Mai Thai Wanderings: Education

Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts

January 29, 2014

Happy Chinese New Year (Year of the Horse) from icy Chattanooga!

Friday, Jan 31 is the first day of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse. According to the Chinese New Year lesson in elcvics.com, a website for ESL teachers, "people born in the year of the horse are active, energetic, and like to roam."

My husband and I were not born in the year of the horse. But we like to roam and explore. Frequently we ventured into uncharted territories. You may have read those stories in this blog. One such adventure was in Beaufort (pronounced Bow-fert), N. Carolina. It was 2004, the year we cruised from Jacksonville, Florida to Baltimore, Maryland, and we had gotten to Beaufort in late May. There's a protected anchorage overlooking Cape Lookout, where the iconic lighthouse with the diamond-shape design stands. Raves about Cape Lookout from magazines and cruising friends had piqued our interest, so out the Beaufort Inlet we went, arriving at our anchorage just in time for the sunset. Alas, the weather failed to cooperate. The seas got rough, rocking and rolling Mai Thai through the night. Weather forecast of 20 knot winds and waves of 5-6 feet had us running back to the mainland early the next morning.

The seas were much more manageable after we entered the Beaufort Inlet. To the right was Shackleford Banks, apparently a local hangout. Many boats were plying in and out of there this Saturday. We decided to join in the fun. We sounded our way cautiously around the shoals (lots of them here!) to find a good spot to drop the anchor. The next several days found us admiring gorgeous sunsets, watching wild horses roam the dunes and beaches. We dinghied around and found some beautiful conch shells. What a wonderful gift to commemorate our anniversary! Sometimes, the best plan is having no plans.

Mai Thai (far left) anchored at Shackleford Banks, a local hangout

Horses roaming Shackleford Banks, N. Carolina one early morning


Shoals and sunrise at Shackleford Banks

Fast forward to 2014. I've been teaching ESOL (English for Students of Other Languages) to adults at the Chattanooga State Community College for the last three years. I always do a lesson on Chinese traditions and culture around Chinese New Year. I also like to do a reading on a famous Asian American. As serendipity would have it, I chose Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友), not knowing his last name Ma is the Chinese character for horse. The Chinese character for Yo is friend. Anyway, I've heard of the name, but knew little about the famed cellist. Until now.

I love the piece of music (by Dvorak) that Yo-Yo Ma and Itzak Perlman were playing.

So yesterday, while my class was enjoying the video, a colleague came in and reported that the college will be closing at noon due to the snowstorm. Many businesses were also closing around this time. Traffic was horrible, taking some people two hours or more to get to their destinations when it normally only takes them half an hour. I don't know how long it took me 'cos I stopped at a few places. I got off I-24 at Lookout Mountain and took local 41, which winds around the mountain. A Porsche 911 that was behind me took the turn to Ruby Falls up on Lookout Mountain. I couldn't help wondering how that drive was... I will never forget the time I skidded and slid uncontrollably down a tiny hill in my Mercedes 190 in Boston one snowy day.

This morning, we awoke to temperatures in the teens (or lower?) with ice on the river.

Scenery outside the boat - ice on the river

Thank you Canada for blasting us with more artic air!

If you have to be out, please drive safely. Stay warm, and have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

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Happy Chinese New Year	Remnants of Hurricane Ida drench the Mid-Atlantic	Magical winter wonderland in Banff National Park, Calgary, Canada

December 12, 2011

'Tis the season to be giving

Every holiday season, our boater neighbor Janice gathers a group of her friends to visit Orange Grove, a residential facility for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, where she used to work. Janice and her friends buy lunch and gifts for the 8 patients in the Orange Grove facility in Tiftonia. What a joy to watch them open their gifts!

Before heading to Orange Grove, the group enjoyed a luncheon at Logan's

Santa's helpers - Milly, Janice, Glenda, Elizabeth and Cindy (Shelby and Sharon not in picture)

In the spirit of giving, I got my ESL class at Chattanooga State Community College to participate in a project to send Military Care Packages to Sgt Brad Rich, a TN Adult Education teacher who was recently deployed to the Middle East for a tour of duty. Thank you everyone for participating! Thank you Cindy for the gifts from the Chatt State Bookstore! We appreciate it.

Below is a slideshow of pictures of my students meticulously packaging the goodies we bought and of our Christmas party.

As we celebrate with our friends and family this holiday season, let's count our blessings and be grateful for what we have. Merry Christmas and have a wonderful holiday!

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Retirees with a zest for life	Thought of the day:Giving thanks and feeling grateful	A memorable Christmas

September 19, 2010

The most beautiful college campus in the South

Updated: 11/3/23

I used to work a couple of blocks from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Cambridge, and love the campus vibe and vibrant atmosphere. There is a university near us in southeastern Tennessee, and we often hike around there. Having recently read "Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power," I'm happy to say that the author Jon Meacham is an alum of the university. This post is updated with more recent pictures of the lovely campus.

Here's the original post:

Can you think of a top liberal arts college in the South?

Welcome to the University of the South! I first heard about the university from our boater friends (looking at you Czeckered Frog). Later, I saw it in the U.S. News and World Report liberal arts college ranking, and again in surveys and reports (Princeton Review, Sherman Travel) that listed University of the South as one of the top 10 most beautiful campus. I could not wait to check it out.

The University of the South was built in 1857 by the bishops of the Episcopal Church. A stunning stained-glass Chapel with a 5,000-pipe organ and a majestic bell tower are among its unique buildings.

All Saints' Chapel

Sitting on 13,000 acres, atop the Cumberland Plateau between Chattanooga and Nashville, the University of the South has plenty of outdoor activities to offer its students, from biking, hiking, rock climbing to horseback riding. Walking around the campus, you may see professors and honor students wearing academic robes, a tradition that still continues today.