In Search of the Good Life...

Jamaica Week 4 - Last week

2009-08-12T18:09:00.003-04:00

Marcia --Assistant to the Director of Student Services and Development

Mr. Lowrie -- Manager of Irving Hall

Grace -- Director of UWI Sports Dept

Dr. Reynolds - Director of Student Services

Donna Mae - Manager of Rex Nettleford Hall

I have re-transitioned back to the USA --> Atlanta --> Tallahassee. I got my share of Braves games in Atlanta, moved into a new house, played laser tag with my dad in Tallahassee, and now I'm back to work at 2 of my 3 jobs at FSU.

My last week at UWI was a great close to a very memorable international experience. We went to Liberty Hall, home to the legacy of Marcus Garvey, Jamaica's first national hero who encouraged descendants of Africa to embrace their culture and stand as equals with other races.

From the website:

The primary mission of Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey, is to inform the public about the work of Jamaica’s first National hero and to use his philosophy and opinions to inspire, excite, and positively affect the self-identity of Jamaican people while creating social and economic wealth.

As a history buff, I really enjoyed the visit to Liberty Hall and learned a ton about Jamaican political and social history. I thought the on-going feud between Garvey and W.E.B. DuBois was fascinating. DuBois is such an American icon; it was surprising to learn that not everyone agreed with his personal philosophy.

From ritesofpassage.org:

Garvey's adherence to the ideals of service and success, on the one hand, and to the practical boosterism of the self-made man, on the other, created a peculiar tension in his later relationships with both W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. The antagonism between DuBois and Garvey was more cultural than political. It stemmed from the struggle between the nineteenth-century New England patrician ideal, translated by DuBois into his concept of "the Talented Tenth," and the competing ideal of the self-made man that provided Garvey with his rationale. "Many American Negroes," DuBois asserted, viewed Garvey's meteoric rise as the "enthroning of a demagogue, who with monkey shines was deluding the people and taking their hard-earned dollars." Garvey, for his part, accused DuBois of setting himself up as "the highest social dignitary." Garvey saw in himself the idealized self-made man who triumphed over continual disadvantage in a heroic struggle for success and survival. On this basis he drew a harsh distinction between DuBois and himself:

Marcia and I also went to the National Gallery. I love galleries. I could have spent all day examining the artwork of Jamaica. I didn't take any pictures, but you can see different examples of works at the website: http://about.galleryjamaica.org/

On my last evening, my hosts and supervisors took me out for a wonderful farewell dinner at one of the local Chinese restaurants. Grace, Donna Mae, Dr. Reynolds, Marcia, and Mr. Lowrie (another Hall Director) were there for my send off, and they absolutely showered me with presents! My two favorite gifts were a coffee table book of the history of UWI and a Jamaican scarf. I can't wait for it to get cold so that I can wear it!

The final verdict--

I am so glad I took advantage of the opportunity.
If given the chance to go back, I would go in a heartbeat.
My favorite aspects of the experience were the people, the geography, and the food.
The only thing that would have made the experience better was if I had traveled with another classmate.
Tropical Island Man Eating Death Bugs = bad news.
I learned about: customer service/hospitality, program building, strategic management, Jamaican history and culture (especially music and cuisine!)
My favorite experiences - scuba diving in Mobay, getting lost in the mountains of eastern Jamaica with Grace, walking around campus during the day collecting wild mangos, meals at Rex Nettleford with the staff, running on the Mona Bowl track, visits with all of the Hall Directors

If any other higher ed students read this entry, GO ON THE BEYOND BORDERS TRIP and/or apply for the internship next summer. Phenomenal experience--totally worth it! I will miss my new friends and cherish my memories!

Pictures from Week 3

2009-07-28T12:15:00.003-04:00

Makes me nostalgic for the Vineyard...Port Antonio

Driving home to Kingston

Who needs a car when you can ride on one of these bad asses?

...cricket cricket...

One of the beautiful homes in the mountains of eastern Jamaica.

Where are the velociraptors?

A snippet of the mountain road that allegedly took us to Reach Falls...ha!

The Jurassic Park theme is playing in my mind as I think about this view.

On the way to Port Antonio

We don't see terrain like that in the States.

Grace Jackson has a mural outside of the national sports complex. That's how you know you're a stud.

Jamaica Week 3 continued

2009-07-27T17:22:00.006-04:00

I'm typing on borrowed time as the computer lab is getting ready to shut down. I will try and make this extremely short (ha! right...):

I spent the weekend in the company of Grace Jackson and her family on two adventures in the Jamaican countryside. I have been fully inducted into the Jackson family and I absolutely love them all. Grace's two children, Bijee (10) and Dante (6), are so sweet, albeit they are two EXTREMELY rambunctious kids. Granted I never spent time with kids, so who am I to judge...any kid is going to seem rambunctious to me.

Grace picked me up at 12:30 on Saturday and we set off for Ocho Rios. 3 1/2 hours later, we arrived at the world's most secluded rafting operation. Definitely not your local tourist joint. It was about 4:00 by the time we got there, so we were definitely the only customers around, which was great. It was family created, owned, and operated--and when I say 'created', I mean the rafts were handmade out of bamboo shoots and the tubes were handmade out of who knows what.

^ A picture I borrowed from the internet as I didn't want to risk taking my camera down the White River...

Per suggestion of the guide, we elected to go tubing en lieu of rafting, so the 5 of us (Grace, me, 2 kids, and 8 year old niece Akira) set off down the White River with our guide. This was not your typical "lazy day down the river" tube ride. The White Current flows from the Blue Mountains and the current is FAST. We probably didn't hit more than a level 2 rapid, but it was a wild ride nonetheless. At the halfway point, we got out of our tubs and jumped off of "Pirate's Plank" into the middle of the river along with some of the locals. It was so wonderful to have the privacy of the entire river to ourselves and the local bathers. Dunn's River Falls was beautiful, but it was totally overrun by HUNDREDS of screaming tourists, whereas our trip down the White River was completely peaceful. Grace and I could have sat in the water watching her kids jump off the Pirate's Plank for hours.

After the tube ride, we drove another 2 hours (no traffic along the windy mountain roads) back to Kingston. She stopped off at a roadside stand (they're all over the place) to get me some sugar cane, fresh bananas, and something that sounded like 'sweetsa'--looks like an artichoke but tastes like a papaya...that's as good of a description as I can muster...

Fresh sugar cane is delicious. I'm addicted. Find me a place where I can get it in the States and I will show you a happy Kellie.

Okay, so Sunday:

Grace picked me up and the family hit the road at around 1:00 with the intention of seeing some of the waterfalls in Eastern Jamaica. Quick geography lesson:

Kingston/Port Royal - Southern Jamaica
Montego Bay - Northwestern Jamaica
Ocho Rios - Northern Jamaica
Portland/Port Antonio - Eastern Jamaica
Negril --far Western Jamaica

On second thought, I'm sure you all know how to read a map:

We started driving towards Somerset Falls in Portland. The falls entrance looked a little hokey so we decided to continue driving in search of Reach Falls. We drove through Port Antonio, which looked a lot like Aquinnah (for those of you who have been to Martha's Vineyard)---really deep clear blue water, steep cliffs, small fishing village, etc.

I'll post pictures later, but you'll notice that most of my pictures are awful because they were taken on the fly in a briskly moving vehicle traveling on extremely bumpy roads. I also took a 2 minute video of part of our route that I hope to post and give you all a laugh after you've recovered from the motion sickness that ensues.

Okay, so back to the story, we drove through Port Antonio because the last 3 people that we've stopped to ask for directions have told us "4-5 miles down the road". 45 minutes later, we still did not see a sign indicating that a waterfall is even remotely nearby. Grace stopped and asked another local, who told her in Jamaican Patois that was completely indistinguishable to my ears that we needed to take a left turn and follow the road and eventually we'd run into it...in 4 -5 miles.

This "road" ended up being a road that took us through the mountainside. It was absolutely beautiful. The family and I were laughing hysterically because we had no clue where we were going or if we'd ever reach a waterfall (Reach Falls was out of our 'reach'...ha!) but the mountain views were absolutely worth the 3 hour trip it took us to get there. We'd stop off at small mountain dwellings to talk to the locals (and their reaction upon realizing that they were talking to Olympian Grace Jackson was so funny!--it would be like an American not realizing that they were talking to Michael Johnson or Tyson Gay) and admire the simplistic life of the mountain dwelling communities. There were fruit trees everywhere. It was just absolutely spectacular. The eastern part of the country is the "untouched" side, and I got to experience it firsthand. Again, I'll post pictures later, but they really don't do the experience justice.

Moral of the story is that by the time we found the correct road to Reach Falls, it was closed. Wa wa wa. We were completely content with our 8 hour road trip nonetheless. Grace and the family were excellent tour guides and I learned a great deal about the different parishes (like our states) and terrain. What a great adventure!

Jamaica Week 3

2009-07-24T21:30:00.003-04:00

I am currently sitting in my room trying to figure out if the delicious meal I’m eating is curried chicken or goat, but that’s beside the point. In my last entry, I mentioned that I would be working with a former Olympian. It’s time I expounded upon that.

Most people know that I love sports. I love playing sports. I love watching sports. I love talking about sports. Certain sports have a special place in my heart—softball/baseball, sand volleyball, football, climbing, rowing—but as much as I love all of these sports, they all take a second seat to my first love: track and field.

Back in my Uncle Rico high school glory days, I was quite the T&F enthusiast, and even earlier than that, I did a 3rd grade school project on “My Hero, Florence Griffith-Joyner.” Yes, I had the fake nails and all. I also have a softball cap signed by Carl Lewis because he happened to be at one of my little league softball games. I get a big dumb grin on my face every time I go to the UWI Mona grass track because just knowing that I’m running circles on the same training path used by Usain Bolt is exhilarating. I love being in Jamaica simply by virtue of the fact that local people follow international track and field like we follow March Madness. Well, that and about a billion other reasons. But I think I’ve made my point.

Which brings me back to my original point: my week spent with Ms. Grace Jackson, international track icon, is probably one of the most amazing/humbling privileges I’ve ever had in my life. Before you young guns rush to Wikipedia to determine her identity (as my older/wiser readers shake their heads), let me save you the trip:

Grace Jackson (born 14 June 1961 in St. Ann, Jamaica) is a retired Jamaican athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She reached the 100m and 200m finals in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games and the 200m final in Barcelona in 1992. Her breakthrough performance was at the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea. She won a Silver medal over 200m behind Florence Griffith Joyner, beating then 200m World Champion Silke Moller, Heike Drechsler and team mate Merlene Ottey. She also won a bronze medal at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships and a silver medal at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

The only woman to beat her in the 200m at the Seoul Games was my 3rd grade hero! That, my friends, is really REALLY cool. You’d never know Grace was such a track stud the way she carries herself. She’s completely down to earth—very unassuming, genuine, hilarious. She doesn’t use her prestige as a launching platform, rather she relies on her former experience with competitive NCAA athletics to help build UWI Mona’s sports program.

Regardless of her track record (ha! I couldn’t resist...pun totally intended), the opportunity to assist the Sports Director at UWI Mona was such a blast. Unlike FSU, or UGA, or most of the other universities with competitive D1 sports programs that have been established for decades, UWI Mona is in the very early stages of building a University-wide program that competes nationally and internationally. Grace currently oversees the recreational and competitive sport programs at the University, and she operates with a staff of 4…compared to the multi-department system that D1 schools have at their disposal. I was able to review and edit documents regarding athletic scholarship criteria, management/governance, sponsorship/grant applications, and the 5-year strategic plan. Grace is truly building this program from the ground up, and as an American student surrounded by enormous American athletic offices, to be involved in the early planning and implementation stages of a nationally and internationally competitive program is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that make you stop and say (for lack of better words), “Wow…this is SO COOL!”

Today we grabbed lunch at a Chinese restaurant (and for the record, having Chinese with Grace Jackson is way better than the prospect of a tea party with John Smoltz and Chipper Jones combined) and went to a seminar on sports marketing and management being hosted by the International Best Practices Network. I learned some great sponsorship/grant-writing techniques that I will definitely using this year.

Again, athletic history aside, it has really been such a fun week working with the Sports Department, and I am extremely grateful that Grace has given me such a meaningful experience and treated me as a trusted friend. She’s taking me with her family to the country tomorrow (possibly Negril) for an excursion away from campus.

I’ll probably get one or two more final updates in next week, but I thought it would be worth mentioning that I’m down to my final 7 days here. Even though there have been days that have felt long, the overall experience has blown by. I will miss the staff here dearly! I am praying that I’ll have a job by Spring Break so that I can come back with FSU’s Beyond Borders exchange program en lieu of job searching…

Pictures from Week 2

2009-07-22T12:09:00.002-04:00

Fort Charles at Port Royal.

The Royal Artillery Store, now called the "Giddy House" because one gets a sensation of giddiness when walking into the house as it has shifted 15 degrees due to the 1907 earthquake.

The Brick Oven, a bakery located right next to the Devon House "I Scream" store. I didn't eat at the bakery; I just liked this picture.

The Devon House

Bob Marley statue. One Love!

Days 8 - 13: Work, Bob Marley, Port Royal

2009-07-18T19:38:00.005-04:00

I'll keep this one short[er], sweet, and to the point because I'm currently battling the UWI library wireless network on my laptop and I am losing.

I met with the President of the Guild of Students on Wednesday. The Guild of Students is like our Student Government Association. It's a very high profile group of students who are responsible for allocating student funds, programming on campus, etc. Similar to the processes that our SGA oversees, but the Guild does a substantial amount of programming in their Student's Union as well as overseeing the off-campus transportation system. I was amazed by how much external influence is involved in the campaigning process. The two major parties of Jamaica are the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP), and each party typically "backs" a candidate who is a member of its youth branch to run for Guild election. Politicians will show up on campus during voting week to encourage students to vote! (They're not supposed to, but many do anyway).

This year's president, VJ, is fantastic! We spent two hours comparing and contrasting our forms of student government and he also gave me a tour of their Union. Their Union has a club/sports bar, nail salon (yep, already went), supermarket, gym, Guild offices, steel orchestra room, etc.--it's a great space. I'm not as schooled in American college and university SGAs as I should be, so if you're a former or current SGA participant and have any useful information that I could pass onto VJ, let me know. :)

I spent most of my work-week in Rex Nettleford finishing up the development program and handbook for new residents.

