tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59923042012-01-29T08:55:46.959+01:00Expat MamaAn American mom living in Spain with her Spanish husband and their three sons: a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old, and one little guy who turned three in Feb 2011!katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.comBlogger7591100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-79174689541599034862012-01-28T19:38:00.000+01:002012-01-28T19:38:57.640+01:00And so it begins...The grades for the first part of the exam for the specialty of Physical Education have been posted, and the words I keep hearing to describe the results are "massacre" and "butchery." It appears that there is a pass rate of about 5% (which still leaves about 200 candidates to compete for 25 spots in the second round (I don't know the exact numbers, but somewhere in that katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-41141787657971622242011-12-27T08:46:00.000+01:002011-12-27T08:46:27.942+01:00So what's next?I'm beginning to think about my employment options for the future. Still don't know if I will pass to the next phase of the exam, and if I do, whether I actually get a spot, and if I do, whether or not the legal challenges will succeed and get the whole thing thrown out.
The change in government has brought new budget cuts-- the new president has announced that they will not holdkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-28287753890516149262011-11-30T09:21:00.000+01:002011-11-30T09:21:03.035+01:00And now a word from our sponsorsHeh heh. No, I don't have any sponsors, though I was contacted by this company and I thought it might be of interest, maybe not so much to my regular readers (I know there are a few of you out there) but maybe to those who stop by in search of morcilla images (still getting plenty of those) or for information about traveling or moving to Spain with kids. (katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-72665346575235585912011-11-27T12:26:00.001+01:002011-11-30T09:39:48.482+01:00HmmmThe exam (the first part) has been published (without answers) and looking at it again I am somewhat worried. There are only 20 questions, though some have multiple parts-- who knows if they will give partial credit. And a couple that I thought I had right, now I am doubting... I still think/hope I got at least 25%, but if they don't give partial credit, and depending how they mark it, I maykatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-88794286572201185482011-11-26T22:24:00.003+01:002011-11-26T22:25:54.640+01:00Okay, let's finish up while I still have some energy.The last part of the exam was no mystery, except we didn't know which two balls would be drawn. I was hoping for one of the tricky ones that no one chooses, because i had studied them and could do a good job, and also because if you choose a topic different from most people, it can be a point in your favor (not literally.) But it was not to bekatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-65790020749656169802011-11-26T21:38:00.000+01:002011-11-26T21:38:56.798+01:00Seguimos.Okay, so the second test was a huge surprise-- not so much to the people who had already heard the rumors, but that probably isn't most people. In the announcement this test wasn't described much differently than other years, but it was totally different. It turned out to be a listening, which we heard twice, and then had to answer a series of questions, some about the content of the katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-84361589658612553762011-11-26T19:56:00.000+01:002011-11-26T19:56:03.200+01:00Hold everything!Okay, so one of the academies that prepare people for this exam has prepared a copy of the exam (some of it, not all) with the questions answered correctly, and now I am seriously doubting several things I thought I had right in the Lengua section-- they answer giving lots more information than what I gave-- I did not think this was what they were asking for. I still think I got katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-19893267919523136552011-11-26T19:17:00.001+01:002011-11-26T19:38:50.191+01:00Post-Mortem, part 2So where was I? Okay, moving on from the Lengua section. As in the external tests for Primary format, the Science questions are related, however tangentially, to the text. Well, in this exam, several animals appeared in the text: a hen, a hawk, a cat, a snail, and a snake. The question asked us to classify these animals, which, um, is not difficult to say that a cat is a mammalkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-20837161342101154902011-11-26T17:52:00.000+01:002011-11-26T17:52:48.532+01:00Exam post-mortemMy, that sounds ominous, doesn't it? Well, the very short version is that it's over. I'm pretty sure I did well enough to pass on to the second phase (which I won't know for sure until February), but it remains to be seen whether I did well enough to get a teaching post.
So here's a post-mortem of the exam, in excrutiating detail, part by part:
Part 1, the mystery exam.
