Additional GLOBE Information
Aug. 27, 1998: Comments from the daily stories during GLOBE are compiled below. The schedule and the names of American participants are at the bottom of this page.
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Comments from American GLOBE teachersThis is my second trip in two years. Obviously,
it is a great experience. It is a beautiful country with many
historical sites to see. The people are very warm and friendly
toward us Americans. We are having a great time. Our new Russian
friends have been a pleasure to meet! The food is interesting
and good, and we look forward to more sight seeing later. A great
start to an incredible experience!! P.S. Hi Tom. It has been incredibly interesting to meet
Russian teachers, and other American teachers with similar interests
and goals, with the desire to continue learning and growing.
I can see the GLOBE program as a wonderful facilitator for learning
and understanding more about our wonderful earth! The road of change leads to Russia, a land
of opportunity. Together we can help each other discover ourselves
and the way we interact with our Earth, a shared responsibility. I didn't realize the magnitude of the GLOBE
project. I am so excited to be part of this training and I can't
wait to get back to work with my students collecting data. The food has been good and abundant, a bit
different from ours and that's what makes it interesting. The Russian people have been very hospitable
to our group. The heat is not their fault. Hi. Mom. Our accommodations are great, food is wonderful
and the Russian people are very friendly. The 105 deg. F here
in Rostov is probably due to El Nino!! P.S. Hi Shara and Pat. We have had a great time this week, at least
if you had your luggage! It has been great to make new friends
and get reacquainted with old ones. GLOBE is a great and interesting
program and the sight seeing has been wonderful. P.S. Hi Cari,
Mom and Dad!!! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience
the Russian culture, and to learn to communicate with the Russian
people. I was interested in the Global Positioning System (GPS)
discussions, and am anticipating doing field work with it this
week. P.S. Hi family! I have been very impressed with the friendliness,
helpfulness, and the quality of our experiences so far. I am
overwhelmed by the beauty of central Moscow, and how smoothly
things are going. I feel at home in a place where sites and sounds
are unfamiliar. I am very excited about the GLOBE program,
and I can't wait to begin work involving the students in my class.
The people here have been very helpful and read facial expressions
very well. Thank goodness. Saint Basil's church is beautiful!! Even not speaking any Russian we are able
to communicate because of our common interests in education.
It's amazing how far a quick sketch and pantomime will go. So far the GLOBE experience in Russia has
been out of this world. Wish you were here. Russia is beautiful. Moscow was not what I
expected. It was bright and very grand. I look forward to each
day I am here. The Russian experience, colorful, fascinating,
and a great adventure. I am really enjoying Russia, and its friendly
people. It was great fun working with groups of educators
from Russia. They are focused, excited, friendly individuals
with talents that are characteristic of their heritage and national
pride. Together we will face tomorrow focusing on
the conflicts of our educational world in search of global resolutions.
We are responsible for the future. Together we will face a problem
and rename it a challenge to be resolved by educators of a global
community. We are taking that first step toward a global educational
team. I am proud to have worked with such a dedicated group of
professionals. Working with the Russian teachers in the GLOBE
workshop has been a very educational and enlightening experience.
The language has been quite an interesting challenge, one in
which both sides have adapted to quite well. The GLOBE program fits perfectly into my junior
high science curriculum. The components are manageable because
you are able to choose what is feasible for you and your students.
What a perfect add-on with important impact!! The Azov Sea is beautiful. The trip to Azov
as well as the sea was lovely. I especially enjoyed the sunflowers
and following the old coastline as we drove to the sea. I was
surprised at how dark the soil is in this region. Russia gets
more beautiful everyday. When we discussed how productive the Azov
Sea could be I listened politely. I was truly amazed at the many
organisms living in the Azov Sea when I got in the water with
them. The hands-on experiences we have been having are truly
educational. I got some great ideas for how to manage soil profile
data in Alabama from doing the laboratory protocols here in Rostov.
I am having a wonderful time! The small town of Azov was both pretty and
fascinating. It is amazing to think of the more than 930 years
of history in this area. I've also enjoyed tremendously visiting
with the Russian teachers, and visiting Azov School #13. How exciting to stand in Asia and Europe in
the same day with the Don river as the dividing line! Learning, working and singing with teachers
from across the world has been an eye opening and gratifying
experience. We really are all the same - caring ... sharing ...
jabbering people!! I learned the Don River divides Europe and
Asia!! Good news!! My luggage finally made it to
Moscow!! I hope it arrives in Rostov before we leave the weekend.
