I am a member of the Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA). This is a group interested in labor issues and instructional practices regarding the teaching of writing at the university. This year their annual meeting was in Boise, Idaho. I booked my ticket about two months ago and I realized that it was the first time I had bought a plane ticket to Boise since 2001. I lived in the area for the first 19 years of my life. I think I was due in for a visit.
In order to save money, I went by myself. I actually had a really good time at the conference. There is a huge focus on networking and so they feed us all of our meals at the conference at tables where people can sit down and talk. They also do what they can to pick venues where all the sessions can be in the same building and that the hotel is the conference site or isn't too far away. In Boise, that meant that the Grove Hotel and the Boise Center were the sites.
The other thing they do is give us "recess" where we are supposed to go out and do organized activities together so we can talk and be active. The activities this year were fly fishing in the Boise river, yoga, aerobics, and bike riding. For people who really didn't want to exercise or be outdoors, there was a "coffee crawl." I really liked the chance to go out and do something while at a conference. I especially enjoyed biking on the Greenbelt. I brought my own helmet and then rented the bike from Boise State University for 10 dollars. My group was very fun.
My presentation went really well. My co-presenter from the session was a graduate student from UC-Davis. We talked some before the conference and collaborated on slides. People came and were supportive and asked good questions. I met people who were interested in the same issues as I was and was invited to participate in more activities with them. It was a just a good atmosphere.
Normally when I go to a conference I don't rent cars, but I did this time because I wanted to see some people I knew from the area. The employee at the rental counter gave me a car nicer than the one I had reserved for the same price. I felt pretty cool driving around Boise in brand new car with a back-up camera and all kinds of buttons. At the airport I set off the alarm with yogurt in my backpack that I forgot to throw away. The TSA employee checked my bag and when he saw it was yogurt he offered to let me keep it after he tested it. Then he offered to re-pack by bag, which I have never had happen at the airport. I told him I could do it so he could keep the line moving. I also got to be helpful by speaking Spanish and French at the airport with people. I can't remember the last time I "needed" to speak a language other than English to assist someone. It was great.
While I was gone Hannah and Brian held down the fort here. I think they went shopping for some groceries, played in the wading pool, and watched movies. Hannah packed her bag to go to Idaho and was very disappointed not to have been able to come. I brought her a plush potato and a huckleberry sucker. I also bought some huckleberry jam. It was all I could do not to buy candy spuds from the Owyhee candy company but I managed.
Overall it was a good conference with nice people and it is always good to go somewhere and be treated well. So glad that I went to WPA with year; I don't know about next year because my dissertation may or may not be finished and I may or may not still be living in Kansas.
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