It's 2014 in Singapore! (but not yet in California!!!)

Happy New Year 2014!!! 

It's really weird to think about the fact that it's a different hour, day, month, and year for me here in Singapore, than it is for my friends and family in California.

First things first, we need to settle something over here... what do think?
"Bringing in the New Year" or "Ringing in the New Year" - vote here, we'd love to know your thoughts on the matter...


Last night was really fun - we were bringin' in the new year ;) at 'Asia's largest beach countdown party' - the Siloso Beach Party on Sentosa Island.  We really didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a really great night.

To just throw it out there - we bought tickets to BALI!!!, and we are beyond excited.  We'll all 5 be going together our last full weekend here, Jan. 24-26 :D

Other than that excitement, the day started slowly, we casually woke up, got dressed, ate lunch, and eventually headed to the MRT station at about 3pm..  We took the green line to Outram Park again, and switched over to the purple line which took us to Harbour Front.  (we're experts now;))

The station was located in yet another mall, but it was beautiful and has a Forever 21, so we're definitely going back.  When we walked outside however, we were even more amazed at the site of Sentosa Island... who knew?! A literal island that looks like Disneyland, the tropics, a beautiful city, and more all in one.  It was a really awesome site to see, and to get it all in, we decided to walk across the bridge to the island instead of ride, which was so fun!

After making it to the island, we hopped on the island's metro towards the beach station, so that we could find Tommy Sumner at iFly! We got there just in time to see him instructing a group in the air tunnel, and then saw him do some really awesome tricks at the end of the session... it was great, I really want to try it while I'm here! 

He was so nice and welcoming to us, he gave us our tickets to the Siloso beach party, but had to get back to work - so we'd be meeting up with him later at the 'Bikini Bar.'

We eventually got our tickets, got inside, ate some dinner, and walked around the entire venue, which was HUGE and so beautiful. 

 Siloso Beach

 Food venders...

Me, Elise, Katie, Rae and Kathrine!

Even though we were some of the first people into the event, it was really nice to get to explore and see the entire party, before it got too crowded (there were an expected 15,000 in attendance!) 

After eating, we started going to each of the different bars, including "Bikini Bar," "Sand Bar," (made us miss Santa Barbara!) and "Coastes."  All of them were really nice, right on the sand, and we had so much fun! 

At around 10, we met up with Tommy and his friends at Bikini Bar - we met his girlfriend and all of her friends, and a couple of his iFly buddies - they were all SO nice, and welcomed us to their reserved table (with bottle service).  We stayed there and learned about some definite places to travel to/ see in Singapore, we learned about where to stay/ go when we're in Bali! (ahhhh) and danced the night away to California Girls, Applause, and so many other classic favs. 

With 15 minutes left in the year, we went over to the main stage and decided to test out the foam pit - which was a mistake.  It was SO gross, but at least we got to experience it? (ew.) It brought me back to the USC Foam Pit with Cory and Robyn in 2009... (just as gross!!)  

We stayed out by the main stage until the countdown, saw fireworks, celebrated with everyone, and took lots of pictures!!

Foam pit...

We eventually ventured back to the bar, said our goodbyes to our new friends, and tried to get off the island in time to catch the last train home (extended hours were til 2, so we had to get back to Outram Park in time!)  Apparently everyone had the same idea as us though, because the green line was SO crowded... 

After what felt like forever in a very tight space (my claustrophobia was definitely kicking in), we made it to Boon Lay, walked home, (showered) and fell asleep.  I woke up this morning to Skype Mike :D which was very nice, and then fell back asleep 'til about 11:30.  Today we're going to take it slow, go eat a nice lunch and maybe do the Night Safari tonight! (if it's open).

I'm so excited for the next month of my life... I can't wait to start working at the school.  Tomorrow we meet our advisor at NIE, and Monday we start in the classrooms - I'm really looking forward to it! 

...also exactly one month from today is when I'll be headed back to Cali.  Crazy!  

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And the newest feature to my blog is going to be a Cat of the Day... I've seen so many cats here and I miss Nala so much, I just have to. 

Cat of the Day!

Today's Cat of the Day is this lil' guy that we saw while enjoying a drink at the Sand Bar! He was so tiny... and he kept coming back over to say hi! 

Singapore, Singapore

A  panorama of the Merlion spraying into the Singapore River

Yesterday was SUCH an eventful, adventurous day.  It started with my meeting with the Westwood Secondary staff (see post below ;)) and ended with a literal race through the heart of Singapore to catch the last train home (more on that later).

