Stuart Davis inspires a new generation?

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Just over thirty years ago, I chose one of Stuart Davis' paintings for a math project in 7th grade. That painting hung in my dining room until just this past summer when we moved to Mongolia to teach. This past week my ninth graders got the chance to do the same project: choose an artwork, write the equations of all the lines, and re-graph the artwork on a larger sheet of graph paper. With a bit of a "push" from me, five of my students choose Stuart Davis paintings.

Wherever you are, Thank you, Miss Thompson. The torch has passed.

My student's work, after Stuart Davis

The Blue Mouse

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Sunday, March 28, 2010

Like the handsome fellow you meet a week before you move to a new city, we discovered the Blue Mouse last weekend. The Blue Mouse? It's an indoor play area for winter-crazed children and their adults. After a LONG winter inside as Spring finally approaches, we discover the place at last...

No discernible reason

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Up over the railroad tracks stretch the giant asbestos-coated water pipes to meet our enormous apartment complex. They snake along toward the far end of the complex, and then, for no discernible reason, they detour around a large empty square of dirt. These pipes are huge. Was the pipe company getting paid by the meter? Does the detour somehow slow the force of the water? Will such things always remain a mystery?

Traces remain

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Saturday, March 27, 2010

People sometimes ask me, "What is Ulaanbaatar like?," and it's kind of a hard question to answer. It's been 20 years since the end of communism--and the period of strong Soviet influence--in Mongolia, but the physical evidence remains. "Power Plant #1" and "School #22" are not atypical names for public institutions.

Communist Era images remain as well--painted over, chipped, and peeling as they may be. Even as the city starts to get its make-over as the economy starts to boom.

"Stalin" train at the outdoor "Train Museum"

The Train Museum (not)

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Saturday, March 27, 2010

Wonderful warm weather (38°F/3°C!) this afternoon put me in the mood for an outing. After A's nap, we set out to see the train museum which lies several km from our apartment. Somehow I had this idea that we needed to hurry in case it closed early. Yes, it's an outdoor museum -- and it even has a big sign on the outside that reads "museum" -- but I figured it might close at some point anyhow.

When we arrived by taxi, we walked down to one end of the park--and then back to the other--in search of a gate, a kiosk, or something to demarcate the entrance. Finally we found what appeared to be a gate--complete with a rusted padlock. And then it occurs to us: this place hasn't been "open" in years.

A wails, "I want to see the trains."

As you may know, A is a big fan of steam engines, particularly Thomas & Friends.

We consider jumping the fence, but then think better of the idea.

We decide to head home, with one sad two year-old on our hands.

Sometimes you just can't help but feeling like a bad parent.

The milk man cometh

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Sunday, March 21, 2010

As mentioned previously in these pages, shopping for food and especially milk can be a challenge here. All the Russian milk has been gone for months and now the Polish milk is history, too. Starting early last week, fresh Mongolian milk seemed headed for scarcity as well. (Mongolian milk has a kind of extra-cow-ey flavor that takes some getting used to.)

Yesterday I searched four different stores for the fresh stuff but found only Mongolian long-life ultra-pasteurized milk. Finally, I gave in and stocked up on the long-life stuff, although somewhat reluctantly since it is rumored to be occasionally supplemented with Chinese powdered milk. Based on last year's milk scandal in China, that is one rumor worth considering.

This morning, to my delight, I looked out into the courtyard to see that the milk man had, at last, arrived.

π R squared

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Thursday, March 18, 2010

We celebrated π-day in math class today, albeit 4 days late.

First, there were recitations of the digits of π. The two top "reciters" made it up to 75 digits of π. All students were rewarded with a laminated card (see right) to carry in their pocket or purse.

I also made a π apple pie to share with students and one student enthusiastically (and cleverly) molded tin foil in the shape of a π symbol to make a giant π brownie. (see below)

Another student sent this link to me: Pi music to enjoy...

March 14th can't come again too soon.

Hey, it's all natural...

Beijing, China

Sunday, March 14, 2010

I love Chinese food better than any other cuisine in the world. Nonetheless, there are still foods that can surprise me when I see them for sale in the markets. I am still not quite sure what these are, but here are three things I think I know: 1) these are insects of some kind, 2) they were moving in the tray, and 3) the vendor recommended deep-frying them, whatever they are...

