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

June 09

LATEST UPDATE: June 09 (June 16th) and My music blog (June 14th)

June 16th

Hi folks! It's D-day and while I'm writing this (for the sake of relaxation) most of you must be doing the weirdest examen de certificación I've come across in these 3 years since the Junta decided to unify the certification EOI exams. I'm thinking of you all and trying to picture you guys down in the Salón de Actos while you're going across the Reading comp tasks. Gosh, I just hope you don't lose focus and do your best. Someone told me right before the exam: I don't have much at stake today, and I wish all of you would feel the same. I mean, who doesn't like passing exams, (that's what they should be made for, I'd like to believe) but I hope this is for you no more than a test of your language skills, regardless of the level the exam may apparently have (probably the texts - or most of them - are more difficult at first sight than the actual tasks, or are they?). I think some of the tasks are more frightening than challenging.

Anyway, what I mean to say is that you should never measure your capability, your ability, by the mere score of a test. I just hope that, whether you pass or fail, you keep learning English for the sake of using the language as competently as you can, in whichever situation. For the same reason, I want to believe that those of you who are given the symbolic "thumbs up" will not quit learning this wonderful language. I've always felt kind of sad to think some of you might just come to the language school in search of just a "sealed sheet of paper", if you see what I mean. I hate this titulitis syndrome that sometimes plagues our society. Hopefully making the grade will encourage you to keep improving your language skills independently, more effortlessly, slowly but steadily.

Vow, how about that for another "lecture".

Well, may I change the tone of this entry. On to basketball, then. You know how much I love this great sport. And surely you've all heard the news that a Spanish NBA pro, our own Pau Gasol, has made history by winning the coveted American championship for the first time. I've always admired Pau for his intelligence, class and demeanour on and off the court. So much so that I'm positive he would have been successful at any other sport (or profession for that matter). So I'd like to humbly advocate his candidacy for the Prince of Asturias Award by embedding this short clip (first in Spanish, then in English) where he "shares his jubilation" with us all. I reckon he is even more articulate and fluent in English than in Spanish! Doesn't he sound like a true American? Nothing to do with Nadal's broken English or Alonso's Asturian accent, ha ha! Definitely basketball is a sport for the elite! Only joking ...

Well, this is all for now. I have to collect the papers in a minute. Keep clicking. And good luck with the exam!

June 14th

Hi there! Welcome back to the blog, which I had "deserted" for a while". But what better occasion to resume it than this entry which features the photos of our dinner party last Thursday. I guess most of them came out nicely, some of them are really funny, but all of them bring fond memories of a lovely and emotional night spent with you guys. I hope you like them as much as I do!

I think I told you then, and I tell you again, that you can bring your pen drives on Tuesday (meet me at the school hall between 15:30 and 15:40 or go to classroom 10A during the breaks) and I'll copy the photos for you. If you don't have a "pincho" (or you think it's infected with a bothersome virus) you might prefer to bring a blank CD, no problem. And if for any reason you're not turning up the day of the exam you should be able to download the pics directly from the Picassa application.

But in the meantime you can enjoy a preview of the memorable night by clicking on the photo right down below. Now you will understand why I said Alberto steals the show!

Cena fin de curso 2NA 08-09

On a more serious note, how are you feeling these hours prior to D-Day? Nervous? Eager to do the exam and forget it all? Doing any English practice at all? Well, I don't know if I should send you more stuff as it might make you more stressed. I was expecting you would send me some essays but only Antonio has dared do it. By the way, you'll have to wait until tomorrow before you get the key to the last reading comp activities since I cannot find them anywhere in my PC's hard disk, and I'm just too busy to do the stuff myself. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Ok folks, it's time to close. I'm leaving in a couple of hours for Medina del Campo to meet some friends for lunch and I still have to finish some correction work (Intermediate exams from my colleague Victoria). I wish a happy Sunday (though it seems we're in for a rainy day) and hope you don't get too stressed all the way to Tuesday's final test. Un abrazo.

June 2nd

Hi everyone! Greetings from classroom 29 @ the language school, where at this very moment I'm invigilating at a 1º Avanzado exam for a workmate, Rocio, who incidentally will be one of my tribunal partners for your oral exam.

Let me start this first entry of the June blog by saying how awfully I'm missing you guys. You know, if feels like the first few days after the end of term I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms and certainly it takes some time getting used to not meeting my students. Honestly, I'd rather have a hundred lessons with you than all this Mad June of red tape, exam correction and stuff. So stressful!

Hey, I'm really looking forward to meeting up with you all next week for our eagerly anticipated farewell dinner. How's life in the meantime? Some of you still terribly busy with exams, I guess, others going about your daily business. Do you still manage to find a little gap in your precious time to do some English practice? Hopefully you do, so you won't come the day of the exam a little bit "rusty". I'm preparing more material for this week, both listening and reading tasks, but I wouldn't like to smother you with too much stuff.

