Hi y'all,
The past two days have been full on with our Strand session in the morning and then we sit in on Site Team Meetings in the afternoon. I am doing the ELL - English Language Learners, strand (ESL in Australia), which has been really good thus far.
Lets see what I've learned so far:
The essay dance - a mnemonic for the eight sentence paragraph.
BT - CD - CM1 - CM2 repeat CS.
10-2 - lecture for 10, process for 2 minutes... the 'average' student can take in information for just under 10 minutes, then they need a break. This might mean you teach a concept then you organise an activity to instill that concept for a couple of minutes before moving on; for ELL and kinaesthetic learners this means you teach a chunk of information, then you get up and do something physical to allow time for the thought to be absorbed. The essay dance is a good example, we did a 'bit of a stretch' for our opening few minutes of the session, for 10 minutes we were taught what each movement meant in an essay. Then we got up and for 2 minutes we did the dance again, this time saying which part of the eight sentence paragraph the dance was describing. We sat down again and for 10 minutes wrote an essay paragraph using the dance and its associated concepts. Then we spent 2 minutes discussing what we learnt with the person sitting next to us. As you can see, lessons taught this way are active and interesting because they are always fluid and changing, you don't have time to get bored.
Cornell Notes: 10 - 24 - 7
When you write C-Notes you take 10 minutes at the end to summarise them, you review them 24 hours later, and then again 7 days later... this is proven to enhance your retention of information.
INSIDE/OUTSIDE CIRCLE or PARALLEL LINES
Here's a little factoid that stuck in my brain re: knowledge retention rates: in a lecture students will retain about 5% of what they hear; but if they teach someone something they will remember 95% of it. SO a REALLY powerful tool, is to lecture/teach a concept for 10 minutes then have the students teach each other what they just heard. We then got up and did an activity that demonstrated how you can do this. It was Inside/Outside Circle or Parallel Lines. Here's how it works: you teach a concept, then you get the class up and find a space where they can spread out a bit, form two lines so everyone has a partner. Line 1 has to teach one thing they learned to line 2. Then everyone takes two steps to the left, so that you have a new partner. Then line 2 teaches one thing they learned to line 1. Then take two steps to the left. Line 1 asks their new partner for clarification of something they did not understand. Take two steps to the left. Line 2 asks for clarification. Then return to class for the next chunk of learning.
Well, that's enough of that or this blog will be so long I'll lose you all after the first 10 minutes reading.
The afternoon sessions start with us doing some activities to consolidate our morning's learning; then we move on to the Site Planning. A Site in this context means a school which has AVID in place. The site we are with are just starting out their planning; they know who their volunteer teachers are and that's about it. So they are working through the 11 AVID essentials to put a plan in place so that their site can be accredited for teaching the AVID system next (school) year. It's been interesting to see the interplay of personalities and the negotiating within the team to arrive at agreement on how they will implement the 11 principles.
The conference runs from 8 until 5 each day, but we do have 1.5 hours for lunch, so there is a bit of time for networking or for site seeing. Chloe and I hurried to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas straight after our afternoon session yesterday. This is the site where Lee Harvey Oswald was sitting when he shot at President John F Kennedy in 1963. The top two floors of the building are a museum that traces the events leading up to JFKs assassination, the conspiracy theories that have grown up around the events, and especially it details the legacy that Kennedy left behind. It was very moving. We were told the museum closes at 6 so were pleased to find out that that's when they close the doors but visitors still have 40 minutes more to complete their viewing.
When we returned to the conference headquarters we bumped into the rest of the Aussie contingent and all jumped in a cab to drive out into the suburbs to a strip that abounds in restaurants and night clubs. My goodness what choice!! We could have started with fondue, moved to Mexican, then had baclava in a third restaurant, etc. We opted for the Mexican and I had the Pork Tamale for a starter, followed by Mole con Pollo, which is.... wait for it... chocolate chicken!!! OH MY GAHD!! Then we wandered a couple of blocks over to Henderson St and found a bar where we had a nightcap before returning to our hotels. It was La Hacienda on Henderson which has FIFTY different tequilas. Yep, you heard right FIFTY! I'd already had enough to drink but I couldn't resist a sip to taste the very special tequila Valerie and Heather had... so smooth! Why can't we get such nice tequila at home? It was like the difference between an 18 year old scotch and a UDL can of scotch.
