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November 25th, 2019

Monday’s Blog by Caitlin Reynolds

            Today was the first day at university for all of us. Everyone was assigned to random groups where puzzles were put together. This was called an ‘ice breaker’ even though the real ice breaker didn’t come until afterwards. Could you imagine using your body to create a number or letter? Neither could I, until today that is. As you can see from some of the pictures, some of us had simple tasks, like laying in a straight line ...

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11/24/2019
Hannah Alley
Day Two

Good news, day two was much better than day one! We started our day around 7:30 am and got ready for the day planned in Bruge, Belgium. Even though we felt a little rough and were maybe a little stinky from not being able to shower (with soap) since we left Maine due to our luggage taking a trip to Germany, we had a big day planned at the Christmas market. 
We arrived at the Christmas market around 1:30 pm, it took us about three hours to drive from our houses to B...

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DAY 1-2 (The First 24 hours)

Day of Travel 

            How did we get here? Well first it started off with evolution. No, no, no just messing with you. Well, at about noon we left the University and headed to Fredericton. Yes, dear Reader, we went to Canada to just go to another country. Wild, right? Then from Fredericton we flew to Toronto and this my dear reader is were the fun part begins. Our flight landed in Toronto at 7:40pm and our next plane began boarding at 7:45pm, which was all the ...

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It is hard to believe we are now in our 18th year. So many memories! I will open by saying this has been a wonderful group to work with both our UMM students as well as our international students. The UMM ladies will each take a day to bring you with us on our travel, sit back and enjoy the fun.  
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This trip is a great learning experience with other four countries.  I am impressed with the different countries use of the English language.  English is not a first language for anyone who is in the group that I am in, but we haven't had a problem communicating. Our group's focus is about the treatment of PTSD in children 0-8.  I love Holland.  I like the landscape, its such a small country, compared to the US.  It is neat to see how the people are organized and respectful of the landscape. ...
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On Wednesday, November 28th, we gathered to present our research in front of the Crossing Boarders class and the professors. I am in group two which covers the topic of child abuse. We were told to make our presentations creative so it keeps the audience's attention. My group did a powerpoint with pictures that resembled different types of child abuse, and in most of the pictures, I was the child. Even though it was a serious topic, we made sure to keep it light in order to keep everyones att...
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Today is November 28th, and has it been a busy few days. We spent most of the day at the InHolland University working on our projects and the other part of our day looking for the restaurant where everyone was meeting and eventually getting some food into us. A few of us also did walk through Alkmaar, just to see how pretty the agriculture was, and it was so worth it. It seems that all of our papers are coming along beautifully. We are all almost to the conclusion part of things which mea...
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Happy Monday. Today was the first day we meet at the university in Alkmaar, InHolland. We got to meet all of the students, totaling like 50. It was so exciting to put bodies to the names and voices we have been talking with all semester. The first half of the school day we did meet and greet fun stuff and toured the university. The second half we were able to meet with our groups for writing. After school a group of students went to the grocery store to pick up stuff to cook dinner together. ...
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Hello everyone! My name is Travonne Thompson and I am here to provide a blog post for November 25^th2018 for our second day in the Netherlands. Today we had some very good personal bonding time with our group from Maine. I thought today was really beneficial for us to become closer as a personal group because it then allows us to learn a little more about each other since we don’t get to be in an actual classroom throughout the semester because of the format of the course. We started out tod...

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Wow, what an adventure this is turning out to be! We started off the trip yesterday morning at 8 am, when we left UMM.  For the first part of the trip we had to drive to Boston to the airport; we then flew to Dublin. It was hard for us to grasp the concept of the time change.  When we left Boston, it was 6:20 pm--we arrived in Dublin at 5:30 am.  There is a 5 hour time difference, the flight was actually 5 hours not 11!  From Dublin we flew to Amsterdam where the time changed one more hour, b...
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How lucky am I to get to experience travel with my students. the semester has been full of ups and downs -- stress over the paper and exploring different cultures virtually. Now we have arrived in the Netherlands for the intensive week, and are settling in to the bungalows. The students from Norway, Germany and Russia have arrived too, grocery shopping done and we will try to stay up just a little longer so that sleep will come quickly and we will be ready for our day of exploration tomorrow ...
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The day starts out groggy, it's 6 AM and I'm getting out of bed. Tired from a night with good friends and dancing, I get up and make myself a cup of tea. The stove won't start, so much for making everybody breakfast. It's now 7:30 AM and the sun still hasn't full risen. It's our last day in Holland, and all of the student from UMaine Machias are going into Amsterdam. Fast forward to 9 AM - public transportation; goodness isn't it confusing and gross? We get off the bus and he...

