Work and Play at Quest University Canada

life at quest a.k.a. this blog is dead

2010-12-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

This has been "in the works" for four months now (and when I say "in the works" I mean "written on my to-do list and completely ignored"), but now I've finally taken an hour and made it happen.

Now, instead of blogging here on "Blogger," my new internet posts about what I am learning at the Best University Ever (and what I do when I'm not officially 'learning') will show up on "Life at Quest."

Here's the link:

http://www.lifeatquest.ca/champion/champion.aspx?asset=501

The inaugural "Life at Quest" post is about Tallulah Bankhead, rowboats, hydro-halogenation, and freight trains, so you for sure want to check it out! In addition, my fellow "Quest Ambassadors" are blogging about THEIR lives here at Quest. You can learn about them by going to:

http://www.lifeatquest.ca/project/project.aspx?asset=251

Thanks and Happy Christmas!

keels and kinetics

2010-04-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... that was my attempt to create a sailing/chemistry alliteration. Not a success. But I will push on and talk about these two sweet activities that currently dominate my day-to-day existence anyway.

First, Chemistry. It turns out that there are six, not four, students in my Chem 2 class - crowded, I know - and yesterday we took our first exam. I think it went well, but only time will tell (well, actually Bob Browne, chemistry mastermind and distributor of grades, will tell). We've been focused on thermochemistry and are now starting to focus on kinetics - I'm not sure I enjoy it quite as much as Chem 1, but it's still chemistry aka. the equivalent of Potions in the non-wizarding world. It's a decent amount of work, but nothing insane (unlike Spherical Trig or Global Perspectives), which leaves me with time (barely) to...

Go sailing! Twice a week! At the West Vancouver Yacht Club! Classy! Yesterday there was an odd number of us so we ended up with 3 people in a little Pirate (yes, that is the model of boat... um, I mean SHIP, we sail). Then the wind picked up, our jib came un-cleated and started to fall down around us, knots untied themselves, and we heeled over so hard so many times that our little boat became a bathtub, barley above the water. So amazing. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a very long time. Apparently, water was leaking into the hull as well... what I am saying is, THE SEA TRIED TO TAKE US but we survived. This is the kind of intense thing that happens all the time if you come to Quest. Sorry that I keep sneaking in these little hints that you should come to school here. It's just my opinion, but it's true.

rubber cement and lake lovelywater round 2

2010-03-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

I spent last week running about town looking for the elusive rubber cement (the only acceptable adhesive for serious poster-makers) and putting together my final project for Earth, Oceans, Space. Here is an insider tip: Garibaldi Graphics. The dollar store, the hardware store, and Shoppers Drug-mart will only disappoint. And if you don't have rubber cement, why are you even making a poster?

With my poster done I was free to take the weekend and gallivant off into the Tantalus Mountains across the Squamish River and visit, once again, the lovely Lake Lovelywater! The hike was moderately epic... there were giant cables to cross, 8-foot snowbanks to climb, backpacks (and boots, and socks) to soak, pasta and he-man chili to eat, and giant windstorms to experience. The snow was deeper and tougher to negotiate than last time, we used an alternate cable-crossing method, and we camped up at the lake. It was a full value little adventure, and today I think we're all feeling it (in a good/painful way). This is one of the most awesome things about Quest - I can find a group of kids who want to spend the weekend hiking up and down giant snow-covered mountains.

time flies...

2010-03-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

Only one week left of Earth Oceans Space! Then I have one more class (Chemistry 2... which currently has only 4 students enrolled) before summer vacation! In just over a month I'll be back in Alaska.

Spring is doing its best to emerge here in Squamish - last weekend was beautiful, and although I was trapped inside learning "Workplace First Aid" (exciting, I know) on Saturday, I got out to the Smoke Bluffs Friday afternoon and threw down some sweet climbing with Jonathan and Shandel. "Neat and Cool" was probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing routes I've ever enjoyed! I'm toying with the idea of joining the brand-new Quest sailing team in April, but the truth is my adventure-funds are quickly running out and if I choose to sail I'll be left with little time to enjoy the world-class climbing of Squamish. We shall see. Speaking of adventures, I'm off to Tofino for block break, to be pounded by very cold, very salty water. Hooray!

