I am looking forward to meeting my teammates on the upcoming excursion. We had brief communications via email a few weeks ago introducing ourselves. All 6 are teachers like me, which will make it very cool! They are from Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Mississippi. As most relate that they have taught about 2-3 years, I’ll probably be the ‘mother’ of the group with my 30+ years of teaching! I just hope I can keep up with them. One of our tasks after the trip is to write at least one lesson plan using our experiences in the field, for our classroom back home. I look forward to sharing ideas with my teammates.
Five of them are women and teach science in middle or high school, one is a librarian. Only one teaches in an elementary classroom and that is the lone male. We have decided that since we’ll all be on the same plane from Nairobi to the port town of Malindi (there’s only one flight a day), we’ll recognize each other from the blue Earthwatch T-shirts we’ve all said we’ll wear in the Airport.
I am deep in the midst of making sure I’m completely ready to leave my 18-year-old son alone and in charge of the household. That’s a pretty scary thought! I’ve written all sorts of lists and instructions. This weekend I’ll ‘teach’ him how to clean the house, keep the pool in running order, take care of the two cats, and water the outside gardens and house plants. Yesterday I went to one of the make-your-own-dinners places put 12 meals in the freezer. He chose the dinners and they have pretty easy directions so I don’t think he’ll starve. Besides, he practically lives at his girlfriend’s these days, so I’m sure he’ll beg a few dinners from her family during the two weeks I’ll be gone!
It takes a certain personality to go on an excursion like this. You have to not be afraid to travel off the beaten path. I have lived in Greece for a year long ago, traveled throughout Europe with EurailPass and backpacks (again, a very long time ago!) I wouldn’t think of without a good institution behind me these days. I find this site hilarious, but a little scary as I head out next week! Try it out: You Might Be an Earthwatch Volunteer IF… We’ll see if I have some experiences to add to this list when I return.