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We started off the day by going to the school and doing some end of week feedback. People had some interesting thoughts and one that stuck to me was when someone said there should be more of a structure but Hans-Jan made a good point where the friction among the groups is a huge part of this class and that’s what makes this class so special. We work hard and learn to work together but it does require some pressure. The pressure we work together makes us learn stronger and help out in the fu...
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 Sunday morning we woke up from our first full night of sleep at Jamarco. We had cereal for breakfast and dressed warm for our day at the windmills. We met in Dr. Lori’s bungalow at 9:00AM and met Sammy and Tiffany who were our chauffeurs for the day. Tiffany and Sammy were students of crossing boarders last year. Before leaving, we invited the all students who arrived the night before and four German students joined. We piled into the van and Tiffany’s car and were on ou...

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Today was the day that we had our presentations! Since it was going to be a pretty intense day of listening to a lot people talking and absorbing a lot of information, we were all allowed to sleep in. We haven’t exactly been getting up too early, at least in my opinion, but I prefer to sleep in until around nine or nine thirty, and we had not being doing that up to this day.

  It was a little crazy trying to figure out where to go. We got there in time to participate in yo...

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On Tuesday, November 28, we started off our day at 9am beginning with the usual bit of housekeeping to ensure we were all on the same page. Today, the groups hit the paper and presentations hard. At times the work was intense and a bit stressful but all of the groups got a surprising amount of work done.

After the on campus part of the day was done, some students went to Alkmaar to shop and decompress from the long hard day of work. Shayna and I got a little lost and had a h...

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      On Monday we started our day having breakfast in our bungalow. We left the bungalow at 9:30 to get to the college at 10. The college was beautiful! There were live plants going up poles near the stairs and live pants that cover the walls. We first met some professors and a few students in the lobby. We were able to recognize some students from the video chats and introduced ourselves. Followed, all the students and professors met in the cafeteria. We mixed and mingled, ...

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I say this every year and have since 2002, but the time between visits with the CB faculty and students goes by so quickly. It is hard to believe since that first time Amber and I headed to Rosswein Germany I have literally brought more than 100 students to either Germany or Holland to share in this wonderful experience/class. I love now watching Facebook and seeing how past friendships continue and new are built.

As this year's class comes together it will be fun to read their papers and to w...
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day 4 of 100 days of advocacy: shared from the Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented:

• Read and research, do your homework on the issues;
• Find and use support groups;
• Be prepared to share information with others, using practical examples;
• Consider using information from tests/assessments as supporting data;
• Ask questions, and give defensible answers;
• Advocate positively, look for events and opportunities to congratulate and reinforce;
• Keep your message simple and straigh...

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day 3 of 100 days of advocacy: as promised to day I will post a few tips from experts: #1 be prepared and truthful at all times "know your topic and your audience. Be honest with the people you are dealing with" Carol Kelly #2 don't be in a hurry I've been doing this since the 60's sometimes its a one step forward process but many times there are gains. #3 tell your story and keep a sense of humor #4 "have confidence in yourself and your decision making" Danielle Clore #5 become part of a str...
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Day 2- 100 days of advocacy: there are many forms of advocacy from standing up for yourself at the doctors office to advocating for a cause I have chosen to start with legislative advocacy. Your efforts are an important factor in helping to shape public policy. It is important to remember no matter what their political view is your legislator is, like you, someone who wants to improve life in your community. In addition to face to face meetings letters, phone calls and email are also good way...
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In keeping with my desire to stay positive I have decided to make a  morning post about advocacy. So for the next 100 days buckle up buttercup this old lady is going to push you to put your money where your mouth is! Advocating for what you believe in is crucial if you don't ask for it people assume you don't need it. That is what has brought us to this point. So for today remember: Don't raise your voice, improve your argument (and please no alternative facts), do research back up what you h...
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Monday, 28th of November--

Teresa Rothe

Today is the third day of the crossing boarder trip, since we arrived on Saturday the 26th. It has been an exciting time getting to know everybody " for real". It is always interesting to meet people who come from other parts of the world. Everyone seems eager to hear what the other person has to say, whether it's about something typical of a persons region or country they come from or just "unique" things about themselves. To...

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 I want to start of by describing how my Friday started off, I decided to visit one of my old friends in Amsterdam, he currently plays for the Ajax amateur team. I played with him my last year of high school so we shared memories while playing soccer. As we were heading to eat I was able to notice the difference in him, he seemed more focused on what he wanted to do and what was needed to achieve his goal. I ask him if we could go eat at a good restaurant, he took me to an al...