Feeling independent, I decided to venture on my own yesterday after my successful, but very short meeting.  The plan was to all meet back at the hostel at 5 for Elise's birthday, so I had about 6 hours to kill.  I got dressed, went over to Jurong Point and ate lunch and then hopped on the first train going east.  The Singapore MRT system is as follows:

The blue circle is where our hostel is, and I decided to go to Chinatown... meaning I'd take the green line to Outram Park and then the purple line 1 stop north to Chinatown.  The train was SO convenient, cost me only $2, and was so easy to follow. The trains come really frequently, about every 6-8 minutes, and they're really crowded - It's a great way to get around the country.

 Chinatown, Singapore

 All decorated for the Chinese New Year, Jan. 31st!

which is my last night here!! :D 

Anyway, so I'm walking through Chinatown, by myself, shopping for little souvenirs, etc. and after about 30 min I turn to my right and there's Rae and Katie!! What are the chances that our two separate unplanned adventures turned into not only both going to Chinatown, but being on the same corner of the same street, at the same time! So unreal... but great, because then I got to spend the rest of the day with them.  We continued to shop until we fish pedicure place!! We decided that we had to do it, so we went up stairs, met the nicest (and semi-creepy) mother-son owners, and stepped into the tanks! The first 5 minutes were crazy - we were laughing uncontrollably and didn't really like it - but after a while, it started feeling really nice and we decided (or rather, the creepy son decided) that we were going to do the full 30 minutes!! It was so much fun, and an experience I'll never forget. 

Rae, Katie and I at "Dr. Fish"

My toes!!! 

We learned all there is to know about the science behind this as well (of course;)) - the fish are a type of carp, Garra rufa,  that don't eat the dead skin or calluses on your feet (a common misconception), but instead scrape away at your skin to get the fungus and bacteria that is underneath that layer of dead skin - very comforting.  With this also comes stimulation of the blood vessels in your feet, which enhances your circulation!  Nonetheless, it felt amazing, and the results after the fact were great - such soft feet! And, we met a teacher from Australia who was getting his feet scraped too! Small world we live in! 

After our pedicure, we took the train back home, stopped at Jurong Point (our favorite mall) to grab a few things, and then headed back to the hostel to meet up with Kathryn and Elise for her birthday.  We laid down for a little, recouped, and got ready for a night out on the town! 

We decided to go to downtown Singapore, eat dinner, and ride the Singapore flyer, claiming to be the "World's Largest Observation Wheel." We got back on the train, this time taking the green line all the way to Raffles Place and walking from there.  

We got tourist-suckered in to eating at this nice restaurant right on the water (darn), that with our meal included two free drinks.  We had to try the Singapore Sling, per all of the recommendations we'd received, so we did, and toasted the night to Elise's 28th!!

Dinner was great, and afterwards, we made our way towards to Singapore flyer, that we could see from quite a distance (see picture #1 in this post... can you see it?)

After a trek across the city (and a lot of pictures along the way), we FINALLY made it, and were so excited to get on.  The experience in itself getting to the pod was amazing, and reminded us all of Space Mountain.  And the view - from the height of a 42 story building, was unreal - photos don't do it justice. 

As great as the Flyer was, it also lasted over 30 min, which made us worried about getting back to the MRT station in time... so, we decided to sprint.  As soon as we got off we ran to the Promenade station (the yellow line), made it in plenty of time, but planned out our root to go from the yellow, to the purple, back to the green and home.  With careful navigation and a nice workout, we made it back to Boon Lay station, just in time to see Jurong Point closing down for the night, grab some waters from 7-11, and head home.  With that I think we all fell asleep within minutes... it was a really great night! 

Today we're on our way to Sentosa Island to do the aquarium, and to celebrate the New Year at the Siloso Beach Party... :) more tomorrow!! Happy 2014 from Singpore! 

"The only thing constant is change..."

Sunny picked me up at 9:30 this morning, to head over to Westwood Secondary School to meet my CT (Cooperating Teacher), and the "Subject Head" (a.k.a. our Department Chair) of biology.  I was so nervous/anxious/excited/scared that I woke up at 7am, made some tea, ate a China Kong pear (delicious!) and a Nature Valley bar, and was dressed and ready 40 minutes early.

