St. George's Watch


What is this?

This page provided a path to the discussions of faculty and staff (as well as anyone else who snuck in) from the fall 1999 voyage. The discussions have ended, but once in a while someone might put a message on the board. Therefore I will keep the account open.


Click here for current discussions, if any.

Archives are listed below, most recent first:


Entries for July 2000



Dennis Galletta - <GALLETTA@KATZ.PITT.EDU>   Pittsburgh, USA - Friday, July 21, 2000 at 9:44:47 AM
Julie, that s great news! I m surprised and excited to hear the title--Spanish and Global Education. It sounds tailor-made for an SAS alumna! Nice going!

Julie K. - <juliesvoyage@hotmail.com>   Indianapolis, USA - Monday, July 17, 2000 at 8:08:54 PM
Since this site looks quiet for this month, I don t mind sneaking in again to give a good update. I have accepted a job as a Spanish and Global Education teacher at a middle school in Angola, Indiana. Theh town is in the far northeast corner of the state, very near the boarders of Ohio and Michigan. I have the fun, yet hard, task of designing the curriculum. Our Semester at Sea will somehow be incorporated into it. The seventh grade teachers have chosen as their mascot George the Duck, so Simon will fit in well! The job search has been long and frustrating, but finally I have this happy news!

Julie K. - <juliesvoyage@hotmail.com>   Indianapolis, USA - Wednesday, July 05, 2000 at 11:48:31 PM
Once again, I am sneaking into St. George s Watch to give an update. Finally, the search for teaching jobs is looking hopefull. I have received an offer for a first grade position in Chicago. Keeping in mind that I student taught grades five and seven, this is scary! My other options are still open. My Spanish Major and teaching minor have attracted a lot of attention. The reunion in Las Vegas was fun. It was great to see everyone. Of course Simon went, and my parents at home met my Semester at Sea family in our family vacation. When I get the job offer that I finally accept, I will let you all know. Please keep in touch! I still think of the trip all the time and miss everyone!


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June, 2000



Gretchen and Ray Fifer - <rfifer@infoave.net>   Winnsboro, SC, USA - Friday, June 23, 2000 at 8:27:24 AM
Judy, The Yearbook is a work of art. You have produced a masterpiece of documentation of our Journey, a Voyage of a lifetime.

Charles Tsai - <cnnvoyage@hotmail.com>   Vancouver, Canada - Monday, June 05, 2000 at 1:40:21 AM
What happened to our daily trivia?

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April, 2000



Dennis Galletta - <galletta@katz.pitt.edu>   Pittsburgh, USA - Wednesday, April 19, 2000 at 2:23:58 AM
Charles, the chat was very interesting and enjoyable. I would certainly do it again. I would love to participate in a chat with the F99 faculty.

Charles Tsai - <cnnvoyage@hotmail.com>   Vancouver, Canada - Thursday, April 13, 2000 at 4:30:16 PM
Thanks for joining our chat last night. That was fun!!! Florence suggested we host a chat for the faculty of our trip and Fall 2000. What do you guys think?

Judy Duchesne-Peckham - <silvermoon85@hotmail.com>   Santa Barbara, USA - Wednesday, April 12, 2000 at 11:16:01 AM
Hopefully in another week or two, the SAS yearbook project will be finished and Pittsburgh can have it printed and distributed! I m REALLY in the final trenches (gutters?!) of assembling the yearbook and find myself needing a few more journal entries, quotes, and reflections for the following ports: Egypt, Croatia, Turkey, Italy, and Morocco. Can anyone help me out, A.S.A.P.?! Please send as a word file to both of these addresses: silvermoon85@hotmail.com -and also to- dimus@west.net, the graphic designer s e- mail address. Please label the intended port as well as the author, (personal or otherwise). Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your help and support. I hope to see some of you in Las Vegas! Miss you all! Best wishes, Judy Duchesne-Peckham

Dennis Galletta - <galletta@katz.pitt.edu>   Pittsburgh, USA - Monday, April 03, 2000 at 3:47:06 PM
This is a quiet place! Actually, it might be superfluous given Charles great site. However, just like the physical St. George s Watch, it is a quiet place to get away from the crowds. And the occasional (or even frequent) student sneaking in is just fine (thanks, Julie K for stopping by). Again, thanks to Mel Thorne s original suggestion, this is meant to be a place for faculty, staff, and seasoned salts to be kept up-to- date on what is going on in your lives. New address? New job? New pet? New car? New significant other? Tell us! Good things happening? Bad things? Tell us! <br> Here in Pittsburgh, we ve done a little remodeling and I m finally getting back into the swing of the "publish or perish" game, and starting to enjoy it again. That s a long way on the road to recovery!

