St. Michaels, AZ, Day 2: long division, etc.

Today was our first full day at the school. We arrived at 8 and split up into small groups to help out here and there. Kyle and I worked with 4th and 5th graders on math problems, some of us helped with reading, shelving books in the library, other odds and ends.

The kids I worked with were supposed to play one of a variety of math-based board games. Kyle and I quickly discovered that we remembered how to do neither long division nor manual multiplication. We did our best to conceal this fact. I'm not sure how transparent we were, but they didn't seem to have any great expectations of us, anyway. I think when I asked them stupid questions about the processes, they assumed that I already knew and was just testing them.

I worked first with a group of four 5th grade boys. They didn't seem to interested in the game and had not bothered to gather the necessary supplies (markers, cards to draw from.) Instead, they subjected me to a thorough interrogation of my background, personal habits, interests, and favorite movies and video games. I think I lost a few points when I revealed that I don't have a game system, but one kind boy pointed out that my laptop is basically like a game system, which seemed to assuage the others' concerns for my welfare.

Eventually, I got them to take a few turns at the game. They didn't have any problem with the math. I was a little surprised - I had assumed they were avoiding it because they didn't know how to do it, but apparently this wasn't the case. Perhaps they just didn't feel like playing math board games. The only one who made any mistakes was the one who seemed to really like math but refused to write down any of his work.

I had a really hard time with names. I could probably have been more successful, but I was trying to move around to the different groups. It wasn't really fair because I had a name tag and they didn't.

We had an early lunch at 11 with the little kids - K through 3. We walked into the cafeteria and they all started screaming for us to sit with them. They had already been exposed to us because we walked around as a group in the morning and said hi to all of the grades. So we tried to split up and sit near as many kids as possible.

I didn't eat much for lunch at first because the main course was ham and cheese sandwiches. There were also peas, potato salad, and canned peaches. It was a fairly healthy lunch but the portions were TINY. My culinary crisis was averted, though, because we were allowed to get some food from the faculty eating room. So I got a giant salad and filled my belly.

Lots of the kids didn't eat most of their food. One boy kept picking at the top slice of bread on his sandwich. I tried to suggest that he could just pick up the whole slice of bread and eat it without picking it apart. I didn't press the issue, though, and he happily ignored me.

After lunch we went to entertain different grades during their indoor recess (it snowed this morning.) I went to the kindergarten room first and helped to construct a fortress of cardboard bricks. They were very entertained when I pretended to break into their fortress by walking my fingers over the walls while singing a little song. So I did that for basically the entire recess.

Gonpo and I presented our music lesson to the 4th grade. I think it went pretty well. Musical chairs was a big hit. I forgot how entertaining that game can be. We also managed to do sing some songs, teach some music theory, clap some rhythms, and sing a round (row row row your boat.) I talked to a few of them later in the day and invariably their favorite part was singing Yellow Submarine which has a nice solid chorus for everyone to join in. So we'll make some adjustments for tomorrow (1rst grade) but I'm less worried about it now.

We hung around until around 5:30 with all the kids that stay after school waiting for their parents. Everyone stays in the cafeteria working on homework, playing games, or chatting with each other. I helped a few kids with homework - telling time, multiplication - and then played poker with a boy and girl from the 4th grade for a long while. Gonpo played his guitar for a small mob, Ellen and Prim read books to some kids. We were all exhausted by then and quite hungry. But we're starting to remember some names and make some connections. Since we all speak different languages (to varying degrees,) everyone wants us to write their names in different languages. I was sad at first because I'm not from abroad or multi-lingual, but then I realized that I could write their names in Hebrew and Russian. Even if their school lunches are tiny and they have to wait for a long time after school while their parents work, they certainly are intellectually curious.

The teachers are an interesting mix of Navajo, volunteers fresh out of college, and Catholic missionaries. The Dean of Students is a young guy in his late 20s or early 30s who basically said to us, come on out! after graduation. Stay for a couple of years, change some lives. He is a really nice guy who connects very comfortably to college-aged folk. But I'm not sure if it would be the right place for me, considering the religious thrust of the whole operation.