We got to the school at about 9:45, checked in with Security, (every school in Singapore has gate security - awesome!) and headed to the main office.  The school is beautiful and HUGE, and students were already on campus practicing their co-curricular activity.  Sunny explained that most of the 'uniform activities,'  i.e. band, drill team, scouts, etc. are practicing their footwork and marching technique - brought me back to the days in NPHS marching band... ;)

I didn't want to be that girl and take a bunch of pictures as we walked up, but I promise I'll get pictures of the school, and post them as soon as possible.  For now, you could check out the school website if you're interested? (I've practically memorized it...) haha.

As soon as we checked in, the desk attendant called for Ms. Goh, the SH, and Ms. Ivy, my CT.  They were there within minutes, and were so nice and welcoming! We only talked for about 10 minutes, about first day procedures, etc. and then they had to leave for a staff meeting so Sunny and I headed home - (I now have the rest of the day free which is nice, but I wish we could've talked more... now I have to wait until the first day of school net Monday!) Ms. Goh said that the first week I'd most likely be observing, but whenever I feel ready I can teach as many lessons as I'd like!!! 

They also informed me that at the end of my time here, I'm going to have to do a presentation for my NIE supervisor, my CT, SH, the principal, and maybe others on my teaching experience here... I'm definitely going to have to be writing/reflecting everyday now!! 

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I titled this post "The only thing constant is change..." because Sunny and I had a really great conversation on our way back from the school to my hostel, in which he said those words.  To start, he pointed out a view landmarks on the way home: the new building for Google that'll be in full swing very soon, the 'boys home' (like a juvenile hall) and the aircraft base for Singapore's defense system.  He then proceeded to tell me that the Singapore government's first priority is defense, because they've learned that as such a small country, they cannot afford to rely on other countries for protection.  Makes sense, I'd say that our first priority is defense as well (or social security?).  Their second priority however - receiving over 20% of the governments national budget - is education.  They hold the importance of education so high because humans are their only natural resource.  In order to be a productive country, ready to send their people out into the world/workforce, they need to be educated.  They place such a value on their education system that every school gets substantial federal funding, teachers make a "handsome" salary (the words of Sunny himself), and the curriculum is constantly changing.  By law, schools have to update their entire curriculum and keep up with the times, or change, every 6 years. Sunny said, "The only thing constant, in our education system, is change." and it really stuck with me, because that's not the case for our country, let alone our state - and it should be.  The CA State Science Standards were adopted in 1998, and now we're finally switching to Next Generation Science Standards in what, 2015?  17 years, 17 years of the same standards.  And that's just one example. 

From the NGSS/California website: 

Commitment:  California has shown a strong commitment to standards-based learning through its adoption of the Common Core State Standards, and in its position as a governing state in the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium. California’s current standards have not been updated since 1998, and while still thorough, they are missing recent scientific advances, and the state is eager to update them to match current knowledge.  Additionally, a large part of the economy in California is based on science, technology, and engineering businesses and industries. Therefore, high student performance in these areas is necessary, as are new, up-to-date, rigorous standards.

I love the last couple of lines, I couldn't have said it any better myself...  

P.S. Here's a pic of me from my first day. Kisses to all! ;) 

The First Weekend!

Hello from Singapore!

It has been a wonderful first two days here... despite the humidity (and my wild mane of hair), I have loved every single second.  Friday night's late arrival put me to bed at around 1am Singapore time, I woke up with the sun at 6:30 and looked out at my beautiful view from the 15th story of our hostel.

 This second picture shows River Valley High School, which is where most of the students living here go. 

Saturday: In waking up with the sun, I decided to get an early start (by myself) for day 1.  I showered,  dressed, and headed out to explore our little city of Jurong.  My goal was to find the Jurong Point Shopping Mall - that has a 24 hour super market!! (I desperately needed soap, conditioner, and other essentials).  I eventually made it there, and to my surprise it was not only HUGE, but looked just like the Oaks Mall back home! It was so nice inside, with every store, and more, that I could imagine.  Since it was so early, I started with Starbucks and the super market, and made my way back home (since most of the stores weren't open yet) - I knew I'd be back.

At about noon, Sunny picked me up to take me to get my EZ link bus pass, that I'll be using to get around the city, and most importantly, to work everyday.  After that, we got lunch at Jurong Point at a little restaurant that serves 'soft-bone chicken.'  I had that and yellow curry rice - it was absolutely delicious! (I also got to try prawn chips, which were very interesting;))

After lunch, we hopped on the 199 (which I'll be taking to work everyday), saw my school from afar, and continued to NIE.  The National Institute of Education, Singapore is an absolutely beautiful campus, located in the hills of Singapore's countryside.  There was so much greenery, and the walk around campus was really great.