The rest of my week was spent learning about Jamaican history and pop culture:

I went to the Bob Marley historical museum/his former house in Kingston. I don't really know how to describe my thoughts on Bob Marley. The people here have a tremendous amount of pride in his work, and my interest is definitely peaked, so I'll have to pick up some literature on his life and work when I get back to the States. I need to become more educated on the Rastafarian religion as well. His home was beautiful, and the curators have done an excellent job of maintaining its charm. The house had many of Bob's original belongings, but unfortunately tourists are not allowed to take pictures of the inside of his house. I have a few from the outside/statue, but they're not the greatest quality and certainly don't do justice to the experience.

A quick note on the statue:
The government commissioned a statue of Marley to be erected after his death, but they weren't happy with the first one, so they moved it to Montego Bay and erected a new one to stand outside of his house. We saw the other one while we were in Montego Bay--it's more impressionistic than the second.

We followed the Bob Marley Museum with a trip to the Devon House for ice cream. Devon House "I Scream" is like the Ben & Jerry's of Jamaica, only a million times better. I am completely lacking in creativity tonight, so I've pulled this description of the Devon House off its official website:

"One of Jamaica’s most celebrated historical landmarks The Devon House Mansion is the architectural dream of Jamaica’s first black millionaire George Stiebel. Stiebel was among three wealthy Jamaicans who constructed elaborate homes during the late 19th century at the corner of Trafalgar Road and Hope Road, which fittingly became known as the Millionaires Corner. Daniel Finzi and the Verleys were the other families that resided in the area, however, both homes were eventually demolished to make way for development ventures including the construction of Abbey Court Apartments. Stiebel’s legacy lives on with the beautifully maintained Devon House, which was declared a national monument in 1990 by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust."

The house and lawn are GORGEOUS. Absolutely beautiful. I'll put pictures up when I'm on a better wireless network.

I went to Port Royal on Friday. For those of you who don't know me well, I have a huge affinity for pirate culture. Seriously, this extends way beyond "Oh yeah, Pirates of the Caribbean was a great movie" type of fascination with pirates. Before committing to a degree in Higher Education, I submitted grad school applications to history programs with every intention of studying the Golden Age of Piracy. So, for me, Port Royal is like the Mecca of pirate history. Henry Morgan was one of the more notable pirates that made quite a living in Port Royal.

We grabbed a quick lunch at a wonderful seaside cafe on the outskirts of Port Royal before taking a tour of Fort Charles. I don't really know what I expected Port Royal/Fort Charles to be like, but it definitely wasn't the booming metropolis that I expected. Port Royal was one of the richest/most wicked cities in the New World in the 17th Century (1650-1692), but in 1692 a major earthquake swept 2/3's of the city underwater. The British rebuilt Fort Charles after the quake, and it served as one of its key naval bases in the Caribbean for the next 200 years, but it never regained the prominence and wealth that it had when it was the haven for pirates and privateers. Another earthquake hit in the early 1900's, and by that point, the British were fed up with the natural disasters and turned the town over to the locals. The town as it stands today is a small community that survives on local fishing business. The tour of Fort Charles was fascinating. Some of the artifacts that divers have pulled up from the original settlement (circa 1650) were marvelous. Unfortunately, no photography allowed inside. My favorite artifact was an old pocket watch that was recovered from the waters; they x-rayed the watch to see where the hands were last positioned (before disintegrating), and the technology indicated that the watch hands stopped at 11:43 AM--the exact time that the earthquake hit in 1692. How cool is that?

Lastly, I finally ventured off campus at night under the watchful eye of my new friend Michelle, who runs the kitchen at Rex Nettleford and supplies me with delicious yummy food everyday :)--she is an Angel! She invited me to join her and several members of her family at the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen pageant--which is apparently a HUGE deal in the country. Women representing every parish in the country vie for the title of Queen; typical pageant competition: talent, poise, question/response--and a category for cultural awareness.

The theme of this year's pageant was "Jamaica's natural treasure: Jamaican woman". All of the talent presentations acts demonstrating some issue pertaining to race/gender/equality/national pride--it was extremely interesting. Two contestants made commentary on skin bleaching--I didn't realize that was such a critical issue in the African diaspora. One contestant reenacted the defense of Lena Baker, the only African American woman to suffer execution by electric chair in Georgia. She claimed self-defense (rightly so) against a man who was violently abusing her, but her all-white male jury convicted her and sentenced her to death.

Also worth pointing out was that in an audience of about 1,000 spectators, I appeared to be the only White person. I haven't seen a whole lot of other Caucasians on campus or in Kingston (Montego Bay is a completely different story--tourist central), but the experience of being at the pageant/on campus made me understand a little more about why racial/ethnic minorities might have a tendency to group together in social settings. At the pageant, I found myself looking for other people that looked like me. It's a little unnerving to have a bunch of people look at you to see how you'll react to a performance criticizing white-oppression. I got to experience what it feels like to be the "spokesperson" for an entire group of people.

My hosts have done a phenomenal job of making sure that I'm always in good hands. I have felt safe and I have been treated with nothing but respect the entire time that I've been here. I'll never know what it's like to be a minority in the United States. I'll probably never endure racial oppression or discrimination, and I'll never be able to relate to any of my minority students who come to college with those types of experiences, but my experience in Jamaica has made me more sensitive to the types of feelings that minority students might feel when they come to schools that are predominately White institutions.

Okay, I need to cut this off because it's getting dark outside and I have a bit of a hike to get back to my Hall. I'll be working with Ms. Grace Jackson (former Olympian!) this week at a sports camp. Until then...

Per request of a friend, more pictures from Montego Bay and Ocho Rios

2009-07-15T12:47:00.004-04:00

Jamaica: Days 5 - 7 Montego Bay and Ocho Rios

2009-07-14T11:33:00.005-04:00

About a half mile off this dock is where we went diving.

Scotchie's Jerk Centre yummmm....

Dunn's River Falls--it's MUCH bigger than what this picture suggests.

The beach directly across from the UWI Mona Western Jamaica Campus Hall of Residence--what a mouthful!

The view from my room's balcony!

2,970 word count. Sorry I’m so long winded. The post might be a little confusing because I switch between past and present tense as much of what I documented occurred as I was writing.

Day 5 –

I’m presently experiencing unprecedented levels of perspiration due to my 30 minute power walk in long jeans + Jamaican heat (good thinking Gerbers!) to the UWI Bookstore in search of an SD card for my camera. I realized that there was no way that I was going to be able to survive on my camera’s internal memory of 7 pictures this weekend, so at 4:30 this afternoon (Friday) –30 minutes before our scheduled departure— I got the bright idea to buy one at the UWI Bookstore, so away I went. Mission accomplished, but it came at a price. I’m drenched. But at least I can take 1,193 more pictures than before.

So, backing up—this morning I met with Professor Jennings-Craig, Director of the School of Education. We discussed the structure of the SOE, collaboration with the Ministry of Education, accreditation, and articulation between primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of education. She was very thoughtful and made several observations about the country’s educational system that helped me better understand the process of student matriculation as well as logic for offering certain degree programs. UWI Mona’s SOE offers a significant number of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, two of which are literacy studies and curriculum development. I’m not sure if FSU or UGA offer degrees in either. I figured the closest comparison to curriculum development might be program evaluation. After thanking her for her time, Marcia and I went to the bank where I learned how devalued the US dollar is. 8.3:1. Ugh.

I started my actual work-related responsibilities this afternoon in Rex Nettleford. Ms. Jackson (Hall Manager) wants to create a program for the male students in her hall that addresses values identification, role modeling, and ethical behavior specifically targeted at men. The ratio (ready for this?) at UWI Mona is 8:2 female:male. And we thought FSU was bad. With male matriculation at just over 20%, every male at UWI Mona is considered at risk, regardless of whether they’re on-hall or commuting. Ms. Jackson was out of the office all afternoon, so I had free reign over her office to complete my work…and gchat…stupid internet dependency. I found some interesting models for ethics programming and male college student value identification. I actually stumbled across an article by our very own Mark Pontious and cited him. Nice work, Mark. I also emailed my conduct/housing dream team asking for idea submissions. Thank you for your feedback!

After throwing some gear in a travel suitcase, I trekked through some less-traveled campus paths to the bookstore (still working on charting the most direct route to the center of campus. I’m sure I looked ridiculous to any observers) and now I’m back at the Rex ‘Plex waiting for our bus to cart me and a few others to Montego Bay/western Jamaica for the weekend.

(2 hours later)

My bus drive was my first exposure to the poverty of rural Jamaica. The UWI campus doesn’t reflect the condition of poverty that is evident in many other parts of the country. Poverty and affluence come in pockets and disappear just as quickly (you can guess which one is more prevalent). Poverty does not look the same in the United States. Tin huts line the road, even along the steep mountain paths. People sit on the side of the street…just existing. There are small shops that look worn but still seem to generate sustainable business. We drove along the _____ Gorge, which extends for about 2 miles with steep mountainous vegetation growing on either side. The water is a dense, milky color due to the country’s abundance of limestone. After being on the road for about 2 hours (around nearly 8 PM—it’s pitch black outside by this time), we stopped at a roadside stand selling roast corn. Jamaican roast corn is not the same as American corn on the cob. As it turns out, corn is much better when it’s mildly browned with a light salt rub than it is when it’s slathered with loads of butter. I suggest you try it.

After driving through the windiest mountain pass EVER (narrow, bumpy switchbacks every 100 feet for 45 minutes straight– and our drivers could rival Ricky Bobby for speed records–I’m not prone to motion sickness but it was certainly testing my limits), we stopped for dinner in Ocho Rios at Scotchie’s Jerk Centre. Authentic jerk chicken/pork/fish that tastes nothing like the pathetic excuse that Americans (me in particular) try and pass off as jerk-style. The chicken is smoked and rubbed with a variety of spices of which I could not possibly identify, and holy cow is it SPICY. Spiciest meal I have ever had—and I dump pepper and hot sauce on everything. Absolutely fantastic—best chicken I have ever had. Scotchie’s has the coolest setup. Despite being along a tourist strip, the restaurant isn’t well marked from the outside, so it keeps most of the out-of-town traffic away. The dining area is a simple wooden outdoor gazebo lined with dozens of flowers. The jerk house itself is open air, with two large smoking pits that the cooks line with chicken and pork and cover with tin sheets. The cook takes a whole chicken and slices and dices according to the order (i.e. ¼ lb chicken, breast and thigh). I had chicken with a bottle of coconut water. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Surprisingly it was not as sweet as I expected, but refreshing nonetheless. I told myself that I was not going to embarrass the rest of my party by taking a picture of Scotchie’s, but I snuck a few anyway on our return stop.

After dinner, we had about an hour of additional drive time to reach Montego Bay. I have finally made a friend here! Her name is Rishma and she’s from Trinidad. She’s my age. Rishma was on campus applying for an R.A. position in Rex (she’s a former Rexian), and Ms. Jackson invited her to join us for the weekend. Rishma got her B.A. in geology and she was just accepted to the Disaster Management Master’s Program. I had such a great time swapping stories with her in the car. She dives, and she told me all about her advanced open water certification in the Caribbean (lucky!). She taught me cricket, I taught her baseball and American football. In Trinidad, they go to clubs for fun, we go to concerts. I realized tonight that I, along with the rest of my generation, take for granted that we get premier bands that tour in the US. I’ve seen Coldplay three times. Rishma told me that Trinidad doesn’t get famous acts until they’re been out of the game for about a decade. Kenny Rogers and Michael Bolton recently sold out in Trinidad. How painful is that? She’s on campus until Wednesday, so I hope we have some fun before she leaves.

We eventually made it to Montego Bay. This is the tourist haven of Jamaica. We stayed at the brand new UWI Mona Western Campus Hall of Residence. It’s a hotel that was renovated into a Hall, so all the rooms were huge. I had a fabulous walk-out balcony overlooking the bay. It was lovely. However, it was NOT peaceful. The local crew lines the streets at night with cars, music, beer, snacks, and...something else. There is reggae music blaring through my closed door. It’s quite a sight. I haven’t said much about the reggae presence on the island yet. I’ll save that for my tour of Bob Marley’s house. But until then, trust me. It’s there.
Thoughts on the experience:

The realization that I’ve been here for almost a week hit me this afternoon. I can’t decide if the experience has felt long or short. I guess it depends. Rod made a comment on an earlier post that he was impressed that I took the time to type such detailed reflections. Truth of the matter is that I write them down first and then time them whenever I can get to a computer. I just flipped back a few pages to the notes I made from last night. They’re pretty darn close to illegible. I took a picture so that you all could see the hieroglyphics that I have to translate:

This evening makes my first opportunity to enjoy a Jamaican sunset. The view from campus isn’t very good because I’m surrounded by mountains. Tonight I’m sitting on a ledge on the edge of the beach directly in front of the Western Jamaican Campus Hall of Residence. I’m surrounded by locals. It’s mostly families enjoying the calm water, but there are a few guys setting up early for the nighttime festivities, and they’re definitely smoking something that does not smell like tobacco. There’s a local’s bar directly adjacent to the hall of residence (keep in mind that it’s a former hotel), so this location draws a crowd. I can’t even fathom how large a disaster it would be to have an FSU residence hall on a beach next to a bar. Entertain that idea for a moment.

Day 6

Jamaicans run a more relaxed schedule than Americans. We rolled out of the Hall around 9:30 and grabbed breakfast at Hotel Montego. The hotel is far from a five star resort; it’s an ancient-looking building on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. I adored it. Speaking of the ocean, I have yet to officially comment on Jamaica’s waters. Florida’s gulf coast and the Bahamas have pretty water, but western Jamaica puts them both to shame. Pure sapphire and cyan. I don’t have the lexicon worthy of adequately describing the waters, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking. But I digress. Hotel Montego has a little hidden-away patio restaurant that was just charming. We had a huge (surprise) breakfast of something that resembled collared greens, green bananas, boiled dumplings, fried dumplings, and my favorite, grilled swordfish, Jamaica’s national dish. As first sight, it looks like scrambled eggs and peppers. It’s salty, spicy, and fresh. Ironically, swordfish is no longer native to the waters of Jamaica, but it’s still the national dish.

