John blogs ...
Excited to receive the draft itinerary which I've transferred onto one of the blog pages. Looks very full with 12 presentations including District Conference and plenty of vocational and cultural opportunities. Great. I'll circulate to the team as a 'New Year present' and get their input at our next meeting on the 4th.
Thursday 30 December 2010
Thursday 16 December 2010
Team Uniform, Check!
Jenny Blogs....
We had a really successful shopping trip last night, and highly commend Marks and Spencer for providing trousers with leg lengths to suit our whole team! Jackets are tailored and fashionable, from H&M, and we had a good look around Primark for suitable hot weather clothing.
We have not yet purchased John a tie, as House of Fraser did not have anything quite lively enough! We will be looking out for something navy and cream in colour.
It was great to meet up and see each other before Christmas, and I want to say an extra thank you to Kath who kindly put me up for the night in her lovely home, so that I did not have to travel back to Malmesbury late at night from Bristol.
Awaiting the itinerary with growing anticipation and excitement!
We had a really successful shopping trip last night, and highly commend Marks and Spencer for providing trousers with leg lengths to suit our whole team! Jackets are tailored and fashionable, from H&M, and we had a good look around Primark for suitable hot weather clothing.
We have not yet purchased John a tie, as House of Fraser did not have anything quite lively enough! We will be looking out for something navy and cream in colour.
It was great to meet up and see each other before Christmas, and I want to say an extra thank you to Kath who kindly put me up for the night in her lovely home, so that I did not have to travel back to Malmesbury late at night from Bristol.
Awaiting the itinerary with growing anticipation and excitement!
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Polos and Tees As Informal Team Uniform
John blogs ...
Placed order for team tee-shirts and polo shirts as agreed in dark navy. Andrew's logo formed the basis for the design which will be embroidered on polos and printed on the tees. Hoping the gold and blue printing will stand out well from the background colour. Under the logo we'll have our individual names. Managed to get them ordered before increases in VAT and cost of materials. Hopefully with us mid-January.
Placed order for team tee-shirts and polo shirts as agreed in dark navy. Andrew's logo formed the basis for the design which will be embroidered on polos and printed on the tees. Hoping the gold and blue printing will stand out well from the background colour. Under the logo we'll have our individual names. Managed to get them ordered before increases in VAT and cost of materials. Hopefully with us mid-January.
Getting Real!
Jenny Blogs....
I have just received an email from John saying that our flights have been reserved, and am so excited! Once the flights are booked it will seem doubly real that we are actually going! Looking forward to our team shopping night this evening at Cabot Circus, we hope to get all of our smart uniform that we will need for presentations and events. See you later ladies!
I have just received an email from John saying that our flights have been reserved, and am so excited! Once the flights are booked it will seem doubly real that we are actually going! Looking forward to our team shopping night this evening at Cabot Circus, we hope to get all of our smart uniform that we will need for presentations and events. See you later ladies!
Ticket To Ride
Some good news ... just finished checking details (passenger names as they appear on passports, flight times) very carefully on our reserved flights as there was an error - and we all know how important it is to get passport details to match exactly flights. We'll leave on the evening of the Saturday to arrive mid-afternoon in Colombo (includes a short stop in Male), a flight of 12hrs and 40 minutes. Need to take my noise-cancelling headphones and get into the mind-set of enjoying the in-flight entertainment. And hope that in-flight meals are authentic to Sri Lanka. We return on the Saturday as planned, aboard an early afternoon flight that gets us into Heathrow in the evening. All are very civilised times.
Baggage Allowance - we have a free baggage allowance of 20 kg and in addition one piece of carry-on baggage measuring no more than 18"x14"x6" and weighing 7 kg (15 lbs).
So, we just await our detailed itinerary ...
Thursday 9 December 2010
Exciting times ahead
Emily blogs ...
Wow, it really is fast approaching! Thank you John for all your posts and e-mails regarding the appropriate forms we need to fill in and what the update is of our itinerary. Also, thank you for the minutes Jenny! I have been very lucky and have a new laptop to use which is fast, so I will now be able to keep in touch on the blog and e-mails much better now!
I have spoken to my better half Andrew and he is kindly going to spend time tomorrow thinking of design ideas for the the logo, leaflets and business cards for our team! I thought it would be more productive if I gave him John's e-mail address so that he can liaise directly with him.
I really enjoyed our meeting on Monday, John is right when he says that we are slowly becoming familiar with one another and having some good laughs. I can only speak for myself, but I am really pleased with our team and truly think we will have a great time together.
All we need to do is wait patiently for our itinerary and it will all become very real!!
Wow, it really is fast approaching! Thank you John for all your posts and e-mails regarding the appropriate forms we need to fill in and what the update is of our itinerary. Also, thank you for the minutes Jenny! I have been very lucky and have a new laptop to use which is fast, so I will now be able to keep in touch on the blog and e-mails much better now!
I have spoken to my better half Andrew and he is kindly going to spend time tomorrow thinking of design ideas for the the logo, leaflets and business cards for our team! I thought it would be more productive if I gave him John's e-mail address so that he can liaise directly with him.