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I have been 5 days in Europe now and everyday has been a surprising me. There are so many differences here in Netherlands from the United State. One big difference is that here they have roads for bicyclist. Almost everyone here owns a bicycle. The people ride their bicycles here in warm and cold weather. One thing that, I found fascinating are the canals. Everywhere I went, I’ve seen canals. The other night, I went to the city of Alkmaar, and the canals went threw the midd...

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For the last 3 days, we have been all around the town getting to know the area of Alkmaar and towns nearby. I love the houses and buildings here because they look so little and so close to each other compared to the United States. The designs of the houses are alike but different types of form and material. They look amazing! Also, they have some kind of grass on the roof that helps for insulation. It feels like I am living in a fairytale movie. Everything is so different. Th...

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Today was the first day that I am officially in Europe, or at least the first day I was fully awake. First we started our day going to the Zaanse schans. This was a unique experience for me the Museum was like taken out of a movie. I did so many things that I never thought I would do. One of them was playing with stilts (see picture) and it was harder than it looks I could barely balance but I managed to take at least one step. In the museum I also got to see how they make th...

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Hello everyone, so hard to believe I am once again in the Netherlands with a new group of students. Each year is like I've never been here before watching the reactions of my students as we exit the airport. I get to see this place through their eyes, each experience is once again new and exciting. Our week is full with exploring and classes working on the research papers and presenting our findings to one another. It is always wonderful spending time with my European colleagues, dissecting t...
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Friday 12/04/2015 Amanda Dickey

         Our last day here in Holland was first spent at the University during our final feedback session, then we had the rest of the day free to do as we pleased. Most of us split up in Amsterdam, some went sight-seeing or window-shopping, others stayed out late enjoying the nightlife and a few of us visited the Van Gogh Museum… I was one of these people.

         The Van Gogh Museum was INCREDIBLE! When Dr. Lori and I were first discussi...

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Thursday 12/3/2015 Eddie Socker

         Last night after the presentation were over and after everyone had a wonderful dinner at the Italian restaurant in Alkmaar all of us we out for a bit to see the town at night. We took the 11:00 bus back to where we are staying and when we got back everyone wanted to hang out for a little bit. After hopping to around a few different bungalows we settled down in the Norwegians bungalow where Marius and I played the guitar and ukulele an...

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Wednesday 12/2/2015 Dr. Lori

 Today was presentation day. Every year I am amazed at the creativity and energy that goes into presenting the research.  Each group chooses the method to present what they have found through their research the range this year was an original song to start the presentation, a video, a psycho drama and games.  The day was topped off with all the students and faculty headed to dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in Alkmaar.  The beauty of the...

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12/1/2015—Jamie Moores-Lank

My first time on a plane, my first time on a bus and today was my first time on a train! Today was a great day spent with new friends! We worked on our research presentations to have them ready for our big day tomorrow of presenting; As the only mentor I spent today bouncing from place to place. I know they will be great because everyone has worked so hard on them. After working all day we spent the evening in Amsterdam exploring and taking all ...

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The last day of November was spent as our first day in our groups face to face.

 Sitting for the first time as a large group we played a Who Am I game, where we got to know something about at least 18 people from our Crossing Borders Group. Hobbies, pets, family, goals and anything that person felt was important to share. It was nice to be able to say hello to just about everyone in all the groups.

We then were able to break into our small groups, where we were asked to make a ...

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Day one for the Americans by Regan Davenport:

We arrived in Amsterdam ahead of schedule. The clean air, the clean stores even in the airport, instantly took us aback and of course the drive out to the bungalow was incredible. Before we even saw where we were going to be staying, or meeting anyone from Germany Norway and Jessica of the Netherlands in person, the drive from the airport was beautiful. I didn’t mind even as tired as I was for the detour letting the second van ...

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Blog post: Cary Goodman --

A huggggeeeee thank you to Janine and her lovely family for welcoming us into her home and hosting all of us (15+) at her families' holiday dinner! Her family made us a traditional Dutch winter time meal of boerenkoolstamppot (cabbage with mashed potatoes and bacon), Hutspot (carrots, onion, potatoes and bacon), Zuurkoolstamppot (sour kraut, potatoes and bacon), and Rookworst (smoked sausage). And to top it off, a Dutch dessert called vlaflep and one...

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They say time flies when you are having fun, and that is sure true this week. We leave for home tomorrow after a packed full week of eating, work on the research papers, eating,  presentations, eating and making new friends. It is so hard to say good bye to new friends, but leave we must. Stay tuned for more from the students, I will start posting those tomorrow,
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Blog post - Melissa Brown: Today we had a very busy day! We worked in our groups this morning to finalize our presentations. We ate lunch together at school and began out presentations around 2pm. The presentations were both funny and interesting! The topics were about social work, immigration and autism. Afterwards we American students and mentors went to Amsterdam by train. The buildings were so beautiful and were decorated with many lights for Christmas. Of course we checked out the red li...

