Well, I’m back from my trip to Red Deer, Alberta and what a great time. Okay, the flight was good, I didn’t run screaming “we’re going down” but 2 hours after I landed I caught a cold and sounded like a frog for most of my time there (ah the joys of travelling).

For those of you who don’t know, the purpose of my trip to Red Deer was to attend convocation and see a few of my wonderful VA students graduating and to be “briefed” on my new duties as acting coordinator for the VA certificate program.  The lovely Bev McCrostie, the current coordinator of the program will be going on sabbatical for a year and I get the privilege of heading up the VA certificate program at RDC until she returns.  I attended meeting after meeting with my main contacts and was briefed on everything from budgets to enrollments to timetables and the list goes on. 

You see, this will be the first time for RDC to have a person heading a program up virtually.  The VA certificate program, is setting the precedence here.  I’m very excited about this prospect as again it will prove how working virtually has no boundaries and can be just as effective as being on site. AND how perfect that it be a training program for VAs to lead the way. 

Of course not everyone actually got the concept. There were a few awkward moments when I was introduced as the acting coordinator who lived in Ontario. 

“Oh, so you will be moving here?” one college Chairperson asked me

“No, I will be living in Ontario” I said

“So you will be traveling back and forth?” she said, still not quite understanding

“Ahh…no, I will be coordinating from Ontario” I said

Finally another instructor intervened and reaffirmed,  “No, she is actually doing this from her home in Ontario, she is not moving here.”  Okay -she got it…although not entirely sure she “really got it”.

Lovely smart people, but the concept of working virtually still baffles some.

So my trip was a complete success and I have a lot of work ahead of me, but it’s a challenge I am definitely up for. 

My trip was not all work, I did have a little play time and what fun it was!  Bev and I took an overnight trip to Banff and I have to say the mountains are breathtaking.  I was totally speechless (for once) at the beauty surrounding me and if you have never seen them…GO!!  Seriously, no joke, they are stunning and I am already starting to think about my next trip to Banff.

I’ll keep this post short and just end with it’s great to be back writing to all of you!!