I really enjoyed our meeting on Monday, John is right when he says that we are slowly becoming familiar with one another and having some good laughs. I can only speak for myself, but I am really pleased with our team and truly think we will have a great time together.
All we need to do is wait patiently for our itinerary and it will all become very real!!
Key Deadline Fast Approaching
John blogs ...
Today received an update from Garth about documentation required at this time - close to 45 days ahead of departure. Both of us were pleased to note that we've managed to tick most of the boxes, with only minor activity to finish completely. A precis of a list emailed from Ingrid Schwab, the current Group Study Exchange Co-ordinator for The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is shown under the Information and Itinerary Page.
Today received an update from Garth about documentation required at this time - close to 45 days ahead of departure. Both of us were pleased to note that we've managed to tick most of the boxes, with only minor activity to finish completely. A precis of a list emailed from Ingrid Schwab, the current Group Study Exchange Co-ordinator for The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is shown under the Information and Itinerary Page.
Minutes from Team Meeting 4
Jenny blogs the minutes of our Team Meeting 4 ...
Group Presentation
The group presentation was discussed. It was decided that we will have maximum 45 minutes to present to our hosting clubs in Sri Lanka, including time for questions. John will begin the presentation with an introduction, and each of the team members will follow with 5 minutes about themselves; home, work, family, local area and traditions. Each team member (including John) will delve 'deeper' into a chosen subject. A few of these were agreed:
Emily has already been working on her individual presentation and she shared it with the group. The group will run through their presentation to Garth and Jill at the next meeting on 4 January.
Sri Lanka Research Presentations
Kath presented her research on Lifestyles and Cultures of Sri Lanka.
John presented his research on Sri Lankan Economy and Politics
Jenny presented her research on Sri Lankan Climate and Environment
Due to time issues Emily and Claire will present their research at the next meeting. Each team member agreed to send their presentation round to the group for reference. The group discussed what was found out and learnt about Sri Lanka.
Business Cards, Banners and Team Uniform
John is exploring any budget for printing business cards/small leaflets describing D1100 and the team. He has recently had a price of £15 for cards for each team member (£75 in total). John's Rotary Club are giving him 6 banners to take to Sri Lanka and exchange with host clubs. He asked that each team member meet with their sponsoring club before we go and ask them for 4 banners to take. Emily's partner Andrew has kindly agreed to design our team logo that will feature on the literature about our trip, and team uniforms. John has purchased a suit for his team uniform. Team members are going shopping for their uniform on 15 December, and will purchase a tie for John that matches their shirts. The team decided on navy blue polo shirts and t-shirts for their uniform. The polo shirts will be embroidered with the logo, and the t-shirts printed with the logo. Polo shirts were quoted at £12 each T-shirts were quoted at £10 each. Thanks to John for finding this out and agreeing to order the shirts on behalf of the team.
Structure of Rotary
John will email the group some information on the structure of Rotary. It was decided that the website is not very easy to navigate for information.
Myers Briggs Personality Test (a Team-Building Activity)
The team discussed their 'personality type' scores. Jenny and Claire have the same type; John's is in the opposite qudrant. Jenny will scan in pages of her book that are relevant to the team types, and email them.
My Favourite Thing(s)
We ran out of time so will bring this for discussion at the next meeting.
Between Session Activities
Group Presentation
The group presentation was discussed. It was decided that we will have maximum 45 minutes to present to our hosting clubs in Sri Lanka, including time for questions. John will begin the presentation with an introduction, and each of the team members will follow with 5 minutes about themselves; home, work, family, local area and traditions. Each team member (including John) will delve 'deeper' into a chosen subject. A few of these were agreed:
- Emily - Social events in Bristol
- John - Music and Arts in the area
- Jenny - Charity work with young people in Swindon and Wiltshire
Emily has already been working on her individual presentation and she shared it with the group. The group will run through their presentation to Garth and Jill at the next meeting on 4 January.
Sri Lanka Research Presentations
Kath presented her research on Lifestyles and Cultures of Sri Lanka.
John presented his research on Sri Lankan Economy and Politics
Jenny presented her research on Sri Lankan Climate and Environment
Due to time issues Emily and Claire will present their research at the next meeting. Each team member agreed to send their presentation round to the group for reference. The group discussed what was found out and learnt about Sri Lanka.
Business Cards, Banners and Team Uniform
John is exploring any budget for printing business cards/small leaflets describing D1100 and the team. He has recently had a price of £15 for cards for each team member (£75 in total). John's Rotary Club are giving him 6 banners to take to Sri Lanka and exchange with host clubs. He asked that each team member meet with their sponsoring club before we go and ask them for 4 banners to take. Emily's partner Andrew has kindly agreed to design our team logo that will feature on the literature about our trip, and team uniforms. John has purchased a suit for his team uniform. Team members are going shopping for their uniform on 15 December, and will purchase a tie for John that matches their shirts. The team decided on navy blue polo shirts and t-shirts for their uniform. The polo shirts will be embroidered with the logo, and the t-shirts printed with the logo. Polo shirts were quoted at £12 each T-shirts were quoted at £10 each. Thanks to John for finding this out and agreeing to order the shirts on behalf of the team.