You see, a former advanced student of mine has just sent me a link to a Google book which might kind of relax you and ease off tension. It's titled Drunk in charge of a foreign language by someone called Matt Rothwell (never heard of him) and my ex-student tells me there's quite a lot dedicated to our country, and specifically to Salamanca. I've just read the first few pages to get the taste of it and I reckon it should be a fun easy book for you. Then, if you type Salamanca on the search box you'll find that page 100 and following are set in our fine town and Matt deals with typical Salmantinian things such as bulls, Lunes de Aguas and - what else - the Plaza Mayor. Surely you would like to read bits and pieces (the book is set out like a diary) and then go back to it during the summer.

Interested? Click on the link below. Regrettably, you cannot download the PDF (or at least I don't know how to do it) so you'll have to read this travelogue online:

http://books.google.es/books?id=lRvhAPdtwHYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=drunk+in+charge+of+a+foreign+language#PPA104,M1

OK folks, time to stop now. My temporary students are about to end their written task and some of them are moving restlessly in their seats. By the way, do you want to know the tasks they've been given? An essay on the pros and cons of CCTV cameras in public places and a letter of application. Funnily enough, the latter is the very last thing we did as regards writing skills. Typical, I dare say! Who knows, you might come across the same task on the 16th ...

Keep clicking, will you? Cheerio!

May 09

LATEST UPDATE: May 09 (May 24th)

May 24th

Hello guys! It's good to be blogging again. You know, this is by far the shortest monthly entry of all and the blog needs some new blood, so to speak, so here I go.

Well, the end of term is at hand, barely a couple of lessons left, and I've got mixed feelings about the situation. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to the summer hols, which means lots of free time with my wife and kids, the course in Cambridge, etc. But on the other hand, I won't be seeing you guys each week and I'll miss you all very much, believe it or not. I always become very fond of my students. On top of that, we're heading for exam time, and you can't imagine how much I hate it. Besides, I get kind of anxious for you, perhaps I shouldn't but I can't help it. Naturally not everyone will "make the grade", you know, pass the exams, and, regardless of how much work and effort you've put in throughout the year to deserve the pass, it's always a nasty feeling to have to flunk some of you (hopefully not too many!). I just hope you do your very best at the exams and don't underachieve. To make things worse, I wish I knew what the test is going to be like, but it's shrouded in mystery. I want to believe the level will be adequate but (and I'm not trying to stick my neck out for them) I just know how difficult it is for my colleagues in the exam committee to work under pressure and eventually ellaborate the best materials possible to suit all the schools in CyL.

Anyway, I'm boring you with all this empty rhetoric. So let me tell you something lighter, about the weekend I've had so far. On Friday I went with my wife and kids to Villamayor to sample a bit of the neighbouring village's festivals, which are in full swing right now. So there was this gig by Los Mojinos Escozios. Not that I'm a fan of the band, but simply my son and some of his mates wanted to see them live and he asked me to give him a lift. Initially we intended to drop him at the venue and pop around the village until the end of the concert. But since it was an open-air gig we thought we might just stay for a while to see how it fared. So lights are off and on stage comes this tubby nutty long-haired bearded singer, with his bare torso and a bulging packet under his trousers. Outrageous! And he begins bellowing his first song to the sounds of hard rock music. The audience was a mix of locals and visitors alike, all ages from toddlers to some elderly. No question the frontman is a "showman" who knows all the tricks to amuse the fun-loving public: an indecent joke or remark here, a provocative posture there, I have to admit I had a good laugh now and then. Sometimes he goes beyond the limits of good taste, considering it's a free open-air verbena and, as the saying goes, "hay ropa tendida" (I don't know the equivalent in English) but all in all it's sheer fun and farce and people know what they can expect from the Andalusian band's lyrics and its lead vocalist's manners on stage.
Hi again! You know what happened. I was typing this stuff when suddenly the whole room shook with the sound of thunder. A mighty storm was coming so I thought it wise to turn off all electrical things. I had to go out for lunch and haven't returned home until now, nearly 8 hours later. Sorry about the break!
Well, I think I spoke enough of Mojinos so I should move on. Tell you what: I've been to Van Dyck Tormes this afternoon to watch Ron Howard's free adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller Angels and Demons. Despite its fast thriller pace and the stunning recreation of The Vatican landmarks, I can only say that I don't think much of it. Probably The Christian church and Hollywood get on like hand and blister, or fight like cat and dog, if you see what I mean. The storyline, in my modest opinion, wavers from the incredible to the ridiculous. I would even say that Tom Hanks at times looks like he's wondering what the hell he's doing in the movie (apart from earning an awful lot of cash). He's kind of a religious Indi Jones but without the energy and charisma of good old Harrison (Ford). But having said that, you can detach yourself from all the conspiracy and murders, the Church-Illuminati feud, and simply sit back and watch as a "Vatican-goes-to-Hollywood" flick. To cap it all, the dubbing is utterly ludicrous. I mean, why on earth do they have to dub many of the actors' voices with those stupid Spanish-foreign accents?
Enough. I'd rather blog about a lovely film we and the kids watched on the home cinema last night: A modern classic called The Full Monty. We played it for the kids as we had seen this hilarious comedy (with a dramatic undertone) a few times before. And boy, didn't David and Laura love it! You could see them ... 

