Travels

Paris, Normandy, & Toulouse

4/6/2024

For the first time since moving to France a friend came to visit! We spent time in Paris, Normandy, and finally Toulouse.

Too many pictures to post so I’ll just say we had a blast! She said Paris was magical and she understands why people fall in love with it (personally, I think it was the company, but that’s neither here nor there), her son loved the gastronomy including Nutella pizza and shrimp (not together!), I had an amazing steak in Bayeux, the pleasure of amazing company, and the chance to show off a bit of where I live now.

Okay. One picture of the pizza.

Pizza topped with Nutella, white chocolate, and nuts

Comments

ACEDHH: Vegas!

2/17/2024

Comments

Momentous occasion! This was my first trip back to the States since leaving in October 2023. Does represent the longest I’ve been outside the country, right around 5 months. Flew into Chicago to hang with a friend for a bit before the conference, which would be in Las Vegas. Then, I was off to Atlanta to see family before returning to Toulouse.

Being back in the US felt surreal. It was familiar, but at the same time, didn’t feel like home anymore. I grew up in Rochester, NY, but moved away 13 years ago. My parents still live there. When I go back to visit, it’s familiar, but it’s not home. Ruby Gordon is finally closing after maybe 40 years in the same location and I still remember the Pudgie’s Pizza and the Hostess store, though they have both long since closed. And there may be a RaceTrack where there used to be a BonTon where there used to be a McCurdy’s, where there used to be a mall… I digress.

Flying to the US felt like that. Driving a car that’s not yours. Anywho, the museums were cool and we got some deep dish and hot wings.

And then there’s Vegas! The first time I attended ACEDHH, I wasn’t exactly kicking and screaming, but I was skeptical that I’d enjoy a research conference the way I’d enjoyed conferences that were geared toward teachers. It’s since become one of the conferences I look forward to every year. Deaf education researchers, these are my people! I am, however, meh about Vegas. I’m more lowkey than LV brings to mind. And by necessity of where we were, everything was expensive.

But, I presented my work, had good conversations, and met wonderful people. I feel supported at ACEDHH in ways I don’t always feel with my grad school cohort. More senior researchers take the time to ask me about my work, share insight about their own work, and generally contribute positively to the vibe. And then say, “Hey, come to dinner with us, I’m paying,” because they want you around for those conversations that happen around the table.

Shoutout to Dr. Carla García-Fernández! A familiar face from July 2015. I’ve thought about her work often over the years and was excited to connect again.

Myself standing next to Dr. Carla García-Fernández, a Latina

I'm in a light blue polo standing next to my poster, "Deaf experiences learning a world language: A preliminary poster

Myself in a long sleeve black shirt next to Dr. Jessica Scott (white woman, blue dress with leopards on it), Reggie Bess (Black man, orange button down shirt), and Scott Cohen (white man, light blue button down shirt) all in front of a screen of our presentation, "Transparency in Transition: Leadership Change at a School for the Deaf"

Ended the sojourn with a trip to Atlanta and then Alabama to see family. Was nice to hang with my sister, beat her at cards -badly- and relax.

Comments

Barcelona Weekend

12/30/2023

Comments

Americans/USians are traumatized. Even driving into Canada pre 9/11 was this huge ordeal and I learned there was something momentous about crossing an international border. I took a train to Barcelona for the weekend and did nothing but show up on time. No one checked my passport, asked the reason for my visit, or when I'd be returning. Hell no one checked my train ticket on the way down.

What was travel like in Europe before the EU?
Was it relaxed as things are now or was crossing an arbitrary line an Occasion?

For the places I’ve traveled here thus far, granted mostly in Western Europe while holding a US passport whether or not anyone looks at it, I can cross countries as I used to cross states. Awesome.

This might be Arenas de Barcelona. Concrete steps overlooking green water at night.

Looking through a brick archway onto a city park in the afternoon

Comments

Dirty Dozens

11/10/2023

Comments

There have been at least 12 trips I intended to write about and post here, but life often laughs at your plans. Hard. And as I try to find time to write, the trips keep happening so I get further behind some arbitrary “caught up” point that only exists in my mind.

So. Quick rundown of some travels then we’re calling it good.

