if i wasn't a math teacher, then...

***Scheduled Post***

We often times find ourselves saying, "If I had a million dollars..." (cue Barenaked Ladies theme song...) If I won the lottery, I would do _________. If I had the money, I would ________. When I retire, I will ___________.

I don't typically spend a lot of time thinking about what I could or would be doing in life, because I am trying to do my very best to live in the moment each day and just do it. However, there is one thing I do think about a lot. What would I be doing if I wasn't a math teacher?

While options certainly abound for careers I would find interesting, one in particular has always fascinated me. If in fact I was not a math teacher, I would most definitely pursue my love of photography.

As you might have noticed from the substantial number of pictures I take and place on this blog, I love photography. Ever since my senior year of high school, when I worked as editor on the yearbook staff and took two photography classes, I have been fascinated by pictures.

Photographs capture specific instants in time, and in a world where time feels so fleeting I often want to capture everything. Photos can take you back to a time, a place, a feeling, just with one simple gaze. I try not to be one of those people who always has a camera in their hand, so much so that they miss what is actually happening, but I do love taking pictures. In recent years, my photography interests have broadened from just taking still, posed pictures to taking pictures of landscapes, people who aren't looking directly at the camera, or in motion photos. I want my pictures to be a reflection of my subject, but also a reflection of what I was thinking or feeling at the time.

My interest in photography does not just end with taking the picture. I also love developing the pictures, seeing how they turn out, and editing them later. I am a HUGE fan of Picnik, which is an easier to use, free, online version of something like Adobe Photoshop (which I still want to own one day...when I have the money). You can edit photos, use borders, place text, crop, enlarge, and do all sorts of crazy things. Many of the collages you see on my blog come from Picnik...because what better way to procrastinate than to play around with photo editing? :)

Now, don't get me wrong, I love being a teacher and for the foreseeable future I do not envision any major career changes. However, teachers do have all of their summers off - probably to take pictures, because that is what I plan on doing with my summer vacations. Or perhaps one day I will have my own little photo studio and take pictures on my own.

Until then...I'll stick with forcing...er, asking....my friends and family to be my subjects, editing on Picnik, and teaching wide-eyed 13-year-olds about the joys of Algebra.

I leave you with some of my favorite pictures that I have taken, coordinated, or edited as well as some of my favorite quotes about photography. Enjoy!

(p.s. Does anyone else find it odd that the word edited only has one t? Who knew??)

Segovia, Spain, July 2007

San Sebastian, Spain, July 2007

Plaza Mayer, Valladolid, Spain, July 2007

Somewhere between Pisa and Rome, Italy, August 2007

San Andres, Colombia, November 2009

New York City, New York, October 2009

Some plaza in Florence, Italy, August 2009

Chicago, Illinois, August 2008

Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 2006

Fort Meyes, Florida, March 2008

Keith Urban concert, Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 2007

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, May 2009

You don't take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it.

There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.

[Ansel Adams]

When words become unclear, I shall focus on photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.

[Ansel Adams]

TIC: This is Colombia

***Scheduled Post***

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebration wherever you are in the world!! I am still in Pasto, so I thought I would take this time to write a post about some of my reflections on my first five months in Colombia.

Remember in the 2006 movie Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio when he is trying to explain that things are different now, because after all, this is Africa? He uses the phrase the rest of the movie whenever something doesn’t happen quite as he thought it would.

Well, upon arriving in Colombia our first week Maggie & I began to say TIC: This is Colombia whenever something happened that struck us as unique or out of the ordinary for us Americans. Now, after five months in Colombia I feel I am coming to understand some of the things that make this country so strikingly unique. While some of these things I love about Colombia, others drive me absolutely crazy, but at the end of the day they have all in some way characterized my life here so far. So at this halfway point in the year here are, in my opinion, the most distinctive TICs.

