September 09

September 22nd

Well, this is kind of a special entry. You see, while awaiting the signing of the group's certificate, which officially brings the academic year to an end, from this midday on, right after the exam revision, you are not my students any longer, so you have - at long last - got rid of me. That is, unless you didn't sit or pass the September exam and have decided to enrol in my class again this next year, which I know some of you have done - because you're not masochistic enough! No seriously, I'll be delighted to see you around once again. But those of you who made the grade or for whatever reason quit studies at the school, can now breathe a sigh of relief. No annoying mail to open, no lengthy articles to read or that damn blog to flick through, you might be thinking.

You know, not many of you came to see your exam this morning, barely a few actually, but still it was mixed blessings, so to speak. It was great to see Carmen, her baby and her husband - who apparently will be in my class next year - because she eventually passed the Reading Comp task that had left unfinished in June and can now devote 100% to the baby (gorgeous!) without worrying about English lessons. But then some of you - I won't say the names - came to revise the exam and tell me that you will give it another try this next year, and a couple of you guys said goodbye, or rather so long. I couldn't help feeling sad because it was kind of an unhappy ending for you two. I just hope that I didn't cause you too much trouble (if so, forgive me) and the fact that you didn't get a thumbs up won't hinder your interest in the language. I would like to believe that, however much or little you improved your skills this last year, at least my natural enthusiasm has instilled in you a desire to keep learning this universal language which I love called English. And of course this should also be true for those of you who, fortunately, got the precious pass. Remember my words: LANGUAGE LEARNING IS FOR LIFE.

I just want to end up saying that it's been a pleasure to have met you and got to know you a little better in and out of the classroom. We have shared some lovely moments together, haven't we, and I really appreciate your patience and effort. To those of you who won't be around this year, good luck and farewell, hasta siempre! I'll think of you whenever I glance at my watch, dear pets. Needless to say, it will be great to hear from you if you dare write an email now and then and surely you can still read this blog if you feel like it. And indeed you are welcome to contact me if I can be of any help.
Last but not least, to the faitfhful few, well, see you next week (lessons begin on Thursday 1st). Hopefully you won't get tired of me very quickly ...

HERE'S TO HEALTH AND THE BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL!

September 20th

Hello everyone! Well, what can I say? At long last, after six unsuccessful attempts, justice has been done to our sport. Seventh time lucky: SPAIN ARE EUROPE'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS!
Mind-blowing play, total, almost insulting supremacy by a great, commited bunch of talented players. You cannot imagine to what extent I've enjoyed (and so have my wife and kids) every single minute of the final, because there are people who watch the sport, but there are others like me who FEEL the sport. After a faltering start (I admit I sort of blew their chances to win the tournament) Spain have little by little reached an awesome level and played like a real TEAM, both offensively and, above all, deffensively. Just because the road has been tortuous, this gold medal tastes even sweeter, so my sincere congrats to Gasol (a true MVP as a player and as a person), Rudy, Navarro and Co., to all the basketball family and the sport's fans across Spain. Hooray Spain!

September 11th

Hello guys! How are you enjoying the Salamanca festivals? I'm sure you're having good fun, aren't you?
Well, I can't agree more with Ana that our visit to Las Casetas was absolutely wOnderful. We had the chance to meet, yet briefly, little Roberto and then go for a few tapas all around the casetas area. The atmosphere is very animated, mind you, it can become a bit packed at times, and I love having a small beer and a pintxo in good company. Sadly, there weren't many of you, and Fatima and Elena left early. But on the plus side we met this two former students of Ana at Don Quijote, Loren and Anthony, both from England. Such lovely people, but regrettably they speak very good Spanish so you didn't seize the opportunity to practice English with them. Well, I hear Almu is exchanging conversation with Loren at the moment, and apparently Marta will do the same shortly. Way to go, girls!
After a few drinks and bites we ended our night having a nice cup of coffee and a chat near San Marcos Church. By the way, some of you were talking about next year and how you don't mind putting up with me one more time, which is kind of flattering. I reckon you're a bit masochistic, are you? Ha ha, only joking, I'll be delighted to be with you guys, if that's what you wish. I told you I had to confirm the dates of enrolment for 2 Avanzado so take this down: you need to collect the sobre de matricula on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th (preferably the first day as early in the morning as you can if you want to secure a spot in my class).
Ok. Eight years on, today we commemorate the events of 9/11 in NY. Such a tragic landmark in modern history. So many innocent lives lost, I can still remember the shocking images of planes crashing against the Twin Towers. I could hardly believe my eyes, it all looked like a horror movie ... And 8 years later you can now and then hear theories of a possible conspiracy by the US government, in the sense that they didn't do enough to prevent the massacre. Outrageous, don't you think?
Anyway, I'd like to pay a modest personal tribute on our blog by inserting a couple of songs. The first one is performed by my son's favourite band, Dream Theater, who hail from NY themselves. It's called Sacrificed Sons and it was written in memory of those who died on such a fateful day. As you will hear it begins with some sound bites of the tragedy. A moving song indeed.



The second tune is by a better-known act, Irish supergroup U2, and you can still hear it on radio stations and TV channels when journalists reminisce about the tragedy. It was originally written to support a Burmese activist whose name I can never remember (I haven't got the time look it up right now!) who, about 20 years ago, was sentenced to house arrest for protesting her government. I'm sure some of you have heard the case. Whatever, it's a great song which deals with injustice and encourages her to WALK ON (the song's title) so it serves my purpose right. I do love the part where Bono sings:

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
and if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
and if your glass heart should crack
and for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
Walk on, walk on

OK folks, I have to close now. Have a good day and keep blogging, won't you?

September 6th

Hi there! I have been a bit slack about my blog of late, but I guess my inspiration wasn't that good. Mind you, neither was yours apparently, I don't remember when or who wrote the last comment, apart from Almu's great PP presentation, that is.
You see, it's been quite a long while since I last inserted some music onto the blog. And I think I came across a little something while listening to BBC Radio 2 this morning, as I usually do nearly every day. They were playing bits and pieces, from the stale and tacky kings-of-the-falsetto Bee Gees to the freshly split Oasis when I heard the familiar tune which triggered lots of memories. One of the bands I was absolutely hooked on in my late teens. I adored their powerful music, their often meaningful lyrics, even their nutty videoclips. And when I heard the first chords of The Police's Walking on the Moon, one of my favourite songs ever by the great threesome, I thought right away: Wow, I'd love to insert that song. Moreover, let me tell you that my brand new Mac needed some fitting speakers, so last week I had bought a sleek 2.1 system, and boy, did the song's rhythmic section sound brilliant in it! Listen, if you're thinking of changing that old pair of tiny dull loudspeakers, I can recommend going to MediaMarkt (where else!) and buying the Altec Lansing (a prestigious brand name) NV2421. There's nothing like them for barely 40 euros: Two efficient tweeter satellites and a powerful subwoofer. You can trust my word!
Anyway, coincidentially we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of man's first walk on the moon, so the song kind of comes handy, doesn't it? Truth be told, the lyrics are not particularly relevant, actually I tend to think they're rather humorous and have nothing to do with space travel. But it's the music that I love, with that splendid piece of drumming by Stewart, the piercing bass by Sting and Andy's ever so professional guitar playing. So down below you can find the goear.com player and the 1979 videoclip courtesy of DailyMotion this time (gosh, 30 years on and it seems like yesterday!), which was recorded in Houston's NASA space centre, mixing images of the young trio and some original footage of the '69 American mission. Hope you like both!