Gosh, this is being really difficult! First the storm this morning and then my computer crashed when I was about to publish the latest entry so I lost a good deal of the film reviews and I've had to start again. Anyway, I was saying you could see my kids laughing their heads off at many of the scenes, like the famous "dole queue" dance. All the characters are so well-liked, especially Gaz (Robert Carlysle) and Gerald (Tom Wilkinson), who have fallen from grace in the once prosperous Sheffield. Needless to say we watched Full Monty in English and though the language is often gross, the subtitles are excessive at times, but my kids didn't seem to mind. Most of you have probably seen the flick by now (not necessarily in Spanish) but if you haven't I can only recommend it as a must-see film . The story, the acting, the music, everything in TFM is a joy.

OK, this is definitely one of the longest (and most difficult to write) entries on this blog, and I should close now. Listen, I'd really appreciate it if, apart from visiting the blog, you would write in some of your thoughts, comments, etc. 

See you on Tuesday. Cheerio!

May 6th

This will probably be the last section of the blog, as in June both you and me will be too busy to do any "extra tasks". So I guess it is kind of time I began assessing what this "project" has been like since it all began back in November. To tell you the truth, though it's been good fun for me to see it grow from a humble beginning while I learned little by little to make it more ellaborate, I cannot deny I expected more commitment, so to speak, from most of you, with the few honorable exceptions, so it leaves me a bittersweet taste, you know, mixed feelings. I wish you had written in your comments, reviews, opinions and stuff more often, but maybe I'm also partly to blame, perhaps I haven't been able to make you "infected" by my honest cheerfulness and enthusiasm. Anyway, I don't want this to be a gloomy farewell entry, but just the beginning of the inevitable end. Mind you, there's still ample opportunity for you guys to collaborate until the end of term. As the saying goes "better late than never" ...

Actually, if you visit the music blog section Ana (who else) has written a little something.

See you tomorrow! Good night! And congrats to the Barca fans ...

April 09

April 30th

Salamanca seems to be a popular destination among American students learning Spanish, and that's pretty obvious if you watch this clip:

April 29th

Hello again, guys!
Well, I've done it! I've been able, with a little bit of luck and some online research, to embed Alicia's wonderful Powerpoint presentation on Ireland that we saw in class yesterday, so now you can flick through it at a slower pace (on second thoughts, perhaps Alicia has already forwarded it to you all by mail)
Anyway, little by little one learns new things about this fascinating world called blogging ...
Sportwise, what an appalling defeat our archrival Ros Casares inflicted on Avenida this evening. a 40-point margin, no less! Just one word can describe the match: humiliation! I felt kind of ashamed for the girls, who surrendered to their opponent's tremendous superiority after just 5 minutes. Still, there might be a slim chance that Avenida extend the series to a third game ... GO AVENIDA!
That's all for now. I look forward to your hits. As you can see, I've inserted a counter on top of the blog. Just curiosity ...

April 27th

Hi there!

I'm back from London, safe and sound. It was a great weekend, how about yours? You see, London is the "citiest" city, if you know what I mean: lots of people, lots of traffic, lots of stress, but a bustling place, the European NY, so to speak, with so much to see and do. Anyway, I'll try to use some audiovisuals to tell you about the trip, though I don't want to bore you.

Now, I must apologise for not writing an email from London, but everything was so hectic, with just three days to spend, that I didn't have time to find a cybercafe. What really upsets me is that I totally forgot to publish the entry I had drafted the day before leaving for the British capital. What with packing and some unexpected visit, it simply slipped my mind and I only remembered when I was driving to Madrid to take the plane. It was my personal tribute to Castilla y León to mark the occasion of "Comuneros Day". But as the saying goes "better late than never" so you can find what I wrote (and the clips I embedded) right down below. Hope you like the stuff!

See you tomorrow, guys!

April 23rd

Morning everyone and happy Dia de Castilla y León!

