Math in Science

Before I decided to try this teaching-abroad thing, I used to work at a really great 6th-through-12th-grade public school that believes in teaching applied mathematics and sciences. They try to make everything hands-on and real for the kids. And I mean, everything! You would walk through the halls and see giant pulley setups, or see kids practicing pitching tents in preparation for their upcoming camping trip. In math classes, you see kids doing debates about tax policies and hosting probability game carnivals. (In fact, they are doubtlessly one of the best schools in NYC, and possibly one of the best schools around the country. They take in regular Bronx kids -- some of who can't read and have never done any math and many who come from broken homes -- and do magic to them; this year, 2010-2011, AMS will be having their first graduating class of seniors, and of the entire class of about 90 or so kids, only a handful is at risk of not graduating with their peers. The rest of them have passed their Regents and class requirements with flying colors.)

So, that's a long-winded way of explaining why I am always on the prawl for ways to integrate science into my math curriculum. (The science teachers at my current school sometimes make fun of me, because I am always going in and out of their classrooms and borrowing scales, beakers, thermometers, and whatnot. Some days they let me borrow their entire lab space, and those days are extra awesome!) One of the things I did somewhat recently is an RC circuit lab, to help the kids see that exponential data does occur naturally in physical space. They collected a bunch of data about charging and discharging capacitors and then did regression on their calculators to see that the exponential curve fits the data almost perfectly! Then, we ripped the equation apart to discuss every bit of it and how it related to the physical thing they saw.

Today, I spent some time looking at the skeletal lesson ideas at a NASA-sponsored site called PUMAS. Silly name, I guess, but they had some neat stuff. In particular, what I liked were:

• Launching something off of a rotating Earth is trickier than you might think.


• The trig of landing an airplane, which seems slightly better than the contrived trig problems in our textbooks. (...For some reason, the older I get, the more nervous I feel about airplane-landing. Geoff recently explained to me that they reverse the engines during landing, and that the noise you hear isn't really from friction of the brakes but from the engine reversal. That has helped to put me at ease during the subsequent landings...)


• Doing multiplication using parallel number lines. Can we extend this to help our kids who might still be struggling with certain multiplication pairs (such as 8X7 or 6X7)?


• Going from topographical maps to cross-sectional graphs and back!


• Doppler Effect and trigometry (of planets).


• Not sure why, but I am particularly amused by the premise of this one (albeit really unrealistic): If everyone in the world decides to jump into the ocean at once, would low-lying Bangladesh become submerged?

...Anyway, these are just skeletal lesson ideas, so maybe they won't work well in the end, but I like them as raw ideas!

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On an unrelated note, I finally went to the restaurant from Seinfeld yesterday! It's so funny that I had never been inside, even though I used to live four little blocks away on Broadway and 108th! The inside doesn't look like the show set, which was a bit disappointing, but the food was pretty decent for a diner! (Geoff was disappointed that I didn't order a Big Salad. heehee)

...And, in between looking at apartments, contacting realtors, following up on building regulations, and hanging out with family/friends, my boyfriend hasn't properly rested in days. :'( I can't wait until all of this madness is over and we get to finally, Finally be back at home, just the two of us. (That won't likely happen until end of August, if even.)

When You Go Budget...

I was reminded yesterday of something silly that had happened in Peru, and I thought I'd jot it down for future reference. It goes to illustrate how budget Geoff and I are, and the general ridonculous nature of our travels.

(As is the norm when you are or date a redhead...) G and I decided to buy some wine for the four-hour train ride between Aguas Calientes and Cuzco. Because we didn't have a bottle-opener, boxed wine seemed to be a natural choice. The tienda we went to only had a (dusty?!) box of WHITE wine (named Gato, or Cat), so whatthehell, we decided to get it even though room-temperature white wine in a box seems even more suspicious than red wine in a box.

About 20 minutes into the train ride, we realized that we didn't have cups. So, no worries, we emptied our plastic hiking water bottles and poured the white wine into them. We shared a round of drinks with our hiking mates, and while partaking in this first round, Geoff discovered the expiration date on the box: January 2009.

...Needless to say, hilarity ensued, during which we made several tipsy bad puns such as, "The cat is out of the box!" and "Hey, cats are supposed to have 9 lives," and other things I can't remember now. I'm half-amazed that we didn't die from bad chemical reactions.

That night, Geoff and I went to some local restaurant in Cuzco, where Geoff orderd a dish that looked like someone had literally thrown up all over his plate and brought the puke out as a dish. Hysterical in hindsight, but we were really worried about food-poisoning when it was all happening (especially because there was trash all over the floor of the restaurant and everything -- and I mean everything -- tasted recycled). I know it has been days since, but I am still banned from choosing a restaurant.