The Police - Walking On The Moon

Now, talking about other things, how's September going? Has it been hard to get back to normal, so to speak? Personally, life at school has been pretty good to me, as I haven't had to work that hard just yet. Only a few Basico exams and a bit of red tape at secretaria. What about you? I'm specially concerned about those who have to do the September exams, I wonder how much you've been practicing English all through the summer ...
Hey guys, I'm really looking forward to meeting as many of you on Wednesday, but it doesn't seem an easy task, hopefully Carmen won't be too busy, so keep your fingers crossed!
Well, I must close now, as it's dinner time. Why don't you send some more feedback on this blog - and soon? Cheerio!

August 09

August 29th

Dear all, this is probably going to be my last entry on this “summer blog” before going back to school. I modestly hope that my "stories" have been somewhat entertaining and given you a bit of reading practice. I really appreciate that some of you have even dared to write in some stuff.

Anyway, let’s move on to part three of my Portuguese travelogue, shall we?

Sunday was misty first thing in the morning, so the kids were fuming to see the grey sky and thinking they wouldn’t have the chance to go for a swim in the cold Atlantic sea. So after breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and, in order to kill time to wait for the sun to come out, went into the town centre and took some decent photos of the castle in the daylight because on Friday we forgot to bring the camera when we went for dinner.

To be honest, the backdrop of the grey foggy sky made the fortress look even more majestic, more medieval. We didn’t visit the inside as we wanted to make the most of the day in Espinho, where we intended to spend our final day so we set off after barely 25 minutes on the spot.

Marco, the talkative waiter at the hotel bar, a native from Espinho himself, had told me that in its heyday, 20 years ago, the seaside resort had been a must-see destination but had gradually lost its splendor. I could hardly believe him as I thought Espinho was appealing enough even today. Anyway, we drove past some bumpy cobbled-paved country roads to take the shortest cut. I couldn't help feeling that it was like traveling back in time until we eventually arrived at the beach resort. As you can see in the photo it was packed like a tin of sardines, which I kind of dislike, but at least we were able to have a swim as, oddly enough, there was a yellow flag atop the mast on one of the two beaches, which are separated by a stone pier, whereas on the other one fluttered the omnipresent red rag.

Truth be told, the water wasn't as clean as it should be along this stretch of the Portuguese coast, but sometimes you just dare do things for the sake of fun, and that's what we did. After all, thousands of people doing the same couldn't be wrong, or could they? And the kids were having fun playing beach tennis, splashing around, while my wife and I lay on the sand for some suntan.

We had a quick sandwich at a snack bar off the promenade so as to make the most of our final day, since we didn't want to leave too late; my wife was working the very next morning and you never know how long the journey back can be. But it was such a fine afternoon and evening (the water even got a little warmer for a pleasant bath) that we changed our minds and decided to stay until about 7. People in Portugal have their meals far earlier than we do, so the beach became a little quieter by six, which was a bonus.

At last it was time to say goodbye to Espinho and our short getaway. We just had time for a quick meal in a Pizza Hut restaurant. David and Laura are pizza fanatics, and we don't mind a bite of the classic Italian stuff now and then. And I'd rather have pizza and a salad than a tasteless plastic burger. A final coffee before getting at the wheel and back to Spain. The return journey was uneventful, luckily, and we arrived home at midnight, a bit tired but happy for what had been a change of scene for a short while. All in all, Portugal is a lovely place when you want to find the closest sea. The people are warm and hospitable, the gastronomy is varied and affordable, so who could ask for more even if the beaches are not the best in Iberia? By the way, have you heard that, according to a survey conducted by the University of Salamanca, 40% of the Portuguese wouldn't mind uniting with Spain within a single state whereas we couldn't care less about the issue. Interesting, don't you think?

Well, I guess this the end of my account. Hopefully some of you, like Ana, will try to write a few lines about your summer, won't you? Thank you guys for reading all this. Was it that boring? I didn't mean to be. As they say in Portugal, até mais, that is, so long, hasta pronto!

August 25st

Welcome back to my Portuguese travelogue, part II. Hopefully nothing will interrupt my task for a while ...
Right now I'm listening to Mozart's Piano Concerto #21 on Spotify, which you've probably have heard of. Such soothing music!
Well, I ended up my last entry talking about food (remember the francesinha?). Today I'm going to tell you about a couple of beaches we went to on Saturday, Furadouro and Esmoriz, which a colleague of my wife had recommended to visit as a sound alternative to the better known Espinho. As you can see in the photo the sea was pretty rough, with 2-3 metre high waves, since the wind was blowing high and strong. As usual, the Portuguese were taking shelter from the elements behind one of those funny handy barricades, so to speak, they put up in the sand while we had to make do with a mere sunshade and my kids' fragile toy tent. So we spent a good deal of the morning and early afternoon going for long walks along the endless beach and taking lots of pictures. The minute you tried to set foot in the water there was the warning sound of a whistle from the conscientious lifeguard (the so called nadador salvador, funny name, ain't it?).
For lunch we went to this cosy restaurant off the promenade where we sampled the lovely local cod and squid and we drank some refreshing branco wine to go with (not the kids, obviously).
In the late afternoon, after an invigorating coffee, we drove a bit further up north to Esmoriz to try our luck, but again unsuccessfully. More gusty wind, more high waves, more red flag. A nice beach indeed, with a younger, kind of posher feel to it, but my kids were by then getting frustrated and angry, so after a bit of walking and the visit you never miss to the beach stall for a soft drink and some ice-cream, we decided to drive back to S. Maria to make do with some indoor swimming (by the way, filled with salt water, not a bad idea) and a lovely spa session.
Totally relaxed, we got ready for dinner. This time we stayed locally and went to a nearby restaurant, by the same name as the hotel, Pedra Bela (featured in the Michelin Guide), which we hadn't seen the previous night. The classic Marisqueira, serving all kinds of Portuguese delicacies and a fairly wide selection of seafood, fish and meat. My wife and me went for the former while the boys, grudgingly, ate some fish, as almost invariably meat is their first choice. But the grilled hake they eventually had was excellent. The price was inexpensive (barely 75 euros) so if you ever drive by, do not fail to pay a visit.
Furthermore the waiters were really charming, despite the fact the place was virtually packed with customers, and all in all it was a lovely evening meal.
To put an end to the long day we returned to the hotel bar for a quick drink and a game of pool. Before sleeping I turned on the TV and found an English film starring Jonathan Rhys, Meyers (I forgot the name, oops!), pretty uninteresting but, as it always happens in our neighbouring country, in original version with Portuguese subtitles. When the heck are we going to learn?
OK, enough travel account for now, I wouldn't like to bore you unnecessarily with my dull trip. But do not fail to read Ana's comment at the end of this entry, where she tells us all , yet briefly, about her weekend away in Santander. Dear Ana, what would this blog be without you?
Keep cliking guys for the third and final part of my Portuguese experience. Cheerio!

