lao-ocean-girl

You know what’s great about Flickr?  I did a search for pictures tagged with “Portland” “waterfront” and “cherry” within the last three days, so I could see if the cherry blossoms at the waterfront were in full bloom yet.  And yes, they are.  I went there this afternoon and had a nice stroll along the river while taking some photos.  I haven’t gone through them all, but I do want to post one photo from today.

[In the background in the Oregon Convention Center, where the Portland Yard, Garden & Patio Show was held.]

Tomorrow’s supposed to be another beautiful and clear day, with a high of 77 Fahrenheit (25 Celsius).  I’ll probably head back tomorrow and expore some more before the rain returns on Thursday.

What a gorgeous day it was in Oregon today!  It was sunny and clear, and I observed more than a couple people in the neighborhood washing their cars.  Today, I returned to the gym after 3 or 4 weeks away, and boy, did I feel it.  Before, I was working out about six days a week, with a minimum of an hour doing cardio and sometimes weight training afterward.  After twenty minutes on the elliptical machine today, I had to stop.  It was pathetic that I felt so sluggish and out of breath.  That’s okay, tomorrow’s another day.

I’ve got a little gardening project going on.  A couple weeks ago, I started seeds in a cell tray, and like a proud mom, have been watching them grow a little every day.  I think it’s facinating to see them leaning towards the window (i.e. light) every day.  The ones in this picture are Zinnias and you can see what they’ll look like here.

If you looked at my last blog entry, you’ll see it’s been exactly one month since I posted.  So, what have I been up to?  Basically, I’ve been applying to grad school.

As I’ve stated before, I left Korea after 6 years to return to Oregon and get my teaching certification.  What’s the benefit of a teaching certification?  You need it to teach at any public or private school in the U.S.  Many international schools also require this license.  Most schools nowadays require you to also have a master’s degree in addition to this license.  So, many universities have combined the two and offer a program that gives students a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree and a state teaching license upon completion.  If attending part-time, this program can be done in two years.  Or you can opt for the full-time, one year program, which I want to do.  Full-time means you’re committed from Monday-Friday, 8-5pm for a solid year, with 1-2 week breaks in-between terms.

All these programs start in June, so that students can learn and prepare before being placed in a public school in September, when the American school year starts.  To start studying in June, most applications for programs are due by January or February of the year you want to start.  So, when I arrived back in Oregon on February, 5th, the deadlines for most schools had already passed.  In addition, before an application can even be considered by a school, applicants must have taken and passed the CBEST or Praxis exam (basically, a teacher’s GRE test).  So, I had resigned myself to the fact that I’d be starting a program next summer.

In the beginning of March, I went to two different MAT information sessions.  And you know what they told me?  There weren’t enough applicants when their initial deadlines arrived.  Therefore, both schools were extending their deadlines to April 1st!  So, this gave me about one month to hustle in applications and get the following done:

1. Study for the computerized Praxis exam.  I chose this specific test because I could make an appointment for the computerized version, where the paper CBEST and Praxis test were only available every two months.  I bought this book from Amazon, and started cramming two days later.  I had scheduled my test for 10 days after that.  The test would cover reading, writing, and math.  Math is my worst subject, the the one I was most concerned about.
2. Take the Praxis.  Even though this was a computerized test, I was proctored at a testing center in Portland.  This means I couldn’t have taken this test online from Korea.
3. Pass the Praxis.  The study guide helped a LOT.  I was immediately given my reading and math scores (I passed!).  The writing section had an essay I needed to compose in 30 minutes, and then it was sent somewhere else to be graded.  I would get my results 2 weeks later (I passed!).
4. Contact people for recommendations.
5. Request transcripts – from two universities and a community college.
6. Write two essays – 1) What’s your philosophy on life and its ramifications on education? and 2) Why do you want to go to ___ University?, Why do you want to be a teacher?, and Where do you see yourself in five years (professionally and personally)?

I turned in my applications a few days ago, and I found out today that I passed the writing section of the Praxis.  So, it’s just a waiting game.  In all honesty, I won’t be too surprised if I don’t get in.   The schools probably picked all the best applicants during their first deadline, and now they’re just trying to fill up the last few spots.  I’m positive I’ll get accepted for something in 2010, but if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to squeeze in with the 2009 bunch.  So, cross your fingers for me and I’ll receive an answer in 2-3 weeks.

Since all the craziness is done, I can once again be a lady of leisure.

Before I forget, I wanted to post some pictures from my trip to the Portland Yard, Garden, and Patio show.  My mom and I made the trip out to the Oregon Convention Center to a busy venue.  Inside was everything I would expect from an event like this – seed and plants for sale, landscape and garden displays, landscapers, contractors, authors of garden books, and even “celebrities” of the gardening world.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in gardens and plants.  In a science class in elementary school, my classmates and I were given lima beans, a wet paper towel, and a ziplock bag.  The seeds were placed inside and for the next couple of days, we were taught about the different parts of a plant.  I can remember thinking, “Holy cow, this is amazing!  All you have to do is add water to this seed and eventually you’ll get a full sized plant?”  Even when we had to grow grass in dixie cups for Easter baskets, I couldn’t believe the other third graders weren’t as amazed by “life” as I was.  By no means am I a horticulturist or an avid gardener, but even now, I love plants.

I guess some people are rich enough to have hot tubs in their yards.  I’ll just look.

[Above left]  One of the good purchases of the day was a Circlehoe, which has received lots of good press nationaly.  [Above right]  Then there were the Thai straw mats being sold for $70-$80.  My mom nearly had a heart attack when she saw the price.  We have some at the house now, and they were bought for $20-$30 in L.A.

My mom bought bulbs, seeds, a fig tree, a blueberry bush, pruning shears, and the Circlehoe.  She would have bought more, but we came on public transportation – Portland’s light rail system, MAX.

On the ride home, I noticed this poem above us.

From Postsecret.

Here’s a line of clothing called “Kimchi Blue” from Urban Outfitters.  I think more than anything, the name caught my eye.

My mom picked up a “Desert King” fig tree today.  I don’t think I’ll be around to see it bear fruit, but I love fruit trees, so I’m excited nonetheless.  A cut up fig can be seen here.  This variety is good for the cooler climate of the northwest.