My Generous Colombian Colleague

On August 10, 1912 Norman Levinson, MIT professor, recipient of many honors in his profession was born in Boston.

In February, 1983 I interviewed with Larry Siegel , American Director of Colegio Nueva Granada, the American International School of Bogotá, Colombia. Larry came to Boston and a few other cities for the interview. We talked about how I would teach 7th grade mathematics. I didn’t fully realize at the time that this interview would lead to events that changed my life.
In May, I received the job offer. In August I went there. I had to miss my cousin’s wedding because all the new teachers were required to participate in the pre-school Orientation where we learned about Colombian culture, looked for a place to live and set up bank accounts. Martha, one of the Colombian teachers volunteered to take us around and translate whatever we needed. She taught me “deverda?” (really?) and I taught her "stone". We each had difficulty remembering that particular word in the other's language. My reciting deverda to her and her chiming stone to me became a joke between us. I asked my friend, Georgia, who had been there for a year, “What would be an appropriate gift for our group to buy Martha?" Georgia replied, “Invite Martha out to dinner. She will like your group spending your time with her more than a present." This emphasis on time together surprised me and became just one of the many lessons I learned during my 3 year stay.