Tag Archives: San Jose

April 26, 2010 · 9:58 am

After Being Stranded in Egypt

John and Paul and I flew home safely yesterday after being stranded in Egypt by Iceland’s volcano eruption. We were in Doha, Qatar to visit Jessica during Paul’s Spring Break. All went well until flights through Europe were canceled due to volcanic ash. Here are some of John’s and my notes home to our wonderful neighbors, friends, and family who took care of our home and pets while we were gone:

  • 18 April:
    John and Paul and I are stuck in Cairo. All of the airports in Europe are closed by the volcano in Iceland and all USA flights from Egypt go through Europe. Paul loves the pyramids and seems determined to take photos of every hieroglyph he sees on every tomb wall. We have two people watching our house and pets in San Jose so all should be well at home. … There are now 6.8 million stranded passengers and as budget travelers, we are at the end of a long queue. It will probably take several days to get home. I appreciate your help! Cairo is wonderful. We are going back to see the Sakkara tombs and also to see Dahshur today.
  • 19 April:
    We have climbed inside of 3 pyramids – which are stinky and hot but very interesting. They don’t tell you in the guide books that people pee inside the pyramids – nasty! …Lufthansa’s regular flights start today but no word yet on how they will get those of us in the canceled flight backlog home. We are on the 17th floor of the Ramses Hilton with a Nile river view, 3 blocks from the Egyptian Museum.
  • 20 April:
    We just got back from the Lufthansa – United office here in Cairo Egypt. The first flight possibility goes out of Cairo on Saturday 4/25 (standby – not confirmed). John and Paul and I have confirmed seats on Tuesday 4/28. There does not seem to be any other way out of Cairo except through Germany, according to Lufthansa. We will keep checking back with them. Kat Carpenter and Felix Quintero are taking care of our house and pets in San Jose….It rained briefly this afternoon in Cairo – with lots of wind. We are set to take the Nile river trip and will be back in time for the first possible standby flight on Saturday. Everything is cash only – we had to call to extend our daily cash limit to pay for the cruise. We have been out collecting additional medicines – since we only brought enough for our original stay. Egyptian drugs have different names and dosages but we found a friendly English-speaking pharmacist who is helping us. There is an amazing 180 degree Nile view from our 17th floor room – lots of pollution haze but still exhilarating to stand on either of the two balconies.John and I just had a snack of Golash (like baklava) and Konafa (like a firm custard with filo on the bottom and shaved onto the top). Very tasty! Paul is happily watching Arabic TV.  All Saints Cathedral (Episcopal/Anglican) here in Cairo also sponsors a group of Sudanese refugees and they have their own shop – feels like home.
  • 24 April:
    We are now confirmed to fly Lufthansa early tomorrow morning – arriving on Sunday 4/25 around noon at SFO. Hooray – we are finally coming home!We went on a Nile river cruise – visited temples and tombs in Aswan and Luxor and just returned to Cairo. Paul has happily climbed inside of 3 pyramids (Giza, Sakkara, Dhashur) and visited 3 royal burial sites in the Valley of the Kings (Queen Tawosert in KV14, Thutmosis III in KV34, and Ramses III in KV11) . We have been to the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Coptic Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, and the Mohammad Ali (Alabaster Mosque) in the Citadel of Salah al-Din. We visited the Coptic Museum and saw the Nag Hammadi Library. We have visited the Egyptian Museum, Imhotep Museum, Memphis Rahina Museum, Nubian Museum, and Luxor Museum.Paul has missed a week of school but is working on a paper for Geology and a paper for English about his trip to Egypt – illustrated with photos. He has rocks to show his Geology teacher.
  • 25 April:
    We’re home! After 48 hours on the go, from Luxor to Cairo to Frankfurt to California, we landed at SFO just after noon, and got back to the house an hour ago!Everything and everyone looks fine – Tino the cat says that nobody loves him, but he is willing to shed on us anyways; Redda and Juliet (the dogs) are glad to see us – and the birds were singing their hearts out when we walked in the door! Not to mention the happy flowers and roses! Thanks again for watching over everyone!More later after we get unpacked and unjetlagged :-)Egypt was a blast, but it is good to be back home!