We had a delicious dinner tonight cooked by Prim, Ellen, and Tomomi. I am very happy with the food situation! I tried to help cook, but they seem to have things firmly under control, which is fine with me if it's fine with them.

Most of us hung around in the meeting room for a while after dinner, working, talking, or guitarring. Beth talked us through some of our options for the next few days: a trip to a canyon, a visit to a Navajo college, talking to high school kids about college, flea market, some other things. I am looking forward to all of these activities! The canyon and college are both far away, which means we'll get some nice long drives across the landscape. Now it's just me, Tomomi, and Lyndsay in the meeting room, with a few of the others in the kitchen having some sort of conversation.

The really elderly guidance counselor started yoga this February and has been teaching small groups of students! So tomorrow morning, Ellen, Jess, and I will help her lead a class. I didn't pack any yoga clothing, but apparently Ellen and I both wear size medium Williams shorts. Ha! So she's going to let me borrow a pair.

I wonder if anyone ever gets to the bottom of any of these posts. I mean that literally, not in the detective-mystery sense.

D. C. pictures

My Washington trip pictures are finally on facebook. Enjoy!

St. Michaels, Arizona, Night 2: After Bingo

So I guess I'll be live-posting from Navajo Nation. Hooray! I wasn't looking forward to writing in my notebook and then transcribing, and realistically, I might have done something else with my time instead.

The last of us (myself included) arrived at the Albuquerque Airport at 11pm last night (1am ET.) It was immediately apparent that we were in a different state and place. Most public signs were written in both Spanish and English and the ceiling of the airport was elaborately decorated with some design with Native American influences. The unique ethnic and cultural diversity of the region is immediately apparent. Note that though 84.5% are white, 44.4% are Hispanic or Latino.

I had planned to work and be productive during my flights. I do have a fair amount of work to finish before school starts next week. On my first flight to Minneapolis, I sat next to a girl who was returning to Carleton College to complete her freshman year. Not surprisingly, considering that she was departing from Albany, we knew many of the same people from Williams, ESYO, Albany Academy (where she went,) Niskayuna High, etc. Unfortunately, I was so overstimulated by all of the common social ground that I knocked over my Diet Pepsi and had to press the klutz button so the flight attendent would bring over some napkins. I think Carleton girl was a little confused by the whole situation, unsure of why I had spilled my soda on my lap instead of drinking it like a normal person, but she seemed happy enough to keep talking to me. So by the time we landed in Minneapolis, I had read three pages.

After a medium-length layover, I boarded the plane to Albuquerque. Literally before I touched down on my seat, the woman sitting by the window (I was by the aisle) started talking to me about anything and everything. I would guess that she and her husband (sandwiched in between) are in their late seventies. I was happy to talk to her, really. Very interesting people. I abandoned hope early on that I would accomplish anything for my classes. My light flickered, anyway. So my new friends have lived outside of Albuquerque for 50 years. I learned all about how New Mexicans don't support English-only legislation, unlike most of the other western states, because they are proud of their multi-lingual culture. Less suburban sprawl, too. Their son is the Dean of Students at Union College and the woman, I don't remember her name, taught at Russell Sage for a while. She talked so much and her husband just sat quietly, listening and nodding or agreeing when he saw fit. They were both very interested to know what I thought about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the whole, they were very nice plane-mates and I managed not to spill anything.

Last night Gonpo and I rehearsed for our lessons until after 2am Mountain Time. It was nice to finally get together. He plays guitar and I play violin or harmonica. We both sing, usually. We're going to try to get a spontaneous story going, set to a 12-bar blues, going around with each person saying a line. I think that could be really fun. It will be interesting to see how the different age groups respond.

Our group slept in a motel right by the airport since it was so late. We ate breakfast at Denny's and then our hostess, Beth, a Dartmouth student who grew up on the reservation, and her sister drove us three hours west across the Arizona-New Mexico border. The first half of the ride was fairly boring for me because I was in the far-back of the van but the only other two people who were awake were in the front and I couldn't talk to them because I'd have had to yell and wake everyone else up. But after the rest stop people were more lively. The terrain is so different. There's really not much water around. The vegetation consists mostly of shrubs. This makes it really hard to tell how big mountains and other geological features are.