More great sessions the next day (we have all been given handbooks that have the information we are working through in them and CSU global will be organising a gathering so that interested folk can come along and hear our experiences -- we'll have our handbooks with us so anyone interested can get a recap of the main points and see the kind of assistance the AVID organisation gives to it's accredited teachers and tutors).
While networking I asked a couple of the people I spoke to this question:
The AVID program seems to me to just be really good pedagogy in practise. What makes it different?
Here are a couple of the replies:
Todd from Arkansas said (in his gorgeous drawl) 'As a member of AVID you have support, not just from the AVID co-ordinators but from every other AVID teacher. If you are stumped with something or try something and can't seem to get it to work, you can jump onto the web and you have access to help and advice from thousands of dedicated AVID teachers.'
Angie said, 'If, as an AVID teacher, you implement AVID correctly in your AVID elective class, the AVID students go out to their other classes and THEY spread the knowledge and use of the tools, which helps to empower those 'students in the middle' that the AVID program is designed to work with.'
Today at lunch time, Heather and I went across to Fair Park and The Women's Museum. This museum is dedicated to telling the story of extraordinary women who have made a difference to America in some way; it celebrates women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B Anthony, Rosa Parks, etc. There is a special exhibition on, called Freedom's Sisters, which is about 20 heroic women who worked (and some are still working) for liberty and equality for women. Some of the African American women featured started universities, sought positions in government and the legal system so they could fight for the rights of all women and the rights of African Americans. Some like Rosa Parks just refused to be victimised (her quiet protest led to her being known as 'the mother of the modern civil rights movement'). A very powerful exhibition which made me proud to be a woman. It was definitely worth missing lunch for.
Well that's enough from me now,
Bye y'all,
Tracey
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
AVID: the conference
Hi all y'all,
Back again, missed out telling you about yesterday as it was mostly airports and flying again, up at 4:50 to catch the 8:00 am flight, which with time changes got us into Dallas around half past 1. Caught the shuttle out to our hotel, The Aloft... a boutique hotel only 1 year old. It's decorated in Industrial style, as if it is a half renovated warehouse... the walls are part unfinished concrete and partly timbered, partly mirrored -- very modern and to anyone who has travelled has the feel of a very upmarket youth hostel, with a pool table and games area in the foyer, and the breakfast bar has a microwave and coffee maker and you prepare your own brekky there. Oh! and it has a bar but no restaurant.
The rooms though are huge and have very high ceilings, large flat screen telly and two queen size beds. Tres chic!
Once we'd settled in, we walked up to the Hyatt at Reunion where half of the AVID conference is being held... 3 blocks and down the steps to the Concourse and we are right there within a few steps of Registration. We went up to Heather's room then set off to find the people we were having dinner with - not knowing what they look like. How do you find one person in a crowd of two thousand? Step out of the lift and bump into a man stepping in - and reading his name tag realise it's the person you were looking for. Serendipitous!
We had dinner at the Adolphus Hotel - an ultra posh, classic old hotel, which has been beautifully renovated, with lots of gorgeous wood panelling, lush plants and heavily framed paintings. Down in the basement there is a western themed restaurant where we threw the peanut shells on the floor and ordered Texan meals like sticky ribs and pork steaks cut porterhouse style, and pasta starters large enough to feed two.
A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP - and the whole world takes on a much rosier hue -- even the pouring rain (who said Texas was a desert state?) is a joke not a nuisance.
Today we started the conference at 8:00 am when we registered and worked out which special subjects we were going to attend. Kerri did Capturing Kids Hearts - about motivating students; Chloe and Millie did Avid Weekly and Critical Reading - Avid Weekly is a website with newspaper articles and a lesson plan template, critical reading is what it sounds like; I did a program called AAMI which is a branch of AVID that focuses specifically on African American males - and could be adapted for use with Indigenous Australian males. The session was a panel formed of leaders from about 7 different school districts which have trialled the program... by all accounts it is extremely successful, with students who are not included queueing up to be part of it... Heather did the session on transitioning from high school to college which links with the newest AVID project which is to continue the program on into the first year of university or college.
Next, we did the Newcomer's session which gave us all the information we'd need for the rest of the conference. Lunch was an hour and a half long which gave plenty of time for networking or going back to the hotel for a nap. I made a heap of great contacts from a Texan University professor, to a gentleman from Arkansas with a gorgeous southern drawl who is emailing me information on reaching out to ESL (ELL- English Language Learners - in the US) students and indigenous students, as that is also his area of interest.
