Eyes Wide Shut

Unlike last summer, in which the majority of my classes were theory based, this summer's classes are more hands on. I am especially enjoying learning how to teach independent living skills under blindfold.

Cooking simple meals which involve operating an oven, chopping, blendng, mixing, and cleanup, although somewhat frustrating while under occlusion, has also been quite fun - especially after being able to enjoy the finished product.

Although I love learning about and developing my O&M (Orientation and Mobility) skills, I find that Vision Rehabilitation Teaching (VRT) is another area that I would like to obtain certification and an additional Masters degree in the future. Many veterans are returning from Iraq and/or Afganistan and have lost their sight are in desperate need of VRT services; as are many senior citizens who have lost their eyesight due to diabetes.

Another highlight of my summer school experience was when I was invited to participate in the "Summer In the City" program in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The purpose of this day long program was to assist blind and visually impaired students in developing practical life skills such as visiting a department store and learning how to shop for and purchase appropriate clothes to wear on a job interview, cultivating interviewing skills by participating in mock interviews with department store managers, as well as learning how to sort, organize, and categorize books in a library.

Show me the way to Kalamazoo

June 19th, 11:30 p.m...

Sixteen hours is a pretty long time to be cooped up on a plane - especially if you hate flying. With that said, it was pretty cool to fly over the Persian Gulf. Looking down from the plane I could see clusters of brightly lit islands scattered across sea; it was dusk and the view was stunning.

Reaching the North American continent early the next morning, my neighbor - who was sitting next to the window - opened the shade and we were both momentarily blinded by the reflection of the bright rays of the early morning sun reflecting off of a massive expanse of snow below. Recollecting the numerous Social Studies lessons that I'd taught my little students over the years, I immediately identified the enormous land mass below as Greenland. My seatmate originally thought that it was the Arctic, but after verifying our location on our t.v. in flight route map, I knew that I was correct. 'How cool!' I thought to myself 'We're flying over Greenland!'

Approximately eight time zones later....

After flying fourteen hours from Dubai to Atlanta, I breathed a sigh of relief and said a short prayer thanking god as the plane gently touched down on the runway at Wayne County airport in Detroit, Michigan at 11:05 Friday morning.

As we began our descent, one of the passengers, vocalizing what I'd been thinking after living in the desert and looking out of the window at the lush foilage below, yelled, "Green! Green!"

And the journey continues...

Although the major part of my trip was behind me, I still had to get from Detroit to Kalamazoo. This entailed hiring a private taxi to take me to the Amtrak train station forty-five minutes away in Dearborn. Exhausted and in desperate need of a hot shower and a warm bed, I had to wait six looong hours before the next train arrived. I passed the time flirting with one of the Amtrak clerks; and after making him promise to watch my luggage and my laptop, I ventured down the street to the library.

June 20th, 9:30 p.m.,

The train finally pulls into downtown Kalamazoo. We were supposed to arrive at 9 p.m., but earlier that evening, the train came to an abrupt stop, momentarily, after allegedly hitting a deer that had made the grave mistake of crossing over the tracks. The clerk holding the key to my dorm room had long since gone home, and I had no way to get into my room for the night. Not wanting to spend the weekend sleeping on a park bench, I had the foresight to book a cheap room at the local Motel 6...they do leave the light on for you.

June 20th, 10:30 p.m.

Jet lagged and exhausted, I took a nice, hot shower, climbed into bed and feel into a deep, dreamless, and blissful sleep.