(Geoff was most traumatized because Peruvian food is super delicious, and this restaurant was damaging our impression of their national cuisine.)

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In other news, Geoff and I have arrived in Jersey/NYC! I am SUPER excited for Fram tonight (especially because Heather and Ryan will be DJing!). :) Oh, how I've dearly missed swing-dancing in the city!! (Not to mention the awesome ethnic foods galore... YUM.)

...I love how in NY, ya never know whom you're going to bump into, where, and how. When Geoff and I got out of Customs at JFK Airport a couple of nights ago -- at 2:30am -- I saw my old student Pamela V. waiting to pick up her uncle at the airport. How funny!

And, randomly, here are a couple of hysterical photos of Geoff's one day of mustache following our trip to Peru. (He thought that since he already had a full face of beard from 10 days of not shaving, he might as well shave it into a mustache look for a day.) ...As you can tell, I am just thrilled by the idea of his upper-lip decor. (--I will, until the day I die, never figure out why men think mustaches are cool. That night he wore this look to dinner with our Escuela Americana amigos; the gals all winced, and the dudes were all ready to start a new mustache trend! Ri-donc!)

Winter Holidays

Geoff and I had an amazing trip back to the States for the holidays! Not only did we get to see a lot of friends and family, but we also got to spend some time in the city, revisiting our favorite restaurants and checking out the current Broadway shows -- and we even managed to swing-dance for a hot second! It made us miss being back in the States, for sure, but also helped us appreciate things back in San Salvador (ie. the ridiculously warm weather and things being reasonably priced). In any case, it will likely be a good while before we get to take another vacation to the New York area, so we cherished this opportunity to catch up with everyone.

Since it is costly to fly directly from San Salvador to the States, Geoff and I had decided a few months back to try instead to fly through Guatemala. On paper, that saves us about $200 per person round-trip, which is a kickass deal. But, in reality, the bus + extra nights in a hotel + extra food expenses just about balance out the savings we would have had. And actually, the hassle of traveling by bus through Guatemala isn't worth the savings, regardless of how comfortable and luxurious those busses may be.

Still, Geoff and I thought this particular trip through Guatemala was well worth it, because we got a chance to check out Volcano Pacaya, which had been our only regret from our previous visit to Guatemala. There is a reputable tour group that takes people up the volcano at night, camps overnight, and then hikes up to the flowing lava just before sunrise. But unfortunately, 1. they're not too flexible with their dates, since they need to rally 4 people in order to make it worth their effort to lead such a trip, 2. the boss is kind of an asshole to his employees. In the end, we booked another day trip instead. The day trip only costs $10 per person, plus about $5 for entrance fee to the park and tips for the guides. The afternoon hike, which Geoff and I had gone on, left at 2pm and was supposed to catch the sunset as we were descending the volcano. But, since our group had a few old ladies and children, the group hiked extraordinarily slowly, and it actually worked out to be to our benefit. We didn't get to the flowing lava until sunset, so we saw an amazing sunset right over the lava stream, and we got to enjoy the lava in the dark before descending the hill! (Most other day-hike groups only see the lava in daylight, which just isn't the same.)

The experience was truly phenomenal, and I would highly recommend it. Although, you definitely feel when you are up there, that you are tempting fate. Even as we were climbing the volcano, the local guide pointed out chunks of rocks where lava had flown only months -- or weeks! -- ago. He said that the lava flow changes its direction or location sometimes within a day. Then, when we got to the mini-crater about 200m from the main (top) crater, the hot river of lava was breath-taking. At one point, the rocks near where Geoff had been standing collapsed, and everyone was pretty freaked out from the keen awareness that we were standing on only a thin shell of rocks above a huge reservoir of hot lava. Later, as we got further away from the lava, and we looked back, we could see two different places where the volcano was erupting, and see heavy smoke coming from the top crater. One of the guides told us "no es normal", which only hastened our steps down the mountain.

Geoff and I spent the next couple of days just relaxing in Guatemala, getting over our sickness (which we had acquired in the below-freezing weather of New York) and easing our way back home to the tropics. I posted the complete set of vacation pictures on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/averyseriousmimi/sets/72157623154596774/show/ , which you can watch as a slideshow.

Take care! Hope you (whoever and whereever you are) had a lovely holiday season. :)

Last-minute preparations

Last day before flying out! Perhaps predictably, these last few days have been very busy. Most of it has been purely logistical.

• Getting follow-up immunization shots. I am now mostly immunized against common illnesses in Central America. Among other things, you can stab me a few times with a rusty knife, and I will still be OK (possibly unhappy, but physically OK).


• Printing out handy docs. We will be meeting up at the hotel, so we each will need a copy of the hotel reservations to get through customs. We may also need each other's itineraries (in case the customs folks give us trouble) and maps to the hotel...


