There and Back Again: A Journey of Learning- Post 2: The Journey Part 1- Day 1

The journey began with an Uber ride to the airport.  As it was an international flight, I needed to arrive 3 hours prior to departure.  This means that despite my planning to book a late evening flight and get a ride after my husband or friends would be done with work, I failed.    Upon arriving at the airport, I checked my bag and am told that I can also check my carry-on for free as it was small.    I have also now been informed that my plane is delayed one hour.  For whatever reason I do not receive updates on my flight to my phone nor my email from British Airways.

This, in theory, gives me time to figure out a few things...specifically how to get where I am staying once I arrive in the UK.  I have been able to book a room at the Bear and Ragged Staff in Cumnor outside of Oxford in Oxfordshire UK.  I will be arriving after 30 +hours of little to no sleep and because of the flight delay will be arriving in the UK not early afternoon as previously planned, but later.

Waiting at the airport for boarding the plane.  To note, even through the ticket lists one gate, economy classes, like mine "world traveler class" have another gate.  

I researched all of the ways to get from Heathrow airport to Oxford and have settled that the train would be the most direct way to avoid traffic, although this would also mean that I would need to travel to the center of London before heading to Oxford area.  The other and cheaper option is the bus system  but as I am juggling luggage, a new city, and no sleep I figured a train might be better.

Finally we bard the plane and take off.  They serve us dinner on the plans, despite it being way past 9 pm now.  Also to note, wine is included with dinner if you are of age.  There are two options vegetarian or chicken.   After this, I settle in to stay away as long as I can through the night.  Luckily I have books with me and there are free movies to watch.  I watch "Gifted", "Sense and Sensibility," and "Beauty and the Beast".   In an effort to have little jet lag, I have decided to stay awake all night, when we land it will be somewhere between 2 and 3 pm in UK on July 6th and 6 am here back home.   Luckily they serve us breakfast before we de-board the plane, however it has only been maybe 6 hour since dinner was served.

By the time we land, de-board the plane, go though border patrol, locate my bags, and get through customs it is rush hour.    This fact has now greatly changed my travel plans as I was supposed to check in at 5 and have dinner reservations at 7 and still haven't figured out how to get from Oxford to Cumnor as I have no working phone nor internet access.

Please note, they tell you your phones won't work, and this is expected.  You are able to link to wifi but depending on your phone carrier your phone may be locked and a SIM card would not work.  My laptop is a Chromebook and therefore google also blocks you form connecting to unsafe networks so My laptop would not work in the airport either.  So for 3+ hours I had landed safely but could not contact my family to let them know I had arrived.

As I had not communication devise, no access to a phone or the internet and no cash on hand ( I knew I forgot something) I had to make a different plan to get to my accommodations ASAP.  So I used a taxi car service.  This is expensive but I have my own private car that would carry my luggage and drop me directly at my Inn,  Also this means that We were able to take a scenic route and circumnavigate traffic to get to Oxford quicker.   This negotiation was made a a travel service desk within the airport.

Luckily this choice made up for lost time and while being late for my check-in I was on time for dinner.   This dinner was amazing!  I highly recommend you eat here if you ever find your way to the Oxford. area.

After dinner I chose to take a walk around part of the village.  It was the perfect end to The Journey, part 1, day 1.  

 Goodnight!

There and Back Again: A Journey of Learning- Post 2: Preparations Part 3

So today, July 5, 2017 marks the day that I leave for Oxford!  I have been double and triple checking everything and I am in the final preparations of leaving.  My Uber comes in 30 minutes to take me to the airport and I am still not completely packed!

No, my house does not normally look like this nor does my packing, but I am preparing for six weeks abroad in weather ranging from 40 degrees to 85 degrees rain and shine. I also need to prepare for everything from hiking to nice dinners, sitting in the classroom, and going about  town.   I have also been informed upon checking in for my flight, that I can only have one checked bag.     So this is the sorting process of placing all potential items in piles as I decide their necessity and thus fate. 

Here are the winning choices ready to be rolled up and placed in the suitcase.   Jane Austen, my beautiful dog, can be seen sleeping in the background.   It is the moment of truth, for better or worse, I am ready to depart!

There and Back Again: A Journey of Learning- Post 2: Preparations Part 2

So, for the past week or so I have been running around trying to make sure that I am all set.  Today marks 10 days out from departure, and I can't help but feel that I am missing something.   So it is time to check my checklist again and see if I am missing anything:

Documents:

• Passport done, I just need to make the required two copies.
• I also registered with the State department for my travels.   This is a must do so they know were I am and can contact me and or family if needed in case of an emergency. 
• I need to print my travel insurance info too

Health:

• All doctors visited 
• All immunizations up to date
• I need to finish with ASU travel health though
• Also I need to contact insurance company to authorize medications early. 

Finances:

•  I have contacted the University many times over the past two months to ensure that my aid will cover me.  It always showed a balance of $0 with a refund pending and then last week, a $4,000 charge appeared with a hold on financial aid.  They are looking into it. 
• Other than that, I still need to contact the bank and let them know I will be traveling so my accounts will not be frozen. 
• I still need to photocopy both sides of my cards, just in-case too. 

Accommodations:

• I have no idea where I will be staying that first night when I arrive in the UK.  I can choose by the airport, Windsor, or Oxford proper.  
• In truth, I will need to do the same for when I return home. 

Transportation:

• So this is something I may have dropped the ball on.  Everything says that I needed a Euro-rail and Brit-rail passes.  I should have done this two months ago.  It would have saved me money.
• I am sure I can still get around though without one, it might just cost me a bit more. 

