Monday, March 9, 2009
A Job
I was officially hired by a school district yesterday.
I'll be teaching special education in the Alum Rock Union School District in San Jose. Not a single kid in any of the pictures from the school is white. I guess I'll get used to being the minority and might even have the opportunity to practice my Spanish skills.
More surprising, though, is the dress code "strictly enforced" by the schools. Of course, I can understand the basic dress code of appropriate skirt length and minimal cleavage (even though i broke both rules often in high school). But in my new school district, students and teachers alike are not allowed to wear baggy or ill-fitting clothes; no shades of blue or red are allowed; belt buckles must be plain with no letters or numbers; students can't even wear the logo of their favorite sports team. Oh, did I mention this school district only includes elementary and middle schools? So, using my reasoning skills which often come in too handy, i can only assume that these regulations are meant to discourage gang-related behavior...in children?
Man, this job might be tougher than I had ever imagined.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
My Favorite Things...
When I'm feeling stressed, I often look at pictures from home to remind me of the things that are really important. This is one of my favorites from a mother/daughter horseback ride to Bonnie Lakes in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. My horse Hunter looks less than enthused.
Ghana
The obroni makes a few friends:
Ghanaian kids:
A few obronis splashing around in Wli Waterfall on the border of Togo:
Ghana kids at a poor school in Nima:
Ghanaian kids:
A few obronis splashing around in Wli Waterfall on the border of Togo:
Ghana kids at a poor school in Nima:30 Rock
I am addicted to 30 Rock. This is not the new street name of an illicit drug, nor is it something you can find in your grandmother’s medicine cabinet. You won’t have to send me to rehab for my addiction, but you might have to peel me away from my indented spot on the couch in front of the TV in my beige-colored living room. I discovered this addiction last week white flipping through the channels on a Thursday night. After learning that my guilty pleasure, “Grey’s Anatomy” wouldn’t be aired, I had to find something to watch during my designated no-studying time. Hmm, 30 Rock—the guide said it was four-stars. That should be worthy of at least a moment of my time. In that moment, I was hooked. Tracy Jordan’s hilarious behavior made me laugh out loud, and Tina Fey’s antics had me crying and holding my gut. The premise of the show is this: Tina Fey (Liz Lemon) is a writer for a variety show that strongly resembles Saturday Night Live. She’s more than a writer though—she also has to deal with the politics of the network (NBC) and the diva-like behavior of the show’s stars. 30 Rock does an especially phenomenal job of bringing social issues into the light with a comedic overtone. For example, in the episode I watched on Thursday, the Asian market crashed, sending network executives into a fury of number crunching and sheer panic. Tracy Jordan, the star of Lemon’s variety show, went on Larry King Live to promote the show. Instead, he sent the entire city into a greater state of panic by predicting the upheaval of society as we know it, encouraging residents to flee the city at their earliest convenience. Because of the sheer power of the media and celebrities especially, the city fell into a state of chaos, only to be resumed the next day when people realized that the world was not going to end. The chain of events set off by Jordan’s discussion with King were hilarious and such a true reflection on society’s tendency to believe what they see on TV. After such a great comedic break from my otherwise academic life, I can guarantee that I will be tuning in to NBC again this Thursday.
Image: www.nbc.com
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Elephants Galore!
Elephants have always been my favorite animal. Perhaps it stems from my love of Africa, which is something I've never been able to explain. I started collecting elephant figurines in all forms when I was three. I have an extensive collection at home, but here are a few shots of the ones who made the trek to Eugene with me.
A trio of elephant's from the collection of my Aunt Kathy, who passed away before I was born. They were given to me at my high school graduation by my Aunt Peggy, who told me the three figurines reminded her of myself, my sister and my cousin since we've always been extremely close and looked out for one another.
A fun push pin elephant, given to me by a family friend after her trip to India.
A beautiful hand-carved elephant from Africa.
A beautiful iron elephant given to me by my family doctor.
And the elephant that started it all--Elli. My dad gave me this elephant before my sister was born so I would have something to distract me from the new baby, and what do you know? I still sleep with it at night!
Finally, I got to see a real elephant in the wild last summer in Ghana:
A trio of elephant's from the collection of my Aunt Kathy, who passed away before I was born. They were given to me at my high school graduation by my Aunt Peggy, who told me the three figurines reminded her of myself, my sister and my cousin since we've always been extremely close and looked out for one another.
A fun push pin elephant, given to me by a family friend after her trip to India.
A beautiful hand-carved elephant from Africa.
A beautiful iron elephant given to me by my family doctor.
