Dentist appointment and two announcements!

So as faith will have it my body is beginning to break down on me, right now, during finals.
I am a pretty low-stress type of person. I do not feel stress. BUT! I guess that my body is
stressed. 


One of the signs of stress that my body is giving is that my teeth hurt more than
usual. I have sensitive teeth but during the last week I couldn't even brush my teeth without
feeling some sort of pain. I couldn't even smile! ( my teeth are sensitive to the air).

I don't eat that much candy but I do eat candy. I was afraid that the pain was due to new cavities
or something like that. 


My dentist told me that I only had one cavity and that my pain was due to a hike in the stress
level that I have been experiencing. While this information is fine
and good I really wanted to know how to get rid of the pain. Basically he said that I developed
with sensitive teeth. There wasn't much that he could do about it. All that he was able to do
was to fill my one cavity (which I appreciated). Still, he promised that this pain would go away
once finals were over. He said that I probably unconsciously grind my teeth in my sleep or even
during the day. I believe him! Hopefully by the end of finals my sensitive teeth won't be causing
me so much trouble. 


But as for the announcements!

One announcement is that we are having a WEb Chat here at GSE. 
It will be this Thursday, December 8 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm Please register by clicking on the link
below:
Web Chat registration Link

And the other announcement is that we ( the Graduate Assistants) now have access to cameras!
Therefore, look forward to IEDP Professor interviews which I will be posting throughout this
month and the Spring Semester! I'm so excited! Since you can always go online and check their
academic and field credentials as well as the classes that they teach I will try to focus my interviews more on their humane side. This way, readers and IEDP prospective students can get to know the personalities of our IEDP professors ( and other featured professors which I can interview upon request!). Let me know any questions that you may want me to ask the professors! Or if you want any specific professor to be interviewed :)

my email is adilene@gse.upenn.edu

Isn’t it a guy thing?

So I finally scratched up my glasses to the point of no return.  After two years of wearing the same glasses and of basically avoiding the Optometrist, I had to admit that I needed new glasses.  I have astigmatism and a case of lazy eye on top of the normal myopia deal. 

I hate going to any type of doctor, not that I don’t think that they won’t help or anything.  It just takes so much time to get there and then come back… and then you factor in the time it takes to get ready… and then the waiting in the lobby room near magazines that you know that you’re not supposed to be touching because who knows how many other sick people read and probably sneezed through them.  Ah!  It’s just too much time.  I rather just let the problem grow… which is the worst thing that I can do and I know it.  But I don’t care.  I use my school work and other extracurricular activities to push those dreaded doctor appointments for later, much later…

            Well, everyone is due at some point and my time arrived.  And now I have to pay for being so irresponsible about my eyesight.  Hoping to get new glasses by the end of Thanksgiving week, I went to the optometrist early last week.  Well, alas things didn’t work out.  He ordered me to not use contacts for about a week and to then go take the eye test again because my eyes were a bit swollen from wearing contacts and hence my new glasses prescription might be skewed.  GREAT!  Two doctor visits in one week.  But I deserved it and so I stopped wearing contacts and basically walked around completely blind (because my normal glasses were impossible to see through).  This was fine because it was during Thanksgiving week.

But now, school is back and I have no glasses, irritated eyes and walking around with a pair of sunglasses with a two year old prescription. Lol I look ridiculously hilarious!  I take my sunglasses off for class but while studying in the library, GSE computer room, or any other place where I can study… well, I’m wearing my sunglasses.  Lol  I don’t care.  I desperately need them.  Even with them I am getting huge headaches for straining my eyes.  Imagine if I didn’t wear them?  I am not about to explain to every single person that stares at me in the library about why I am wearing my sunglasses. I’m just going to let them figure it out for themselves. 

Life is good.  I’m happy that I have my sunglasses but I do hope that my new clear glasses come in soon.  I have a huge headache and I really don’t like it (who does?).  Plus, I don't think that my daily dose of ibuprofen in order to take care of my headaches is good for me in the long run...

