Off to Brazil – Virtually

Posted on November 21, 2021 by vanbraman

This week I am teaching a course in Brazil. However, it will not be in person,  but virtually.

As I prepare to start the course tomorrow, I have been thinking of my last trip there.

Last time I taught a course in Brazil I flew there the day before and was resting in my hotel room on Sunday night.

hotel room, ibis, brazil, bed, sleep, jet lagTonight I am getting ready to go to bed early at home as I have to be on-line at 5:30 in the morning to begin my class.Breakfast, Hotel, Ibis, Interlagos, BrazilIn the morning I will not have a nice breakfast cooked for me, but will have to get a quick bite before joining my students on-line.

buffet lunch, brazil, sao paulo, brazil cuisineI will also miss some nice lunches each day, but perhaps will take that time for a good breakfast.

Sao Paulo Trees, palm trees, winterI will also miss the nice walks to lunch and the area around the office.

More than anything, I will miss working directly with the students and showing them how to perform some of the adjustments that they will be making.

It is difficult to show students how to perform hands on procedures on-line.

However, I have a good co-teacher there who will demonstrate calibrations for me and make sure they are performing them correctly.

Steven

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Darkening Commutes

Posted on November 20, 2021 by vanbraman

As we get into November the commutes are getting darker and darker. I don’t like to drive to and from the office in the dark, but it must be done when teaching class during this time of year.

darkening sky, backset, moon, highwayIt is starting to get dark on the way home, and by the time I make it there darkness has fallen. Last week one of the days was cloudy and there was a nice reflection of the sunset. It looked like you were driving into the sunset, but it was the other way. There was almost a full moon also.

low lying fog, foggy, red sky, commute in the darkThe mornings have sometimes been foggy, early in the week you could not even see the houses here. Here you only see some of the low lying log and some color to the morning sky.

low lying fog, foggy, red sky, commute in the darkLuckily the traffic is not moving too fast in the fog. Most of the foggy areas are also where slow traffic usually is so it is a lot safer. We sometimes get very thick fog here in the Central Valley and it can be dangerous if people do not slow down.

Next week I will have a much shorter commute as I am teaching a virtual course in Brazil from home. However, it will be even darker as I start each morning at 5:30. My students will have much more daylight since they are in the southern hemisphere and spring is starting there.

Steven

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