• "Que pena" / "What a pain." Colombians do not apologize for anything, because everything is the result of our fates, so nothing is directly any one person's fault. Whether they bump into you in the grocery store, show up an hour late, don't show up at all, mix up your order at the restaurant....whatever, their consolation is "Que pena".
• Throw a party in Colombia and say it starts at 9? The Colombians will arrive around 11:30 and stay (literally) until the sun comes up.
• Colombians live by tiempo colombiano, Colombian time, and they are always late for everything. Their mindset is so different from that of North Americans or Europeans - they believe their are very few things worth rushing for, so if you are in a hurry you better tell them right away!
• Tiendas (stores) are for sitting around with friends and having a beer. Bars? Bars are for salsa dancing, always.
• When the salsa music changes? You listen to reggaeton, a genre I still cannot fully explain here but is basically a blend of reggae music with influences from pop, rap, salsa, meringue, etc.
• In need of help or assistance? A Colombian will not only help you with your problem but he/she will personally guide you along the process? And if they can't come? Don't worry - they are sending their son/daughter/cousin/friend/boss/acquaintance/neighbor to help you.
• More than half of all businesses are closed on Sunday and holidays. Colombians may work hard during the week but when a holiday arrives there is no way you are getting any business done.
• "Oooooy"/Whoooooooosh". Two phrases said with enthusiasm and exaggeration, mostly in my classroom, whenever students feel the need to be overly dramatic...which is basically every minute when you are a middle school student.
• What traffic laws??
• If you want to get a Colombian talking for hours on end, just say the word futbol (soccer). Since there are 18 national teams across the country, that should keep them occupied for a good half day or so.
• Despite any personal hardships, or the corrupt/drug-filled history of the country, Colombians are happy, joyful, friendly people. They accentuate this fact by saying "Muy amable" or "Very friendly" to anyone and everyone who shows them the slightest kindness, from taxi driver to the person who packs your groceries to good friends.
• Honking is a widely accepted form of communication when operating a motor vehicle.
• Family is the most important thing in the lives of Colombians. All holidays are spent at home with family, celebrating and sharing a big meal together.
• Machismo is alive and well in Colombia. Most men still reign as the dominating figure in relationships and quite sadly, cheating happens a shockingly ridiculous amount in Colombia. Getting a Colombian man to marry you and stay faithful seems like a very steep uphill battle.
• Aquardiente - a cheap aniseed-flavored liquor that is an absolute staple at any Colombian fiesta.
• Despite being world famous for their coffee, good coffee is shockingly difficult to locate in Colombia. Outside of Juan Valdez I have yet to encounter a delicious cup of coffee anywhere in Colombia - highly disappointing given my blog name and all.
• Colombian beer is weak, light, and overall pretty terrible. Colombians choose to ignore this and drink it anyway, usually asking for cerveza michelada, or beer with lime juice served in a salt-rimmed mug.

happy birthday Jesus!

Well, here it is, Christmas 2009. This was my halfway point for the year. This is the point when I was going to decide - can I do this? Am I happy? Can I stick it out? Do I need to buy the next available one-way plane ticket to Minnesota?

I am happy to report I will not in fact be running terrified from the country of Colombia, as fabulous as it might be to see the people I left behind in Minnesota. I love my life here in Colombia - my friends, my students, my apartment, the culture, my job, and everything. I can definitely do this. After all my fear of wondering what I would decide to do with my life post-college graduation, it turns out there was probably not just one right choice, but many options I could have been happy with. As I sat and debated my future during spring of 2009, I wish I would have known that everything would work out in the end. In the end, we have the experiences we have and they just happen. Our personality and decisions influence them, but at the end of the day you aren't nearly as much in control of your life as you might way. As a very organized, somewhat intense, control-oriented individual, this kind of freaked me out at first, but I am learning to deal with it. :)

What was I talking about at the beginning of this post??? Oh yeah, Christmas. Tis the day of Jesus' birth according to Christian tradition, and around the world friends and families are celebrating the love and grace he exemplified.

In the past, Christmas has been a day spent with family, either my mom or dad's side, and also a day of traditions. My immediate family still gathers around the Christmas tree to open presents from Santa on Christmas morning. We still leave milk and cookies out for Santa, even if my youngest brother is 15. We still all go to church together in the morning. I still call my 5-year-old, kindergarten best friend Ilse every Christmas afternoon to tell each other what we got for Christmas. Later in the night, I call my college roommate Kirsten to discuss and debrief any craziness that her wild family got into throughout the day. I go to sleep at night wrapped up in flannel pajamas and tucked into the same bed I have had since age 2. I fall asleep thinking about how incredibly lucky I am for these people in my life.

This Christmas, dear friends and family, I may be 3,000 miles away, but I am no less grateful for your presence in my life. You never know the love and support you have from people in your life until they are forced to go to great lengths in order to communicate with you. After five months here I am amazed by those who continue to make time in their lives for phone calls, emails, Facebook messages and Skype dates. I love each and every one of you with my whole heart, and your kindness is appreciated more than you will ever know. So on this special holiday, celebrate Christmas together, and remember the profound love we have for one another. And think of me often, as I am most certainly thinking of you.

All my love, especially to Mom, Dad, Joe, Michael and Danny - you are wonderful & irreplaceable. A piece of me lies with each of you today in Minnesota.

Merry Christmas!!

540 minutes, a stolen magno, and the colombian bus system´s scare tactics

Merry Christmas!

Well, here I am arrived safe and sound in Pasto, Colombia. The bus ride here, while 9 hours (aka 540 minutes) long, was absolutely gorgeous! Photos to follow when I return to Cali. I slept a lot and played a lot of ipod Solitare but inbetween naps I took some gorgeous photos of the Andean countryside and the mountains as we climbed up into Pasto. Daniel met me when I got to Pasto, and everything worked out fabulously!

