It's not easy getting around to writing in here once at home and back to my regular routines. Except for a 3-day STLHE conference in Saskatoon mid-June, I have been mostly sticking close to home since returning from NB. I've been busy, busy though... watching the mosquitos grow in number and size as I wait for the rain to stop falling; wrenching my back while planting flowers and cleaning pine cones off the deck; going to a chiropractor for shock wave therapy and other sorted painful treatments for my plantar fasciitis; attending my stepson, Aaron's high school graduation; putting in my two cents worth at Riders' training camp; meeting with my interns to get ready for our (virtual and real) work together this coming fall; listening to my friend Paul talk Art and I into visiting him in China next June (which just so happens to be around the same time that two key mathematics education conferences are being held in that part of the world); studying my SSHRC application very carefully to decide if it's worth submitting again this year; and the list goes on. But it's all taking place in my own backyard...
While I do not have ground-breaking news to share (and so why write, you might ask), this entry is an important one. Today is officially the last day of my six-month sabbatical... and what a six months it has been! No need for a retrospective review entry though. This blog has 33 entries to convey all the events of the sabbatical journey. And I still have one more official sabbatical event: the Mathematics Education and Contemporary Theory (MECT) conference in Manchester in July. So stay tuned for stories of that event... it will most certainly be a grand finale!
That’s the first line of a recent e-mail message from Art. Can’t blame him really. In fact, I just did a quick count of the number of days already passed in 2011—5 months, or about 150 days—and I have been away for 80 of those days so far. Hmmmm. Perhaps traveholic is apt after all.
But those are the confessions of a traveholic.
Academic confessions are quite different. They go something like the following:
Sometimes, while at a conference, I would rather eat a donair platter at a downtown mall food court than dine with 26 other teacher educators who (while all well-intentioned) want to chat with me about university, students, research, etc. And so, on Tuesday evening, when I was supposed to attend an ‘official’ CATE dinner, I chose the food court option.
Also, while at a conference, I would rather stick needles in my eyes than wait in a large empty room for an audience to show up on the last day of the conference when everyone I know flew home that morning. I didn’t stick needles in my eyes but I did the next best thing: I went to the conference beer tent— a much more productive place for networking anyway.
Traveholic Tip of the Day:
If you get tired of eating out while “on the road,” check out your local grocery store for ready-made salads. I just couldn’t bear to eat another Mr. Sub sandwich or Tim Horton’s chili (or food court donair platter!) so my big insight of the day was to visit Superstore and pick up a yummy Californian salad with spring lettuce, green peppers, raisons, mandarins, and strawberries. This was followed by a bowl of strawberries, blueberries, and granola in vanilla yoghurt. This Saint John Superstore even had a little dining area so I didn’t have to chow down while sitting at my steering wheel. Why didn’t I think of this before?!
So yes, I’m now in Saint John visiting family for a few days. My dad is doing well, but he anxiously awaits sunny spring weather for his favourite activity: sitting outdoors under the warmth of the sun pondering life! Like father, like daughter.
These days, 6 is the magic number for days spent in Regina between trips.
I made it home from Malawi safe and sound, after almost two full days of travel. (I didn't bring my bananas and casava root with me!)
My body was fairly cooperative with the task of getting over jet lag... but it really resisted the tasks of unpacking my suitcases, doing laundry, and repacking for my New Brunswick trip. While these tasks occupied a significant portion of my 6 days, I still managed to fit in a few other activities: plan for my upcoming CSSE presentation in Fredericton; attend a couple of farewell teas and lunches for friends Kathleen & Sal who are moving to Brandon; meet Hyder for lunch to debrief our Malawi workshop; launch into my 3 workouts-a-day routine to start the process of chipping away at the excessive flight flab (excessive is meant to describe number of flights not amount of flab, so far that is); share stories and pictures of Peru with my friend Tammy who is off to hike the Inca Trail to Machupicchu this week; enjoy a RoughRider season planning night at Bushwakkers with Karen & Joe; etc. etc.
And now, I'm in New Brunswick, staying at the Riverside Resort Hotel on the St. John River. And the sun is out. And I'm relaxing with a glass of shiraz. And I'm thinking about the next 6 days... no, scratch that... the next 6 minutes.
It has been an action-packed few days! So much so that I really had to deliberate on the title and theme of this blog entry… I could have titled it:
Two Days in the Air to reflect the rather long journey of getting to Malawi. Thank goodness for the day room in a Heathrow airport hotel, where I managed to catch about 5 hours of sleep between two long-haul flights.
Dinner(s) with the President to describe my daily dining with our University of Regina president, Vianne Timmons, along with the chairperson of the U of R Board of Directors, Sue Barber. We’ve had many great dinners together… as well as conversations and laughs.
Safari Anyone? would be the tile chosen to make readers envious of our half-day trip to Lengwe National Park Game Reserve where we saw water buffalo, impalas, warthogs, baboons, and nyala antelopes.