Well, by the time you read this I'll probably be in London, but that doesn't mean I'm not remembering (and celebrating) our region's festive day. You know, I've always wondered what is the reason why we castellanos y leoneses tend to underrate our land, its beautiful landscape, its varied gastronomy, its immense cultural and historical heritage, you name it. I don't think it's necessarily a valid indication of this attitude but I deem funny that many people in this region, if asked about the name of our President, would answer they have no clue - or at least they'd have to take a minute or two to think of it, Juan Vicente Herrera that is - when they know perfectly well the likes of Montilla, Chaves and Ibarretxe. Even if asked where they hail from, they'll probably say "salmantinos", "burgaleses", let alone "leoneses", rather than castellano-leoneses. Why shouldn't we feel proud of what we are and what have in Castilla y León? Forget about long-lived disputes and rivalries between provinces within our land, the stern character of the people, the many weaknesses that we seem to relish, in a way the self-deprecating, even self-destructive nature of our demeanour.
So enough is enough. I've decided to pay my personal tribute to this land where I wasn't born, but certainly raised, and with a little help of a videoclip - in English - let me open your eyes to the beauty and greatness of our vast autonomous community. Surely some of you would like to express your views about out identity as Castellanos y Leoneses, and even disagree with some of the ideas I sounded off about at the beginning of this entry. But if you come from other parts of this complex country we call Spain, I'm sure you can also contribute to this blog by saying how you view the strengths and weaknesses of this old land: CASTILLA Y LEON. I wish you all a happy day!

But before I leave you, I'd also like to show a funny promotional campaign on TV selling our region, featuring American actor Gary Dourdan (famous for his role in CSI), who, I'm told, is dating a Spanish girl and has fallen in love with our country. I don't necessarily agree with the slogan at the end. However, when you come to think of it, isn't our land "A land of taste"?

April 21st

Hi folks! How was Lunes de Aguas? Hope you had your fair share of hornazo in the company of your family or friends without suffering from indigestion. At least it was a glorious evening weatherwise.
Now, if you open your mail you will find a PDF containing a scanned document from an article in the latest issue of Dgratis which precisely explains the origins of this typically Salmantinian festivity. I guess you must know the story of Padre Putas (pardon the expression!) and stuff by now if you are a local or have been living in this town for long enough but there might be a few of you who, being outsiders so to speak, are not familiar with it, and anyway it's English and easy to read.
We're having lessons this afternoon before on Thursday I'm leaving for London with my wife and kids. I'm really excited about the trip and looking forward to it, so I thought I kind of should share my trip with you guys, even if "virtually". So I've found this interesting video on YouTube called "10 things you need to know about London" taken from a website, hostelworld.com, which sort of gives you the highlights of the capital city. And, oddly enough, it's presented by an Irish speaker. Boy, do I love his Dublin accent! I'm sure you'll have no problems whatsoever to understand 90% of what he says, if not more. And I wonder if any of you who's been to London before would like to send their fond (or unhappy) memories of the place and the trip. By the way, Alicia, we're all eagerly awaiting your "Dublin travelogue", with the photos and all, aren't we?

See you later mates!

April 14th

Good evening everyone! First of all, may I break some great news to you all? You see, barely had I finished my lessons with you when I went down to the café, holding the burned "smoking" amplifier in search of my colleague Julián, who teaches French in the same classroom. As soon as I met him another colleague of the German Department, Teresa, came up and congratulated me. "What on?", I asked her. It was obvious that I hadn't read the Bocyl of late because I had no idea I had been given a grant to a course in England this summer. I was so thrilled with the news that, after thanking her for the "scoop", I hurriedly dashed into my office, turned on my PC and searched for the corresponding order like mad. There was my name: ANTIGUEDAD MIGUEL, JOSE LUIS - ENG 02, which means I will be doing a teacher-training course in the beautiful city of Cambridge (see photo on the left of the magnificent King's College chapel seen from "The Backs", the area where so many famous buildings back on to the River Cam) in the first fortnight of July. Aren't I lucky? This will hopefully be my fourth time in the renowned university town, but by far the longest stay. I first went there as a young student on a flying visit way back in '84, so it sounds like my 25th anniversary!
Well, I don't want to bore you with my enthusiasm. But hey, I'd really like to apologize for some of today's comments during the "You're so vain" activity. Surely they were kind of inappropriate, out of place, even if they intended to be funny. I mean, you know me quite a lot by now and hopefully you understand my peculiar sense of humour during my - too often - "wild" lessons but I reckon today I was carried away by it. So if anyone felt I sort of sounded grotesque and a bit coarse, for some of my language I sincerely apologize. Sometimes I cannot restrain myself ...
Well, that's all I wanted to say. Thanks in advance for your patience and, I'd rather say, leniency. See you on Thursday. Good night!

