Orientation Meeting #1

Yesterday we had our first Orientation Meeting! I really enjoyed getting to see many of you again...and many of you for the first time. Two hours went by incredibly fast! At the very end I realized my camera was still in the car...I had so wanted to take photos to post here...I guess I'll have to wait until January!

One of the topics we discussed was "Global Awareness/Destination-specific Education." I thought I would recap that here.

Each delegate needs to research some area of Australia...related to either a place, custom, government, culture, building...etc. We had some ideas listed which some of you signed up for. The objective is that you will learn something about Australia and share it. You can choose to give a presentation - either in a group or alone; create a 'travel brochure' about a place; write a review of a book on Australia; write a paper about some aspect of the country; ... you may have another idea...these are just some we thought of. Here are the ideas we had and the people who signed up for them. If you decide which topic you would like, just tell me in the comments section (under this post), send me an email, or tell me on January 27th.

Boomerangs - Peter, Daniel
Aborigines - Nicole
Aboriginal Art - Shelby L.
Corroboree - Tia
Dreamtime - Sara E., Brittany, Kendra
Didgeridoo - Sarah B., Darren
Great Barrier Reef - Alex, Kayla
Sydney Opera House - Lauren, Andrea
Sydney Harbour
Sydney Olympic Park - Stacy, Samir, Erin
Canberra - Emily, Stephanie, Ginalisa
Australian War Museum - Robert
Darwin - Kyle
Litchfield National Park
Kakadu National Park - Garrett
Katherine (&Edith Falls) - Hannah
Rainforests - Sara F., Caitlin, Margot
Cairns
*Picture Slide Show & Google Earth Presentation- Chad

Current Events was another topic we discussed. Each delegate is to bring a paragraph about a current event in Australia...and one in the United States to each meeting. We handed out a paper explaining this. There are SO many Australian newpapers online. To be an ambassador, we not only need to know what's going on in our own country, but also the country we're visiting. That's the purpose for this. (Plus it's required from the Washington School of World Studies!)

Congratulations to the Delegates!

What an exciting two weeks it has been for me as potential delegates have been interviewed and accepted into the program! I enjoyed meeting those of you I personally interviewed and I'm excited to meet in person those of you I interviewed on the phone or who were interviewed by CJ.

We have four leaders in our delegation. Besides myself, there is Lynne Bryan. Those of you who interviewed in the Montgomery Building met Lynne. She loves to travel and recently went to Ireland. She currently teaches a 4th/5th grade combination class up in McKinleyville. Lynne has one grown son. We also have Jake Habib. Jake's real name is Gloria but no one calls her that (I don't even know if her mom calls her Gloria!) Jake was a leader on the first trip my daughter took overseas to Japan when she was 13. She's (my daughter) is now 26. Dustin Cloud is another of our leaders. Dustin is a middle school history teacher. He was also there at the interviews in the Montgomery Building along with Lynne and I.

**Some dates to find: Please be finding a) spring break dates, b) last day of school, and c) the first day of school for the 2007-2008 year. The spring break dates will help me decide when to schedule our 4th orientation meeting. I DON'T want to have it during your breaks because I know a lot of people travel. The ending and beginning school dates will help P2P determine our date of departure. You can email me these dates...or give them to us at the first Orientation meeting.

I still have 11 more students to interview. I'm looking forward to December 2nd at the Petaluma Library for our first Orientation meeting. The time is from 2-4 p.m.

Any questions you have you can post here...or email me directly!

Good day, Mate!

Interviews are set!

Australia, here we come! I'm excited about the delegation that is forming for this People to People itinerary! Everyone has been called that has come up on my website...and interviews are set. Saturday, October 21st is the day we will have most of the interviews. Three are on Sunday and two will probably end up being phone interviews since they will be out of town.

What can you be doing...besides being excited? Be asking teachers and another adult to write you a letter of recommendation. Also be sure and fill out the Interview Questionnaire in your application booklet. Bring the letters and the questionnaire with you to the interview.

I enjoy learning about places I'm going to visit before I go. So for me, I've already bought a DK Australia book. I enjoy the information with the photographs.

From the Information meeting, it looks like we'll land in Sydney. From there we'll go up to Darwin...and then to Cairns. You can find a sample itinerary on the P2P website.

We're off to Australia!

In the summer of 2007, we will take off on an exciting itinerary with People to People to the land down under...Australia! This delegation is just now starting to form. We had our Information Meeting this past Thursday night and by Friday evening, 14 potential delegates had already signed up.

The process is this: Students are nominated by one of several ways. Once they've been nominated, they're invited to an Information meeting where you learn about the organization, some details about this particular destination, and who the primary leader will be. After this evening, students may start the application process. This is where we are now.

The next step is interviews. We will have our first round of interviews on October 21st. Once a student is accepted, they will receive a lot of information from People to People. I will contact you and let you know when and where our orientation meetings will be held. These meetings are important. Here you will get to know the other delegates traveling with you, and you will learn important information about Australia, international travel...and more.

The Heart of the Mediterranean is the itinerary I went on in the summer of 2006. Check this out to see what an itinerary with People to People is like. You will have the experience of a lifetime!