I was able to travel to Finland while studying online at Stenberg. I was invited to present my documentary film in Finland. The film is about War veterans: women and men and their painful untold stories. I could not possibly to say no to this opportunity. I organized every single day of the trip so that I would maximize my time between film presentations and online studies. Not only that, I had to take consideration the time difference. I remember when I woke up in my hotel room at 5am. I still had a jet lag. I had to connect to Adobe Connect online to chat with my classmates and teacher 🙂 I was sleepy. I had a note book in my hand and strong coffee in my other hand. By the time Adobe Connect was over I had to rush to media interviews and to Radio for interview. By 5.00 pm I was done and ready to go back to Helsinki by the train. I arrived to family place by dinner time. After the meal, I sat down for 3 hours to complete my exam that was due next day. PHEW!!. I did it and on time. How? Time management is everything! You can accomplish so much by managing your time, being prepared and focused. For the 10 day trip I got about four hours of shopping time 🙂 Good enough for me. I passed the course and I was able to present my documentary. A big accomplishments:)
I decided also use a bit of time for research and visited couple of Complex Care for Older Adults. I wanted to see if there is anything (ideas, system, etc) I could bring back to my studies and expand my knowledge.
Life can take its turns quickly. There are times when your family member may get sick and you must go to see them overseas. No problem! You can do it while studying online at Stenberg. You are not stuck in Vancouver for 11 months. This was a big relief for me because my mom is in Complex Care in Finland. She is quite ill and has started to have signs of dementia. To me my trip was a double slam! I was able to see my mom, I have not seen her for two years. With my extremely busy schedule between my film and school I visited my mom almost every day and stayed for couple of hours. So don’t hesitate to sign up for an online course! Stenberg staff is very supportive and helpful. Having said that you need to take responsibilities of your end and manage your time and be prepared.
Adobe Connect online is fairly simple and easy to follow. However, there is some kinks along the way. Computers are sometimes like I call it, “Confusers”. IT techies do try to answer to any of your concerns as soon as possible. You need to be proactive and seek help and not just hope that magic will happen.
Our class is a pioneer for the Therapeutic Recreation Online Program. We have experienced some problems once a while to the point of frustration. But IT and Stenberg are right there to guide through and solve any programming issues. I personally had wished that IT and Stenberg had notified in BIG BOLD LETTERS when they are about to upgrade adobe. My advice. If you have a problem with adobe connection or anything else; like the lectures will not open. Stay calm and wait because rest of the classmates have the same problem. Meanwhile use your valuable time and start read the chapters, review questions and outline your discussion forum posts.
Click the link to learn more about Therapeutic Assistant Diploma Program (Gerontology Specialization).
