What's New with Nova

Our little dog Nova has quite the life.  There is certainly never a dull moment with the three of us together.  As a family we were able to participate in a fun dog show to raise money for charity.  Nova won in two contests against over 200 different dogs. The yellow ribbon is a 3rd place for "The Dog the Judge Would Like To Take Home", and the Green is a 4th place for his Fancy Dress as Batman.

 This is my friend Lorna and her little dog Elfie.  Elfie was a great competitor and won a rosette in the Fancy Dress class.

He was very sleepy in this photo after a long day of competing.  He is so well socialized so he is a great competing dog!

He also had his second Birthday recently so we threw him a party!  Why?  Because he is a great dog and deserves it.

Other than his Birthday Party he has just been lazying around the house, eating the newspaper and being his usual self!

Ireland

Trevor was accepted to speak at a conference in Waterford Ireland for the International Games Based Learning Symposium, so we decided to make a few day trip of it.  It started with a drive from Worcester, and through Wales to get us to the Ferry port that would take us into Ireland.  These were the scariest parts of the entire trip.  Driving through the English and  Welsh countryside with unpaved and narrow roads is very troubling.  Even more troubling is the sort of unsaid etiquette as to how will have to go in reverse or turn around to let the other by...I still can't say I understand it.  However, my eyes were covered for much of that drive. 

After we arrived to the Ferry port of entry in Wales we had just enough time to stop for lunch.  I had a pineapple and cheese toastie (grilled sandwich), which was in fact weird but nevertheless good.  Then it was on to the Ferry and I was terrified when we had to drive onto the ship via a risky looking ramp. 

 

To me, the Ferry was one of the highlights of the whole trip.  The Irish Sea/Atlantic Ocean was a stunning sight.  While there is ample seating and entertainment including new release movies on a big screen, computers with functional Internet, and a random Curious George walking around I had other plans.  I took all the stairs up and out to the deck.  The wind hit me so hard in the face I thought I was going to lose the things I was carrying and get blown over.  Of course the wind later calmed so it was more bearable to be out. 

 Here is a picture of Trevor taking a good look around our surroundings.  Anyhow, it didn't take long for both Trevor and I to figure out we get sea sick (it was the first time either of us had been on a big boat).  Luckily he brought some sea sickness medicine assuming it would be an issue.  Unluckily it didn't make either of us feel better.

We did some sightseeing including some castle ruins. 

And, we did some swimming in the Ocean.

And we took a video of our attempts at boogie boarding and surfing for your enjoyment...

And then we had a bite to eat sea side.

It was a beautiful trip and we are hoping to go to Dublin Ireland in the coming months for the next IGBL conference.  As a side note, Trevor and I got to experience our first unisex restroom at the conference...and wow...what an awkward experience.  I just stood out side of the bathroom waiting for someone else to walk in so I would know what to do.

Oxford

Our wonderful friends Sherry and Mark invited us to a trip to Oxford, one of their very favorite places in the world, and also where their daughter attended the very prestigious Oxford University.  It was very sweet of them to share this space that has a special place in their hearts.

We first stopped at a small village outside of Oxford to have some coffee and breakfast, back when Trevor was not completely addicted to the stuff.  The village was beautiful with vines and flowers everywhere and old thatched roof buildings. 

We then drove a short way to Oxford a very busy and bustling city.  In fact we had to park the car at a bus station and take the bus in to town in order to avoid extreme traffic, insanity, and any additional walking.  It was a very private campus, only allowing entrance to students, staff or esteemed nominated scientists.  In fact, their is one building that only permits entrance to those who have been invited based on their scientific achievement, so very few eyes have seen it on the inside. 

We were not able to see inside this area due to graduation taking place, but inside is where the dining room scenes took place in the movie Harry Potter.

It was a wonderful trip and there was such beautiful architecture beyond that which our camera could capture. 