August 25st

Hi there! How's life for you guys?

Well, yesterday I had some problems with my Internet link-up, but here I go again for some blogging.

As you know, I spent the weekend in Portugal. All in all, it was a nice couple of days: a comfortable hotel in Santa Mª da Feira (we couldn't find accommodation in Espinho, so much for the economic crisis!), great food, lovely weather (not too hot), and a bit of practice with my smattering of Portuguese (basically, saying "obrigado" like a hundred times, ha ha! Luckily waiters and receptionists get by in English and Spanish), but there's a couple of things that make me mad: the constant wind on the coast - on Saturday, whichever beach we visited, there was a red flag fluttering on the mast as the Atlantic wind brought high waves - and the tiny cups of tasty strong coffee (the so-called bica) you are

served in bars and restaurants. I mean, you can barely see the content of the black stuff, so you take a small sip and the precious liquid is gone in a matter of seconds.

But except for these two small drawbacks, I've always felt at home in the neighbouring country. I admit some country roads are rather bumpy, to say the least, and drivers are a bit daring at times - did anyone explain to them the meaning of the STOP sign?! - but, having said that, people are warm and hospitable and I love the sound of Portuguese even if you can't understand that much when they speak quickly, which they sometimes do.

We arrived in Santa Maria on Friday at about 6:oo local time after an eventful journey as we witnessed a nasty accident on the way to Viseu. A Spanish driver who had just overtaken us a couple of minutes earlier fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the motorway's central wall. Fortunately only his girlfriend suffered minor injuries, as she complained of having a pain in her back and neck while he was simply stunned and trying to come to terms with what had happened. A Portuguese man driving right behind them and myself stopped to assist them - it was the first time I had to use my reflective triangles - and twenty minutes later the local police and fire-fighters arrived at the scene. The car was a write-off but after all they were lucky to escape unscathed, the accident could have been much worse.

Well, enough of that. As I was saying we arrived at our hotel and decided, right after unpacking our suitcase, to go straight into the spa service the establishment offered: a cosy heated swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a sauna, a Turkish bath, you name it. So relaxing! The kids even tried a work-out the small gym while my wife and I decided to go for a refreshing SuperBock, the lovely local beer.

Afterwards we ventured into Santa Maria's town centre. Nothing much to see or do, except the impressive-looking 11th-century castle and the unimpressive main church, whose name I can't remember (Sao Francisco, I think). It was like 8:30 and there was barely a soul around so we went for a bite. The receptionist had told me there were not good restaurants in town but suggested going to a local pastelaria to try the so-called francesinha, which I had never heard of before, a kind of sandwich typical of northern Portugal, especially Porto and the neighbouring areas. Apparently it is a 1960s invention by a returned immigrant from France (hence the name) consisting of white bread, ham, pork sausage and roast meat, all covered with molten cheese and a hot thick tomato-and-beer sauce. Only my wife and I were bold enough to eat it while the kids went for a more conservative meal on a plate, a little put off by the spicy sauce. It was kind of tasty and it fills the gap indeed but I don't recommend it particularly ...

(... many hours later)

Don't be alarmed. If you haven't been able to see the August section of the blog it's simply because I had to hurriedly save the draft and log off. You know, this has been - yet again - another hectic day for me. I was writing my latest entry when the phone rang and, to cut the story short, I had to leave home to aid my wife's aunt, who had slipped in the kitchen and had a nasty ankle fracture so she could barely move. You see, she lives all by herself in Garrido and her son is in Madrid so her only family at the moment was us. So you can imagine the rest, I had to phone 112, drove to her house and then accompanied her to hospital where she was operated this afternoon. Then I had to take my daughter to San Muñoz, where she's going to stay for a few days with a friend's daughter, and drive into town back to hospital.

Anyway, I'm boring you unnecessarily. But I won't be long, as you can understand that I'm not fresh enough, so to speak, to continue blogging tonight. So I'll quit my Portuguese travelogue momentarily, but I'll resume it tomorrow. Sweet dreams everyone.

August 21st

Happy Friday everyone!
Ok, Ana is going to Noja (read comment down below), a lovely destination on the northern coast of Spain (I spent a couple of summers there as a teenager), as for myself I'm heading west into Portugal, just for the weekend, to the small but delightful seaside resort of Espinho (see photo), with my wife and kids. That's the closest to a beach holiday we're going to be this summer, as she'll be working until mid-September, but I know I shouldn't complain (actually I'm not!). This will be the third time we're going to Espinho, as my kids seem to love the sandy windy beach, and so do I, to be honest especially for the mouth-watering seafood and cod (yummy!) you can eat there. Furthermore, it's got a pretty animated casino, (mind you, I'm not going to spend a single euro there, never been fond of gambling myself) and a lovely promenade, packed with bars and restaurants, where you can go for a nice stroll. It should be good fun!
Anyway, what are you guys up to at the end of the summer hols? Are you visiting any place over the weekend? It would be fantastic to hear of your travel experiences on this blog, wouldn't it? I promise I'll write a little something when I return, and I hope so will Ana (fingers crossed for her computer!) on the weekend in Noja.
Ok, I'll say bye for now, since we're leaving early in the afternoon as soon as my wife finishes work (it's a three and a half-hour drive) and I have to cook a quick lunch and get ready.
Whatever you're doing I wish you all a blissful weekend. Keep clicking!

