at an advantage. This is where Peter's mastery at skill progression really shined. After batting, lunch, then on to Bowling. (No we didn't hit a Bowling alley, it is the equivalent of pitching in baseball/softball.) Basically, Bowling is a stiff arm, over hand throw. Easy to do standing, not so easy with the wind- up. Eventually, most of us were successful.
The highlight of the day, however, was the game. A proper test match lasts 5 days and at the end, if there is no winner, it is a draw. (No sudden death overtime in Cricket.) We played two Overs (innings) and had an amazing time. Australia won! but a good time was had by all. If you want to see pics, like the CCSA London 2012: Olympics Class on Facebook.
Over half the students slept on the way home. Some students are even threatening to start a rec league at their school and have an inter-collegiate competition. What an amazing day!!!! We feel truly blessed to have such a great group of students!!!.
(The adults on the trip (Megan and I) participated in everything, and in spite of our ages kept up nicely with the bunnies on this trip.)
Before I go any further, I want to say thank you to Peter Wellings of Coaching Cricket Excellence, http://www.coachingcricketexcellence.co.uk/ without him and his staff, this day would not have been possible. Peter and his team took 22 American with a little more than a cursory understanding of the game and molded them into a group of Cricket Enthusiasts. Peter's skill development techniques, knowledge of the sport, passion for the game, and warm and witty personality made this a wonderful day.
We left by coach at 8am this morning to make the trip to Surry. Yes, our students were none to happy with the early departure but the coach ride was uneventful. (Don't despair- the response at the end was "I thought 8am was way too early, but it was worth it.") We met Peter's team and were off.
We started with some simple drills and warm ups, followed by throwing drills. (In Cricket you throw underhanded, a little weird at first.) Next we moved to catching drills. Now for many reading, "ok for US students (baseball/softball) how hard can catching be, right?" Well, a ball in Cricket is 5 times harder than a baseball, and you catch it BARE handed. (We used tennis balls, thankfully.) Peter took a tennis ball and WHACKED it stories in the air, we scrambled to get under it and catch it. A couple of times, it bounced off one player and was caught by another. All of which is fair in Cricket.
With catching drills it was off to the races with our intra-team competition. (The oldest rivalry in cricket is England vs. Australia, so we divided into those two teams. Winners get bragging rights. At this point I have to comment that although there was plenty of trash talking and competition, the amount of sportsmanship our students showed was PHENOMENAL.) After catching, it was batting. Individuals with a baseball/softball/golf background were not always at an advantage. This is where Peter's mastery at skill progression really shined. After batting, lunch, then on to Bowling. (No we didn't hit a Bowling alley, it is the equivalent of pitching in baseball/softball.) Basically, Bowling is a stiff arm, over hand throw. Easy to do standing, not so easy with the wind- up. Eventually, most of us were successful.
The highlight of the day, however, was the game. A proper test match lasts 5 days and at the end, if there is no winner, it is a draw. (No sudden death overtime in Cricket.) We played two Overs (innings) and had an amazing time. Australia won! but a good time was had by all. If you want to see pics, like the CCSA London 2012: Olympics Class on Facebook.
Over half the students slept on the way home. Some students are even threatening to start a rec league at their school and have an inter-collegiate competition. What an amazing day!!!! We feel truly blessed to have such a great group of students!!!.
(The adults on the trip (Megan and I) participated in everything, and in spite of our ages kept up nicely with the bunnies on this trip.)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Bath, England . . . .An Amazing Day
Day 12 - We were off, so off we went. Since we had no responsiblities on Campus, we decided to use our National Rail Pass (BritRail) and visit the city of Bath. Bath is the home of the only natural hot spring in the United Kingdom and was a key market and spiritual city during the time England was part of the Roman Empire. We took the 1.5 hour train from Paddington Station, first thing in the morning to make the most of our time. My inner child squealed with delight to be at Paddington Station. I did keep a keen eye open for the Famous Bear from Darkest Peru, but no sightings. The BritRail is a very efficent and easy way to travel and we emencly enjoyed the trip. Megan read book 2 in the Fifty Shades Series, and I planned our weekend trip to Paris and dove into my book on Victoria and Albert (see last post).
Upon arrival, we were greeted with a quaint town that, still today, is a major market place (read Abercrombie to North Face with traditional British facades), and off we went to find the Roman Bath Museum. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend. The museum offers free audio tours on the rich history of the area. I am fascinated by how the Romans combined thier mythologies/dieteis with local ones to ease the blend of cultures (or ensure Roman domination, depending on your perspective). If you were a subject of the Roman Empire, you might have traveled to Bath to the sacred springs of Sulis Minerva. (Sulis being the British Goddess/Minerva the Roman- Megan posted her picture earlier today). Your goal in such a pilgrimage would have been to absorbe the healing properties of the natural hot springs. As always I was amazied had how the Roman civilization used engineering to build such incredible buildings. Something unbeknownst to me was the role that bathing had played throughout the Roman culture, nor was I aware how far the Roman Bath Houses streatched across the Empire. Did you know that the Roman baths were the inspiration for the Turkish baths that exist today? Having spent an afternoon in a Turkish Bath in 1997, I found this a wonderful world connection. After about two hours of museum touring, we decided that the Motto -"When in Rome, do as the Romans" was just the ticket.