Structure of Rotary
John will email the group some information on the structure of Rotary. It was decided that the website is not very easy to navigate for information.
Myers Briggs Personality Test (a Team-Building Activity)
The team discussed their 'personality type' scores. Jenny and Claire have the same type; John's is in the opposite qudrant. Jenny will scan in pages of her book that are relevant to the team types, and email them.
My Favourite Thing(s)
We ran out of time so will bring this for discussion at the next meeting.
Between Session Activities
- Write individual 'day in the life of' presentations for main group presentation
- Girls night out shopping for uniform
- Bring 'my favorite thing' to next meeting
- Awaiting the itinerary Team Building Activities
- The team decided that they would go climbing in Gloucester in January. Jenny will find out about prices and times, and book the activity.
- Kath kindly gave out a list of 10 questions that the team had to give 1 word answers to. (see earlier blog entry) We each completed the questions and shared our answers. It was a fun and a valuable team-building exercise.
- The next meeting will take place in January at the Whitminster Inn. Garth and Jill are to be invited.
Tuesday 7 December 2010
(Not) Our Biggest Challenge So Far
John blogs ...
We've made real progress as a team, and are getting to be more easy with each other as each meeting and conversation passes which is very encouraging. Thanks everyone for engaging so positively.
Our biggest challenge so far must be in finding a suitable Team Uniform and 'corporate' style for formal and informal times on our exchange. I've managed to purchase a very appropriate suit (well I would say that wouldn't I!) which leaves the women with the enviable task of matching their Team Suits to my colour of dark navy. By the quantity of conversation and excitement observed at last evening's Team Meeting I can safely assume they will readily rise to the challenge when they all go shopping next week at The Mall. Watch out Bristol! I've agreed to let them buy a very colourful tie for me - this may have been a bit rash on my part.
An easier job which I volunteered to undertake ... I've had excellent prices quoted for navy-coloured polo-shirts with embroidered logos and t-shirts with printed logos from a local firm in Olveston called Linela Embroidery Limited (a blatant plug for them, but they're worth it for the service they're promising to provide). Emily's partner is a web/graphic designer and has offered help with our Team logo - thanks Andrew.
This'll move us into a good position for getting Team Photos taken for our Business Cards and Blog etc.
Still plenty to get organised in a short time ... less than 2 months to take off! :-)
We've made real progress as a team, and are getting to be more easy with each other as each meeting and conversation passes which is very encouraging. Thanks everyone for engaging so positively.
 |
| Whom I kidding? |
An easier job which I volunteered to undertake ... I've had excellent prices quoted for navy-coloured polo-shirts with embroidered logos and t-shirts with printed logos from a local firm in Olveston called Linela Embroidery Limited (a blatant plug for them, but they're worth it for the service they're promising to provide). Emily's partner is a web/graphic designer and has offered help with our Team logo - thanks Andrew.
This'll move us into a good position for getting Team Photos taken for our Business Cards and Blog etc.
Still plenty to get organised in a short time ... less than 2 months to take off! :-)
Getting To Know You
We like the musical theme that's littered throughout our notes ...
Kath tried this activity on us at last evening's meeting ... why not try it yourself or with friends?
One word answers only to the following questions:
At what time of day are you on top form?
What scares you?
What trait do you most dislike about yourself?
What trait do you most dislike in others?
How do you feel when entering a room full of strangers?
What are you like when you're tired?
What are you like when you're stressed?
What is your favourite take-away?
Would you bungee jump?
What would be your ideal Saturday night? (You can use more than one word to answer this)
We had a good laugh with each other's answers ...
Kath tried this activity on us at last evening's meeting ... why not try it yourself or with friends?
At what time of day are you on top form?
What scares you?
What trait do you most dislike about yourself?
What trait do you most dislike in others?
How do you feel when entering a room full of strangers?
What are you like when you're tired?
What are you like when you're stressed?
What is your favourite take-away?
Would you bungee jump?
What would be your ideal Saturday night? (You can use more than one word to answer this)
We had a good laugh with each other's answers ...
Ticking All The Boxes
John blogs ...
It's good to hear confirmation from Suresh of our arrival (horray) and departure (boo-hoo) dates for Sri Lanka. So, I've emailed our GSE Team Travel Request from to RI in the US with team and travel details so they can book our flights. Exciting times. Future team leaders will need to get hold of the 'GSE for Rotarians handbook' (from http://www.rotary.org/) as this shows information required for booking travel.
Fingers crossed our snow-locked airports should be freely running by the end of January.
It's good to hear confirmation from Suresh of our arrival (horray) and departure (boo-hoo) dates for Sri Lanka. So, I've emailed our GSE Team Travel Request from to RI in the US with team and travel details so they can book our flights. Exciting times. Future team leaders will need to get hold of the 'GSE for Rotarians handbook' (from http://www.rotary.org/) as this shows information required for booking travel.
Fingers crossed our snow-locked airports should be freely running by the end of January.
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