arrival – Educators of Excellence Institutes

“Up, up, and away!”

July 21, 2025 - 1 Comment

How do 12 North Carolina educators travel to South Africa? Through a LONG day of travel.

From Raleigh to Atlanta to Johannesburg, our teachers walked, took a tram, flew, then walked some more for over 20 hours in order to reach South African soil.

The team ready to board our flight to Atlanta.

Anticipation was growing in Raleigh and really took off in Atlanta as we received itinerary and map stickers to add to our journals. As we read the details of our trip again and counted down the minutes to take off, excitement filled the air. A rainbow over the airport caught our eye and added to the growing energy as we all took it as a positive sign. Further pre-boarding bonding took the form of showcasing compression socks – from penguins to holidays, we were quite the fashionable crew.

The flight to Johannesburg was a long haul – a hefty 14.5 direct flight from Atlanta. While some of us were able to get some sleep, many of us spent the majority of the flight watching movies on the inflight entertainment system. Wicked was a popular choice for many folks.

Excited faces – we’re finally on the plane to South Africa!

After clearing customs and picking up our checked bags we met up with Andrew and David, our local guides, and Noma and Zinhle, two South African teachers who are joining us for this journey. We ended the day with a group meeting as we learned more about what was to come and then headed to bed – we’re ready for some real sleep!

We made it! The whole crew together in Johannesburg.

Want to see more photos of our traveling team? Follow @ncmnsteachered on Instagram!

New England

“First Impressions”

June 20, 2018 - 3 Comments

Hurry up and wait. That seems to be the theme for today. New England Institute Day One: it was an early start, with everyone arriving at the airport at 4:15am, or thereabouts. Though bleary-eyed and caffeine-deprived there is excitement in the air. We are all anxious to smell the salty air and catch our first glimpse of the island. The learning-about-each-other process begins as we share stories and talk about the things we are most excited to see. We talk about the families we leave behind, the school year we just completed, the travels we have taken or want to take. As the miles pass under us, we start to feel more and more like a cohesive group. We are in this together. To learn from each other and from the lands we are about to explore.

By mid-morning we landed in Manchester, New Hampshire and drove east to Portsmouth. Then we lunched at the Portsmouth brewery. Some enjoyed chowder or sweet potato soup while others dined on fish sandwiches and fries. With our bellies full we headed to the dock and the ferry to our destination — Appledore Island, Maine. We shared the bay with cormorants and black-backed gulls and motored (in the heat of day) towards Shoals Marine Laboratory.

We weren’t on just any old ferry, we arrived today with the weekly food shipment. Once we docked, a human conveyor belt of more than 50 people formed to make the unloading process work smoothly. It was quite a sight to see the wide assortment of cargo make its way up and over the rocky shore — boxes of kale or eggs; mattresses and luggage — all passed from hand to hand. All this took place in the midst of multiple pairs of very large and alert nesting gulls.

After a gourmet dinner on the patio, we learned about the geologic and human history of the Isles of Shoals (specifically Appledore Island and Shoals Marine Lab), presented by Drs. Hal Weeks and Jim Coyer.

As the sun set in this postcard-like setting, which we are actually a part of, we observed a few moments of silence to take it all in. The raucous calls of great black-backed and herring gulls descended upon our ears. Words cannot describe the beauty of this island!!

The sun sets on Shoals Marine Laboratory.