April 12th

Hello again! Happy Sunday!
Here I am, in front of my portable while watching with my son a music DVD, ACDC's No Bull (The director's cut), a 1996 live gig recorded by the Australian hard rock giant in Las Ventas. Sheer energy! At 46 I don't clash (just yet) with my son's tastes. Actually I was only 15 or so when I used to listen to Highway to Hell, one of the band's flagship songs. I can picture myself headbanging (can you believe it?) across the living room of a secondary schoolmate who had just bought a turntable and a couple of big loudspeakers connected to an amplifier. His father would come in and look at us with a baffled expression while begging is to turn down the volume. Those were the days!
Anyway, how are you enjoying the last days of Easter? I'd like to start by thanking Ana and Antonio for their comments down below. C'mon dear Antonio, how can you still complain about the short holidays, consider yourself lucky! But I appreciate you remembered me at El Prado as you were watching Bacon's exhibition.
Talking about art and entertainment, I've watched a few films these days. And a couple of days ago I went to see Los Abrazos Rotos in Van Dyck (Tormes) so I thought I could write a review. A film within a film, a good story of love and revenge, Almodovar's latest venture is definitely worth watching. You know, I've always believed the manchego director is a visionary, an artist fond of taking risks, of going one step beyond in each film he creates, and this passionate drama of "broken embraces" is no exception. Whether you like Pedro or not, you have to admit is no ordinary moviemaker. I love his awesome close-ups, his unconventional travel techniques, his various camera angles even if sometimes the choice of an excessive colourful background may cause dizziness. And he's a genuine actors' director, someone who "squeezes" every single drop of talent out of the cast. Led by a splendid Luis Homar and a convincing Penelope Cruz, for me, however, it's Blanca Portillo who really stands out, but let's not forget a screen veteran, Jose Luis Gómez, who does a pretty good job too. The flashback-oriented storyline may have its flaws but the editing and the cinematography alone take you through the story in a way thet keep your eyes glued to the screen.
All in all, I would not say this is Pedro's best work, not in my modest opinion as remarkable as Laberinto de Pasión, Mujeres ... or Todo sobre mi Madre, but I tend to believe he's really indulged in a kind of personal whim while making this film.
Hey guys, I know some of you have been to see the flick, so would you like to agree or disagree with me? This is the place, I guess. Or perhaps you've watched other movies, read a book or listen to a lovely record. Don't miss the opportunity to send your review, will you?
Listen, it's lunchtime now and I can't wait to polish off a good plate of the potaje (chickpeas, rice and cod) which my wife has cooked today so I have to say bye for now. Buen provecho! And keep clicking ...

April 7th

Hello everybody!

How's life? Enjoying the holiday? I hope you are, wherever you may be. As for me, life is relaxed (and relaxing) these days. My daughter is away on a Scout camp in Vitoria, so we're down to three at home, and we haven't got any holiday plans until the 23rd, when we're heading for London. I'm really looking forward to it as I haven't been to the UK's capital for a while.

What can I write about, I wonder? Well, for a start Avenida, as expected, couldn't beat Spartak in the final, but they lost with dignity (a 15-point margin) considering their opponents' level, a true world's best team. So hats off to the girls! Besides, the atmosphere was electric and praised by FIBA's executives. I'm not exaggerating if I say that Salamanca is the best basketball venue in Europe.

Enough sport. I'm watching a few films these days. Last night, at my son's request, we watched an Internet download (which of course you can get), Copying Beethoven. You see, my son is hooked on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and he had heard the film revolves around Ludwig's turbulent last days and how he composed the famous work. Whether you are a classical music enthusiast or not, it's difficult not to be moved by the awesome notes of the acclaimed masterpiece. And then there's Ed Harris's powerful performance, highlighting the maestro's life plagued by deafness, loneliness and personal trauma even if assisted by the young conservatory student Anna Holtz (a very effective Diane Kruger). I reckon this biopic has its ups and downs, and the ending leaves you kind of cold, but still a film worth watching if only for the sake of Beethoven's compelling music and Ed's convincing acting throughout. One bonus: you'll find the dialogues easy to follow, since the cast's English accents are slightly "Germanized" as you will notice if you watch the film's official trailer embedded down below:

Watched the flick already? Been to the movies these days? C'mon folks! I'd love to hear from you, whatever you have to say. I know you deserve your hols but a bit of English practice won't do you any harm ...

April 4th

Hi folks! Happy Saturday morning.
Welcome to the April entry of our blog (it only seems like yesterday but it was back in October that we started this experience)
Well, I've lost my voice and I'm speechless with joy. Why? Yes, the dream continues and Avenida is playing the Final-Four final tomorrow against a dream team, the seemingly unbeatable Russian giant Spartak Moscow, a pleiad of stars. But our girls know a thing or two about conquering Russian teams, don't they? CSKA can testify to that! So let's say it loud and clear: YES WE CAN!



