And away we go!

Fluffy and I are packed and ready for another adventure!  United Airlines has calculated that when we reach our final destination (after two more flights), 26 hours and 39 minutes will have passed since my plane departed Houston.  However (as a good friend pointed out), if I was making this journey one-hundred years ago, it would take months to get there.  So all things considered, this is easy!


There will be 14 other people (none of whom I know yet) in my group, and we will spend the majority of our trip in the first country, with 5 days at the end in a second country.  For the flights around the country (after I arrive), we are only permitted to carry 33 pounds total.  So I've worked hard to pack light and at the same time, prepare for temperatures that range from very cold to very hot.  (No, this doesn't mean that I have an entire duffel filled with cheese.  Some people have a funny idea of what it means to "pack light.")


This trip is funded in large part by Fund for Teachers.  With the goal of making this world "a little better off than it was before," Fund for Teachers (FFT) offers fellowships of up to $5000 ($10,000 for team grants) for projects of teachers' own imaginations.  The idea is to give back to teachers who work creatively to change young lives--and to trust that teachers are professionals who know best what will feed their own curiosity and rekindle their passion for what they do in the classroom.

"What we're looking for in society are those who can make a difference, but first they've got to make a difference to themselves."--Raymond Plank

This year, I am honored to be a three-time recipient of a generous Fund for Teachers grant.  In 2005, I was awarded my first FFT Fellowship--three weeks on a boat on the Amazon River, paddling canoes into the flooded forest to study rainforest ecology.  In 2010, I received a second Fund for Teachers grant to study culture and ecology on safari in southern Africa.  This summer's fellowship will be another mystery, but Fluffy and I promise to reveal clues and post pictures throughout the summer (whenever we are in a spot where internet is available)!

Teachers, I encourage you to investigate this unique opportunity to fund the learning adventure of your dreams!  I cannot thank Fund for Teachers enough for giving me the inspiration (and the funds) to follow mine!