So we spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the heated pools of the Thermae Spa in Bath. We floated in a roof top pool over looking the fabulous British countryside with the sun shining over head. Yes - you read correctly, it was sunny almost all of the day yesterday!!!!!. In the early afternoon, we took an amazing Spa lunch and then cleared our pores in the aromatherapy steam rooms. What an amazing and rejuvenating day. I have to hand it to the Romans, they did know how to relax. As much as I have loved ALL our travels, this day will definitely rank up there with one of the best!!!!. Our return train to London was equally pleasant and after a light dinner of French Onion Soup, off to bed. Another great day in London.
Day 13 - I would love to quip about the wonders of today, but this is a work trip:). Today, I spent the morning updating lecture notes and this afternoon lecturing. I believe the students are learning a lot, and they seem to be having a good time on this adventure. Tonight, another meal in our room- you can only eat fried fish so many times before . . . Followed by our new favorite addiction, the BBC's Sherlock Holmes. Why such a quite evening at home for our travelers you might ask, well tomorrow we learn to play Cricket.
Cheers,
Upon arrival, we were greeted with a quaint town that, still today, is a major market place (read Abercrombie to North Face with traditional British facades), and off we went to find the Roman Bath Museum. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend. The museum offers free audio tours on the rich history of the area. I am fascinated by how the Romans combined thier mythologies/dieteis with local ones to ease the blend of cultures (or ensure Roman domination, depending on your perspective). If you were a subject of the Roman Empire, you might have traveled to Bath to the sacred springs of Sulis Minerva. (Sulis being the British Goddess/Minerva the Roman- Megan posted her picture earlier today). Your goal in such a pilgrimage would have been to absorbe the healing properties of the natural hot springs. As always I was amazied had how the Roman civilization used engineering to build such incredible buildings. Something unbeknownst to me was the role that bathing had played throughout the Roman culture, nor was I aware how far the Roman Bath Houses streatched across the Empire. Did you know that the Roman baths were the inspiration for the Turkish baths that exist today? Having spent an afternoon in a Turkish Bath in 1997, I found this a wonderful world connection. After about two hours of museum touring, we decided that the Motto -"When in Rome, do as the Romans" was just the ticket.
So we spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the heated pools of the Thermae Spa in Bath. We floated in a roof top pool over looking the fabulous British countryside with the sun shining over head. Yes - you read correctly, it was sunny almost all of the day yesterday!!!!!. In the early afternoon, we took an amazing Spa lunch and then cleared our pores in the aromatherapy steam rooms. What an amazing and rejuvenating day. I have to hand it to the Romans, they did know how to relax. As much as I have loved ALL our travels, this day will definitely rank up there with one of the best!!!!. Our return train to London was equally pleasant and after a light dinner of French Onion Soup, off to bed. Another great day in London.
Day 13 - I would love to quip about the wonders of today, but this is a work trip:). Today, I spent the morning updating lecture notes and this afternoon lecturing. I believe the students are learning a lot, and they seem to be having a good time on this adventure. Tonight, another meal in our room- you can only eat fried fish so many times before . . . Followed by our new favorite addiction, the BBC's Sherlock Holmes. Why such a quite evening at home for our travelers you might ask, well tomorrow we learn to play Cricket.
Cheers,
One word . . . Eeyeore
I would hate to shock you with new news, but yes, it is still raining in London. It is cold and raining
Day 10 - Kensington Palace and the V&A- What a fabulous day to be in London! We went to Kensington Palace. (For all you Royal Watchers, yes the home of Diana, and Wiliam and Kathrine, but also the rich history of the British Monarchy.) Megan bought me the tour book and I fell in love with the Monarchy- who knew. I am especially enthralled by the reign of Victoria and Albert. I sat in her apartment, and read the story of their relationship. I am about to download a book about them We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gill. After a fabulous lunch at a cute pub, off to the V&A (the Victoria and Albert Museaum) to see an exibit on theatre production. We stopped off in one section of the museum dedicated to British Bling, for Megan. Then on to crepes at a local shop. A perfectly sunny day in London, exploring and having a woderful time.
Day 11 -Special thanks to Megan. She gave a wonderful lecture on the technology behind the Olympics. Did you know that some of the Olympic Technology staff will sleep on sight to prevent transport issues and allow 24/7 technology support. She did a great job, and had the kids laughing, and getting into pretty intense debates on the use of the Speedo LZR suit. The students had very insightful things to say.
