In math class in college the professor factored out 2t early on from the expression and carried it through the entire problem. Each time he mentioned 2t it reminded me of a parrot. I thought to myself how confusing it would have been if in one of my math classes in Iran the teacher had a word problem that not only involved parrots but required an early common factor of 2t to solve the problem. It probably would have driven the teacher mad while prompting unnecessary questions from each of the students just to get the teacher to repeatedly say 2t.
"My parents, brother, and I left Iran in 1980, shortly after the revolution. After a brief stay in Italy, we packed all our belongings once again and headed west to the exotic and the unknown: Vancouver. We had recently been accepted as landed immigrants, meaning Canada graciously opened its doors and we gratefully accepted; we arrived at Vancouver International Airport on my 10th birthday, three suitcases and one sewing machine in tow. After respectful but intense questioning at immigration, we were dropped off at a hotel on Robson Street, which was then still a couple years shy of becoming the fashionable tourist hub it is today. We were jetlagged, culture shocked, and hungry, so that first night, my father and brother courageously ventured out into the wild in search of provisions. I fell asleep before they returned. The next morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. and ravenously feasted on a cold Quarter Pounder with cheese and limp French fries that had been left by my beds...

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