Tweet Dreams

At the recent SAFFIRE Festival in Canberra I experienced a new (at least to me) phenomenon at conferences: tweeting.  Now, I've been tweeting for a while, as the hundred people who follow @scuddertravel know (which, I guess, is still more than read this silly blog).  Last year I became quite fascinated with the concept of tweeting, mainly because I started following some really interesting folks from the Middle East, as especially from Yemen.  The immediacy of the views and responses is sometimes startling.  A number of times I would hear about events days before it made Aljazeera or the BBC (I've essentially given up on CNN).  There is obviously a dark side, in that you will often get an almost hysterical overheating on topics, some of which don't really exist and have taken on a life of their own.  For the first time this semester I've incorporated tweeting into a couple of my classes, with mixed results - although I suspect some of that is my fault as well. Anyway, at the SAFFIRE Festival we were encouraged to tweet, even during the other presentations, which was a little disconcerting at first, mainly because I find it rude to tweet or play on the smart phone or tablet or laptop when someone else is presenting.  Still, it did lead to some instant feedback, which I guess was supposed to inspire more conversation.  The tweets popped up continually, in sort of a swirling prezi-like fashion, on screens around the facility, including the big screen at times.  It was a little bizarre to be sitting in the audience and suddenly see your comments spring up on the screens while the person was still talking.  My good friend Cinse tells me that this is starting to become the norm.  I'm not quite certain how I feel about it, but, as with most things, I'm open to the experience.

Of course, it almost inspired me to talk smack about other groups at the conference, knowing that it would splash across the screens.

New Friends Down Under

One of the great things about attending conferences is making new friends, and this is especially true when the conference is an international conference.  I've been really fortunate to make so many great friends overseas, and they have proved to be wonderful contacts both professionally and personally.  And often they are so generous in sharing their time and their local knowledge with you.  I'll talk about my new friends Mikaela and Ruth soon, and the fun day we spent last Thursday travelling all around Canberra and beyond.  In the meantime, let me post a picture of three great folks that I was fortunate to meet and spend some time with.  I met Justin Brow, on the right below, at the SAFFIRE Festival.  He was another one of the featured speakers and we were on a panel together Monday night, and then spent most of Tuesday at an educational jam.  At the end of the day on Tuesday I was heading out to catch a taxi when Justin asked if I wanted to a) go see a kangaroo (more on my quest for kangaroos later), and b) grab some dinner.  The answer to both was yet, and both adventures were a great success.  We eventually made our way downtown to meet a couple, Tina and Roger, who were friends of Justin's.  It ended up being a great time, featuring adult beverages at a couple bars and then dinner at a local Thai place.  I really like Australia, and, as I often say, I suppose there must be unpleasant Australians somewhere, I just haven't met them.  Imagine the opposite of the normally reserved, if not cold, Vermonters and you'll about have it.

Tina, Roger and Justin.  Great folks.

Old Man in Australia

I snapped this odd picture while spending Thursday on a lovely driving tour with my new Australian friends Ruth and Mikaela, which I will have to devote substantial time to documenting.  This unique little rock formation reminded me of its more famous, and now deceased, cousin in New Hampshire.

Maybe Australia has room for another old man.

Mystic Krewe of Saturnalia Redux

And just to finish up my earlier posts relating to the Champlain College Iron Chef competition.  Our team, the Mystic Krewe of Saturnalia, did, in fact, finish dead last.  We were not as ripped off as our excellent friends Steve Wehmeyer and Mike Lange, who clearly should have won.  Still, it was an excellent time for a great cause.

Sure, we lost, but it's not over.

Yeah, I Was in Australia

And the wildlife gives it away, really before anything else.

And these guys, and around twenty of their friends, were right on the University of Canberra campus.  More kangaroo postings later.

Black swans are the norm in Australia.  Oddly, I had my students watch the entire  Swan Lake ballet in my Heroines & Heroes class while I was out of town.

And this guy was hanging around right downtown outside the amazing Australian War Memorial.

I Think I Was in Australia

Just back from a whirlwind trip to Canberra, Australia to speak at the SAFFIRE Festival, an educational conference focusing on educational innovation and sustainability.  The good folks at the University of Canberra contacted me out of the blue and asked me to fly down and it was a wonderful experience.  It was only my second visit to Australia, having gone there for a couple days seven or eight years ago.  Back then I came back with the worst jet lag I've ever had, and I swore that I would never go back to Australia unless I was going for at least three weeks.  And, of course, I did go back, for essentially a four and a half day visit.  I couldn't be happier that I went.  I made some great new friends, saw some amazing things, and learned a lot (and may even have contributed a bit) at the conference.  Expect lots of posts.  To get me started, I was really struck, as I was last time, by the glaring similarities and subtle differences to life in the US.  I really like the Australians and, as I've said before, I'm sure there are unpleasant Australians, but they must keep them hidden away (essentially I think they just send them to the UAE, although even there I met some wonderful Aussies).  The trip was a blur and I can't believe that I'm back here in my little apartment in Winooski, after my Burlington-JFK-LA-Sydney-Canberra-Sydney-LA-JFK-Burlington odyssey.  Adding in the trip the week before to Abu Dhabi, and I think I covered about 7/8 of the globe in a week.

I guess you know that you're in Australia, or at least another member of the  British  empire (other than the US, obviously), when you come across cricket batting cages.

Or pick-up rugby games in the park.

Missing Rome

Just made it back from a week in Abu Dhabi last night, and am grinding my way through the mother of all jet lags.  I made myself get up at 5:30 and decided to push myself through until I collapse tonight, which is my usual approach.  I had a wonderful time in Abu Dhabi, including a belated and lovely Valentine's trip to Liwa with the excellent Miss Laura.  Doubtless there will be more on the wonderful spring break trip.  Today, for some reason, I'm thinking about Rome, and not simply because 1.2 billion Catholics are waiting for the new Pope to be named.  To be fair, Laura is entirely responsible for Benedict stepping down, but that's another story.  Anyway, here's a picture I snapped in a lovely square where we stopped for drinks.

I don't know why I like this picture, but for some reason it really captures the mood of a lovely day.