A lot katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-82214472876981052462011-11-21T22:17:00.005+01:002011-11-21T22:50:03.492+01:00Peanuts for Eli
This website, Mathwire, has lots of great activities for teaching Math and mathematical concepts. I was just reading this one for introducing integers to first graders, and despite the fact that looking at photos of peanuts that the students would actually be handling makes me cringe, post-peanut allergy diagnosis, I was intrigued by this:
Eli is an elephant who loves peanutskatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-26596220633500130952011-11-20T15:25:00.000+01:002011-11-20T15:25:28.959+01:00Coming up for air Okay, so I haven't been around much lately. I have occasionally thought of posts, but haven't actually taken the time to write anything. But now I am in the recta final, the final countdown (forgive me if I don't link to one of the boys' favorite videos, The Final Countdown song with SpongeBob visuals... Actually, you can just go ahead and thank me.)
Saturday is the exam, the katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-20603727190004215062011-09-24T21:49:00.001+02:002011-09-24T22:07:56.974+02:00So where was I?Oh yeah, waiting in vain for information about the exam and dealing with the leaning tower of bookcase in my classroom. We ended up buying a new bookcase at Ikea (the white EXPEDIT, for the curious-- it doesn't seem to want to let me post a link) which the conserje has helpfully assembled for us. Classes have started but so far I have mostly been helping out with the katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-34705648453153280352011-09-01T21:42:00.000+02:002011-09-01T21:42:55.560+02:00Re-entry sucksBut at least we had a great vacation. Though mine wasn't all that vacationlike. Oh well, there's always next year. Today I signed my contract for this year and checked out my classroom-- newly painted, looks great, except that the huge bookcase where we store all of our stuff had to be moved for the painting, and it is now precariously balanced (leaning and about to collapse) in thekatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-7632145057183736632011-07-26T11:22:00.000+02:002011-07-26T11:22:36.399+02:00More dribs and drabsOkay, so they have released a bit more information about the first test. They will give you one or more texts and then ask questions (related to the texts) involving Science, History, Spanish Language and Literature, and then a section on math. It sounds like a similar format to the external exams (standardised testing) that they do for the 6th graders, except I don't think katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-5130457759097881762011-07-26T00:09:00.000+02:002011-07-26T00:09:08.158+02:00How to calculate a square root in 8 not-so-easy steps (in Spanish...)1) Si el radicando tiene más de dos cifras, separamos las cifras en grupos de dos empezando por la derecha.
2) Calculamos la raíz cuadrada entera o exacta, del primer grupo de cifras por la izquierda.
3) El cuadrado de la raíz obtenida se resta al primer grupo de cifras que aparecen en el radicando.
4) Detrás del resto colocamoskatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-36955388865397286692011-07-21T22:01:00.000+02:002011-07-21T22:01:18.340+02:00Spanish and the comma spliceSo one of the things I have to study is punctuation rules, and I was curious to see if it would shed light on the question of: Are comma splices okay in Spanish? (Yes, go ahead and stop reading right now if this is not a burning question for you. I realize that the intricacies of grammar are not exactly thrilling for the majority of the world...)
I have been looking katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-23674530448781797522011-07-20T14:42:00.000+02:002011-07-20T14:42:37.413+02:00I may as well just throw in the towelNo, not really. I mean, I am going to press on, but more and more this feels like an exercise in futility (and even if I do pass, different groups will contest the exam on different grounds, so it's possible that the whole thing will be thrown out, anyway.) So I don't know why I'm even bothering, except that at this point I've put enough into it that throwing katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-63465597338441155932011-07-18T22:22:00.000+02:002011-07-18T22:22:50.251+02:00Some newsInformation about this exam keeps leaking out in dribs and drabs... Now it appears that those who pass the exam will not begin teaching in their new (but still provisional) posts until the start of the next school year, 2012-2013. This makes a lot of sense (though it's too bad for those who pass but are not working, so will have to wait another year to start earning a paycheck.) It alsokatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-72369464208198924902011-07-13T13:27:00.002+02:002011-07-13T13:30:35.399+02:00Baraja española
Okay, let's see how many hits I get with this picture!
So, if you have a baraja española of 40 cards, and choose one at random, what is the probability (in percent) of it being odd and cups? What about of it being a sota or of the suit "gold"? Or of it being even or cups?