Anyway, it's good to be blogging again after a short while. I don't know if you listened to Ana and myself on Radio Oasis on Wednesday, but boy, was it fun! She was talking about her lovely dreams while I was reminiscing about Dublin, and the programme went by as quick as lightning, as we were so relaxed - at least I was - speaking on the mike while listening to some great music, mainly Irish folk but also to the Goddess of soul, Aretha Franklin, the legendary Pink Floyd and stuff. And to me the highlight of the evening was Mary Black's Song for Ireland, whick makes me so emotional whenever I listen to it. A true anthem whose lyrics depict the beauty of the land, the character of its people and reflect the pride and joy of being Irish. So I've decided to embed the song here for you to enjoy, not only the goear.com file but, more importantly (and I'd never seen it before) the YouTube clip featuring my beloved Mary Black. Such a sweet voice!








Then, let me also insert the two Youtube "commercials" advertising our language school, whose links, if I'm not wrong, I sent you yesterday by mail. I'd really love to hear your opinions. Maybe the videos are not very professional from the technical point of view, but the guys deserve some credit for making them, don't they?

March 09

March 26th

Hi folks! Today I feel like reviewing an awesome film I've just seen.
You know, how can the Academy Awards in Hollywood (the Oscars, that is) possibly snub a great movie such as Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. I really wonder. Good old Clint, the older he gets, the better he becomes, both in front and behind the camera. Boy, don't I love his grumpy expression, his harsh voice, his wrinkled face!
You were damn right, Kike. Gran Torino is an extraordinary story about a retired Polish-American Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalsky, who apparently keeps telling the whole world "Keep away from me" while actually meaning "Notice me, I need you". After his wife's death his life amounts to nothing much but a treasured vintage car, a Ford Gran Torino, and a lovely she-dog, Daisy. He despises his unconcerned sibblings, his spoiled grandkids, and wants to be left alone. To make matters worse, his neighbourhood is cluttered with "gooks", Hmongs, and there's this Vang Lor family who live next door to him and trigger back resented feelings from his days as a soldier. But after the initial scorn it will be this Korean family, and in particular the younger members, Sue and Tao, who will "rescue" Walt from his personal hell.
I love the story from the beginning to the end, which will probably draw the emotional tear. With convincing performances by all the cast, the film will give you some food for thought: tense race relations, mindless urban gang violence, Gran Torino depicts the senseless world we live in, full of hatred and prejudice, but still there's hope that a bit of affection can break through sometimes.
Listen, I don't want to give many details about the plot, as I do hope you will get you pen drives ready and take the file home. Sometimes the language is not easy, as there's lots of slang, but no big deal, you will follow the story and you can use the English subtitles anyway
Just one more thing: the "icing on the cake" is this great final song, performed initially by Clint Eastwood himself (his voice pierces your heart!) until the talented Jamie Cullum (ever heard of him?) takes over. The lyrics are glorious and sum up the film perfectly. These are the lines I enjoy the most (the core, actually) but you can listen to the whole song, courtesy of goear.com, down below:

So tenderly your story is
nothing more than what you see
or what you've done or will become
standing strong do you belong
in your skin; just wondering ...

Gentle now a tender breeze blows
whispers through my Gran Torino
whistling another tired song
Engines hum and bitter dreams grow
a heart locked in a Gran Torino
it beats a lonely rhythm all night long

May I be so bold and stay
I need someone to hold
that shudders my skin
their sparkling

Your world is nothing more than all the tiny things you've left behind ...

March 24th

Hi again! Javi Becerro wants to join this "Almodovar fever". This is what he has to say about the universal manchego's career. Thanks Javi!

As a student at university, in the late eighties or early nineties, I knew about this filmaker. During“la Movida”, everything sounded fresh, original and provocative – this is the important word - I started to love the first films of Almodovar for his provocation.

I feel that his first movies are not important for their quality but for their character: druggies, transsexuals, transvestites, mixed with religion, traditional Spanish stereotypes and so on.

His shocking movies clashed with a conservative country that had just got over almost 40 years of dictatorship.

Almodovar is a peculiar director: you love his feature films or your hate them, but they never leave you indifferent. And he is more appreciated abroad than Spain.

Now, I believe that his whole career is impressive but I miss those surprising beginnings.

Almodovar: Love him or hate him. Please join us for more opinions on the controversial filmmaker or any other thing you wish ...

Hello guys! Alleluia, comments keep flooding in, this time from Marta (Prieto), who apparently cannot post her opinion about Obama's interview onto the blog either (what seems to be the problem, I wonder), so she's also asked me to do the task. Well, this is it (thanks a lot, Marta!):

I’ve just watched the interview of President Obama in the Tonight Show by Jay Leno (thanks Jose Luis for providing us with the transcript, it really helps!) and I think that it’s clearly another example of Obama’s charisma. He told several jokes (the one about American Idol is hilarious and I also found other moments very funny such as the part when he’s asked about his future dog and if people throw the game when playing against him) If you’ve enjoyed this one I recommend you the interview on The Ellen Degeneres show when he was still a senator. He dances Beyonce’s song Crazy in love!