Our first session after lunch was the Keynote speech by one of the first AVID students, who is now a teacher and AVID area director in Houston Texas, followed by our Site Leader workshops. The one we are assigned to is from the LA area and they are just setting up their AVID program, so we are learning AVID from the ground up... basically listening in on their discussions. We started with the eleventh and final AVID essential and have 3 articles to read for homework ready to be discussed in tomorrow's workshop. Each day we will discuss 3 more AVID essentials exploring what they are, how to implement them and what they look like in practise.
It's going to be a full on week, busy, we will be squeezing in a little sight seeing and lots of networking. Everyone is so kind and welcoming though that it doesn't feel like work.
So, enough from me, I need to get the washing out of the dryer and settle down with my pen and highlighter -- I've got homework to do,
Bye for now,
Tracey
Back again, missed out telling you about yesterday as it was mostly airports and flying again, up at 4:50 to catch the 8:00 am flight, which with time changes got us into Dallas around half past 1. Caught the shuttle out to our hotel, The Aloft... a boutique hotel only 1 year old. It's decorated in Industrial style, as if it is a half renovated warehouse... the walls are part unfinished concrete and partly timbered, partly mirrored -- very modern and to anyone who has travelled has the feel of a very upmarket youth hostel, with a pool table and games area in the foyer, and the breakfast bar has a microwave and coffee maker and you prepare your own brekky there. Oh! and it has a bar but no restaurant.
The rooms though are huge and have very high ceilings, large flat screen telly and two queen size beds. Tres chic!
Once we'd settled in, we walked up to the Hyatt at Reunion where half of the AVID conference is being held... 3 blocks and down the steps to the Concourse and we are right there within a few steps of Registration. We went up to Heather's room then set off to find the people we were having dinner with - not knowing what they look like. How do you find one person in a crowd of two thousand? Step out of the lift and bump into a man stepping in - and reading his name tag realise it's the person you were looking for. Serendipitous!
We had dinner at the Adolphus Hotel - an ultra posh, classic old hotel, which has been beautifully renovated, with lots of gorgeous wood panelling, lush plants and heavily framed paintings. Down in the basement there is a western themed restaurant where we threw the peanut shells on the floor and ordered Texan meals like sticky ribs and pork steaks cut porterhouse style, and pasta starters large enough to feed two.
A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP - and the whole world takes on a much rosier hue -- even the pouring rain (who said Texas was a desert state?) is a joke not a nuisance.
Today we started the conference at 8:00 am when we registered and worked out which special subjects we were going to attend. Kerri did Capturing Kids Hearts - about motivating students; Chloe and Millie did Avid Weekly and Critical Reading - Avid Weekly is a website with newspaper articles and a lesson plan template, critical reading is what it sounds like; I did a program called AAMI which is a branch of AVID that focuses specifically on African American males - and could be adapted for use with Indigenous Australian males. The session was a panel formed of leaders from about 7 different school districts which have trialled the program... by all accounts it is extremely successful, with students who are not included queueing up to be part of it... Heather did the session on transitioning from high school to college which links with the newest AVID project which is to continue the program on into the first year of university or college.
Next, we did the Newcomer's session which gave us all the information we'd need for the rest of the conference. Lunch was an hour and a half long which gave plenty of time for networking or going back to the hotel for a nap. I made a heap of great contacts from a Texan University professor, to a gentleman from Arkansas with a gorgeous southern drawl who is emailing me information on reaching out to ESL (ELL- English Language Learners - in the US) students and indigenous students, as that is also his area of interest.
Our first session after lunch was the Keynote speech by one of the first AVID students, who is now a teacher and AVID area director in Houston Texas, followed by our Site Leader workshops. The one we are assigned to is from the LA area and they are just setting up their AVID program, so we are learning AVID from the ground up... basically listening in on their discussions. We started with the eleventh and final AVID essential and have 3 articles to read for homework ready to be discussed in tomorrow's workshop. Each day we will discuss 3 more AVID essentials exploring what they are, how to implement them and what they look like in practise.
It's going to be a full on week, busy, we will be squeezing in a little sight seeing and lots of networking. Everyone is so kind and welcoming though that it doesn't feel like work.
So, enough from me, I need to get the washing out of the dryer and settle down with my pen and highlighter -- I've got homework to do,
Bye for now,
Tracey
Saturday, June 26, 2010
"Under the Boardwalk, Out of the Sun..."
