Catching Up

I finally get it right...

The last time I posted was over four months ago, before the start of the busy spring student season. An e-mail from a fellow tour guide asking me about my blog inspired me to take another look and perhaps attempt to get this going again. Since it would be difficult and quite boring to try to catch up on the last four months, I am going to highlight my journey of self awareness that that time has given me.

My first tour of the season in February was an utter disaster; in fact, the lead teacher actually called me "the tour director from hell." Although at the end of the tour I was ready to agree with her, I understand now what faults lay with me and, to a great extent, with her. And, so I don't leave any doubt to how this story turns out, I also know now that I can be a great tour director doing what I do best -- research, teach, and make connections.

The tour was a large choir, and in addition to escorting the 87 individuals, with almost as many adults as students and a few additional children and parents I learned were called "ghosts," people on the trip who had not paid through the tour operator, but were "hangers-on," I also was supposed to be training a first-time escort. All of these in combination with a couple of errors in judgment on my part led to the calamity It started at the airport; when the coach driver told me that we should meet him in the coach parking lot rather than having him pick us up, I made my biggest error in judgment. First, I didn't know where it was. Second, the lead teacher was in a wheelchair. To make a long story short (okay, I know that is a cliche) I dragged 60 people with luggage and a teacher in a wheelchair up and down three floors inside and out, looking for the parking area. After that attempts to make everything right -- storing luggage so people could eat, handing out theater tickets so people could meet us at the theater -- did nothing to help the situation. My utter confusion over ticket numbers and people interested in "doing their own thing" only contributed to the chaos, and by the end of the first day there was nothing I could do to change the poor impression I had already made.

At the end of the trip I realized this type of tour was not my forte; I wanted to teach. I wanted to be able to share the cities and sites I loved and not to herd people who don't want to be herded. And that has made all the difference.

My next tour was DC to NY with a different tour operator, and it couldn't have gone better. The students were 8th graders. One of the greatest surprises (the whole touring experience has been one surprise after another) was that I loved the 8th graders. They still are basically innocent and, for the most part, are thrilled with each new experience. A highlight of the trip was a pre-arranged pick-up of cupcakes at Carlos's Bakery. My coach driver was the best, and, unlike on my fall foliage tours, we worked as a team; in fact, the teacher-chaperones were constantly remarking that they couldn't believe we had never worked together prior to this trip. I took care of the 30-something kids and the 10 adults, even walking from Central Park to Columbus Circle in the middle of New York's St. Patrick's Day parade surrounded by thousands, many of whom most have started drinking early that morning. The thanks and the tips and the great ratings finally made me think, "I can do this."

And then came my work as a "course leader," an accurate description of the job. I didn't have to make confirmation calls, ticket arrangements, or worry about the several students and one chaperone who were taken down by a horrible stomach virus. All I had to do was teach (and, of course, make sure we got from place to place). I loved it! And I was good. It was easier because the teachers had so well prepared their students for their experience; the students were eager to learn, and I felt that I was finally getting a good handle on what was important, what to share. In addition, I was on a two-bus move, and my cohort was wonderfully supportive and generous, always making sure that I had all the information and support materials that she used. Thank you, Karen!

When I received my evaluation scores a couple of weeks later, receiving all "10's," my change of perspective seemed justified.

In March I also had the wonderful opportunity to travel with the high school theater department where I taught for 19 years -- West Springfield H.S. We saw Wonderland on Broadway and after a performance of Phantom, where they had to stop the show after an on-stage accident, the students were greeted by 3 actors and the stage manager, including Phantom himself, Hugh Punaro. It was fun and educational, and noone entertained the idea that I was the "tour director from hell." (At least I assume noone did based on my evaluations.)

By now I was feeling more confident. I no longer had to look at my notes, and I had a better understanding of what I should and could do. A couple of four-hour city tours after these gave me more confidence, and now I was even having fun. I wasn't laying awake the night before, anxious over the trip, nor was I being kept awake going over everything I did wrong.

Now I had a big decision to make. Would I still go after those adult over-the-road tours that I thought was what I really wanted, why I went to ITMI in the first place. When I was asked if I might be interested in a position as a local rep, doing "meet and greets" at the airport and selling excursions and helping independent travelers in DC, I had the opportunity to give this serious thought. When I thought of those over-the-road tours I still would get anxious; this might be an excellent alternative. Yet, I still want to prove to myself that I am more than capable of taking the more demanding adults on the road. When I was told that it might be possible to do one or two short tours in between the "meet and greets" I knew it was the right choice.

It's fascinating to me how what I thought I really wanted is not what I want in the end. What I love is doing the research -- I will write more in my next blog about the work I am doing developing tours for students in the International Baccalaureate program. What I love is interacting with students. What I do well is teach, help the students make connections to their own lives, to their own knowledge and experiences, and to bring a sense of wonder to their experience.

Between next week and the middle of June I have one tour a week in DC and a one-day theater tour to New York. In May I start my work as a local rep, meeting UK passengers at the hotel and meeting guests in their DC hotel. That work continues until the end of October. And, with all that income, I can fulfill my wanderlust on my own!


With time comes different perspectives.