And the elephant that started it all--Elli. My dad gave me this elephant before my sister was born so I would have something to distract me from the new baby, and what do you know? I still sleep with it at night!
Finally, I got to see a real elephant in the wild last summer in Ghana:Frog
Frog is back. I don’t mean the croaking amphibian that hops gleefully from lily pads and catches flies on an outstretched, cartoon-like tongue. This is our Frog, who instead of croaking only shouts, “Have you seen America’s funniest joke book?” from his post on 13th Street. Frog has been in hibernation, it seems, through the cold weather and long rains that plague Eugene in the wintertime. During these times, his only appearances came when he peddled his bike through the enormous puddles on campus. His plastic trailer full of copies of the “best damn joke book in America” wove unsteadily behind the bike’s sloshing tires.
But as we pull back the heavy drapes of winter and let the sun shine in, Frog has returned and with him, campus has reawakened. Instead of looking at their feet as they pass one another on 13th, students and teachers alike look forward and might even crack a smile. Instead of immediately inserting their ear buds and cranking up the most melancholy Bob Dylan song on their iPod, students talk with each other as they exit the lecture halls across campus. And on the first warm, sunny day of the year, Frog’s joke book is not only the best in America, it’s the best in the world.
Image: http://orbitingfrog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/tree_frog.jpg
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Interview with Concerned Graduate
My interview with Jamie Trano, a soon-to-be college grad in the worst recession in years.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Real Simple
This week, I decided to crack open a magazine I have heard a lot about, but have never actually read. Real Simple always looked intriguing, but I never really thought to read it until a friend left her copy on my coffee table. Considering this week’s assignment, I thought it must be fate! The first thing I learned about the magazine is that it’s just as smart and interesting as I thought it would be. The layout is clean and easy to follow, which I love! I learned a lot content-wise in this magazine as well. First, I learned that I’m not as organized as I thought I was. The organizing gurus associated with this publication have ideas for organizing everything from shoes to forks. These expensive methods, though, might not appeal to everyone. I know they don’t appeal to poor college students like myself! One of the most interesting articles in this issue is one about choosing the right cell phone and determining whether or not you need all the bells and whistles. I think this article would be especially helpful for the slightly older generation who are confused about what they do and do not need on their phone and how to get the most out of what they pay for. This article was even interesting to me because I learned about some features on my BlackBerry that I didn’t even know I had. I also enjoyed the food and dining section of the magazine. Unlike some magazines that offer complicated, fancy recipes, Real Simple provided readers of the February issue with easy, inexpensive recipes that looked fancy but were actually easy to make. This was reassuring because, since being in my own house, I’ve had difficulty coming up with new and interesting food to prepare. I also learned that a magazine can be a great teacher. Maybe I’ve only used magazines as an entertainment tool in the past, but I’ve never really learned a lot from them. With this magazine, I felt like I should be taking notes on each article. Overall, the layout and writing style of the magazine stuck to its title: real simple, and real good.
Image: http://dannyseo.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/03/29/rscvr.jpg
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Eavesdropping in the Big Apple
Oregonians do NYC:
Bird's eye view:
My experience eavesdropping in a New York City coffee shop was extremely interesting. It was about eleven am on a sunny, crisp New York morning on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I figured this was prime eavesdropping time since many people were already partially through their workday and would be wandering in to get some motivation in the form of caffeine. Two very trendy young women walked in, both in their mid to late twenties, and I tilted my ear their direction. After ordering cappuccinos, I knew these girls were for real. They sat at a table near to me, and continued their conversation using the word “obsessive” at least fifteen times in a minute. As it turns out, these girls were actually talking about Facebook, which is the very subject of one of our group’s department stories. The platinum blond girl was telling her strawberry blond friend that a “seriously dope” guy had been “stalking” her on Facebook and he seemed really into it. She leaned closer to her friend to admit to her that she’d been checking him out too, but they’d never met in person. She didn’t even know if he was using his real name on Facebook. After all, “he, like, lives in the Bronx or something.” She hoped to meet up with him during the week, and her friend nodded in agreement but warned, “Just be safe, babe.” This coffee shop conversation made my day since it was both entertaining and informative since the girls were exactly the type of demographic we’re aiming for with our group’s magazine, aside from the fact that they live in New York. After hearing their conversation, I’m assured that our piece will be one 20-somethings can relate to. On the other side of the Upper East Side, I decided to grab a little bite to eat and listen to some more conversation since the morning session had been so informative. This time, though, all I heard was a loud, anxious New Yorker speaking into her cell phone about what time the train came from Long Island into the City. At least I had one interesting, informative eavesdropping session while on my cross-country jaunt!
