Day 2: Set-Up - Sunday May 12, 2013

Whoa! Quite an experience to waking up to an opening temperature of 94 degree F (that's 34+ degree C for us metric dudes).  It ended at 100 degree F midday.  Morning started early for Cathy and Eisha from Team BASEF as they had a booked 8:20 am appointment with the SRC.  Likewise for Stephane and one of his YSC student.  Everything proceeded positively and Team Canada IISEF are all to go

For the rest of us, morning started with a 8 am walk to our current breakfast haunt a few blocks away.  Get this ... breakfast at the "Einstein Bros. Bagel".  We wanted brain food for our students!

          

 Bageled and smoothied appropriately, the group was all energized for the block walk with projects in hand to the nearby Phoenix Convention Centre - the site of the IISEF 2013 Fair.

It was quite the variety of project set-ups ranging from simple roll-up banners to pre-engineered panel connections.  Some did not go as planned and with the assistance of fellow colleagues and chaperones, the job of project set-ups was all completed by 12:30 pm.  Many of our students learned the value of duct tape, exacto blades and the elusive PATIENCE.



Calvin, our BASEF student observer became a great help as he used his years of CWSF experience and assisted many with putting their projects together.

 The group retired back tothe Sheraton where we met Team Motreal who had just arrived.  We got introduced to chaperones Gus, Heather and Susan and their group of three students.  That brings TEAM CANADA-IISEF count to 24.

Lunch was a group enmass visit to Casa Roma Pizza.  Team CANADA invaded the restaurant after which we all went back to the Sheraton for couple of hours rest before the Pin Exchange event for the evening.  Curfew was 11 pm and as far as I know, everyone omplied.  I of course was watching my Beloved Maple Leafs eked out a 2-1 victory over the Big Bad Bruins.  GO LEAFS GO!

more pics ...

Day 2: Happy Mother's Day - Sunday May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day to All

Last night, all of our students were reminded to call their Mothers.  I hope they did not disappoint.

GO LEAFS GO

I hope my wife understands that I added my Leafs rant along with the Happy Mother's Day greeting ... after all, they are the two most important things in my life.  Of course, there's no dispute as to which is the more important.

Plans are to meet for a 8 am breakfast and then to head over to the Convention Centre and begin set-up.

Day 1: Travel Day - Saturday May 11, 2013

Well, the adventure begins .... Team BASEF-IISEF 2013 met at Pearson for 6:45 am.  As expected, Cathy was there to greet us all.  Boarding passes in hand and surviving the US Customs process, the group did few quick breakfast purchases at Starbucks and prepared for the 9 am flight boarding.  However, I ran into a slight problem ... I learned not to take pictures at the Customs with officers.  I was hauled into a room where they interrogated me why pictures were being taken.

We met Team YSC which had just previously been processed.  YSC chaperones Stephan and Kartik who chaperoned with us last year was there to meet us and introduced us to YSC's third chaperone, Leanne.  But just before boarding the plane, Calvin surprised all by misplacing his boarding pass.  Cathy being Cathy, however put out the fire and gets Calvin on board on time.

The flight was smooth with the scheduled 4 1/2 hour flight landing 15 minutes early.  It was odd losing the 3 hour time delay ... we departed 9 am Toronto time and we landed in Phoenix 10:30 am.

Glad I brought along plenty of shorts ... temperature was 30 degree Celsius

A quick LRT ride (wished we had this in our GTA) took us to downtown Phoenix but on the way, we had an interesting glimpse of the surrounding geography.

Destination: Downtown Sheraton.

Palm trees ... an odd downtown sight for me

The quick arrival at the Downtown Sheraton was offset by a painfully slow check-in.  Eventually, the team was all comfortably placed in their rooms on the 20th and 21st floors.  Cool elevators ... you needed your room keycard to work the elevator to your specific floor.  Embarrassing when you keep pushing your floor button and the elevator goes nowhere.

After settling in, the group proceeded to Ti Amigo for a Mexican lunch/dinner.  Not sure that it was the group's favourite as per food.

The kids were encouraged to sit beside someone they knew and someone they didn't know.  The strategy to promote bonding seem to work ... there were lots of engaging conversation going on and the chaperones had to hurried the kids along out of the restaurant.

While the kids went back for a rest, chaperones headed over to the Convention Centre to get a head start and pick up the students' registration packages and badges.

Nice to see that Cathy thinks highly enough of me to see me as an "Adult in Charge" ... my wife doesn't.

After a late evening outing for some Coldstone ice-cream at the neighbouring Arizona Center (an outdoor downtown mallscape), the group returned back to the Sheraton for Stephan's "Circle".  Each of the chaperones and the students gave a personal introduction of themselves and a brief description of their projects.  Stephan followed up with an inspirational address to remind the students of their responsibility to do their best for themselves and for CANADA.  And oh yes, all were reminded to be responsible (yes, call your Mother tomorrow) and to follow specific ground rules regarding behaviour.  Does that apply to chaperones as well?  Just kidding.

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