Let's see, what exactly is a baraja española of 40 cards? A trip to Wikipedia tells me it is like a katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-77024658824797652482011-07-13T11:39:00.002+02:002011-07-13T11:39:06.855+02:00Does anyone still find the square root of a number without a calculator?Apparently, yes. Fun fun.katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-2455264306748419022011-07-11T14:21:00.002+02:002011-07-14T11:29:57.539+02:00Forbidden fruitOkay, so I guess all it takes to get me to post is to post my resolve not to post... Oh well. Studying so far is coming along-- the math stuff is probably the easiest, as once you understand it (and it's not that hard) you can pretty much solve any problem they throw at you (one would hope...) The other stuff relies more on the "rote memorization of vast quantities of informationkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-1404995590845651682011-07-08T10:24:00.001+02:002011-07-08T10:24:24.533+02:00LockdownSo last night I went to a special class (the first of three, four hours each) to prepare for the new part of the exam. It appears that it will be questions (we don't know if it will be short answer or multiple choice) on topics from any of the curricular areas of Primary Education. And this test will be the first, and the one that aims to eliminate as many people as possible-- if you katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-74561823049062510532011-07-06T22:55:00.002+02:002011-07-06T22:58:36.656+02:00¡Que te den morcilla!So I guess I know what to do if I want to increase traffic to this blog-- post more pictures of traditional Spanish foods! I am well aware that due to a number of factors, my blog readership has dwindled to about cuatro gatos, and I'm not exactly doing anything to change that at this point. (If you do read, thanks! I appreciate your sticking around!) I don't even check my katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-15110571025121657282011-07-06T16:55:00.000+02:002011-07-06T16:55:34.490+02:00Language updateDani has had quite a language explosion in the past few months. Even in the past few weeks. A lot of it is clearly stuff he learned and has a need to use at Infant school-- for example, energetic expressions like:
¡Yo primero! Me first!
¡Lo tenía yo! I was using that!
¡Quita! ¡No veo! Move! I can't see!
This last one he has taken to saying while walking to or from school (katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-56946348009134895312011-06-22T20:22:00.001+02:002011-06-22T20:24:16.954+02:00Dragged through the streets of bitterness...So they published the official exam announcement today. I could rant forever, but I'll just mention that they have decided to substantially change both the structure and content of the exam, at a mere two (or so-- we still don't know exact dates) months before it begins. Before, even with the small number of spots and the huge number of potential katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-60388232521455500232011-06-02T12:08:00.001+02:002011-06-02T21:58:29.047+02:00No news is... no newsThe election has passed, and still no news about the exam. Clearly the politicians are in no hurry, and an eventual "Guess what, we decided not to have it after all!" is becoming more and more of a possibility (according to the unions, to general cynicism and to basic common sense.) But I press on, just in case. I have stopped studying the topics for the moment, since if theykatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-80304882841518085662011-06-02T09:24:00.000+02:002011-06-02T09:24:10.954+02:00Anyone use GoogleReader?We got a new CPU and I am trying to re-add all my toolbar icons-- there was one which you could click and the page (blog) you were reading would open up in GR and ask you if you want to subscribe. Well, I tried searching in the Mozilla add-ons for it but it turns up a gazillion apps to wade through, and who has the time? I know it's a long shot asking here, since I hardlykatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-51315831570763388002011-06-01T19:01:00.001+02:002011-06-01T23:29:03.601+02:00IshSince I don't watch American TV or hear Americans speak on a regular basis, I miss out on the latest catchphrases, until I come across them unexpectedly online or somewhere else. So, when this popped up in my feed reader, I just had to pass it on to those of you who enjoy language.
I'm no linguist, though I was pleased to understand some of the more technical comments on the post (closed katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-40940489199185553632011-05-23T22:10:00.001+02:002011-05-23T22:11:55.534+02:00Expat tax questionsOkay, so as I have been gainfully employed for a little over a year, I apparently have to file a US tax report. I have been reading over the documents online, but I'm not sure of a few things, like whether I can/should claim a housing deduction, and whether I have to report Santi's income if I am filing as "Married Filing Separately" and he, of course, is neither a US citizen katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-64108242862468877512011-05-22T18:21:00.000+02:002011-05-22T18:21:26.585+02:00A ventSo I don't know if I mentioned it, but after all of my navel-gazing posts about whether or not to join Facebook, I finally did. I didn't use my full name, so no one has come looking for me, but I do have a very small number of Friends-- most of whom I am related to in some way, and the rest are either real-life friends or people I've interacted with online enough to think of as friends. (Ifkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-42472057268762235842011-05-19T21:30:00.000+02:002011-05-19T21:30:00.784+02:00What did we do without the Internet????Today I was able to show Pedro what TV dinners were like (he asked about them, from a reference in a book.) I used to like the Swanson turkey ones, though my brother was more a Salisbury Steak kind of guy. Kind of funny to revisit that era.