With all these sweet plans and activities, it might be a little tough to leave at the end of next block. However, I was recently accepted into a guide school program in central Alaska in May, so that ought to take the sting out of leaving Quest (that, and the prospect of yet another fabulous summer in Juneau, Alaska).

return to classrooms and the pacific northwest

2010-03-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

The last two months have felt like a wormhole - I was in Indonesia just over a week ago! Speaking of which, our final documentaries are now online! My group's documentary is called "Perjalanan" ("Journey" in Bahasa Indonesia) and you can watch it here: http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/video/perjalanan-part-i

Surprisingly, I've re-entered the world of nine-to-noon class and real homework with relative ease. This is in part because my new course, Earth Oceans Space, is pretty fantastic. We spent our second day of class learning about the formation of stars and solar systems... just like elementary school (in a very academic and university-appropriate way, of course). Our professor, a visiting astronomer named Jeff Hester, invited us all over on Friday night to learn about time-space relativity and nearly half the class came. On the first Friday night back at school! Quest is truly a place of academic magic (also, free snacks).

In addition, I'm enjoying jeans, sweaters, comfy rain boots, reuniting with Quest friends, and hearing about everyone's incredible adventures over the past two months. On my flight back from Borneo I was a little jealous of the people who were taking a block off to spend some time at home before returning to Squamish - but as soon as I got back on campus, I realized I was ready to be back, and while I'm excited to go home this summer, I'm stoked for the many Quest adventures that will no doubt take place before then.

Tantulus Mountains camping trip next weekend?

a shameless promotion

2010-02-09T02:50:00.000-08:00

(…and I’m not even being paid for it!)

Here in Borneo we’ve had a lot of time to think, and one of the things I find myself thinking about with relative frequency is Quest. I keep meaning to write these thoughts down, but there are so many that up until now the task has been too daunting. Yesterday, however, during my kindle time (we’ve got a lot of required reading here in Borneo and dragging books around would be pretty tough, so instead all our reading is on Amazon Kindles) I came across a quote that really helps me convey why Quest is so fantastic:

“What we already know frames what we see, and what we see frames what we understand.” Quest has hit upon an education style that presents knowledge in a way that promotes seeing and understanding more effectively than the traditional model. I’ll elaborate:

I really like details – history and biology are my favorite subjects. But while I can memorize the proteins and processes of the Krebs cycle or the names and dates of the Battle of the Bulge, the truth is that I’m memorizing them for a test. The interdisciplinary Quest approach provides such details but also highlights connections and patterns in a way that leads to a more complete understanding of the world. Those 113 words didn’t even begin to do justice to the sweet education I am receiving in the hands of this visionary group of educators in the southwestern corner of Canada, but it’s a start.

So, that was the abstract “educational value” part of why you should come to Quest. But nobody wants to spend thousands of dollars and four years of ones life at a place that isn’t fun. In the past month I’ve had class on the roof of a houseboat at sunset, on the porch of a ranger station in the middle of a tropical jungle, and in the living room of an indigenous Dayak chief. We discussed the carbon market, forest management systems of Indonesia, and our own big ideas for reducing environmental impact. Last night we rode for 8 hours in 4x4s along the heavily potholed trans-Kalimantan highway while watching an impressive selection of 20-minuite long Indian music videos.

Are you excited yet? Come to Quest!

the other side of the world

2010-01-15T03:24:00.001-08:00

I'm here! In Borneo! Watching monkeys! Speaking (well, trying to speak) Indonesian! If you are interested in all of the way cool things I'm doing/seeing/discovering, check out my two other blogging venues (tech-y!):

RYSE (the Rainforest Action Networks Youth Blog) - http://ryse.ran.org/ and

Ethical Expeditions - http://ethicalexpeditions.ning.com/

Both of these are group blogs, so you might have to dig to find my stuff... enjoy the other postings on those sites as well! Ethical Expeditions has lots of blogs (and videos: check out "Bridge Development in the Bay of Balikpapan") by the other Quest students currently in Borneo.