Size: 2 inches (5 cm) long

Two bakers in a window

Beijing, China

Sunday, March 14, 2010

These two women decorating cakes in a store front window reminded me of my Mom who grew up in a bakery family in Cleveland.

The hazards of being a math teacher

Beijing, China

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Saturday evening my students attended a dance sponsored by BEIMUN here in Beijing. I went along, of course, since I am the group's chaperone.

Wandering around the giant ballroom with the pulsating music in the background, I found myself noticing shapes everywhere: the hexagon-shaped chocolate deserts, the tessellations of the green tea-flavored cakes (which tasted dreadful despite their handsome appearance), and yes, even the tessellating carpet...

Seeing geometric patterns EVERYWHERE is one of the hazards of being a math teacher...

Beijing haircut

Beijing, China

Sunday, March 14, 2010

My students begged for a few hours of shopping while we were in Beijing this weekend. So, while they headed out in pairs for an hour, I set out in search of a hair salon. After wandering for a while, I eventually found a salon and got a decent haircut.

Fortunately, it was NOT at the establishment pictured at right.

BEIMUN 2010

Beijing, China
Friday, March 12, 2010

I am Bejing for four days to chaperone my students during the Beijing Model United Nations.

This trip is a special opportunity for me--seeing these 1000 freshly scrubbed young people all dressed up and ready to debate the biggest questions of our time makes me hopeful in a way I haven't felt in a long time. There was also a very inspiring soil scientist who spoke about some of the re-vegetation projects being sponsored in China. The images of the improvements in 10 years' time took my breath away. This guy comes to Mongolia (environmental degredation, yes!) often, and I am going to write to him and ask him to visit our school to talk about his work.

The 18 year-old Assistant Secretary General (a Korean student attending an international school in Beijing) implored the delegates to "choose passion over conformity" when considering their career choices in the face of the world's challenges.

I wanted to stand up and cheer. It's NOT true what they say about young people...

Puddles!

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Walked home today from work and was delighted to see puddles along the road on my way home. I never thought I'd be so happy to see puddles!

The temperature still hasn't reached freezing (since October), but we got all the way up to 27 °F (-3 °C) today.

International Women's Day

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Monday, March 8, 2010

Came home last night from Beijing and was incredibly grateful that today is International Women's Day--and a holiday in Mongolia. A day off to recover from my three-day conference in Beijing.

A came home on Friday with this card and a cookie. Explanations from her caregivers were a bit unclear, but I deduce from the "8" on the card, that this and the cookie were, indeed, to celebrate Women's Day.

...and some things stay the same

Beijing, China

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Twenty-eight years after I first came to Beijing, it is comforting to see that some things are still the same. Enormous physical, economic, and social changes have come to China over the past three decades, but in this short weekend in Beijing I was able to observe at least two similarities with the past: 1) folks still crowd in to have their pictures taken in front of Mao's picture at the Forbidden City and 2) in a country with a less-enforceable-than-ever one-child policy, twins are still as precious as ever.

Some things change...

Beijing, China

Sunday, March 7, 2010

My first trip to Beijing was in 1982, which is so long ago that I can hardly remember what the city looked like. But I can remember the smell of the unfiltered Chinese cigarettes like it was yesterday. It's a horrible, choking smell.

Great, then, was my delight to see this sign posted in the first restaurant I went into this weekend. (The "Beijing Patriotic Health Campaign Committee" definitely sounds like a throwback to older days, though.)

Yes, Beijing looks incredibly different than it did 28 years ago, but other things are different, too.

Beijing bastu

Beijing, China

Sunday, March 7, 2010

I know they still exist: the old fashioned, somewhat dreary hotels we first stayed in when we came to China in 1982. But the place we stayed in on this trip to Beijing was a far, far cry from those places. To my astonishment, there was even a lovely sauna (bastu) downstairs in the hotel's Health Club. It came complete with a Finnish water ladle for putting water on the hot rocks.

I read a book

Beijing, China
Sunday, March 7, 2010

I spent the weekend in Beijing at a school-related conference, and I am delighted to report that I also read a book. An entire book. I read on the bus every morning, I read at meals, and I read at breaks. Getting a chance to spend the weekend in Beijing (and attend a conference) was a treat--but reading a book was truly wonderful. I think I had almost forgotten how to lose myself in a book like I used to before A came along.

And thanks to C for introducing me to the wonderful world of young adult fiction.

PS: I recommend this one!