Then I found a song for Pedro that he had been humming and asking about. I didn't know the name of it, but googled "katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-71523697413633895212011-05-17T22:55:00.001+02:002011-05-17T22:57:58.380+02:00Only me!Dani is at the heighth of the "I want to do it myself!" stage. In Spanish, that is conveyed by the economical, "Yo solo!" In English, when the situation arises I have acknowledged (several times), "Oh, you want to do it yourself." But instead of "myself" he has taken to insisting in English, "Only me!" It is pretty funny/cute (except when we are in a hurry, but even then it's still kind katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-69369516383048732842011-05-13T19:01:00.000+02:002011-05-13T19:01:36.857+02:00PSA for BCN nativesOr possibly for those who don't already live there but would like to. I got an email from a company in Barcelona who wants to hire native English speakers to work in a call center-- they asked if I would pass along the info, so here it is: We are looking for native English speakers with an interest/knowledge in financial matters, who are also motivated individuals with strong katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-74902169587916306112011-04-19T20:12:00.000+02:002011-04-19T20:12:55.612+02:00This is getting more interestingIn a manner of speaking. It seems that the idea is to have the exam held afternoons and Saturdays (in the same buildings where classes are held in the morning, and after September, in many schools, until 4 or 4:30 in the afternoon) so that examiners and examinees do not have to miss work. Therefore, the teachers on the jury will be working a double shift (leaving katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-89430015260020146122011-04-18T22:48:00.002+02:002011-04-18T22:52:29.240+02:00Busy!So Dani was sitting at the computer desk pulling the sticky-note tabs out of the dispenser and sticking them onto the desk in front of him. His grandfather (who is visiting) said, "Hey Dani, why don't you come over here and I'll read you a story?" Which was met with more tab-pulling and the reply, "I'm busy."
This is much more amusing when you know that Dani is still not talking very much (katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-81825505576269893152011-04-05T22:20:00.004+02:002011-04-05T22:37:09.812+02:00Somebody likes me!I got a message a couple of days ago letting me know that I am among the winners of this year's Tripbase blog awards (Expat category.) Here's their home page. In any case, the site seems to be a site that suggests possible vacation destinations for you based on what you are looking for, but if you scroll down they have some interesting features, including a complete guide to katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-8636949423648576992011-03-25T17:04:00.009+01:002011-04-05T22:08:33.035+02:00Reading with DaniDani loves to be read to, and will hand you a book, commanding, "Read! Read!" One he likes is Byron Barton's The Three Bears. He really gets into the story, and right from the start he makes it clear that the main characters are Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Dani. When we get to this page...... he starts pounding on Goldilocks and yelling, "Malo! Malo!" (translation: Shame on you, katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-67848270974403705872011-03-20T13:28:00.003+01:002011-03-20T13:49:50.194+01:00Shout out to SantiThere are a few things I've been musing over and would like to post about, but it is probably not going to happen. So I will just pop in here and give a shout out to Santi, who has been a real champ keeping the kids occupied on weekends (and doing a lot of the housework) so I can study. Right now, in fact, he has taken them to the village for the day (luckily it's beautiful katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-41114165858888647282011-03-05T20:39:00.004+01:002011-03-05T21:48:15.707+01:00He's three!Dani, of course. And the fact that I didn't even mention it until several days after the big event is testament to the busyness of our lives at the moment. But he did turn three, and was delighted to be sung to at school. He is quite independent, and will try to do things for himself whenever possible (and often, even when not possible.) Today, in fact, he had a pee accident and took katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-40295903981982631762011-03-04T21:45:00.007+01:002011-03-04T22:47:38.620+01:00It snowed today (and some deepish questions about equity in education)Quite a bit, actually-- it was really coming down when I left the house at 7ish this morning. I ended up taking the train, but apparently it wasn't snowing in most other places nearby, and did rain some during the day (including the part where the entire school, 12 classes of elementary and 6 classes of Infantil, had assembled katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-37721788714783641652011-02-18T22:14:00.006+01:002011-02-18T22:38:37.532+01:00HmmmWell, no specific information came out of the meeting today, but things are looking up-- it appears that other regions are also reconsidering their decision not to have the exam, so that would mean less competition in Madrid (though one estimate was reported at 15,000 candidates-- in all the areas, not just English, but