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.


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