So it isn’t just a “guy thing” to avoid the doctor.  It’s also a thing for girls who “putt things to the last minute”.  I don’t know if I have learned my lesson though… the comical twist that my sunglasses have brought to this otherwise tragedy lol has sort of turned around the situation.  But I really shouldn’t do this with my dentist appointment…  I'll hopefully go to that one this month.  :) 

Thanksgiving Day

I have to say that I am very thankful for many things in my life.  Every day that I get up I always thank god for everything.  I come from a huge family and all of them are alive and well.  I myself am healthy and happy.  My husband and his family are also doing great.  AND it’s 64 degrees here in Philadelphia!  Lol

Even though all of my family is spread out we always call each other and through small details we make sure that all the other members of the family know that they are loved.  My mom is in Mexico, my middle brother is in Utah, two other siblings are in Los Angeles, and my dad and youngest brother live in Sanger, CA (Central Valley).  I am thankful that in this time of economic recession we all have the economic means to celebrate/fund these winter holidays.  But what I am most thankful for is that in the absence of the financial means to celebrate times like these; we would still know how to make these holidays special for us.  Also, I am thankful that my mom hasn’t gotten hurt by any of the cartels’ conflict in Mexico. 

It’s humbling to be so blessed in so many ways.  I pray that this stays constant and that it only gets better.  I do miss my family in these special times but I have good memories of past holidays with them that calm my nostalgia.  In all, I can sincerely say that I am happy and incredibly grateful for everything that has been given to me and my family. 

I wish this luck and loads of happiness to everyone that reads this blog.  J

Upcoming Info Session

Hey Guys this is just a reminder to (if you can) attend an info session this 
SATURDAY NOVEMBER the 12th from 10 to 12pm here at UPENN

Happy Thoughts when nothing else goes right...

I had an amazing blog that my computer just booted me out from.  It was about going out in the middle of mid terms and how amazing it was.  I am so annoyed by this... I hate computer malfunctions. 

I'm so sad that it got erased... it was so entertaining and actually funny... A!  I can't believe that it's gone :(.  I worked so hard on it.  Whatever!

I will concentrate now on happy thoughts.  One that comes to mind is celebrating the fact that my group and I finally turned in our mid-term Project for my Finance Management course.  I was in a group of six people and our task was to analyze the CAFR of the city of Philadelphia.  Basically we were suppose to analyze the financial statements and their components and assess the health of the city.  To do this we used financial ratios.  We compared the city to itself from 2006 to 2010 and we compared parts of its financial statements to similar cities, and we compared it to the state of Pennsylvania. 

After a long series of emails and hours worth of out-of-class meetings,  I am glad to say that this project is over and we did great! It took so much work. But I think that we will get the grade that we deserve.  I am very happy with this.

The "turning in" of this project has been the light of my week. :D
lol

Introductory Non-Formal Letter to my Professor

I am taking Finance Management-783 in the School of Government.  It is a course that is taught by two professors.  The first half of the course is taught by a professor who teaches us accounting and how to read, analyze and create our own financial statements for non-profits and government.  The second half of the course is taught by another professor who will teach us how to analyze and create budgets. 

Well, we just finished the first half of the semester and so we have to introduce ourselves to the next professor.  His first assignment is to write a non-formal letter to him so that he can get to know each one of us "through our own words". 

Here is the short letter that I wrote to him:

Dear Professor Mullin,

My name is Adilene Flores but everyone calls me “Adi”.  I was raised in Los Angeles, California and have three brothers and a sister.  Back in California, I have nine Chihuahuas and I miss every single one of them dearly.  When choosing where to further my studies, I have always tried to stay in the west coast but for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees, I have been very unsuccessful at this.  I received my bachelors in International Relations Political Science degree from Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.  Currently, I am working towards an M.S. in Education through the International Educational Development Program at the Graduate School of Education here at Upenn.  I will be applying to law school next year and hopefully I will be staying in California, but we’ll see…

My “big” life project is to open up a school for indigenous communities in Mexico.  I also hope to one day write a book about proper strategies to an effective bilingual education for Spanish speaking children.  I do hope that my guidelines will improve other bilingual programs but I will be making the guidelines specifically with Spanish speaking children in mind.  I am a very hard worker.  I love challenges and I would like to say that I am an open minded person. 

