Well - I just wanted to start this now...I would like to post on each day or something like that over the next week or so just because it was such an amazing conference....
Wait - let's back up...Jax? What? I guess I haven't totally been "all about Bear" in these last few months. [ the clean slate ] has been more or less all about rugby. September and October were a bit of a blur for me. Between work, the World Cup, and one or two other things - I really didn't spend much time reflecting on me. A couple weeks ago I was given the opportunity to attend the Association for Experiential Education international conference in Jacksonville, Florida. I have been wanting to attend this conference for years...some of the best educators, practitioners, and facilitators in the world teach workshops at this conference and Evergreen gave me the go this year. Everyone that I talked to seemed to think that being in Florida was the best part of that deal but I knew going into this that my brain would be engaged from 8am until about 8pm for four days straight. What can I say, when I'm right - I'm right. This was one of the best experiences that I've had from a learner's perspective in years...probably since Urbana in 2009 or when I graduated in 2005. I came out of it with dozens of new activities and ways to present our education activities and a new energy to grow humans. But like I said - I don't want to just dump all of it in one post...I'll spread it out and work through it a bit.
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| Old City Gates |
I was in Jacksonville for seven days. Originally I had planned on being in a two day pre-conference course. One full day with Sam Sykes focusing on trust and diversity activities, a half day with Michelle Cummings (who is my favourite-favourite) and a husband and wife duo who were going to present on polarity management (managing personalities on a team that contain polar opposite personalities). Ten days before I departed for Jax I received an email saying that my two day pre-conference had been cancelled and that the Polarity Management course was running for the full day. I can only assume something happened to Sam Sykes and because Michelle was supposed to build on Sam's material - she backed out too. Since I was footing the bill for the pre-conference I decided to opt for the lesser intense workshop with Karl Rohnke ( ). I wasn't as
pumped for it but I figured I'd be bored with sight-seeing after a couple days. So I accepted the fact (as hard as it was) that I was actually going to see a bit of Florida while on my trip. I arrived with no hiccup during the flights (
I know, miracle - right?) and asked around the hotel about the best places to check out. I got an overwhelming response...don't stay in Jacksonville. Well - apparently I'm renting a car. 7am the next morning I was in renting a car and getting some pretty sketchy directions out of the city. Bottom line - I didn't get into an accident. How close was I? Ummm...let's not talk about it.
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| On top of the bastion of Castillo de San Marcos |
After a couple wrong turns I made it to St. Augustine which was about an hour south of Jax. It was founded by the Spanish in the 1600s. It was old and beautiful. The fort was magnificent. Maybe that it's something to do with how we don't really have old architecture here - I don't know but it was amazing! The picture above was built in 1605! The street that you travel down once you go through the gates is called St. George and it was shop after shop after shop of cuteness and history - and cheesy tourist things. You could walk all around the Castillo de San Marcos...it's was awesome. I guess I am just always struck by how small I am in the span of God's world. Of time, really. That my world exists between 1981 and 2011 - from Lethbridge to Edmonton and maybe includes moments in Vancouver. I'm a speck of dust in the history of the world complaining about intermittent internet and having to spend over a hundred dollars on cross trainers. Touching 350 year old cannons and walking on walls that were built nearly 400 years ago makes a person feel small or young or in some ways very insignificant.
But let's talk about the REAL reason why I went to St. Augustine...THE PIRATE MUSEUM!! And I promise to post pictures but again - blasted internet! I just can't seem to load them right now. Besides - I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the pirate museum..."Captain's orders". But I sought this museum out because St. Augustin is apparently where Captain Blackbeard himself was reputed to have been killed (5 musket shots and 20+ stab wounds ended him). So really, I am a pirate - and in being a pirate - I couldn't pass up the chance to hold a real musket, pick up a spanish gold bar, fire a fake cannon, and see Captain Jack Sparrow's sword from the movies.
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| The Pirate Museum!! |
Well - I think I should stop there. I'll do Day 1 - Part II tomorrow...and maybe it won't take me a million years to upload pictures. It's currently 9:40pm...I think I've been at this for 3 hours. Peace out Crew!
After a couple wrong turns I made it to St. Augustine which was about an hour south of Jax. It was founded by the Spanish in the 1600s. It was old and beautiful. The fort was magnificent. Maybe that it's something to do with how we don't really have old architecture here - I don't know but it was amazing! The picture above was built in 1605! The street that you travel down once you go through the gates is called St. George and it was shop after shop after shop of cuteness and history - and cheesy tourist things. You could walk all around the Castillo de San Marcos...it's was awesome. I guess I am just always struck by how small I am in the span of God's world. Of time, really. That my world exists between 1981 and 2011 - from Lethbridge to Edmonton and maybe includes moments in Vancouver. I'm a speck of dust in the history of the world complaining about intermittent internet and having to spend over a hundred dollars on cross trainers. Touching 350 year old cannons and walking on walls that were built nearly 400 years ago makes a person feel small or young or in some ways very insignificant.
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