1 ½ hour drive back to Ocho Rios to Dunn’s River Falls and Park. The flora in and around Ocho is breathtaking. I have an entire album dedicated to the flowers of Jamaica. The park is interesting. There’s a food court, overpriced craft shops, beach access…oh, and this enormous waterfall that runs into the ocean. Climbing the falls takes about an hour. Visitors have the option of climbing with a guide who helps guests navigate the safest path up the falls, but Rishma and I didn’t feel like waiting on the crowed so we and a few others took the more difficult route. It’s not a particularly difficult climb, but slippery spots make for interesting maneuvers, and yours truly took a spectacular tumble right in front of two really cute guys when I was trying to look graceful. Welcome to my life. It’s a climber’s dream. Sitting underneath a natural waterfall is one of those “hey, life is awesome” moments. I knew this before I got to the island, but tourists (plural, not singular—I do realize that I’m one too) really distract from a place’s natural beauty and authenticity. We forewent Mystic Mountain because it looked too contrived. We stopped for Devon’s Ice Cream at Island Village (another tourist trap, but the coconut ice cream was great), before heading back to Montego Bay. We stopped at Scotchie’s again for a late lunch (where I snapped a few quick pictures) before calling it a day. I just spent the last hour on the shore journaling, and now I’m completely exhausted. I will hopefully be diving Doctor’s Cave Beach tomorrow morning.

Day 7

I finally took my training wheels off and went on a dive without the guidance of Uncle Dave. Of my whopping 9 total dives prior to today, I’ve had Dave’s watchful eye (and equipment) on the last 5—all of which happened in the last two months. I didn’t know what to expect this morning. Diving is such a technical activity that takes a lot of planning and research, and fortunately for me, Marcia was kind and thoughtful enough to do some major research on available dive sites in Montego Bay. I honestly thought I might have to settle for snorkeling –which would have still been a privilege in THE CARIBBEAN—but Marcia’s efforts came through in a big way. We arrived at Doctor’s Cave Beach around 10:00AM. DCB is a private beach with a beautiful patio and gazebo overlooking the water. Upon arrival, I scanned the area for any signs of a dive shop or evidence that divers used this area. As I’m surveying my surroundings, a man approached us and said “Mr. Nelson’s my name, and diving’s my game.” Jackpot. I looked behind him and saw a bag with a ton of gear, and beyond that, what appeared to be a dive boat.

Mr. Nelson is a contract diver who has been in the business for about 22 years. He leads recreational diving and construction diving (mapping reefs, laying cables, etc.). Rishma and I fit our fins and set out for a series of reefs about a half mile off shore. Mr. Nelson set up our tanks/BCDs/regulators and asked us to check our equipment. Once everything had checked out, we put on our gear and literally rolled out of the boar to start our dive. This was my 2nd saltwater dive and first boat dive, which meant it was also my first roll entry. I was pretty nervous about 1) hitting my head on the back of my tank and 2) looking like a complete idiot. Clearly I made it just fine. Rolling off the back of a boat is pretty fun, as it turns out.

With Rishma as my dive buddy, we followed Mr. Nelson to Widow Maker Cave, a boot shaped cavern about 45 feet below the surface. The cavern goes straight down another 20 feet and curves right to form the boot (or capital ‘L’). 20 feet down, 20 feet in length. It was very narrow, so we had to travel through the cave one at a time. I went first! I hate that I don’t have my underwater camera to illustrate any of the following descriptions, but I’ll do my best. We traveled through a series of about four reefs, making a large square. The visibility was 120 feet, and despite PADI Basic Open Water (my level) only certifying me to 60 feet (of which Mr. Nelson was well aware, but he couldn’t short-change us on the views!), we still went to a max depth of 90 feet like it was nothing. Clear as day. Diving in these reefs ranks as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It is absolutely mind-blowing to see and experience the reef system. We saw (and held) live queen conch, king crab, wild lobster (which Mr. Nelson picked up so we could pet it—those suckers are FAST), lots of brightly colored blue, orange, yellow, and spotted fish (clearly I need to get a species identification book so that I don’t have to sound so ignorant as to say “blue fish”, and a 3 foot long eagle ray right before we surfaced. We saw brain coral, sponge coral, potato coral, fan coral, and dozens of other types of which I have no chance of identifying. The nice thing about most corals is that they are appropriately named. Diving in clear blue saltwater feels like you’re flying over the world of Finding Nemo. We swam in the middle of schools of hundreds of fish that darted, sank, and turned in unison. 40 minutes felt like 5. And the water felt fantastic. None of us wore wetsuits. I’m used to wearing thick 5ml suits with a hood and skin. It’ll be hard to go back to the cold freshwater springs in Florida after this. What a treat. As this was my tenth dive, I’m still and novice and totally look like it, but I am getting better!

We spent another hour on the beach (and water trampolines! Fun at any age…) before grabbing a quick lunch and getting on the road. One last stop at Scotchie’s before going back to Kingston.

Jamaica - Pictures Day 5

2009-07-10T13:59:00.004-04:00

Day 5 - more of my attempt to capture the colors of the UWI Mona Campus. You'll really be doing yourself a disservice if you don't read the 3,100 word post that precedes these pictures. We're leaving for Western Jamaica tonight. I'm really hoping to have secured an SD card by tomorrow because I don't think I'll be able to do Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Dunn's River, etc. on 7 pictures at a time.

Jamaica - Pictures Day 4 - 3

2009-07-10T13:47:00.007-04:00

Day 4 - my first attempt at trying to capture some of the colors of Jamaica on my first solo romp through campus. Note the bright blue library. Also a view of the Rex 'Plex from above. The statue is a Taino Rooster (I think...the guides weren't sure). The Tainos were indigenous to the island. The Rooster is one of their gods. Also a picture of the business school. In my amateur opinion, it's one of the prettiest buildings on campus.

Day 3 - Tour of Halls of Residence - most of these are from Mary Seacole because it was so brightly painted. One is from the beautifully manicured grounds of Chancellor Hall. A few pictures from the u-19 Cricket Challenge Opening Ceremony. There's one picture in particular that is a view of the Blue and Long mountains ranges from the second story of Mary Seacole. I get that view every day.

Pictures Day 2 and 1

2009-07-10T13:33:00.004-04:00

My pictures are showing up in html code...in which I am not fluent...so I'm going to have to caption these in bulk.

Day 2 - These are from our tour. The checkered building is the university chapel. It's beautiful. It was transplanted from a sugar plantation. There are some pictures of the old aqueduct that runs through campus as well as one of the campus gardens.

The following 10 or so are from my Hall of Residence. Rex Nettleford. In no particular order, you can see the rotunda, administrative offices, my flat, my delicious gift basket, an average meal, etc. The clusters are a combination of yellow, pink, and blue with a central outdoor common area in the middle. (Day 1)

Jamaica Days 3 - 4

2009-07-10T08:44:00.001-04:00

It’s a long post. 3,216 words. I find that hilarious because this post is longer than my DIS currently.

I’ve divided it into two separate sections because I doubt a single one of you has the interest and/or patience to read the entire thing. The first section is primarily a debrief of my itinerary (the who, what, where of my internship). The second section is more of my “thoughts of the journey” thus far. Choose your own adventure.

Section 1:

Day 3 –

Although I can expect that the last two weeks of my internship will be much more routine in terms of specific internship-oriented tasks, this week is all about face-time with campus notables. Yesterday (Wednesday) I met all of the Hall Managers (called Hall Coordinators at FSU) and got tours of the 6 Halls of Residence. Each hall has a unique character, design, and culture. The managers are fantastic. Each manager has a lively personality that (based on my observations) seems to match his or her hall. In addition to creating development (Res Life) programs, the Hall Managers are responsible for the facilities/budget/finance component of their hall AND chair another department within Student Services. For example, Mr. O’Sullivan manages Taylor Hall and the Department of Special Student Services (like our Student Disability Resource Center). Ms. Spence manages Mary Seacole (the only all-female hall—painted in the most wonderful bright colors) and heads up the FYE and Quality Leadership Program (QLP). And so on and so on.

In addition to touring the halls and the Department of Special Student Services, Mr. Dolphin, the manager of Aston Preston, took me on a little excursion to Papine, a local market. It was my first time traveling off campus since I arrived. Lots of street vendors, fruit stands, mobile/cellular stations, traffic. Given its proximity to campus (5 minutes in a bus), Papine is where most students buy their goods/produce.

Spending time with Mr. Dolphin is an absolute riot. He’s a huge sports buff and is heavily involved in the Jamaican Cricket Association…or West Indies Cricket Board…or both (I couldn’t tell which affiliation he had---either way, he’s invested in the sport). UWI Mona is hosting the U-19 Cricket Challenge this week. Young men from six different countries are representing their nation in this tournament—it’s an honor for them to compete. Mr. Dolphin was MC-ing the opening ceremony last night (Wednesday), so he invited Marcia and me to attend. It was so much fun to see the athletes, coaches, and Cricket Association members. The ceremony was a spectacle: the assembly hall was decorated with cricket paddles, there were two musical performances (Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was reggaefied), and it had a HUGE spread of food. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the ceremony, and I hope to watch a few cricket matches this week. I fully intend on being a cricket expert by the time I leave.

Day 4 – (I feel like these should be preceded by ‘Captain’s log, Star Date…’)

I ate breakfast with some new friends who are here attending an international conference on resource management. I’ve met people from St. Lucia, Barbados, Guiana, Dominica, etc. After breakfast, I met with Dr. Monica Brown, coordinator of the M. A. Higher Education – Student Personnel Administration program (a.k.a. the UWI equivalent of what I’m pursuing). The M.A. program started in September of 2006. The program is almost entirely facilitated through distance (online) learning, with one required summer semester and internship. The summer semester is from 9 – 4 Monday – Friday. YIKES. They recently graduated their first cohort of 6 students (6 have completed their theses, 1 is still writing). The program attracts more mature (older) students who are already working in the field of student services, unlike American programs who are populated by predominately recent graduates. They currently offer one track (student personnel) but have plans to add a general administration and Ph.D. program soon, so the structure of their program is very similar to FSU’s. The current cohort is much larger –16 students—again very comparable to FSU’s cohorts. More on the new cohort in a second…

After my meeting with Dr. Brown, I met with Althea Gordon-Clennen, Director of the UWI Mona International Center. The IC is a brand new facility that opened in August 2008. They deal with incoming extended degree and exchange students; processing visas, documents, health records, etc. They don’t offer group study abroad programs like FSU, so each student who desires to participate in a study abroad program is served individually. They have partnerships with about 40 different institutions around the world, mostly in English speaking countries (UK, USA, Canada, etc.) Surprisingly enough, the majority of UWI Mona students that voice interest in participating in an exchange program choose programs in Canada---Canada?! Of all places?!

After my visit to the IC, I sat in on a class with the Higher Education master’s students, which was one of many highlights of my day. Dr. Reynolds was teaching the students about psych theories (specifically Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—reminds me of US Airways orientation on the Vineyard when I erupted in an uncontrollable giggle fit because the US Airways training manual cited Maslow—erroneous!) The students wanted to hear about the functional areas of student affairs in which I had experience, how I developed interest in higher education since I was getting my degree prior to working in the field, and what popular research interests were among members of my cohort. I hope I represented FSU well. We swapped email addresses and I hope to exchange ideas and information with the students soon. I’ll probably see about 5 of them in the fall at FSU while they are fulfilling their internship.

I had a quick break for lunch during which Marcia and I discussed religion and American obesity. Apparently there is a substantial LDS (Mormon) population on the island, so Marcia will take me to an LDS church at some point during my stay. Americans—in case you were wondering, the rest of the world has noticed that we’re all overweight. I will 100% attribute it to our diets. Although Jamaican food uses a lot of oil, nothing is processed. Every meal I’ve eaten has been freshly prepared and incorporates lots of fruits, vegetables, and a starch (usually some variety of potato). And they don’t use salad dressing. Give it a shot. It grows on you.

After lunch, I met with Dr. Reynolds and Mr. Joseph Pereira, the Deputy Principal, who is essentially in command behind the Pro-Vice Chancellor a.k.a. Principal. It would be the equivalent to our Provost. We discussed student/institutional culture and student/faculty interaction. Student/faculty interaction is very formal and distant. Mr. Pereira attributed the hierarchical relationship to English influence (British model of schooling). UWI Mona also struggles to generate and encourage institutional pride; instead, students display fierce allegiance to their halls. Both administrators suggested that this was due in part to the fact that UWI Mona existed as the sole institution on the island for a long time. They also are working to find ways to engage their commuting student population in the campus culture. Their commuting student population would be most comparable to our transfer students. The FYE, mentorship program, and QLP are all programs that have proven successful with both residential and commuting student populations. I would like to see what mentorship programs FSU offers that would be similar in nature to the mentorship program at UWI. Essentially they pair on-campus and off-campus successful leaders with new students; surprisingly, the off-campus mentors are highly sought after (perhaps due to potential job offerings after graduation?).

Last thing on my list this afternoon was a meeting with Kinsley, the Chairman of Chancellor Hall. Kingsley is basically the equivalent to either an FSU residence hall president or perhaps more accurately a fraternity president. He assists with the hall’s budget proposal, disciplinary hearings, and helps plan the hall orientation. Each hall has a “ragging” period similar to our system of hazing in Greek Life. It’s a system of initiations that students are required to endure in order to have access the the privileges of the hall. In recent years, campus administration has really come down against the halls for utilizing unsafe practices, so Kingsley told us that the halls have tempered their initiation process significantly. The initiation process is very secretive. I need to find some resources (hint hint Greek friends) that I can send to him that describe our system of Greek life). The halls are very proud of their history and legacy. Every hall is convinced it’s the best. It’s so much fun to hear the students describe their halls. There is even a strong sense of inter-hall competition between the clusters. Chancellor Hall has 5 or 6 different blocks (clusters, same thing) that compete against each other in grades, debate—basically anything in which a competition can be staged. Each block has its own unique name and identity as well:

Block X—Xcellent – the ‘Ritz Carlton’ of UWI Mona Res Life

Block Ché

Block Aye

Block Dynamite

Block RUNCI – stands for Resides (? might be a different word—similar concept) Under No Chancellor Influence; in the 1970’s, this block felt as though it transcended the influence of the rest of the hall and refused to engage in competitions. It since has rejoined the hall community, but each block might boycott certain events if they feel as though they were wronged or disadvantaged in a previous event.

That pretty much wrapped up my scheduled itinerary for the afternoon. As you can see, I am constantly on-the-go. I went for a walk around Ring Road with my camera this afternoon. If I can sneak into the Computer Room tomorrow with my external hard drive (‘the Brick’) when I post this entry, I’ll upload some of my pictures.

