5-Year Plan

2011-2013: Teach 8th grade science in (preferably) Oakland or (if that doesn't work out) West Contra Costa or (maybe even) San Francisco. Get BTSA stuff outta the way. Knock down 2 years out of my 4-year commitment for the TEACH grant. Maybe even get an APLE grant. (*crossing fingers*). Complete my Master's at Mills. Visit the Philippines and surrounding countries

2013-2015: Teach and live in NYC with Laelena. Complete 4-year TEACH grant commitment (celebrate). Rub elbows with public education progressives. Spend at least one summer volunteering (or getting paid) in another country.

2015-2016: Teach and live near D.C. Get National Board Certification. Meet Obama (Obama '12, whoo!). Reevaluate life. Celebrate 28th birthday. Look into PhD/EdD programs.

---

Just gotta set this in blog-stone before I chicken out or -- worse -- get too settled in one place.

As I write this, I start to wonder if I should give myself a 2-year grace period for each stepping stone. Then I realize -- duh, April! The whole point of setting this in blog-stone is so I don't make excuses for myself!

Step 1: Do it.

Step 2: Figure it out.

Step 3: Be happy that I did it.

--

Southeast Asia -- Peggy's Advice

I had dinner with a college friend the other night. It's such a trip to reconnect with a friend with whom you've lost contact for almost 3 years after being attached at the hip for a solid 2 academic years.

In that time, she's been doing big things; among those big things is travelling, including an extended solo journey through many countries in Asia.

I shared with her the seeds of my 2012 (or 2013) plans of visiting Southeast Asia. Her advice to me as we dined over Berkeley Thai curry (in her words, as best as I can remember):

• Open an account with Schwab -- you'll be able to withdraw cash from any country without having to worry about ATM fees or currency conversion fees.

• Get traveler's insurance. I got really bad food poisoning when I was in Singapore. Ironic, right? Considering how Singapore is supposed to be one of the cleanest cities in the world? I was in the hospital for one night and two days. That hospital visit would have cost me $300 if I didn't have insurance. Traveler's insurance also covers costs for things like lost luggage, interruptions in your travel (like having to take an emergency flight somewhere, or missing a connecting flight and having to check in a hotel), and medical emergencies. Just be sure to read the fine print. For example, it might say that they only cover medical costs as long as you don't do anything totally dangerous, like bungee jump.

• You'll find Wi-Fi everywhere - especially in a lot of hostels. Bring your netbook. 

• Don't be afraid to go to to SeA alone; you'll make friends along the way. I showed up from the United States not really set in travel dates or even destinations. I made those plans with the people I met along the way. It's cheaper and easier to map out your destinations as you go along, anyway.

• Bring a book. I only brought one book when I started the trip, but I ended up reading 7 in total. Most hostels have a "take a book, leave a book" kind of thing. I had a lot of time to read on 3-, 5-, sometimes even 12-hour bus rides.

• Try all the food. Sure, I got food poisoning early in the trip... but it never happened again after that, and I'm glad that I go to eat everything that I did. I've never had as good of food here as I had there (referring to the, for example, Thai and Cambodian cuisine in the United States). You figure, those street vendors sell just one dish all day every day -- they have perfected that dish. There's no way that these restaurants will be able to compare to those vendors!

• Haggle prices for everything... but accept the fact that, as a tourist, you WILL be duped at least once on the trip. Prices are marked up for tourists sometimes 3x the price for locals. You might be able to slide and wriggle your way through some of these traps since you look Asian. In Thailand, there are temples that are free to enter for locals only. I walked right by security (Peggy is Chinese) while my White friends were stopped and asked to pay. However, I did pay $20 for a boat ride that should have only cost me $5. When I found out I got gypped, I was super upset for a little while... and then I got over it. This kind of thing happens. And what's $20 in the long run, anyway? ...especially when their prices are in reality cheap when compared to U.S. prices. 

The Truest Traveler

Just as I have felt silly toggling between "Hello, my name is April and I am a teacher" and "Hello, my name is April and I want to become a teacher one day", I am also at a loss when it comes to expressing my dream to "one day, see the world".

I am starting to realize, though, that I am not giving myself enough credit. I've prepared my whole life to be able to teach one day and today; I've prepared by teaching even in the smallest ways. I am a teacher and have been a teacher just as I one day will become an even better teacher.



Same with travelling: done it, doing it, and will continue to do so.

Currently:

The country where I was born is different from the country where I claim roots is different from the country where I now reside.

The city where I was raised is different from the city where I now call home is different from the city where my heart is.

The two most important realizations I've made in contemplating my position as a "traveler" (I am still working on becoming comfortable with such an identity) are the following:

1. I have seen many places already as a young person. I recognize the privileges and blessings that I've had in my life that allowed me to see and even live in corners of the world with my parents and younger sisters. One does not need to be in their "twenty-somethings", travelling alone, and/or backpacking through Latin America, Southeast Asia, or Africa to qualify as one who loves to travel.

2. Neither must a "true traveler" traipse exclusively to or find delight only in places which Americans deem as exotic or paradisal. I find joy in discovering the most frequented cities and remote towns of the United States along with those of other countries. My experiences in the former are just as worthy of documenting and sharing with others as the jungles of the Philippines and the beaches of Cuba.

This blog will serve as a promise myself to continue to see the world. It will contain memories of places I've visited many years ago, advice I've received from fellow travelers, things and places I dream of experiencing, and maybe even my own advice to others.

