Transcending Spanish: On lessons learned beyond foreign language.

In 1999, I embarked on an academic journey through the levels of Spanish offered at my high school. For all but one year of that journey, I had the same teacher. This particular person had a passion for the power of language, and his uncanny way of teaching this mandatory academic requirement still has me reminiscing about some of those moments in time, even 15 years later. I've written about many of those tales and they lie in the old archives of my written journals. However, beyond learning the ins and outs of Spanish grammar and sentence structures, what I really learned and still value are life lessons that transcend any language. So, I figure with the end of my 20s peeking around the corner, I'd share a few of these lessons as my thank you to him for being one of my most influential mentors.

High school flashbacks galore...ten years can do that to you.

Ten years ago, long before I became the Two-Wheeled Tourist, I was a high school student at the California Academy of Mathematics and Science in Carson, CA. It's a school that has found its place somewhere in the US News rankings year after year, and is probably one of the "nerdiest" public high schools in the United States. I am proud to say that I am an alumna of this institution, and even though I didn't end up in medicine, engineering, or computer science like the vast majority of my classmates, I definitely benefited from the well-rounded and rigorous education I received from there.

This November, my graduating high school class will be celebrating its 10-year reunion in Culver City, CA. Thanks to the timing of the event which has made flights back to Los Angeles way much more than I can afford (Thanksgiving weekend, are you kidding me?), I won't be able to attend. However, I have the fun privilege of embarrassing everyone from 2500 miles away with a DVD chock full of archived photos, videos, and original films from my old collection. This has prompted me to post quite a few of these videos on my personal YouTube channel online. But here on Two-Wheeled Tourist I'll showcase a few of my personal favorite videos and bloopers that'll probably end up being replayed while everyone else is catching up over several drinks. I just hope I don't cause anyone to choke on any olives in the process...

Here's Another Hockey Miracle to Believe In - Los Angeles Times

I was looking through some old files and found this old article from 1999 about the good old days when I was just a young roller hockey goalie playing in an outdoor rink in Carson, CA and the hockey coach and community that brought many people together to enjoy the wonderful sport of hockey. It's funny to think that this was eleven years ago. Have fun musing about my past.

Here's Another Hockey Miracle to Believe In - Los Angeles Times