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March, 2000



Julie Kiefer - <juliesvoyage@hotmail.com>   Indianapolis, USA - Tuesday, March 21, 2000 at 8:00:31 PM
I m sneaking into St. George s Watch, so that I can give everyone an update. Nine days after the trip, I began student teaching in a class of fifth graders. These students had followed the voyage closely, and this proved to be a real benefit. They knew me well and remembered great deals about the trip! For example, I wore my batik skirt from Malaysia, and they asked, "Is that from the country where you saw wax being painted on clothes?" The age was quite challenging, but I enjoyed the upper elementary aged students. The woman I was suppose to work with for my second student teaching placement did not come back from maternity leave. So, I stayed with the fifth graders for an extra week, before beginning in a middle school. Now, I am teaching seventh grade English. Leaving at 6:00 a.m. and having an hour drive to work is not fun! However, I like the students. It is great not having to worry about recess duty, untied shoelaces, and so on, and I enjoy the subject. The independent study class that I worked on during the voyage is almost done. It has been approved by a panel of professors once. Now, all I have to do is present the paper orally to them next week, before receiving the final grade for it. An update from me would not be complete without news about Simon. One of my fifth graders gave him a girlfriend, whom we named Glenna, in honor of the school, Forest Glen, where I worked. There were some surprises with Simon, as I did not expect to have to have conversations about appropriate and not appropriate positions for his tail in fifth grade. He went home with a student for the night, so that he could have another bath. I couldn t sleep all night, as I felt like a nervous mother. Now, he is the class mascot for one class of seventh graders. Stowaway, Simon s cat friend on the voyage, has traveled this semester. He went to Mexico on one trip and skiing in Colorado with another student. In May, when Simon and I take a field trip to Cincinnati with the kids, Stowaway is going with a student to France. I still think about the trip each and every day! It truly changed my life, and I am thankful for the wonderful experiences! I miss everyone! Please keep in touch! Julie K.

Roy & Eunice Berko - <royberko@yahoo.com>   Highlands Heights, Ohio, USA - Saturday, March 11, 2000 at 11:32:53 PM
We are moving on April 6. Our mail service will cease and the fax machine will be turned off on the 4th. Our new address as of April 7 will be: 403 Muirfield Drive, Highland Heights, Ohio 44143. Our new phone number is 440-720-0606, Fax 440- 720-0607. My email will remain the same. I will monitor my email from work until I get my computer set up at the new house. We were told by the post office that our mail will be about one week delayed if sent to the Elyria address.

Charles Tsai - <cnnvoyage@hotmail.com>   Seoul, Korea - Saturday, March 11, 2000 at 2:20:10 AM
Stop cheating on the quiz, Dennis!!

Dennis Galletta - <galletta@katz.pitt.edu>   Pittsburgh, USA - Thursday, March 02, 2000 at 3:17:35 PM
Well, another new month has arrived! It sure is lonely up here in St. George s Watch when each new month whisks away the previous comments. Just click on the links to January and February s messages to see interesting postings about expected babies, cars, and "lost" people. Speaking of cars, Christy is now driving a new used car today, and is very excited. My insurance company is also very excited, as our rates are now going to be triple what they were! On top of that, I am in the process of getting a new crown on a tooth that broke during the third week of the voyage! This is not a good week! Oh well, things can only get better. I hope!