In July 2022, I hung with some great friends in Charleston before flying to Paris, by way of NYC. Did a week in Paris, had bad service at a Hyatt, but a wonderful time at the musée d’Orsay. Ventured to Lyon for the first time then over to Geneva to see another friend for a couple days. With November came a trip to Rome. The first time I had spaghetti carbonara there was divine. Ethereal. Same friend from travels to Honolulu and DR. I’d go back for that carbonara alone. Cruised in December, twice. Was caught up in the Southwest debacle for the first one, but I was able to drive to the port. Second time was much better - great company, delicious hot chocolate, jet skiing in the sun! ACEDHH came around again in Feb of 2023. The choice of hotel and keynote presenter were things that made me go “Hmm,” but it may have been the first time I seriously considered working full time in academia at the college level. Later that month, popped over to DC for a birthday party - shoutout Candace! - and I took the opportunity to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It’s a must visit and I must go back. Trevor Noah was the excuse we gave ourselves to visit Nashville. I’d Nashville again; I’m not certain I’d Nashville again while caught up in a torrent of Swifties. It’s June, Let’s Go Mets at Citifield! Let’s Go Parents in Rochester! End of June, family reunion… O’Jays voice. July = Writing Retreat in Mexico. We wrote; we retreated. August, September, and October brought trips to Alabama, Charlotte (car accident, fun times), Rochester, Alabama, and finally, in one of the biggest moves for me thus far, to Toulouse.

You’re caught up, I’m caught up. Next season begins…

I'm in the foreground smiling at the camera. Light blue button down shirt with my shoulder bag strap visible. Blurred background of a mural and several buildings on campus.

Comments

Sourd Metrage, part deux

6/10/2022

Comments

As you may recall, (kidding, no one is reading this!) I attended a film festival for deaf students in Montpellier some time ago - the Sourd Metrage. I had an amazing time! I visited schools and met some great people, staff and students alike.

They were on hiatus due to covid, they and pretty much everything else, but they were making their return this year. I had a narrow window before my classes started up again and I needed to be here, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to go back… so I did!

I reached out to a previous contact and asked if I could attend, reminding him who I was. To my delight and surprise, he remembered me and looked forward to meeting me again.

I went a few days and even saw students that remembered me from the first time I visited. That was definitely the highlight of that portion. The first time I went, I was lucky enough to observe in some classrooms before the festival itself. I wasn’t a stranger and in fact recognized some students and their performances. This time, however, I was less familiar with everything and everyone.

In situations like that you have to throw yourself into discomfort. My introverted nature won out this time, but I did have a chance to connect with a friend I met on my first go round. We got to catch up for lunch and again over dinner. The conversation was enjoyable and much needed.

At this point, I can see myself spending more time in Montpellier.

Comments

DR

4/16/2022

Comments

Another break, another trip! This time, it was back to the Dominican Republic. My travel buddy from Hawai’i and I stayed at an all-inclusive near Punta Cana. She’s a great travel companion! During the day, I was writing, reading, or in meetings; she was preparing packages or interviewing. We didn’t feel we could completely take time off and gave each other space to be productive.

There is something unsettling where the mark of a great vacation is having time set aside for productivity, but if a few hours of work during the morning means I can spend the afternoon and evening reading on the beach or lounging by the pool in the Dominican sun, I’ll take that trade off at this stage of my career.

I read 4 books and listened to the rain and ocean from the balcony. Great time!

Very blue sky over deeper blue water with a sandy beach in the foreground

Dusk on the beach. Sky light pink and light blue

Blurry picture of the moon on a cloudy night

Dusk on the beach. Table for 2 in the midground with 1 person sat at it

Shallow pool overlooking beach in the background

Cover of the hardcover book "Slay" by Brittany Morris. Young Black girl on the cover with glasses looking at what would be the camera. SLAY appears spraypainted in pink as the title.

Comments

Just cruisin' (Where baby, I don't care)

3/1/2022

Comments

My friend had never experienced a cruise. I hadn’t been in a while. We addressed both of these facts in February.

Grand Cay and the Bahamas worked out schedule wise so that’s where we went. I’m not saying Grand Cay is a floating gift shop - it was more than that - but it did seem basically a jump off for excursions. We went jet skiing and had a blast! It was my first time, but she’s an old hand. She owns her own jet ski and was right in her element. I don’t know that I need to own one, not living on the water, but I’ll definitely ride one again.

That was the highlight for me, other than generally relaxing with my friend. We went to dinner a few times so she could experience it, laughed during the comedy shows, and read some books.

It was just the scratch for the itch.

View from the ship's deck at night. Iconic Carnival tale in the center. On movie screen is a turtle underwater with the phrase, "Just keep swimming" onscreen.

View of my legs, lounging in a deck chair, at night with other empty chairs in front of me.

Two pieces of thick, heavily frosted chocolate cake.

Moon and moonlight reflected on water at night.

Gold plastic ship replica that says Carnival Sunrise at the bottom

Comments

ACE(DHH) in the hole!

2/14/2022

Comments

Last week, I attended ACE-DHH for the first time. Conferencing during Covid has been virtual and I looked forward to congregating in person. This is odd as I don’t want class in person - that’s become the new normal. The accoutrements of home during class. That’s another discussion.