Science Cohort, we could have our own building!! 

The view from the 3rd floor of Block 2

 The other direction... 

Me on the 3rd floor of Block 2, overlooking campus!

An amazing plant on campus... I have yet to find out it's name!

The 'Journey of Teacher Education'... a timeline of NIE's history.  It was established 1991, the year I was born! 

A beautiful garden right outside of NIE's front entrance

The trip to NIE was great, and Sunny put me in charge of remembering how to get there for our meeting Thursday, so that I can bring along the other 4 ITC's... (International Teacher Candidates;)).   I also found out that we are not only the first group from UCSB, but the first group of student teachers from the entire UNITED STATES to come do an exchange program like this in Singapore with NIE.  That was really amazing to hear, and to talk with Sunny about the different countries they had already done exchanges with, etc.  Education needs to be connected on a global level, and it's really real that now I am a part of that connection. 

After NIE, Sunny's wife Grace picked us up and took me back to the hostel.  I rested for about an hour and a half (watched part of Pitch Perfect... miss you VoMo!) and then Sunny picked me up again to go to the airport and 'fetch' the other girls arriving that night - first Kathryn, who arrived at about 6, and then Rae and Katie who arrived at about 8:30.  We had dinner in between the two arrivals and I enjoyed a delicious chicken bao (steamed bun) and Mee Saim, a Malaysian noodle soup dish that was to die for... it was so good! It had thin noodles, a hard-boiled egg, spicy curry sauce, green onions, and a lime (along with other spices I'm sure).  It was really great :) 

We finally made it home from the airport at about 10:30 pm, and went straight to sleep.  I have my own room connected to Rae and Katie via the bathroom, and then Kathryn and Elise, (who joined us Sunday) are right next door!  For now, we have the whole 15th floor to ourselves! 

Sunday: We woke up this morning at about 8/8:30am, casually took our time getting up, and then ventured out to the Boon Lay Shopping Center (about a 5 min walk the opposite direction of Jurong Point).   Having seen Jurong Point the day prior, it was a much different shopping center.  There were many more carts and outside food places, the entire mall was outside and next door was a little flea market stretch along the side of the street.   It was really interesting to compare the differences between the two that are only about 10 minutes apart walking distance.  I got a 'Super Cheesy' bun from one of the bakery shops, it was quite delicious, and then we just window shopped the rest of our time there.  On our way back to the hostel, we decided to go check out Jurong Point as well.  We started in Cotton On (it felt just like home!) and I bought a nice pair of black shorts that are knee length. (much better than wearing jeans, and necessary since I shouldn't be wearing short shorts anyway!!)

We got a few other crucial things, had lunch - spicy chicken and green beans, a vegetable dish, and rice - and then headed back to the hostel to meet Elise and Sunny (she flew in at about 1pm).  Sunny didn't stay, but dropped Elise off and finally we were officially ALL together in SINGAPORE.  We each made lists of things we'd need, and headed back to Jurong Point to go to the 24 hour supermarket (so huge, and so awesome - it has everything!)  I got a ton of fruit, including MANGOSTEENS (yay finally!), dragonfruit, starfruit and 'China Kong pears.'  I'm so excited to eat fruit every day this week - I'm set! (and it was all so inexpensive!) 

My lunch today was so delicious... and all of this was only 5.30SPD... $4.18 in the U.S.!

Never seen a mangosteen? This is it!!! The 'Queen of Fruits'... and one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. 

Now we're getting ready to go out for a celebratory first-night-together dinner (and drinks).  It's about 8pm Singapore time... Tomorrow I start at 9:30am, Sunny will pick me up and take me to my school to meet the Principal, my CT (yay!) and get a tour of the campus.  I'll be working at Westwood Secondary School, most likely with S3's or S4's taking biology. (Meaning they're in their 3rd of 4th year of secondary school, which lasts 4 or 5 years, depending on the track they're in - and are ages 15-16).  I'm extremely excited to meet everyone - I feel so fortunate already to have this amazing opportunity and I cannot believe that 2 days have already passed! 33 to go!

I made it!!

I'm officially in Singapore.  Currently laying in my new bed, no sheets, but thank goodness I brought a pillowcase!!  Everyone I've met so far is extremely nice and welcoming.  Sunny from NIE picked me up from the airport and drove me to the River Valley High School Hostel - giving me a brief tour of Singapore along the way.  I live on the west side, and the airport's on the east side, so it was nice to see some sights along the way.  I'm still adjusting to the passenger sitting where the driver should, but I think I'll get used to it.