Everyone has been wonderful by opening their luggage to me. Friends
are still friends even half way around the world. Spending time chatting, albeit haltingly,
with the Russian teachers has allowed us to discover all the
similarities in our lives. from the plants and trees here in
Rostov to the children and their style of dress. Today we took our first step toward establishing
contact with our sister school in Rostov-on-Don. Friday we will
visit and take pictures to take home. We look forward to spending
the day with our new friend Natasha. I have eaten some of the best tomatoes here
in Russia. It is hot, hot, hot!!! We are learning a lot about
the GLOBE Program and how to communicate with Russian teachers. The Russian teachers are great! I have really
enjoyed working with them. This is such a wonderful experience! Greg has been a wonderful influence on my future teaching by helping me understand that the GLOBE data must be accurate and consistent and that my students must understand that their data will be used in research activities to help scientists understand the Earth as a system. With GLOBE, my students become research scientists and use their own data and that of other students from around the world to solve environmental problems. Hello to all of you!! I am still enjoying the activities here in
Rostov-on-Don. Today was a bit cooler with a little rain this
morning. I am making new Russian friends in the teachers we are
working with here. Thanks Jim, Eddie, and Steve for the email!!
That made my day! A lovely breeze helped make atmospheric and
land cover protocols not only valuable but bearable. A trip to
St. Sophia's Spring was very helpful for my headache!! I'm learning
more Russian every day from our wonderful Rostov counterparts!! |
Jerry Lee Easterwood, Valley, AL The GLOBE activities have been very exciting
and interesting. While completing hydrology studies yesterday,
we saw much of the countryside. I enjoy combining cultural experiences
with learning activities. What did I do on my summer vacation?? We just
completed our third exciting day in the Russian Connection Program.
We have studied hydrology at the beach of course and had an opportunity
to play in the water. We learned about pedology, which is the
study of soil, not DIRT!! Did you know that you can hardly talk
about any subject that doesn't in some way relate to soil? It was exciting to visit Azov school #13 and
see an Alabama flag displayed with our State map in the school's
display case. I really have experienced the Russian culture
first hand. I lost a cap on one of my teeth and went to a Russian
dentist. It was an eye (and mouth) opening experience. All I
can say is I only chew on one side of my mouth until I get home!!
Weather is hot and the people in Russia are gracious. Paka
(bye). It was a wonderful experience to walk bare
footed in holy water at the Rostov Botanical Gardens today. We
are learning lots of Russian language from our host teachers.
Russia is a very friendly country. Stay tuned. My eyes have been opened to the rich cultural
heritage of Russia. Watching the Russian and American teachers
work together and laugh is a joyous, exciting experience. My heart and mind have been exposed to that
knowledge which makes a difference in our global community. We,
Russian and American teachers, have joined to reinforce that
which we believe& there is one world to be shared by the
people of the world. One global community saying, we can change
the Earth! There are many things that go through one's
mind being in a foreign country. The beauty of this trip comes
from concentrating on our commonalities. One more day filled with great activities
to tack back to the classroom! Hi Ya'll, especially Don, Lainey, Lauren and
everybody else remembering me during this trip!! I am really
enjoying Russia. The culture, scenery, and people are so nice.
The Rostov Russian Orthodox Church was awe inspiring. I think
I will miss working with the Russian Teachers when we leave Rostov-on-Don.
To everyone back home& see you soon!! This is a wonderful opportunity for educators,
and the food has been great. We learned the Russian words for
atmospheric terms today, and we taught them the English words
for the same. This was done mainly by drawing pictures. Hi Gary,
William, and Jacob. It feels wonderful to have a choice of clothes
in the morning (my luggage finally arrived in Rostov-on-Don!!).
The weather is still hot, but everything has been great! |
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Saturday, 7/25: Arrive, Moscow. Sightseeing. Depart for Rostov Sunday, 7/26: Rostov State University Geographical Information Systems Technologies Center. Meet Russian participants. Earth System Science and GPS lectures. Monday, 7/27: Hydrology lecture; practice hydrology protocols at Azov Sea shore. Tuesday, 7/28: Soil lecture, practice protocols in field and laboratory. Wednesday, 7/29: Archaeology at Tanais; remote sensing overview and multispectral software; GLOBE computer web site access and practice Thursday, 7/30: Land cover and biology lectures and field protocols; atmospheric science lectures and field protocols Friday, 7/31: Field assignments along banks of Don River; evaluation, farewell party Saturday, 8/1: Depart for Moscow and rest of program |
Participants in GLOBE at RostovU.S. teachers
Russian teachers
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