My biggest adventure that I have “embarked” on is when I was a junior in college.   Inspired by “The Motorcycle Diaries”, I tried to travel all over Latin America.  Unfortunately and comically, my trip was cut short because I caught the swine flu.  The reaction that both of my roommates had to the disease was a meager sore throat.  I, on the other hand, was bed ridden for almost a week.  And for like three days I literally thought that I was going to die. I have never felt so sick in my life!  But I survived, recovered and am now here taking your class J.  Hopefully you’ll enjoy having me as a student as much as I think that I’ll enjoy having you as a professor.

Best wishes,

Adilene Flores

Halloween and Winter Fun

Halloween is coming up!  But so is Winter... lol  The cold is slowly but surely creeping in. 
I thought that I was going to dress up for this Halloween but I recently decided ( about two seconds ago) to not dress up for Halloween.  It'll be okay... lol

I wanted to be a jester like the female jesters in Batman ( the ones that hang around the Joker) but I was unable to find "the" custom... Fine, I didn't even try (at all) to look for it.  lol

But going back to the snow/Winter topic!  This winter seems that it's going to be quite cold.  Denver got 12 inches yesterday and Boston started its winter relatively early (just yesterday as well)... This means Philly is not far in line to get its share of snow.  Oh gosh...

Anticipating not being able to go out of my apartment for anything but classes once the snow starts, I am going Salsa Dancing today :)!  I am thrilled!  lol  I have to finish an essay and a problem set as well as attend two meetings before I can go out dancing. 

Dancing will be the ULTIMATE reward for this week and for the upcoming week. :D

So here I go!  Friday, here I come!  Wuuu!!!


This is a piece that I wanted to share in my blog.  Let me know what you think.  :)  And just a small disclaimer:  These are my views not the college's nor the University's. 

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/400778/october-26-2011/alabama-s-migrant-workers

Occupy Philly

Protestors are not just occupying Wall Street to protest corporate greed; they are occupying Philly as well.  It’s been going on for weeks now and through the rain and piles of criticism, the protestors don’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon.

These protestors have been criticized for having no clear goals and hence no end in sight for their increasingly costly occupation.   Though, to a certain degree, I do agree with the criticism above I do sympathize with their underlining cause.  There are many things to protest about our country’s current situation from our foreign involvement to the lack of accountability that our “representatives” display. 

As a person who has done her share of protesting, I believe that there should always be different components to a protest.  The visible component (occupying Philly) is always useful but other steps need to also be taken in conjunction to this occupation in order to make the occupation effective.  Where are the law suits?  Where are the civil pressures on the elected officials in the form of votes, letters, and phone calls?  Where is the proposed legislation that might improve the situation that protestors are protesting?  Though, some of these “added” components to the protest might be happening as I write, there has not been any press about them.  What should people like me do in order to support?  Etc.  Not much outside of the actual occupation seems to be happening…  It seems to be going nowhere…

Nonetheless, though this protest highlights a lot of negative aspects about our country, it does highlight one key aspect of it: our democracy.  This peaceful public display of discontent with our country’s current situation shows off the strength of our democracy.  Think about it, in how many countries around the world are people able to do this without being beaten/killed or in some other way silenced?  Though there have been arrests, there are no deaths.   Aren’t we in some way blessed? 

Harris Casino!

Last week was my third time going to Harris Casino.  I am not a gambler.  So I didn’t gamble much the first two times that I went but this third time, well, I took my chances…  I won all of my money back and 40 cents! Lol 

Though I was proud of my humble winnings they still have not left me with the “gambler high” or “need” to gamble even more money, which is great!  I am always afraid of picking up vices.  I don’t know if I am going to be the type of people that have a weakness for a certain vice but I try not to push my luck.  Maybe I’m too cautious… but as a graduate student cautious is the best attitude towards gambling and other possible vices.

Nonetheless!  I have gone there three times for their horse races.  I love, slash that, I adore horses.  To me horses and dogs are the best!  These are some pictures from the races:

First Hell Week!

I am thrilled to announce that I just survived my first hell week as a GSE student!  It was back to back to back madness!  I had papers, problem sets, and group projects IN ADDITION to my normal five course work load.  (Note: that I am not complaining but simply celebrating :D)

I am content with the quality of the work that I turned in and am very happy and proud to have done it all without doing a single all- nighter.  It is very rewarding to see that I am learning so much.  I am happy that the amount of work that I put in my studies pays off and doesn’t just end in frustrating book sessions.

