This entire week has just been horrible. I can't seem to make it to my first classes on time (not for lack of trying). So many papers and other things piled up and I probably made terrible drafts of all of them - but they were done which was more than I could probably hope for. Although God has blessed me with a lot of small victories this week as well, so that's nice. But tonight I relaxed with some of my fellow RAs and helped make scrap book pages for our SR who's officially leaving Sunday (we'll miss her SO much!). Except it's supposed to snow ten to twelve inches tonight. Oh goodness! And being on duty subjects me to shoveling detail. Hurrah. hahaha
One of the major things this week is I found out my best friend is not staying in Japan next year. I know it probably wouldn't have significantly altered my choice for what to do after graduation this May, but it makes me think about what I'm going to do. Both of my good friends, Jon and Lauren, are struggling with the teaching jobs. And not to group myself with them, I wonder if I'll struggle the same way. I feel confident I know what I'm getting myself into, but I always feel that way until I get in and realize I'm in far over my head.
Yet, here is the entire reason I named this blog "Traveling Dish" - I plan on traveling. Jon noted on Lauren's facebook that he felt windows were closing the longer he waited to, I suppose get a real job. And maybe I'll feel that way too, but as it stands my plans are to travel the world. Simple sounding and so . . . cliche. I'm sure people laugh and say, "You say that now." But I do. I fully intend on moving to Japan and teach for two years, and then move to Italy and give tours or teach English there as well, especially if I get my CELT certification. I'd love to move to somewhere in the U.K. - but you can't be an English teacher in England as easily as Italy or Japan. Anyway, Jon may say that's unrealistic - heck a lot of people might - but I want to see things before I settle down - if I ever do.
I mean how much of ourselves do we sacrifice for the security of job? I don't plan to do that, living cheaply isn't fun - but neither is compromising yourself.
31 January 2008
19 January 2008
a blustry day
With the high of thirteen and a current windchill of ten, I'm perfectly content to sit in the main office and get a few extra hours in. (Although, I could go for having some chapstick.) But it's days like today I wish I could just sit around in bed all day and read something awesome and drink warm drinks (which is a totally different story). That or have my own place with big comfy couches for friends to sit and play games or talk.
The other night I was hanging out with a few friends, and who knows how it came up, but we got onto the subject of languages. I, of course, was super excited. Sometimes it seems like all we talk about (academically speaking of course) is computer systems and plant problems, so to get on a subject I enjoyed and am knowledgable in was very exciting. And then Jacob said, "Isn't it sad that you never hear of anything with German?" As in the language families. I felt like hitting him upside the head. I told him, "English is a Germanic language," and in a fit of immaturity followed it up with, "Duh!" He really didn't believe me, even after I explained the language history of England and how English was formed in all its complex and confusing glory. So I had to go online and wiki it for him. Yes. I used wiki for an intellectual arguement - which isn't to say I don't use wikipedia all the time - but I try to avoid using it in arguements (and papers, of course).
But I went home thinking, 'Language history is so cool.' Yeah, just like that too. The linguistical history has always attracted me, but I have no desire to study the phonetics attatched to it. Phonetics are probably the bane of my existance because I never learned grammar all that well in grade school. Which isn't to say they didn't teach me, I'm sure they did - I just never cared enough to learn it permenantly, and I've never had the drive to go back and learn again. Although I should. Oops. And yet again this led to another thought.
How much do we blame our previous education for things? And how much to blame are they for holes in our education? I know I hate math, I know why I hate math. I hate math because I don't get it. And I am convinced I don't get math because of my eleventh grade, second semester teacher, who seemed more interested in failing all of us than actually teaching us anything. Maybe I'm still too close to the system to be able to actually have a good perspecitive, but I think a lot of the problem with schools is the lack of teachers who care - who want to teach - who, most importantly, want their students to learn. Teachers who are thinking about the next year, when they retire and care more about putting down a grade than making sure the student understands the material, are not only not adding to our educational system, they're detracting from it. I know part of this is because people have to work longer to be able to have enough money to retire, and that teachers are overloaded with students because of the lack of work force, but still, as a system we should at least be aiming to come out at par. Shouldn't we?
