What a crazy week. I am exhausted and it has only just begun. I had no idea how insane I would feel in prep for this trip. The unknowns got the best of this girl a few times over the past 72 hours, not to mention the energy spent preparing for my absence from my life and more specifically 187 community college students.
For the past 3 months we (this team of women, fascinating women) have plotted and planned via conference calls and skype. Kathy (KAS) is a colleague from Austin, Cathy, a Rotarian also from Minnesota, and Kay, a Rotarian from Ojai California. We met for the first time this afternoon/evening and with our feet collectively planted on the same stretch of earth we are off.
Early this morning as I was thinking about what the next 19 days would hold and who we, as a new team, would become, I couldn’t help thinking about my days as a Covenant Player. Twice a year we would gather as a group to await our unit assignments. This was a day-long process and was always a time of great anxiety for me. Who would be assigned to? Who would I spend the next 15-18 weeks with? Would we connect? How would be work as a team? Even though I have known who this unit would be for months, and even though I have known the leader of this team for many years, the newness and unknowns of the this newly formed team is exciting and if I am honest, it makes for a little bit of anxiety.
So, I know the who, we have packed out gear and have loaded our life into the “van” and we are starting our trek cross county, cross continents.
I am writing from row 16/seat G (the front of coach). I have lots of legroom and a chatty man form Wichita Kansas as a row mate. We have been in the air for an hour or so and I have learned an amazing number of things about him. I know that he is an engineer, and that he flies for work regularly. He is going to china on his next trip and he is a little anxious about that (just not sure about that place). His company pays them $1000 not to fly business class and he takes pills everyday because he recently had a heart attack. Oy! I wonder who the rest of the team is meeting in their respective rows.
On a totally different note, I decided to violate a “me” rule and have invited my students into my personal life by way of this blog. I warned them that they would likely learn more about me than they may like, but as part of my desire to share this trip with them, I felt that inviting them along would give them a chance to experience this adventure as it is being lived and reported day by day. The challenge will be to keep them in mind as I write (and at the same time not censor my experience. Some of the classes – Introduction to Sociology – are earning credit for reading and submitting comments. So welcome budding sociologists of mine. I look forward to hearing from you and am looking forward to reading your responses to the pics and posts.
kir
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