About the controversy, I think the same as you, he really didn’t mean to offend the handicapped, it was only a joke...

So c'mon, keep it up folks!

March 23rd

Antonio has just emailed me this "travelogue" together with a few pics of his recent visit to Guadalupe and he wants me to upload the stuff onto this blog for him. and I do it with great pleasure. Thanks a million, Antonio!

Last Saturday I went to Guadalupe. A friend of mine, who is from Mexico, read his thesis on Friday, and he was so interested in knowing the place that I had promised to take him the very next day.

We had a wonderful time. Firstly it was the journey. Every time I

go to Extremadura I have strong feelings of happiness. It is like finding my roots again.

When we arrived it was midday and we went to the monastery, but in front of it, facing the bright sun, looking at the lively atmosphere in the square, we were immediately caught by the place, as we were enjoying everything.

Things went better when we strolled around the place: I saw a large side door for cars in the`Parador´. I always enjoy seeing patios and I am very cheeky about entering a restricted place without permission. So, we went in and we found a wonder: a large garden in several levels and in a style clearly influenced by the Arab world. We wandered slowly looking at everything: the basement floor of the building ended in an arcade, the first floor in balconies, beyond any doubt the balconies for the rooms.

In the past centuries the building, now a `Parador´, was a hospital. I thought about hospitals today, cold places, full of pipes, devices and machines. People recover in hospitals… sometimes. I thought that in an old hospital like this, such a humane place like it seemed to me, people felt undoubtedly well and recovered too.

Francisco, my friend, advised me to pay attention to the sounds. It was a great moment.

Beside the fountain, in the shadow of the cypresses, dozens of birds were singing everywhere: blackbirds, goldfinches, greenfinches, starlings… I even think I heard the nightingale for the first time this year.

Well, having fed the soul, it was time to nourish the body with the typical black pudding and have a beer ...

March 22nd

C'mon you lazy bones! Some of you take AGES to get down to writing and then all you come up with is three-four lines! I mean, if you recommend a film you might as well produce a "full-bodied" review ... or might you? Please, there's more to English than "one of the best movies", "It's better" or "I prefer ..." But anyway I'd rather you wrote stuff like this than nothing at all!

Morning everyone and happy Sunday!
I read a couple of days ago that President Obama had appeared on Father's Day in the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, one of the most famous talk shows on American TV. It seems that the interview had sparked some controversy because, talking casually about his sport activities, namely bowling, Obama said his low score of 129 was "like Special Olympics or something", which has inevitably called into question the President's sensitivity as he seemed to be comparing his skills at bowling to those of a handicapped athlete.
The thing is that last night CNBC replayed the show and I was lucky enough to watch it. Honestly I don't think Obama meant any offence, but it was simply an off-hand remark (surely in bad taste) that tried to make fun of his bowling skills but in no way underrate the Paralympics. However, it is a clear indication of how a public figure of this stature, their every word or move, are under constant scrutiny by the media and the general public.
Anyway, I've been able to find both the full interview on NBC's website and the transcript (which the White House decided to release) for you all to see. Personally I feel it probably gets kind of boring at times as the President mainly focuses on the economic crisis, the AIG bonuses scandal and stuff, but now and then he becomes more relaxed and gets to talk about what "life in the bubble is like", which might be just fine. So give it a go, guys, won't you? It's funny to watch the President of the USA cheered by the audience in a prime-time talk show. Can you imagine our own Mr ZP in the same atmosphere? I just can't!

March 16th

Dia Duit! Cad é mar atá an saol?
No, I've not gone bananas! It's just that I've greeted you in Gaelic ("Hello! How are you?"), the native language of Ireland. Why, you must wonder? Well, tomorrow is St. Patrick's day, the national day of the so-called "Emerald Isle". You know, I've always been very fond of all Irish things since I first set foot in the country in 1992 (I remember seeing the Barcelona Olympics in Dublin!): the people, the music, the way of life, the beer! ... In fact, I believe there's quite a lot in common between us and the Irish, except, of course, for the weather and the food. And historically we've hit it off rather well.
But I don't want to bore you with history or personal feelings. I just want to share with you some Irish stuff to celebrate the day:
Firstly, a History Channel video (just the link, unfortunately I cannot embed it) explaining the origin of the festivity and its popularity on both sides of the Atlantic. It's only a shame the accent is not Irish but middle American! It will do anyway.
Then, there's this YouTube clip featuring a lovely photo montage for you to get a taste of Irish sceneries, folk music and typical St. Paddy's blessings. One curiosity: They all begin "May ..." For example, the first captions read "May the Irish hills caress you / May her lakes and rivers bless you". The use of the "may" inversion is the equivalent to our subjunctive: "Que las montañas irlandesas te acaricien, que sus lagos y ríos te bendigan". I hope you like it!
You know what, we should have some craic (Gaelic for "fun") in class today, shouldn't we? I might come up with a surprise or two. See you then!

