First Meeting.. Introductions

April 29

Hi everyone =) It’s Sunday morning, and I’m feeling a little Poland fever, so I thought I’d post about our first meeting a couple of weeks ago. From the looks of our first gathering, the trip is going to be boisterous, instructive, and generally a great experience. There are 5 undergrads going on the trip: Becca, Olivia, Sarah, Lauren, and me (Johanna).

Becca is an Animal Sciences and History double-major (wow!). She espouses the importance of thinking critically about History and is very excited to see all that pertains to the history of Poland. She plans to spend at least one year on each continent, which, I think, is a very cool aspiration.

Olivia is an English Major. She’s of Polish descent, and used to speak the language as a kid and will therefore be very handy throughout the trip. =) I also think it was Olivia, if I’m not mistaken, that is very well traveled, so we’ll have a chance to learn a lot from this lovely lady.

Sarah is a Communications Major and is also Polish. I believe she’s actually going to be spending time with family after the rest of us depart for (are dragged back to) Illinois. She plans to wake up early every morning and go for a run as well as attend church every Sunday. Basically, Sarah is the “Responsible One.” ;)

Lauren is in the college of ACES and is interested in International Relations and the development of countries through Tourism. She also had a brilliant idea about dividing up and sharing supplies such as hair appliances, shower materials, shoes, prescription drugs… just kidding.

And I am Johanna.. I’m a Recreation, Sport, and Tourism Major with a concentration in Tourism Management. I’m also interested in Tourism Development as well, but am especially concerned with learning about the industry as a whole, including its political and cultural dimensions. Also, I’ve never been to Europe. So basically I am so happy that you all signed up for the trip! =)

In addition to the 5 undergraduates, Marianna, a doctoral candidate, will also be traveling with us. She is actually an exchange student from the Poznan University of Economics and has planned this trip for us in partnership with Marcin Bajkiewicz, another doctoral student who is now at the University of Poznan and was a past exchange student at the University of Illinois. Thank you Marianna and Marcin for all the work you did planning this trip. We are all so very excited.

Last but definitely not least, Bruce Wicks is will be our knowledgeable Instructor and Tour Guide Extraordinaire! He is a Professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism and has extensive knowledge of the developing tourism industry in Poland as he has been cultivating a partnership with the Poznan University of Economics for some years.

Thanks again to everyone for planning, participating, creating the blog…anything and everything involved with this trip. I will see you all at the next meeting!

By the way… who did create this blog?
Not everyone is on it and I’m not sure how to send invites.

Help! =)