• Mailing teaching materials to El Salvador. Note to future mailers of packages: You will need to fill out American customs forms for your goodies, and the items will be held at the Salvadorean customs for me to pick up.


• Scanning important documents. We are storing all of the actual copies at Geoff's parents' place, but we will be bringing digital versions with us. That includes teaching papers, medical reports, my diploma and transcripts, etc.


• Doing last rounds of laundry, packing, taking measurements and weights of packages. Even though it differs a bit from airline to airline, generally speaking, we are each allowed two check-in bags weighing 50 lbs, with "linear measurements" of 62 inches or less. Linear measurements indicate length + width + height. Because of the various constraints, we have had to change up our plans and go with regular suitcases instead of the sexy duffel bags. In the end, our suitcases are too wide to sit directly on top of our scales, so Geoff has had to weigh himself standing on top of the scales with and without holding the luggage, in order to find out their weights. It's a good technique to use, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation! :)


• Storing things at Geoff's parents' place. There are a few sentimental things I needed to keep, like Frankie Manning's signed autobiography, my HKN scrapbook, some baby pictures, and my old records. Besides that, Geoff is storing some clothes and shoes, his guitar, and various paperwork.


• Booking a hotel. We will be staying temporarily at the Tazumal Guesthouse, hopefully only for a few days while we look for a permanent apartment. It's a pretty cheap place -- $40 a day between the two of us. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they will have reliable internet and allow Geoff to do some work while we are in transit. If you don't hear from us within a week after our arrival in El Salvador, you'll know where to begin looking for missing bodies. --Just kidding! Sort of. harhar.


• Buying medical supplies. It looks like both CVS and Duane Reade have stopped selling the facial lotion that I use. A bit worrisome, but I bought an alternative type instead. Hopefully it will not make me break out while I am down in San Salvador. We have both replenished our supplies of contact lenses. I have also gone and refilled my inhaler meds. Even though my Albuterol is almost out and so is my prescription for that type of emergency inhaler, I think I will be OK to have just my Advair and the allergy meds for a while, as long as we don't move into a cat farm.


• Figuring out our insurance plans. Geoff researched various options of international insurance plans, and has hopped on board with Goodhealth already. I will be covered by EduCare, which seems to have a pretty good coverage both within the States and in El Salvador. The best part is that the school covers 75% of the premium for me. The bad part is that dental and vision are not covered. I may have to look around for a vision insurance when I get there. (It's not a big deal in the short term, but I do need to go to the ophthalmologist regularly to check up on my retina. There is a chance that I could need emergency surgery some day, despite my optimism...)


• Cleaning Geoff's apartment. Living in a transitional place with transitional roommates and no lease is great for commitment-phobes like us, but as you can imagine, the bathroom is grimy! ugh. This was definitely my least favorite part of moving.


• Bonus: Geoff has had to spend hours dealing with some unexpected technical snafoo. :( Thankfully, it all worked out beautifully in the end.

...But, with all of that said, I think we are finally, finally ready to go. This is where the craziness starts!!

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PS. What do you think we are doing in NYC on the eve of our departure? --We are heading up to midtown to grub on Chicken and Rice, and then heading over to Lincoln Center to buy Spanish-English phrasebooks and to watch the midnight showing of Harry Potter! :) There is no doubt that we are going to miss NYC... what a great city.

A Weekend to Remember

We had our goodbye party in Geoff's parents' garden on Saturday, and it was a blast! The weather was beautiful, even though it had been predicted to rain for part of the evening. A steady stream of guests came and went throughout the night, and I think everybody had a good time mingling. Geoff and I were surprised by the turnout of New Yorkers, actually, since it was definitely a bit of a trek out of their way. Even our friends who came solo seemed to be having a great time. And, as a special treat, I got to see an old college friend (Dan) for the first time in five years, because he had just arrived in NYC for the summer! All in all, we were more than grateful for all the friends and family who came out, and we will be spending the rest of our time here catching up with the rest of them...

Earlier in the day, when I had realized that my friend John wasn't going to be able to make our party (because he and his girlfriend were busy doing last-minute packing for their own summer trip), I made a hasty decision to rush uptown to meet him for coffee. As a result, I had to take a cab and sprint through midtown Manhattan to get to Port Authority on time for the bus -- TOTAL CHAOS! -- but it was totally worth it, because I got to say goodbye to my dear friend before he headed off for the airport today. yay. :)

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Then, this morning I came back into the city to meet up with the dancers for brunch at our troupe director, Laura's, apartment. There was an incredible spread of food, and we played Apples to Apples for a while before heading over to Central Park to enjoy a live jazz band. The afternoon wrapped up with some awesome music and dancing, before I had to say my goodbyes.

