Introductions

[Cynthia Lehr]

Chris, I look forward to picking your brain a bit about the international school environment. My husband and I have considered teaching abroad (which is where I got my beginnings, anyway). I liked "Salonica" when I visited it for a day or two as a friend and I made our way down to Athens over a dozen years ago--I used to live in the Rhodopi mountains a bit north of Thessaloniki, in southeastern Bulgaria.

[Dawn Linden-Wright]

Hi Kristen,

Glad to see I am not the only one with limited outside the country travel experience.   Should be an amazing experience.  

[Jon Doll]

My name is Jon Doll and I am in my second year teaching High School Economics in Bakersfield California. Before that I taught 8^th Grade (U.S.) History for two years, and before that I was a television news videographer for almost 17 years.  As a cameraman I was fortunate enough to travel on assignment to Romania and Guatemala, and it instilled in me a love of travel, so I am thrilled at the chance to visit China and Taiwan. I have attended two sessions of the USC East Asia Seminar and I hope to expand on what I learned in this amazing program! My hobbies include cooking, eating, reading, and watching film, television and people! I am also a member of the local historical society, doing public history projects such as erecting plaques and giving walking tours around Bakersfield and Kern County.

I apologize for not fully participating in the video conference yesterday, I was in Yosemite on a school trip with students from my Multimedia Club and the internet was less than optimal. However, I look forward to meeting all of you in the months to come!

[Gabriel Valdez]

Good evening, my name is Gabriel Valdez and I currently teach in Fort Worth, Texas by way of Southern California. I have traveled and worked all over the world since leaving California and I’m excited to be part of this teacher tour group to China and Taiwan. I do have experience with teacher travel and have been on several trips. Most of my travel as of late has been to the Middle East and Latin America. I’m currently teaching Modern World Cultures as well as social studies professional development. Aside from travel and Instagram – I love sports and the outdoors and consider myself somewhat of a foodie and can’t wait to hit up some street food in China and Taiwan. I don’t have any pictures saved on my district laptop but if you are curious about me- you can find me on Instagram @travelexplorelearn. 

Nice to virtually meet everyone – I won’t be able to make it to the meeting in person tomorrow.  

 

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[Gabriel Valdez]

Is the focus on contemporary World Studies or Ancient Civ? 

[Gabriel Valdez]

Perhaps you can schedule some pre/post activities in Monterey Park? I have taken kids to all kinds of field trips - usually I get people to pay for the bus and all, but takes them out of the community and seemingly into a whole new world. 

[Gabriel Valdez]

I'm thinking about backpacking across Thailand and Cambodia- any suggestions on a 2-3 week trip? 

[Gabriel Valdez]

Where/what did you work on while in Guatemala? I absolutely love that country and wish that it had a higher profile. I lived there for a few months. Hope you enjoy Yosemite

[Jon Doll]

I covered a medical mission to Fray Bartolome de Las Casas back in 1997, just after the Civil War ended. It was amazing! I spent 10 days there and then got to visit Tikal, Antigua, and I even shot aerials of Lake Atitlan from a military helicopter!

[Anthony Rodriguez]

Hello, it will be great to have a fellow CT teacher on board. I teach at Norwalk High School! 

[Tara Ann Carter]

Hi folks! I'm Tara Ann Carter from St. Petersburg, Florida.

I am the chair of the English Department at St. Petersburg Catholic High School, where I also teach English 2, English 4 and dual enrollment College Composition. I spent the first decade of my career teaching in Philadelphia City Public Schools. I am in love with learning, traveling and reading. I find special joy in researching and desigining global curriculum which infuses elements of current pop culture. Other interests and oddities: graphic novels, video games, Pokemon Go, rap and hip hop, stand up comedy, thru-hiking, unusual museums and street art.

I look forward to experiencing this adventure with each of you. See you in a few short months. 

[Anthony Rodriguez]

Yoshi is 11 and they typically live 25 to 30 years!

[clay dube]

I grew up in San Diego and my first plane trip anywhere was my flight to Hong Kong, which led me into the China studies world. So I fully appreciate how big a thing it is to go abroad for the first time. Thanks to advances in communication, of course, it's easier to learn a lot more about these places than it was back then. Prepare as much as possible in advance and you'll be able to process what you experience much more fully. It was amazing to me that the little preparation I had before going to and living in China paid off over and over. I only wish I'd absorbed even more before going. It will help you contextualize what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, and discovering.

[Kristen Waltz]

Me too! Everyone I tell about the trip thinks I'm crazy for going to China and Taiwan before anywhere else outside of the US. I can't wait to go!

[Amanda Smith]

We will have to talk about traveling in Southeast Aisa on the trip. I would recommend considering including Vietnam in your travels. 

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