Not at this Restaurant to lament the chicken & chip restaurant just two blocks from my hotel which completely collapsed today… it’s a sad story of poor building construction and inspections, resulting in several deaths and many injuries. I ate there on Saturday.
And Some Work Too! to remind readers (and myself!) that I am here to work, with today being an interesting and successful Day 1 of our Marketing, Access, Recruitment and Success Workshop.
Malawi: A Special Place to describe how it feels to be back in Malawi, seeing colleagues who I worked with during my last visit and/or as part of a study tour to Canada. I am made to feel very welcome here!
I guess I have itchy feet again after only six days back in Regina because tomorrow I'm off to Malawi (yes, for those astute readers, I did just add that destination to the list of sabbatical places). This time, I'm only away for about 10 days, but hopefully I will be able to add an entry or two to the blog from there.
This will be my second visit to Malawi. I'm looking forward to seeing and working with colleagues at the University of Malawi. This trip will be focused on following up on the Bridging Program (last year's visit) and co-facilitating a workshop on recruitment, access and success for programs at the Malawi Polytechnic.
So, what have I been up to with my big 6 days in Regina? Why, hanging out with Kiri, of course! Her host 'family' of Gracey, Karen & Joe treated her so well over at The Bay Retreat House and Groooming Centre that I'm not so sure she was all that thrilled to be home. (But I was!)
Live from Lima (as we gradually make our way home), it’s time for Kathy’s top 10 observations, based on a few key experiences during the last 4 weeks…
1. In Peru, pedestrians are valued as potential taxi customers; if this does not describe you, get out of the way.
2. Dusty and/or muddy Peruvian roads + white pants = bad packing choice.
3. Carne means meat; watch out for menus having no other qualifiers.
4. Breathing and digestion are affected by altitude. So is the temperature of my morning coffee. ‘Nuff said.
5. Double-decker, long distance night buses offer a unique tourist experience. Also ‘nuff said.
6. In spite of its name, toilet paper does not actually go into the toilet; it is not cool to forget this.
7. In terms of time, be clear on whether Peruvian or non-Peruvian is being used— neither one actually matches the clock but the latter one can often happen before you get there.
8. “No gracias” can be said at least 85 times while hanging out in the Plaza de Armas (but not more than 5 times to the same person).
9. There are more fiestas, siestas, parades, processions, and holidays (i.e. times when stores, schools & offices are closed) than one could ever imagine, or plan for.
10. Speaking Spanish with a maritime accent is bound to elicit even the most basic English skills of Peruvians.
10 hours on the bus to Puno, stopping en route for our guide to show us a few special places— a 17th century Jesuit church in Andahuaylillas, the Inca ruin of the Temple of Viracocha in Raqchi, a pause at La Raya (altitude 4313 m) to take a deep breath and gaze at the glacier that feeds the Amazon River, a brief detour into Pucara to visit a museum featuring pre-Inca monoliths,
and then arrival into Puno to catch a few glimpses of beautiful Lake Titicaca before sunset.
5 hours to explore Puno and its restaurants before grabbing about 6 hours sleep at Hostal Buho.
A 10-hour tour on Lake Titicaca, taking in two of its amazing islands: the floating islands of Uros and the island of Taquile. For me, the floating islands were reminiscent of those of Tonle Sap in Cambodia while Taquile had a feel and look of Santorini, Greece about it.
These Lake Titicaca islands are unique in their own ways, however, and I have stories to share from both places…
As we were leaving Taquile, and descending the 500 plus stone steps to our boat, I decided that the two small girls working one of the stairway shops could use a little business. Drawn to the snickers bar and the fact that I haven’t properly kept up my chocolate intake while in Peru, I inquired as to its cost. Holding up five fingers and whispering, “cinco soles” (almost as if she was unaware that such a price was more than 200% profit) was impossible to resist. No sooner had I handed over my payment and started back on my journey then the youngest of the two shopkeepers scurried past me (and about 40 other tourists making their way to their respective boats), descending about 100 steps to her next post, where she sold not chocolate but handmade Taquile souvenirs. When I reached her second line of business, she glanced up at me again with those warm, dark eyes. Before I knew it, I was handing over more soles for an authentic woven Taquile bracelet. A sly smile from Art and I knew I had been marked. I half expected her to scurry past me again, to a third shop where she would successfully sell me whatever it was she chose to. Instead, she remained at her station, agreeing to let me take a photo of her.
Arriving back at Puno’s dock, we had a further 5 hours of walking, eating, watching a few folk dances, and being jostled about at Puno’s excessively busy bus station.
7 hours on the night bus to Cusco, including a rather disconcerting jolt from sleep for a roadside
bus and passenger search for any contraband being smuggled from Bolivia.
Home in Cusco by 5:00 am Saturday morning. Just another “less than 48 hours” in Peru!