I am terrible at saying goodbyes, and I felt very sentimental to be leaving the troupe... But, it was definitely the perfect afternoon to remember. :)

Last day at AMS

I was saying goodbye to my coworkers, and then all of a sudden I felt my chest swell like I was about to cry. And then the tears came flowing out and they wouldn't stop. I knew goodbyes would be hard, because I had been working daily with some of these teachers and staffers for three years now. But I hadn't anticipated it being this hard.

Tomorrow will be our goodbye party! :) The timing couldn't have been better, because I got to delay some of the goodbyes. That is a good thing, because I was already a wet mess as it was today. I don't think I could have said goodbye to more people. Maybe tomorrow will be better after some booze.

New Beginnings

Before I moved to New York City, I had (what I considered) a pretty awesome life back in Seattle. I worked at a fairly established tech company and had excellent rapport with my coworkers. My best friend shared the same office space as me, and in between meetings and intense coding sessions, we would tell each other off-color jokes and disparage the new college hires via email lists. (We would always look up people's photos in the directory when they made stupid comments / posed stupid questions to an email group, and I would usually make fun of that person's picture. Paul usually tried unsuccessfully to soften my "hate", even though my teammates all agreed that my sarcasm was usually pretty entertaining.) Sometimes, we would practice handstands out in the hallway. One Christmas, we stole the life-sized Elvis displays from the company party while drunk, and brought one of them into work the next week as our third officemate. I'm not sure, but that could also have been the same Christmas when we got our boss to sing bad Christmas carols every time he stepped foot in our office during Christmas season. :) I had made a group of amazing friends in the area, and was starting to build a regular schedule of mentoring, hanging out, and dancing... Most of all, I loved living next to a farmer's market and the water, among people who biked everywhere and who adored books and coffee.

When I decided to move to New York to teach, I actually felt more anxiety than excitement. New York was going to be a big city, and I was going to come here alone. I did not know if I had made the right decision. My boss and his boss tried to keep me. I wasn't swayed, only because I had already made a commitment to the NYC Teaching Fellows. Somewhere out there, I had believed, was another life for me to live -- an experience that would help shape me.

--And, it most definitely has. It is now three years later; I feel the same way about New York now, as I had once felt about Seattle. I can't say that I am the same person I was back then. New York -- or age -- has calmed me down much. My students certainly have changed me, for better or worse. I find these days that I have less to say in casual conversations, but I am also less self-conscious and more direct. I am more appreciative of people and situations, because I know that things could always get worse. (Kids could be throwing carrots inside your classroom daily and requesting a class bunny.) Now, as my next big move approaches, I feel anxious as I once did -- but mostly because I know that I will miss swing-dancing when I am abroad. It has become such a huge part of my life; I have met some wonderful people in New York because of it, that I can't fathom how I am going to transition out of this life.

But, I know that another life awaits me. :) Things I probably can't appreciate now, I will learn to, in time. For me, that is why I keep moving around, even though loss is inevitable in that process. It helps me appreciate new things, and new people. Brilliant engineers, bikers, marathon-runners, inner-city teachers who work tirelessly, dancers who will do anything to stay in New York, entrepreneurs who couch-surf until their next paycheck... I look back often on the places and people I remember, and it fills my heart with joy to know that I am still blessed with those friendships, near and far, and that those memories will always remain in my heart.

There are places I remember
All my life
Though some have changed.
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone, and some remain...

Countdown

There are only 7 weeks left between now and the end of school! After June, I will be traveling around the Northwest (squeezing in some last-minute swing dancing) and then heading to El Salvador! Craziness.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying New York in all of its spring loveliness. :) The mirrors at the weekly swing dance are starting to fog up because of the humidity + body heat, but I'm not complaining. I know I will miss it dearly when it's gone.

Geoff's mini-move

We are inching toward the big move! Geoff's old lease is expiring, so he is moving into an interim apartment down in the West Village, for a few months. We are both very excited about this, because it is a very hip neighborhood, and his mini-move coincides with (hopefully) beautiful weather to come! Since I had been out of town for over a week, I finally got to see his new place this weekend. We have been eating out the last day or so, and we hit up a cool bar last night. The plan is to really enjoy our last few months in this beautiful city. :)

On the serious end of moving logistics, Geoff is going to try to pare down his belongings by the end of this month -- by the time his old lease officially expires. By then, most of his things will either have been given away, or been stored away at his parents' place. In late June, we will do another trip to New Jersey to stow the rest of our stuff. (His parents have very kindly offered up storage space for both of us! And, his mom is also excited to throw a going-away party for us in late June.) :)

Hopefully, by the next time I update, I'll have more info about when we will actually be leaving the city. It is like pulling teeth trying to get the flight dates nailed. Ugh. Seriously.