We saw a train going by caring some sort of non-human cargo. I was very happy and I think I might have woken someone up with my outburst. But the excitement didn't end there. Another train went by and crossed paths with the first one! Right before our eyes. The other people in the car did not seem so interested in this development, but it is very relevant to my reading for my history class, The Rise of American Business. And so I was joyful.

We drove through several smaller reservations before arriving at Navajo Nation. We passed by the expected casinos and we also saw many residential areas. The houses are mostly long and one-story. Beth told us that all of the doors face east in accordance with tradition. Many of them seem like they are just plopped in the middle of the desert with no roads leading up to them. But perhaps the desert is navigable enough by car, at least for medium distances, that it's not such a big deal.

Our accomodations at St. Michaels Parish (no apostrophe) were better than anything we could have asked for. We each have our own room with a sink, about twice as much space as my room at Williams, a big desk, a freshly made bed. I have become very popular because for some reason only my room has wireless internet. In addition to rooms fit for a gentry, Sister Josephine provided us with strict instructions about quite hours (starting at 9) and the policy on partying (no partying is allowed.) But I think she is growing to trust us a bit, and we haven't broken anything yet.

This evening we played Bingo at an event right next to the Parish. I think for most of us it was a stressful and confusing experience. Apparently you can win Bingo without getting a straight line. There are all sorts of other combinations which you have to memorize. I'm definitely glad we went, though. At first we all were going to sit together, but then we realized that we needed to branch out and meet some of the locals. So we went in groups of two or three to sit at different tables. I sat at a table with two Williams friends and two local ladies, a mother in her seventies and daughter in her forties. They were very nice and were sure to explain all of the rules to us. We were all really enthusiastic at first, but after a few hours we were pretty exhausted. Physically exhausted by sleep deprivation, mentally exhausted after staring at so many numbers, and emotionally exhausted by our collective failure to win a single Bingo.

We have to get up early tomorrow, so I should probably stop writing. Gonpo, Kyle and I caused trouble this morning by taking too long in the shower so we've turned over a new leaf. Here is a link to all of my Navajo photos, though you've already seen the four most interesting ones.

A very brief post!

Leaving for the airport in 22 minutes. I probably won't get to post when I'm there (so for the next week,) but I will take lots of pictures and write when I get back. And maybe I will post when I'm there...I just don't know if there will be much internet. And hopefully we'll be really busy anyway. Bye!

Final night in Niskayuna

My flight leaves for Arizona tomorrow afternoon. Between now and then, I have to pack for seven days in St. Michael's, a town in Navajo Nation where we will be helping out in the school. It's going to be really dry, as one might expect, but not too hot.

My parents want me to start packing now. Perhaps they are taking in to consideration my atrocious packing job for the last trip. But it seems like all I really need to bring is clothing, my violin, music books, and some whole grain bread. Right? Provided that I clip my nails before departure. If I don't have time to do that, I should probably bring my nail clippers as well.

I got my picture taken at CVS for my Russian visa. I will include the picture for everyone's amusement. I suppose the Russian government probably doesn't care if I brush my hair in the morning or not. In any case, the photographer seemed pleased that there wasn't any glare on my glasses.

I spent a while looking through songs that we could play for and sing with the little kids on the reservation. I realized quickly that I had to check the lyrics carefully for guns, sex, etc. if I wanted to do anything by the Beatles or Bob Dylan. What I'm not sure about is whether I have to think about political implications. This Land is Your Land? Maybe I'm being oversensitive and paranoid, but that seems like one I might avoid. In fact, I think I will definitely avoid that one. But I'm not sure! I just have no sense of what they will think, not to mention their parents or teachers.

My mom provided us with some traditional songbooks with pictures: The Wheels on the Bus, some others. Those will be good for the very little ones who might not really care so much that the times are a-changin'.

If all else fails, we'll play musical chairs. In fact, maybe we should just start with musical chairs. We were also thinking of making some instruments. My mom says drums are the easiest instruments to make. But we haven't really planned that, so it might be too late.