Complications of Being an International Student

My apologies for being away from my blog for so long, I have missed it, but things have been irreparably crazy. To begin this blog, we are going to have to go back to the very start before we even left the U.S. changing Countries is a huge undertaking so when we were discussing moving to England we wanted to be sure that there would be support in place in the case that we would need it which is in the form of US financial aid. I used FAFSA's online support system, I called my loan companies that I have borrowed from, I did everything that a responsible student would. All these sources confirmed that my loans would stay deferred while I was attending school at least part time, however what they did not stipulate at that time which I know now is that they will do this only under one exception, that you are attending a US supported institution.

You are probably all wondering “a US supported institution”, what the hell does that mean! Essentially it means if your school abroad does not have an agreement with the US through a Federal School Code the US will not allow you to access loan money, nor will they continue to defer your undergraduate loans even though you are continuing your schooling. We originally thought that I could continue to go to school and we could just pay for my tuition out of pocket, no big deal right. Unfortunately it was, because they don't just want you to be paying tuition, they want you to be making loan payments as well.  Trevor was lucky enough that his institution happened to be one of the few universities that by coincidence had a federal school code (which doesn't mean the loan companies made it easy for him either). Over the year that we have lived in the UK it has taken literally until now for this very important information to be relayed to us. Trevor and I have filled in and submitted countless “In School Deferment Forms” to the loan companies which they are already supposed to have on record...let me tell you they don't and don't trust them. Most forms we submitted were denied to the reasoning that they were not filled out to the companies liking, but did they send them back to us, or give us a call or email...no the didn't they called and harassed our contacts we provided on our loan agreements and asked how they could get in contact with us like we were some sort of criminals. After we had already given them all of our UK contact information mind you.  So, EVENTUALLY, after the loan companies finally figured out the British write their dates differently they accepted Trevor’s forms.

While Trevor's forms were accepted mine continued to be denied, and after I had to contact them it finally clicked in someone’s head as to why I was not being deferred. So I was very blunt with them and obviously very angry and asked, “what is it you would like me to do, quit my school and transfer so you can tick the box on your paperwork”, and she said yes! So, here I am a month before graduate school starts up again, and guess what I am doing? That's right...applying to graduate schools...again. While I am very annoyed, there are quite a few positives to this change. 1.) My undergraduate loans will go back on deferment and I will be able to access additional loans, so there will be no financial struggle this school year. 2.) I was beginning to re-think the direction my Master's was taking me anyway, so I am now applying to programs that I believe align more with my interests which are in microbiology and parasitology. 3.) I have the possibility of attending a school closer to home (my last university was a 2 hour train ride each way), which means more time to study and more time spent at home with my family, and less stress.

Now that I am sure I have given all of you a headache just thinking about bureaucracy I am going to end my rant and catch you up with other life happenings. I finally found a job part-time to help out a little with our finances, it doesn't pay much, but the benefits are great (kisses and cuddles). These are some of my bosses.

The last few months for Trevor and I have consisted of travelling, events, and house guests. It's been crazy and it's been wonderful. We have also as a result of our hectic dog filled lifestyle adapted to running every night, for the sake of our sanity and the dogs we watch. We have so many stories we are excited to tell all of you and we promise you they will not be as boring as this post. So get ready to be re-immersed in our English adventure!

See you soon,

Jessica and Trevor <3

Sweet Vindication: DIY Fencing

As some of you may know I have been on a quest to build a fence in our backyard (garden).  Our initial fence was deteriorating and becoming unsafe for Nova and an addition to this Wednesday we have our inspection to move forward with our dog sitting business so we wanted to be sure we would pass inspection as we would both really love to do this for some extra money and to give Nova a buddy.  Initially we contacted a local handyman to get a quote on what he would charge to replace the fence and got a quote of 297 pounds!  After discussing this quote with Trevor I told him I wanted to build the fence to save money.  Trevor was shocked, while he is a wonderfully feminist husband who believes I can do anything he was worried that building a fence required carpentry skills.  Not to mention he was worried that we did not have the proper tools, which we didn't, I had to use a handsaw for the entire project.  Talk about being exhausted and sore.  I would like to announce that I have completed the fence (no carpentry skills necessary) at a total cost of 125 pounds as well as assembled a garden door out of the remaining fence panels!  Check out my hard work...and I admit a little of Trevor's because he thought it "looked fun".

