Abroad Overload!

Come one, come all! Come take part in the ride of the century! It has water, it has fire, and it has that beloved new invention from Mr. Edison himself, electricity!!!!  But make sure to keep a look out, disasters are bound to happen! On the fairway, visit our newest attraction, The Johnstown Flood! Be immersed in our cyclorama as it depicts the tragic death of 2000 plus people! Just down the block listen to our lecturer describe the untimely demise of up to 8000 people from the Galveston hurricane of 1900! Folks, the list goes on. Where there's tragedy, there's money, and where there's money, there's us; waiting to take all that cash from you! ------------------------------------------------ It's funny how things connect sometime. I wasn't sure what I was going to grace your screens with this week, so instead of immediately dealing with that, I was playing around with GIS and story mapping. I was initially messing around with photos from a family trip, ...

... but they will never forget how you made them feel .” Carl W. Buehner I'll be honest, I can't really think of much to base this blog post on, however, my October 18 was pretty fantastic, and I just really have to share that! I was planning on going to Eldon House in the morning to do some work and then going in again in the evening to help out with their program. Instead, I got the morning off! So being a good history student, I decided to head to campus and attend the lecture by Dr. Craig Simpson on the Gettysburg address. Now, the civil war is a topic incredibly ( as seen in a previous post ) close to my heart. I've been to several Northern battlefields as well as some Southern sites, I had the pleasure of giving an interpretive talk on the Gettysburg battlefield about artillery for an undergrad civil war class, and even the town of Shippensburg where I completed my undergrad was occupied by Confederate troops prior to the Battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War ...

then bring the museum to the people." Me, it was me, I said that. Museums like the Smithsonian have it easy. Well, for the most part. The museums are known worldwide and with a massive range of subjects and topics, it's pretty hard to not find something of interest even to the most stubborn of visitors. The entire concept of a target audience is something all museums should keep in mind. Speaking from experience, I might delve deep into a specific moment in U.S. history, but my dad might hang back. Same with vice-versa - my dad will spend all day in a museum about planes and their components while I stare glassy-eyed at the 60th engine of the day. Sometimes that's just the way people are. Not every person that walks into a museum is going to feel the same way as another, but at least they are setting foot in the door. Where we really have a problem are the people who just do not go to museums. In our theory class, we read an article by Marilyn Hood titled, "St...

...and video gaming is a huge part of our culture." Andy Serkis Oh gosh now's my time! I LOVE historical gaming. Not that I really participate or anything, it's just a wild thought that you can sneak historical learning into a game just like how you sneak vegetables into a little kids penne pasta. Blog Meister Jessica presenting a poster on gaming and interactive exhibits as undergrad research *Fun fact, I didn't know that was the dean of the college of Arts and Sciences* The first time I can recall any sort of relationship being made between history and gaming was when I was a senior sitting in my high-school military history class. My teacher was awesome, in fact, it's probably his fault I majored in history at all. Anyway, we were talking about a certain British officer and to make a connection to my class (who were mostly guys, cause, military) he mentioned how in Assassins creed III, a mission was to assassinate said officer. Wait, characters in g...

to tell their story for t hem.” Czesław Miłosz, 'The Issa Valley' One of the few things that I truly enjoy is looking out on social media for new ways museums are partnering with speciality companies to create amazing interactive exhibits. In our Digital Public History class, we got into a brief discussion of what makes a good tour. It is certainly a difficult question to answer. What some view as the best tour ever may be only based on interest; the topic is something they enjoy hearing about from someone who is more knowledgeable in it. Other individuals on the tour may struggle to connect to the topic being discussed and become lost in the words of an “expert in the field”. The big question is how do we bridge that gap when giving a tour? Is it showing you are passionate and human? If I give a tour in the most enthusiastic voice I can muster, will a 56-year-old woman care about the specifics of rural wagon production? If I throw in a witty anecdote about the f...

...but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” D ouglas Adams, ' The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul' Yet again I find myself at the end of another smashing week of Grad School! Needless to say, I've survived my first official week of classes, which, I suppose I should mention, are the following: Understanding Archives: The Management of Primary Sources in the Digital Age Public History: Theory, History, and Practice Digital Public History I'm excited to really get into the nitty gritty of all the projects. Forthcoming rapidly is a presentation for my archives class based on an online exhibit that has been put together by an archive. I have an idea on what I want to do it on, (here's looking at you Mütter museum) but I want to get it approved before I really take a bite out of it.  My public history class is well underway and after the readings we had for this past week, I'm already making connections between my own experience at the Berk...

... but your courage comes for free" -Dr. Dog 'Humble Passenger' Fear is something I will always have. Not necessarily the fear that arrives in a darkened room, but the paranoia, rather, that comes with it. That's why when we discuss imposter syndrome, it's something that hits home. Even in undergrad, I would pause and think, " God, I can't believe I'm here". And now? Now I am one of 12 incredibly talented young adults seeking a one year master's degree in Public History. It is not odd for one to think they do not belong, especially in a situation that I currently find myself. Gemma Correll possibly sums it up best in her Instagram post found below. View this post on Instagram Impostor syndrome seems to me to be a common affliction among successful women. Even the thought of calling myself a “successful woman” makes me bristle and feel like I’ve put some kind of jinx on my...

"...Never made a Skilled Sailor" - FDR I'll admit, college is hard. There's a lot of paperwork, money goes all over the place, you have to schedule, plan, constantly re-change plans-the list goes on. But let's just add the genius idea to study in another country, shall we? Well, that just adds a few more steps. I promise though, it's not bad! You'll (We'll) live and get through this together! So here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for... Step One: Post-Acceptance *insert dramatic exploding background here* You've just received an e-mail that says, "Hey, congrats! We want you! Here's money, here's who we are, you have 1 month to decide!" (Maybe not in so many words) So you think it over, compare offers and decide, Yes! This is it! My dream school! Canada, here I come! There's two things you need to definitely do well before you arrive: 1. Work on the Student Visa : Fun and fancy, the color ...