Home

Today was a travel day. My bus from Washington left at 7am so I spent most of the trip to New York sleeping. I scheduled some time to wander around the city in between bus and train trips, which I did for about an hour, but I ended up taking an earlier train because I was really tired of carrying my backpack. And then I ended up waiting at Katie O'Byrnes (a bar/restaurant) for an hour and a half because my dad wasn't able to pick me up from the Schenectady station until he was done with work.

I felt a little silly at first: sitting at my table, sipping a Diet Pepsi, reading about the life of Andrew Carnegie (for one of my classes.) At first the waitress wasn't really sure what to do with me. But once the place started filling up, I think she was just glad to have me taking up a table and asking nothing whatsoever of her. Katie O'Byrnes is already a peculiar mix of pleasant, spacious family restaurant and dark, dingy bar, so I didn't feel too out of place contributing an air of studious coffee-bar hangout. Anyway, it was my dad's idea.

I'm not sure what to do now that I'm home. I guess I have a pile of work to do. Tomorrow my mom and I will drive to Poughkeepsie for violin lessons.

This post will end now because I got distracted and called Alex Goldberg!

Remembering Interlochen

During my junior year of high school, I applied to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy. At that point in my life, I was certain that I wanted to become a professional musician. Nothing besides playing the violin really interested me. I practiced more then then I ever had before or have since. I started to make some sacrifices that I thought I needed to make - I spent less time on schoolwork, with friends, with family. I thought, if I want this, I have to give up everything. I knew that thousands of other people my age wanted my spot at music school and in professional orchestras, and if I gave an inch, I could lose everything.

In this mindset, I started to think that I would be better off at Interlochen for my senior year. I would have more time to practice, no friends to distract me, and supposedly better teachers. I would be able to play in an orchestra full of kids who had similar goals and go to school with people who understood why I wanted to practice for three hours each day. I convinced my eternally supportive parents that all of this was true and important. So we went to see the Interlochen orchestra perform in Cleveland, combined with a college visit to the Cleveland Institute of Music.

That concert affected me deeply. The orchestra performed, among other things, Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus for string orchestra and harp by Ralph Vaughn Williams. But because it was a student group, they featured not one, but five harps. There was something about experiencing those five harpists, performing in perfect solidarity and flanked by a sea of strings that moved me beyond words. I thought to myself, I belong here - I need to be a part of this.

I remember driving back to the hotel after the concert. I had immediately called my closest friend to tell him about what I had just felt. And for the rest of the trip, I remained in a sort of daze, fixated on my need to go to Interlochen.

I'm not really sure what happened next. We scheduled a visit for me to see the campus and meet with the violin teacher. Upon my arrival, I was almost certain that I would enroll, and just two short days later, my parents and I departed knowing that I would not. Something just didn't seem right. Maybe I started, finally, thinking about the friends that I would miss. Maybe it occurred to me that I would only have a few months to improve before I had to go off to college auditions anyway. I noticed that many of the Interlochen students didn't even have orchestras at their hometown high schools. This made me realize how lucky I was to have been at Niskayuna for my first three years and what I might miss during my fourth. How much did I really need Interlochen, and how much did they just need my tuition?

Perhaps most of all, for the first time I thought about what I was willing to give up for music. I don't think I even realized I was thinking about this; they were more like proto-thoughts. But up until that decision, my logic was that if I prioritize anything ahead of music, I am hurting my chances of success. It didn't occur to me to consider whether success in music really is more important than spending time with friends, my last year living at home with my parents, taking more challenging courses. Because if it's not, then I'm not really winning by giving up any or all of those things in the name of blind, thoughtless determination. By the end, what will be left?

I love music and always will. But I am learning that there are other things in life that deserve my attention as well. For someone else, Interlochen might absolutely be the best place. For me, the whole experience was an opportunity for growth and thoughtful consideration of what the heck I'm doing with my life.

Washington D. C., Day 3

Wow! My body is very tired. Mostly because of my backpack. I basically spent the entire day either walking from one place to another or walking around museums. I ended up going to the Library of Congress, Ruth's office for lunch, the Botanical Garden, the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and the White House.