Before

Old fencing coming lose and detaching from the house from wind gusts.  We had to make a temporary solution to keep the dog in, so we stapled it and tied it to the house.  

Very old flimsy gate which didn't latch properly.

Thee was only one piece of wood keeping Nova from escaping.  

After

Ta Da!  I really believe this was a worth while project.  We saved a lot of money, and truthfully I had a lot of funny.  How come no one told me destroying things was so fun!  I had a blast hammering and kicking down what was left of the old fence.  It also tests your problem solving skills and keeps you thinking.  And I enjoyed watching Trevor explain to the neighbors that his wife was building the fence...ha ha.  Next time a project like this comes along I think I am going to hire myself as the handyman!

This is Where Our Journey Truly Began...

Do you remember that old adage that went something to the tune of, “Don't ever forget where you came from otherwise you'll never remember where you're going”? I have been reflecting on that quote a lot lately. All of these changes in our lives have given us a lot of time to reflect on just how unbelievable it is that we are living in another country while studying for our Graduate Degrees! I mean, how the hell did two poor, first-generation kids from Rice Lake Wisconsin end up studying in England? Well, I will tell you a little secret...we were given a gift among the greatest gifts that have ever been given. It was the gift of opportunity.

Nope, we are not those arrogant and conceded people that will try to tell you we did it all on our own. We received this very critical gift from the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. A program for traditionally unrepresented students to become researchers and to ultimately became Msc's or PhD's. The McNair Scholars Program was made in honor of Ronald E. McNair, an African-American physicist/astronaut who was killed in the Challenger explosion. Ronald McNair himself faced growing up in an impoverished area in South Carolina, as well as social and economic barriers. But, he knew how to work hard, he was diligent in College until he achieved his goal of attaining his Ph.D. From Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Much like Trevor and I, the man was up to almost impossible odds, but because of the McNair program we have been given the training in professionalism, coaching in confidence, and skills necessary to produce research to pursue a degree traditionally meant for those who came from families with money.  

I can still recall how our McNair advisor pushed us and how I thought it was just a total mistake that I had gotten into the program at all. I always felt as though I was pretending to be someone that I just wasn't.  It's just so much easier to believe for some reason you are the exception, or the one that slipped through the cracks. It was so easy to feel like an imposter in a world full of these amazing intellectuals and academics.  I always remember my McNair Director telling me, you “fake it until you make it”, and I never had really fully understood what that meant until the day I realized that I had made it. That day was the day that I received two offers for a place in Masters Degree Programs in England.

McNair sent us both on summer internships while in undergraduate.  I went to Idaho to study Steelhead Kelt, and Trevor went to both the prestigious Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee to study black holes, as well as the University of Worcester to study game implementation in education.  McNair helped us find these experiences, apply to them, write essays for them, and gave us continuing support throughout them.  McNair helped us foot the bills on plane tickets and living expenses while the Universities would also pay us for our work which greatly helped us pay for our rent and tuition when the school year began again.  They again helped us with all the application materials to graduate school, reviewing our essays countless times, paying for bills for us to go to educational conferences to develop ourselves and our resumes. 

Today I wanted to write and tell my story for others to hear in the face of major budget cuts to these TRIO programs like McNair that have so dramatically changed our lives.  I would like to ask all my family and friends to sign the petition because you all know that this program can change lives.  Please just take a minute to sign the petition on this link...  http://www.change.org/petitions/members-of-congress-and-secretary-of-education-arne-duncan-don-t-eliminate-75-mcnair-programs# .  It only takes 30 seconds to enter your name and address and click submit...and if you feel ambitious you can write a reason why you believe this program should not have budget cuts and feel free to discuss us. Trevor and I are also proud of Tanner Tomesh (Trevor's little brother) for being accepted into the program and we would really like to keep this funding around for him to continue receiving the full benefits of being a McNair Scholar.  Thank you all!