Day 3. We woke early-ish and had breakfast (in the Club Room, of course), before catching the Metro down to Wilshire and Vermont and changing to the 720 Rapid Bus for the trip to Santa Monica Beach. The bus trip takes about 40 - 50 minutes and we saw some amazing architecture, elegant suburbs and sights like Tiffany's on the corner of Rodeo Drive as we passed (we decided to dedicate a day to the centre of Hollywood when we come back to LA before flying home to Sydney).
For today, we stayed on the bus until the end of the line and then strolled down to the pier and took in the sights. When we arrived the beach directly in front of the water was crowded with people all holding hands. It was 'Hands across the Sands' a protest against BP who haven't acted quickly enough to clean up the oil spill in the gulf (green view).
The Pier itself is pretty amazing with a mini amusement park, an old-fashioned carousel, buskers and painters and traders all along the sides, a few seafood restaurants and dozens of people fishing. Every now and then there are stairs down to small landings, floating docks, with yet more fishermen on them.
Then we had a sea food lunch: a couple of the girls had calamari and chips and I had the clam chowder in a bread bowl, which was absolutely delicious! All of this is up on the pier which is made from humungous wooden planks - very old and worn by the passing feet of generations of Santa Monicans with the nail heads all poking up, laying in wait to trip the unwary. I wonder if this is the famous boardwalk of the song? I've taken a photo looking diagonally back across the sea showing the huge posts holding up the pier and you can totally see how on a very hot day, it would be nice to sit in the cool under the boardwalk.
After lunch we wandered back up toward the bus stop but detoured along the Third Avenue Promenade which was three blocks long, blocked off to through traffic in a pedestrian mall, a bit like the Corso in Manly, but a much larger area. There were dozens of buskers here too and crowds milling around enjoying the sunshine - although the sun had come out, it wasn't horrendously hot, rather it was a very pleasant 77 degrees F (approx 23 - 24 degrees C). There are some pretty amazing topiary 'statues', well artworks, shaped like dinosaurs, with heads and spines of steel and bodies of living bush; again, I'll post pictures when I have access to a computer that has both the internet AND a card player [at the moment I have the internet on the hotel's computer but the card reader is on my notebook which cannot link to the internet].
By then we were back at the bus stop and so hopped back onto the Rapid bus for the trip back. On the way out to Santa Monica we'd been 'entertained' by an obnoxious man who spent about half of the trip arguing with the bus driver; thankfully, the trip back into town was devoid of argumentative people. In fact, people were polite and actively wanted to help us when they heard our accents. Although it doesn't sound like we did much it was a tiring day, being jostled by the bus was almost as good as a gym workout(!) on top of our walk: although Kerri says 'we didn't walk much, we sat on the bus most of the time'. Bear in mind though that Kerry is half my size and about 15 years younger.
Back at the Sheraton we were in time for the hors'douvres, and are packing up tonight ready to travel to Dallas tomorrow morning (Sunday). We leave the hotel just after 7 am to get to the airport on time for our flight. I'm looking forward to a couple more days in LA on the way home, there is so much to see.
CU L8R,
Tracey
PS: When organising a trip with people you don't know, it's best NOT to organise to share beds before you know each other well... The Sheraton is kind of dear for student pockets, so to save dollars we booked a double-double room (2 double beds in a twin configuration) which made this expensive hotel affordable; however I am REALLY looking forward to Dallas and having a double bed all to myself!! Mind you, this is NOT to say anyone in the group has been anything but considerate to one another and polite. It's just when you are jetlagged and need a good nights sleep it's easier when you have a bed you can squirm around in, if for instance, you have restless legs that itch and twitch through the night. *sigh*
For today, we stayed on the bus until the end of the line and then strolled down to the pier and took in the sights. When we arrived the beach directly in front of the water was crowded with people all holding hands. It was 'Hands across the Sands' a protest against BP who haven't acted quickly enough to clean up the oil spill in the gulf (green view).
The Pier itself is pretty amazing with a mini amusement park, an old-fashioned carousel, buskers and painters and traders all along the sides, a few seafood restaurants and dozens of people fishing. Every now and then there are stairs down to small landings, floating docks, with yet more fishermen on them.
