Monday, October 13, 2008

The Autumn Ride


Even though it's mid-October, I'm starting to get the feeling that it isn't going to cool down out here any time soon. It's still really hot, and I still haven't completely adjusted to it. I remember a time last spring when I was having a chat with my aunt Becky about my upcoming stint out in Hawaii. She asked if I was a cold weather or warm weather person, and I confidently said that I was definitely more suited for warmer weather. I had just returned from Spokane, where a cold winter front with temperatures in the teens had been seeping through the paper-thin wall of 803 Mission for two weeks straight. Warm weather was a no brainer at that point. But now, as I sit in my bedroom which always seems to be about 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, I would love to take a quick walk in the snow of Spokane. Still, this weather is nearly perfect and I think it'll start dropping a few degrees pretty soon, so then I'll have absolutely nothing to complain about.

Sadly, Fall Break is coming to an end. It was so nice to have almost nothing to worry about for an entire week. I think my mind and body really really needed it. Though I didn't accomplish a lot of the things I wanted to accomplish during the break, I really took care of myself and also had some great adventures around the island. The biggest one was a long bike ride I did on Wednesday.

After taking my new bike for a few spins, I quickly found out that the front tire had sprung a leak! I did a little work on it and patched it up on Tuesday night, hoping for the best. I made an executive decision: If the tire was still inflated the next morning, I would embark on an epic ride around the northwest corner of the island better known as Kaena Point. My alarm sounded at 7 a.m. and I strolled out to the storage shed to check the tire. It was perfectly full-my questionable patch job had worked- so the trip was on. I threw together a bag of stuff, strapped on my helmet, and headed west towards the point.

I hiked Kaena Point way back in late May when I was here before TFA Induction. There used to be a railroad track that connected the Waianae side of the island to the North Shore, but it is long gone. They never built a road to connect the two parts of the island, so Kaena Point became a state park and bird sanctuary. This is both bad and good: bad because if there was a road here connecting the west and north parts of the island, I could get down to the Waianae side in about 15 minutes. It's good because what remain there now are some incredible mountain biking trails with the ocean as a very dramatic backdrop.

"The Beast " overlooking the North Shore coast

My ultimate destination was Yokohama Beach, the beach that lies at the end of the Waianae coast. I didn't clock the mileage, but I think that the distance from Haleiwa to Yokohama Beach is about 10 miles. I wanted to beat the heat, so I was on the road by 7:30. Just getting out to Kaena Point was the longest part of the ride, but I got down Farrington Highway pretty quickly. I was to the park within about an hour and there were very few people there- only a few fishermen and some early morning 4x4 offroaders. Hiking the many different routes and trails of Kaena Point had been pretty easy going, but biking it was a little more nerve-wracking. There were a lot of sections that were pretty intense, but I quickly learned that my new bike is an absolute beast. I was a little skeptical about its quality at first, but after riding it on some pretty rough trails, I'm very happy with my purchase. It held its own and then some. It can handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

My favorite part of the ride was the last stretch, the remnants of the railroad tracks that wind along the northern tip of the Waianae coast all the way to Yokohama Beach. Mother Nature has taken her toll on this path, making for some pretty rough terrain. I ripped down the trail, stealing quick glances at the sea directly to my right. You couldn't make a better trail with a better setting.

The last stretch of the ride- the perfect trail

I spent a little bit of time at Yokohama Beach, but the weather wasn't exactly spectacular, so I headed back after not too long. The ride back was equally rivetting.

I did a lot of other cool stuff during the break, but this ride was the highlight. I hope to get back out there soon.

Sadly, it's back to work tomorrow. I have a couple resolutions for this upcoming quarter, including going to the gym on a regular basis. There's one on the base that I can access for free. I'm hoping that this break provides me with a new boost of energy, because I could definitely feel myself burning out a little bit towards the end of first quarter.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Round One Over!

Here's to having my first quarter of teaching under my belt.

"You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward."
-Rocky Balboa

The reason I put this in here is because my first quarter of teaching reminded me of a boxing match. Coming into this gig, I didn't really know what I was up against. I knew it was going to be tough, but how tough and what it entailed was beyond me. So I took a deep breath, stepped into the ring, and sized up my opponent. He threw a lot of heavy punches right off the bat. I took more than a few, dodged some, and even blocked a couple. But I didn't fall down. The bell finally sounded, and I had made it through to the next round.

Now I'm recovering, relaxing, and regaining strength. I now know what I'm up against and have a decent idea of what I have to do to conquer it. In this next round, I'm going to come out swinging.



Sometimes teaching can be tougher than the Russian Concussion.


Every corps member will have one or many "TFA moments." These are instances with students that help you realize why you're doing this crazy job in the first place. I had a couple at Institute, but I finally got one here at Wheeler this past week. J is my student with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He's pretty high functioning and is one of my smarter kids, but he struggles to properly communicate with others around him and needs a lot of extra help. When he's uncomfortable with a situation, he shuts down. Since about a week ago, he's been coming into my room during breaks and actually starting conversations with me.

Last Monday I had a couple students hanging around my desk as I was trying to enjoy a quick break between classes. Out of the blue, J asked me, "Mr. Talevich, who is the best teacher at the school?" I was a little surprised at this question, and before I could respond, another of my students said, "I bet Mr. Talevich thinks he's the best teacher." I told them that I didn't think that was so and gave some fluffy speech about how there were a lot of great teachers at this school. "Not a lot of students would say I was the best because I haven't taught that many students here," I added.

"Well, to us you are," J replied.

Am I actually the best teacher these kids have ever had? Absolutely not. But at least I'm making a positive difference in their lives and they are realizing it. Little TFA moments like this help so much. And by the end of my stint here, maybe I can claim that title or at least come close.




To celebrate my recent successes and to give me something to do now that the North Shore waves are breaking too strong for freediving, I bought myself a mountain bike. I got the one from Costco that I've had my eyes on for a while. It's a Schwinn and it's pretty nice. After riding it around a little bit, I still like my Specialized at home better- it's a little lighter and just has a better feel. But it's tough to beat that bike. This one is full suspension and from what I've done so far, it can handle a little roughness. But I'm going to need to take it in for an early tune up because the shifting's a little bit off. Plus I already got a flat tire just from riding it a couple days. I tried patching it up but I'm not sure if I entirely fixed the problem. We'll see tomorrow. I really want to ride out to Kaena Point and then end up at a beach where I can watch (or do) this all day:
I wish I could say that was me, but it's not. It is one of the better shots I've ever taken though. The waves here are nuts, nothing like the ones on the West Coast. Back home, you could just lie down on your board and the wave would do the work. You need a little bit more skill to sponge these ones, and I don't think I'm quite ready. The kids at this beach at the farthest northwest tip of the island were pretty good though. One day I'll get out there and join them, but I'm going to do what's best for my spinal chord for now. Which is lie in the sand with a nice drink and take in the sun.