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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