I tried to see the Executive vegetable garden and Malia and Sasha's new swing set, but I couldn't find it. But I did see a group of well-dressed, festive people waiting to enter one of the gates. I asked a security guard what they were doing and he muttered something about "some Greek holiday." But according to the White House website, what really happened is that President Obama proclaimed a new holiday: Greek Independence Day! So they must have been going to celebrate.

The Library of Congress is a very impressive building. I think I'd like to get an internship there some day if I can. There were about 50 books I wanted to buy from the gift shop. I restrained myself because it will be a long while before I have any free reading time. I did buy a dark chocolate truffle at the Godiva store on the way home, which was very delicious. 85% chocolate.

Soon I will be in Arizona! My friend Gonpo and I are supposed to figure out how to teach elementary school classes about music. I think we're going to do a lot of singing, mostly Beatles songs. Honestly, I'm not sure what's going to happen. Though I don't have a really definite plan, I have been thinking about it a lot, which usually helps. And we'll have some time to plan and rehearse the night before classes start. Should be interesting!

Here is a link to the facebook album of the pictures I took.

Washington, D. C., Day 2

Today was not as productive as thought it would be, mostly because I didn't get up until 12. But I think my late start was actually a good thing because I finally got a full night's sleep...and maybe tonight I will get to bed early enough.

I spent a good chunk of my afternoon waiting around at the passport office. There were hundreds of people milling around in line and a surprising number of babies. There was one baby in particular that was very tiny! After waiting for an hour and a half, I learned that my passport is in Charleston, South Carolina and will arrive in about a week. So by the time I had finished with that, it was too late to get to a museum or anything. I tried to go to the Capitol visitors' center but I was denied entry because of my Swiss army knife. They told me I could leave it in the trash and try to retrieve it later, which was at least a constructive suggestion, but I said I'd find something else to do instead.

On my way to visit my sister at her work, I had a chance to walk around the Capitol building and take some pictures which I will post once I am reunited with the necessary technology. Everything is blooming and flowering already. I remember this from when I was visiting Johns Hopkins - nature is about three weeks ahead around here.

Tomorrow I'm planning to visit the Library of Congress and the National Museum of American History, a branch of Smithsonian. This will all be made possible by me getting up early! I think I'll skip the Supreme Court, though it's definitely something I should do and want to do some time.

And my itinerary is finally confirmed! I'm taking a train from D. C. early Thursday morning, staying in New York for a few hours, and then taking a train to Schenectady, arriving at 6:30 pm. So that gives me some time to settle here for a little bit.

Arrival in D. C.

Sitting in my sister's apartment, things have calmed down a bit. Ruth and I are the only ones here because her roommate is gone for some amount of time. She is in bed because she doesn't have to stay up until 2am studying or working or something. I'm not really partial to either environment and it was certainly entertaining to watch Katie study for her sign language quiz. But this rather abrupt change of pace is a welcome respite, not just from Penn, but from college in general.

I feel obligated to point out that my life is not usually this eventful. I am usually in Williamstown studying, practicing my violin, eating in dining halls, lounging around the student center, and going to meetings. But maybe once I start writing about those things they will end up being interesting after all. I think they're interesting, but that's because it's my life (gratuitous reference to my favorite song from 6th grade.)

Today, I succeeded in being generally aware of my surroundings, a skill that, historically, has not been a sure thing for me. I was walking towards the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, not certain of its location. Then I came up to a little shack-like building with a staircase leading to the underground that was clearly labeled "30th Street Station." I thought, excellent! I'm here...and with time to spare!

And now is the part when I was aware of my surroundings. I noticed an enormous and stately building just across the street. The building took up an entire block. I thought, I'm taking a train to Washington, D. C. from here...maybe it is leaving from that giant building which just might be a train terminal. So I resisted the blindly logical pull of the building that was actually labeled "30th Street Station" and crossed the street. And there was my train! It was a great success.

