Kansas City, Part 2
Facing your fears? Totally worth it! My four days at NAFSA in Kansas City, MO, were invigorating, inspiring and uplifting. It was amazing to spend time with folks from around the world who have one common goal: world peace through student exchange. The hugs, the kisses (depending on country, two or three) and the smiles and laughter were life-affirming. It had been two years since I'd seen some of these friends and colleagues, and I made several new ones this week. It reminded me of my purpose in this job, and it gave me new strength to face the minutia and, yes, the day-to-day drama.
One of my favorite memories from this week will be the Scottish Reception, and the Ceilidh. It had been two years since I had visited Scotland with my church choir, singing on Iona Island and in St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh (and, yes, Jimmy played the 32 foot pipe). But I still vividly remember the bagpiper's address to the Haggis, the Ceilidh dancing and the life-changing experience that came with those ten days. While the Ceilidh this past week might not have been life-changing, it was FUN!
There are a few wee lessons I want to pass along about being successful in a Ceilidh:
(1) Pronounce it correctly. Now, I'm a linguist, so this never happens to me, but the correct pronunciation is "kee-lee."
(2) You should be in good physical shape. And what I mean by that is you should be an underweight, nutritionally-conscious, exercise-obsessed European who walks at least 2.5 miles every day.
(3) In general, it helps to have one real Scot (or in the case of 'Dashing White Sergeant' several real Scots) in your group. I noticed a distinct ease when hopping about to that song whenever there were some 'lassies' in our circle.
So, there's my wrap-up for this conference. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. One thing we all agreed upon: we love our students. We love world peace. And we are in the life-changing business :)
One of my favorite memories from this week will be the Scottish Reception, and the Ceilidh. It had been two years since I had visited Scotland with my church choir, singing on Iona Island and in St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh (and, yes, Jimmy played the 32 foot pipe). But I still vividly remember the bagpiper's address to the Haggis, the Ceilidh dancing and the life-changing experience that came with those ten days. While the Ceilidh this past week might not have been life-changing, it was FUN!
There are a few wee lessons I want to pass along about being successful in a Ceilidh:
(1) Pronounce it correctly. Now, I'm a linguist, so this never happens to me, but the correct pronunciation is "kee-lee."
(2) You should be in good physical shape. And what I mean by that is you should be an underweight, nutritionally-conscious, exercise-obsessed European who walks at least 2.5 miles every day.
(3) In general, it helps to have one real Scot (or in the case of 'Dashing White Sergeant' several real Scots) in your group. I noticed a distinct ease when hopping about to that song whenever there were some 'lassies' in our circle.
So, there's my wrap-up for this conference. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. One thing we all agreed upon: we love our students. We love world peace. And we are in the life-changing business :)
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