The aspect that did suffer from this week was definitely my lifestyle/health.  But it is important to note that even though I was much unhealthier than I usually am I am still not one of those people that has caught a cold: D!  Yeaaahhh!  I try to at least do 40 minutes on the stationary bike or go for at least a half hour jog every day.  This past week I did none of this.  I also usually take care of what I eat.  For example, I try to avoid starchy or deep fried foods (you know… the usual no nos).  This week, my intake of food was basically whatever different events at Upenn brought for their attendees.  This meant a lot of pizza… which was delicious!  But probably not the healthiest choice…

I do not drink coffee and I do not do well with all-nighters and I’m glad that I was able to stay away from both.  Three things that I think helped me get through this week were: that I always got a good night’s sleep, I drank a mix of natural carrot and natural orange juice, drank a lot of tea and looked down upon procrastinating habits like YouTube and Facebook.  I think that on my next hell week, I will try to keep my work out sessions.  To me, this hell week was a success… Let’s see how the next one goes! 

At the end of all of this, in order to do something relaxing for myself: I bumped my favorite music while I curled my stubbornly straight hair, put on light make up and dressed up nicely J.  It was a good way to end the week. 

Mummies of the World Exhibition at the Franklin Institute

Today I will talk about the current “Mummies of the World Exhibition” in the Franklin Institute.  Aside from what the institute permanently houses, this exhibit is just one more reason to visit the institute.  It is there now until October the 23^rd.  So if you’re in the area and have a chance to do so then “get thee to the Mummies exhibition”!

It is the largest exhibition of mummies ever put together and it is visiting several cities in the United States.  The mummies are organized in the exhibit based on the region of the world that they were found in.  There are mummies of animals and humans alike: monkeys, hares, rats, babies, children, women, men and even fetuses.  The experience had many dimensions to it.  It was educational, entertaining and a bit eerie at its moments.  I will first explain the eerie aspect of it.  This feeling was promoted by the exhibit’s background music, the hiked up air conditioner, and the dark mantles covering the walls (aside from the actual dead beings on display). 

Aside from the usual informative paragraph next to each mummy on display this exhibition had different stations that explained “How bodies decompose?” “If a body was naturally mummified how would it have occurred depending on the region of the world?” “How does a mummy’s skin and hair feel depending on how it was mummified?”  One of the most interesting facts that I learned from the exhibit was that a mummy’s race could be determined by the shape of their teeth.

Several mummies caught my attention.  One was a mother who was mummified in an almost fetal position.  The captivating detail of this mummy was that she had a baby against her chest and another child resting by her stomach.  The researchers’ ability to create the story behind this woman was limited to her diet, her settings and her possible age.   No one knows what happened to this woman and her children.  How did each die?  Why did they die together?  It’s a mystery.  The mummies of fetuses also grabbed my attention.  I was amazed to see how small and fragile they looked.  It was a bit moving to see how quiet and inert they looked when compared to live children.    

In all I was very impressed with the level of dignity that the exhibit let the mummies have.  I feel that a lot more could have been learned from them if the mummies would have been furthered examined but this could possibly have meant damaging their bones, clothes or skin.  I think that by “restricting” themselves from touching the mummies, beyond scanning, the researchers acknowledge them as beings, whose remains must be respected kept intact.

I highly recommend this exhibition :D!

http://www2.fi.edu/

Graduate Student Center and its many activities

The Graduate Student Center is the “hang out” spot for graduate and professional students.   Its exact location is: 3615 Locust Walk.  I got to say that we are very lucky here at Penn.  A lot of Universities don’t give their graduate students their own space.  Our little building is what I call the “little building that could”.  It’s small, cozy, offers free coffee/tea, sells quick snacks, and is a monster at organizing events for graduate students. 

Just yesterday we had “Grad Fest” where all of the graduate student organizations set tables and recruited new members.  Food and a free t-shirt were provided.  The center is organizing another event that a lot of my classmates will attend tomorrow.  It also offers different workshops for Graduate Assistant tasks like: paper reading and correcting. But I want to focus on the Moshulu party from last week!

The Moshulu Restaurant is basically a “ship-restaurant”.  The party was at the deck of the ship.  There was a DJ, drinks and an incredible panorama of the city.  We got there around 10:30pm and left a little before 12.  Here are some pictures of the boat. 