I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow. I'll either go to a Supreme Court case or one of the Smithsonian museums. Both of these things are located near to where my sister works at the Capitol. And I'll go and pester the passport office which is conveniently located near to my sister's apartment. I'm not sure when I'll leave. Washington is a very fun place to walk around. I usually do a lot of walking around when I'm here because my sister is usually at work. Last time I spent most of the day in the mall looking at all of the memorials. At the tail end I went to the Museum of Natural History but I was so exhausted I only stayed for 20 minutes. It was also warmer then, so maybe this time I'll do more indoor things.

It was funny to see everyone in Philadelphia complain about the bitter cold when it was 40 degrees and a little windy. If only they knew!

Starbuck's, Walnut Street, Philadelphia

I had my doctor's appointment this morning. They poked and nudged me for a while until they were satisfied or bored or something, and then I was released. Katie, my hostess, is very busy with classes and work so I have been left to roam the city. Which is perfectly fine. Being around her helps me remember how happy I am to be on spring break. I was really expired by the last week.

You might ask, left to roam the city and now you're sitting in Starbuck's? I have been lured to this deplorable establishment by the siren of wireless internet, allegedly for the purpose of doing homework. Anyway, there are lots of students around and it's nice to see people of a slightly different variety than Williams-folk, where purple blood tends to run thick.

I was in the student center for a while before (I left because there was no wireless internet.) I think I'd like to make an effort to visit more colleges whenever I'm around them. Sitting amidst all of the studying, sleep-deprived Penn students, I realized that I blend in perfectly and that I likely would in most campuses across the nation. So really, there's quite a network for a college student to crash in, do work in, or whatever else, without attracting a second glance. And soon I'll be an old guy and that will no longer be true, so I should take advantage of it while I can.

Speaking of coffee, Penn gives out free coffee! Just for the record. Williams gives out free coffee to faculty, but students have to pay $1. Which I suppose isn't that much.

My doctor's appointment was in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It is a very neat building with lots of gadgets and decorations, presumably so that the children (such as myself) are amused. To get to the third floor, I rode in a glass elevator!

My train leaves for Washington tonight at 8:30, so I will stay here for dinner. Supposedly I am eating lunch here, but it's already after 12 and I just ate a delicious omlette at the student center. I hope that my sister is awake when my train gets in at 10:30. I think it will be past her bedtime. If she's not awake, I will have to sleep in the train station or on the Lincoln Memorial, which I would expect to be very cold at night!

Right now I am in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but some day I would like to explore western Pennsylvania. Perhaps I could get a job there some time. I suppose we drove through western Pennsylvania on the way to Oberlin, but we were only there for about 30 minutes. But it seems like there is a lot of history in that area - coal mines, Amish country, Appalachian music, railroads, the Pittsburgh Pirates...

Here is what Wikipedia says:
Although the Commonwealth does not designate Western Pennsylvania as an official region, since colonial times it has retained a distinct identity not only because its geographical distance from Philadelphia, the beginning of Pennsylvania settlement, but especially because of its topographical separation from the east by virtue of the Appalachian Mountains, which characterize so much of the western region. In the 1700s, this separateness caused some to rally for the formation of a 14th state in this region named Westsylvania.

Westsylvania! We would have 51 states. Our country is so interesting. So many unique people and places, more than someone could ever really see in a lifetime.

At Penn

I am sitting in some student study area with my friend Katie. She is working on a physics problem set which she "started" an hour ago but only just now did she pick up her pencil and sit still for more than two minutes.

For my ride down, I was squished in the back seat with my two second cousins, ages 4 and 7. They are very energetic and wanted me to play all sorts of games. The trip went well except for one meltdown at a rest stop caused by some controversy over a freshly purchased bottle of orange juice.

Katie and her three friends live on the 16th floor of an apartment building. It is the tallest building for miles and so you can look out and see the entire horizon of Philadelphia. Apparently, even though there are many times more students at Penn, the campus isn't much larger than Williams because of these tall buildings. From the ground looking in any direction, there are about twice as many stores as in all of Williamstown. I'd like to live in a city some time in the near future so that I get used to navigating subways, streets, etc. That is a skill I would like to learn now rather than when I'm middle-aged.