Excited to gather in person, with the people I’ve read, and have connected with via Twitter. When you read enough of someone’s research you can begin to feel you know them as a person. And perhaps to some degree you do. Then you meet them in person and you’re like, “Ooooooohhh!”

It was my first time at ACEDHH and I’m told it was smaller than usual. No complaints from me. It was nice to ease back in. I could attend a session or two and then sneak away to my room to recharge. My social tank shrank over the past two years and I need to build it up again.

Also came up that there were fewer non-signing hearing people there, which greatly improved the vibe, at least for the people I was chatting with. It’s far from my lane to tell any deaf person how to communicate, but hearing people… I can’t think of a good reason why you’d want to present at a Deaf Ed conference in spoken English.

So many caveats to get out of the way… hearing people, that are fluent signers, and work with or research with deaf signers… what is the reason you’d present at a Deaf Ed conference, with signing deaf people, in spoken English? Don’t do that. Just… nah. We all make language choices. Being multilingual is powerful. But if you’re in this space, making the choice to use spoken English is highly suspect, in my humble opinion. If you are researching with signing deaf people, you should be able to present your findings in ASL. If you can’t, you need to question why you are researching signing deaf people. How do you turn to your deaf colleagues and say, “No, this isn’t for you” because that’s what you’re doing by choosing spoken language.

There isn’t one way to be deaf. And if there was, I wouldn’t be the one to define it. But, if you, hearing researcher, are researching ASL or signing deaf people, and presenting that information to signing deaf people I can’t think of a culturally competent reason to do so in spoken language.

Omaha wasn’t nearly what I expected though! Of course, I basically stayed in a five block radius of the conference hotel, but got some great street meat and wonderful coffee and chocolate from a shop in the neighborhood. Were another conference to be held in Omaha, I’d go back!

Comments

Howdy Honolulu

12/4/2021

Comments

After missing my flight to Vegas, I resolved to not let that happen this time. Packed earlier, scheduled a later flight, left for the airport earlier. Then, this happened, my flight was delayed anyway, and I missed my connection.

PSA: When you fly Southwest there are no assigned seats. If you decide you want to sit next to your wife, you should board with her. Don't sit in the exit row and think you are going to lay claim to another seat for her. Not after gunshots at the airport and me knowing I'm missing my connection.

Spent the night in San Diego without the chance to actually experience San Diego and was back at the airport at 6am for my flight to Maui where we’d change plans before making our way to Oahu. Somewhere between here and there we had a medical emergency on board and the decision was made to fly directly to Honolulu as they had better hospital facilities.

Those of us that were heading to Honolulu originally were allowed to deplane and I arrived at the hotel about 11am, give or take, which basically meant I missed a late night and an early breakfast (that I would have slept through). Not bad all things considered!

Had a fantastic time! My friend Karen and I were right in Waikiki, across the street from the beach, and maybe a 15 minute walk to the Hawai’i School for the Deaf. Spent some time visiting both and had the chance to hang with a good friend I hadn't seen in far too long, Jamia. Absolutely have to return.

December was bringing my Comprehensive Exams with it so it was important for me to get away while I could in November. It was a last hurrah of sorts before I sequestered myself away to write.

I imagine there were fewer people there due to Covid, but I wouldn’t mind making Hawai’i a regular destination.

Comments

What Happens in Vegas…

11/1/2021

Comments

One of the elements I love most about Book Clubs is being encouraged/required to read books I may not otherwise. Left to my own devices, I’d be all sci-fi, gods personified, and fantasy. Sharing the experience with others means I venture out and find some gems I wouldn’t have otherwise encountered.

Believe it or not, Vegas is one of those gems. While I’m not without vice, gambling isn’t one of them and the glitz of Sin City never appealed to me. I’d rather catch a show elsewhere rather than deal with everyone in LV. But, for a surprise party, I was down to go anywhere.

I won’t gush over Reggie here, but his surprise party could have been in Wyoming, Wisconsin, or Westphalia and I would have been there. He’s kind, genuine, and gregariously humble and deserves flowers while he can still smell them.

The ambiance of Hell’s Kitchen was better than the food. We took a ride out to Hoover Dam in a convertible. My head was basically on the windshield. Any sort of driving mishap and that would have been the end for me. Both the company and views were amazing. Caught a Jabbawockeez show Saturday night.

Didn’t have enough time there. The energy was rejuvenating and will absolutely return!

Comments

<<Previous

My Travels

Paris, Normandy, & Toulouse

ACEDHH: Vegas!

Barcelona Weekend

Dirty Dozens

Sourd Metrage, part deux

DR

Just cruisin' (Where baby, I don't care)

ACE(DHH) in the hole!

Howdy Honolulu

What Happens in Vegas…

Archives