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We have had a very full 2 days! We began the "intensive" part of our intensive week yesterday (Monday) at Inholland University in Alkmaar. Our mentors Melissa, Kary and Julia led the students and faculty in warm up ice breaker activities and team building exercises. The student groups began their work in the afternoon with a focus on bringing together the research and interviews into one manuscript while the faculty focused on planning for the week. Monday night back at the housing the Americ...
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We began our trip to the Netherlands yesterday morning after digging the university van out of a snow bank (thanks to Jerrod and Clifton)! Picked up Taylor in Ellsworth, Mel and Julia in Portland (thanks USM for having the student center open we couldn't have made it another mile without that ladies room lol) and finally met up with Margot, Kary and Dr. Frey at Logan. I have to say how impressed I am at the wonderful packing job we did, there was room in the van for all of us and all the lugg...
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What is the Rainbow Ball?

"The Rainbow Ball is an open and affirming chem-free prom evening that includes dancing, pictures, food, and friends. It is offered as an alternative prom for youth who may be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and their allies. All associated high school and college students, youth groups, and community members, including allied support groups, are invited to attend the casual, fun, safe, supervised, and friendly community celebration." (from UMM Webpage http://w...
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I'm sitting with my feet up before our senate visits and got to thinking about the amazing young folks I am meeting who are the youth advocates -- Each of them Cameron from KY, Anake from Vermont, Katherine from ME Matt from Montana who has to come to Boston for treatment, all of them with unique stories to tell and each with a brave face, give me hope for the future :-)
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The welcome session has over 300 folks from 34 states represented. We have been charged with speaking as not one of 310 people but as one of 53 million people with some form of arthritis. We are growing at a rate of a million people diagnosed every year, (it is 1 in 6 Americans).  We learned that we are 70,000 advocates, currently. Our new CEO Ann Palmer told one of the faces stories of a young girl from Florida who was scolded by her PE teacher because she wasn't running fast enough. My ques...
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Wow what a day of travel and getting started!  My first session was with Christopher Kush from Soapbox Consulting where we were challenged to introduce ourselves to other advocates in the session based on 5 questions around advocacy. It was interesting to hear how others approached the questions. I was excited to see this year there was a Teen Meet and Greet for high school students from around the country with arthritis, their session focused on what to expect while in DC and how to stay con...
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Self-advocacy is the ability to speak-up for yourself and the things that are important to you. Self-advocacy means you are able to ask for what you need and want and tell people about your thoughts and feelings. Self-advocacy means you know your rights and responsibilities, you speak-up for your rights, and you are able to make choices and decisions that affect your life. The goal of self-advocacy is for YOU to decide what you want then develop and carry out a plan to help y...

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As an ambassador for the Arthritis foundation from the state of Maine I will be traveling to Washington DC March 24th through March 26th. I will be sharing my preparation for the trip as well as updating my experiences while in DC. To help you understand my journey I would  first like to share with you some definitions of advocacy. Tomorrow I will discuss my journey to becoming an advocate.

The Alliance for Justice defines advocacy as:

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We arrived home after a long trip! You will have to ask one of the US Crossing Borders folks about our adventure coming home! The week was filled with research, writing, storming and norming, making friends, eating and did I mention eating? and laughter. We learned we are not so different even though our cultures are many -- as I love saying we all smile in the same language and we certainly didd a lot of that. I will post some of the research once the papers are finalized. Check back for my ...
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This is what the canals are like at Christmas in Holland. Today is St. Nicholas day, kind of like Christmas Eve for us :-). The Crossing Borders students are finalizing their papers and we will be headed back down east Saturday :-) lots of memories but ready to come home.


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We have finished the group presentations! All four groups were amazing :-) it is evident that all the hard work is paying off. I have enjoyed getting to know my international students in the same way I've enjoyed having Chelsea, Jesse, Taylor and Colby in class on campus.
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Crossing Borders is an international module focusing on ways to cross borders and bring-down barriers. The participants are students from  The University of Maine at Machias in the USA;  The Hochschule Mittweida  a university of applied sciences in the district of Mittweida, Saxony, Germany; The department of social work and social care;  Bergen University College students and faculty from Health and Social Science, Bergen Norway; and Inholland University  of applied sciences and professional...

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Hi Folks, this is a trial to see if I can start a blog I will be adding tales from my travels over the summer with Ms. Clare, I also hope to post pictures as I go. Always up for a new adventure in technology!
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