This weekend will be spent in Western Jamaica –Montego Bay area. UWI Mona just opened a new campus in Montego Bay, so we’re going on a campus visit. Montego Bay also happens to be the most well-known tourist destination, so Marcia is taking me to Dunn’s River Falls, Doctor’s Cave Beach, Mystic Mountain (which I think is zip lining through the mountains). I have no clue if I’ll have internet at any point during the weekend, so this might be all you hear from me until next Monday…

Okay, if that wasn’t your desired chapter, here’s Section 2:

Thoughts on my experience thus far:

My friend Mark lent me a book for the trip titled, “Gift from the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Charles’ wife). It’s a light read, but the chapters are filled with rich advice about patience, solitude, and simplicity. I can certainly say that I’m getting my fill of all three.

I’m on my 4th day here, and I’ve already established a bit of a routine. Going backwards:

I go to bed at 10:00 every night after working on my research for 2 hours (not joking---I’m glad I procrastinated so badly because now I have something to keep me occupied at night!). The TV in my room doesn’t work (I told Marcia that it was probably for the best) and the computer room with internet access is open during sporadic hours (I think I finally figured out today that it’s generally from about 9 – 4, which is usually when I’m somewhere else on campus), so after dinner at 5:00, I’m left to my own devices within the confines of Rex Nettleford. It’s got its ups and downs.

I’ve started running here, but when and where I can run is a bit of a challenge. My hosts have strongly discouraged me from going to the track alone, especially after 6, which usually conflicts with dinner. The interior perimeter of RN has a good running path encircling the clusters. This morning I woke up at 6:30 and left RN by myself for the first time to run Ring Road, which is a circular road upon which most of the main UWI buildings are located. My Hall Manager encouraged me to run Ring Road in the mornings because it’s light outside and it’s crowded. I felt very safe, and it was nice to get out of the ol’ Rex ‘Plex for a morning. I also went for a run this evening. I’m trying to put in at least an hour of running a day to ward off the 25 lbs. of negligence that’s looming in the distance as a result of my extremely hearty meals.

But back to my original point—if I’m not running, reading, writing, or researching, I have very little to keep me entertained when I’m in the hall in the evenings. I am KICKING myself for not bringing more non-academic/research oriented books with me. I could have killed some Dan Brown over the next three and a half weeks. I’m glad Mark lent me “Gift from the Sea” or I would have been without a single recreational book. And it’s becoming a real struggle of the human will to pick up “Sport, Play, and Ethical Reflection” (or similar) on a nightly basis. Seriously, who goes on vacation FOR A MONTH and doesn’t bring books? Cotton-headed ninnymuggins like myself, that’s who.

In synopsis, nighttime is a bit of a challenge to find things to keep me from bouncing off the walls. During the day it’s an entirely different story. Marcia created an extremely detailed itinerary that usually keeps me busy from between 8AM and 5PM. My [huge] meals are at 8, noon, and 5 every day, and I love the consistency of it. I am eating extremely healthily (so many fruits and vegetables) but every meal is enormous! I’m not used to eating so much—hence the running. I also usually find time to snack on a piece of fresh fruit or two in the afternoons. Mangos grow freely on campus. Let me restate that. MANGOS. GROW. ON. CAMPUS. The papayas are great too.

So—the American in me feels the need to highlight some of my recent adjustments. I’ve learned that I typically don’t realize that I’ve forgotten something on a trip until I go to use it. So far, the list is:

1) A hairbrush (d’oh! Left it in the car on the way to the airport…): luckily Mama G just cut all of it off, so I’ll live.

2) Batteries: just plain stupid of me. I was concerned about not being able to wake up on time, but going to bed at 10 every night has negated that issue. And my beloved running watch has an alarm on it, so crisis averted.

3) SD (which apparently stands for ‘storage device’) card for my camera: this is the only forgotten item that is truly a bother. I can visualize the stupid thing sitting on my kitchen counter still waiting to be packed in my suitcase. It hasn’t been a deal breaker yet—I just max out my 7 available pictures on my camera and then upload them on my computer. It’ll be a much bigger inconvenience when I’m on an excursion this weekend.

Things that I’ve learned to live without:

1) My cell phone – Proof that one can live without a BlackBerry and still be perfectly fine. I don’t even miss it. I hate having a cell phone. The internet on the other hand…

2) TV – so much more productive with my time…

3) Beer – tropical juice is better. My love of brewery tours is the only thing keeping me from kicking the stuff for good.

4) Internet – this has been the toughest adjustment. You don’t realize how much you use something until it’s no longer an option. I’m lucky if I can find a time and place to get 20 minutes a day. As with TV and my cell phone, it is probably time I weaned myself off of my technology dependence.

5) A bug free environment – all of the facilities at UWI Mona are extremely clean, but the fact of the matter is that I’m on a tropical island and creepy crawly critters are a part of the experience. There’s a lizard somewhere in my flat. I’ve named him ‘Eddie’ (Eddie Lizard—get it??). At first I tried to kill the cockroaches, but eventually I left it go. I just have to make sure that I keep the food wrapped up and my shoes in a secure location. I keep telling myself this is a great character building experience for when I return to the Swampy South.

*Editor’s note: I wrote this prior to my evening run. When I got back from my run, there was an enormous cockroach waiting for me in my kitchen trash can. Man those things are huge here. After about a 5 minute standoff, I managed to get the fugly bugly out of my flat. It’s absolutely impossible to completely insulate one’s living quarters from the outside world because the windows are slatted and don’t have screens. Live and let live I guess.

6) Hot water – I was warned about this, so I knew to expect it. At first, I thought it just came and went, but I’m starting to suspect that it’s on a timer because I’ve noticed that I’ve had better luck in the evenings. The first morning was a little rough. Luckily, it’s so blasted hot most of the time that a cool shower is pretty refreshing.

7) Gossip – The rumor mill is non-existent here. One of the halls, Chancellor, has a code that unless information is freely provided, the students in the blocks don’t provide or seek out information about instances that occur in the hall. It’s an honor code that is deeply respected. What a novel concept.

8) Bat habits – I don’t bite my nails (granted, I still have acrylic tips on and my need for a salon is severe – luckily I’ve heard that there are some salons on campus, including one in a hall of residence). I also have no reason to use curse words, so I’m hoping that these bad habits don’t follow me back to the states.

So what are the downsides?

1) I’m on lockdown most of the time. I know it’s for the best, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. If it’s after 5 and I’m not with Marcia, I’m pretty much stuck at Rex. All things considered, I definitely prefer lockdown to the alternative. I’m so lacking in the common sense department that I’d probably be dead or robbed in 24 hours of total independence. I have felt safe the entire time I’ve been here, mostly because I have people constantly looking in on me.

2) Loneliness. It’s a good and bad thing. To loosely (and I mean loosely) quote Anne Lindbergh in her book, it’s such a rare occasion to find a time and space where one is truly alone with his or her thoughts, and that is certainly true. I have had a lot of time to think freely without interruptions. The solitude has given me an opportunity to process my experience without anyone interjecting his or her judgment or opinion, but at the same time, it would really enhance my experience to be able to share the taste of a tamarind ball or fresh mango with a friend, or talk about cultural differences with an FSU colleague.

Thus concludes my longest post ever. I hope at least one person other than myself reads half of this.

The return of the travel blog: Jamaica, Days 1 - 2

2009-07-06T19:40:00.005-04:00

Written yesterday:

Greetings from Mona, Jamaica!

I was sitting in the Rex Nettleford rotunda recouping from a huge delicious meal of jerk chicken and fresh vegetables when it dawned on me that I could post a quick debrief of my first day before getting back to the directed independent study that has been plaguing me all summer...

I arrived in Kingston at noon Jamaica time (EST -1 hour) and have been sweating ever since. It is HOT here. It's not like the clammy, sticky Tallahassee heat--it's wonderful, warm tropical breezes that are ideal for napping. By the end of my internship, I will be perfectly adjusted to living without air conditioning.

The flight into Jamaica was beautiful. The island terrain is unlike anything that I had ever seen from a plane. Rolling fertile mountains (think Jurassic Park) and clear turquoise water. My host Marcia (who interned with us at the FSU Center for Leadership and Civic Education in the fall) spotted me immediately upon exiting the airport. I definitely stick out here. The UWI campus is about 20 minutes outside of the Kingston airport, and we drove in between the harbor and the coast. The buildings are a wash of bright pastel colors.

That's where I stopped writing yesterday....picking back up today:

The UWI Mona Campus is nestled in a valley between two large mountain ranges, one of which is the famous Blue Mountains. UWI Mona is the premier institution of higher education in the Caribbean, and the pride in their academic and social achievements is evident upon setting foot on campus. The school has a medical school/teaching hospital, school of nursing, law, humanities, education, social science, pure/applied sciences, and a school of business. The buildings are color coded based on the faculty (what we call "departments"). Social sciences is orange, pure/applied sciences are yellow, etc. Summer school is in session but there aren't many students roaming around campus.

I'm staying in Rex Nettleford Hall, the largest of the Halls of Residence. There are six halls of residence, which are futher divided into numbered clusters. Halls compete against each other in academics, debate, athletics, and other student organizations. They are a tremendous source of pride for their students. Even commuting students are assigned a hall when they enroll at UWI Mona. It's similar to Greek Life in American schools. My flat is enormous. I have my own bedroom, badthroom, and kitchenette. My hosts got me a gift basket filled with tropical fruits, juices, and snacks. It's been fun to try different things. I ususally have no clue what I"m eating.

The meals are fantastic. And enormous. I have something prepared 'jerk' style at every meal. So far my favorite item has been fried jerk shellfish...or something like that. I can't emphasize how big every meal has been. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies. Green bananas. Yams. Rice and beans. Chicken. Yam salad. Cabbage (that was a first for me). More fruit. Fruit juice. Again, I have no clue what I'm eating most of the time, but I've liked all of it. The green bananas were...interesting. They're basically bananas that aren't sweet.

By far the best part about the country has been the people. Phenomenal hosts. Everyone has bent over backwards to make sure that I have been accomodated. I met with Dr. Reynolds, the Director of Student Services (similar to our VPSA) this afternoon and was given a campus tour by a recent graduate this morning. The country and University have a very rich history and I'm looking forward to exploring it futher during this month.

Marcia has prepared a very comprehensive itinerary for me during my stay. She's planning on taking to visit the UWI Western Jamaica campus in Montego Bay this weekend. At some point we will also visit the Bob Marley museum, Port Royal, Dunn's River Falls, go diving, etc.

I'll be working with the sports program here and the halls of residence. My "work work" starts tomorrow in Aston Preston hall. Check out their websites if you get a chance--they're fun:

http://www.mona.uwi.edu/halls/nettleford/body.htm
mona.uwi.edu/halls/azpreston/about/

I'm going to cut myself off so I make my 5:00 PM dinner time. I think I'll also have a chance to try out the grass track tonight where Usain Bolt trains.

If you want to chat with me directly, the best times will be either early AM (around 8:30) or after 5:30 PM. I'll be on gchat when I can get access to the computer lab. The lab is supposed to shut down at 5:00 every night, but so far I've had good luck.

Until next time :)

Spring/Summer 2009 in review: I need to take more pictures

2009-06-10T11:58:00.006-04:00

I'm breaking from my preferred posting format to catch up on photos of my neice, Lilia Rebekah May, and some choice moments from spring semester....

Shell Point, closest beach to Tallahassee merits a cliche jumping-on-the-beach picture

The Council of Awesome in its entirety

Goofing off at Higher Education Graduation

Month 9: Summer pre-Jamaica

2009-05-14T00:27:00.007-04:00

Some of the cohort at the Varsity in Atlanta--I'm a tourist in my own town.
It's supposed to be a 10, for "Class of 2010"...we spent a lot of time arranging this.

I started this post the 2nd week of May and forgot about it...I am the worst blogger ever.

And fair warning, this is a total fluff post, with the exception of announcing that my sister had her baby! Lilia Rebekah May was born on May 15th, 2009 in Sagamihara, Japan. She is precious. I'm totally willing to forgo having children of my own so that I can live vicariously through my sister's children and spoil them rotten. I have no pictures of my own yet, but I'll steal some from Mama G and post them on here eventually...hopefully before the end of time.

----------
Without further ado, here is the beginning of my post during mid-May...

This summer is all about adventures.

Last week was FSU/FAMU LeaderShape in Panama City Beach.

Despite my reoccurring work-related nightmares and logistical chaos, the week was deeply meaningful. It's a rare opportunity to take a week out of your life and spend it reflecting on the things that truly matter to you. It was humbling to be immersed in a community that is so enthusiastic about creating positive change. And the beach was nice too.

This week: Dive trip with Uncle Dave and Atlanta/Athens Trip 1

Uncle Dave is not MY uncle; he's my friend Chris' uncle who lives up the road from Tallahassee and happens to be a divemaster and all-around fantastic guy. We went to Vortex Springs this week (never thought I'd see that place again!) to dive. Dave took me through a remedial crash course on open water diving because it had been so long since I was certified. He had all the equipment I could possibly need and was unbelievably patient as I floundered around in the water looking like a total moron. We did two dives, both with a max depth of 60 feet, a little bit of exploring in a cavern, and saw lots of marine life (including eels!). We're trying to get me prepped and ready to do some serious diving when I'm in Jamaica in July. We're making plans to meet Chris and Laura in St. George in June to do some more diving.

This weekend my cohort is off to Atlanta for the annual practicum trip. We'll visit Spelman, Agnes Scott, Georgia Gwinnett College, and Emory. My roommate/future roommate and I are going up a day early to visit Athens and go to a Braves game. Pretty much my ideal weekend.
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That's where I left off...

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So...in the month since I started this post, I've been to Atlanta on three separate occasions. I'm going to do this ESPN Rundown style.

Athens: Other than the enormous Tate II, Athens hadn't changed much--still the Classic City. The current/future roommates and I had coffee with Dr. Pollard (most beloved professor of all time) at the new Two Story Coffeehouse in Five Points. We also went to the Terrapin Brewery (my first time there). I am deeply disappointed that I did not discover that gem sooner. Giant field + live music + brewery things = lovely evening. Both times I've visited Athens since graduation I've recognized fewer and fewer people--my days before I have to consider myself a UGA Uncle Rico are numbered.

ATL Trip #1: Practicum trip was fine. Pretty uneventful. We toured Agnes Scott while they were filming a Sandra Bullock/Tim McGraw feature so we got to see a few celebrities. Despite our willingness to brave the weather in ponchos, the Braves game was rained out. I was crestfallen. The campuses were very nice, but the practicum trip experience definitely reaffirmed my desire to work at a large campus.

ATL Trip #2: Brother's HS graduation. Being back at a Lassiter function was pretty much a complete time warp. It makes me appreciate the fact that UGA didn't call every graduate's name during our commencement ceremony. Note of interest: Lassiter changed its graduation venue to a Baptist church that is a cross between Six Flags and Phillips Arena.

