Sunday

What a great day of walking, seeing, meeting.

We walked all over downtown Vancouver, pretending to shop, but really enjoying the cool, misty temperature, the stunning architecture, and the eclectic mix of people.

After lunch we went to a very different art exhibit. Gathered at the Vancouver Exhibition Center were the 50 aboriginal artists who have created art for display at the winter games. The artists were there to discuss their art as well as actually do work at the time. They were a very interesting mix of native peoples, very different from each other, all deserving of immense respect.

We met the creator of the Olympic medals. I didn't even know you could alter the Olympic medal pattern or shape. Ms. Corrine Hunt, Native American artist, created the 1,040 gold, silver and bronze medals from one large work of art depicting a killer whale and a raven. Each medal is unique, and each medal fits into the larger work of art in a vast mosaic. Very, very cool.

I hope everyone else is having an equally refreshing break.

Saturday

The long, long trip to North America never gets any easier, but a nice coffee in the food court in Hong Kong was a welcome break. It made us laugh to think how much money we paid for two coffees and two cookies, but, hey, it is vacation, I guess.

Coming in over Vancouver was very special. Though the sky was gray with light rain, the trees still very much had their color. Reds, yellows, oranges and browns all mixed together in a very pretty natural landscape. Though the weather never cleared, even the short walk to the guesthouse through the color was energetic. Plus the temperature, ah, the temperature. How nice it is to be in the cool again. I've appreciated the tropical climate for 20 plus years, but now I'm looking forward to the more moderate temperatures again. More sunlight than what Vancouver has to offer would be appreciated, though. :-)

It was so nice to see Vihan again. He seems to be doing quite well, studying hard and working hours at the burger restaurant. He's a really fine young man, and on the road to doing well for himself. Hmm...but what will that 'well' be? He seems to not really have a plan for when graduation comes. He has lots of talents, a great work ethic, and strong moral fiber, though, so something will come to him. Maybe it will be teaching English, but maybe something else.

Tomorrow will be a very, very cool day. There is an art exhibition featuring aboriginal Canadian artists, their contributions to the Winter Olympics, and how they all fit together into a coherent theme. I'm very anxious to see the exhibit. I wonder if photos will be allowed?

Friday Night - The Best of All?

Tonight I sit in my big chair, as physically comfortable and mentally relaxed as I can be.

It was a good day at school with more finishing videos that I'd hoped 24 hours ago.The students do such good work if you just stay out of the way and let them at it. I hope more can get them posted so their parents can see them.

Added to the academic success was the joy and volume that is Middle School Madness. I thought there was more excitement this year, more effort into developing and performing cheers, than in years past. I clearly noticed in Q2, with students more than once sent outside to rehearse their loud cheers. It is difficult to be angry with students who are 'overly excited' by school activities.

What is really nice about the first night of a holiday period is being finished with professional responsibilities and a full, empty holiday week stretching out before. How nice is that? It looks like a canvas without a drop of paint applied. Each day will be building the art that will be this holiday's memories. I look forward greatly to each day.

Characterization of Hank the Cowdog

In Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson, the primary protagonist is Hank, a dog who feels he is in charge of the security on a small, west Texas ranch. Mr. Erickson does a fine job in getting us to know Hank, and find him often funny in many situations.

On page 112 John shows Hank to be actually a loyal friend to his sidekick, Drover. Though Hank often speaks poorly of his little friend, when John has Hank say, "You're outnumbered, they'll kill you, run for your life!" he shows us Hank cares more for Drover than he does about himself looking good in front of the coyotes. This shows us what Hank really cares about as a character.

On page 122 author Erickson shows Hank to be still too proud to be wrong about something. Hank tells Drover, "...I figured the only way we could crack the case was for me to infiltrate the coyote tribe." This clearly shows Hank's temperment to be one of pride about himself to the extent he will stretch the truth a long ways to make him look good.