Bird's eye view:
My experience eavesdropping in a New York City coffee shop was extremely interesting. It was about eleven am on a sunny, crisp New York morning on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I figured this was prime eavesdropping time since many people were already partially through their workday and would be wandering in to get some motivation in the form of caffeine. Two very trendy young women walked in, both in their mid to late twenties, and I tilted my ear their direction. After ordering cappuccinos, I knew these girls were for real. They sat at a table near to me, and continued their conversation using the word “obsessive” at least fifteen times in a minute. As it turns out, these girls were actually talking about Facebook, which is the very subject of one of our group’s department stories. The platinum blond girl was telling her strawberry blond friend that a “seriously dope” guy had been “stalking” her on Facebook and he seemed really into it. She leaned closer to her friend to admit to her that she’d been checking him out too, but they’d never met in person. She didn’t even know if he was using his real name on Facebook. After all, “he, like, lives in the Bronx or something.” She hoped to meet up with him during the week, and her friend nodded in agreement but warned, “Just be safe, babe.” This coffee shop conversation made my day since it was both entertaining and informative since the girls were exactly the type of demographic we’re aiming for with our group’s magazine, aside from the fact that they live in New York. After hearing their conversation, I’m assured that our piece will be one 20-somethings can relate to. On the other side of the Upper East Side, I decided to grab a little bite to eat and listen to some more conversation since the morning session had been so informative. This time, though, all I heard was a loud, anxious New Yorker speaking into her cell phone about what time the train came from Long Island into the City. At least I had one interesting, informative eavesdropping session while on my cross-country jaunt!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
My Eclectic Scrapbook
In keeping a scrapbook of my first week back from winter vacation, I realized just how different my life is when I’m going to school. The week was full of routines and schedules, which is reflected in my eclectic collection.
Included in my collection is a group picture of my family that I took the day before I left my home in Enterprise to come back to school. This picture represents the fact that my family is always close by even when they’re on the other side of the state. I also included a necklace given to me by my little sister in Kappa Delta sorority. The necklace was a late Christmas gift and features our letters, a K and a Delta, together on a chain. Kappa Delta is a very important part of my life and takes up a lot of my time. My best friends are part of this organization and so this piece of jewelry represents a lot to me. I decided to include my key to my new house in this scrapbook as well. For the last two years, I have lived in my chapter house but moved out this term. I’m now living with four of my closest friends on Hilyard Street. Since I lived in the chapter house, I never really did my own grocery shopping. I kept my very first receipt from grocery shopping for myself to include in my scrapbook. To me, this represents a big change and a move toward independence, if only in a small way. Since I was young, I’ve had a strange obsession with office and school supplies. To represent the beginning of a new term, I included a brand new, shiny pen in my scrapbook. I also included one of my favorite buttons, one that reads, “I VOLUNTEER FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD.” Volunteering is a very important part of every week for me, but it was especially meaningful this week because it was my first time back at Planned Parenthood since winter vacation began. Finally, I included the lyrics to my favorite song, the Hawaiian version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I love the sunshine, and the weather toward the end of the week was very agreeable. More so, though, this song represents my optimistic attitude for this term.
Included in my collection is a group picture of my family that I took the day before I left my home in Enterprise to come back to school. This picture represents the fact that my family is always close by even when they’re on the other side of the state. I also included a necklace given to me by my little sister in Kappa Delta sorority. The necklace was a late Christmas gift and features our letters, a K and a Delta, together on a chain. Kappa Delta is a very important part of my life and takes up a lot of my time. My best friends are part of this organization and so this piece of jewelry represents a lot to me. I decided to include my key to my new house in this scrapbook as well. For the last two years, I have lived in my chapter house but moved out this term. I’m now living with four of my closest friends on Hilyard Street. Since I lived in the chapter house, I never really did my own grocery shopping. I kept my very first receipt from grocery shopping for myself to include in my scrapbook. To me, this represents a big change and a move toward independence, if only in a small way. Since I was young, I’ve had a strange obsession with office and school supplies. To represent the beginning of a new term, I included a brand new, shiny pen in my scrapbook. I also included one of my favorite buttons, one that reads, “I VOLUNTEER FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD.” Volunteering is a very important part of every week for me, but it was especially meaningful this week because it was my first time back at Planned Parenthood since winter vacation began. Finally, I included the lyrics to my favorite song, the Hawaiian version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I love the sunshine, and the weather toward the end of the week was very agreeable. More so, though, this song represents my optimistic attitude for this term.
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