By the way, if you go to My music blog you will find an Irish song that I really like. I mean, I couldn't possibly finish this modest Paddy's day celebration without treating you to some Irish music act, could I?

March 12th

As you know, module 6 deals with the case of Stella Liebeck, which triggered off the so-called "compensation culture" in the US. Well, you know, there's this American singer-songwriter and satirist, Weird Al Yankovic, nicknamed the Prince of Parody, who has this hit song titled I'll Sue Ya, which is the height of frivolous lawsuits and spares nobody, from Panasonic and Toys'R'Us to Starbucks and Coca-Cola. Well, since I don't really like this sort of metal-like hip-hop for its musical quality, I've decided to only embed the animated DailyMotion clip, where you can see the cartoon of Weird Al "struggling" against all the world-famous brands. Hilarious!

March 8th

Hi again! Well, the Copa de la Reina is over and done with. It's been a great three days of basketball even if Avenida - disappointingly for some, not for me -underachieved against Ibiza on Friday and couldn't make it all the way to the dreamed final. But that's sport at its best, equally competitive and unpredictable. Mind you, Ibiza are a good team and they deserved to win, as they proved today versus the almighty Ros Casares, when they gave the much hated Valencianas a hard time and stood their ground until well into the last quarter and eventually lost the game. Ros Casares had to cope with the constant booing and whistling of our local fans, who clearly took sides and supported the Balearic team, even if at times they went a bit over the top by chanting an unpleasant and unsporting "Cago en Ros!", which I totally disapprove of. I mean, I don't take to Ros Casares's overbearing general manager, the unmentionable Carme Lluveras, and I sometimes get mad at the bragging attitude on the court of some of the players, who incidentally played for Avenida in the past, but that doesn't mean that the rivalry should get that far. But on the other hand I understand that sport arouses passion. So congrats to Ros Casares, who unlike Avenida won't be able to play the Euroleague's Final Four (it's us who laugh loudest, ha ha!)
The photo? Well, I didn't miss the opportunity that we were seated on the second row, a few metres away from the court, right behind one of the benches, to take - literally - hundreds of pix of the players, the court, the stands, the atmosphere ... and, of course, of my two kids, great fans of basket themselves. My daughter has also collected dozens of autographs and I've even talked to some players myself. And the photo above is the last one I took today, right after the final, on our way out when we bumped into local heroine Isa Sánchez, a charming girl I must say, nothing like the primadonna-ish stars that very often dominate professional sport.
OK guys, enough sport blogging for today. So, has anyone else been to the Multiusos over the weekend? Perhaps you've seen the final on TV? Whatever the reason, send in your comments, will you?
See you on Tuesday. Cheerio!

March 1st

Welcome to a new entry of our blog, which is getting bigger and bigger week by week, almost like a pregnancy, ha ha!
Well, the February exams are over and done with (thank God!), and it's time to get back to normal lessons. Some of you did fine at the exams, others not so well, but I want to encourage all of you, regardless of the "marks", to keep working, harder if possible. If only time didn't go by so quickly, I mean, it's barely three months till the end of the year and still so many things to do, in class and, hopefully, outside. So we are on a pretty tight schedule and have to make the most (and the best) of the time we have left, don't we?
Honestly, I've never felt that my students should come to a language school for the sole purpose of getting the diploma, but mainly for the pleasure of learning the language, if pressed I'd say for the LOVE of the language. Of course, as the saying goes, a gift is always welcome ("a nadie le amarga un dulce"), but it happens, more often than not, that those who only wish to be given the Certificado walk away and quit English (or any other foreign language) completely, so their level of competence fades little by little and eventually goes 100% rusty, as it were. I sometimes bump into former students of mine and quite too often, when I ask them if they keep practising the language, they shrug their shoulders resignedly and confess that they have barely any contact with English, except for the occasional DVD and some odd book they come across. Such a shame, I say to myself!
You must be wondering why I'm telling you all these things, and I really don't know why either, but it's like I want to make you realise that, like mine (and I mean it), your learning process has just begun, so to speak. There are solid foundations but they may collapse if abandoned, like those buildings which one day stood out bright and beautiful but now are derelict so no one looks at them. Wow, I feel poetic today!
Anyway, enough reflections for now. I hope you keep clicking and visiting this modest blog and, above all, you are daring enough to contribute to it, whichever the way. So why not right now? Cheerio!