robin-bell.com Travel

Manilla – Not a city for a relaxing break

Having just spent 5 days in Manilla for a short break I can confirm it is a long way from my favourite city. Whilst, the city has a depth of culture and history encompassing periods of colonization by the Spanish, British and Americans the city is very slow and busy. The city has a lot of contrasts from glitzy shopping centres, skyscrapers, pristine golf courses to rampant poverty and slumps. The ‘modern luxury’ the city has is somewhat faceless and boring, with lots of security all around. The traffic in the city is probably the worst I have ever seen, even coming from Beijing the traffic seemed bad. Plus the public transport is very limited and overcrowded.

One day we escaped the city and went to the Taal Volcano, which was an interesting sight. The volcano is in the middle of a lake, so it requires a boat to the volcano and then a dusty walk up to the summit. Once back in Manilla we transferred our exploration to the old city and the seafront. The seafront is not particularly pretty by it does have a fantastic sunset. The old city does have more history and culture than the new centre and a visit to Fort Santiago was well worthwhile. The cathedral and Plaza de Roma were picturesque and sitting in the Plaza de Roma in front of the cathedral you could forgot you are in Southeast Asia. However, whilst Manilla has lots of culture and history if you are willing to look, it is not a city I would rush back to.

Plaza de Roma
Journey to Taal Volcano
Fort Santiago
robin-bell.com Animals, Travel

Two Cats, Customs and 6,000 Miles across the Globe

After much planning the time had arrived when the trip from Washington DC to Beijing with two cats in tow had to be made. The cats formed part of a large amount of luggage that needed to be checked in (6 suitcases, 1 box and two cats in carriers in total).

Cats and Luggage Ready to Go
Smoggy at Dulles

Luckily, the cats could travel as checked baggage, rather than cargo and did not need to be quarantined. However, travelling through two airports, being handled numerous times and then sitting on a plane for 14 hours was still an adventure for one cat and one kitten. The cats adventure included having to be taken out of the carriers at airport so their carries could be x-rayed, then once we reached Beijing the cats had to be removed again, to be checked and photographed before being admitted into the country. Once we arrived the cats settled down from their adventure and seemed to be enjoying their new light and airy home.

robin-bell.com Animals, Travel

Costa Rica: Wild Monkey and Toucan Sightings

After visiting El Salvador, the next stop was Costa Rica, which was a completely different culture and environment, particularly given their relative proximity. The first thing, which stood out in Costa Rica, was the (very) lush vegetation, and the second thing was how slow the traffic moved up and down the hills and around the bends. After hiring a car at the airport, it took two and a half hours to drive the 75 miles to the Arenal Volcano National Park. The National Park contains two volcanoes, a lake and lush tropical rainforest at base of the volcanoes. Whilst staying in the national park we were able to see many wonderful sights, the highlight being wild monkeys and toucans.

Wild Monkey
Wild Toucan

In addition, the trip to the national park offered excellent cuisine and great activities. These activities included a ziplining canopy tour and a day relaxing at a spa with over 25 different thermo mineral hot water pools. Although, the top activity was a trip to a local rescued animal sanctuary, as this allowed the opportunity to feed monkeys and other exciting animals.

robin-bell.com Travel

El Salvador: Mayan Temples, Villages and Two Armed Guards

Whilst in El Salvador (which is a really interesting country to visit) there was the opportunity to visit Mayan ruins, which was something I have always really wanted to do. I left early as part of a tour, along with five other people to visit two different sets of Mayan temples (Tazumal and San Andres Ruins) and a Mayan village (Joya de Cerén).

Tazumal
Armed Guards
San Adres Ruins

Accompanying us on the trip to the Mayan ruins were two heavily armed police officers, in addition all the sites we visited were secured with army personnel, which was a reminder of the dangers that still exist in El Salvador. The Mayan village was very well preserved as it had been covered by a volcanic eruption similar to Pompeii and walking around the ruined temples was phenomenal. It was the highlight of the time spent in El Salvador.

robin-bell.com Animals, Travel

Black Bears in Shenandoah

A weekend hiking trip to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, enabled the opportunity to not only see peaks and waterfalls, but also the opportunity to see some of the local wildlife.

A Deer in Bear Country
A Black Bear

Included in this wildlife were deers and birds but also the notoriously different to spot Black Bear. During the weekend whilst hiking and driving, we managed to see a black bear on three occasions, in three different locations. On one occasion, it appeared as though one was following us down a trail and wanted to have his photo taken.

robin-bell.com Teaching, Travel

Two New Firsts

Today I travelled to meet one of our external examiners at Teesside University, to discuss our MBA and MSc dissertation and research processes and procedures. This meant an early start this morning, as I had to fly from Bristol to Newcastle and then catch a train from Newcastle to Middleborough. However, I managed to achieve two firsts for myself. These were firstly, visiting two new cities (Newcastle and Middleborough) and secondly, travelling to an airport via bicycle.

This meant an even earlier morning, and unfortunately, Bristol Airport is at the top of a hill, which didn’t particularly make for a nice early morning sunrise ride. However, there was definitely a certain novelty about cycling to the airport and leaving the bike and heading through customs with very little except some papers and my laptop.

Cycling to the Airport
Newcastle Airport

Once arriving in Newcastle, unfortunately the weather was very different, and was not suitable for enjoying the scenery. However, the main purpose of the visit when very well and discussions with the external examiner were very productive and he was supportive of the proposed changes. Plus, we were able to discuss online learning developments and blended learning opportunities. This provided me an opportunity to run through, and gain some feedback on some of the teaching innovations I am planning for next academic year, from one of our external examiners.

robin-bell.com Travel

Learning & Teaching Fellowship

After completing a long and arduous 46-page application, highlighting the teaching innovations and practices, I had developed and introduced (and supporting publications) whilst at the University of Worcester, I was interviewed for a University Teaching Fellowship. The date of the interview unfortunately fell on a date when I was already booked on an advanced structural equation-modeling course in the Dept. of Physics at the University of Sheffield. Luckily, I was able to have the interview via Skype in the University of Sheffield Student Union, which was an interesting and new experience. I was delighted to find out today (two weeks later) I had been awarded a University Teaching Fellowship, which is held for five years. The Fellowship identifies and offers additional time and support for the role I play in enhancing and transforming the student learning experience and supporting colleagues in developing innovative teaching and learning practices.