VirginiaMiddleton.ca

As I get ready for the GSE to Taiwan, I’m thinking about packing light. I’ll be away for almost six weeks (four weeks in Taiwan and 11 days in Japan) and will have professional, casual and vacation clothes as well as other things.

While in Taiwan, I’m staying with Rotarian host families and won’t want to have a bunch of stuff to cart around from home to home. I’ll have my camera gear, my iPad2 and a suitcase of clothes and necessities.

I’ve been reading about techniques for dealing with jet-lag and one suggestion is to try and incorporate 30 minutes rigorous exercise during your regular REM period for three consecutive days after you arrive. I’ll need to calculate my REM period and then do the timezone math, but it’s something I’d like to try and do even for the first day or two after we arrive. I’m a runner and it’s one of the easiest ways of exercising. Slipping on a pair of sneakers, turning on some music with a heavy beat is the perfect thing for me. But my running shoes aren’t small (besides the fact that I have BIG feet, they’re not compact footwear) and I don’t see myself wearing them a lot when I have a pair of casual sneakers I’d rather wear.

I’m guilty of bringing way too much clothes and footwear when I travel, so I’m struggling with what I should and shouldn’t bring. And with the whole idea of exercising, at this point it’s exactly that: an idea. It may not even be possible to work into my schedule. The idea of bringing a large pair of footwear I may not even put on has me looking for other options.

Potential solution: my Vibram FiveFingers or as I like to call them – my toe shoes!

Don't they just look like they're full of crazy?!

Read the rest of this entry »

 I’m currently looking at options for blog updates and photo uploading while I’m in Taiwan and Japan in March and April.

I have to say that I’m not impressed with the WordPress iPad app. It doesn’t have a lot of options or features, and it isn’t very intuitive.

I’m pretty pleased with the Blogsy app and I’m writing this post on the iPad using the touchscreen keyboard. I’ll have a keyboard case to use as well, but short amounts of typing on the touchpad isn’t too bad. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Alright, so it’s time for an update regarding my previous post with goals for 2012.

I’m testing out my new iPad keyboard/case and am using the Blogsy app to do this update. Ideally, I want to bring just my iPad to Taiwan and Japan instead of dragging a laptop. But I really don’t think my sanity will survive six weeks of using a touch screen keyboard, so I’ve been exploring options.

The Quxii keyboard is pretty good, but I’m not thrilled that it seems to disconnect from the bluetooth connection easily if not in constant use.

I’m also finding Blogsy to be very limiting in what it can do, but one feature I’m liking is that I can connect my Flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/vmiddleton) and drag and drop photos with easy.

I do really miss being able to embed website addresses and have them tagged to words instead of geing all http://www…, but for now this will have to do.

Back to the goals for 2012…

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a crazy few weeks and being sick for almost three solid weeks hasn’t help make life easier. But it’s been a while since Matt or I have been so sick, so I suppose we’re quite lucky. Our family doctor advised that there’s a nasty virus going around and the best medicine is rest. That’s something I struggle with when sick. Having to actually stop and not do anything? Impossible! Luckily, taking a day off and then working from home earlier this week seems to have finally done the trick.

Today (since it’s technically after 12:00 a.m.) I leave for Halifax and will be travelling to New Glasgow for the first training weekend for my Group Study Exchange with Rotary International. As mentioned in a previous post, I’m going to Taiwan for four weeks in March 2012. Our group of five will be travelling to another side of the world to expand our professional, vocational and leadership skills; all while broadening our cultural understanding and knowledge.

While in Taiwan, I’ll spend a lot of time talking about who I am, my professional and personal history and also discussing my career and where I work. I’m excited to meet with fellow communication and post-secondary professionals from another country as well as other great people connected to Rotary in Taiwan.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have exciting news. News that some family, a few friends and a handful of coworkers are awaiting to hear.

As part of the Rotary International Group Study Exchange Program, I am traveling to Taiwan in March 2012 for four weeks!!

Dates and details have to be worked out, but this is going to be an amazing and life-changing experience.

As noted on the website: The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers.

I learned about this program in late June while attending some local Rotary meetings with my dean, Dr. James Rourke. He was a guest presenter talking about the exciting developments we have in the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In addition to an expansion to our medical school, we will soon have a new genetic research centre. After Dr. Rourke completed his presentation and attendees started to trickle out, a few Rotarians encouraged me to submit an application for the GSE.

It was a little crazy that week as I was cluing up a few things at work before taking two weeks of vacation, but I was able to put together a strong application package. A few weeks later, I was contacted by our Rotary district GSE coordinator letting me know that I was amongst a group of applicants selected for in person interviews.

I’m so appreciative to the Rotary Club of St. John’s Northwest, District 7820 and the amazing Rotarians there who took time out of their busy days to speak with me prior to my application submission and also before my interviews this past weekend in Halifax. I suddenly have a new network of amazing leaders who are doing great things in our community and are contributing to a greater good on a global scale.

This was exciting, but unexpected news and it has happened so quickly. I feel truly blessed and fortunate to be selected for this program that will help build my professional skills, broaden my cultural perspective, and allow me to learn new things about myself. Not only will I have a chance to possitively impact communities in Taiwan, but I will be able to bring back what I have learned when I return to St. John’s, NL.

I believe this will be an adventure of personal and professional growth.

You never know what can happen and how quickly life can change. When submitting my application for the GSE, I felt that there was nothing to lose, but potentially so much to gain. That pretty much sums up how I feel right now.