Then we had a sea food lunch: a couple of the girls had calamari and chips and I had the clam chowder in a bread bowl, which was absolutely delicious! All of this is up on the pier which is made from humungous wooden planks - very old and worn by the passing feet of generations of Santa Monicans with the nail heads all poking up, laying in wait to trip the unwary. I wonder if this is the famous boardwalk of the song? I've taken a photo looking diagonally back across the sea showing the huge posts holding up the pier and you can totally see how on a very hot day, it would be nice to sit in the cool under the boardwalk.
After lunch we wandered back up toward the bus stop but detoured along the Third Avenue Promenade which was three blocks long, blocked off to through traffic in a pedestrian mall, a bit like the Corso in Manly, but a much larger area. There were dozens of buskers here too and crowds milling around enjoying the sunshine - although the sun had come out, it wasn't horrendously hot, rather it was a very pleasant 77 degrees F (approx 23 - 24 degrees C). There are some pretty amazing topiary 'statues', well artworks, shaped like dinosaurs, with heads and spines of steel and bodies of living bush; again, I'll post pictures when I have access to a computer that has both the internet AND a card player [at the moment I have the internet on the hotel's computer but the card reader is on my notebook which cannot link to the internet].
By then we were back at the bus stop and so hopped back onto the Rapid bus for the trip back. On the way out to Santa Monica we'd been 'entertained' by an obnoxious man who spent about half of the trip arguing with the bus driver; thankfully, the trip back into town was devoid of argumentative people. In fact, people were polite and actively wanted to help us when they heard our accents. Although it doesn't sound like we did much it was a tiring day, being jostled by the bus was almost as good as a gym workout(!) on top of our walk: although Kerri says 'we didn't walk much, we sat on the bus most of the time'. Bear in mind though that Kerry is half my size and about 15 years younger.
Back at the Sheraton we were in time for the hors'douvres, and are packing up tonight ready to travel to Dallas tomorrow morning (Sunday). We leave the hotel just after 7 am to get to the airport on time for our flight. I'm looking forward to a couple more days in LA on the way home, there is so much to see.
CU L8R,
Tracey
PS: When organising a trip with people you don't know, it's best NOT to organise to share beds before you know each other well... The Sheraton is kind of dear for student pockets, so to save dollars we booked a double-double room (2 double beds in a twin configuration) which made this expensive hotel affordable; however I am REALLY looking forward to Dallas and having a double bed all to myself!! Mind you, this is NOT to say anyone in the group has been anything but considerate to one another and polite. It's just when you are jetlagged and need a good nights sleep it's easier when you have a bed you can squirm around in, if for instance, you have restless legs that itch and twitch through the night. *sigh*
Friday, June 25, 2010
Universal Studios - Take 1
Day Two:
After a night of little sleep... we shall draw a discreet veil across the snoring and sleep talking... and blame it all on jet lag, we planned on rising about 7 a.m. so we could get an early start at Universal Studios. But, as is often the way with even the best laid plans... my alarm went off at 6:30. ooops!
So after our complimentary breakfast buffet in the Club Room we set off across the carpark and took the glass lift up the cliff face to the Sierra Ballroom's piazza (I think the ballroom is attached to the Hilton), then across a footbridge over the freeway to the gates. Inside we took the Back Lots Tour... fascinating stuff... past the sets, with snippets of movies being shown on the screens in each carriage to show when the sets were used - and such info as Leave it to Beaver's house is currently being re-used as part of Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives (the same house used across such a wide range of years).
It was fascinating seeing New York and Europe and totally imaginary lands all portrayed, higgledy-piggledy, cheek and jowl with each other in such a small area. When they build the streets they always have a curve in them, which makes the street look like it continues, but in reality there is a bit of a bend and then that New York back street becomes a turn of the last century country town's main road. For eg, there are 6 'Main Streets' from western towns, each with it's Sheriff's office and tavern, the other shops just have their signs changed and hey-presto a new town... ditto with Europe: there is ONE set, change the language of the street signs and/or the types of stalls and the clothes, and suddenly the steps of the temple in Jerusalem becomes a Roman forum... utterly fascinating stuff!
The girls all went off on a ride, while I went to a show that showed how animals are trained for the movies, it showed another one of the tricks, with a huge fan, a cute little blue and orange parrot (like the one in Pauley) flying in the one spot against the breeze...the camera shoots across the bird toward a green screen. At the same time on the big screen the shot of the bird is shown, but the editors edit in backgrounds of fields, sea and desert, ending with space and the bird looking back at earth as he flies off to another galaxy. Funny that seeing how it is done doesn't destroy the magic!