August 19th

Morning! Well, it seems we're in for another sweltering day, and I just can't stand the heat, can you? Orange alert in many places all across Spain, they say in the news bulletins ...
Anyway, time goes by inexorably and it's only a couple of weeks before the end of the summer hols. Unfortunately I won't be able to have a proper beach holiday as my wife is working all summer long, so we'll have to make do with a weekend away, probably somewhere in Portugal, which is the destination closest to the sea.
Marina, can I comment on what you wrote in your latest entry? I really thank you for your contribution on our blog, but why don't you extend you review on either "The curious case ..." or "Public enemies" a little longer? I mean, I don't expect you to write on as much as I do (too much at times, probably), but how can you persuade your mates to go and see the film (or not) by simply saying that your father believes "it's amusing but not believable" or that your mother delights IN - or TAKES DELIGHT IN - Johnny's good looks. I mean, what about your own stuff, a little something about the plot, the cast, the directing, anything. C'mon guys, use English effectively to express your opinions, e.g. to write a small film or book review, and this is, of course, something I beg not only of Marina, but to all of you. It doesn't have to be that ellaborate, but ideally a bit more meaningful. I just hope I'm not asking too much of you, am I?
Whatever. I thought I should embed this clip of Public Enemies to encourage Marina and I like this 50-second trailer I found, featuring a powerful toe-to-toe dialogue between Depp and Bale. I haven't seen the film just yeat but apparently it's had some good reviews from both the critics and the general public. Marina, do you remember the scene? Perhaps you would like to start a new comment ...?
Then, I quite by chance found on BBC radio 2 - which I listened to everyday - an extraordinary documentary on the 40th annniversary of Woodstock, presented by American songwriter John Sebastian (who performed at the festival himself), with lots of interesting interviews with people who, in one way or another, were involved in the festival. Would you like to have a go? Just click on this link.
Ok, folks, this is all for now. Kep blogging, will you?

August 16th

Happy Sunday everyone! Wow, what a scorcher, isn't it? I'm sweating it out in front of my i-mac.

Anyway, yesterday I couldn't do any blogging since I went away for the day to Navalguijo in Sierra de Gredos (luckily it wasn't that hot there!) but here I am to commemorate - yet again - another great anniversary, the 40th to be precise, of possibly the greatest live gig that ever was: Woodstock. It was held at a farm in Bethel (New York) on the 15th, 16th and 17th of August 1969. The festival got the name Woodstock because it had initially been scheduled to take place in the namesake village of Ulster County (New York). Though the local population was opposed to the event, a youngster called Sam Yasgur persuades his father to host the event in a plot of land the family had in Sulivan County, also in the state of New York. Actually, a film directed by

Ang Lee (remember Brokeback Mountain?) called Taking Woodstock is to be premiered in our cinemas in a couple of weeks, I hear. I'm looking forward to it even if it's the dubbed version.

Some of you might know that a famous documentary (I have it right in front of me as I'm writing this, actually one of my most treasured music DVDs) was directed by Michael Wadleigh and edited my Martin Scorsese. It was released in 1970 and won the Oscar for best documentary.

Fair enough. The legendary festival brought together a mind-boggling massive crowd of nearly half a million people (while the organizers only expected about 60,000!) and it is estimated that 250,000 couldn't get to the venue. Moreover, it became an icon for a generation of Americans that scorned the "Establishment", were sick and tired of wars and publicly praised the virtues of peace and love as a way of life. That's why an overwhelming majority of the people who attented the event were what we know today as hippies (not that they really considered themselves to be so but simply because the general public labelled them like that): long-haired, sporting various amulets and carrying "rainbow flags", which in those days were just a symbol of peace. They were strongly against the Vietnam war, but they felt truly American even if some people deemed them anti-patriotic. That's why Jimi Hendrix played the mythical electric version of the national anthem in his guitar so as to show that, although the crowd gathered in Woodstock blatantly rejected the military policy of the administration, they were still proud to be American.

Throughout the festival the so-called hippies lived intense nights of free sex and a widespread consumption of drugs, especially LSD and grass, livened up, of course, by rock music. And what extraordinary music they watched live! To name a few, Joan Baez, Canned Heat, Crosby, Still, & Nash, Arlo Guthrie, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Santana, Ten Years After, The Who ... were some of the legendary bands and singers who performed at Woodstock - and let's not forget that some other renowned artists like Led Zepellin, The Byrds, Jethro Tull and The Doors eventually declined the invitation for various reasons while the three top atcs of the 60s, The Beatles, The Stones and Bob Dylan never considered it). Let me tell you what: I was a 6-year old toddler at the time, but boy, how I wish I had been there! Arguably the most pivotal concert in popular music history but undoubtedly an event that changed rock and roll. A Woodstock fanatic (someone who was privileged enough to be present?) wrote the following words somewhere on YouTube regarding the concert:

Happy 40th anniversary!!!!!

If only we could replicate this love and mutual respect today, which of course is impossible due to our lost human connections from the Internet and technology.

If only humans learned to love and respect each other, our problems wouldn't exist.

We are not nations

We are not commodities

We are not soldiers

We are ALL human beings.

All of those who grew up and lived happily in those times, thank you so much for showing what may be possible.

Peace. Love. Respect

Give you food for thought, don't they? Well, as usual I'm dragging on a little too much, so let me put an end to this entry by, what else, embedding a video of the Festival. I've been thinking which artist takes the honor and it's been such a hard decision, but at long last I've made up my mind. Firstly, because a very young Carlos Santana played his ever so Latin-flavoured guitar a day like today forty years ago. Secondly, because I love the song, Soul Sacrifice, and last but not least because of the mind-blowing rhythmic section, highlighted by a fabulous performance by American drummer Michael Shrieve (only 19 at the time, hopefully the drum solo won't bore you much!). Moreover, the clip contains some great images of the unique atmosphere breathed at Woodstock. Long live Rock!

August 13th

Morning folks!

I have just been reading bits and pieces of the international press online and there was a piece of news on the CNN that caught my attention: Yesterday President Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom to sixteen extraordinary people both from the US and overseas (most of them probably well known to you all) who, for obvious reasons, have excelled at their careers. I was also watching the video extract of the ceremony and I thought it was worth inserting on our blog. So down below you can see a brief outline of the article with some of the most relevant words uttered by President Obama and the corresponding clip. Hope you are in the mood for some easy listening practice.

See you soon and keep blogging!

A pioneer, a preacher, an activist and an athlete were among 16 people who President Obama honored Wednesday with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

"This is a chance for me and for the United States of America to say thank you to some of the finest citizens of this country and of all countries," Obama told the audience assembled for the ceremony at the White House.