Here are some of my favorite things about East Kalimantan (the region of Borneo that we're exploring) so far:

1. take-out iced tea in plastic bags

2. the beautiful children of Kampung Baru, a rural district on the outskirts of Balikpapan

3. nasi pecel! a spicy veggie and rice dish that we eat at least once a day

4. Stanislav Lhota, a czech environmentalist and "recreational" proboscis monkey researcher who we just spend two days with in the mangroves of Balikpapan Bay.

5. the busses of Balikpapan: 30 cents will get you wherever you need to go...

6. smiles wherever we go (are they laughing at our goofy quick-dry rip-stop outfits? probably...)

Selamat Malam!

snowy december holiday cheer

2009-12-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Three days from now I return to the land of no homework, home-cooked meals, and (hopefully) piles and piles of beautiful snow. Sadly, this means leaving Quest. Here are some reasons I'll be sad to leave:

The other day we had a Quest holiday extravaganza. It began with the Questival arts fair where students sold a variety of homemade arts and crafts ranging from honey to recycled journals to hugs. This was followed by the student showcase. Students gave presentations on the economics of Harry Potter, an art piece by Andy Goldsworthy, summer medical research, and more. The evening commenced with a holiday feast. The highlight was probably David Helfand, our president, in a Santa suit, engaging in an academic debate with another professor about the existence of himself (Santa). How could I not be sad about leaving a place where this kind of thing happens?

As if this were not enough holiday cheer, yesterday it snowed! After working all day on our final Global Perspectives project, we went out onto the field in the dark and wrote messages and drew pictures on the gigantic untouched canvas.

It will be almost three months before I return to Squamish. I've been so busy with schoolwork and thinking about christmas joy that I've barely had brain space left over to get stoked for Borneo! I'll be blogging for Ethical Expeditions and Rainforest Action Network while I'm over there - check those out if you're interested in what I'll be up to in January/February. Have a fabulous winter holiday! Hooray for Quest, winter, and adventures!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

2009-12-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Actually, it's not, because it rarely snows down at sea level here in Squamish. But it has been beautiful lately - we've had a string of frigid, windy, blue-sky days. Global Perspectives is fulfilling it's promise to illuminate all the dark and horrible corners of the world from child labor to pesticide poisoning. Furthermore, I firmly believe that it is impossible (for me) to get better than 86% in participation. I'm learning many important things, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't unbelievably stoked for December 17th.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. We've all got Secret Santas (I baked some bread for mine this weekend... although the truth is that I'm horrible at baking so I have no idea if it actually was baked or if it's just dough with a baked shell... yikes), Questival (Quest christmas festival?) is coming up, and there's only a week and a half until the glorious freedom of winter vacation. Not to mention, I'm getting pretty pumped for Borneo. I'll try to squeeze in one last post between frantic reading of scientific papers before I return to my homeland. Happy December!

community at quest

2009-11-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

After a fairly unpleasant return from Seattle (all night bus rides with a 5 hour layover in Vancouver), I'm back at Quest and three days into my new class, Global Perspectives. My tutor, Mai, has a reputation for being brutally honest and a tough grader. She told us that to survive we had to remember that grades do not determine our value as a person, nor do they indicate how successful we'll be in later life. Then she showed us a graph of average happiness (in smiles/hour) of students over the course of the class. Yikes. I'll definitely be ready for Christmas Break when it comes. However, most students say that Global is the best class they've taken at Quest so far, so while I'm nervous, I'm also excited.

The theme of this week seems to be community. On Monday we had the traditional beginning-of-block community update, where everyone gathers in the Atrium and various student, staff, and faculty talk about opportunities and happenings at Quest. We've got so many fun holiday events coming up! I'm stoked because Christmas (or as I like to call it, the Season of Joy) is my absolute favorite time of year. Then yesterday we had community day. As class was wrapping up, a few members of the student body ran, screaming, banging pots and pans, and playing a PVC-pipe didgeridoo, all around the academic building, rounding people up for school-wide team building activities and discussions about how to improve Quest. I'm suck a sucker for that kind of thing.

adios, block three

2009-11-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

It's the last day of the block, and in a few short hours I will be done with lenart spheres, armillary spheres... the sphere in general, really. It's been quite an experience, but I'm fairly burnt out on math at the moment, so now is a great time for a break. Still, todays class should be enjoyable. We caught Glen making 10 mathematical mistakes over the course of the block ("a" instead of "A", "+" instead of "-", that sort of thing), so he'll be buying us pizza for lunch, and a few of us baked a spherical trig themed cake last night. Cool (or nerdy... whatever)! However, there's also a "final assessment" and presentations. We'll see how that goes.

