UT Tyler Passport Day!

Hello internet!

The Office of International Programs here at UT Tyler will be hosting it's 3rd annual PASSPORT DAY this Saturday, February 1st! If you don't have a passport yet or are interested getting one, you should come!

The event is going to be held in the University Center here on campus. If you're not sure where that is, you can use this map to find your way! It's going to start at 9:00 am -1:00 pm. If you're a first time applicant, it is required that you apply in person! So don't miss your opportunity to apply right here!

In order to apply for a US Passport, you need to do a few things.

1: Fill out the actual application form 

2: Turn in that application

3: Prove that your're a citizen of 'murica. (you can do this by turning in a copy of your birth certificate or              certificate of citizenship)

4: Submit some form of identification. (You're Drivers' licence would be good!)

5: Pay the application fee 

6: Provide a passport photo (2 X 2 inches)

Once you've turned in the required materials, and pay the fee, all you have to do is wait to get you're Passport to arrive! Oh yeah, The fee for the passport book is $110, and to also get a passport card is $30 extra. Like most things, they do charge you a little fee for processing (so that they can pay their peeps) of $25. 

If you suffer from a severe case of wanderlust, like me, don't miss your opportunity to get your ticket to the world! Get your passport. 

If you have any questions, feel free to call 903-565-5976 (UT Tyler) or 903-579-8674 (Tyler USPS Office)

"The mountains are calling, and I must go".

Castles, Castles, and More Castles

I recently spoke of my planned travels top England which have now come to be. Which means it is no longer planned travels since it has already occurred. The happening has been traveled . Anyway, as a graduate student in history at The University of Texas at Tyler it’s easy to understand why I would enjoy visiting the United Kingdom so much. I mean, it’s where history comes from.

I began my travels in Wallsend which received its name from marking then eastern most end of the 80 mile long wall built under Emperor Hadrian of the Roman Empire. Wallsend is a suburb of the larger Newcastle just as Plano is a suburb of Dallas or Rice Village is that of Houston. Starting there we made our way around to several castles and made day trips to both Edinburgh and York. Most of my time in Northern England however, was spent around castles…. Castles, castles, and more castles. Everywhere you turn there’s another castle. Drive to far you’ll run your car right into one. Sometimes they seem to just pop up out of the ground. I then took the Brit-rail to spend a few days in London.

As promised I will be posting a series on my travels in Great Britain... Just as soon as I get the pictures off of a camera. But until then I will be keeping everyone up to date on all the musical happening around Tyler through the summer. 

life cheat 5093714: is anyone even reading these life cheats. I mean most of them are actual things 

First Time Out of the Country

One week from today I will be embarking on a trip to England with my parents and one of my brothers (I have 3). I have been out of the country so this trip kind of scares me. It’s not the travelling in a metal tube for 9 hour propelled by highly explosive fuel that bothers me. It’s the whole “I’ve never done this before” that gets me. I've traveled through most of the Midwest before but leaving the country is something completely new and foreign to me. But I guess there’s a first time for everything.

I always like to try new things and generally explore, but I have never done so in this way. I look forward to visiting “where the history comes from” yet I’m being unusually cautious. Why am I feeling this why? What should I do? Why do you care? Why am I talking to myself?

Being scared about something new is an entirely natural thing. How you react to this new thing is what matters. So, I plan on reacting by recording my travels and keep up to date logs so I may present you all with a series of blogs on my travels. Stay tuned!

Traveling Blues

       2 MORE MONTHS! 2 more short months until I fly over the Pacific (or is it the Atlantic?)  Ocean to Japan! This trip has been the ABSOLUTE anticipated event that 11 lucky students have been waiting on!

If you guys don't know, GATE stands for Global Awareness Through Education. This outstanding program started 2 years ago. My "GATE '13" group (we are traveling in the summer of 2013, hence "13" in the name) is actual the inaugural class! Freshman apply for a spot in the group, which consist of an essay and phone interview.

The intelligibility is restricted to Freshman because it is a 2 year program. Students will be taking "GATE classes ". These classes are core classes every majors has to take anyways so you don't have to add on extra classes, which is always nice :) These classes are taught by UT Tyler professors that have graciously agreed to tweak their class to put in a global prospective on their lesson plan. Students also participate in various global activities held on campus by Central for Global Education ( CGE).

These include from outstanding lectures from FBI agent s to ambassadors at the UN, and even Foods of the World! If you are interested in attending these events, check out the GATE facebook page!

     As I said, 2 more short months, well more like closer to 3 actually since we just started March, but we leave DFW on May 23rd! We have to be there to start check out by 7:30 a.m. I must add! This leads me to the not so glamorous part of traveling that I do not enjoy....

1. Waking up SUPER EARLY  to drive to the airport. 
2. Checking in. Yes, I know this is for safety but it takes FOREVER! (have you guys noticed how impatient I am?)
3. The flight is 13 hours long! 13!!!! This is not good for people who are nauseous the whole time during a flight like myself :(
4. Packing. oh boy... about this, I tend to over pack anyways.. so what do I do when I have limited space and a weight limit to pack for a 5 week long trip?! Our GATE adviser told us to pack for just a week and a half worth of clothes. That's is easily said than done, especially for girls! WE LIKE LOTS OF CLOTHING OPTIONS! 
5. Cell phones, credit cards, computers, student insurance cards, vaccination.. well all those have to be figured out. I must talk to my cell phone providers and bank to inform them I am leaving out of the country!

Fortunately, I will be traveling by plane

In general, these are the knitty gritty stuff that's not as much fun to think about and do. So, as our trip comes closer, I really have to buckle down and tackle these pre-traveling stuff and get them all figured out! Don't get me wrong I am VERY much excited to go, and I probably sound negative talking about the trip, but these are the stuff I get so anxious about when it comes to traveling! Do you guys have tips for me? I have traveled abroad mutiple times but NEVER without my parents, so any suggestions would help! :) I would really appreciate that! 

I will post more stuff about t pre-trip activities and thoughts as the day comes closer! And be ready ready to see LOTS AND LOTS of pictures of Japan when I come back :) 

Out of City Experiences, or ... Why Presenting Is Awesome!

   One of the most important things a person in an Arts & Humanities field can do before graduation is to plan and get experience *ANY WAY POSSIBLE* in a professional sense before you walk the aisle to get the empty diploma tube.