Teaching While Traveling-Marilyn's Ordeal

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Created: Aug 28th 12:43
Last Updated: 28th 12:43

Author: Marilyn Sahiba of DeVry University/Kaplan University/University of Phoenix

Teaching while traveling can be fun as well as stressful. Since an online professor is dependent on technology while traveling, most often wireless system arranged before traveling may not work while on the go. I have seen myself being let down by technology at the airport terminals in-between flights, in a cab or bus, and even at my travel destinations. These disruptions could be short-term or long-term. One such instance is, when I landed in India, I stayed for most part at our farm villa located in the middle of the farm in northern Punjab. My AT &T wireless refused to work or pick-up signals from any tower in the vicinity. While I kept running back and forth to the only cyber cafe in the nearest town to catch up with my facilitations and gradings, my son, who worked in another state, made arrangements to hook me up with Reliance wireless, which is Indian based telecommunication system. It was reliable, worked for most part, but its speed was too slow for me. Since I had no choice, I had to make do with it. In the meantime, my son had gone back to work in Delhi (after about 12 hours drive), with the promise that he will be back over the weekend. One night while working online, during a cold winter night, the power shut down, as it usually did many times everyday. But this time the outage was longer and the back-up gas generator ran out of gas. I was in the middle of my final gradings when that happened. I had to wake up the security guard to go to the nearest town, which was about 10 miles away, and get gas for the generator at 2 in the morning. He came back with just half the container after missing in action for 3 hours.

As soon as he arrived, we managed to start the generator and I continued to work through the wee hours of the night and morning, until the generator ran out of gas again. I took this time to take my shower, eat my delicious Punjabi breakfast of cauliflower burritos, home pickled lemons, fresh butter, sour cream, and skim milk (a big change from American sausage biscuits, fried bacon and eggs, and coffee), and take a wink of sleep, with the hope that the power will return. It finally did, but not after worrying me to death. The security guard and the housekeeper both set out on the tractor with huge empty containers of gas to bring home a surplus quota of gas, because "American Bibi Sahiba's" computer was on 24/7! Although online teaching could seem frustrating at times due to wireless or power glitches, all that could soon be replaced by the beautiful feeling of having met family and friends overseas. In my case, my son, his wife, and my adorable two precious little grandchildren, Helena and Jas!!

Marilyn