In other news, the snow line, after receding rather disgustingly over the past few days, is back in all it's glory. On the way up to class this morning, I noticed that it's brushing the top of the Chief! I'm sure there will be lots of skiers and snowboards stoked to shred Red Heather and Whistler this block break. I'm excited to go to Seattle to see friends and hopefully do some climbing with my Dad (who's in Seattle for a meeting) in central Washington. Hopefully it won't rain!

snow!

2009-11-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend kicked off with a lip-synch competition put on by the SRC (Student Representative Council) Friday night. Songs included Get Down and Bad Touch... so you know it was good. This was followed by an entire Saturday of spherical trigonometry. As I said, it's hands-down the sickest math class I've ever taken. Our tutor, Glenn, is a mathematical genius. He's actually a math historian, and knows more about ancient Arabic mathematicians than anyone I've ever met. Or anyone in the world. I don't know. It's insane. Spherical Trig hasn't been taught in 50 years, but it's the basis for astronomy and navigation, and Glen is trying to bring it back; he's writing a textbook and using our class as guinea pigs. By the beginning of the second week, most of us were seeing Menalaus figures in our sleep. Anyway, as it turns out I spent the entire day working on a problem that I'd actually solved in the first 10 minuets, and just hadn't realized it. Awesome.

However, the weekend was salvaged by a beautiful hike to Lake Lovelywater, high in the Tantalus Mountains. We started at 7am, crossed the Squamish River on a giant cable with the help of pulleys, and headed up through beautiful (if soggy) old-growth forest. There was much excitement when we saw the first little patch of snow about halfway up, and as we continued on the rain turned to snow and the snow got so deep we were practically swimming through it! Everybody looks like a little kid in the snow, in hats and gloves and snow-pants, falling over and so so so stoked! When we finally got to the lake, we stopped for some lunch, became frigid, put on ALL our layers, and ran most of the way back down to warm up, reaching the cable at dusk. We got back to the Quest cafeteria 5 minutes before closing and snarfed the most delicious yam fries I've had so far here. Sweet!

a most exciting development

2009-11-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends, Family, and (especially) Prospective Students! I'm in the middle of my third block here at Quest: Spherical Trigonometry. It is amazing (something that, believe me, I've NEVER said about math before), and my professor is incredible. But right now I've got something a little more interesting to tell you about. Not that math isn't interesting, because it is. But... read on.

As you probably know, the Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics are coming up. You may or may not know that Squamish is right between Vancouver and Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway, and Quest has agreed to rent out our residence buildings. So we've got to leave campus for the months of January and February and go pursue adventures, education, and/or employment elsewhere.

Until yesterday morning, I was tentatively planning on heading down to southern Chile to play outside in February, and was trying to wrangle up something else crazy and amazing for January. These (rough) plans were completely obliterated in the best possible way, however, when one of the students who was on the Borneo trip decided not to go.

What is the Borneo trip? It is incredible. A group of 18 Quest students is flying to Borneo (an island in Indonesia) for two months with an organization called Ethical Expeditions (you can look them up online if you're interested). There we'll... well, I'm not quite sure what exactly we'll be doing, as I've only just signed on, but it involves conserving the rainforest and saving the orangutans. I believe this does involve actually hanging out with orangutans. Needless to say, I am ridiculously stoked. It was kind of a mad rush to book an international ticket within 24 hours of deciding I was going to go (I guess it's nice that Bank of America blocks my credit card when I try to buy a $1600 ticket on SingaporeAir.com ...), but definitely worth it when I opened my confirmation e-mail and realized: I'm going to Borneo in January!

More about spherical trig, and the rest of my life (although there's not much of it outside of math just now) later!