Happy trails!

April

I take it back.

Part of my lifelong pursuit for positivity means that I must 1) recognize moments that I'm being ungrateful or forgetful of the gems I find in the rubble and 2) hold on to those gems and forget about the rubble.

I couldn't a find less cheesy word than 'gem', sorry. Hah.

My earlier mentioned runs were not completely boring. It's just that... in the beginning, everything was new, exciting, fresh; difficult at times, but worth the struggle; it was all I could think about, all I could talk about...

Comparatively, the last ones were only so-so. I was content enough when I was running... and then at the close of each hour, I moved on with my day, my mind on other things. The only traces of running on my mind anymore were wistful wishes for a better run next time.

In truth:

6mi - this run took a long time because I kept stopping. I was on my own and I had nothing to do later that evening. There was no one and nothing to push me. Instead of pushing myself, I gave in to my body's soft cries for mercy by pulling over by the water. I sat out on the pier with my back to the car traffic, the city sounds, and the fast action of kids playing; I lost myself in the foreground of water and background of a night city skyline. That was nice.

6mi - this one was with a friend. I pushed him. I joked about the run. I psyched us into thinking that it's not a big deal, when in reality, my pushing him made me push myself to my limits. We sprinted to the finish line too early; we thought we were coming to the end, but there was still a long way to go. It was exhausting, but it also felt like flying; like freedom, hard earned.

5mi - this was also with a friend. This time, with a good friend in great need. I hope she sees me this way, as well. It took a little bit of convincing to get her out in the gorgeous daylight, but she relented. We ruminated over this n' that, hardly noticing the run. My only memories of the run itself are the sun rays that beat down on my bare skin, the humidity that felt like a warm blanket when it is least welcome, and my sweat soaking through my hair and my clothes all the way down to my socks.

5 mi - this one also took some convincing. "Please... c'mon, we're partners in this! It's my job to push you, and you're job not to let me down!" He gave in, as always. He then proceeded to kick my ass in this run. Halfway through the run, we paused at some workout benches to do crunches. Beasts. With only a few blocks to go, when he suggested that we sprint all the way back, I could only urge him to leave me behind and promise that I'd meet him at the end.

6 mi - Again, I've been sucking at getting into it. 1 mile. Stop. 2 miles. Stop. 3 miles. Time for tacos (lol). 4. 5. 6. Keep going? Nah. Not by myself. Maybe next time.

Hoping for a better -- or rather, even better -- week.

Mileage

6mi

6mi

5mi

5mi

6mi

___

total for the week: 28mi

I have to admit, this past week's runs have been kinda boring. And difficult to push though. I feel like I've helped folks get out of their house and run when they didn't feel like running... which is cool... but. Meh. Eh. I think I've been carrying too much weight on my shoulders. I'm feeling sluggish. I need some kind of rewarding run to get me going again.

Good life metaphor.

Thing's have been boring. I need something to light a fire under me. Or in me. Or something.

C'mon, new life. START ALREADY!

Shaking Off the Interview Jitters

Today,

I will exude pride in myself and in my work,

I will act passionately in hopes that others share in mine

I will welcome new friendships and alliances

I will speak with humility

I will critique of my own practice and embrace collegial input

I will model in my interview the way that I teach: relaxed; confident and with a sense of both authority and humor; quick to assess, adapt, and respond.

= = =

Most importantly, I want for them to know that I want to teach with them. "You are different." I am moderately confident that I will be able to land a job somewhere, anywhere, but I don't want a job somewhere, anywhere. I want this job, here, with y'all. You respect students; I respect students. Your teachers focus their teaching around common themes of equity and social justice; this is the reason that I entered the profession of teaching. You follow the small school model; I need close relationships with fewer students and admin who also know my students and their families to do my job.

I need you -- and I'm pretty sure that you need me, too.

Please, please, please like me.

= = =

Vent.

S: "Miss April... are you mad?"

I nodded. I probably shouldn't have nodded, even though I was feeling pretty frustrated. Semi-frustrated at kids in the class, I guess, but mostly frustrated at myself. Which is why I probably shouldn't have nodded -- it wasn't their fault. Not completely, anyway.

Ugh. Teach another day.

Caffeine, Productivity, and Spontaneity

I don't know what the high of just-the-right-amount-of-caffeinated feels like for you, but I can tell you that for me, it feels like wanting to crank through a week's worth of To Do's in an hour... and then celebrating my productivity by spontaneously getting another piercing or a tattoo.

In other words: it feels so good.

Mt. Diablo State Park

Oh, gross. Just re-read my last post. Am I always that self-righteous, or is it just a once-a-week thing?

Don't answer that.

I just wanted to write up a quickie to log ~13 more mi. to my beloved running shoes. These miles took place over the course of the past week. Unfortunately, 10 of those are from hiking, not running. I say unfortunately because running shoes are so not for hiking. Ouchies. I don't have any hiking shoes, though, and the only other shoes I own are Vans slip-ons and girly ballet flats.

My three running miles were around The Grand Lake. Well, Lake Merritt.

Seven of the 10 hiking miles was around "The Grand Loop" (Mt. Diablo State Park). This walk in the park (so to speak) had a 1,700-ft. elevation gain. I don't really know what that means in terms of difficulty, but I do know that I was sore for the next couple of days. Aw, yeah. Just the way I like it.

Cheers... to vino and sunsets from mountain tops!