Philly Cheese Steak anyone?

One of the things that I always do whenever I am anywhere is to try the local food.  Anywhere and everywhere I go I taste the “regional drink, dish dessert” etc.  This is exactly why (after 4 years) I gave up being a vegetarian.  But that’s a whole another story…

Philly has been no exception to my rule!  As soon as I got here I began to converse with local random people (completely not awkward) in order to find out what, in their opinion, was Philly’s dish and of course where to get it.  99.9% of the people that I talked to answered: Philly cheese steak as the dish that best represents them and Jim’s Steaks as the best place to get it.  So off I went!  Jim’s steaks is located at 400 South Street Philadelphia and without any detours I soon found myself part of a line of about 20-30 people that were also waiting their turn to order a Philly cheese steak. 

( Photo belongs to : visitphilly.com)

I ordered a traditional Philly cheese steak with an ice tea.  It was one of the best sandwiches (better known as hoagies here in Philly) that I have ever tasted.  It was completely worth the chase.  :D

First Week

The first week of school is officially over and my one year here at Upenn has officially begun! I am excited and nervous to begin a new school year. My strategy for this semester will be to always try to keep ahead of my work. I will TRY (keyword) to have things ready at least a day or two before they are officially due and if I ever have free time i will try to read ahead in some of my classes. I know that I normally get sick around late November and early December so I will try to do some readings that are due around that time block. Let's see how this plan goes! (Always hope for the best)

Professors
Before even stepping foot on campus I began to make contact with GSE professors. Upenn was one of my top choices for graduate schools but the emails between different professors and myself definitely placed it as the top choice. Through their emails, professors encouraged me to pursue my interests, recommended books, advised me on my GSE application and even helped me apply to an upcoming education conference. I am a very shy person and to know that my professors are approachable and nurturing is very important for me and for my success as a student here at GSE and later as a professional.

Shyness
This is a huge issue for me but everyday is another chance that I get at improving myself on it. I was thinking of taking a public speaking course while at Upenn but my program is just a year long and I really want to explore as many education courses as possible. I have refrained from taking a much needed public speaking course but I will definitely keep working on public speaking on an individual basis. If there is something that I need to say in class I will always speak my mind but as I speak my hands literally shake and I feel my body becoming heavier ( as if I were about to faint). It's something that I just can't control (yet). But the only way to deal with it and to one day overcome this problem of mine is to actually do it. Let's see how this goes!

My Cohort
There are about 23 students in the International Educational Development Program. We all have different backgrounds and have lived and worked in different places around the world. Ages, interests and professional ambitions vary. Nonetheless, everyone seems friendly and eager to learn. I already have a running buddy and at least one study buddy for three of my classes!

Classes
I do not have a set schedule yet. The readings will soon pile up and in order to keep up with my semester/school year strategy I have to at least know what classes I'll be taking for the semester in order to be able to read the assigned books... No worries! It's early in the semester and hopefully I'll have a set schedule by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.

Orientation for Colored Students
Until now, I had never in my life teared up in any conference. It is impossible to describe how for four hours Lois MacNamara and other speakers in the conference kept me at the edge of my seat. The general schedule included: research presentations by professors, a faculty panel, a student panel and then a reception. It all went as planned.

But beyond their standard presentations the professors, faculty and students hosting the event inspired and moved us all to want to do more in our field and for others. I will not give details about this but I can already say that this orientation and what it awoke in me will be one of the best memories that I will have of Upenn.

Get to the city!
It is easy to shelter oneself in books and other school assignments but Philadelphia has many things to offer and since I'm just going to be here for a year: I've already started to explore it. The architecture of its central library, the art museum and Franklin Institute ( just to name a few) are attractions by themselves. Everything is practically within walking distance. “Hot Spots” that I've gone to here in Philly are: Reading Terminal ( in doors market), Chinatown, Betsy Ross' house and Independence Hall ( all in one afternoon).

One thing that I have not done but will definitely do before I leave Philadelphia is to go up the Rocky steps. The Rocky steps are the steps that Rocky Balboa from Sylvester Stallone's Rocky movie climbed during his intensive training. At the beginning of the steps stands a statue of Rocky Balboa. The steps lead up to the East Entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.