BfB

BfB!!
Back from break! We've just landed in El Prat Airport from Fiumicino in Rome. What a wonderful experience!! (Not the flight). I had never been to Rome before, and I must confess that it has snared me with its combination of light, water and decadence.. The children had a lot of fun together ...and so had we! Good atmosphere, lots of pizza and pasta (the cheapest way to eat there) This city breathes out history. Have a look at the pictures if you like. They are just a pick. Thanks to my fellow travellers (Berenguer, Mora and Ortiz families) for the wonderful time we have shared!

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The Pope and his fellow comrades

After these glorious words in his speech in Regensburg , the Pope has aroused the wildest and most vicious protests in the world of islam. The faces of the people filled with rage protesting all over the world leave me a deep feeling of fear. They could do anything to quench this rage, and that gives me the creeps... but they could do no more than what christian fanatics used to do in past as well, and that's where the Pope's mistake comes from, apart from his lack of respect towards other religious sensitivities. He shouldn't forget that christianity also used the sword and other weapons to disseminate God's word. That doesn't keep me away from the feeling of repulse towards such signs of fanatism shown by people who still think in such a primitive way... I repeat, and quote my words: "primitive way". The world of the Crusades and Saladdin is long gone, but, even though I have shown my criticism against such mediaeval or even prehistoric behaviour, I can't help to express my rejection for the words of a man such as Benedict XVI, who has had the opportunity to be raised in western schools, not in Koranic schools, and can be theoretically considered an educated person with an open view of the world. He should know what can be said and what cannot. Those protesters in Islamabad or Kandahar didn't probably have the chance to see the world in any other way than the one of the Koran.

Pictures from BBC news

Good links

Here are two good links for my colleagues: The BBC site for education offers us a couple of extremely interesting interactive activities on the web: one related to Shakespeare and a mysterious story and another related to the world of detectives. Fun and learning in ELT together, believe me. Be sure to check up these two sites!

Back again... and some news

After a long while... I'm back. I'll try to fill you with my thoughts and feelings again, and also with some tips and links for my fellow teachers.
These up here are my daughters... my two eldest ones, considering the next one will be another GIRL!!! Coming in february, and all of us eager to see her among us (well, in fact, she's already "among" my wife Anna).

Voice and guitar...

Back to our dreamworld after some reality bits... here's a video of Katie Melua, that girl I said that sang like angels. Just voice and guitar... enough to make you shiver.
Enjoy it!

I can't avoid it!

In spite all the bliss and happiness of our holidays, there are things that make my guts flip over. I mentioned something like this before, probably about Irak. But it comes over again. The war in Lebanon does not make out between soldiers and civilians, and innocent children are right in the eye of the hurricane.

How can a single father (I'm sure some of those who shot the rockets have their own children) think this cannot stop? Victims in Qana or in the other towns in Lebanon are dying like insects because Israel claims its right to defend from the threat of Hezbolla. That does NOT justify its cruel actions. We parents should stand and shout against these murders, but how can we?

So far, only tears of rage show our disapproval. I humbly think the state of Israel is digging its own grave; a grave in the land they had a right to claim.

Photographs taken from 11alive, truthdig and decaturdaily

Stage1: Segovia

Back from stage 1!!
Lots of children. Good temperature (thin coat at night, sleeping under your sheets). Lots of places to see: castles, palaces, gardens... and very nice people we've met. Best regards to M. Carmen, Carlos, Alberto, Jesús, Carmen, Bárbara, Joan Carles, Loli, Lara, Hugo, Javier, Luisa, Celia, Jorge and Javier Jr. We've had a very good time up there. It's been good to relax and to drowse through the afternoon, and read a good book (hard as it is during the year). Now it's a week's work at the office and then off to La Cerdanya. Anna seems to feel better about her pregnancy. Our third offspring seems to start behaving properly.
Here's a bubbleshare for you if you want to have a look. The swimming pool shower was freezing!


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Bye for now!

Steep climb, indeed!

We did it!
A nice bunch of people (a big hug for Albert, Amàlia, Antonio, Glòria, Jorge & Lluís) got together last weekend to climb the Canigó, one of the sacred mountains of the catalans. The first stages were really pleasant, flowing streams and meadows, birds singing, and Antonio making fun. As we got to the "Tartera" (scree in English)... oh, that was tough!! Stepping on rocks and sliding pebbles makes the climb really exhausting. There was Glòria going up the slope like a goat (very good, Glòria). Right at the end of the tartera we sat for a snack to gain some strength, and there was the final climb. A steep path of rock where you had to hold on big boulders and rocks with both hands in order to get some control and go up to the top.
When I finally got to the sumit, Antonio, Glòria, Jorge and Lluís were already there... with another pack of 15 more people barbecueing some sausages together with their 6-7-year old children!! That was depressing: The children were wearing rubber sandals,and I was there with my boots and half fainted! It turned out that they had climbed from the other side, on a much gentler slope.
After Amàlia and Albert got to the top (that was a very brave climb... congratulations, Amàlia), we had something to eat and took some pictures (aren't we cute?).

Bork

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We began the descent, much harder than we expected. The view of the empty fall in front of you made you think carefully where to put your hands and feet, but it was fun, believe me.
We got to the starting point completely exhausted, but very happy after having achieved our goal.
The stakes were high, the aim was tough, but the company paid for everything. It has been a real pleasure to meet such nice people as Albert, Glòria and Lluís (the others were old acquaintances). I want to thank Jorge for putting us together on this wonderful excursion.
Today is monday... my legs are a bit stiff, but my memories are splendid!
It's worth having a look at the pics, they are nice!

Briefing...

