The last week before travel was nothing short of exhausting. Because I was working full time at Hollywood Elementary and I flew to Europe on Saturday, packing was a bit stressful. I spoke with many friends who have studied abroad to determine the proper amount of "stuff" to prepare for my 6-week stay in Ljubljana. I ended up checking one large suitcase, I brought a smaller suitcase and a backpack with my laptop in it as carry-ons.
The unpleasant worries:
Yeah--I get these. Overall, I was pretty calm and comfortable during pre-departure and for the entire excursion. I have traveled to Europe on my own before so coming here with someone else (Mike) that I know made things quite easy. My main focus of tension revolved around the "fear of the unknown" I suppose, which, ironically, is dually the source of all my excitement!
What could the department have done to lessen these worries/prepared me better for travel? Well, things would have been much easier if I hadn't been required to intern the week prior to my departure. Is this realistic, however? 'Fraid, not! So--there's really nothing to complain about here.
Everyone I came into contact with whilst in transit (at Dulles, in London, and in Ljubljana) were extremely nice/helpful. A note on Munich, though--this may not have been the case, but I felt the stares and judgments of a few convenient store clerks as my American-ness became quickly realized during the time of payment. Oh-the-Germans! Perhaps this is normal--even for large international airports.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Pre-Departure!
There are many factors that have led to my decision to study abroad. The following are my main three reasons for travel:
(1) I suppose I feel the need to contribute
in some way to the lives of others. In so doing, I will be learning a lot about myself. The hope is that the intersection of selflessness with selfishness will yield some kind of uber-productive energy I have yet to realize.
(2) I am currently a nominee for Peace Corps. I am slated to work in a primary education and teacher training program in the Pacific Islands. This abroad experience will vastly contribute not only to my general world, but to my pedagogy and Peace Corps. application.
(3) Lastly, I have an intense interest in world culture, social experience and social research. Assimilating into another culture via cross-cultural reflection is just plain fun. I want to sophisticate my cultural, linguistic and culinary palates.
Another exciting component of this experience has to do with the fact that I have little to no previous exposure to Central European ways of thinking, much less Slovenian. My only insights into Slovenian culture have been via the current exchange student named Alenka.
Though it seems far away, I predict that my experience in Slovenia will be quite the Western/modern experience. I will probably feel more at home there than would, say, if I were traveling to Gambia or Costa Rica--perhaps less so than Australia and New Zealand, though.
I have heard great things about the schools in Slovenia so far. So I hope that my teaching practice will be strengthened a great deal by great teachers, students and the academic community in general.
Perhaps the greatest struggle will be my sense of personal space. The American sense of space is much more vast given our general surplus of geographic area. Also, there will be a language barrier, especially away from the academic community, that I am itching to experience!
(1) I suppose I feel the need to contribute
in some way to the lives of others. In so doing, I will be learning a lot about myself. The hope is that the intersection of selflessness with selfishness will yield some kind of uber-productive energy I have yet to realize.
(2) I am currently a nominee for Peace Corps. I am slated to work in a primary education and teacher training program in the Pacific Islands. This abroad experience will vastly contribute not only to my general world, but to my pedagogy and Peace Corps. application.
(3) Lastly, I have an intense interest in world culture, social experience and social research. Assimilating into another culture via cross-cultural reflection is just plain fun. I want to sophisticate my cultural, linguistic and culinary palates.
Another exciting component of this experience has to do with the fact that I have little to no previous exposure to Central European ways of thinking, much less Slovenian. My only insights into Slovenian culture have been via the current exchange student named Alenka.
Though it seems far away, I predict that my experience in Slovenia will be quite the Western/modern experience. I will probably feel more at home there than would, say, if I were traveling to Gambia or Costa Rica--perhaps less so than Australia and New Zealand, though.
I have heard great things about the schools in Slovenia so far. So I hope that my teaching practice will be strengthened a great deal by great teachers, students and the academic community in general.
Perhaps the greatest struggle will be my sense of personal space. The American sense of space is much more vast given our general surplus of geographic area. Also, there will be a language barrier, especially away from the academic community, that I am itching to experience!
4 Days 'Till Slovenija!
Welcome to my first Blog ever! So convenient in a time of transition, cultural expansion and investigation! I head off to Slovenia in 4 days! There I will be interning at Danile Kumar Elementary School in the international department. I will be working with a 5th grade class.
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