Teaching and Trekking

Last weekend was FGCU's inaugural Frosh Mosh retreat. I spent time spring semester with a 8 Multicultural Ambassadors planning this retreat for freshman to make the most of their college experience at FGCU. I was able to take part in the planning of the schedule, creation of presentations, low ropes activities, selection of student participants, and finally the implementation over the weekend. Mission: The mission of the Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) is to create an environment at Florida Gulf Coast University that embraces individual differences, sustains inclusion, and cultivates a campus atmosphere that is free from biases. In the spirit of inclusive educational excellence, MSS promotes a supportive and friendly environment that is welcoming and attractive to all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, gender/gender identity, religious conviction, sexual orientation, or disability status. The goals of Frosh Mosh were to cre...

I looked at my application status on UCT's website today and I have been accepted! Now I am waiting on my acceptance letter in the mail so I can apply for my study Visa right away. Everything is right on track. It feels like my travels are right around the corner. :-) On a side note, I celebrated Independence Day this past weekend in Washington DC and ran into two girls in the ladies room at  restaurant from Japan on the 6 month Rotary Scholarship in high school. What are the chances? They're time in the U.S. is almost up but they were happy to see that I am preparing to travel soon on the same scholarship. It is so exciting to see how much of an impact the Rotary has everywhere I go. Windows to the underground cafe outside of the National Gallery of Art in D.C. Entrance of the D.C. Botanical Gardens Civil War Memorial in the National Gallery of Art The Capitol Building on the 4th of July!!!!

Last weekend was my training at the Rotary Scholars Seminar held at University of Tampa! We started the weekend by introducing ourselves to local Rotarians and other scholars both current and former. The other scholars at this seminar were going to Singapore, Australia, England, Spain, Scotland, Ghana, Ireland, and surprisingly there was another scholar planning on attending the University of Cape Town in South Africa at the same time as me! We were given a packet with tips for while we are traveling, and also heard plenty of stories from former scholars of funny situations, overwhelming cultural differences, etc. We were able to practice speaking in front of our peers and watched what our speeches to Rotaries abroad should look like. I was lucky that there were two former scholars at the seminar who studied in South Africa so I was given specific pointers of where to go, where not to go, what to do, and what not to do so that I will stay safe and make the most of my exp...