Tommorrow off to explore Bath, and to spend some time in a hot spring.
Day 10 - Kensington Palace and the V&A- What a fabulous day to be in London! We went to Kensington Palace. (For all you Royal Watchers, yes the home of Diana, and Wiliam and Kathrine, but also the rich history of the British Monarchy.) Megan bought me the tour book and I fell in love with the Monarchy- who knew. I am especially enthralled by the reign of Victoria and Albert. I sat in her apartment, and read the story of their relationship. I am about to download a book about them We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gill. After a fabulous lunch at a cute pub, off to the V&A (the Victoria and Albert Museaum) to see an exibit on theatre production. We stopped off in one section of the museum dedicated to British Bling, for Megan. Then on to crepes at a local shop. A perfectly sunny day in London, exploring and having a woderful time.
Day 11 -Special thanks to Megan. She gave a wonderful lecture on the technology behind the Olympics. Did you know that some of the Olympic Technology staff will sleep on sight to prevent transport issues and allow 24/7 technology support. She did a great job, and had the kids laughing, and getting into pretty intense debates on the use of the Speedo LZR suit. The students had very insightful things to say.
Tommorrow off to explore Bath, and to spend some time in a hot spring.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
I get by with a little help from my friends . . . . Thanks Cory!!!!
I have promised myself that I would get this out today. It has been harder than I thought to post regularly. Not because of technology issues, but because we have WALKED everywhere. I like to think of myself as being in decent shape, however, when we return each night I am dead dog tired and quickly proceed to sleep like a log. So, here is the update on our adventure
so far . . . . . .
Day 6 - First off I have to say thank you to Cory Bemis (Marshall) a fellow Cornellian and friend. Cory is currently living in London and came to speak to my class. Her topic: the Sport of Cycling (Cory has raced at the amateur level in both the US and the UK). Having an athlete of her caliber speak was amazing. I have an MS in Exercise Science and 15 years of experience, but I am not an athlete. I don't enjoy pushing my body to its physical limits, and I don't enjoy training for the long hours. (At one point Cory trained about 20 hours a week, on top of working and kids- another reason I hate to hear someone say they don't have time to exercise.) The students LOVED it. She shared an amazing amount of information with them over an hour, and definitely broadened their perspectives. Thanks Cory for a great class!!!!!
Day 7 - No responsibilities for us today - our first day alone in London. We saw the Tower of London and Notting Hill. In our years together, this was our first Historic Tourist Venue. The results were a success, however, there were some hitches in our giddy-up.
At the Tower of London you can get a Yeomen guided tours - for you and 75 of your closest friends- no thank you. Instead, we bought a book for a self guided tour. Now remember, my undergraduate degree is in Russian History, so I love to read about historic sites, so my plan was to take the guide book and follow it step by step, reading everything as we go. Megan, however, had one mission- The Crown Jewels. She did not want to pass go, and did not want to collect $200. She wanted to beeline for the Jewels. I guess she needed a little Bling. So the compromise- we saw the Jewels first, then I was able to wonder and read to my hearts content. The Jewels themselves are beautiful, but for me the interesting piece was that they are a living part of British History. The Jewels are still in use by the Monarch, and some (Mace and Crown) are used for the opening of Parliament each year. The rest of the Tower is equally amazing, I especially enjoyed the history of the beheadings and prisoners. I know that we all think we have issues with our families, but in early London, if you were frustrated with a sibling/spouse off with a head or a convenient disappearance solved the problem. Hmmm, how we have evolved:).
After a day of touring, a quick stop by Notting Hill for some window shopping and a quick glass of wine before home.
Later, we enjoyed a wonderful evening hanging out in the kitchen with our new friends from University of Tennessee in Chattanooga who are taking an Art class while they are here. Yes, just like in College:).
Day 8 - I am on call today- what that means is that I have the CCSA cell phone and if there is a problem with any of our students, the call comes to me. Ek gads, who thinks I am that responsible:) So I am using my time to take care of little things, like updating my blog, and academic responsibilities back home. I taught a quick yoga class, then off to lunch at Camden Market - AMAZING ethnic food, from little street vendors. We are definitely going to have to go back up there to eat again. The evening's adventures included Laundry and the Divinci Code. (I forgot to mention we say the Temple Church yesterday as well.) Yes, just like in College- laundry on a Friday Night:) As a side note, happy to report no issues with any students on my watch- YEAH!!!!