ATL Trip #3: The White-Kirchner Wedding. So much fun. The ceremony and reception were beautiful. Louie and Naomi were together at the beginning of my rowing career and they certainly outlasted my time on the team. It was really fun to have it all come full circle and reconnect with long lost friends.

...and we're caught up to this past weekend.

First weekend back in Tallhassee - Dive trip #2 and Beach Day at the Gerbers' condo: When I said 'back in Tallahassee', what I really meant was 'back in Florida'. I've gotten to the point where I won't stay in Tallahassee for a full weekend even if you paid me. Dave and I went diving in Chiefland, FL at Catfish/Manatee Springs. Pretty cool dive site. It's in a state park, so it was free, and Manatee Springs is covered in duckweed, so you come out of the water looking like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I struggled a lot in my first dive to establish buoyancy, so I basically just churned up everything on the floor of the spring. Second dive went much better. Saw some catfish (hence the name of the spring), crayfish, and grouper, and that's about it.

We took a 24 hour condo trip. It was nice but extremely uneventful. I think on some level we only went to Destin to eat at McGuire's (my favorite restaurant of all time!) so I will not waste anymore screen space or reading time with giving you the play-by-play. I would like to mention that while at McGuire's, a friend dared me to sing with the live guitarist if the following conditions occurred:

1) The guitarist acquiesced to our request to hear Paul Simon.

2) He started playing "Me and Julio" unprompted.

Both happened.

Next weekend: Condo Trip #2 (I have to return the towels that I used because I'm a dummy and forgot to bring my own...any excuse to go back to the beach...) and another dive trip--this time we're diving in the gulf off of kayaks--how cool is that?? I could get used to this condo + diving weekend routine....

Okay, time to physically and mentally prepare for IM softball practice. It's playoff season, and I play to win. One month until Jamaica!

...and thus concludes the most pointless blog post of all time.

Month 8: Japan Debrief / End of School Year

2009-04-20T12:49:00.004-04:00

Sushi Go Round
View from Landmark Tower, tallest building in Japan (Yokohama)

Sagamihara Park

I just reread my last journal post, which was written pre-Japan and right during Fall semester midterms. I'm now post-Japan, into my second semester, and gearing up for the last week of school. So clearly some time has passed.

I can't possibly recall all of my memories from Japan, so I will settle for posting a few pictures. I didn't get to do as much sight-seeing as I would have liked due to Jill's pregnancy ailments, but the parts of the country and culture that I did get to see were beautiful. Even though there was some squabbling during the week (to put it lightly) it was wonderful to have an opportunity to visit Jill and I miss her and Cliff both very much. I am tremendously grateful that she has a US phone number now so that I can call her weekly. We also both contribute to a joint recipe blog, so if you're interested: http://www.reciperendezvous.blogspot.com/.

I will summarize the end of my Fall semester by saying that grades went very well. I didn't realize at the time how incredibly Spring loaded (no pun intended) my assitantship programs were going to be, so upon returning to FSU in January, I was in for a rude awakening...

January highlights:
-Multiple nights at the Center for Leadership and Civic Education compiling scholarship review packets until the WEE hours of the morning
-A speeding ticket at 7AM for 9 MILES OVER THE LIMIT (that is laughable in Atlanta...LAUGHABLE) when I was going to get Chick-fil-a biscuits for 40 students for an overnight program
-I'm a full-fledged challenge course facilitator (low ropes and high ropes)
-Multiple trips to the condo in Destin (so much more convenient driving from Tallahassee than it is from Atlanta!)

February ---
-Threw my shoulder out in a batting cage at FunZone when a friend made a snide remark about John Smoltz
-Volunteered for the Institute on College Student Values and met some great people in the student affairs field
-Recruited the next batch of FSU Higher Ed shining stars, including another Bulldawg :)

March --
-Visited Laura, Kathryn, Chris, et al in Denver, Colorado for Spring Break

April --
-Applied for a summer internship program to work at the University of the West Indies-Mona in Kingston, Jamaica
-Starting a directed independent study which will explore how institutional culture influences practices in collegiate sportsmanship
-Went to the Braves home opener as part of a fun weekend getaway in Atlanta
-Currently planning two graduation ceremonies; one for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, one for the Higher Ed program
-Also currently on crutches due to an ankle sprain from a softball game. I kid you not.

I get to turn in my last academic assignment for the semester this afternoon. We've got LeaderShape coming up in two weeks. I can't wait for summer.

That was the quick and dirty version of my spring semester. I hope to make more regular updates soon.

Month 3: Midterm

2008-10-30T13:44:00.005-04:00

Florida State Football

The roommate and I at a skating rink...yeah, there's not a lot to do in Tallahassee...

I think it's time to stop counting by weeks and start counting by months. I can't believe it's been two months since my last update. I am in a completely different place than I was in the third week of school. I don't even know where to begin...

Class --

Classes are going well. We just finished up midterms. Other than the 3 hour time blocks, I've really enjoyed my classes because I understand the purpose behind everything that we do. Everything is very practical and I appreciate that immensely. My favorite class is probably Basic Principles of Higher Education. We discuss the history of higher ed (satisfying my inner historian), management and administration, mission and organizational culture, students, faculty, policy, etc. I'm really interested in the development of institutional missions and how universities market themselves.

Assistantship --

The assistantship is going very well. I have formed many wonderful relationships with my coworkers and students. I'm currently working on compiling research from other institutions on service scholarship programs, promoting program applications, and advising ABC and other various student needs. We've really been pushing civic engagement this month, and yesterday we executed a flash mob in the Union: https://admin2k.fsu.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/33531339.html

Mentoring --

I am FINALLY starting to see my efforts pay off in mentoring. My athletes have been wonderful this month. They've really started opening up to me, they're making progress in their classes, and I've started looking forward to going to work. I went to a swim meet a few weeks ago to support one of my athletes and had a blast. It's also a lot of fun watching my football players on Saturdays.

FSU Challenge --

Job #3! We had Challenge Course facilitator training a few weeks ago, so within the next few months I'll be working with groups to facilitate team building, trust, leadership, cooperation, problem solving, etc.. Our course is located at the FSU Reservation (Rez) and it's beautiful. Take a look: http://fsu.campusrec.com/challenge/

Other life updates:

-Went to UGA/Bama in September. I loved reconnecting with UGA and I may or may not have shed a few tears during the Munson video. I'm going to UGA/FL this weekend and I cannot wait, although I have enjoyed FSU's success as of late as well. Supporting two teams means I get to invest myself in twice as much football.

-My friend Christine and I took a sailing clinic last week at Lake Bradford. Now we can throw out sailing terminology such as "jib boom" and "daggerboard" and sound like we know what we're talking about. We do. Kind of.

-Sunday night potluck dinners are still a weekly occurrence. We recently had a "North vs. South" dinner that ended in a travesty (the North won). Next week is "Asian" which is fitting as I will be leaving for Japan on Tuesday...

-Intramural flag football season just ended. I played with teams that are run out of the Wesley Foundation and I absolutely loved it. Softball season just started up and I wore my "Big Johnsons" jersey to our first game in honor of the VC glory days.

-I was able to visit Lauren Cole (formerly Popienko) this weekend in Valdosta. Her new baby, Carter, is 4 months old and absolutely precious. This weekend was probably the first extended period of time that I've spent with a baby in about 10 years. It'll be good practice for when I become an aunt in May.

-Jill is pregnant. Due May 21st.

-I'm visiting Jill in Japan next week. I'll take lots of pictures.

I will *try* and update soon after I return from Japan. Working for the airline this summer is clearly still paying off :)

Weeks 11-13: School Starts + Return to the Vineyard

2008-08-30T11:22:00.002-04:00

This update is actually a duplicate of an email I sent to my MVY coworkers. Sorry if some of the information is repeated from last update.

According to my new driver's license, I am now officially a resident of the state of Florida. My program is making me become a resident so that I get in-state tuition, which means in turn that they only have to pay in-state tuition on my behalf. Guess that's the price you pay when you're getting a tuition waiver and a job...

I have been in Tallahassee for just over 3 weeks. I started my assistantship in FSU's Center for Leadership and Civic Education on August 8th. The "Center" just moved into a HUGE brand new building. It's great. I have my own little "pod". So much more than a cubicle, so much less than an office. My 20 student cohort comes from all corners of the US. Two of us from the state of Georgia (other girl graduated from Emory in 07). We're both huge fans of the Dawgs, so we've started plotting our secret alternative football roadtrip schedule. There are a few students from New England that are trying to get me to say "Mahtha's Vineyed" correctly. The transition from UGA to FSU was pretty seamless because I felt like I had a ton of friends within my first week. That's the beauty of a cohort. We saw comedian Greg Giraldo (of Comedy Central's 'Roast' series) last Friday and he was a riot. We've also rekindled the tradition of Sunday night potluck dinners.

At work last week we hosted the "Service Leadership Seminar" or SLS. The program provides an opportunity for incoming freshmen to learn about community service and leadership. The seminar includes community service projects, workshops, speakers, interaction with current campus leaders, teambuilding, cheers, ropes courses, the True Colors leadership inventory...etc. Basically the stuff my dreams are made of. And the theme this year is "pirates". Must be fate.

We also hosted the orientation for the CLCE Service Scholars. These students are selected based on merit to be part of a prestigious group of students committed to service learning. They have some pretty phenomenal stories and I have the pleasure of mentoring one of them.

Furthermore, we've been prepping for the Social Justice Living-Learning Community (SJLLC). According to the website:

The SJLLC is designed for students of all majors who desire to understand and practice social justice. Approximately 40 first-year students are members of this supportive, inclusive community. Sharing time and space with others who have similar passions and values will encourage these students to establish lasting relationships and provide them with the opportunity to work with others. Together they will live, learn, and explore social activism, social change, and the philosophical foundations of justice.

I spent last week finding service projects for these students and preparing for their weekend retreat in Americus, GA (home of Jimmy Carter). I would have gone on the retreat had I not already committed to working at the Vineyard over Labor Day. I'm also TA-ing their colloquium course.

Lastly, I needed another part-time job with flexible hours, so I applied to mentor FSU athletes. A few 2nd year students in my program have done it and really enjoyed the experience. I'm excited about it. In October I'm also getting certified to facilitate low and high ropes challenge courses. Just seemed like something I might eventually end up doing. I also hope to be competing in the NASPA case study in October. I'm staying busy.

Oh, and classes--I'm taking 9 hours (3 classes) and I've chosen Program Evaluation as my minor. So far I really like my classes and professors (granted, we've only met once), but I think it's going to be a great semester.
__________
Now I'm back on the Vineyard to work Labor Day weekend with a few coworkers from the summer. It's great to be back, but we had a beast of a time getting up here:
1) After my colloquium ended on Thursday night, I caught an 8:10 flight (barely) from Tallahassee to Charlotte. My first flight was delayed, so I had to break out into a dead sprint to make my connection in Charlotte. I feel like I sprint a lot in airports, but this one definitely takes the cake.
2) We flew into DC around 11:30 pm. Kari's brother Kevin (also a UGA grad and Colgan employee) picked us up and we stayed the night at his place.
3) We woke up at 4:30, took the DC metro to the airport, and caught a 6:30 shuttle to Boston.
4) This is where the trouble begins. We get to Boston's airport and go to check in with Cape Air, the other air carrier that flies into the Vineyard. Whoever booked our reservation forgot to book us as positive space, which means that we are guaranteed a seat on a flight, and unfortunately all of the flights were booked for the remainder of the day.
5) The three of us had to take a 2 hour bus ride to Hyannis, on the Cape, with the intention of taking a ferry to the island. The bus was oversold, so it was packed with people spilling out into the aisles. Terrific.
6) We get to the transit center in Hyannis, and walk to the airport. Fortunately there was a 4:30 flight to the Vineyard with availability, so basically it took us an additional 7 hours + alternate modes of transportation to make it up here.

We'll be working until Monday when it's back to the Tallahassee grind. Next update will include FSU football!

Week 10: Welcome to Tallahassee

2008-08-09T22:58:00.002-04:00

I will probably cease my "weekly" updates soon as I am no longer living the life of a jet-setter, but I will try and continue to post whenever I have any major news. I feel like moving to another state, starting another job, and starting a new degree all merit a journal post.

Of all things to leave on the island, I managed to get away without my camera, so we'll have to wait until I go back for Labor Day to reclaim it.

So...the big move to Tallahassee. Where to begin...

We'll start with the day before the move. I flew back from Martha's Vineyard on the 2:00 jet to DC, and for fear of not having my checked bags make an earlier connection, I scheduled myself for an 8:45 flight into Atlanta. As soon as the plane landed at Reagan International, I made the game time decision to take an earlier flight (about 5 minutes to connect between flights), and so I made it back to Atlanta by about 5:30. Unfortunately my bags did not. Dad picked me up and we drove back home to Marietta, where I grabbed a quick dinner with the fam before getting back on the road to drive to Athens, drop off my old house key, pick up a few items, and drive back to Atlanta to collect my bags which had just arrived. Made a few trips between the car and baggage claim, and made it back to Marietta around midnight. If only I had taken MARTA, I could have claimed travel by planes, trains, and automobiles...

The next day, I slept in with the intention of being on the road by early afternoon, thinking (foolishly) that I can pack in 2 hours. What a joke. Fast forward to 5:00PM, after a few panic attacks and enormous amounts of frustration, I finally get on the road in my mom's vehicle (which I have lovingly dubbed the "GRT" for Giant Redneck Truck) and begin the 5 hour drive to Tallahassee. Thank goodness for GPS. Without it I probably would have never made it to my new apartment.

I roll into my complex around 10:00PM. It's pretty dark, so I can't see much, but from what I can see, the place looks old. OLD. I was starting to second guess my decision to sign a lease until I got inside. My roommate (Megan) and I are leasing from twins that own the town home and just graduated from FSU. They were nice enough to leave the whole place completely furnished (complete with kitchenware and cooking supplies---nice!). All of the rooms are painted, we have a front and back porch, an attic, a shed, 3 linen closets, 10,000 square feet of workout space, an Olympic size swimming pool, 8 full length basketball courts, 10 racquetball courts, 2 squash courts, and a partridge in a pear tree. (For those of you that missed the humor, a few of those are a reference to my former UGA campus tour---can't let the dream die).