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February, 2000


Monica Ingold - <mingold@hass.usu.edu>   Logan, USU - Tuesday, February 29, 2000 at 12:32:35 PM
Hi everyone, I have had so much fun keeping up with the progress of everyone on the sites. My head has been in such a termoil since our return that I haven t been able to think too clearly. My friend here describes my return as a "rough re-entry". She is right. But things have improved immensely. I am back at my old job (it s not so bad afterall) and two weeks ago, I moved into my new condo. As much as I would rather be back on the ship with all of you, it is nice to be rooted again. There is a huge part of me that changed during our voyage. (All for the better) And I thank every one of you for your help in making the new me. I love you all and miss you terribly, from the Chicken dance with Mel to the harrasment from Roy! Thanks you everyone and I would love to have any of you come visit me at anytime. You are always welcome in my home. Slowly calming down Monica

Lori Barker Hackett - <BarkerHack@aol.com>   Chino Hills, CA, USA - Sunday, February 27, 2000 at 7:51:58 PM
Hi Everyone. Clipper and I have some big news. I posted it on Charles website, but thought I would do it here as well. We are going to have a baby! Baby Girl Hackett is due July 18. We found out we were pregnant in Italy, but decided to keep it quiet until we got home, saw a doctor, and made sure everything was okay. All three of us are doing fine! Hope you all are doing well, too.

Charles Tsai - <cnnvoyage@hotmail.com>   Seoul, Korea - Wednesday, February 23, 2000 at 9:37:32 PM
I ve tried emailing her several times but never got a response. I know she s changing schools too. Ok, let s play a game: "Where s Becky?"

Dennis Galletta - <galletta@katz.pitt.edu>   Pittsburgh, USA - Wednesday, February 23, 2000 at 8:52:10 PM
Is her address incorrect on the faculty mailing list? I have her as rkasper@sjcme.edu

Charles Tsai - <cnnvoyage@hotmail.com>   Seoul, Korea - Wednesday, February 23, 2000 at 1:22:49 AM
Does anyone have any idea where Becky Kasper is? Or how to contact her?

Charles Tsai - <cnnvoyage@hotmail.com>   Seoul, Korea - Sunday, February 20, 2000 at 9:11:29 AM
Quick update: my Canadian visa has been approved!!!! What a relief!!!

Charles Tsai - <cnnvoyage@hotmail.com>   Seoul, South Korea - Saturday, February 12, 2000 at 9:33:50 AM
Yes, I am finally in Seoul, South Korea, where it s always below zero. I arrived on Feb. 9th and plan to stay here till end of March when my Canadian visa should come through (I hope). At that point, I plan to move to Vancouver(?). It s a toss up between that and Toronto. Any preferences? There isn t much for me to do in Seoul except eat kimchee, surf the web, and think about SAS. I hope you re all doing well. If any of you find yourself in my neck of the woods, be sure to look me up.

Dennis Galletta - <galletta@katz.pitt.edu>   Pittsburgh, USA - Friday, February 11, 2000 at 4:07:51 PM
Here s what s ahead for us: I just received an e-mail message from a Fall 1995 alumnus, who says, in her words: "My voyage has stayed present in my mind and I do speak about it on a daily basis. Semester at Sea has become a part of who I am!" I guess in 5 years we ll all still be obsessed with our experience!

eric ozretich - <ozretichy@yahoo.com>   seattle, wa., usa - Thursday, February 10, 2000 at 4:21:31 PM
Where the heck is Chito? I hope everyone is well and doing fine... I ve been adjusting slowly like everyone else I suppose. It s been great to hear for everyone. Just wanted to drop a line out to all...

Larry Butler - <lbutler40@hotmail.com>   Deale, MD, USA - Tuesday, February 08, 2000 at 10:21:05 AM
Hi Folks--Slowly getting my land act together. Roy, I wish you hadn t blown my cover and wrecked my stowaway attempt! Thought I d alert y all to a couple pairs of exhibits coming up in DC this spring and summer that might be of particular interest to SAS ers. Add these to all the other good reasons to come to the Washington/Baltimore/Annapolis area in the spring! First, a pair of exhibits on Ottoman art, for all of us who can t get enough of it, or who couldn t get into Topkapi Palace cuz of Hill and Billary: "Palace of Gold and Light: Treasures of the Topkapi, Istanbul" at the Corcoran, running March 1 to June 15. This coincides with "Flowers of Silk and Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery" at the Textile Museum, Feb.18 to July 30. The other pair is for you Chinese music fans: "The Dragon s Moan" at the Freer, on the seven-string qin in Chinese music, literature and art, Feb.6 to October 1; and next door at the Sackler, "Music in the Age of Confucius," April 30-Sept.17, featuring excavated bronze bells and cool stuff like that from the Zhou Dynasty. Hope to bump into you! Hit us on a weekend and you might get a sailboat ride on the Chesapeake. Best-----Larry.