Packing:

• There are many things to do still.  I have made lists, but they are changing.
• I goggled every possible checklist to make sure I have what is necessary for traveling abroad. 
• One
• Two   
• There are more, but you get the idea.
• The other thing is that this is a study abroad trip.  This means that there will be books to read and papers to write.
• I downloaded onto Google play all books that I could read that way.
• I ordered from Amazon those that I couldn't get on Google play
• I am still awaiting the rest to arrive. 

The problem with any of these things to yet be done, is I am out of town for work until next weekend.  So I will have July 3rd and if anything is open on July 4th, to get anything done.  

That is all for now.  More to come later. 

There and Back Again: A Journey of Learning- Post 1: About this Blog

This all began seven months ago, when I decided to apply for a Study Abroad program through ASU.  I will be studying Medieval and Renaissance Studies in Oxford through the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Department of English through ASU.   Here we will be studying the Middle Ages and Renaissance through History, English, and Theater.   The title of this blog seemed fitting based on the trip I am embarking on and the reasons why I chose this particular journey.   While I in no way resemble Bilbo Baggins on his trip through Middle Earth to find himself and help others, it is a journey of learning.   There and Back Again: A Journey of Learning is a blog that will describe the process of my journey from application, through the trip, and afterwards once I return.   

The reasons I started this blog chronicling this Journey are as follows:

Reason One:

As a teacher and adjunct professor, I do not have a lot of discretionary income, so even though I had to secure financing when I committed to this journey, I knew I would want to apply for any financial assistance for which I could qualify.  Therefore I applied for both scholarships and grants.    In this process we had to write essays describing not only why we should be awarded this aid, but what we would use the program for.  Once award granted to me has me chronicling my journey before and during, and another afterwards.l  Specifically I must show how I will use this experience in my classroom once I return to the states. 

Reason Two:

The second reason has to do with my profession.  I am a teacher, not just any teacher but a teacher in a multi-age self contained gifted classroom.  In my classroom we embark on cross-curricular project based learning.  I often combine Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Theater together in my projects. This upcoming school year we study Ancient Civilizations, Middle Ages, and Renaissance, so as once can see, this program is perfect for what I will be teaching.    As stated above I need to chronicle this part of my journey as well.  In addition, I will be completing my National Board Certification this upcoming year and this too will showcase my abilities to teach English Language Arts and Social Studies.   For this, I too need to chronicle my journey as an educator. 

Reason Three:

While I am on this study abroad journey, my school year will concurrently be beginning.  Many of my students had me last year and will have me again this year, while a great deal f my remaining students are siblings of prior students.  In my classroom we become a family and this means that this, my extended family would love to learn what I am up to while I am away.  Therefore, this blog will serve as a connection between myself and them while I am away and as an anchor for their parent to see what is happening in the classroom once I return. 

So let this journey begin!

There and Back Again: A Journey of Learning- Post 2: Preparations Part 1

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Today marks three weeks out from my departure for my program, Medieval and Renaissance Studies in Oxford through the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Department of English through ASU!  I have spent the past few weeks preparing for this journey.  The preparations for study abroad span many months, but the last month has been crunch time.  Let's back up for a moment to the first steps one must undergo leading up to the one month countdown. 

First I had to apply for the program.  This took place back in November, so seven months ago.  I remember the excitement when I received the email that his program was even available.  I immediately read it to my husband and his response before I even asked the question was, "You should apply and go!", this felt like I was supposed to do this. 

 In my former life, closer to twenty years ago, I went on study abroad trips and mission trips and traveled as much as possible.  I dreamt as I got older that another opportunity would arise, and some did but they never seemed right. They never seemed perfect for me, so I never went.  I had studied theater, history, and English in my past and even earned bachelor degrees in two if them.    I went on to open a non-profit theater and became a teacher and eventually an adjunct English professor.   I always hoped that one day I would either be studying in or teaching a program that offered me another opportunity.   Gratefully, now I have found one! So that is really the first thing, find a program that really works for what you want to study or are passionate about.  

The application processes was next.  For this, as a ASU student, I clicked the “Apply Now” button on the program I selected.  Next,  I signed the Acknowledgment of Application and was charged a $50 Application Fee.  Please note, this $50 Application Fee is non-refundable so even if I change my mind they keep my money.  However, if I did not get accepted into the program, this money would be refunded.    There are further things to do so my application was saved on My Study Abroad Login Home Page.  These items included: My tasks, signature documents, online forms, quizzes, and reviewing resources.

Next was the waiting game.  Luckily I only had to wait one month until I was accepted.  Once you have been accepted you must commit.  So here is the important thing, you have to commit to the program and its entire cost before you secure funding, unless you are independently wealthy or know someone who can personally fund your trip. That's right..... you will not know if you get financial aid and you will certainly not know about any grants of scholarships yet.   You also cannot back out of the program once you have committed to it.  This means that if your dreams of financial aid, scholarships, and grants do not come through, you still need to pay.  There are some extenuating circumstances that will let you withdraw, but you would still be responsible for the costs occurred by the Study Broad Office on your behalf up to that point. You will want to look at the cost sheet associated with your program to know what you will be paying out of pocket and what the Study Abroad office will cover on your behalf.  Please also review the Study Abroad Payment and Withdrawal Policies before you commit.

You will not be paying tuition to ASU but you will need to sign up for the classes once you have been directed to do so.  Instead, you will be paying your study abroad Program Fee, which includes ASU tuition for the number of credits offered in the program you have been accepted to, your accommodations while abroad only for the program, ASU overhead expenses, your study abroad insurance, and and study abroad program excursions. 

If you have determined, like I did that you can afford this journey, then click commit, it may be one of the best decisions of your entire life!