Saturday, May 05, 2007

Exciting Experiences

In a half hour or so, the boy and I will be off to his golf lesson followed by his piano recital, his first ever. His piano teacher, Milen, has arranged for all his pupils to perform at Alcosta somewhere in celebration of Mother's Day. The heart is still wounded but hopefully the music will help heal some. The young man has not practised as much as he used to before I went to India. I know he'll do fine, as long as he stays relaxed.

The girl went off this morning with dad to Amador Valley HS for her SAT exam. She seems confident enough. Tuesday and Wednesday are more exam days - exit exams without which apparently she cannot pass out of high school. We are still on a learning curve as far as the school system here is concerned.

And did I mention that on May 1 (which would have been a public holiday almost everywhere else in the world), I went to the Professional Business Women of California (PBWC) event at Moscone Center in San Francisco? As corporate sponsor, we finance a certain number of tables each year and I was drawn through a ballot to have a seat at the IT table. It was a fantastic experience. To hear women talk about their achievements, hear their stories and share their insights. There was Bertice, a sociology professor, who grew up in dismal poverty to a dysfunctional family and just applied to university without any finances and as fate would have it, someone anonymous gave a sum of money to be used for a student who without it, would not have made it. She went on to get a PhD at age 26 and an amazing life experience that I can only gag at, including becoming a comedian! She was one of the best and funniest speakers and everytime she spoke, she got standing ovations. And she sings really well and would burst into songs during her speeches. One of the most interesting African American ladies I have had the good fortune to listen to. There were many others, all interesting, all highly successful because they were able to rise above personal tragedies or difficulties. I hope I get to go again next year.

I realise I have been a little crazy with flowers but you have to see these:

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