The other night I was hanging out with a few friends, and who knows how it came up, but we got onto the subject of languages. I, of course, was super excited. Sometimes it seems like all we talk about (academically speaking of course) is computer systems and plant problems, so to get on a subject I enjoyed and am knowledgable in was very exciting. And then Jacob said, "Isn't it sad that you never hear of anything with German?" As in the language families. I felt like hitting him upside the head. I told him, "English is a Germanic language," and in a fit of immaturity followed it up with, "Duh!" He really didn't believe me, even after I explained the language history of England and how English was formed in all its complex and confusing glory. So I had to go online and wiki it for him. Yes. I used wiki for an intellectual arguement - which isn't to say I don't use wikipedia all the time - but I try to avoid using it in arguements (and papers, of course).
But I went home thinking, 'Language history is so cool.' Yeah, just like that too. The linguistical history has always attracted me, but I have no desire to study the phonetics attatched to it. Phonetics are probably the bane of my existance because I never learned grammar all that well in grade school. Which isn't to say they didn't teach me, I'm sure they did - I just never cared enough to learn it permenantly, and I've never had the drive to go back and learn again. Although I should. Oops. And yet again this led to another thought.
How much do we blame our previous education for things? And how much to blame are they for holes in our education? I know I hate math, I know why I hate math. I hate math because I don't get it. And I am convinced I don't get math because of my eleventh grade, second semester teacher, who seemed more interested in failing all of us than actually teaching us anything. Maybe I'm still too close to the system to be able to actually have a good perspecitive, but I think a lot of the problem with schools is the lack of teachers who care - who want to teach - who, most importantly, want their students to learn. Teachers who are thinking about the next year, when they retire and care more about putting down a grade than making sure the student understands the material, are not only not adding to our educational system, they're detracting from it. I know part of this is because people have to work longer to be able to have enough money to retire, and that teachers are overloaded with students because of the lack of work force, but still, as a system we should at least be aiming to come out at par. Shouldn't we?
18 January 2008
to begin
I'm not exactly sure how I became to be so in love with traveling, but I guess it probably could come from the fact that I just like to be out there. For the most part I enjoy meeting new people and discovering new things, and in a way that's what traveling is all about. But first let me define traveling.
Traveling, for me (and it's different for everyone), is an experience. Traveling requires letting go of your comfort zone and leaping off into the unknown. It's full immersion of yourself into the culture and people of a foreign place. Not to say that one week, planned tours aren't all well and good, but they're not for me. I enjoy walking around as an anonymously face in the crowd. I had a boyfriend once who wondered why bother studying a foreign language? Everyone's going to learn English anyway right? Plus you can go on those tours were everyone speaks English. English, or rather Americanism, is a state of mind. And to truly experience a culture, you have to become part of it.
This blog is intended to write about the things I learn through my education, both formal and informal. From superficial pop culture items to matters of human behavior, I hope you, the reader, enjoys the discourse they hopefully will provoke.
~A Brief Profile~
Name: Sarah
Employment: Purdue University (senior)
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Places Traveled: Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice) ; Japan (Tokyo, Hamamatsu, Kosai); United States of America (Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, West Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania)
Blog Title: In high school, I studied abroad in Japan, and my teacher began to call me 'Dish-chan' since 'sara' literally means plate in Japanese and at my homestay I would get confused if they were calling me or needed plates on the table at dinner. Therefor, I am the 'Traveling Dish.'
Traveling, for me (and it's different for everyone), is an experience. Traveling requires letting go of your comfort zone and leaping off into the unknown. It's full immersion of yourself into the culture and people of a foreign place. Not to say that one week, planned tours aren't all well and good, but they're not for me. I enjoy walking around as an anonymously face in the crowd. I had a boyfriend once who wondered why bother studying a foreign language? Everyone's going to learn English anyway right? Plus you can go on those tours were everyone speaks English. English, or rather Americanism, is a state of mind. And to truly experience a culture, you have to become part of it.
This blog is intended to write about the things I learn through my education, both formal and informal. From superficial pop culture items to matters of human behavior, I hope you, the reader, enjoys the discourse they hopefully will provoke.
~A Brief Profile~
Name: Sarah
Employment: Purdue University (senior)
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Places Traveled: Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice) ; Japan (Tokyo, Hamamatsu, Kosai); United States of America (Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, West Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania)
Blog Title: In high school, I studied abroad in Japan, and my teacher began to call me 'Dish-chan' since 'sara' literally means plate in Japanese and at my homestay I would get confused if they were calling me or needed plates on the table at dinner. Therefor, I am the 'Traveling Dish.'
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