Katie has stalled again and is fiddling with her iPhone.

I have to sign up for a PE course for next quarter. Does anyone have any recommendations? I have done cross-country skiing, squash, and yoga, and I need one more. I'd really rather do yoga again but for some reason they're not offering it. Yoga made me so happy and slightly more flexible. I'd like to continue it on my own but I'm a little concerned that I would strain my back or a muscle or just topple over. Also my room is not nearly large enough to stretch out in.

Now Katie is being distracted by a boy that came over to sit with us. He is talking all about Penn frat parties and how non-Penn girls keep showing up. I suppose I will stop writing in a moderate effort to be more sociable.

post-Wedding

I practiced my violin for a bit this morning. The nice thing about being off-campus is that I can literally roll out of bed and start playing. Even if it's not that productive and my fingers are still a bit sleepy. Before shower, clothing, breakfast. I hope I didn't upset any of the neighbors. But it was fun to play as my parents milled about, my dad in the shower and my mom spying on my music.

I met a distant relative who graduated from Williams! He is an '88 alum and had Morty (now our outgoing President) as an Econ 101 prof. Apparently there used to be a pizza place on Spring Street, a trucker restaurant in North Adams open from 12am-6am, a sandwich shop alternative to Pappa Charlie's. For one of his Winter Studies he went to Hawaii as a 99 to study humpback whales. Political Science and Econ major. And he was on one of the original committees that planned Mass MOCA, back when it was an absurd dream. Very nice guy!

There was a magnificent pile of lox at the brunch. Prior to our endowment meltdown we used to have lox at each Sunday brunch (at Williams,) but now, if we're lucky, we'll have lox-flavored cream cheese. I think maybe they should bring back lox to help build consumer confidence. If people see that Williams has lox at Sunday brunch, maybe they will invest in the stock market.

The wedding itself was very nice. A home-made chuppah (Jewish wedding tent,) a tasteful service, a festive celebration. The couple is around 30, so most of the music played was from when I was in 5th and 6th grade - the time of life when I was probably most aware of popular music. So it was very nostalgic for me.

Instead of taking the train to Philadelphia, I'm getting a ride from some (other) distant relatives. So now I have to wrangle with Amtrak and try to cancel my ticket and then pack and leave!

Wedding

I am at the hotel where we are staying for the wedding. There are many family members milling about! Our room has a large desk facing a window. It is much larger than my desk and, more importantly, not cluttered with all of my things. My desk at school is used mostly for storage, not work, so this is a novel experience for me.

My travel itinerary has been complicated! From Philadelphia, I will take a train to visit my sister who lives and works in Washington, D. C. I figured that I'm already halfway there and I have not much else to do over break so I might as well swing by. I'm also hoping to visit the State Department to ask someone about the status of my passport application. I've tried calling but it's very difficult to get someone on the line. It seems like if only I could get in touch with a human, things would be much less complicated and they might be able to help me. I'm a little nervous because I need my new passport soon to apply for my travel visa to Russia. I wish I had taken care of this months ago.

Time to jump into my tuxedo!

Home!

I am home! I just demonstrated for my parents my new yoga skills and, somewhat surprisingly, did not bump into any furniture or break anything. My parents arrived in Williamstown this evening to pick me up. We went to services and ate dinner at the JRC. There were far fewer people at dinner (around 30) than usual, which was a nice change of pace.

I forgot to/didn't have time to pack before dinner, so we spent a while in my room before leaving. Packing was a very confusing process for me primarily because I am sleep-deprived, but also because I'll be in several different places over spring break (Philadelphia, Arizona) and so I had to think about that.

I suppose I should explain how my spring break will proceed from here. My parents and I have been invited to the wedding of my second cousin. So tomorrow (technically today) we will go to the wedding which will take place just outside of New York. From there I will take a train to Philadelphia where I have a doctor's appointment. While I'm there I will visit with a friend from home who now goes to University of Pennsylvania. Then I will go home somehow, probably by train, on Monday. On Saturday, I will fly to Arizona where I and nine other Williams students will be for a week volunteering at a school in the Navajo Nation reservation. And by the time all of this is over, classes will begin again and I will return to lovely Williamstown.