After about 5 and a half hours walking and checking out shows and rides, I decided I'd had enough and while the other 3 girls continued on with more rides (Waterworld, Jurassic Park and the House of Horrors) I walked back to the hotel for a nap [showing my age no doubt]. For lunch I had two "world famous" Californian (or American?) specialties: the Cinnabon (yummy but such a sugar overload!!) and a pulled pork sandwich.
I woke up when the girls got back and they too had a short lie down before we went back up to the Club Room for hors'douvres and then took a walk back up to the Universal lot. Outside the gates there are a heap of shops, restaurants and hotels, so we did some souvenir shopping getting back to the hotel about 10 ish. It's all fascinating... massive caramel apples that would feed a small family, and what seems like hundreds of flavours of chocolates, fudges, and sweets. There is a shop called Sugar, that has a statue of Marilyn Monroe made out of white jellybeans! amazing!
Then we returned to the hotel, checked emails and results from last semester (I've passed all my subjects... whew! as have the other girls on all the results they've received thus far), and now that this blog is done, I'm off to bed... after 11 pm and really tired, so I should sleep tonight... more sightseeing in the morning...
Hasta la vista, Baby (as they say in the movies)
Tracey
After a night of little sleep... we shall draw a discreet veil across the snoring and sleep talking... and blame it all on jet lag, we planned on rising about 7 a.m. so we could get an early start at Universal Studios. But, as is often the way with even the best laid plans... my alarm went off at 6:30. ooops!
So after our complimentary breakfast buffet in the Club Room we set off across the carpark and took the glass lift up the cliff face to the Sierra Ballroom's piazza (I think the ballroom is attached to the Hilton), then across a footbridge over the freeway to the gates. Inside we took the Back Lots Tour... fascinating stuff... past the sets, with snippets of movies being shown on the screens in each carriage to show when the sets were used - and such info as Leave it to Beaver's house is currently being re-used as part of Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives (the same house used across such a wide range of years).
It was fascinating seeing New York and Europe and totally imaginary lands all portrayed, higgledy-piggledy, cheek and jowl with each other in such a small area. When they build the streets they always have a curve in them, which makes the street look like it continues, but in reality there is a bit of a bend and then that New York back street becomes a turn of the last century country town's main road. For eg, there are 6 'Main Streets' from western towns, each with it's Sheriff's office and tavern, the other shops just have their signs changed and hey-presto a new town... ditto with Europe: there is ONE set, change the language of the street signs and/or the types of stalls and the clothes, and suddenly the steps of the temple in Jerusalem becomes a Roman forum... utterly fascinating stuff!
The girls all went off on a ride, while I went to a show that showed how animals are trained for the movies, it showed another one of the tricks, with a huge fan, a cute little blue and orange parrot (like the one in Pauley) flying in the one spot against the breeze...the camera shoots across the bird toward a green screen. At the same time on the big screen the shot of the bird is shown, but the editors edit in backgrounds of fields, sea and desert, ending with space and the bird looking back at earth as he flies off to another galaxy. Funny that seeing how it is done doesn't destroy the magic!
After about 5 and a half hours walking and checking out shows and rides, I decided I'd had enough and while the other 3 girls continued on with more rides (Waterworld, Jurassic Park and the House of Horrors) I walked back to the hotel for a nap [showing my age no doubt]. For lunch I had two "world famous" Californian (or American?) specialties: the Cinnabon (yummy but such a sugar overload!!) and a pulled pork sandwich.
I woke up when the girls got back and they too had a short lie down before we went back up to the Club Room for hors'douvres and then took a walk back up to the Universal lot. Outside the gates there are a heap of shops, restaurants and hotels, so we did some souvenir shopping getting back to the hotel about 10 ish. It's all fascinating... massive caramel apples that would feed a small family, and what seems like hundreds of flavours of chocolates, fudges, and sweets. There is a shop called Sugar, that has a statue of Marilyn Monroe made out of white jellybeans! amazing!
Then we returned to the hotel, checked emails and results from last semester (I've passed all my subjects... whew! as have the other girls on all the results they've received thus far), and now that this blog is done, I'm off to bed... after 11 pm and really tired, so I should sleep tonight... more sightseeing in the morning...
