Letters From Math Camp: Day 1

Dear Mom and Dad, I am having fun at Math Camp. Today we learned about logical proofs and sets and functions. Most of it was just notation, though. We had donuts for breakfast and chicken caesar salad for lunch. Now I smell like raw onions. I might have a leftover donut for dinner. Don't worry, once I find my cabin and the store, I'll start eating real food. This morning the bus dropped me off at 5:00. It was still dark. I didn't know where I was going (inasmuch as the depot was in a different location than expected), but thank God I found my bearings and hiked three miles downriver to camp with a full pack. Now I have to hike out to my cabin which is across the river. Besides math, we learned about ID cards, the department, and what there is to do in Roch-Vegas (walk to the library... walk back). The other kids are very nerdy, like me. We talk about things like development theory and time-series analysis and post-doc placement. I think they know a lot more than I do, but I speak English and I know how to order food at a restaurant. One Russian guy asked the lady at Subway if she had "any normal food". I apologized for him and we left. I like Math Camp, but I think I'll be ready to come home by the end of the week. After all, one can only prove that integers are closed over multiplication so many times and still enjoy it. And this camp doesn't have any horses or archery or boats. See you on Friday. Love, - Chops