"At a moment when cynicism and doubt too often prevail, when our obligations to one another are too often forgotten, when the road ahead can seem too long or hard to tread, these extraordinary men and women, these agents of change, remind us that excellence is not beyond our abilities, that hope lies around the corner and that justice can still be won in the forgotten corners of this world," the president said.

"They remind us that we each have it within our powers to fulfill dreams, to advance the dreams of others and to remake the world for our children," he said.

August 10th

Hello again!

You know, it seems these days I'm becoming very fond of anniversaries. Well, being a basket fanatic I could't miss the opportunity to reminisce a landmark in the history of Spanish basketball. 25 years ago, exactly a day like today, the likes of Corbalán, Fernando Martin, Romay, Epi and Co. achieved a feat that took a long 24 years to be equalled: the historic silver medal of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics. Playing versus a star-studded American team, commanded by a young Michael Jordan, Spain got to the final at the mythical Lakers court called the Forum. Days before they had defeated the powerful Yugoslavia, whose line-up boasted the conceited Petrovic bros, and, having ensured a medal, our national team had nothing to lose against the almighty American squad. The miracle wasn't to be but the extraordinary feat had been achieved anyway.

The American coach, the legendary college guru Bobby Knight, led a group of talented players, where Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin stood out from the rest. They weren't pros just yet but they were already knocking on the NBA doors ...

Listen, I have to leave you in haste (something unexpected has come up) but I'll join you again later on. See you then ...

(2 days later, on August 12th ...) Well, I have to apologize because I had completely forgotten to end the latest entry until Ana reminded me that I had said goodbye "the French way", so to speak, and she is damn right. You see, I have lots of family commitments these days. My bro-in-law and Co. are visiting us, then yesterday was Laura's (my daughter, that is) 13th birthday and just when I was blogging on Monday evening I had to go to Salamanca to pick up my nephews, so yeah, I'm having a rather busy time!

Where was I anyway? Oh yes, the basket anniversary. Well, I simply wanted to pay a modest tribute to the Spanish team coached by (in loving memory) the great Antonio Diaz Miguel, who is often forgotten as one of the most influential figures in the modern history of Spanish sport, I dare say on the same scale as Manolo Santana, Angel Nieto and Severiano Ballesteros, but this is only a personal opinion. Now that the most junior teams (both male and female) of our basket are collecting medal after medal in championships throughout the summer, it's easy to forget that basketball wouldn't probably be so prominent in our country without people like Diaz Miguel, who gave Spain international status.

Goodness me, this must be by far the most boring entry I've ever written, so I guess I should close now. But not before I embed a YouTube video of the event I wanted to commemorate, especially dedicated to those who, like me, think basketball is the most exciting sport today. See you all, guys! Keep blogging (but also email me whenever you feel like it, will you?)

August 9th

Morning! I forgot to include the link to a BBC News video where you can see how the crossing has become a place of pilgrimage and how locals and cab drivers are just coping with the situation. And this second link shows the massive celebration in Abbey Road yesterday, which, not surprisingly, caused traffic chaos in the area.
One more thing: Oua Umplute made their debut in Edinburgh's Fringe Festival a couple of days ago. I've found a review on the offical web by a delighted spectator. It goes like this:

Brilliant fun!!! 07 Aug 2009
reviewer: pertsa, uk

This show was a real surprise, both hilarious and charming (not an easy task, particularly with so much stiff competition!) , with completely silly humor and a lot of great catchy (and beautifully played) gypsy music. We absolutely loved it, well done !!! You made our day and revived our faith in the fringe !!!! P.S. It's not a 'kiddy show', but it's a riot for all ages! That's how good they are!

Didn't I tell ya, they're fantastic!
Well, it's Sunday and we were planning a day out in the Sierra but the weather is not that inviting, is it? Think we'll stay at home ... Happy day everyone!

August 8th

Hello everyone! How are things going?
As for me, I've been to a cousin's wedding, you know, just another one of those boring social commitments, but inevitable in this day and age. What I mean is that I hardly ever meet up with him these days, I didn't even know the bride (nor fifty per cent of the guests for that matter) but you have to grin and bear it. As the saying goes, you'd rather attend a wedding than a funeral.
Anyway, I've just opened our blog to find some lovely words from Carmen. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the "text" (not test!) that I wrote and the Stevie Wonder song I embedded. It's kind of flattering that they made you cry!
Being a man, surely I cannot fully understand the indescribable feelings that any mother experiences during labour, however long and painful this may be at times, but, from a father's point of view, I remember my children's birth as the most wonderful moments of my life. My wihe had a relatively "short hour" (as you call it) on both occasions, but to me (and indeed to her) it felt like a whole day. But I'll never forget the shivers down my spine when David and Laura came out and wept, tiny creatures covered in blood. Well, you must be thinking that I'm turning sort of mawkish, but I mean every word I'm saying.
Fair enough. I don't want to be a pain in the a**. So let me move on to something completely different. On Thursday I was referring to the depressing 40th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. Today I want to make up for it with an event that also made history 40 years ago, but musically. Today hundreds of Beatles fans crossed the legendary zebra crossing situated in London's Abbey Road to commemorate the mythical photograph that was displayed on the cover of the namesake album, which would turn out to be the last but one by the Liverpool quartet. The diehard Fab Four fans walked across Abbey Road at 10:35 local time, exactly four decades after a Scottish photographer by the name of Ian McMillan captured one of the most iconic images in pop history.
Everyday people from all over the world flock to the London spot to cross the famous street, following in the Beatles' footsteps. The celebrated photo shows John, Ringo, Paul and George (in this order) walking across a luminous Abbey Road in a single line. On the background stands out a white-coloured Beetle (sheer coincidence?) parked on the left and it's visually striking how Paul is walking barefoot while setting a different pace.
But my tribute would be incomplete without a song taken from the great album, which many consider the peak of their career, even above Sgt. Pepper's LHCB. Now, it's difficult for me to choose just the one song, but this time I'm going to leave out the extremely well-known duet Lennon-McCartney in favour of the Beatles' dark horse, so to speak, Mr George Harrison. And of the two lovely songs he composed for Abbey Road, I've selected the beautiful and naive Here Comes the Sun (boy, do I love the guitar sound!), which comes just handy after this evening's heavy downpour. Enjoy!
Well, guys, any comments about the Beatles or their music? Or perhaps would you like to write about famous rock images? This is the place, isn't it?

August 6th

Hello folks!