Day 9- Ok, all week I have been Polly Positive-"Embrace your inner Brit" has been the mantra. (It has rained all week.) Today the temperature dropped. We set out to see Wimbledon and the Olympic Venue - prior to our tickets- to get a lay of the land. It is a great area of London, very suburban, very quaint. At Wimbledon Park, we saw a junior sailing group. They were sailing Laser Pico's (a smaller version of the Laser I sailed on in my youth, but bigger than a Sunfish.) We caught the end of their class, when they were all jumping off the pier into the water- yes it was only 60 degrees F yesterday- and yes this was the high point for me. After a quick lunch, we came back and crashed - movies, naps etc. Cold and rainy was too much for our fearless travelers- both of whom started to feel under the weather both literally and figuratively. Last night, we cocooned ourselves against the rain and stayed in.
Today - bright and sunny and off the see Kensington Palace.
Cheers
so far . . . . . .
Day 6 - First off I have to say thank you to Cory Bemis (Marshall) a fellow Cornellian and friend. Cory is currently living in London and came to speak to my class. Her topic: the Sport of Cycling (Cory has raced at the amateur level in both the US and the UK). Having an athlete of her caliber speak was amazing. I have an MS in Exercise Science and 15 years of experience, but I am not an athlete. I don't enjoy pushing my body to its physical limits, and I don't enjoy training for the long hours. (At one point Cory trained about 20 hours a week, on top of working and kids- another reason I hate to hear someone say they don't have time to exercise.) The students LOVED it. She shared an amazing amount of information with them over an hour, and definitely broadened their perspectives. Thanks Cory for a great class!!!!!
Day 7 - No responsibilities for us today - our first day alone in London. We saw the Tower of London and Notting Hill. In our years together, this was our first Historic Tourist Venue. The results were a success, however, there were some hitches in our giddy-up.
At the Tower of London you can get a Yeomen guided tours - for you and 75 of your closest friends- no thank you. Instead, we bought a book for a self guided tour. Now remember, my undergraduate degree is in Russian History, so I love to read about historic sites, so my plan was to take the guide book and follow it step by step, reading everything as we go. Megan, however, had one mission- The Crown Jewels. She did not want to pass go, and did not want to collect $200. She wanted to beeline for the Jewels. I guess she needed a little Bling. So the compromise- we saw the Jewels first, then I was able to wonder and read to my hearts content. The Jewels themselves are beautiful, but for me the interesting piece was that they are a living part of British History. The Jewels are still in use by the Monarch, and some (Mace and Crown) are used for the opening of Parliament each year. The rest of the Tower is equally amazing, I especially enjoyed the history of the beheadings and prisoners. I know that we all think we have issues with our families, but in early London, if you were frustrated with a sibling/spouse off with a head or a convenient disappearance solved the problem. Hmmm, how we have evolved:).
After a day of touring, a quick stop by Notting Hill for some window shopping and a quick glass of wine before home.
Later, we enjoyed a wonderful evening hanging out in the kitchen with our new friends from University of Tennessee in Chattanooga who are taking an Art class while they are here. Yes, just like in College:).
Day 8 - I am on call today- what that means is that I have the CCSA cell phone and if there is a problem with any of our students, the call comes to me. Ek gads, who thinks I am that responsible:) So I am using my time to take care of little things, like updating my blog, and academic responsibilities back home. I taught a quick yoga class, then off to lunch at Camden Market - AMAZING ethnic food, from little street vendors. We are definitely going to have to go back up there to eat again. The evening's adventures included Laundry and the Divinci Code. (I forgot to mention we say the Temple Church yesterday as well.) Yes, just like in College- laundry on a Friday Night:) As a side note, happy to report no issues with any students on my watch- YEAH!!!!
Day 9- Ok, all week I have been Polly Positive-"Embrace your inner Brit" has been the mantra. (It has rained all week.) Today the temperature dropped. We set out to see Wimbledon and the Olympic Venue - prior to our tickets- to get a lay of the land. It is a great area of London, very suburban, very quaint. At Wimbledon Park, we saw a junior sailing group. They were sailing Laser Pico's (a smaller version of the Laser I sailed on in my youth, but bigger than a Sunfish.) We caught the end of their class, when they were all jumping off the pier into the water- yes it was only 60 degrees F yesterday- and yes this was the high point for me. After a quick lunch, we came back and crashed - movies, naps etc. Cold and rainy was too much for our fearless travelers- both of whom started to feel under the weather both literally and figuratively. Last night, we cocooned ourselves against the rain and stayed in.
Today - bright and sunny and off the see Kensington Palace.
Cheers
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Field Trip Day or "Quick, Quick Little Bunnies"
As promised - Tales from the Field Trip.
First- the students had to report to depart at 7:45am.
(Yes there was ample grumbling about the time. The night before one student celebrated her 21st birthday, another group danced till dawn, and Megan and I need to replace a power converter so no coffee for us. Personally, I was more than a little nervous that the trip wouldn't go as plan, or the students would think it was a waste of time. We had a little glitch, we were told that Breakfast in the Refectory (cafeteria) started at 7:00; upon arrival, they stated 7:30. I spoke with the staff, problem solved and I became the hero. Renee would not let us leave without Breakfast, Mom strikes again.)