The complex itself is less than 10 minutes from campus. We are supposedly on the "undergraduate" side of Tallahassee, but our complex doesn't have any undergraduates because the units are for purchase, not lease. I joke around and tell people that we basically live in a retirement home because everyone is considerably older than us, but we love it! It's safe and quiet--can't ask for more than that. The neighbors are very friendly--especially "Fancy". Fancy is super sweet, but she's basically the living embodiment of Magda from "There's Something About Mary" --even down to the miniature dog, Budreau. She's great. What a character.

I am physically unable to leave boxes unpacked overnight, so I was up until the wee hours of the morning getting *completely* settled in to my room. I'll post pictures eventually. The next morning, Megan invited me to join her and cousin Katie (visiting from Atlanta) on a kayaking trip down the Wakulla River. What a great introduction to Tallahassee! The river was beautiful and full of wildlife. We saw turtles, egrets, an otter, and 3 alligators! There are also manatees in the river, but we didn't have a chance to see any on this trip. When I retold the story to Mama G, she totally freaked out when I got to the part about the alligators. Further research indicates that the Wakulla River has been the site of a handful of alligator attacks, so I will probably refrain from kayaking with my feet dangling over the edge of my vessel next time...

The next day was my official first day of my new assistantship. I am working in FSU's Center for Leadership and Civic Education, which is basically the FSU equivalent of UGA's Center for Leadership and Service (or Student Leadership Center depending on when you graduated). I have a programming assistantship, so I will be working directly with the Leadership Program Coordinator, Carrie Tucker (my awesome supervisor) to oversee programs like Leadershape, the Social Justice Learning Community, Lead-ins at the Rez, etc. I was only on campus for a few hours, mostly filling out paperwork, but Carrie was nice enough to take me around to get set up with my student ID card, bank account, building keys, and show me the brand new Student Success Building, where our Center and the Career Center will be moving on Monday. The new building is beautiful--I feel spoiled that my assistantship has landed me there! Carrie and I spent some time discussing what I wanted to accomplish this year, and I was thrilled when she asked me to serve as the coordinator for LeaderShape. I am really excited about working with the other programs as well, especially since I have no prior experience with any of them, but obviously LeaderShape has a special place in my heart :)

I used the rest of my free afternoon to do some minor exploration of campus by way of running. From the doorstep of my town home to campus is about a 20 minute run, which is great. I was feeling pretty ambitious, so I thought I'd go for an hour run on campus, however I did not take into account that 95 degree weather plus Florida humidity is not the same as 70 degree weather and an island breeze. Big whoops.

The Higher Ed program had a social at Po Boy's in downtown Tallahassee that night, so it was a great opportunity to reconnect with people in my cohort and meet new students. I love the people in my cohort. I am so lucky to be able to move to a brand new city and feel like I already have a ton of friends. We went over to a fellow student's apartment (she's a GA for housing, so we were actually in a residence hall---nice!) to watch the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics before calling it a night.

Which brings me to today. Nothing too exciting happened other than I was able to locate a fantastic park about 8 miles away from my complex that has tons of running trails. Basically my initial take on Tallahassee is that it is the environmentalist's dream: dozens of parks, tons of green space. It's great. The "downtown" area has got a small-town feel just like Athens. Everything is convenient. As I am living so close to campus, it'll be a very easy bike ride. And I love living in a city that is so conscientious of it's wildlife.

Despite the cold feet prior to the move, I'm so glad to be here and I'm expecting a great year. I apologize for the lack of pictures. As soon as I get my camera back...

Week 9: Wrapping up on the Vineyard

2008-08-07T15:33:00.002-04:00

Typical MVY airport sunset

The Team (minus Katie Ryan and Michael)

"So no one told you life was gonna be this way..." Chef Kevin and our live lobsters

Ladies of Team US Airways MVY

Once again, I have become negligent in my weekly updates. My last week on the island was very relaxed. The girls had planned a trip to the Grand Canyon/Las Vegas, but due to 4 (4???) flight cancellations the day prior to our departure, we had to postpone (cancel, rather) the trip so that we could stay and help out the office. Our help was definitely needed. With our free days off, Kari, Emily, and I made a few trips to the beach, window shopped in Edgartown, went out in Oak Bluffs with other airport employees, and biked around the island one more time. I realized that it had been since early June that I actually spent one of my days off work on the island instead of flying, so it was nice to have a few days to enjoy it. We had a little shindig at the house to celebrate a few birthdays and unofficially close out the summer. Over the past few weeks, Team US Airways (us) has become really close with several other airport employees, particularly those that work for Cape Air, TSA (security), and General Aviation. Working for the airline industry has so many ups and downs, and the employees at our airport definitely watch each other's backs. I love it. I sincerely enjoyed spending time with them and I feel like I'm leaving the island with some great new friendships. Kevin Ewalt also came up to visit (after taking planes, trains, and automobiles to get here) and it was so nice to have a friend from home up on the island. We cooked lobster on my last night on the island. It was awesome.

The friendships that I built with my immediate coworkers (US Airways) mean so much to me. It was really hard for me to leave the island. I have been very fortunate to have had an opportunity to work such an amazing summer job with people who have been great influences on me. I can't wait to go back next summer.

And thus ends the first chapter of Kellie's post graduation adventures.

Next phase: Life in Tallahassee--coming soon...

Week 8: ATL/Saint Simon's Island

2008-08-01T16:52:00.005-04:00

SSI High Ropes Course

Beach Challenge

AHA Softball Showdown

I have become negligent in my weekly updates. I took the 20th-26th off work in order to chaperon American Heritage Academy's Cross Country's annual training trip to Epworth by the Sea on Saint Simon's Island, GA. I was able to fly into Atlanta the night of the 19th (after rerouting myself about 3 times due to booked flights) and spent the next day with the Gerbers clan. Jill and Cliff left for Japan on the 25th, so Sunday was my last day on the continental US with my sister and brother-in-law for the next three years.

I left the morning of the 21st for the running camp. A little background on AHA:

AHA is a very small private school (k-12) in Canton, GA. My former softball coach at Lassiter, Coach Rein, transferred from LHS to AHA about 6 years ago in order to take over their athletic program and become their head basketball and cross country coach. The XC team contains both middle and high school students, and the camp is limited to the first 15 students that register, so I was helping coach students as young as 12 and as old as 17.

I've participated in AHAXC programs since my senior year of high school, and I've helped chaperon this trip for the past three summers. I absolutely love the students at AHA and the camp is a blast. It's been really fun to watch some of these students grow up and start college. The structure of the camp is very different than my LHSXC training trips from back in the dark ages when I was in high school. Rather than focusing our week on logging an insane amount of mileage, AHAXC uses the camp to encourage teambuilding. We ran once or twice a day, and spent our free time playing ultimate frisbee, kickball, going to the beach, etc. We also spent a day doing a low/high ropes course. Overall, it was really nice to replace a week's worth of airport labor with a week devoted to running.

Week 7: Back on the Vineyard/NYC Round II

2008-07-17T10:06:00.004-04:00

I'm posting back-to-back entries because I was delayed in updating about my trip to London due in part to the mass amounts chaos and tomfoolery that took place while at Heathrow. So now I'm back on track, and sadly this week was far more tame and not nearly as interesting as last week, but I couldn't deny my devoted readers (ha!) an update.

I flew Mama and Papa G up for the weekend for a short vacation on the island as part of their Mother's Day/Father's Day/birthday gifts (all 4 of these holidays fall within a 4 week period). I was thrilled to have them up to the Vineyard, however, I missed half of their trip because I was stranded on the other side of the Atlantic. The one day that we did have together was spent driving from one end of the island to the other, showing my parents all of the great sights and amenities that the Vineyard offers vacationers. We had great weather, so we spent most of the day outside on the beach and walking along the harbor. We grabbed lunch in Aquinnah on top of the cliffs, ice cream in Oak Bluffs, and dinner at the Newes in Edgartown (my favorite restaurant). I enjoyed showing off the famed Gingerbread houses in OB, and we stopped into Murray's Toggery Shop in Edgartown to buy my Nantucket Reds, only to find out that I've since moved up a pant size since the last time I was in the store (great), and the correct size had to be shipped from Nantucket. If you don't know what Nantucket Reds are, either ask Kevin Ewalt or direct yourself to this site: http://www.nantucketreds.com/.

Mom and Dad left the following Monday, I worked 12 hours on Tuesday, and Wednesday (yesterday), I was off again to NYC to catch a live taping of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. I called up Brendan Wright (who is working in NYC this summer and staying in the NYU dorms) earlier in the week to see if he'd be interested in joining me, and the two of us spent yesterday afternoon at 30 Rockafeller Center being entertained by Conan, Seth Green, Russell Brand (the English rocker from Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and Eugene Merman (a comedian from Flight of the Conchords). The show was hilarious. The episode aired last night and will be posted on http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/video/episodes.shtml by tomorrow. Russell Brand was a riot. We laughed during the entire interview. I would seriously fly into New York three times a week to watch the show if NBC would let me request tickets more than once every six months.

Brendan and I killed a few hours shopping on 5th, grabbed dinner at Goodburger (yum), and spent the rest of the evening recooping from our exhausting day in front of the TV (it was the season premiere of Project Runway Season 5 so naturally I had to watch it), and yes, we also watched Conan. This morning we woke up at 5:30, rented a ZipCar (which, I might add, is the greatest concept ever: http://www.zipcar.com/) to drive to LaGuardia, and now I'm back on the Vineyard for another full day of work. My life is fun.

I leave Sunday to return to Georgia to join my former Lassiter HS softball coach as we chaperone American Heritage Academy's annual week long cross country camp on St. Simons Island. Upon my return I'll have about one more week left of work at the airport. I can't believe summer is almost over. I start my assistantship at FSU on August 8th, so keep your fingers crossed that the US Airways operation at the Tallahassee Airport agrees to hire me because after a summer of nonstop travel the thought of losing my flight benefits is pretty disheartening...

Week 6: London

2008-07-17T09:54:00.002-04:00

Royal Palace Gaurds (don't mess with these guys)

Part of the Army of Non-Revs standing in front of Terminal 3 (a.k.a gateway to freedom)

Victoria Embankment Gardens
Big Ben

View of London streets from the top of a double decker bus taken around 4AM

I initially started this entry whilst sitting in bed at a 5 star hotel in West London as my fellow travelers and I were forced to stay an extra night due to a flight cancellation (don't worry, you'll get the entire story in a few paragraphs). However, as I was undoubtedly panic-stricken and exhausted when I started the original introduction, I have elected to start afresh. Without further ado:

After 6 consecutive weeks of bouncing up and down the east coast of the United States, two of my coworkers and I decided to be a little more adventurous and plan a transatlantic trip for our 3 days off work. To Europe and back in three days is fairly ambitious, especially when one is flying non-revenue standby, so we had to be very VERY selective in our destination. Candidates included Amsterdam and Dublin, but London eventually won out simply because of flight availability. On the day of the 8th, we worked an 8-3 shift at the airport, hopped on a Saab destined for NYC, connected into Philly, and around 11:30PM EST we were en route to London's Heathrow airport. We popped a few Tylenol PMs and were more-or-less out for the night. It was hardly what I would consider a great night's sleep, but it was enough. Other than a few minor delays, traveling *to* London essentially went off without a hitch...

We landed in London at approximately 8AM EST, 1PM London time. It took us about an hour to leave customs and navigate the metro system (a.k.a. "The Tube"), so we made it into the center of the city around 2:00 local time. Waking up for a day of work at the airport and just a few hours later walking out of the London metro and standing directly in front of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament was pretty surreal. We unfortunately didn’t have the best weather on our first day of travel (as in it rained the entire day), but given the short duration of our trip, we didn’t let the rain slow us down at all. We very quickly learned that one of the best ways to tour London is via the bus system (including the famous double-decker buses). After spending £20 on a 3 day transit pass (equivalent to $40…yikes), we wanted to make sure we got our money’s worth, and with the added inclement weather, we were more than willing to utilize public transportation to visit many of the tourist hotspots. We spent the next few hours traveling by bus and on foot to the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, the National Gallery, Admiralty Arch, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge. Walking along the Thames River was one of my favorite parts of the visit. So much of the city has been built up around the river, and even in the rain it was very pleasant just watching boats and other people pass by. Another of my favorite locations was the Victoria Embankment Gardens. According to touruk.co.uk:

“This narrow strip of public park by the Thames was created in the late-19th century with the construction of the Embankment. The gardens have many statues of notable British citizens, including the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The main historical feature of the gardens is the water gate at its north west corner, built in 1626 as the triumphal entry to the Thames for the Duke of Buckingham. The water gate was part of York House, which once stood on the site, the home to the Archbishops of York, before becoming the Duke's residence. Although the water gate is in its original position, because of the embankment of the Thames, it is now 330 feet from the edge of the river.”
Sounds interesting? You decide.

We took a break from the rain and grabbed dinner (ironically we all selected the traditional English breakfast from the menu, and the rumors are true: English cooking really is awful) at a nearby pub before setting out toward the home of our Couch Surfing host, Kris. For those of you who are not familiar with Couch Surfing, it is “a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit.” Basically, travelers can request online to stay in the home of a registered couch surfer rather than staying in a hotel or hostel. It’s not actually as creepy and questionable as it sounds. People can create profiles and post pictures, leave references of other members registered on the site, and have their identities verified. Several people have already messaged me just to say hello and welcome me to the Couch Surfing community. It’s not so much about getting a free bed as it is making cross-cultural connections. I registered on the website the day before we left, messaged a few potential hosts, and within a few hours, Kris had emailed me back with an invitation.

Kris lives in Tottenham England, about a 3 minute walk to the Tottenham Hot Spurs Football Arena. Kris was a very sweet, early thirties struggling photographer who was very welcoming and so eager to hear about our travels. Kris has made something of a small income off of Couch Surfing. He charges travelers fairly reasonable fares to stay overnight, and in exchange he’s willing to take travelers around London and show them the sights. It was fun getting to spend the night with a local, and he gave us some good suggestions as to what we should do with our second and final (or so we thought) day in the city…

We woke up the next morning and set out for Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. It only happens once a day, at 11AM, and it is a SPECTACLE. There had to have been several thousand people (almost entirely tourists) crowded around the palace gates to watch a bunch of expressionless men clad in fuzzy hats carrying wicked bayonets walk back and forth about twenty paces. There was a bit of a parade, with the Household Cavalry Regiment riding in on horseback (looking like they came straight out of a game of Stratego, I might add) followed by the English Royal Band (part of the guards) performing a medley of classic songs. I did some research after returning to the states, and the Band plays a TON of show tunes in addition to their traditional selections, ranging from the Austin Powers theme to Mambo No. 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo50pndjFIc

Seriously, if it weren’t for the swords and machine guns, you’d think this job was a joke.