Hasta la vista, Baby (as they say in the movies)
Tracey
3 am Sleepless in LA
Episode 2:
We left Albury on time at quarter to 10 and arrived in Sydney 40 minutes later... with 10 hours to kill. We sat in a cafe, reading, talking, with short walks to look at the few shops until it was time to check in. YAY! there were heaps more shops after customs... much bigger and better shops as well.
Kerri happened to mention the small items she'd brought to give to the teachers in her strand discussion group and I thought "Oops! something ELSE I forgot!" But after cruising the souvenir shops, I found some lovely little gifts (wooden coasters made from Aussie timbers like blue gum, red box, etc and some funky little Australian grammars with the sub-title 'funetic slanguage' which I thought might appeal to the English teachers).
Then we sat in the boarding lounge... with an added hour waiting - there had a been a pile up on one of the freeways and 90 people were late for the flight, rather than ruin their holiday/business trip for something that wasn't their fault, V-Australia delayed the flight and tried to make up the time on the trip across the Pacific. Which we did!! we were only about 15 minutes late pulling into LAX.
About 13 hours in the air, a nice meal, watched How to train your dragon and Avatar with about 6 hours sleep in between. We were in the last 2 rows which meant a lot of noise and every one who used the loo brushed past me. Not ideal sleeping conditions - so it's probably a good thing that I tend to be a bit of an insomniac, sleeping in fits and starts. So anyway, we arrived in LA around 6pm WST.
Then another 2 hours to get through Immigration, Baggage Claim and Customs and we were finally outside looking for our Shuttle to the Sheraton Universal. It took about 40 minutes to get across LA, a huge city of 9.8 million people (2009 figures, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06037.html). It was sooo strange that there weren't trees like we are used to... only these great triffid like palm trees peering over the tops of the buildings in massive droves...I wonder if Wyndham ever travelled to LA?
Anyhow, eventually at about 9:15 we made it down to the restaurant only to be told it was closed, but the bar was open for snacks and there's room service. Not in our room... with four of us in a smallish room and only 2 seats in it! The other girls decided to walk down to the Hard Rock Cafe, but after approximately 26 hours of travel, I didn't want to walk another step - not when we have all day tomorrow at Universal Studios!!! Exciting! So I ordered a delicious herb crusted sea-bass served on a bed of warm vermouth, potato and tomato granita, Mmmm, Yumm-oh! Then bed for two hours and neither Chloe or I could sleep, so here we are at 3:45 am in the computer lounge catching up on emails and blogging, etc...
So that's the flight, and I will soon be off to catch another 3 hours shut eye before our big day tomorrow.
CU L8R,
Tracey
We left Albury on time at quarter to 10 and arrived in Sydney 40 minutes later... with 10 hours to kill. We sat in a cafe, reading, talking, with short walks to look at the few shops until it was time to check in. YAY! there were heaps more shops after customs... much bigger and better shops as well.
Kerri happened to mention the small items she'd brought to give to the teachers in her strand discussion group and I thought "Oops! something ELSE I forgot!" But after cruising the souvenir shops, I found some lovely little gifts (wooden coasters made from Aussie timbers like blue gum, red box, etc and some funky little Australian grammars with the sub-title 'funetic slanguage' which I thought might appeal to the English teachers).
Then we sat in the boarding lounge... with an added hour waiting - there had a been a pile up on one of the freeways and 90 people were late for the flight, rather than ruin their holiday/business trip for something that wasn't their fault, V-Australia delayed the flight and tried to make up the time on the trip across the Pacific. Which we did!! we were only about 15 minutes late pulling into LAX.
About 13 hours in the air, a nice meal, watched How to train your dragon and Avatar with about 6 hours sleep in between. We were in the last 2 rows which meant a lot of noise and every one who used the loo brushed past me. Not ideal sleeping conditions - so it's probably a good thing that I tend to be a bit of an insomniac, sleeping in fits and starts. So anyway, we arrived in LA around 6pm WST.
Then another 2 hours to get through Immigration, Baggage Claim and Customs and we were finally outside looking for our Shuttle to the Sheraton Universal. It took about 40 minutes to get across LA, a huge city of 9.8 million people (2009 figures, http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06037.html). It was sooo strange that there weren't trees like we are used to... only these great triffid like palm trees peering over the tops of the buildings in massive droves...I wonder if Wyndham ever travelled to LA?
