Making plans

Last Thursday evening I heard I've been offered a place on the Banff summer program to which I'd applied (way back in November...). Very exciting, as I'd just about got to the point of thinking it wasn't going to happen. The week previously I heard that my paper's been accepted for the IVSA conference in Vancouver, also this summer, and that the IOCT would support me to attend and present there.

Great news!

So, Friday morning (pre-course_ was spent rapidly clearing things from my diary for the Banff dates and interim between the two. The weekend (in between the undergraduate end-of-term-and-move-everything-out-of-halls-for-easter run and the mothers day visit-and-shopping-trip) was spent researching flights, costs, travel options, possible places and people to meet up with, etc. Now the budget has begun to sink in and I've spoken to a few more people about the trip.

Currently...  I'm in the middle of signing up for Couchsurfing!
Heard about it from a German student I met youth hostelling in the Netherlands and then met up with again in NY last summer... he was very positive about CS, and I'd heard and read a bit about it before. Seems a bit like WWOOF without the work or the farm! As a WWOOF host for a couple of years, back when, it was always really enjoyable and interesting to meet people from different places with a common intention (for organic gardening, adventure/travel and meeting pleasant likeminded people), so I might give this a go.

I think I'll keep a blog about the preparations etc on this site under the label Canada Visit. Quite possibly there will be a stand-alone strand or blog for activity at Banff, in particular as I want to frame a research/participation element as a remote project linked to the PMStudio, possibly with a skype link up and discussion towards the end of the residency.