After Buckingham Palace, we took Kris up on his suggestion to go to the top of the Tower Bridge for a great view of the entire city. On the way, we stopped at the Museum of Natural History and Royal Albert Hall. Like most museums in D.C., the NHM was free of charge and contained some really fun exhibits. The Tower Bridge excursion was definitely a tourist trap, but it was reasonably cheap and, as promised, it did give us a great view of the river and city. After leaving Tower Bridge we had to very quickly make our way back to Westminster Abbey for the 5PM Evensong service. Without a doubt, the coolest thing we did in London. The Westminster choir was very talented, and the Nave (the section of the Abbey in which the service was held) was breathtaking. Among the famous people buried in the nave are Charles Darwin, David Livingstone, Sir Charles Barry, Thomas Telford and Clement Attlee.

If you’re curious, this link has a map of the Abbey:
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/visitor/plan-of-the-abbey/
(The service was held in the space between sections 1, 2, 3 and 6).

After the service, we grabbed dinner and planted ourselves down in a pub to soak in the local vibe (and brew). We relocated to Leicester Square on the West End, which, as an “entertainment centre” of London, was basically a conglomeration of clubs, restaurants, bars, and a casino. In other words, night life. We met some very entertaining locals as well as other travelers and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning. We hopped on a night bus and rode around (I was taking pictures, my colleagues were sleeping) until about 5AM when we headed to the airport.

And that’s when all hell broke loose.

We got to the airport around 6:00AM. Our return flight didn’t board until for several hours, so we found a nice cozy spot right in front of the US Airways check-in counter and curled up for a nap until the counter opened. Emily and I snagged pillows and blankets from our initial transatlantic flight, and I can assure you that they came in handy more than once on the trip. After checking in and getting to the gates, we were all relieved to get seat assignments on the flight (flying standby involves gambling with seat availability) and waited patiently for the flight to board. Unfortunately, something malfunctioned with the nose gear and all passengers were forced to leave the gate to await a further update on the status of the flight. We were already nervous about making connections with the delay, and after delaying for an hour or two, our worst fears were realized: the flight cancelled.

This is why a cancelled flight was the WORST possible scenario:
1) US Airways at Heathrow only operates one roundtrip flight a day. One in, one out.
2) As non-revenue standbys, we are at the very bottom of a list of about 300 revenue passengers who take priority over us in any rescheduling situation.
3) In typical US Airways fashion, the company oversold the next consecutive 3 flights, meaning that not only could they not reschedule us, but nor could they reschedule the other 300 passengers on the next available flight.

After weighing our options, which were:
1) Wait around for the next available US Airways flight, which would have been in about 5 days.
2) Pay a little extra money and use a ZED fare to fly on another airline and get home on the same day. Other than an elevated cost, it’s a pretty painless and foolproof process. Takes about 5 minutes.

Logic would tell you that we opted for the second option. However, the US Airways staff at Heathrow made this ever so much more difficult than it needed to be. I’ll continue, but before I do, a little history on US Airways Heathrow:

The operation opened on March 29, 2008, less than 4 months before our trip. Prior to its acquisition of Heathrow, all US Airways flights into London operated out of Gatwick, which is about an hour and a half train ride/40 minute taxi from Heathrow. After the split, the Heathrow operation serviced a flight into Philly once daily, while Gatwick retained control over its flight to Charlotte once daily. As a brand new operation, the staff that run Heathrow are not actually US Airways employees, but rather a temp staff that has been contracted out by US Airways to run the station. What this means is that there is absolutely no cross training done between staff members. You have a very small operation of employees that fit into a very specific division of labor. You have a small handful of ticketing agents, one or two that handle check in, one or two that manage the gate, and a supervisor. Take this setup and imagine the logistical nightmare of having a brand new staff rebook 300 passengers on oversold flights.

(This is where I drop a considerable amount of airport lingo. You probably won’t have the slightest clue as to what I’m referring. Just go with it.)

As employees of US Airways, all we need are our ZED fares, which allow us to pay roughly 10% of the cost of a full fare tickets for various airlines that are all part of a collective alliance. It’s kind of like an interline buddy pass. It allows us to travel on carriers like Continental, American, Virgin Atlantic, etc., without having to pay a full priced fare. Just to give you an idea, a roundtrip ticket to London, full price, is about $2,000. With ZED, we pay $200.

We call up the ticketing counters of other airlines, set up our reservations, and everything is good to go with the exception of physically acquiring our paper ZED tickets from the US Airways counter. It’s hardly an earth shattering process. Takes less than 5 minutes and any trained ticketing agent can follow the prompts to successfully print the tickets. Or so we thought.

US Airways (from henceforth we will refer to them as Useless Scareways) flatly refused to help any non-revenue passenger. The Heathrow employees were so flustered by the prospect of rebooking 300 passengers that the station had a complete meltdown. The following a long, passionate diatribe against the US Airways Heathrow employees, but for the sake of time I am going to offer the abridged version instead:
Day 1: 15 hours at the airport
1) Michael offered to walk a Heathrow agent through the process of filing a fare to help alleviate some of their frustration. Any self-respecting ticketing agent knows how do to this. Regular agent = 30 seconds, Heathrow = 45 minutes.
2) After repeatedly pleading with the agents to help us print out our ZED fares, Michael and Emily got blacklisted from the ticket counter.
3) We and the other non-revs were physically forced out of line multiple times.
4) Thinking that we had finally convinced a ticketing agent to help us, Emily and I sprinted from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 to set up reservations on American Airlines. All we had left was to wait for Michael to help the agent file a ZED fare and meet us at the terminal. The agent ditched Michael 2 minutes after we left and he was stuck alone with no help, no agent, and no ZED.
End Day 1.

Because the flight was cancelled, US Airways put all 300 passengers up in a £250 a night 5 star hotel (that’s $500 for you non-math majors). Sounds great, right? Well technically, non-revenue passengers are not supposed to get any vouchers of any sort because, as non-revenue, we obviously didn’t pay for our tickets. Heathrow conveniently overlooked this item and put all non-revs (about 10-15 total) in the hotel. We asked repeatedly if they were sure they could reserve a room for us at no charge, and they assured us it was fine. After 15 hours in the airport, we were not about to argue this matter any further. They put us up in the Sheridan Skyline hotel, fed us dinner and breakfast, and provided a swanky room with a hot shower. It was, without a doubt, the only positive thing that happened all day.

Day 2 was basically just a repeat of the first day: we were refused help, ran back and forth between Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, deliberated whether it was in our best interest to travel to London Gatwick (the other airport), buy ZEDs there, and travel back to Heathrow to catch a flight. We’d been on the phone with Gatwick and their employees were more than willing to help us. We would have just flown out of Gatwick had there been any availability on flights. However, this plan was thwarted by the fact that an hour roundtrip taxi ride was quoted at £240---that’s almost the price of a plane ticket! After another 10 hours of no progress, the Heathrow supervisor finally approached me (she specifically forbade Michael to approach the desk) and asked me to walk her through the process of printing out our ZED fares. We did a celebration dance with the other non-revenue passengers (who by this point had become great airport companions), took our final leave of Terminal 1, and caught an American Airlines flight to Boston home at 6:00PM London time. Total time at Heathrow: 25 hours.

We got into Boston Logan Airport, had to spend 10 minutes being thoroughly frisked by US Customs (don’t ask), spent the night at a friend’s house, and were back in the Vineyard by 10:45 the next morning, 15 minutes before our first flight of the day was scheduled to land.

Final verdict: To Europe and back in three days (allegedly) was a great adventure, albeit a very expensive one. I’d recommend it to a friend.

Moral of the story: Always book ZED fares *before* you travel internationally, and don’t get sassy with Julia the station manager because she will make your life a virtual hell.

And thus ends the London chapter, ringing in just shy of 3,000 words. I applaud you for making it all the way through the entry.

Week 5: Athens, Atlanta

2008-07-08T12:34:00.006-04:00

Chipper Jones

Coca-Cola at Turner Field

Braves tailgate

At home in the backyard. The folks re-landscaped. Again.

I just returned to a stormy vineyard after enjoying three great days of 90+ degree weather in Athens/Atlanta. The start of my return home seemed like a day of endless travel. I worked from 6-2, loaded bags onto the jet headed for Washington, boarded the plane, and had about a20 second connection time (not kidding) between my MVY-DCA and DCA-ATL flight that involved having the US Airways gate drive me in a shuttle bus to board my jet which had already sealed the passenger door. I was very VERY lucky.

Upon landing in ATL, I spent a few hours catching up with the parents and reuniting with the family dog before shipping out once again for Athens. I met up with the crew downtown, cracked open a long-awaited Sweetwater, and spent the remainder of my evening soaking the sights and sounds of the city that I now consider more of a home than Atlanta. I stopped by the Visitors Center the following morning and caught up with everyone there before staking out a spot at the River Club pool. As luck would have it, River Club was serving complimentary Chic-Fil-A, which, I can assure you, has been sincerely missed whilst residing in New England. In two hours at the pool, I tanned more than the entire time I've been on the island. After being away from the South for so long, I'd forgotten what 90 degree weather +humidity feels like, but the sunburn souvenir will serve as a reminder for the next few days...

Although my trip to Athens was short, I was thrilled to be able to reconnect with everyone. I had a chance to spend time with friends that I hadn't seen in months. I'll be lucky if I get to see some of them again during football season. I also walked under the Arch for the first time (finally!) and got my summer fix of Mama's Boy, one of my two Athens restaurant staples (Peaches being the other).

Once back in Marietta, I requested a favor from the family hairstylist(aka my mom), and I am now a blonde again. After we grilled out, I made a quick stop into La Strada to say hello to my former coworkers. After working there for 7 years, I'm not entirely sure that I'll ever be able to successfully sever the ties to that restaurant, despite numerous efforts. It really is like a vortex.
My 4th of July started in the traditional fashion: 5AM wake up time, board the nearest MARTA train, and meet up with my running buddies to participate in the world's largest 10K, the Peachtree Road Race. I absolutely love the Peachtree. It's definitely not a typical roadrace, but it is such a fun Atlanta tradition. I love the crowds, I love the spirit--being surrounded by 50,000 people that love Atlanta and love running. It's the greatest concept ever. I wasn't crazy about the alterations to the race course (the finish is on an uphill!!! It was cruel!), but I was so glad that I came back to run. It's also a giant LHS Cross Country reunion, and I love being able to cross paths with former teammates and find out how the current team is doing. And because Papa G is an employee of Coca-Cola, I was able to hit up their hospitality tent after the race and help myself to a delicious breakfast and more Powerade than I could carry.

After the race I came back to the house and got ready to once again board MARTA to go to the Braves game, my other favorite 4th of July tradition. Taylor and I took MARTA and met up with the Athens entourage to tailgate before the game, and we had all individually taken it upon ourselves to prepare food for the tailgate, so we had an abundance of snacks ranging from mulberry pie to lemon bars to bratwursts to red, white, and blue cupcakes. Any physical benefit from running a 10k that morning was immediately negated. With the exception of DEMOTING JEFF FRANCOEUR, the game was awesome. 6-2 Braves, with a celebratory fireworks show to the tune of All-American power ballads to round out the holiday.

After visiting some other big cities this summer, I was starting to wonder how my feelings toward Atlanta stacked up against NYC/DC/etc.,but spending the 4th of July in Atlanta totally re-instilled my love for it. Visiting home was wonderful. I was so grateful to see all my friends one more time before we all move. Tonight (actually in 1 hour) we are boarding a plane to London!! Cheers!

Week 4: Washington, D.C.

2008-06-26T11:22:00.011-04:00

The White House
American Folk Art Exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum of National Art

USHMM

Statuary Hall

Rainbow over the Kennedy Center

Father John Carroll, founder of Georgetown

Stairs from "The Exorcist"

(I wrote this post while sitting in LaGuardia waiting on my flight to go back to the Vineyard. Michael is currently deciphering my shorthand as I transcribe it)

Currently I am without paper or computer, so I'm documenting my trip on my copy of the US Senate Directory. I can see Ewalt cringing as he read that. The original plan for the week was to fly into D.C. on Sunday night, take a rental car to Manassas, stay in a hotel, and spend 9-5 on Monday in a special US Airways training course. Regrettably (and I say this with the slightest hint of sarcasm) bad weather and air traffic prohibited me from getting on a flight out of the Vineyard, thus training was taken off my itinerary. I was completely fine with this turn of events as it gave me an additional day to spend in D.C..

My trip to D.C. officially started on Monday afternoon after making flights out of MVY and LGA. We're slated to add a direct flight from MVY to DCA this week but unfortunately not soon enough for my trip. After boarding the Metro, I made my way to Foggy Bottom Station with the intention of exploring the Georgetown neighborhood. My good friend Kevin spent a summer in D.C. working for Senator Isakson and was nice enough to plan a 2 day, 2000 word itinerary of things to see and do around the city, and Georgetown was my first stop. The walk from Foggy Bottom to Georgetown was great. It took me down M Street (Georgetown strip) past the Exorcist stairs (the staircase that was used in the film--creepy!), past The Tombs (served as the inspiration for St. Elmo's Fire), to the Iron Gates of Georgetown's campus. Conveniently as I entered campus, a tour had just started, and being a former college tour guide myself, I relished the opportunity to sneak onto a campus tour. Although UGA's tour is far more humorous, and we don't walk backwards, the tour itself was very enjoyable and certainly gave me something to think about for future career sites. I could definitely see myself ending up on Georgetown's campus. I loved it.

After the tour concluded, I spent the better part of 2 hours losing myself in the Georgetown neighborhood. Kevin had mapped out a great route through the streets of Georgetown that enabled me to to see some of its historic buildings. By then my friend Tim had gotten off work, so we regrouped at his condo before going to see the free nightly performance on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center. The performer was Robin Bullock:

"The multi-instrumentalist, who displays virtuosity on guitar, cittern, and mandolin, blends the ancient melodies of the Celtic lands and their Appalachian descendants."

You can see the June 23rd performance here: http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/search_results.cfm?RequestTimeout=500#

The performance was great, and the views from the waterfront were spectacular. We spent some time watching the Potomac (rowers!!) and we stopped by GW's campus so Tim could give me a tour of the Law School before grabbing dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant (and it's driving me crazy but I can't remember the name of it) for which I felt terribly under-dressed. Tim dropped me off at Mr. and Mrs. Parker's (Laura's parents) house in East Falls Church for the night.