Anyhow, eventually at about 9:15 we made it down to the restaurant only to be told it was closed, but the bar was open for snacks and there's room service. Not in our room... with four of us in a smallish room and only 2 seats in it! The other girls decided to walk down to the Hard Rock Cafe, but after approximately 26 hours of travel, I didn't want to walk another step - not when we have all day tomorrow at Universal Studios!!! Exciting! So I ordered a delicious herb crusted sea-bass served on a bed of warm vermouth, potato and tomato granita, Mmmm, Yumm-oh! Then bed for two hours and neither Chloe or I could sleep, so here we are at 3:45 am in the computer lounge catching up on emails and blogging, etc...
So that's the flight, and I will soon be off to catch another 3 hours shut eye before our big day tomorrow.
CU L8R,
Tracey
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Adventure Begins
Well, here it is 23rd June and tomorrow we set off for the AVID Conference in Dallas Texas. Finally, after all the paperwork is done, I have time to take a few minutes to draw a deep breath and assess where I'm at:
My prac is finished, I've written up my reflections and my journal, been to CSU to drop it in the box. I'm almost organised for next semester. All the travel side of things is in place:
Passport? - check
eTickets? - check
Travel insurance? - check
Accommodation booked? - check
Book to read on plane? - check
Clothes, shoes etc all washed and packed? - check
Cats' carer organised? - check
Lift to airport organised? - check
Everything is falling into place so smoothly, its left me wondering what I've forgotten. Oh I know, I knew there'd be something... I'm supposed to book us into the Medieval Experience for dinner on the Wednesday night in Dallas. Well, if that's all I've forgotten that's OK...
The plan is we leave Australia at 8:30 Thursday night, travel for 13.5 hours and arrive in LA at 5:30... three hours before we leave. lol - time travel R us!!
Then we'll spend a couple of days sightseeing in LA (Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Universal Studios etc); then onto Dallas for the AVID Conference (there are a couple of museums we want to see, the aforementioned restaurant experience, an official luncheon, etc to keep us busy there); then the Grand Canyon on the 4th of July (sleeping at Vegas for a couple of nights); San Francisco, with dinner at Fisherman's Wharf and a tour of Alcatraz (not sure if there'll be time to drive up to see the giant sequoias, we'll have to wing it a bit and see), finally returning to LA for a day or so before we fly home.
I'll log on every couple of days to update this blog, and if I can't for some reason, one of the others might find time to fill in for me. I'll try to post photos, although I will have to work out HOW to do that... I'm new to blogging - I guess the old Irishman was right "You're never safe from learning something new, until you're dead!"
CU L8R,
Tracey
PS I'll introduce the rest of our little caravan (Chloe, Kerri, Millie & Heather) in the next blog.
My prac is finished, I've written up my reflections and my journal, been to CSU to drop it in the box. I'm almost organised for next semester. All the travel side of things is in place:
Passport? - check
eTickets? - check
Travel insurance? - check
Accommodation booked? - check
Book to read on plane? - check
Clothes, shoes etc all washed and packed? - check
Cats' carer organised? - check
Lift to airport organised? - check
Everything is falling into place so smoothly, its left me wondering what I've forgotten. Oh I know, I knew there'd be something... I'm supposed to book us into the Medieval Experience for dinner on the Wednesday night in Dallas. Well, if that's all I've forgotten that's OK...
The plan is we leave Australia at 8:30 Thursday night, travel for 13.5 hours and arrive in LA at 5:30... three hours before we leave. lol - time travel R us!!
Then we'll spend a couple of days sightseeing in LA (Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Universal Studios etc); then onto Dallas for the AVID Conference (there are a couple of museums we want to see, the aforementioned restaurant experience, an official luncheon, etc to keep us busy there); then the Grand Canyon on the 4th of July (sleeping at Vegas for a couple of nights); San Francisco, with dinner at Fisherman's Wharf and a tour of Alcatraz (not sure if there'll be time to drive up to see the giant sequoias, we'll have to wing it a bit and see), finally returning to LA for a day or so before we fly home.
I'll log on every couple of days to update this blog, and if I can't for some reason, one of the others might find time to fill in for me. I'll try to post photos, although I will have to work out HOW to do that... I'm new to blogging - I guess the old Irishman was right "You're never safe from learning something new, until you're dead!"
CU L8R,
Tracey
PS I'll introduce the rest of our little caravan (Chloe, Kerri, Millie & Heather) in the next blog.
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