Things I missed about California while in Egypt:

  • Drinkable tap water
  • Crosswalks and gaps between cars on the street, street signs and lights that are not just decorative
  • Being able to enter a building or historic site without a bag scan and questions by heavily armed guards
  • A telephone system I understand
  • Fresh fish
  • A wide variety of national and ethnic foods
  • Not having to pay tips (baksheesh) for everything
  • Peet’s coffee

Things I learned to love in Egypt:

  • Fresh dates
  • Tomb wall carvings and paintings of animals and daily life in ancient times
  • Donkeys and Camels and Horses on city streets
  • Om Ali and other Egyptian deserts
  • Bargaining in markets and shops
  • Hearing the Islamic call to prayer singing out across the city and knowing what time it is

John and Paul and Jessica and I took about 6,000 photos – check back to see them soon…

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April 8, 2010 · 10:00 pm

Book and Pizza Party

Last week, we had a wonderful visit at Santa Maria Urban Ministry’s Studio after-school program for inner city San Jose kids. Vicki Gochnauer’s Redwood Middle School class presented the Studio program with twenty or so of their favorite books (along with written book reviews now posted on the wall under the book shelf), then we had a pizza party. The big and little kids enjoyed hanging out and learning from each other. They did homework and played with computers and ran around together in the play yard. The Redwood Middle School class were also generous enough to raise $155 for a SMUM donation through bake sales. Much appreciated!

Some of Studio’s new books are:

The Calder Game, Blue Balliett
Stanley Flat Again, Jeff Brown
Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo
George’s Marvelous Medicine, Roald Dahl
Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The BFG, Roald Dahl
Redwall – Mossflower Brain Jacques
Lily B on the Brink of Cool, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz
Zia, Scott O’Dell
Dinosaurs Before Dark – Magic Treehouse, Mary Pope Osborne
The Case of the Missing Hamster – Jigsaw Jones Mystery, James Preller
Holes, Louis Sachar
Bone, Jeff Smith
The Boxcar Children – Special #12, Gertrude Chandler Warner
Sabrina the Teenage Witch – Salem on Trial, Bobbi J.G. Weiss

Photos from our party:

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Images Copyright by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher 2010

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April 7, 2010 · 10:05 pm

Four More San Jose Metblog Entries

I have recently posted four more San Jose Metblogs entries:

You can see the index to all of my San Jose Metblogs postings on: Authors – Katy Dickinson.

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March 18, 2010 · 5:56 pm

Children’s Voices from the Studio

These are stories about Santa Maria Urban Ministry from the children of the SMUM Studio after school program.  SMUM is sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real. I interviewed the kids for SMUM’s Canticles monthly newsletter.

First is Belen who is 8 years old. Belen was born in San Jose, California and still lives here with her family. She has two sisters and two brothers. Her oldest sister is 22; Belen is the youngest. She started coming to Studio when she was 6. Belen comes back every Tuesday and Thursday for homework help because she wants to learn more. When she does not come to Studio, she stays home where it is boring and there is nothing to do. When asked what she would tell another kid about why to go to Studio, Belen said: “This is a cool place where you can do exciting things like math, computers, drawing, and much more.” Belen likes to play outside in the sand box and castle. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

Next is Abigail who is 10 years old and in 4th grade.  Abigail was born in San Jose, California and still lives here with her family.  She has two younger brothers.  Abigail started coming to SMUM when she was in 3rd grade.  She comes on Thursdays for homework help to help her understand her assignments.  Other days, she stays at home and does homework or watches movies or TV.  When asked what she would tell another kid about why to go to Studio, Abigail said: “It is fun because you can have help with homework, use the computers, do math and go on trips at the end of the year. You can play with people and play different games on the computer.  The people are friendly.”  Abigail most likes to do homework, play boardgames, and play outside.  When she grows up, she wants to teach math, science, and literacy.