My flight arrived right on time from Beijing to Singapore.  It wasn't too bad, 6.5 hours... I watched 'Now You See Me' and half of 'The Croods' before falling asleep for about 45 minutes. It's currently midnight here (Saturday) and 6am (Friday) in California, which is really weird to think about, but I'm exhausted either way so I should be able to sleep well.

My room is on the 15th floor of the building (mom, you'd be freaking out), but it's wonderful and has a great view of other flats.  There's a 24 hour market and McDonalds within walking distance, and a great mall that we can go thrift shopping at, etc... I'll have to check that out tomorrow!!

My thoughts are becoming more and more jumbled, so I think this will do for now.... I'll definitely post more tomorrow - the pillow is just too tantalizing after the way I spent the last 30 hours of my life.  Time to rest up and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime! 3 more girls arrive tomorrow too, so I'm really excited!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good flight!

7 hours in and what a trip it has been already... The day started off really well - I had a travel themed Christmas morning, including an iPad case, Apple adapter, over the shoulder bag, new teacher-clothes, a Singapore guide book - oh, and a CAT camera (thanks Chlo!) Needless to say it was a wonderful way to start the trip of a lifetime...

The Iglesias family came over for a delicious Christmas dinner, and I mastered the twice baked potato yet again (can't wait to continue making those at every party I ever have!) We attempted to play a windy game of darts and failed, but it was a great afternoon none the less.

When it was about time to hit the road to LAX, I said my goodbyes to Mom and Dad and headed out with Cor and Chlo to pick up Mike from Topanga Canyon and make our way to the airport.  They got to experience an amazing Newsom family jam session, jumped in right away harmonizing and singing along to almost every song - it was a really awesome way to spend my last few hours in the states.

The drive to the airport was sad, I started getting cold feet and wanting to turn around or have their be some block in the road - which apparently wasn't too far off, the 405 is having another closure today so good luck California.

We said our goodbyes, first Cory then Chlo Chlo followed by Mike - who said I can't come home unless I travel to three places other than Singapore during my trip...

I got through check-in/security really quickly, although had I been flying to Mexico that would not have been the case; the line was so long to check in they had TSA elves escorting people outside to clear up the line a bit - it was crazy! So many kids, parents, grandparents and big families... Merry Christmas to all and to all a good flight!

Wish I could say that my flight has been good - it started with me finding my seat, unpacking my book, and plugging in my headphones (which I've since LOST but that reason will come later). I proceeded to start crying so hard that I had to take deep breaths, constantly wipe my watery eyes and listen to Pentatonix and "read" at the same time (I'll most likely be re-reading that first chapter). Keep in mind this was before the plane even started moving.  People probably thought I was crazy, or that my book was really sad - which is what I was going for - but it had all just hit me that this was real, and happening and it was happening NOW.  Those few favorite things are not with me, I'm alone and I'm scared, but mostly I'm so excited for this opportunity of a lifetime that I will never have the chance to do again.  What if I blink and it's February 1st? I need to keep my eyes open...

Which I didn't do because after the cry session and take off, I fell asleep and missed the first round of drinks (I just wanted water is was so thirsty!) So I wake up about 45 minutes in to find them already handing out our first meal, fried rice or fried noodle. I chose the noodles and received a decent looking chow mein dish with a little side salad and a water - not too bad, or so I thought.

And this is where it gets really good: after eating my meal and making it through about an hour of The Great Gatsby, I started sweating uncontrollably and panting, feeling like I was going to pass out in my seat. I annoy my neighbors (now I regret choosing that window seat), and literally climb over them to proceed in running to the bathroom, losing my headphones somewhere along the way, and throwing up for about 10 minutes.  I thought I felt better until 30 minutes later I did the same thing... Flashbacks to our flight to New York, am I right Cory? - except I was able to make it to a bathroom, thank goodness.