Let me start by saying how delighted I am to see that the "flame" of our blog, so to speak, is being rekindled with renewed energy. I mean, not that this modest web is all of a sudden flooded with comments, but I have to admit that Roberto's birth seems to have endowed it with new life. How is he doing, Carmen? We need to hear from you (in English, of course!). C'mon guys, keep it up!

Anyway, on a day which has commemorated one of the saddest episodes in modern history, the drop of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima - click on this interesting BBC link, which I recommend if you're fond of historical anniversaries -, an event which, together with the Nazi Holocaust, makes me feel ashamed of human(?)kind, I would like to to cheer you up by embedding a lovely YouTube video, or at least one of a bunch of artists I had the privilege to enjoy personally.

You know how often I have inserted on this web both audio and video clips of world-famous singers and bands, but tonight I'll make an honourable exception. You see, last Friday, in the middle of Santa Marta's Festivals, I went for a nice walk after dinner with my wife and my elder bro-in-law's family. And quite by chance we saw the shimmer of lights coming from a stage situated in one of the little squares off the main thoroughfare. Luckily, drawn by curiosity (though honestly we were expecting the classic open-air verbena) we decided to join the few people that gathered round the square. I remember a funny name instantly caught my attention, "OUA UMPLUTE - Zingarian music", as well as the picturesque (to say the least), almost kitsch stage set (see photo). Some gypsies from Hungary playing folk music, I thought. How wrong was I! A few minutes later some strange figures speaking a strange incomprehensible language (Hungarian?) started wandering about carrying musical instruments. Well, a great spectacle was about to begin and it would be way too long to describe it as accurately (and passionately) as it deserves. But let me say that Oua Umplute (=huevo relleno) presents a group of wacky musicians who throw a party to pay their last respects to their grandfather Dimitri, who we can "see" in the shape of a small urn containing his ashes). The utterly unusual situation contrasts with the frenzied rhythm and cheerfulness of the tunes they brilliantly play, which made us all go on a music journey across Eastern Europe. The highlight is the EXTRAORDINARY violinist, a Ucranian woman by the name of Teresa Polyvka, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I've never seen someone play the marvelous instrument with such virtuosity and beauty. I was deeply moved at times. In a nutshell, music, theatre interaction (some members of the audience were invited on the stage), humour and, occasionally, chaos combine in a lovely show for all the family. You should have seen our faces, filled with bemused incredulity, when, at the end of the performance, the guitarist- who now and then during the show served as a translator for the crazy speeches, in apparently fluent Hungarian, uttered by the nutty saxophonist, introduced - in perfect Spanish! - the rest of the actors. "Somos la Compañia Che y Moche, de Zaragoza!", he shouted. Now my brother-in-law, his wife and kids, who live in Zaragoza themselves and had literally fallen for the whole thing, started screaming and laughing with delight.

OK, you may be wondering why I have taken nearly a week to tell you all this. Oddly enough, my wife reminded me (I had forgotten about them, I admit) barely a couple of hours ago, out of curiosity, to google for Oua Umplute. She was as impressed as I was by the show and wanted to know a little more about the actors and specially the violinist. Well, not only do we hear that they have been successfully staging different plays for many years and have won several awards for Oua Umplute, but also they are starting tomorrow a number of performances in the renowned Fringe Festival in Endinburgh. Hardly surprising! The question is: Will they speak English as ably as Hungarian?

What's more, I even found the Youtube clip you can see down below, which will give you a little taste of their talent. Let me just finish this way too LOOONG entry by saying that, if you ever are lucky enough to see this company perform Oua Umplute wherever you may be, don't miss the show. You'll have a whale of a time!

Keep clicking. Cheerio!

August 2nd

Hi everyone! Such great news: Roberto, Carmen's baby, is kicking about at long last so my warm congratulations to the proud parents. Isn't it lovely when a tiny human being is born into this world. So relaxing to see the photo of a little baby comfortably asleep on her mother's chest? Being a father of two I can understand the pride and joy of a brand new parent, but I thought that, rather than put these feelings into words, I could put them into a song, an old one which I'd like to dedicate to Carmen for a job well done. It's called "Isn't she lovely" by the great Stevie Wonder, which he wrote in 1976 to celebrate the birth of his daughter Aisha from his marriage to Yolanda (Londie) Simmons, as you can see on the lyrics scroller down below. Some of you might have heard it before, and to me it's the sweetest song a father could sing to a daughter considering that Mr Wonder is blind. I really like the way he performs the harmonica part. Anyway, change Aisha for Roberto, she for he and Londie for Carmen's husband (Sorry, Carmen, I don't remember his name!) and there you have it: Isn't he lovely?
So, congrats again, Carmen, and my very best wishes for you, your husband and little Roberto (I don't like the sound of Robertito, I've always hated diminutives, sorry!)
Now, would you like to also send your good wishes to the happy couple? Here's the place to do it, OK? See you soon, guys!

July 09

July 27th

Dear all,
How are you all doing? Unbelievable how fast time flies ... you see, it's nearly the end of July, and it seems like yesterday that the long summer hols began, at least for me!
Anyway, I'm back from a lovely weekend up in the north of Spain, to be precise on a delightful holiday spot called Comillas, which most of you probably recognise by its famous university. Actually I hear it's closed for good now, and only a Fundación remains which organises some seminars now and then. Pity!
Hey, I really have to thank those of you who have written some stuff on the blog these days. You can't imagine how overjoyed I am whenever I see a new comment, whether a review on a book or film you've read or seen, or simply to say hello. It makes a hell of a lot of a difference to the look of the blog, doesn't it? It's not just a teacher rambling on about a subject, so all of a sudden the whole thing comes to life.
Talking about films, this morning I was browsing the CNN website, which I hadn't done for quite a long while, when I came across a couple of interesting videos that I'm embedding here related to the same burning issue of piracy, how it seems to be killing the industry, and how the big companies are ruthlessly trying to combat it. Being sort of a modest pirate myself (who isn't today?), I've always been interested in this debate. Is the free home download of films and music a crime that should be harshly persecuted by law on the same scale as the illegal sale on the street blankets (the so-called top manta)?
Whatever your views, perhaps you might like to see this couple of CNN videos on the matter. First, the Harry Potter cast and various actors, directors and producers talk about how hard piracy is affecting the world of movies:



However, the Hollywood industry seems to have come up with a simple way to stop the seemingly unstoppable trend: 3D films, which at least, or so they claim, cannot be camcorded on movie theatres, one of the most common ways of making recently premiered films readily available on the Net in a matter of days, even hours:



Both videos are great listening practice and I'm sure you will understand most of their content. Then you might even be tempted to express your own views on the issue ... on this blog, of course.
By the way, those of you who, unfortunately, have to sit the September exam. Are you doing enough practice of the skills you failed? Do you long for my help or advice? Please do not fail to contact me whatever your needs.
Ok, enough for today. Keep clicking now that you've started to get the hang of it! Cheerio!