One of the mentor-teachers is George who is 18 years old.  He is a Senior in High School.  George lives with his parents in San Jose where he was born.  He has a little brother who is 3 and an older brother who is 22.  George needs 40 community service hours for school.  He comes to SMUM because it is close to his house and his friends told him about it.  If George was asked why someone should do community service hours at SMUM, he would say: “It’s a good place to come help because you get to mentor young children.  You can set a good example for them that hard work can help you do good in school.”  George likes to help the kids out – being like a little teacher.  He wants to be an Architect when he grows up.

Jose is Abigail’s younger brother.  He is 7 and a half years old, in the 2nd grade.  Jose was born in San Jose but his family is from Zacatecas, Mexico.  He is the middle child, his younger brother is 2 and a half and Abigail is his 9-year-old sister.  Jose started coming to SMUM last year because his friend told him about the homework program and his Mom said they could go.  “It is a good place to do homework and it is pretty fun.  There are computers and you can play on them and the Internet.”  He likes best to do his homework and use the computers.  Jose wants to be a doctor or policeman when he grows up.

The next is by Samantha who is 8 years old and in the 3rd grade.  She was born in San Jose and still lives there with her little sister and little brother and her big brother and sister.  Samantha started coming to SMUM when she was in Preschool when she was 3 years old.  She comes Tuesdays and Thursdays to do her homework, play with computers, draw, play outside and eat snacks.  She likes best to play with the computer.  “Someone can come here to do a lot of things, to have some fun.  It is not boring.”  Samantha wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

The last story is from Robert who is a mentor-teacher on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Robert is 15 and in 8th grade.  He was born in San Jose; he has one younger  sister.  He started coming to SMUM last year.  He helps with the warehouse and after school programs.  Robert knows Rev. Lawrence Robles and goes to Trinity church where Father Lawrence works.  SMUM is close to Robert’s house.  Robert likes to work in the warehouse filling boxes with  cans and fresh food for the hungry.  He likes to play handball with the other mentor-teachers, play Uno, and use the computers.  “Come to SMUM Studio to catch up with your homework if your parents don’t know how to speak English.  It’s hard to do homework without parents or brothers to help, to support you. ”  Robert wants to be a cop or secret agent when he grows up.

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Images Copyright 2010 Katy Dickinson

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March 4, 2010 · 10:58 pm

San Jose Metblog

I just posted my first blog entry as the newest writer for San Jose Metblog.  I was introduced to Metroblogging when Joann Landers wrote the article “Auction – Whirling Dervish – Middle Eastern Feast” featuring a photograph of WP 668, our 1916 historic backyard caboose. Here is what San Jose Metblog says about itself:

Metroblogging started off as a more locally focused alternative news source in Los Angeles and has turned into the largest and fastest growing network of city-specific blogs on the Web. We got sick of reading local news that was syndicated from the other side of the country, or was just repurposed national chit chat that had nothing to do with our city. We created our first blog as a throw back to the days when a local news paper focused on local issues, and you could walk down to the corner coffee shop and chat up the reporters whose column you read earlier that day. This idea didn’t stay in one city for long and before we knew it there were Metblogs in Chicago, Portland, Karachi, and Vienna. Today there are over 50 Metblogs in countries all over the world. Local politics, event reviews, lunch recommendations and ways to avoid that big traffic jam downtown. If it’s happening in our cities, we’re on it.

We are bloggers first and foremost, and we love our cities. Even the parts we hate.

My first San Jose Metblog article is “SMUM Thanks Volunteers”.  I am looking forward to writing more.

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March 3, 2010 · 11:24 pm

Willow Glen Lions Speakers’ Contest

The newly-chartered Willow Glen Lions Club held its first annual high school speakers’ contest on Sunday, 21 February 2010. This contest is offered by many Lions clubs and at higher levels of competition offers some large scholarship prizes. Our club contest featured three talented young women from Presentation High School here in San Jose, California.