On page 127 Mr. Erickson has Hank asking, "Was it my fault that she happened to be washing clothes that day?" This shows what Hank cares about most, and that is avoiding blame for wrongdoing. He clearly was running away from the skunk's smell, and he clearly ran into the house and got the clean laundry dirty. He is in charge of his actions, but when things go wrong he cares more about not getting blamed than accepting responsibility.

Hank is a funny lovable character, brought to life by John Erickson using much detail and vivid description. We get to know him well, like he was actually in our lives. In some ways, I wish he was.

Week Four

Wow to week four. If the sixth grade picnic wasn't enough, on Wednesday we had an earthquake that seriously moved the ground at campus.

At 2.55 everything began to move. I was still in Q2 talking with a couple of teachers. Students were on their way home, at various stages of boarding buses. Some missed the show, but many reported dramatic movement. Those already seated on buses described the vehicle being rocked side to side as if students were playing a prank.

Fortunately no one on campus was injured and there was only minimal building damage. The news from central Java was not so good, though, with scores dead and much property damage. Living on the Ring of Fire can be perilous.

7.4

Yesterday, about 10 minutes after school let out, we had the largest earthquake since the 21 years since I've been living here. The floor of the Q module was clearly swaying, with everything not securly fastened in motion. Wow! What an experience.

This natural occurance gives us another opportunity to look at our social studies standards in real life. The first standard is about the interactions of aspects that make up our natural environment. Indonesia is on the ring of fire, so of course it would come as no surprise we have earthquakes or volcanic activity. Maybe the amazing part is I've actually felt so few. Immediately there was a tsunami warning for the south coast. Again, another piece of the environment. We have tsunami potential, Afghanistan does not. Landslides? Sure, earthquakes can cause them, but not in Jakarta. Our environment is flat, so even if the ground is loosened, it does not have the potential to slide down the sides of steep mountains. A most interesting occurance in the natural environment was the appearance of a snake at lunch time. There is no doubt in my mind the snake felt the tremors deep in the earth and decided to come to the surface. When he encountered 650 middle school students on lunch break, it did not take him long to decide to take his chances underground. Down he went! I regarded the snake as an isolated event. I'm convinced now it was all part of the same event.

Standard #2 concerns the interaction of people in the environment. When the land shakes, people are often injured, even killed, by falling debris. Mostly this is put above us through building projects for businesses or accomodation. I have heard of no deaths or injuries in Jakarta, but certainly there was much damage to homes and businesses. Earthquakes must certainly be a test of construction quality! I have heard stories there were people injured or killed by landslides in central Java, but I cannot confirm this through news stories yet.

We will look again and again at these standards as our environment gives us opportunity. In time, students will really get these points. I'm convinced of it.

Characterization

In chapter 8 of Hank the Cowdog, John Erickson is still developing Hank's simple, yet complex personality. John has shown us before Hank is likely to think he is a pretty big shot, whether it's with the women or in solving crimes. Early in the chapter Hank is talking about being a writer, yet he can't even spell. He tries to focus on the larger art of writing and excuse his bad spelling, but it just falls flat. Hank is a braggart, and author Erickson allows us to see that clearly.

On pages 84 and 85 John also shows us Hank is lazy. He sleeps 'till noon, then eats what Missy has brought him, then he goes back to sleep. How downright lazy is that?

The last thing John Erickson does in chapter 8 is very, very interesting. He spends the whole chapter, in a way tearing down Hank's reputation in our mind. He's a braggart, a drunk, hangs around wth the likes of Rip and Snort, then Hank totally trashes little Drover, who is slowly becoming our hero. Hank goes back to singing with his new 'friends' and leaves Drover to guard the ranch. Totally bad. But in the last sentence, John allows Hank to have a little bit of a conscience. Singing with the good old boys was not as fun as it previously was. I can imagine an emptiness in Hank. He knows he's done wrong, and his little buddy Drover has shown this to him in clear, easy to understand, language. Hank is not a worthless coyote after all. The force is still strong within him, though right now buried rather deeply.