A NEW STAGE

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players"
 William Shakespeare

I love this quote. It's so true. I know it has been long since the last time I wrote here. The end of the academic year is always hard but last year it was even harder. It was my last year at the CEPA Joaquín Sorolla, where I had been the Head Teacher for four years and where I left almost all my energy. Then I was obliged to be a member of the board in the competitive exams for English teachers and then I tried to enjoy my unforgettable  Summer in Ireland with my family and my Irish friends for more than twenty years.

My professional life has changed lately. The destiny has brought me back to the high school where I studied a long time. I am a teacher this time an I take part in the bilingual programme for Secondary education, which sound so exciting. I need aims to give some sense to my life, I need to follow a lighthouse. Teaching Literature and working in this project is an interesting goal that makes me feel alive.

This is a new stage in my life. I am ready for that but the memories of those four years there and in other schools since I started teaching in 1996 will be with me forever giving me strength and wisdom.

Hook lighthouse, Ireland

AUTUMN (Br. English) / FALL (Am. English)

Summer is my favourite season  although many people like Autumn. Well, it is a romantic time, the country looks beautiful, there are mushrooms, pines, acorns and leaves on the ground that crack when you walk on them. The  leaves of the trees get a bunch of warm colours yellow, orange, red and brown.

Many years ago I got a SCHOLARSHIP as a TEACHING ASSISTANT at a University in the US. I had finished my DEGREE in English Philology and I had the unforgettable expirience to work and live in the most beautiful area of the States in FALL: New England. There the colours of the trees range from light yellow to bright red even orange, pink and golden brown. The forests shine as if they were on fire. It is a phenomenon called the INDIAN SUMMER which is probably unique in the world. I worked at Williams College, Massachusetts, a quiet town surrounded by colorful mountains with a smell of wet wood that comes to my senses every Fall season wherever I am.

Here are some photos of that Fall in 1993.

 But there are also beautiful Autumn scenes in Spain, too. Enjoy the season!

San Pedro de Rocas, Galicia, 2003

Soria, 2001

THE SENSES

Activity for Sergio and his friends.
You are working the HUMAN BODY in SCIENCE: We are HUMANS because:
- we have a developed brain
- we can walk upright
- we can do lots of things with our hands
You have studied the : CIRCULATORY SYSTEM, DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, RESPIRATORY SYSTEM and EXCRETORY SYSTEM. You are working with the 5 SENSES now. Here are some activities, pictures and links to help you:

http://englishfromthebeginning.blogspot.com.es/2012/04/senses.html?showComment=1381918937590#c7487649773726545241

http://pbskids.org/sid/sidsays.html

THE COUNTRY: VOCABULARY

Activity for Sergio and his friends at 3º Primaria.
You are working vocabulary related to the CITY & the COUNTRY. You all live in cities and you know the vocabulary quite well but what about the country?
Here are some clues to help you:

Crops calendar

A barn

A fence

A pond


Pond animals

Crops

Fields

We went to the North of England 3 years ago. Country life in Yorkshire is a fantastic experience for a family. We visited Hesketh Farm Park twice. Sergio preferred that to Disneyland Paris!! It was like an amusement park but on a farm with lots of activities to do. Unforgetable. Here is the link if you want to know more about it:

http://www.heskethfarmpark.co.uk/

And please, feed my fish by clicking in the water!!!! Thanks : )

HOLIDAYS

Well well well. We are almost on holidays!!!

I haven't published posts lately, sorry but this is what being a busy woman is like. It's been a hard accademic year but I only want to remember positive things. I've been lucky to meet new students and new workmates, whom I'll miss. We all deserve holidays. Have fun all of you!!!!

Bajamar, Joaquín Sorolla

CULTURAL WEEK CEPA JOAQUÍN SOROLLA

This year our cultural week took place from the 7th to the 9th of May. We had a range of differnt activities conducted by excellent professionals. We had Taichi, yoga and meditation early n the morning. We had an interesting story telling workshop, a creative ilustration for stories workshop, a workshop about the history and techniques of ancient writing, a visit to Museo de América, our second Gantronomy event with lots of interaction and delicious recipes, an amusing sculpture workshop at Estudio de Arte Kroom conducted by the genious of my old friend Yolanda, a concert promoted and performed by our students and the VII edition of the Story Writing Contest, in which the writer INMA CHACÓN delighted us all.
I am vey happy about the result of the cultural week, we learnt unusual things, students interacted, we discovered new talents and new skills and we knew that dreams can come true and that sometimes the dreams of others became ours. A good lesson!

RUGBY: WALES WON THE 6 NATIONS!!!!