Joe McGrady and Kat Carpenter managed this Willow Glen Lions project. They very carefully followed the rules for the California Lions 73rd Annual Student Speakers Contest. I served as one of the timers. As a former Toastmasters Area Governor, I very much enjoyed being part of this event.

We were honored to have San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio, plus Pam Foley of San Jose Unified School District, and Helen Vanderberg Area H5 Governor for Toastmasters as our judges. Our contest was held at the Willow Glen Branch Library and included a reception afterward.

Sara Cois was our club-level contest winner but she was given a good competition by Alisha Azevedo and Ashley Philip. Sara goes on to speak in the Lions Zone level of competition this Friday. We were particularly proud of Sara when we learned that she was asked to participate only a week or so before the contest.

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Images Copyright 2010 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

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February 25, 2010 · 1:15 am

Easy Jury Duty

I have been summoned for jury service at about the same time every year for at least the last five years. So, I was not surprised to be called to serve again this week. In 2007, I served on the jury for the trial of a Methamphetamine Drug Dealer. That was the first time I actually joined a jury – every other time, I have been released from service.

I live in the County of Santa Clara, home of the Silicon Valley. Our jury service check-in process is as easy as computers can make it. The paper Summons for Jury Service I received in the mail assigned me to a group. This year, my group number was 141. Since my service started on Monday, 2/22/2010, I checked for my group number on the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara Current Juror Status web site the night before. The web site either tells me when and where I need to appear or it says when to check back for the next update. I checked back twice a day until this morning at 11 am when my group was asked to appear at 1 pm, at the Downtown Courthouse (DTS) located at 191 N. First Street, San Jose.

I arrived before 1 pm, checked in and went down the hall (past the WE APPRECIATE OUR JURORS sign) to get some coffee. I waited in the Jury Waiting Room with my large no-fat latte. It is a large room decorated with excellent color photographs and most of one very big wall covered with a huge landscape painting of the East Santa Clara Valley in 1915, by Charles H. Harmon (1859-1936). The only other object of note in the Jury Waiting Room is a handsome antique oak desk covered with two mostly-complete jigsaw puzzles.

While I was waiting, I read a brochure called “Court and Community – Jury Service Information and Instructions for Responding the Your Juror Summons”. This document included a Message from the Chief Justice of California (the Hon. Ronald M. George):

As Americans, we sometimes take for granted the rule of law that allows us our freedoms. Trial by a jury of one’s peers is among the fundamental democratic ideals of our nation. Serving as jurors reminds us that these ideals exist only as long as individual citizens are willing to uphold them.

Jury service lies at the heart of our American judicial system. It is the duty and responsibility of all qualified citizens, but it is also an opportunity to contribute to our system of justice and to our communities. For many, serving as a juror is a memorable and even a profound experience. While voting is a privilege of citizenship, jury service is a civic obligation and often the most direct participation that individuals have in their government.

Still, no matter how worthwhile, jury service makes demands on our time. In recent years, California’s courts have made many efforts to improve jury service. Most notably, your courts have adopted a one-day or one-trial system in which a juror reporting for service either is assigned to a trial on the first day or is dismissed from service for at least 12 months. We have found that this system is far more manageable for prospective jurors: the majority serve for just one day, and of those selected for a trial, most complete their service within one week.

At about 1:30 pm, our group (now called “Panel 19”) was asked to move from the general jury waiting room to a special side room. Five minutes after I sat down in the side room, the Honorable Mary Jo Levinger, the judge who had called us, came out with her Bailiff and her legal intern to talk with us. She cheerfully said the trial had been expected to last about a week, so she had called 65 of us to be considered for the jury. However, maybe because a jury group had been called in, the lawyers just settled over lunch, so we were free to go and would not be called again for at least another year.  There was much clapping. Other than checking the web site, my jury duty this year took about one hour.

Judge Levinger said I could take her photo (with the Bailiff and intern) for this blog entry:

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Images Copyright 2010 Katy Dickinson

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