Success – Page 7 – The Independent Learner

Travel Tips: When You Return Home

Charlotte-blog-small — Charlotte Seewald, UNHS Assistant Director

Your trip is now over, but don’t be too sad! Now you have fond memories to look back on, and I bet it also feels good to be home. Here are some things to keep in mind as you readjust to your home country.

Remember how you had jet lag when you traveled there? Coming home may be worse! While I hope you land and feel great, it is understandable if you feel tired, irritable, distracted as your brain and body readjust to the time zone.

Be gentle with yourself—most people need a day for every hour difference to be back to their normal energy level. So if you were in a country that was 10 hours different than your home it may take 10 days for you to adjust. It is a good idea to not have big projects or stressful agendas to work on the first week of your return. Also, let your family and friends know you need some time to “get back to normal”.

After a long trip home from Malaysia, I found myself crying over a TV commercial! My friend’s husband came home from a long trip and was a grouch for 2 days. Fair warning!

Now that you’re home, here are some things to do:

Store your passport in designated and secure spot for the next trip.
Review credit card charges to note any errors. Contact credit card companies to inform them you have returned.
Store electrical adapter where you can find them again.
Download photos, edit and share!
Sort through gifts and mementos you brought home to share now or later.
Reflect on your travel experiences and consider where you would like to go next!

Whether you are reading these tips before you travel to prepare yourself or are using the advice now, I hope you have a wonderful experience before, during and after you travel!

Travel Tips: While You Travel

Congratulations! Now that you’ve arrive at your destination, here are a few tips to help get your trip off to a good start.

Cash is always accepted! When you arrive in a new country, it is always good to have U.S. dollars on you. Get local money at an ATM or currency exchange location, and avoid getting it exchanged at the airport—they have the worst rates. It can be helpful to use a calculator or app on your phone to figure out the price of something in a specific currency.
If you’ve landed in a time zone that is five or more hours different than home, you may have jet lag. There are different theories on how to deal with jet lag, but it helps to try and jump into the local time and plan a not so strenuous first day. Eat and sleep on the local schedule. Here’s hoping you get a great night’s rest!
Remember you are always an ambassador of your country. Be courteous and respect the local culture. It may be tremendously exciting to visit a place, but may not be appropriate to do certain things. For instance taking photos, selfies, funny poses and gawking at new sights can sometimes make others feel awkward and less than respected.
It’s always a good idea to keep passport, money, credit cards, phone, camera, etc. close to you. Some people like money belts or a zippered pouch on a lanyard. Prevent potential problems by having items in a safe, locked pocket or bag. Also because of potential jet lag you may be more forgetful, so it’s good to have a designated place to find these items.

One more big things to remember: Just because you are in a world famous place doesn’t mean you have to do the “expected” tour. Often the most meaningful experiences are more personal. For instance, in Venice, you may find that the expensive gondola ride is eclipsed by rich gelato eaten in the beautiful sunshine.

Ask locals for advice and be genuinely open to new and different people, places, and cultures. You will make new friends and learn lots!

What is Worth Doing?

“Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” While it is a well-intended thought meant to elevate our work towards quality and perfection, I do not like its overall meaning.

If you perceive something is worth doing, then do it. If it is worth doing, then do it badly! You will either find it so worthwhile that you will improve or you will enjoy the experience and then turn your attention to other things that you will do well. But there is NOTHING to be gained by sitting out some activity you want to engage in because you may be perceived as not doing it well.

H. Macy of Macy’s started seven failed businesses before finally hitting it big in New York City.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.”
Albert Einstein was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.
Oprah Winfrey was fired from a position as a television reporter because she was “unfit for TV.”
Stephen King’s first book received 30 rejections.
Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.

These are some high performing people, but not because they were immediately and consistently good at their chosen activity. They were driven by a love of the activity or competition or performance. They would not have even understood the question, “Is it worth doing?”

The point is: YOU decide what is worth doing.

I love to sing. I do not sing particularly well, but it is worth doing because I enjoy it! I like the energy and well-being that comes from singing out loud. And the more I do it, the better I become. I am improving and making myself worthy of the activity I enjoy.

Maybe you like to write, or run, or cook, or ski…. Do it. I cannot tell you if it is worth it; but I can tell you that YOU ARE worth it!

Source: 50 Famously Successful People Who Failed At First – OnlineCollege.org. (2010, February 16). Retrieved June 15, 2016, from http://www.onlinecollege.org/2010/02/16/50-famously-successful-people-who-failed-at-first/

Perseverance

As an adviser, I work with seniors who go through many emotions in their final months of high school. Some are very anxious to graduate and complete their courses earlier than expected, some will continue to pace themselves to the finish at the planned time, and some want to slow down as they near to end to enjoy their high school years a while longer.

No matter how they are feeling, all have choices to make as they near graduation. Whether they want to go faster or slower to the finish line, my wish for all seniors is to capitalize on perseverance and lead yourself to many joys along the way.

I’ve been blessed by perseverance as a lifetime student. My history thrives around the ongoing pursuit of knowledge for either personal, social, sustainable, or professional goals. I’ve climbed a mountain of tasks, rolled down the hills, landed in pastures and pushed through to a finish line to find the beginning of new goal. I find the glory of overcoming any obstacle with perseverance.

Perseverance may be hard to find when you’re in high school and only starting to learn about yourself as a learner and a young adult. How can you find and capitalize your own perseverance?

Spend time with family and friends.
Learn something new to keep your tank full and brain working.
Work with a team to care for others.
Be grounded to deal with the tethered threads of life choices.
Find courage to keep learning new skills.
Explore creativity.
Wear a smile every day!

The choices you have to make like when to graduate and what to do after graduation may be scary—change always is. All you need to do is live with hope, a big shovel of resiliency, and two buckets of perseverance. I promise you will make it through!

The End Goal of High School

High school principals and teachers value all of the experiences, activities and opportunities that students have along the way, but make no mistake, the end goal is to give students their diplomas.

When that day and hour arrives, the moment is indescribable! Parents, grandparents, friends and former teachers all raise their heads to acknowledge their students and how proud they are of them for attaining this rite of passage.

Students are capped and gowned. Teachers and other staff have taken their various places for the ceremony but also to do what they do best, help students even in this most anxious time to make this very special event—the best ever. There is an electricity and buzz in the air like no other.

As you work toward this most prestigious accomplishment, here are some things to think about:

What am I doing to reach my graduation goal—right now?
If my grades are not what I want them to be, what can I change in my study habits, right now, that will lead to better grades?
If I need tutor help, who can I turn to, to make this happen?

Graduation opens an infinite number of opportunities and adventures!
And remember, the teachers and staff are there to help you reach that goal.