The exciting 6 nations rugby championship is over. Wales needed to beat England for 8 points and they won 30-3 in an incredible game. As a homage to Wales, a land which I love, I show you this link with the history of the Welsh anthem: "Land of my fathers" and the rugby players singing it.
Congratulations WALES !!!!

http://www.rugbytime.com/noticia.php?id=28158

And these are some photos of that beautiful land full of poetry...

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN

EMILY DICKINSON would probably be happy if she lived now.
Today, let's have her words in our mind:
"This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me..."
Emily Dickinson, American poet. Massachusetts (1830-1886)

IRELAND: A LOVE STORY

I first went to Ireland in July 1989. I was studying English Philology and I arranged a trip with some friends from University to practice the language. We stayed with families and I was definitely the luckiest of all since I became the guests of THE H, who happened to be THE BEST FAMILY IN IRELAND. They treated me as a member of the family since the beginning and I felt delighted. My friends & I made trips around Dublin area where we discovered places full of  magic.

We returned the following Summer, 1990, and we met Ian, Garreth and Ronan, who treated us as if we were princesses (Didn't they, Elvira) and showed us the night life in Dublin. My friend María joined us in the following expedition in Summer 1991. I was already the Hendersons's adopted daughter and I'll always be. Since then I have visited them as a family member as well as they have visited me and we have shared very important moments in our lives. This was the longest gap in my visits, more than 5 years and I really needed to go and see them. I hace been to Dublin at La Almudena long weekend. It has been one of those experiences one can never forget. I just wanted a "kitchen therepy" and I brought back with me LOTS OF TRUE LOVE. the biggest piece of my heart is there, definitely. Thanks so much. I LOVE YOU ALL.

Powerscourt Gardens, The Hendersons 25 wedding anniversary, Malahide Castle, July 1991

Killiney Hill, County Cork, July 1995



Slieve League Cliffs, Adare, March 2002

Half Penny Bridge (Dublin), Jerpoint Abbey, January 2004

St. Stephen Green, Dublin's Zoo, Ciara's, May 2007

THE END OF " AULAS ABIERTAS"

Unfortunately our rulers don't think that the permanent learning through life is a valuable thing. The CEPA "Joaquín Sorolla" in Madrid has been offering English and Computer Technology classes for many years giving the opportunity to learn to hundreds of students who have been hard working and very motivated people. Teaching them has been a real pleasure. The instructions for next course leave these classes apart. We have done our best to convince the authorities of the importance of these classes but there is no money for education in our country now. We are very very sad about it. Adult education will never be the same.

This is part of the group of "English Level 1". We had great expectations for the next course but we won't probably be a group any more. Anyway we'll keep on trying. We won't give up. I promise.

ELVIRA'S PATCHWORK T-SHIRTS

These are the patchwork T-shirts Elvira has made for Lucy. She is now in Qatar & I send her my regards. : )

Thanks, Elvira, they are absolutely beautiful

MIKE DELFINO: Mr. Right

This is Mike Delfino (James Denton). He is the perfect husband and neighbour in Desperate Wives. Unfortunately the scripters of the series decided to KILL HIM!! It is such a pity. How can they kill the perfect man? He is perfect because he is a fiction man otherwise he wouldn't probably be Mr. Right...

ELVIRA'S CUPCAKES

Elvira's cupcakes

Elvira is one of those people who everybody should have as a friend. She is the opposite of me: patient, relaxed, meticulous. And she is also the most elegant person I have ever met. I mean the elegance that is inside some people and that appears in everything they do. She's lived in Ireland for a long time, where we shared unforgetable experiences. In The British Isles the decoration of every single thing is essential even if the flavour is awful.

Elvira invited me to her home last Sunday and she had made these delicious CUPCAKES decorated with lovely eatable little things bought even in Germany! I was really impressed (and my children devored them). Next step: I'll get the recipe and share with my conversation students.

Everybody should have an Elvira in their lives.  THANKS for being my friend for 20 years.

THE PHILOLOGISTS: 20th ANNIVERSARY

Twenty years ago, just at this time of the year, we picked up the "papeletas" and got our degree. We are still good friends and we celebrated this special anniversary with wine and more... These are my beloved philologists: Elvira, the queen of patchwork, Rudolph & Susi, the late-sleepers, Cris, the politician and cello player, Mari Carmen & Santi, the owners of the most beautiful house in Toledo and in the world, Luis, the god-father and myself, the non-sitting lizard's tail. You were the best subject, the ones who taught me more things. I love you. (Martínez: see you soon at your school, hopefully!)

DUBLIN

These are four photos of my beloved Dublin: A golf course in Wicklow Co., where Ferghil took us, a beautiful flower bed in St Stephen Green,Sergio & I are posing with Molly Malone and Trinity College. This was our last trip there in MAY 2007. To Clare & Ciara.