Then we walked about 20 minutes to the Overground Station for a 30 minute train ride to meet our guide, Mark.
(Yes, several students would have prefer to take the bus, but I am an obesity researcher - hello. In our adventure TO the train, several side streets must be navigated. I allowed several students to walk in front of me [they are all college age], and yes I had to yell to watch out for a car. At this point I took the lead. At the next street crossing, I yelled "Quick Quick, Little Bunnies, as I do when getting the Girls quickly across the street. The Helicopter Mom has returned. We arrived safely at the station, with all in tow. From this point forward, the students have listened for "Quick, Quick Little Bunnies" to know when to move. I joked with them, that if there was an emergency, and I yelled "Quick, Quick Little Bunnies, I would have their attention immediately. Their response, if they needed me, they would just yell "MOM". )
We met Mark, our guide, for an approximately 4 hour Tour of the Olympic Venues starting with the Olympic Village at Stratford. The tour was great, espeically when you added Mark's, Megan's and my expertise. Here are some of the Highlights from my perspective.
FREEDOM, or maybe not . . .
Now at this point, the students were free to explore London. Apparently, we are a lot of fun because all but 2 followed us to Lunch followed by a tour through the British Museum. I must admit, I truly enjoyed having them. They all travel well, (either because of training, or willingness to take directions). They all were truly excited to be exploring London and they are all bright interesting young people.
Now comes the funny quirky part of life. To all former Flyerettes: one of my students is from St. Louis. She asked me where I was from, my response "I went to Lindbergh High School". (In STL this is often how you sort out home locations.) Student response: "I know where that is, I was on the Drill Team/Pom Squad/Dance Team at my school. The Flyerettes were SOOO amazing. My response: "I was a Flyerette, we won state my senior year for the 10th year in a row." Small world eh?
Now back to the British Museum. The Museum has an exhibit of the Olympic Medals. It was cool to see replicas, the process by which they were made, and how the designs were choosen. However, I would not have drug all the students there, just for that. There was also other artifacts from the games throughout the Museum, but not easy to find or a cohesive collection. All in all, interesting but not the highpoint of the trip.
Students are now saying goodby, slowly, and heading back to campus, except for the "Final Five". They proceeded to walk another several miles with us to find Oxford Street, more Olympic Stores and NikeTown. (I side stop was made at a Football Shop for 2 of our "Final Five" who play soccer.)
9 hours later, back on Campus for dinner. What a day!!!!! Tomorrow, back to the classroom. Next week, we will have another go at the Field Trip, this time to learn to play Cricket.
Cheers.
First- the students had to report to depart at 7:45am.
(Yes there was ample grumbling about the time. The night before one student celebrated her 21st birthday, another group danced till dawn, and Megan and I need to replace a power converter so no coffee for us. Personally, I was more than a little nervous that the trip wouldn't go as plan, or the students would think it was a waste of time. We had a little glitch, we were told that Breakfast in the Refectory (cafeteria) started at 7:00; upon arrival, they stated 7:30. I spoke with the staff, problem solved and I became the hero. Renee would not let us leave without Breakfast, Mom strikes again.)
Then we walked about 20 minutes to the Overground Station for a 30 minute train ride to meet our guide, Mark.
(Yes, several students would have prefer to take the bus, but I am an obesity researcher - hello. In our adventure TO the train, several side streets must be navigated. I allowed several students to walk in front of me [they are all college age], and yes I had to yell to watch out for a car. At this point I took the lead. At the next street crossing, I yelled "Quick Quick, Little Bunnies, as I do when getting the Girls quickly across the street. The Helicopter Mom has returned. We arrived safely at the station, with all in tow. From this point forward, the students have listened for "Quick, Quick Little Bunnies" to know when to move. I joked with them, that if there was an emergency, and I yelled "Quick, Quick Little Bunnies, I would have their attention immediately. Their response, if they needed me, they would just yell "MOM". )
We met Mark, our guide, for an approximately 4 hour Tour of the Olympic Venues starting with the Olympic Village at Stratford. The tour was great, espeically when you added Mark's, Megan's and my expertise. Here are some of the Highlights from my perspective.
- London beat Paris in the Olympic Bid for the 2012 games because of the British plan to reuse the Olympic Venues after the games. Reuse of Venues, and the waste of funds as a result has been a huge problem with past games.
- The Olympic Athletic Stadium will become the West Ham soccer venue, after being refitted.
- It is the first time the Olympics are in East London. In 1908, and 1948 the games were held in West London.
- London, to date, has spent 9.3 Billion Pounds on the Games.
- There will be approximately 10,000 athletes and 6, 000 trainers in the Olympic Venues, but 20,000 credentialed journalists.