On the way home tonight, I was thinking about the hours between 12-3am on weeknights. Campus grows quiet and, though many of us who are awake are working busily, distinctly calm. No one has meetings to go to, meals to squeeze in, class to miss. We simply work until we can work no longer, once either no work remains or we have fallen asleep. It is perhaps not instinctive or healthy for humans to be awake so late, but I have come to really enjoy it.

The only problem, then, is that I have class at 8:45 two days each week and I have been having serious problems waking up on time. I haven't actually missed very much class time, which is fortunate. The problem has more to do with the time before class, which ideally would be spent eating breakfast, taking a shower, brushing teeth, etc. I also like to spend some time lounging around before I start my day. So when I wake up at 8:30, I don't really have any of those options. I suppose, ultimately, I will enjoy the hours between 12 and 3 when I happen upon them, but as a general rule, I will try to get a healthy amount of sleep.

My mom suggested on the way home that I could take afternoon naps. I think this is a promising idea which I might try out after break.

I just spent a long time showing my dad around facebook. He has an account now, but is unsure of quite what to do with it. So we selected and uploaded a picture and friended me.

I think that facebook could end up being an excellent medium for people who are uncomfortable with the internet to figure things out. You don't have to do anything to be entertained. You can just watch the newsfeed and browse around, looking at what other people are doing. Then, when you feel ready, you can try something like posting on someone's wall. But even before you take an active role, it is still engaging.

I can feel the temperature in the house dropping. The heat goes off after midnight or some time like that, and in the winter it can get down to just above 50 degrees. Saves energy, but I think it also helps us sleep. And helps us want to sleep if we are not sleeping already. So on that note, I will move towards bed. I will possibly post before leaving for the wedding tomorrow, - wow, the dishwasher just turned off! It's so quiet now! - and if not then, I'll write something from Philadelphia.

Happy travels to any traveling Williams folk!

Evening

Writing twice in one day, apparently. I'm not sure how frequently I will write, but I figure I might as well start with a burst of activity and then see how things end up once I have a routine.

I am sitting in Paresky, nominally writing the d'var for tomorrow's Shabbat dinner. For anyone who isn't sure, the d'var is a commentary on the week's Torah portion and a different person gives it at the JRC (Jewish Religious Center) each week. I have some vague thoughts about what I will say, but it's always hard for me before I get on a roll. Usually I just sit and ponder for a while and eventually think of something. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that I'm capable of writing in my blog and pondering simultaneously. I guess that means that generally, writing in my blog = getting less sleep. Oh, well!

We only have one day of classes until Spring break. Not having that much left to do, my productivity has plummeted. I don't really care when I go to sleep tonight because I only have to make it through one more day. So I'm writing in my blog instead of doing work.

We are hoping that tomorrow in Russian class, our TA from Moscow, Stas, will host a "surprise" vodka tasting party. He's a little unpredictable sometimes, so we're not sure. I hope he doesn't read this before tomorrow. (Stas, if you read this before class tomorrow and are not planning a "surprise" vodka tasting party, don't worry about it. We'll be happy just to see your smiling face.) There are only six of us in the class so we know each other fairly well. But every once in a while someone will discover something completely new about someone else that we never would have guessed because we are only allowed to speak in Russian. For instance, not until the end of first semester did I figure out everyone's English names, and it still sounds strange to hear them.

Probably by the time I write again I will be on spring break!

Inaugural post

This is my first foray into the world of blogging. I am not sure what is going to happen. I'm a little bit nervous. Perhaps this experiment will be of some value to someone! Maybe even to me.

I hope that this blog will be a way for me to keep in touch with people whom I don't see or talk with as much as I'd like to - friends and family from home as well as people on campus. Over the summer, I'll use it to write about how things are going in St. Petersburg (I will be there.) For now, I'll write about how things are going. I will try to keep things personal and interesting without saying anything potentially incriminating or insensitive. I suppose this is the art of blogging. And hopefully, over time, I will become more comfortable with the medium.

I'll end this post now without straying from this somewhat formal, "inaugural" tone.