My Endless Education

One of my favorite things in life is to learn things, I love it. I never want to stop learning, and I try to not make education something that happens at regular intervals, and not at all in between those intervals. This post is mostly about some education that happened over this last week, and some education that is going to happen.

Saturday and Sunday are going to take up most of this post, due to the sheer amount of fun that happened on those days. Not only did I go to church, but I took part in something called "Splash!" which is a program at Stanford University, where current Stanford students, grads, and students from other universities teach classes to middle and high schoolers. I will attempt to have some structure to my recounting, but it will most likely degrade into scraps of memories.

I arrived at 9 (thanks Dad!!), and had an hour to kill, so I took a little look around the campus, just a tiny look, and then indulged in some fun people watching. This event was like a light and moths, except for nerds. Perhaps the largest gathering of nerdy people outside a conference on comic books or Star Trek or such extraordinary event. I am a nerd, that is fine, I am comfortable with that, but I am a more subdued nerd, and most of these people were flaming nerds. I can even handle kid nerds, but the parents were the ones who really pushed me over the edge. Some parents stayed all day, and quite a few were walking their kids to classes, eating lunch with their kids, and other such irritating behaviors. I used the term helicopter parent. I felt bad for these kids, and really wanted to say something to their parents, but, I kept my mouth shut. Another parent behavior I observed was yet defined "college grooming", where the parents graduated from Stanford, and are now forcing their children to take part in events like this, as well as go to prestegious schools, test well, and do other things that greatly increase their chance of getting into Stanford. I wouldn't mind being groomed, but I wonder, is that because I wasn't groomed? I think that parents wanting to help their kids is great, but only if the kids want it.

Now that I am done with the parents, on to the classes. It was striking how average I was, average intelligence, average coolness, average desire to be there. My first class was about social change, microfinance, etc. The class was pretty cool, but the time where we worked with our classmates was absymal. I got two guys who were conservative (in the negative way), pessimistic, contrary, and able to quote statistics with memorized skill. Our topic was governmental reform, and these guys were able to sweep us into deciding that we needed to lessen the punishment for minor crimes, and harshen punishments for major crimes. Not what I thought would be decided in our discussion. I hate people who have nothing to say except negativity.

My second class was about logic, and was really good, but not very funny. Except for when the teacher gave us some snacks. If Teddy Grahams, Plain Triscuts, and Pepperidge Farms Entertaining Collection counts as snack. His apology? "I thought of this this morning, and went by the campus store. This was the best they had."

My last class of that day was Public Finance in America, which was made tons more fun by the closest to thug there. Caucasian, looked and acted like he actually lived in a ghetto, and talked like it too. Some of his more choice sayings of the class. "Yeah, incarceration is when the bacon bust yo ***, and you get locked up.", "I'm saying dat crime down, cause dey hatin' on gangs and **** like that", "I know dem Mexicans be paying most of dem taxes, cause dey don't want no IRS busting they ***** and sending them back to Mexico or wherever.", "I know what dem projects like, like some little culture or some **** like that. Any po-lice that go in there gonna be ****** up real good." I must give a round of applause to the teacher, a mild-mannered MIT student, who showed no surprise at this out of place language.

I was exhausted after that, so slept fairly well, and was feeling pretty well rested for the next day. Sunday was pretty normal, except for when the lead pastor came in to talk to the youth. I can usually pay atttention, but this was so dry, and Brad's voice is so lullingly sing-songy, I was nearly falling asleep. Not kidding.

Classes were a blast on Sunday. First was a intimate class on "Saving the Planet", which was made up of 4 students, and one teacher. The teacher was a passionate Mechanical Engineering PhD, who is really concerned about the environment. Really cool. I'm not the only passionate one.


The next class was on immigration and the border. In the class of 15 or so, only 3 people had not immigrated, or had their family immigrate within the last 15 years. We were the awkward white guys, but at least I have experience with immigrants. The teacher really, really, knew his stats, and did a great job making all his points clear.

The last class was about capitalism, viewed through the lens of masturbation. I wasn't sure about it, but Mom encouraged me to check it out. (Thanks Mom!!) The teacher had some interesting ideas on the topic, but my favorite part was the colorful discussion.  Just great, and hard to express.  That's it for what has passed.

On Thursday, at 5:30 a.m., I will be at the airport in San Jose, and off by 6:30. San Jose to Chicago, Chicago to Brussels, Brussels to Monrovia. I won't be back for 2 weeks, but I will be posting, via mobile. (As they say there)

This video was found looking for a song I heard on my Pandora, and wanted to hear again. Not only is the music great, but the idea is so fun. I have actually done this, but not as goofily as that man, and not on camera. Enjoy!!



That's all for now!!
God Bless!!