R.B. (former Assistant Field Office Coordinator) from Montpelier, VT, USA - Monday, February 07, 2000 at 10:31:41 AM
You wouldn t believe it, but -20 in Vermont actually isn t that much colder than 50 degrees (the temperature in Florida at which I turn into a popsicle)! At last not when you re dressed appropriately. So I bundle up in dad s old ski cap, gramma s hand-knit scarf, my 25 cent thrift shop coat or SAS wind breaker and brave the walk to work. And yes, it is uphill both ways in the snow (but I m not barefoot). Vermont is chill. Really! In Montpelier, the state s capital, they don t even plow all the streets, mine for example. Good thing I got new tires. (and yes, if you heard it, that was me on car talk, and mocing to Vermont has certainly discouraged the ants!). I go grocery shopping at the Hunger Mountain food co-op where everything is ˝ price from what I m used to (except the fruit, of course) and GOOD for me, to boot! I just bought a pair of X-C (That s cross country for you sun bums) skis for $15 at the local beverage distributor. AND found a fantastic chocolate supplier in the bargain. Yeah, I think I might be able to survive here. My job is intense, it s 7:00 on a Sunday, and I m here again (yesterday as well) but I don t mind. Yet. I have a feeling it s only going to get worse. I hadn t realized how much I was going to be putting into the project design-wise, but I think I m up for it. All I have to do is figure out what the PROBLEMS are in Kosovo around the issues of micro-economic recovery, community security, and trust-building, and Gary will design the solutions. No pressure (I m already having CRC dreams). Vermont is stunning. There s a 7 foot icicle on the house across the street, and the trees are so TALL! I went snow hiking with the dog I live with, and got only about ˝ mile in ˝ hour! Whew! Cars stop the second you step out into the cross-walk (the last place I saw that was Croatia - a good omen?) The folks I live with are marvelous, are in a blue-grass (rehearsals are at our house) worry about me not eating enough, and recycle everything. Their 19 year old cat has adopted me (maybe because I convinced them to share salmon left-overs?) Altogether, it s very homey. Anyway, I just wanted to write before you all thought I fell off a snow bank and froze to death, but surprisingly, I m really digging the cold, and I think I m going to like it here. (address withheld) Don t forget me up here in the great white north, okay? R.B.

Dennis Galletta - <galletta@katz.pitt.edu>   Pittsburgh, USA - Wednesday, February 02, 2000 at 10:28:31 AM
Well, here we are...over a month since our voyage, and I am sitting here in this electronic St. George s Watch remembering the real one that probably has someone using the window ledge as a desk (like Steve Breese did), filming high waves (like Karen Burns did), or chatting and having a glass of wine (like many did). I really miss that- -even the waves! Feel free to browse the January 2000 messages (see the button below) and to give us updates on what you re up to currently. I still see people that look like Fall 1999 voyagers, and they wonder why I m staring at them. We miss you all!

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January, 2000


R.B. (former Assistant Field Office Coordinator)
Philadelphia (this week), USA - Sunday, January 30, 2000 at 7:18:19 PM
Big thanks to Dennis for helping us all stay in touch!

Bob Brown - <rebrown@mail.sdsu.edu>   La Mesa, California, USA (for 3 months) - Sunday, January 23, 2000 at 2:06:54 PM
Hi friends. My email is up and running again and I m happy to say that I didn t lose any of those 1000 digital trip mementos when my Mac crashed. Very busy setting up teaching and concert gigs for the Sumandhis. We have put together a neat assembly program--I narrate episodes from the Ramayana story and as it unfolds Putu and Sumandhi alternate in showing the characters in dance and shadow play. Miraculously, two excellent gender wayang players returned from China the day before we auditioned for Young Audiences. Alex Khalil and his Japanese wife, Kaori, (trained in Balinese and Javanese dance), provide the music. Alex is helping me try to put together a small tour in the midwest and east coast the last week of April and first week of May. If any of you can help us set up a concert or workshop, let me know. It would provide a way for us to see you again, and I could allow myself to admit to the shipsickness I m trying to deny. At the risk of overextending these comments, let me add a quick reference to my organization s website: centerforworldmusic.org, where you will soon find descriptions of a fun arts and crafts spring tour to Turkey from April 10-22, and my annual Bali tour June 12-25 (revised dates to include a big ceremony on June 16). Love to show you around that beautiful corner of the world. Come and visit any time. CIao, Bob.