Hi there... sorry about the delay. We've been pretty hectic at home... but results have been very fruitful. Anna (wife) has passed her competition to become a state teacher for vocational education. That is good news, isn't it? But wait, still more coming up... she's pregnant!!!! Third one coming! The family will be enlarged with another crawling creature ready to suck our stamina. That makes me RRRReally happy, believe me. I'll keep you up to date with that.
Maybe these oncoming days I'm going to spend sometime trying to refurbish the blogsite (colours, links...) I'll come back with more posts ASAP.
Take care all of you, will you?

Referendum on Sunday

The weather forecasts are very promising: Gloomy skies slightly overcast with chances of rain... that means no beach = high participation in the referendum. The estimations say the Yes is going to win. Spain-biased conservatives and Independentists are for the No. Too much for the former, too little for the latter. None of them will ever be happy with any negotiated outcome, I guess.
So, let us see what will come out. What I always like to hear is the comments of the politicians after the results are given... All of them win!!

Local heroes

We always tend to see our heroes as strong, famous people... remarkable actors or actresses, singers, sportspeople, or even politicians!( I don't believe people see us teachers as heroes, do they?).
Real heroes live around the corner... in our neighbourhood, in our school, or next to our office table.
This is my first local hero in the series: Àlex, my neighbour. he plays football, and at the end of the season he's been appointed best colleague in the team. Congratulations, Àlex! Fairplay is as important as championships.

So... there I was

Yesterday, it was the time for Emmylou's concert in Barcelona. She was together with an english guy... I think his name was Knopfler, or something like that. He was fantastic as well, but that's not the point here. She played and sang like an angel, and at 59, she moves like she did years ago.
I was there together with my lifetime friend Jorge (the guy with the specs in the pictures), he was the one who introduced me to Emmylou's music. Thanks, Jorge!
Her music and her songs sound like heaven, and I felt like heaven! by the end of the concert, she sang "From Boulder to Bimingham", that made me feel younger, about twenty years, more or less.
I don't know if I will ever see her again, but yesterday's concert will be permanently fresh in my memory... a part of the soundtrack of my life.
I've pasted a BubbleShare presentation in large size, I hope the guys at blogger won't go mad at it, but she deserves it!!
I love you girl!!

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TAFL

This stands for Teaching of Andaluz as a Foreign Language. Watch this "Folou mí" course and you'll be able to speak andalú in a few days. I advise you all language teachers to watch carefully and take notes. It's a bit long, but it pays, indeed.

By the way...

By the way, Current TV seems to be a different way to make television. Interesting documentaries and interviews about everyday life and hot issues, from the watchers' point of view (for a change).

Immigrants!!

After all the hassle produced by the immigration issue, both in Europe and in the States, I think it is worth having a look at this video from Current TV. They gives a comic approach of the problem, and make us see that we are all immigrants some time!

Here's the second!

2 hours of nerve-wrecking wait. No voice at all in the end. Eyes wide open, mouth gaping, sweat. We finally got to the end of the match one goal ahead, which was scored just 10 minutes before the end. The game was tight and difficult. Arsenal scored in the first half after having their goallie sent out. That left a 10 aginst 11 match which wasn't easy at all. When many of us thought that the cup would be lost, Eto'o and Belleti moved the balance for Barça in just 4 minutes. Unbelievable!!
Second European Champions Cup, and the feeling that the team has a promising future ahead. How far will they get?

Just feelings

No pictures, no links... just feelings. Tonight Barça are playing their Champions League Final in Paris against Arsenal. I'll be watching it at a friend's together with a bunch of people and Clara, my eldest daughter (she does like football, indeed!). If they win, the blog will have a colourful post tomorrow. If they lose, never mind, there much more important things in life than a simple football match... but this isn't a simple one, by no means! Funny how we tend to be mesmerized by such vacuous things.

Goosepimples

Yesterday I happened to listen to a song... goosepimples!! It was a cry of sensitivity, of tenderness and lyricism. Katie Melua, a young singer of georgian roots sings a beautiful song called "I Cried for You"... amazing how I was moved by her voice! I think I will definitely have a look at her other songs... and so should you; but first visit her website and watch the video of this song. My colleagues might even find the video interesting as an activity in the classroom. Her voice is crystal clear, the tempo is good, ans the movie can be very helpful to practise parts of the human face. Don't miss it!

President of my country... tough job, indeed!

Pasqual Maragall, my president, must be really having a bad time. His colleagues at power fom ERC (independentists), say they will foster their voters' "NO" at the referendum for our new "Estatut" (something like an autonoumous set of laws and rules to govern Catalonia). They claim the Estatut is short of power for Catalonia and still depends too much on Madrid. That leaves Maragall in a very uncomfortable position. Part of his ministers (those from ERC) will probably say NO in the referendum whereas he and his sidekicks (PSC, the socialists and IC, the ecosocialists) will ask for the voters' support with a YES. The spanish nationalist conservatives (PP) also stand for a NO, but for the opposite reasons of ERC. PP claims that too much autonomy will finally break Spain into pieces, trying to cause fear in the more moderate voters. This tug of war will probably benefit Convergència i Unió, the catalan conservative nationalist party who was in the government for 23 years. Wrapped in a patriotic flag, they ruled the country with a full right-wing bias. This present catalan government, made up of the three left-wing catalan parties, raised many people's hopes for a more equalitarian country. This conflict may cause the government's downfall and subsequently new elections will be held. That would mena that many projects would be held at a standstill or, depending on the next government, probably put off.

May the 17th.... mmmmm!

Barça made it! They defeated Milan in the two-match semifinal with a total score of 1-0. Poor as it may look. Not many teams can really boast to have beaten the italians.
And now the final! Arsenal are waiting for us in Paris... Henry, Fàbregas, Reyes... It's going to be a beatiful tug of war, I'm sure. I won't be there, but I'll be on my sofa watching it. Next champs... us... I'm sure.