DAY 8 - VEGAS REST DAY...

MICHELLE

To start the day today, Nardi and I drove out to the Hoover Dam to see the sights.  It is awe-inspiring in terms of its size and feats in engineering.  Like everything here it is BIG and in reading the messaging and history plaques around the walkways it was interesting to read about those who were the big thinkers and drivers to build this massive structure.  One thing that both Nardi and I questioned was the lack of mention of the people of this land.  Was there any consultation with the indigenous in the development of this place?  Why are there only white men acknowledged in its creation?  Whose eyes was this story told?  What other stories could there be?

On returning to the hotel, I spent the day working on updating my posts and listening to recordings to reflect on the messages and stories we had heard so far.  

In the evening we went for a stroll along the strip, caught the tram to other hotels and looked around...still not comfortable, still not my cup of tea.  Was amazed at some of the displays in the hotel lobbies we went into, people everywhere, casinos at the center of every place we went into and did I mention people everywhere?

MARY

In Vegas everything is big and on show.  Vegas epitomizes human creativity and ambition, transforming a desert into a world-renowned entertainment hub. Las Vegas is totally overwhelming! The bright lights and giant buildings everywhere make it feel like another world. The noise never stops – there’s music, people talking, and slot machines dinging all the time. There’s so much going on that it’s hard to know where to look.

Ingenious design and cutting-edge technology blend seamlessly, creating an environment where each hotel and casino boasts a unique theme, pushing the boundaries of conventional architecture. I was blown away by each space and how they captured the theme and presented this for everyone to enjoy.

Walking down the Strip feels like an adventure. The hotels are like cities themselves, and getting lost is easy. It was easy to move around at 8am as there was no one around. Las Vegas is a testament to architectural innovation and engineering marvels. Its skyline is a vibrant tapestry of iconic structures, from the soaring Stratosphere Tower to the dazzling Bellagio Fountains.

Everything is huge and loud, making it exciting but also kind of exhausting. Vegas is amazing, but it can be way too much to handle.

NARDI

I have been to Vegas on a few occasions and I doubt very much it will have changed from my previousvisits. There is a lot of hustle n bustle, hoo-haa and razmataz and l like the Canyon, you have to visit at least once.  I

particularly enjoy reading about the history of the city. There is no secret around its connection with the mafia in the

early years.

Unfortunately our planned school visit did not eventuate but it was a blessing in disguise for me.  We have been on

the go since arriving in the US and have covered some BIG miles driving the rez.  Besides a planned day excursion to

the iconic Hoover Dam with Michelle, I was quite happy to lay low in the hotel room, sleep, eat and catch up on my

paperwork.   I also had the presentation for the conference in Saskatoon to finalise for our group.  

I’m really looking forward to the Conference.  Tomorrow we fly to Vancouver, an overnight stay and then head on to Saskatoon.  My first time.  Yussss!!!

Random thought - why are carparks soooo blimen expensive everywhere we go??? Hotels have the monopoly because kerbside parking is almost non existent in the cities.

.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAY 11: CONFERENCE - CULTURAL CAMP DAY

Image
  We woke up to a temperature of 1 degree and sleet.  Made our way to Saskatoon University for the Cultural Camp day.  While walking to campus we called in to the local elementary school and had a chat with the Principal Shari .... Shari is in her first year of Principalship.  She is excited to be in the position and is happy in her school.  She told us that principals in Saskatoon get moved around every 3-5 years so they don't stay in schools for long periods of time.  I know that New Zealand used to do something similar with teachers back in the day, where they were placed in schools and moved around - giving them experience in different areas, particularly rural schools.  I wonder if this would work now in NZ?  It would only be successful if all rural schools had housing and they weren't necessarily teaching/principal roles. The cultural camp was a great experience despite the sleet and freezing wind.  There would have been between 80-100 ...
Read more

DAY 6 - MONUMENT VALLEY TO FLAGSTAFF...travel day

Image
After rising to the glorious views of Monument Valley this morning we spent the day on the road to Flagstaff.  On our way we detoured to Chinle on the Navajo reservation to have a korero with Michelle Woody a teacher at Chinle Elementary School.  She teaches reading in grades 5&6.  It was interesting learning about what teachers teach at this level and how they teach it.  I had many questions about the 'standards' which they tested every two weeks and the curriculum.  My wonderings were about how the curriculum and the standards fit together...were they teaching to the test or to the curriculum.  With the many sites and documents she shared I was astounded by the amount of admin work that she did to monitor student's progress and check and recheck standards.  Michelle and her team had an obvious passion for the progress of the children they teach and listening to her speak about her students she obviously knew them and their families very well....
Read more