Introducing... Raindawn

Researcher 1[(9*6) - (9/3) - 9] = 42

My name in the "real world" is Dawn, and I am a bilingual teacher at an elementary school in Wisconsin. The name "Raindawn" was bestowed upon me back in highschool when some of my friends compared my ability to remember, almost effortlessly, large quantities of useless trivia to the abilities of Dustin Hoffman's character in Rainman. Although the nickname is seldom used in real life anymore--yeah, people definitely don't call me that in real life anymoresmiley - winkeye--it has become my online identity in recent years.

Learning about other cultures and learning to communicate in new languages fascinate mesmiley - earth, and in addition to my native English, I speak fluent Spanish, and I'm working on improving my broken Norwegian with the help of my norske favorittgutten, NAITA.

Things to help you when you get lost

I have earned a BS in Elementary Education and a BS in Spanish Language and Literature with a minor in English as a Second Language. I also have graduate level certification in bilingual education. These college studies took me to Spain (twice), Morocco, France, and Mexico. Recently I returned to Europe to attend a wedding in Spain, visit NAITA in Norway, and travel to Belgium, Ireland, and England. Among the highlights of my excoursions are:

  • Hitchhiking for a grand total of 45 miles through rural Mexico, first atop several large burlap sacs in the back of a corn truck and later stuffed in the back of a Chrysler NewYorker with 3 other travellers smiley - ok

  • Being chased through the dung-scented streets of Tangier by an overzealous street merchant smiley - run

  • Being cursed by an angry gypsy in the park, and subsequently getting lost for 45 minutes in a torrential electrical storm (Coincidence??? We don't think so!) smiley - skull

  • Eating a bizarre array of exotic dairy products, including cuajada (yogurt made from sheeps milk), Mexican goat cheese pizza, coconut icecream, a cup of heavy cream sold to me as "milk," manchego (cheese made from sheep's milk) sandwiches, "brown" cheese, and warm, gray non-refrigerated milk sold in a box smiley - milk

  • Climbing to the top of lots of insanely tall structures and landforms, including El Templo de la Sagrada Familia, The Temple of the Magician, El Templo de Kukulcán, Monte Umbral, the hill leading to Parc Güell, and the ski jump at Oslo's Holmenkollen. smiley - puff

  • Screaming a loud, shrill, girly scream upon first sighting a genuine fullsize Yucatán cockroach! smiley - yikes

  • Staying in a genuine one-star hostel outside of London. Mildew, stains on the carpet, peeling paint on the ceiling, and bathrooms that smelled like something curled up and died in them... but still, you just couldn't beat the friendly service!

  • Accidentally swimming 1/4 mile in the Mediterranean Sea due to a very heavy current, and actually making use of a concept I learned in highschool geometry to get back to shore. smiley - geek

    • Hopefully, my list of travels will grow in the future! What can I say? I just love an adventure! (Either that or I'm glutton for punishment!)

    My other interests include music of almost all types (I play the trumpet), British comedy, reading Sci-Fi/Fantasy, travelogues, biographies, and other good books, writing stories, biking, and birdwatching. smiley - chick

    My Contributions to H2G2

  • I am the Keeper of Bookshelves that Defy the Laws of Physics.

  • I am a member of ViTAL. Check it out:
    If this notice annoys you,
    ,
    come join the
    Viewer-Tag Annoyance League

  • Here are My Conversations
    • .

  • My two Edited Collaborative Entries are
    Cake Recipes and One-Hit Wonders.


  • On my own, I also wrote Spanish Gypsies,
    The Belgian Kermiss Festival in America and Making a T-shirt Quilt for the Edited Guide.


  • Hopefully, I'll be inspired to put something new into Peer Review soon. smiley - smiley

    • My Hootoo Code 1.1

    ----BEGIN H2G2 CODE BLOCK----
    Version: 1.1
    RA Y-- N+ SG+ A+ P L++ M(-) s+ V E+ PR p(-) a(+) B++ TV- r D T(-) nh+ C+ m t
    ----END H2G2 CODE BLOCK----

    Cheers! smiley - ok

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    Raindawn - Keeper of Bookshelves that Defy the Laws of Physics

    Researcher U196939

    Work Edited by h2g2

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