7.04.2011

You Want Me to Go Where?! Part 1

When my principal came to me and asked me if I would be interested in attending a math intervention conference IN OAKLAND I was hesitant.

Because, you know...It's Oakland. Oakland! I vaguely remembering Jeremiah pointing it out on the way to San Francisco. The conversation went like this: "And that's Oakland." and we kept driving.  I know that the reason for the conference was to gain knowledge, but part of the fun is going somewhere new and exciting. Oakland was just new. And maybe a tiny teeny bit scary.

Here's the thing, though. I wanted to attend the training and get my professional pants on. I want to be involved and help my students and all that stuff.

So I said that I would go.

And I did. For a whole week I got my conference on. During the day I learned and in the evening I went (with my colleagues) to San Francisco.

I thought I'd share some Oakland pictures with you today. Sort of as proof that it isn't all ghetto. I mean, ghetto exists, for sure. But parts of the city were cool. Oh, and our hotel wasn't in that cool area. Not at all. I would recommend it to anyone going to Oakland, though, because the staff was incredible, they offered free breakfast, and free shuttle service. Our trips to San Francisco cost $6 on the BART (round trip) and $2 for the streetcar. Not too freaking bad.

First of all, my conference was held at the Kaiser building in downtown Oakland. On the twenty-fifth floor. I felt very professional. They even had emergency/disaster kits. I didn't ask about them but I made a mental note. Just in case. A religious coworker was hoping/praying for an earthquake and I wasn't sure if he had an in with God so I figured it wouldn't hurt to make a mental map of the kit location.

 For lunch we went to the parking garage roof. Gross, right? Oh, no. Because it looked like this:
 Gorgeous. I managed to snap lots of pictures. There were fountains, bridges, flowers, and walking paths.

Here is a picture from our conference room:
 You can see a very modern church with the lake off to the right.

And lastly:
 If you squint or zoom, you can see some San Fran bridges and buildings. Great views from the Kaiser building.

Anyone else doing some summer traveling?

Stay tuned for Part 2: San Francisco

9 comments:

Lacie Josephine said...

That rooftop is very pretty. I'm glad your trip went well and you didn't get shot. You're so lucky you have a job where you travel so much!

Emily said...

Thanks, Lacie! I'm glad I wasn't shot, too! :) I actually don't travel that much as a teacher - it's June when I'm out and about.

Lacie Josephine said...

Hey! Did you get a basket this weekend?

Emily said...

Lacie, we did get a basket! Thanks! Everyone was very nice and helpful. We received a ton of cool stuff, including figs(!). I'll probably be sharing some pictures (and crediting you, of course :), for introducing me to Bountiful Baskets). Did you get a basket over the weekend? We were thinking about trying the bread but decided not to for the upcoming week.

Lacie Josephine said...

We got a basket and the 9-grain bread. It's good & freezes very well. The chile cheese bread is good too. I like trying to find things to make with the things I would probably never buy on my own.

Emily said...

Is the bread nutty or seedy? Does that makes sense? I like my grains ground up really well. No chunks in my bread.

And I agree. It is fun trying different things. I love plums and haven't had any for years. There were a bunch in our basket - Yum!

Lacie Josephine said...

It's the 9 grain bread is pretty seedy. The chili cheese bread was white bread though. I know sometimes they offer honey wheat bread too but I've never tried it.

Emily said...

Thanks for letting me know! I think we might try the honey wheat instead.

Kailyn B. said...

At the conference, did they talk about some math intervention strategies?