Ray and Gretchen Fifer - <rfifer@infoave.net>   Winnsboro, SC, USA - Friday, January 21, 2000 at 10:07:37 AM
From our thoughts as we arrived home, that is, the house where all the rest of our "stuff" is stored: Here we are, unwilling to unpack, unwilling to destroy the trip, fragment it, put it all away into respective closets, drawers, files; unwilling to separate the wholeness, the entirity of this Journey. We are searching to recreate the experiences in our hearts, and anxious to keep all of this alive in our hearts.

Steven Breese - <sbreese@flash.net>   Ft. Worth, TX, USA - Friday, January 21, 2000 at 8:44:51 AM
Coming home is nearly as good (and bad) as I anticipated. What s next? I m directing/choreographing GODSPEL at the Warner Theatre in Washington D.C.—rehearsals begin in May. In the mean time, I ll be performing in GUYS & DOLLS at Dallas Theatre Center—rehearsals begin end of February. So I m back and anxious to hear about what s happening in your life. Please write, call or otherwise be in touch. sb PS: Note new cell phone and web-site below
*********************************
Steven Breese
sbreese@flash.net
www.flash.net/~sbreese
817/763-8677 (Home)
817/937-3373 (Mobile)
419/735-6000 (FAX)
*********************************


Roy Berko - <royberko@yahoo.com>   Cleveland, USA - Thursday, January 20, 2000 at 10:50:54 AM
(posted from Roy s Jan. 19 e-mail) We just got word from the hospital that our new grandson (boy #3) has arrived. We are babysitting the kids in Cincinnati and will go to the hospital later this afternoon to visit him.

Gary Kiger - <gkiger@wpo.hass.usu.edu>   Logan, USA - Wednesday, January 19, 2000 at 4:44:16 PM
We re settling into our "semester on land." We talk constantly of our semester at sea experience and think of everyone as you all enter our conversations. When we returned we had several colleagues approach us about going on semester at sea. We are the proud parents of a golden retriever puppy. Elizabeth picked her out and named her Kobe. She is cute and we are sleep deprived. Quotable quote...when we were sitting in the Miami airport waiting for our flight out, Elizabeth asked, "can we drink the water here?" What do you think, Dr. Dave? Take care and happy new year to all. Stay in touch. --Gary Kiger

Florence Dee Boodakian - <boodak@ulster.net>   New York, USA - Wednesday, January 19, 2000 at 3:57:37 PM
Still suffering from disconnection and dislocation. Missing all the SAS bunch and wondering if all of this has been a dream. Determined to continue the globalization of mind and spirit...hoping to see many of you again. Visit me in NY sometime soon. XO Florence

Mel & Dorothea Thorne - <mthorne@jhsph.edu>   Baltimore, MD, USA - Wednesday, January 19, 2000 at 2:10:44 PM
What have Dorothea and I done to overcome our discomfort of separation from the Great White Mother? We have just adopted a large 8 year old mutt with a bad leg, taken her walking through the now wintery woods, and gone ice skating on nearby Lake Roland, which is posted year round with "No Skating, Thin Ice" signs. Did any of you see the excellent article in the Baltimore Sun last week on Bill Berry and his environmental protection action in his property of undeveloped woods on the Chesapeake s Eastern Shore? We wish a healthy, happy New Year to you, each and all. Dorothea & Mel

Dennis Galletta - <galletta/katz.pitt.edu>   Pittsburgh, USA - Wednesday, January 19, 2000 at 12:49:36 PM
Mel Thorne suggested that faculty and staff might make use of a facility like this to keep everyone up to date with each other. Please feel free to make use of this facility to tell us what you are up to. At the moment, I m still in SAS withdrawal, and have been told that I will be for some time. We just visited a bon voyage party for the Spring 2000 group from Pittsburgh, and many of the feelings came rushing back as we saw some very familiar faces and talked about our incredible experiences. Love to all!

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