Geese, Teaching, and Switzerland!

Ahila - thank you for the warm welcome!

Mon Mon -  it was nice to hear about  the  New Year in Myanmar.  

Wow, where to begin. Well as a number of you know, I successfully completed my doctorate last year and am now teaching at UNF in Jacksonville, Florida.  So, instead of frequenting campuses with feral cats (UH) and rolling mountains (ETSU), I am surrounded by geese (see below). Pictured below (picture 2) is a goose that just gave birth to an adorable bunch of goslings.  I tried to get a close up  but papa goose was not having it - he actually started charging me as I got closer!

Geese Takeover!

Can you give my lady some privacy?  My woman just gave birth!

Currently, school is out for summer and as such campus is rather quite these days. Given that I am not teaching in the first summer session, I have some time to work on course preparations, research, and travel.  My week thus far has consisted of attending instructor workshops on how to convert face-to-face courses into online formats  and learning how to successfully redesign a course for better student learning outcomes.  I almost feel like I'm a graduate student again with my reading lists and assignments but this time I really appreciate being in this space of the instructional designer behind the learning experience.  

College of Health

When I think about my APLP days I realize how much of the curriculum has had an impression on me (second to the great people I met of course!).  What struck me the most about the APLP curriculum was the opportunity for us to go out in a new context to test the information gained in the classroom  to different cultural settings. I will never forget my experiences in China, from hiking part of the Himalayas as part of the fab four (shout out to Dina, Megan & Rangi)  to meeting the various entrepreneurs and thought leaders at the round table sessions were such fun and insightful times.  

It is in this spirit of experiential learning, I applied for a study abroad development grant through  current university to take a group of students  Geneva Switzerland next year.  I chose Switzerland because it  home to some of the world's most influential public health and social justice organizations in the world.  Not only do I want students to be immersed in one of the world's hubs for public health leadership but also I want them to be able to interact in a different culture.  Ultimately,  I hope to inspire and challenge students to tackle public health problems locally but also to think about how they can work towards improving health on a global scale.  Next week, I will head to Geneva to start planning this trip! 

In terms of life in Jacksonville outside of school, things are going well.  I love Florida weather, it sure beats Canadian climes at this time of year! I am also slowly adjusting to the area and I've made some really good friendships so far. I am still trying to keep active in sports by playing recreational soccer. For today's blog post I leave you with a picture from a marina that I pass by on the way to my soccer games.  

'Til next time!

E

Marina in St. Johns County