- The Olympic Natatorium, has 2, 50 meeter pools, and a diving well. The floor of the pools can be raised or lowered to alter the depth and promote optimal hydrodynamics.
- There are 4 McDonald in the Olympic Village. One of which is the largest in the world. McDonald's is a huge sponsor of the games, but again, I am an obesity researcher.
- The Olympic Mascots reflect the UK's rich Olympic and Paralympic histories. Wenlock’s name is inspired by the Shropshire village of Much Wenlock. There, the idea was formed to have a competition that included sports/skills necessary for soldiers, which in the Modern games has become the Pentathlon. Mandeville's name is inspired by Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. The Stoke Mandeville Games, widely recognized as a forerunner of the modern Paralympic movement, were first held at the hospital there. (London2012.com)
FREEDOM, or maybe not . . .
Now at this point, the students were free to explore London. Apparently, we are a lot of fun because all but 2 followed us to Lunch followed by a tour through the British Museum. I must admit, I truly enjoyed having them. They all travel well, (either because of training, or willingness to take directions). They all were truly excited to be exploring London and they are all bright interesting young people.
Now comes the funny quirky part of life. To all former Flyerettes: one of my students is from St. Louis. She asked me where I was from, my response "I went to Lindbergh High School". (In STL this is often how you sort out home locations.) Student response: "I know where that is, I was on the Drill Team/Pom Squad/Dance Team at my school. The Flyerettes were SOOO amazing. My response: "I was a Flyerette, we won state my senior year for the 10th year in a row." Small world eh?
Now back to the British Museum. The Museum has an exhibit of the Olympic Medals. It was cool to see replicas, the process by which they were made, and how the designs were choosen. However, I would not have drug all the students there, just for that. There was also other artifacts from the games throughout the Museum, but not easy to find or a cohesive collection. All in all, interesting but not the highpoint of the trip.
Students are now saying goodby, slowly, and heading back to campus, except for the "Final Five". They proceeded to walk another several miles with us to find Oxford Street, more Olympic Stores and NikeTown. (I side stop was made at a Football Shop for 2 of our "Final Five" who play soccer.)
9 hours later, back on Campus for dinner. What a day!!!!! Tomorrow, back to the classroom. Next week, we will have another go at the Field Trip, this time to learn to play Cricket.
Cheers.
Life in the Big City . . .
Well my friends, again it has been two three days since we last chatted, and I have no excuse:). But here are our adventures so far. (In all honesty, I started this last night and was too exhausted to finish- forgive me.)
Day 4- Found a traditional pub in downtown London and watched the Federer/Murray Match.
Here are the things that I learned about watching sports in London, or more specific about watching Tennis in London. Tennis Matches are very subdued undertakings even in a bar: no yelling at the TV, no stomping of feet, no wild cheers for victories. We all sat calmly and ate our lunch while watching some pretty exciting tennis. Although Murray did not win, he did give Federer a run for his money in the first sets, and this was the first time in 73 years a British male made it to the finals at Wimbledon. (Yes Murray is technically Scottish, but Scotland is still part of the UK.)
The group today consisted of my fellow faculty from a well known state institution south of Cincinnati. We don't speak the name at our house. We bleed Black and Red, not Blue:) I found myself once again, counting heads. It might be compulsive behavior on my part, too many years with young kids, or just a need to make sure no one gets left behind.
After Tennis, we opted to walk London. So many amazing sites, Westminster Abby, Trafalgar Square, the Wobbly Bridge, (for Harry Potter fans the bridge in the final movie), the London Eye. After walking for several hours, Megan and I headed to Buckingham Palace, where we got caught in a fabulous London storm. Yes - the rain slickers she purchased before we left have come in incredibly handy.- Thanks Megan. The storm turned out to be a fabulous adventure, standing under a tree outside the palace in a beautiful green park. It stopped almost as quickly as it started, but was a lot of fun.
Off to home, bread and cheese at the market, then another great evening entertaining with friends in our room. (Some roles don't change, just because of change in geographic location.)
Day 5 - First Day of Classes. First, thanks to Megan for all her help with AV support. It is great to travel with your own techy:). The class went well. When I ran into students later in the day, they were all talking about how much they enjoyed the class. They especially enjoyed learning about more than the Sports of the Olympics. (Today we covered, the Ancient Games, The Modern Revival, and Gender issues surrounding the Olympics.)
After class, a quick lunch in the cafeteria, and an another round of Tech Support by Megan we were off to scope out the field trip for the next day. The day ended uneventfully in London, with me purchasing a great pair of Welly's and some great Olympic Gear for Us and the Girls.
Stay tuned for the next update- Our first field trip- Megan and I and 20 Students on our own in London- (insert your choice of ominious music).
Day 4- Found a traditional pub in downtown London and watched the Federer/Murray Match.