July 21st

Hey guys, how's life?
For me it's back to normal after the brief stint in old Cambridge. I'm sorry I couldn't blog last night as promised, but I had the unexpected visit of my bro-in-law, his wife Bea and my nephew Pablo, and they stayed for dinner up until midnight.
Anyway, at the end of my last entry I was wondering if Carmen had given birth to the baby at last, but apparently not. Gosh Carmen, you really must be so eager to do so! But keep it cool, darling, everything will be fine.
Now, I can tell you about my slightly eventful flight back to Madrid. Or rather, what happened after we landed in Barajas at about 21:00. Believe it or not, we were dropped off at the wrong terminal, T2 (domestic flights) instead of T1 (international flights), which is a serious slip on the part of an airline, Air Europa in this case. I realised something was wrong when I saw that we hadn't walked through passport control but were led straight into the baggage reclaim area, where, to cap it all, our flight was not announced on the screens. Not until I went to an information desk nearby did the AirEurope staff become aware of their gross mistake, so we had to wait for over half an hour for a bus to take us back to T1 and follow the normal procedure. Outrageous! You can imagine how annoyed we felt. Meanwhile our suitcases were merrily going round and round the conveyor belt and many of the passengers' relatives were restlessly waiting at the arrivals hall. I thought I would surely miss my 22:00 Autores Express service back to Salamanca and have to take the normal one at 22:30, which meant arriving home nearly an hour later than expected. Fortunately I bumped into a familiar face, a former English teacher of my daughter, who had done a course in Canterbury and had flown on the same plane. Her husband was waiting outside so I had a faster (and free) taxi service directly to my house door, ha ha! As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining.
But enough travel mishaps. I guess I'd rather tell you about something more cheerful, say, the West End musical I was privileged to enjoy at the Dominion Theatre in London (where else?) and the latest Harry Potter flick I watched in a Cambridge megaplex. Two completely different, visually entertaining experiences, I dare say. I mean, the Queen-based musical We Will Rock You was stunning, it really blew my mind. The stage design was brilliant, the singer actors so talented, and the supporting band nothing short of amazing, sometimes you wondered if it was Queen themselves that were playing together again. On the minus side, the story is a bit far-fetched at times, which, like in all musicals, is understandable if you think how difficult it must be to adapt Queen's discography to a single storyline. But who cares, WWRY reminded me how fabulous Freddie - how sorely he's missed! - Brian, Roger and John once were. Memories came flooding back with every song I heard. And you should have see the grand finale, everyone standing from their seats singing along Bohemian Rhapsody. Out of this world!
Was Harry Potter as memorable? Well, frankly ... no. I mean, it was kind of disappointing after all the media hype. Alright, the cinematography is accomplished, the story has got interesting moments and the cast do their jobs well, but the ending left me cold. And you cannot help feeling it's more of the same old story. Too much wizardry for me, thank you very much. However, it will surely please Harry Potter's die-hard fans. And if this latest instalment wasn't enough one more film from the final book is announced ... and split into 2 parts!
Tell you what, some of the scenes were shot in various locations of Oxford's most spectacular College, Christ Church, which I visited myself during a day trip in the renowned university. As I walked around the cloisters and quadrangles it was easy to see why.
Christ Church's Great Hall was replicated in the film studios to create Hogwart's Hall (which looks bigger than the real thing, to be honest with you) . I'd like to show you the photos I took at the college hall myself, but they're stored in my portable and I'm writing this stuff on my desktop. Sorry!
Wow, this is a huge entry, isn't it? I hope I'm not being a pain in the ass! Whatever. Seen the HP film? Would you like to give your own personal review? C'mon, don't be lazy! This blog needs you ALL, and now. By the way, Ana, Marina, Laura, thanks a lot for your comments, I really appreciate them.
That's all for now, guys. Sweet dreams.

July 14th

Hi mates, how are things going? Well, as for me, the weekend is over and we’re inevitable heading for the final week here in Cambridge.

Tell you something: According to the latest statistics from the Homerton College IT Department, our blog is the most hit all

across Europe. Ha ha, only wishful thinking! Now seriously, I cannot believe that except for my ever so faithful Ana, nobody else’s written a single comment on the blog. I’m feeling a bit down, you see. How can I possibly talk you into doing your small bit?!

Whatever. This past weekend I had the chance to get a deeper taste of the history and traditions of two of the most renowned unis in the world, namely Cambridge and Oxford. As you probably now Oxford was founded first, and only after some

academics fled the city because of some disputes with the townspeople was Cambridge not established a few years later, and ever since the two institutions have had a long history of competition. Oxford is bigger and more prestigious (actually the best in the UK according to the league tables), with more colleges (38 to 31 in Cambridge), more students (roughly 20,000, 18,000 in Cambridge) and, I can testify to this, more tourists visiting the town each year. You should have seen the number of Spaniards crowding the streets (and the shops) of Oxford yesterday. Thousands of them!

Some of you may wonder how much, if you’re admitted in either of them at all, which is no easy task, it costs to study in Oxford or Cambridge. Well, to give you an idea, the fees for Cambridge, tuition and accomodation included, amounts to 8,000 quid (pounds, that is) yearly. Affordable, maybe, but certainly pricey, don't you think?

But now let me tell you about yesterday's great personal experience. I happen to be friends with Bell's group manager, Bruce Milne, who I have known since 2005. Well, he invited me for dinner in his house to meet his family. And it turns out, as it were, that Bruce's wife, Jan (coincidentally her surname is Bell!) is a well-known author of English textbooks. Well, I had used some of them back in the late 90s (namely, the Longman

series called Matters), so I told her how privileged I was to meet her in person, face to face. She's a charming personality and we hit it off straight away. But the funny thing is that she's recently published this CUP course for advanced students called Face2face, and it dawned on me that I might "pilot" it next year in class, so she gave me a signed copy and told me that if I eventually decide to use it she would be delighted to get some feedback on how it works with my students. Isn't it great? You know, I have to think of the possibility but at first sight the coursebook looks fine to me.

Listen, I have to go to my lessons in half an hour so I better close now. Hey guys, I'd really like to hear from you, so why don't you write something, either on this blog or just by mail? I need to know what you're up to these days! And may I ask those of you who have some work to do in September if you're practicing English at all?

Whatever, I hope you're having great fun and everybody is keeping well. By the way, any news of Carmen's pregnancy? Is her baby already kicking around?