Today we are celebrating Christmas with his mom and some friends. Should be interesting to spend Christmas in a new place...

Soo....let´s just talk about the bus, shall we? Random story 1: I get out my pre-cut mango for a snack. I decide to take a nap first. I leave the mango next to me. I wake up. My mango is no where to be found!! I searched everywhere, checked to see if it fell on the floor...NOTHING! Apparently there was a mango thief on my bus - extremely disappointing. Good thing I packed like 50 other snacks.

Random story 2: So I am on the bus somewhere between Popayan and Pasto, like 4 hours into the ride, and they put on a movie. Awesome, right? A little entertainment to pass the time, love it. The movie comes up and the title is in Spanish so it takes a minute for my brain to process that they are showing us Taken.

I'm sorry - WHAT?? Taken is about a girl who gets kidnapped when she is on holiday in Paris with her friend! They are kidnapped and sold into prostitution! And you are showing me this on a bus ride through southern Colombia while I am traveling alone??? I saw this morning over spring break 2009 in Florida, and I have never been so terrified to travel...and now I am watching it on a bus. Needless to say I tried to focus on ipod Solitare. Ridiculous.

After a brief lunch stop we are back on the bus and a new movie is started. Great, I can watch this one... After about ten minutes of Spanish interpretation I figure out we are watching Flight of the Phoenix, also known as the Dennis Quaid movie where he flies a plane, crashes it, and they wind up in the middle of the desert with no options but to turn to cannibalism. Perfect. Now we are rolling along on the road that lines the Andes Mountains so this is clearly a perfect movie choice. Really Colombian bus systems?????? Were they all sold out of Love Actually or Finding Nemo at the video store? Nothing with a happy, feel-good nature available??

Thus ended my bus trip, with bad movies and stolen mangos. However, I arrived in Pasto safe & sound and all is well.

Missing everyone from back home and wishing you a fabulous Christmas!!!!!

another adventure begins...

Ever since I moved to Colombia I feel like I am always packing for something. Yeah, yeah I know no one feels bad for me, so I will cut with the complaining. :) Instead I am procrastinating packing (one of my favorite pastimes) and blogging.

Tomorrow I will be at the Cali bus terminal by 6 am in the hopes of obtaining a bus ticket to Pasto, assuming they are not sold out. If they are I will probably be back home by 7 am writing a hostile blog post. However, in the hopes I do get a bus ticket, I will be on my way to Pasto - to arrive 9 (yes, nine!) hours later in the southern most department (sort of like counties) of Colombia.

I will be in Pasto until December 28th, when I fly back to Cali to meet Allison, who will arrive that night.

I am traveling to Pasto with a friend from school, Daniel, who I will meet there because he is riding his motorcycle...and I'm not doing that for six hours, let's be honest. I am very excited to check out the Colombian Christmas traditions in Pasto and celebrate Christmas in a new way. Also, although Pasto seems like a small town, I think it will be an interesting place to visit. The department of Narino, of which Pasto is the capital, sits right on the Ecuadorian border so Pasto is sort of a blend of Colombia and Ecuador without being exclusive to either country. Pastusos (people from Pasto) are all the subject of many jokes among Colombians, so I think there will be lots of fun there. From what I have gathered, people in Colombia make fun of Pastusos sort of in the way people in Minnesota make fun of people from Iowa (no offense).

My Christmas plans in Pasto include hanging out with Daniel's family, exploring Pasto, eating ice cream made right on the street...apparently a tradition in Pasto, a possible side trip to Ecuador, and avoiding the local delicacy (guinea pig) at all costs! Until I return on Monday I have some fabulous scheduled posts for your reading pleasure! Merry Christmas everyone!!

four days until christmas!!

Happy Christmas season from me & my brothers (& elfyourself.com!) :)

Finished almost all of my Christmas shopping online last night - only two more presents to buy!! Is everyone ready for the holidays?? I am leaving on Wednesday for my trip to Pasto and I am getting very excited to see more of Colombia. Best of all - Allison will be here the day I come home!!

guest bloggers?!?

Friends!

I know everyone is very busy in the upcoming days and weeks with celebrating Christmas and New Years, etc. Over the next 24 days I will also be quite busy with trips here in Colombia. Specifically, I will be in Santa Marta, Colombia with Allison from January 1 to January 12 so I am looking for some people to create guest blog entries while I am gone. I love reading guest blog entries on other blogs, because I feel it gives me a new perspective on the original blogger, so I thought I would give it a try. Please email me or leave a comment if you are interested! Anyone can do this too, whether you have a blog of your own or not, so don't be shy!

Thanks!