Here are the things that I learned about watching sports in London, or more specific about watching Tennis in London. Tennis Matches are very subdued undertakings even in a bar: no yelling at the TV, no stomping of feet, no wild cheers for victories. We all sat calmly and ate our lunch while watching some pretty exciting tennis. Although Murray did not win, he did give Federer a run for his money in the first sets, and this was the first time in 73 years a British male made it to the finals at Wimbledon. (Yes Murray is technically Scottish, but Scotland is still part of the UK.)
The group today consisted of my fellow faculty from a well known state institution south of Cincinnati. We don't speak the name at our house. We bleed Black and Red, not Blue:) I found myself once again, counting heads. It might be compulsive behavior on my part, too many years with young kids, or just a need to make sure no one gets left behind.
After Tennis, we opted to walk London. So many amazing sites, Westminster Abby, Trafalgar Square, the Wobbly Bridge, (for Harry Potter fans the bridge in the final movie), the London Eye. After walking for several hours, Megan and I headed to Buckingham Palace, where we got caught in a fabulous London storm. Yes - the rain slickers she purchased before we left have come in incredibly handy.- Thanks Megan. The storm turned out to be a fabulous adventure, standing under a tree outside the palace in a beautiful green park. It stopped almost as quickly as it started, but was a lot of fun.
Off to home, bread and cheese at the market, then another great evening entertaining with friends in our room. (Some roles don't change, just because of change in geographic location.)
Day 5 - First Day of Classes. First, thanks to Megan for all her help with AV support. It is great to travel with your own techy:). The class went well. When I ran into students later in the day, they were all talking about how much they enjoyed the class. They especially enjoyed learning about more than the Sports of the Olympics. (Today we covered, the Ancient Games, The Modern Revival, and Gender issues surrounding the Olympics.)
After class, a quick lunch in the cafeteria, and an another round of Tech Support by Megan we were off to scope out the field trip for the next day. The day ended uneventfully in London, with me purchasing a great pair of Welly's and some great Olympic Gear for Us and the Girls.
Stay tuned for the next update- Our first field trip- Megan and I and 20 Students on our own in London- (insert your choice of ominious music).
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Day 2-4 It's Tuesday we must be in . . .
Well, my intention is to post daily, but you know what they say about good intentions and the road to h$%# and all. We will see if I settle into a rhythm once class starts.
So to update you on the adventures so far - after a 6 hour layover in Atlanta, we boarded the plane to London. (The layover was planned but long, thankfully we lost no one.) The flight was uneventful, except either I am bigger or the seats are smaller because sleeping is not really what I would call how I spent the almost 8 hour flight. Here is how the rest of our day went.
Get all students (36) and faculty (4) off the plane - count everyone.
Get all students and faculty through customs - count everyone.
Get luggage - count everyone.
Pass through customs - count everyone.
Get to coach for transfer to Kings College - count everyone.
Let me take a moment to share that what I have already identified will be my biggest issue on this trip. Establishing the appropriate line between educating/keeping students safe and becoming the stereo typical helicopter mom to EVERYONE. It has already become the joke between my fellow faculty members and myself:). So back to the story.
Arrive at Kings College, check in, and haul bags to our dorms. If you want to have a picture of what this looked like, remember back to your freshman year of undergrad and checking into your dorms for the first time. Yep - that was it.
So after getting settled, checking out the local grocery store and showering we were off to meet the student in our classes. Note: there are approximately 200 students and faculty from mostly mid-western schools on this study abroad program. Only 20 of them are in my class.
Bed - whew- what a day:)
Day 3 - 8:30 Orientation and Bus Tour of London. CCSA has done a great job of what I am referring to as International Travel 101. Let me clarify what I mean- they are providing the students with all the information they need to travel safely: what to watch out for, how to carry your money, who to contact if there is an issue, etc. So after our 1.5 hour lecture, we are off on a Bus tour. HELICOPTER MOM ALERT - on the bus tour we stopped to see the Changing of the Guard at the Palace. As the bus is parking, half the students stand up. I respond with " Ladies and Gentlemen, SIT DOWN". The entire bus erupts in laughter. All the faculty thought to say something, but only I do:) The students too are laughing- as one pointed out: "Yeah you are being a "Mom" but I know where to go if I need something". The tour was fabulous, something I always recommend to when arriving in a new city. It gave us all a great overview of London, and clarified ideas of what we wanted to see in more depth.
After the tour, a quick lunch and back to campus for a faculty meeting. The evening turned out to, again, be one of the experiences that remind me of my first nights as a freshman at Cornell.