Day 2 stared early. Kevin was thoughtful enough to schedule me a tour of the Capitol headed by Sen. Isakson's interns, so I spent the bulk of my morning checking out the Russell/Capitol buildings. I also had an opportunity to sit in on the Senate Gallery. The Capitol building is incredible and I was very fortunate to get a personal tour on such short notice. When I had wrapped things up on Capitol Hill, the next item on my list was the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The USHMM was the one destination that was an absolute must while I was in D.C. As a history major whose specialization was 20th century European military history, I have taken every class that UGA offers on the Holocaust, and much of our course literature has come from information compiled from the USHMM. It was one of the most personal and intense experiences I have had to be able to walk through the exhibition and see firsthand the artifacts, documents, photographs, and videos that I've spent so much of my college career studying. It is a truly sobering and terrifying experience. Part of me wishes that I was pursuing my M.A. in history because the whole formation and execution of the Nazi's "Final Solution" just seems so far out of the realm of human capability. Needless to say the visit meant a lot to me. The USHMM also had a special exhibition on the 1936 Berlin Olympics which was very interesting, especially since the Summer Olympics are about a month away.

Tim met me outside with a pair of road bikes and we made our way to Old Ebbitt Grill for lunch (again on Kevin's suggestion). I ate altogether way too much and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I couldn't leave D.C. without visiting one of the Smithsonians, so we elected the National Gallery of American Art/National Portrait Gallery. The museum had some really amazing artwork, but having just visited the Met in NY, it's hard to compare the two. I would have liked to do the National Air and Space Museum, but we were running short on time, so instead we put our road bikes to use and did a tour of the nation's highlights: US Supreme Court, the White House, Washington Monument, Jefferson, Lincoln, and WWII Memorials. Biking around D.C. was fantastic--it is definitely the best way to get around. D.C. itself is beautiful. It's very clean, has tons of green space, and it's reasonably easy to get around (I love cities with good public transportation systems!). I've already told Mom and Dad that I could really see myself in a job at GW or Georgetown in the future. After the bike tour, Laura's parents picked me up from the Metro and we watched Game 2 of the College World Series. It was bleak.

My two days in D.C. were a ton of fun and I look forward to going back. After 3 weeks, doing Boston, NYC, and D.C. back to back has made me a bit of a professional tourist, but unfortunately my travels might slow down a little in July. My next confirmed destination is Atlanta (home for the Peachtree Road Race), and the week after that, some coworkers and I are planning a ridiculous 3 day getaway to destination TBA (right now Amsterdam, Aruba, and Las Vegas are all contenders).

Week 3: New York

2008-06-18T08:09:00.007-04:00

Strawberry Fields - Central Park

Orpheum Theater in East Village

Times Square

The Vampire Weekend at Central Park

I spent Friday-Sunday of last week in New York City. The trip was a blast, but the entire weekend served as a pretty clear indicator that I am definitely not street savvy enough to live in a big city. I flew out of the Vineyard on Friday morning, and upon landing in LaGuardia (one of the NYC airports) I made my way down to the ground transportation level only to be left completely perplexed by the elaborate bus/subway system map. After staring blankly at the map for a few minutes, a woman approached me to ask if I'd like a ride into the city. I must have looked pretty pathetic. This woman was one of two other passengers that flew out of the Vineyard with me on my flight, so I figured it was just as safe to hitch a ride with her as it was to take my chances on the NY metro. As we approached her car, I took note of the fact that she was traveling with a chauffeur. Turns out, this woman is Meg Ryan's assistant, and the car in which I'm getting a ride is one of Meg Ryan's cars. Jackpot.

The woman, who by now has introduced herself as Madeline, is a very sweet native of New York who has been working for Meg for the last ten or so years. She and Meg were vacationing at Meg's house on the island before attending a film festival on Nantucket later in the week. When I told her it was my first visit to New York, she gave me all sorts of indispensable information about places to visit, things to see, how to navigate the city, etc. In addition to Madeline's expertise, riding in her private car probably saved me about an hour of commuting time as I had a direct (and swanky) ride into the heart of the city. I told her she could drop me off at wherever she was getting out, which put my final destination in the neighborhood of Soho, one of NY's most eclectic and stylish shopping districts.

At this point I had no clue where Soho was in relation to anything else in the city, so I just started walking (as previously mentioned...not too street smart). After about 15 minutes I ended up in Washington Square Park, more or less on NYU's campus. My phone rings and it's Eric, the friend who is hosting me for the weekend. As dumb luck would have it, Eric had just finished a meeting for work in Soho and was about 5 minutes away from me. This coincidence is unbelievably lucky as Eric is not normally in this part of town. We met up and he took me past his office, where he works as an admissions counselor for the Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts (part of the same school as Parsons ala Project Runway).

We stocked up some vitals (including a box of Oh!s--my favorite cereal that is essentially non-existent in Athens and the Vineyard) and took the metro to Central Park, where two of Eric's friends met us for a picnic. After a few hours we all parted our separate ways and I took the metro into Times Square to buy tickets to an evening performance. I went to TKTS (discount rush Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets) and purchased tickets to see STOMP Off-Broadway. I'm not really into the whole glitter-and-jazz-hands-song-and-dance-show-tune type of Broadway production, so I figured STOMP would be a safer bet. Being the bonehead that I am, I didn't realize that the STOMP theater was way WAY off Broadway (about 45 blocks) until after I'd made the purchase. Oh well, time to start walking.

Fast-forward about an hour and a half and I arrive at the Orpheun Theater, home of STOMP. In transit I was able to walk past the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, 5th Avenue shops, etc., so the walk was actually pretty entertaining. Once I finally made it to the theater I had about an hour to kill before meeting up with my friend Petra, who is working an internship in New Jersey this summer and agreed to meet me in NYC for the weekend. I planted myself down in a NY pizza parlor with my book and watched passersby until Petra arrived.

The show was definitely worth the trip. If you ever have a chance to see STOMP live, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. It was one of the best live performances (if not the best) that I've ever seen. Total riot. We had a ton of fun.

For more information on the show: http://www.stomponline.com/

When the show ended we called Eric to figure out the best place to meet up, and as luck would have it (again), he was already in East Village, about 10 minutes from where the show was held. We met Eric and his friends at Union Square for about an hour before calling a wrap on day 1.

Day 2: After feasting on a delicious breakfast compliments of Casa de Eric, Petra and I set out for the Rockefeller Center with the intention of touring NBC studios. The Rockefeller Center itself is awesome, but the NBC studios were packed so we opted to save the tour for another day. A few weeks ago I made reservations to see a live taping of Late Night with Conan O'Brien (awesome!) along with another four other NYC shows, so I'll have plenty of opportunities to see the studios some other time. After perusing a few stores on 5th Avenue, Petra and I both wanted to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so we took a nice walk through Central Park and spent most of the afternoon in the museum. If you haven't been to the Met, it is (in my lowly opinion) the best feature of NYC. It is absolutely enormous and the collections are incredible. My personal favorites were the 16th-18 century European paintings, the Egyptian gallery, the Greek/Roman collection, and the Pop Art gallery. I could have spent an entire day in the Met and still not have seen everything.

Upon leaving the Met, weather took a turn for the worse, and by worse, I mean torrential downpour. Given that Georgia has been in a drought for over a year, I haven't seen a rainstorm like this one in a really REALLY long time. Petra and I were planning on seeing a free concert in Central Park in the afternoon, but the rain was so horrendous that we assumed it was cancelled and went to get [more] pizza instead. After the rain cleared up, we walked back toward 72nd street to see if the concert was going on, and sure enough, it was. The band headlining was "The Vampire Weekend", a New York band of whom I'd never heard, but Petra was a pretty big fan and after seeing them live I can understand why. The concert was great, and such a fun way to be able to enjoy Central Park.

More info on the band: http://www.myspace.com/vampireweekend

However, the thunderstorm came back in a big way and we were forced to leave the concert before floods ensued and Noah's Ark arrived. Between the cross-city traverses and multiple monsoons, Petra and I were both exhausted and elected for a nice, quiet evening at Eric's apartment in front of Monsters Inc. and charades. Yes, we're wild. I know.

The next day I flew out on the 12:30 flight back to the Vineyard and I've picked up where I left off. Marshalling planes, rerouting passengers, filling out load manifests, the usual. I'm not sure where my next destination will be. Things are starting to pick up here at work and we're a little short staffed, so it might be a month before I can go adventuring again, but I have every hopeful intention of ending up back in Atlanta for the Peachtree Roadrace and Washington D.C. before the end of July.

Thanks again Eric for your wonderful hospitality this weekend and I can't wait to have you up to the island!

Week 2: Boston

2008-06-06T10:01:00.003-04:00

Annenberg (Harvard campus)

Sam Adams Brewery Tour

Red Sox vs. Devil Rays

I just accidentally closed out this webpage and lost all of the blog entry I had been so carefully crafting, so I'm going to settle for the abridged version of week 2.

Tim and I took our two days off and made a trip to Boston this week. We bought tickets to Wednesday's Red Sox game and arranged to stay at the apartment of a fellow UGA grad. We got into Boston around 10:00AM on Wednesday and spent the morning "touring" Harvard. It was our original intention to sneak into a class to sit in on a lecture, but as it turns out Harvard is a hot spot for tourism so the campus is kept under lock-and-key to keep less intelligent miscreants like us from absorbing any of their privileged knowledge. We went 0 for 4 on successfully cracking the security blocks of various buildings, including the library, but were finally able to sneak into Robinson Hall, which, as luck would have it, is home to the Department of History. Unfortunately that's about when our luck ran out because Harvard was in its intersession, so no classes were being held. Should have tried MIT. I swear that story was funnier the first time I wrote this.

Next on the itinerary was locating the future home of our friend Sara, who is moving up to Boston in the fall to take a job with Google. After a 30 minute trek through rainy Boston suburbia/pit-stop at Taco Bell (with the exception of one pathetic Dairy Queen there are no fast-food restaurants on MV so we indulged at every available opportunity while we were in Boston), we were able to find her place and figured the best way to celebrate was by taking a tour of the nearby Sam Adams Brewery.

The brewery is nestled in a little neighborhood on the south end of the city. We made it just in time for the last tour of the day. The tour did not require reservations, was free of admission, and provided us with complimentary samples of their products. Needless to say, the self-promotion worked and I have a new-found appreciation for Sam Adams. The history/expansion of the company and brew-making process are very interesting. I had a nice little blurb in my journal that discussed some of the finer points, but since I'm having to retype this entire entry, I'm instead going to direct you to a website that has done all of the work for me:

http://www.samueladams.com/samsite/company.html

Additionally, the brewery provided us with postcards that they mail free of charge, so Mom and Dad and VC, you should be getting a postcard shortly.

After the tour ended, it was time to make our way to famed Fenway ballpark for the Red Sox game. Fenway definitely lives up to its reputation. Rather than drone on and on about how fun the game was, I'll post pictures later. Boston certainly loves its baseball team. And basketball team too, obviously. It was pretty cool to be in the city right in the middle of the Celtics hype. The city was decked out in green "Beat L.A." shirts and they even started a "Go Celts" chant in the middle of the baseball game. The game was without a doubt the highlight of my trip to Boston and I am already entertaining the idea of flying into some other major cities to watch their teams play.

With that being said, no team can or will replace my stalwart devotion to the Atlanta Braves.

We stayed the night at Sarah Cherry's apartment, which was 15 minutes walking from Fenway. Sarah and her husband were so nice to accommodate us on such short notice and it was great to stay in a home of a fellow Dawg. The next morning we had plans to walk the Freedom Trail and check out some of the more historic sights of the city, but after about an hour and a half of walking around, we decided we were exhausted and had seen everything that we needed to see, so we caught an earlier flight back home.

As my travel bug condition worsens, I already have my next two trips mapped out for the next two weeks. Some of my coworkers made a game-time decision to take a weekend trip to Bermuda yesterday, so they jumped on a plane at 7AM this morning to reach a connecting flight in Boston. I'm haven't come up with anything quite that ridiculous yet, but I've got all summer to cook something up.

Well I guess this entry wasn't as abridged as I thought it would be.

Week 1: Exploring the Vineyard

2008-05-28T09:44:00.004-04:00

State Beach

Cliffs at Gay Head

Sunset at Menemsha

Lambert's Cove

We're wrapping our first week on the Vineyard and the crew has a few hours of downtime at the airport before our next flight, so I wanted to take a minute and recap everything that has happened thus far: The first two days were spent getting oriented with the MVY airport. The 5 new station agents (including myself) joined Michael and Kari (both returning agents from UGA) and our boss Shelly for a very "hands-on" overview of airport operations. By the end of the first two days, everyone had a chance to marshall in/out a plane, check-in passengers, handle baggage, etc. The seven agents (everyone minus Shelly) are staying in a 5 bedroom house in the middle of the island. We have access to two cars, but most of us shipped bikes up with our baggage. Having bikes on hand has greatly facilitated our exploration of the island. Tim and I had a few days off work so on the first day we biked around Oak Bluffs to State Beach (also known as Jaws Beach because it's where the movie was filmed). On our second day off we took a beautiful ride to Aquinnah to check out the cliffs at Gay Head. As we were walking along the beach next to the cliffs, we unwittingly stumbled across what happened to be the only nude beach on the island. We promptly turned around and continued our walk in the opposite direction. Yesterday was our first full day at work, and it turned out to be much fuller than we anticipated. Our 2:00 departure had a 6 hour ground stop, so we didn't leave the airport until about 9:30, bringing our total to almost a 14 hour work day. I have a new understanding of the term "cabin fever". In our time off, life at the house is pretty calm. We have limited cell phone reception and no internet, and for those of you who know me well, you know that I hate answering my phone, so I'm enjoying the isolation. We pass the time playing lots of Cranium, grilling out in the yard, card games, catch (I'm glad I brought my glove with me), and the guys "chase" rabbits in the yard. Next week Tim and I are going to try and fly into Boston to catch a Red Sox game on Wednesday.

The Adventure Begins

2008-05-21T14:41:00.001-04:00

I have officially jumped on the bandwagon and started a blog to keep everyone updated on my life post-graduation. I hope that by maintaining Kellie’s Online Journal Version 2.0 I’ll have a chance to document some of my travels this summer (for those of you who haven’t heard, I’m working at the MVY airport in Martha’s Vineyard until August—more on that later) as well as the beginning of my M.S. degree in Higher Education from Florida State University. This is just as much for my benefit as it is for your reading pleasure, so stay posted as updates will probably be made weekly.