Working Like a Beast
Trip Start
Sep 07, 2008
1
5
148
Trip End
Dec 09, 2008
Medford,
Oregon,
United States
Thursday, August 14, 2008
- Scheduled a haircut (chopped off nine inches a month ago to make it easier to care for and cooler in the heat).
- Called my doctor to get a prescription for three months' worth of medication.
- Called my health insurance to clear the filling of the three months' prescription.
- Called my bank to alert them to my travel so security doesn't lock down the card when they see foreign charges
Working like a fierce beast
.- Called my credit card agency to alert them to my travel for the same reason. I hope not to use the credit card, but I'm bringing it just in case.
- Called AAA to research their prepaid debit card. It's safer than using the bank card because if it's stolen, the thief can't access your actual bank account, only the money you loaded on the card.
- Stretched the leather of my walking shoes. Not the almighty Chacos, I'm talking about the Mephisto Allrounder Nimbos I had my heart set on because the research said they were the most comfortable walking shoes that didn't look like American tennis shoes, but they failed to mention they don't come in wide widths.
- Arranged an English-speaking taxi driver to meet me at the Athens airport when I arrive.
- Registered with the State Department so they can contact me through the American Embassy in Athens in an emergency.
- Completed the form to be able to vote in the November election from overseas.
- Made a little book of photos of the Rogue Valley, the university, Bradley, the kitties, and my half-Greek nieces to show the new Greek friends I will hopefully meet
Working like a tough beast
.- Got the laptop computer (finally!) from the university and invested three hours with a patient help desk staffer learning how to set it up correctly and use it.
- Photocopied the first page of my passport - travel advice says to leave one copy at home, keep one copy on your person separate from your passport, and have other copies on hand if you check into a hotel and they ask to hold your passport, give them the photocopy instead since it's really just the info on the picture page they need.
- Wrote up my Last Will and Testament and medical directives. I wasn't bothered by making the will, but deciding about tube feeding and life support squicked me out. Got these documents printed, signed by witnesses, and notarized. We used USALegalForms, which offers state-specific documents that will hold up in Probate court that you can complete without a lawyer for a very reasonable price.
- Made gifts for the on-site Athens staff members. Maybe I'll be able to make enough for all the study abroad students, too.
- Compiled comprehensive info sheet with insurance policy numbers, airline and hotel confirmation numbers, phone numbers of banks and credit card service centers, list of allergies, etc. I also have an electronic scan of the passport.
- Called my insurance company to confirm what I need to do to make sure the items I'm taking to Greece are covered under my homeowners insurance policy
Working like a strong beast
. - Downloaded audiobooks to listen to on the long international flights.
- Typed in several short stories to use for one of my classes.
- Practiced Greek language skills. I'm using a combination of podcasts, a computer program, and flash cards. Despite all these resources, if I achieve the vocabulary of a two-year-old by the time I leave, it'll be a miracle.
- Sewed three skirts for customized fit.
- Measured bags to choose which luggage to carry on and which to check.
- Researched Delta's requirements about luggage weight and dimensions.
- Contacted the travel agent to confirm aisle seats on the flights and to ask about the logistics of the overnight layovers
Working like a beastly BEAST!
.- Researched the benefits from the International Teacher Identification Card. It'll get me some discounts on admission to Greek museums, but that's about it.
- Researched and purchased used, refurbished noise-canceling headphones. Part of my jet lag prevention system.
- Created a Euros-to-Dollars conversion reference sheet.
- Created an Oregon-to-Greece time zone conversion reference sheet.
- Burned CD-ROMs of class readings and assignments for each student.
- Read books on Greek islands, history, culture, art, and archaeology. My original goal was to read two books a day, which was then cut down to one book a day, and now I'm having to dial back my reading goals even further to "just finish this one pile that MUST be read before departure."
- Read the files of all the students in the program. We've got students from all over the Oregon University System and the Washington state schools, but also students from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. They are exclusively humanities and social science majors of one kind or another. No natural sciences represented. Some are already well-traveled, having been to New Zealand, Taiwan, Mexico, the Cook Islands, Cambodia, Costa Rica, and Jamaica. I'm nervous that the majority of them are athletes - I'm never going to be able to keep up. Quite a few mention an intense Christian faith. They'll be interested when we go through Corinth and when we visit Areopagus Hill where Paul addressed the Athenians, and maybe a few will want to make pilgrimages to Patmos, Thessaloniki, Ephesus, or Tarsus. I'd like to go to the Orthodox monasteries of Mount Athos, but they don't allow anything with XX chromosomes.
Of course, all of this is on top of the normal routine of everyday life - work out, get dinner ready, renew cat food and water, scoop kitty litter, do dishes, battle the ants trying to come into townhouse from the 100-degree heat outside, make lunch, catch up on e-mail, talk to friends on the phone, go grocery shopping, spend time with Bear, give pettins and playtime to kitties, read daily blogs and websites, listen to podcasts, watch too much TV.
The beast would like to go tremble in a corner in the fetal position now.