A lot of the faculty went out for dinner together. We ate at a fabulous french restaurant known to "The Goddess"- a faculty member from Oregon. From this point forward, I will accept any of her suggestions about places to eat. Dinner was AWESOME. After dinner, we split into smaller groups, some heading back to campus, some out for a night cap. For us, it was a night cap, followed by returning to our room and entertaining our new friends for another night cap. Yes - adult faculty members, from prestigious universities, sitting on dorm beds or floors, chatting until the wee hours of the morning. A great time was had by all.
And yes it is Noon on our first Sunday in London, and we are about to hunt out a pub to watch the finals at Wimbleton. Federer vs. Murray. Should be a great match up.
Till later - Mind the Gap.
So to update you on the adventures so far - after a 6 hour layover in Atlanta, we boarded the plane to London. (The layover was planned but long, thankfully we lost no one.) The flight was uneventful, except either I am bigger or the seats are smaller because sleeping is not really what I would call how I spent the almost 8 hour flight. Here is how the rest of our day went.
Get all students (36) and faculty (4) off the plane - count everyone.
Get all students and faculty through customs - count everyone.
Get luggage - count everyone.
Pass through customs - count everyone.
Get to coach for transfer to Kings College - count everyone.
Let me take a moment to share that what I have already identified will be my biggest issue on this trip. Establishing the appropriate line between educating/keeping students safe and becoming the stereo typical helicopter mom to EVERYONE. It has already become the joke between my fellow faculty members and myself:). So back to the story.
Arrive at Kings College, check in, and haul bags to our dorms. If you want to have a picture of what this looked like, remember back to your freshman year of undergrad and checking into your dorms for the first time. Yep - that was it.
So after getting settled, checking out the local grocery store and showering we were off to meet the student in our classes. Note: there are approximately 200 students and faculty from mostly mid-western schools on this study abroad program. Only 20 of them are in my class.
Bed - whew- what a day:)
Day 3 - 8:30 Orientation and Bus Tour of London. CCSA has done a great job of what I am referring to as International Travel 101. Let me clarify what I mean- they are providing the students with all the information they need to travel safely: what to watch out for, how to carry your money, who to contact if there is an issue, etc. So after our 1.5 hour lecture, we are off on a Bus tour. HELICOPTER MOM ALERT - on the bus tour we stopped to see the Changing of the Guard at the Palace. As the bus is parking, half the students stand up. I respond with " Ladies and Gentlemen, SIT DOWN". The entire bus erupts in laughter. All the faculty thought to say something, but only I do:) The students too are laughing- as one pointed out: "Yeah you are being a "Mom" but I know where to go if I need something". The tour was fabulous, something I always recommend to when arriving in a new city. It gave us all a great overview of London, and clarified ideas of what we wanted to see in more depth.
After the tour, a quick lunch and back to campus for a faculty meeting. The evening turned out to, again, be one of the experiences that remind me of my first nights as a freshman at Cornell.
A lot of the faculty went out for dinner together. We ate at a fabulous french restaurant known to "The Goddess"- a faculty member from Oregon. From this point forward, I will accept any of her suggestions about places to eat. Dinner was AWESOME. After dinner, we split into smaller groups, some heading back to campus, some out for a night cap. For us, it was a night cap, followed by returning to our room and entertaining our new friends for another night cap. Yes - adult faculty members, from prestigious universities, sitting on dorm beds or floors, chatting until the wee hours of the morning. A great time was had by all.
And yes it is Noon on our first Sunday in London, and we are about to hunt out a pub to watch the finals at Wimbleton. Federer vs. Murray. Should be a great match up.
Till later - Mind the Gap.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Olympic Adventure- Day 1
I woke up this morning struck by an incredible irony. Exactly 20 years this summer, I was between my Junior and Senior year as an undergraduate, and traveling through Africa with my best friend and her family. It was an amazing and life changing experience. Since that time I have been blessed with the ability to see a lot of the world.
Today, we are sitting in the Atlanta Airport awaiting a flight to London. I am teaching a study abroad course on the Sports, History, and Administration in the London Olympics. I will be leading 20 undergraduates on a 4 week trip to London. (Yes, I will be seeing some of the Olympic Games as well.)
My goal for this trip is two fold: first to share my passion for exercise physiology with the next generation, second to share my passion for international travel with a group that for the most part have not been out of the United States. The student becomes the teacher.
This blog will chronicle my/our adventure. Wish us luck. And thanks to the DeNaults for launching one of my passions.
Today, we are sitting in the Atlanta Airport awaiting a flight to London. I am teaching a study abroad course on the Sports, History, and Administration in the London Olympics. I will be leading 20 undergraduates on a 4 week trip to London. (Yes, I will be seeing some of the Olympic Games as well.)
My goal for this trip is two fold: first to share my passion for exercise physiology with the next generation, second to share my passion for international travel with a group that for the most part have not been out of the United States. The student becomes the teacher.
This blog will chronicle my/our adventure. Wish us luck. And thanks to the DeNaults for launching one of my passions.
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