Besos y un fuerte abrazo from Cambridge,

Jose Luis

July 9th

Hello folks!

Well, I cannot see much “activity” on our blog, but here I go again with some more reflections from Cambridge. Please, will you write some stuff too?

Life swiftly goes on here at Homerton College. Incidentally, this is Cambridge’s Faculty of Education and it hosts the largest number of students in a single college, about six hundred last academic year, I hear.

We have a hectic timetable down here: there’s the scheduled tutorials with Ian and Lindsay (great chaps!), the workshops, the cultural talks, the plenary talks, you name it! But relatively very little time for social life before 7:30 p.m. Well, there’s the coffee break, lunch and dinner, of course, when you meet new people every day.

On Tuesday we had this guided tour of the city by a charming blue-badge guide called Ian (like one of my tutors). I spotted his lovely distinctive Scottish accent right away and asked him where he hailed from. “Glasgow”, he said, “but I’ve lived in Cambridge for over 30 years, so I’ve kind of lost my native accent”. I assure you he hasn’t, it’s still there, though by now it is dead easy to follow his knowledgeable explanations so you can imagine what it was like originally. He even told me it takes some getting used to before he understands the locals in his hometown whenever he pays a visit. Amazing! Now you can see how difficult British accents can be!

Anyway, we were so lucky to stay dry during the tour as there were downpours right before and after it. We visited the must-see buildings: Queen’s and King’s College, Trinity, the Senate House, some of the oldest churches, and a couple of pubs (see photo of my toast to your helath!) … Ian told us how cruel the university authorities are, since the students, after three, four hard years working their asses off, only know if they have eventually graduated by reading heir names (or not) displayed on the notice boards outside the Senate. Over the years he’s seen may young hopefuls crying their eyes out outside this building.

Yesterday we saw a film in the Auditorium titled The Freedom Writers, starring Hillary Swank. It was OK, the story of an idealistic teacher who has to do her job at a High School which is a hotbed of violence. Her performance is remarkable, but I don’t think the script would win an Oscar for originality. Besides, I’ve never been that fond of these “teacher-saves-students” stories. However, it seems the flick stirred some of the girls deeply as many of left the room in tears …

Well, what lies ahead? Day trips to Ely and Oxford, some theatre in London (I’m in two minds about seeing either a play at Shakespeare’s renowned The Globe or a musical in the West End – perhaps Queen-based We Will Rock You?), even Harry Potter’s latest film’s premiere here in Cambridge. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

As you can see, there’s plenty of excitement to come, but I don’t want to make you envious, so I better close now. Listen guys, I really need some feedback, so I beg you please to write something, won’t you?

I wish you could be here with me. Tell you what: On Saturday I’m going to meet for lunch the group manager at Bell, my friend Bruce Milne, and I might ask him about the possibility of bringing a group of students from our language school next year, either to Cambridge or further down in Kent (Bedgebury). It will be business talk! So who knows, perhaps some of you, both current students and former students, might visit this area in 2010 on a school trip … I can’t promise anything but I will try.

Besos y abrazos

Jose Luis

July 6th

Warm greetings from Cambridge everyone!

How’s life back in Salamanca? Probably the weather is hotter than here in central England, even if it’s relatively mild (about 20º)

Well, what can I say? I have just been here for barely a day but boy, am I enjoying the course! The venue is awesome, the staff are very friendly and both my tutors and classmates are a great bunch. Only trouble is that I’m the only male teacher and there are 14 other girls from different nationalities: 4 Spanish, 5 Polish, one Austrian, one Portuguese, one Bulgarian, one Vietnamese, so I’m spoiled for choice! This is definitely a female job, since only a fifth of the teachers must be men, if not less! At least one of the tutors, Ian, is a man too … but when Lindsay comes in, it feels like I’m in a harem!

Anway, it’s being good fun so far. I even had time yesterday evening for a couple of pints of real ale. Who could ask for more! The food is, well, typically British, if you know what I mean, and so is my room. A double tap and a 19^th-century shower in the bathroom and windows covered with lace curtains, so at 5 a.m, the sun shines in, which makes it difficult to sleep. Why is it that, with my long experience, I’ll never bring a sleeping mask!

Unfortunately no full English breakfast (globalization is to blame for such a disgraceful loss!), that’s something I really miss. And we’re only given a single towel (God only knows when they’ll change it!) and three coat hangers, you know, the English can be really weird …

As for my fellow country people, there are groups from Castilla y Leon, of course, but also from Andalucia, Asturias and Cataluña, so altogether we outnumber, by far, the rest of the countries. Apparently, we are the most Comenius-funded in Europe. The Polish come second and the Belgians are third.

Well, how’s things in Spain these days? I’d love you to keep me updated online, because I don’t intend to read any Spanish papers.

I’m just realising tomorrow is San Fermin and I won’t be able to see the penning of the bulls as I usually do on the TV screen, because by the time they start running I’ll be in class. No big deal, VIVA SAN FERMIN!

OK, I’m rather exhausted ny now so I’m going to bed in a minute. But before I close, if you want to have a look at the first photos I’ve taken and get a rough idea of the place I’m staying, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.es/jantigue/BellCambridgeDay1?authkey=Gv1sRgCNWnr_mf4LXAuQE&feat=directlink

OK, folks, time to stop blogging. I really look forward to your news so write something, will you?

Besos y abrazos

Jose Luis

July 4th (incidentally America's Independence Day)

Hello everyone, wherever you may be!

I couldn't possibly leave for Cambridge without, yet briefly, saying goodbye to all of you. You know, I've been a teacher for nearly 23 years, done many courses before, but I still feel the same excitement as in 1981 when I first travelled to the UK to stay with a host family. I do hope I never lose that feeling because it must be an indication of my love for this language called English and my ongoing wish to try and get better at my job each day.

Not one of your "speeches", not again, you must be thinking. Don't worry, I'll be brief. I just want you to know that I'll be thinking of you now and then, at least when I do some blogging from Silicon Fen, aka Cambridge. I mean, I intend to keep in touch either by mail or through our blog but I'd like to think you'll do your bit too, won't you? I'll also upload some photos of the city and the people I'll hopefully meet during the course. I'll send a brief account of my experiences, my classes, my teachers ... I hope you find it all an excuse to keep practicing your English online, OK?

Well, it's time to say ... so long. I wish you guys a blissful summer holiday, however long or short it may be, and will be looking forward to meeting you again soon. To those of you who have to sit the exam in September, cheer up and be confident. Do a little something everyday rather than wait until the last few days to start "preparing" the tasks you failed.

Take care. Besos y abrazos

Jose Luis