So sorry to share the details, but it has not been the great start to the trip that I imagined. After round two though I slept for about 4 hours, and am now 7.5 hours into the first 13 hour leg... Over half way there! I won't post this until I arrive in Beijing (barring internet access, but I sure hope so for my sake). But I couldn't wait to share my story with you all -  wish I could've had SOMEONE here with me ;)

There's a big band from LA on this flight, going to play 6 shows in 10 days in Beijing.  They were all so nice when we waited in line to board - we bonded over music and they told me to join their band after I finished teaching.  I love people.  I also met a wonderful family in line in security, a mother, father, and three little, little, girls. The youngest was in mom's arms, the middle in dad's, and the oldest running the show as they unpacked all of their belongings into security - it looked pretty familiar.  I realized that my view of the world is about to be completely changed, eyes wide open I know that I'll see a lot of differences, but so far what I've seen is a lot of the same.  A family traveling together with little kids, all excited as the parents dread the TSA line.  A group of musicians traveling for the performance experience of a lifetime.   Reflections of my favorite things are going to be with me the whole way, and I have to let myself see them... Because even though I know things will be different, a lot of things around the world are the same - family, love, music, excitement, celebration, learning - all things that I know I will still be able to experience on this adventure.

With that I'll through in my final use of the pun (I couldn't resist), continue to watch my movie (good thing I brought two pairs of headphones!), and hopefully get to sleep again for at least a little bit of the second half of this eventful trip.  Ideally no more trips to the bathroom, and for my sake, I'll likely skip meal number two and just have some Ginger Ale.  Love you all, my next post will be from Singapore!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good flight! ;)

A few of my favorite things...

24 hours and counting before I embark on one of the biggest adventures of my life - my FIRST time out of the country - Singapore! And what better way to spend my last day in the states than by celebrating Christmas with my family, friends, kitties...?! all of my favorite things.  Unfortunately, these favorite things have to stay here while I'm gone, so I thought it'd be fitting to make my first post all about them.

These are a few of my favorite things... 

The fam...
I had to use this picture that we saw today sitting in my dad's office - everyone looking their best circa 1996/7? I couldn't resist... They are my biggest supporters and number one fans, and I really don't know where I'd be today without them.  My parents love and encouragement has given me the drive and passion I have in life; and my sisters' unconditional friendship and support is my reason for doing the things I do and going the places I go. Cory - thanks for all of our advice about traveling the world, your expertise was much appreciated. Chloe - thank you for telling me to not sleep while I'm in Singapore because I can sleep when I get back and I don't want to miss a second while I'm there.  Mom - thank you for getting me ready for this huge adventure, and encouraging m to take advantage of this amazing opportunity... and Daddy - thanks for being so worried about me; I love you and I'll be okay - you can always just tell Siri to dial your favorite child! ;)

Mike...

Kind of goes without saying how much I'll miss this guy... my rock for the past 4 years - my roommate and best friend.  I'm going to miss you so much but thank you for being so amazing and stress-relieving and keeping me so positive and excited when I was scared and nervous.  You're always there to bring me up when I'm down, put a smile on my face, or make me laugh 'til I cry...you're the best and I love you so much! 

Nala... 
And anyone who knows me well enough probably would've expected her to be first on my list...  My absolute favorite ;) Nala! I'll miss your spunk so much while I'm away, and your cuddly-ness even when it's right when I'm racing out the door or trying to get work done.  I'll have to take a break from posting daily pictures of you, however I'm expecting your babysitters (cough, Cory, cough, Mike) to send me pictures constantly so that I can get my fix!! 

VocalMotion...
I am so fortunate to have been able to continue with VoMo this year, and I'm so sad to miss out on even a month of our time together, but I know that when I come back, we'll be better than ever and ready to rock it in Napa! Good luck at LAAF, I'm SO jealous that I can't be there, but I'll be practicing my parts the entire trip, and arranging music the entire flight... (because trust me, I'll have plenty of time).

and last, but surely not least... 

TEP!
UCSB's Teacher Education Program has been a life changing experience already, not to mention the fact that this trip is completely because of them... I cannot thank my professors, colleagues, mentors, and everyone who has contributed to my experience in TEP thus far, enough - without any of you, I would definitely not be the person I am today.  I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity, and am going to soak up every second of it that I can.  I am so lucky to be able to experience a new culture and new education system, that I'm sure will only enlighten the values I have established through TEP.  I can't wait to come back and share my experiences with all of you, but I'm so sad to be missing out on a month of what's going on there... we'll be reunited soon! Science cohort, SBHS cohort, SST cohort - everyone!! Have a wonderful holiday and month of January!!  

It's now officially 24 hours until my plane takes off from LAX (and it's officially Christmas!!) - I just checked in online and reserved a window seat - I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post everyday, but I'm sure nothing will compare to these few favorite things... I love you all, and thank you for everything you've given me!