TESOL 2024: Tampa, FL

Last month, I got to travel to Tampa for TESOL 2024 with my friend and colleague Ana. In the past, I've usually presented at the conference, but this year, my proposal wasn't accepted. Thanks to some changes in how our departmental professional development funding works, I was still able to attend. It was kind of fun to go without the extra time & effort of planning a presentation. :-)

funny flamingo statue in the airport

mosaic in the airport

welcome sign at our hotel

we had a nice room with a little sofa!

the building outside our hotel window

convention center side entrance

It was also great to experience some really beautiful weather (though there was one cooler rainy day). It seemed like there were always people out and about: walking, running, and doing all sorts of things on the water (boating, kayaking, rowing). The area around the convention center was great--we were right on the water and a nice riverwalk path. 

a pretty courtyard we walked through on our way
from the hotel to the convention center

a fountain in that same courtyard

panorama view of the water from the convention center

just outside the convention center

on the riverwalk path

me posing with a crocodile
(or alligator?) statue

some artwork along the riverwalk path

informational artwork on the riverwalk

selfie with the water by the convention center

city buildings from the convention center

selfie in front of convention center

convention center atrium

view of the water from
convention center side balcony

selfie on the balcony

even some convention center 
presentation rooms had great views!

watching a boat on the water while
waiting for a presentation to start

Tampa theater sign (this was a few 
blocks from our hotel)

beautiful church near our hotel

building across the street from our hotel
with blue & yellow lights for Ukraine

Ana and I enjoyed spending some time together, and each of us ran into some people we know from other places--one of the benefits of in-person conferences. 

Ana & me with the TESOL sign in the Expo Hall

Ana & me with another sign in the Expo Hall

selfie with Ana from the convention center balcony

As always, I was on the lookout for interesting food to try. My success on this trip was mixed!

really great ice cream

just ok opening reception dinner

...and dessert

excellent arepas & fried plantains from a food truck

Tampa Pizza

my personal pizza on the patio

huge lunch box meal from a sushi place

coleslaw, shrimp, and yucca fries at the CGC dinner

Cuban sandwich and salad

I also took myself on a long walk to a local tea shop, TeBella, on Davis Islands one afternoon/evening and bought some loose leaf tea as a souvenir. The weather was perfect, and it was fun to see a different part of town with its own interesting style. 

selfie with the convention center across the water

an interesting ship along the walking path

same ship from another angle

a cool rose colored stucco building

the tea shop (outside)

...and inside

This conference happens right in the middle of my most demanding grading season of the spring, so I was playing catch up for a few weeks after, and I still haven't gone back over all of my notes to capture the most important ideas I want to try out in my own classes. Now that our spring semester is winding down, though, that's one of the things I'm going to prioritize before transitioning into summer mode. 

Ana took this flattering shot of me!

...and this one (both in front of the convention center)

Next year, I'm planning to take a break from TESOL so I can start incorporating some other conferences into my rotation. I hope to start with the Symposium on Second Language Writing in Tucson, AZ in November. A few of us submitted a proposal for a panel, and we should hear about whether it's been accepted any day now. I'm very excited about the chance to go to Tucson--we haven't been back since we moved away in 2010!