still-- wow.) The other encouraging thing was that "sources say" that katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-36646940465591384352011-02-17T18:27:00.002+01:002011-02-17T18:36:41.510+01:00Vaya tomadura de peloOkay, so the president of the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid just announced that in fact, they will be having the exam this year (though we won't know how many spots will be available until Friday.) It is likely that there will be few spots, and certain that there will be an avalanche of candidates from other regions to compete against. But, I am going to press on.I was alreadykatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-23683494166744924322011-02-14T18:03:00.003+01:002011-02-14T18:11:42.541+01:00This just in!News on the opos front: apparently they will be having the exam next year, and also apparently, it will be under a new system (yeah, that 60 topics thing.) They haven't released an official list of topics yet, which is too bad, since with 60 topics one needs to get started ASAP. I do have a tentative list, though, and while the 25 topics from this year are included, some of them are katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-50279493723398832602011-02-13T18:58:00.002+01:002011-02-13T19:19:23.331+01:00MentalizandomeThe title means something to the effect of "adapting to/getting used to" something, not "going mental." I wonder what expression we would use in English? There's another one I used before, "cambiar el chip" (changing the chip-- like a microchip in the brain?) Anyway, I am going to keep preparing for the exam, because it's quite possible that they might have one next year, and even katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-7847422614204574092011-02-10T17:56:00.004+01:002011-02-10T18:13:10.354+01:00Insert huge sigh here (and not of relief...)So I just heard that they will NOT be holding the state teaching exam this year. This is bad news for several reasons, and quite unexpected (there have been lots of rumors to that effect, but there always are and in the past they have always held the exam anyway.) Details are unclear, but it's likely that there will not be another exam until 2013, at katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-9850898418614835092011-02-07T17:24:00.003+01:002011-02-07T17:28:54.768+01:00Another hazard of being an American whose children are learning British English at school...Trying not to laugh or cringe while having conversations about cocks* and rubbers** with your six year old.*Today Elías asked me why at school they call roosters "cocks." **I'm sure I've mentioned this one before, and since I work in a school too I hear it all the time. "Eraser" sounds so much nicer, katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-61654409765773415372011-02-06T19:48:00.002+01:002011-02-06T19:50:38.700+01:00To rectify...Okay, I asked Elías again and not only can he distinguish between "pin" and "pen," he can now make a perfect short "i" sound. So, there you go.katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-21825485631160823542011-02-02T21:49:00.004+01:002011-02-02T22:34:04.611+01:00Learning to read in two languages (and some rambling on phonetics...)Just a quick note about something I've been noticing lately about Elías. I have been giving him some dictations, to practice handwriting and to see how he does with spelling words in English. As it turns out, he does quite well-- he rarely misspells a word he has seen before, even ones like "knee." I always knew he had a good katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-89274569721909654282011-01-31T21:17:00.003+01:002011-01-31T21:39:22.703+01:00Son of a PeachSo last night I was reading Pedro and Elias a bedtime story from an old library copy (discarded, not stolen) of Virginia Haviland's Favorite Fairy Tales Told in Japan, which includes a version of Momotaro, the Peach Boy. In this collection it is called "Son of a Peach," and when I read the title, Pedro started giggling. I figured I knew what he was laughing at (though I admit to katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-9415292342640396632011-01-25T21:17:00.002+01:002011-01-25T21:40:19.456+01:00Hanging in there...So a few (probably even a couple) of years ago, I would have been all over this Tiger Mother thing, but as it is I can't muster up the ganas to click over to the Washington Post to read the piece (I don't even have the link, but I'm sure everyone who's interested has already read it anyway.) Whatever.Still attempting to study, but man is it hard to settle in at 9:30 pm with katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-35161317465043224512010-12-31T22:26:00.003+01:002010-12-31T22:36:13.531+01:00New Year's RevolutionsPedro asked if we were going to do any of those. Um, no. Not this year. Though this year I might actually give the grapes a real go instead of a half-hearted going-along-with-it, since I could use the luck in 2011.And for us, 2011 will be starting in just about 90 minutes, so I'm wishing everyone a Happy New Year a bit early. I think I will have a real cava toast, throwingkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-43876617002681016302010-12-31T10:15:00.003+01:002010-12-31T10:19:59.963+01:00Happy 2011!Evidence that I have not totally neglected the holiday baking this year (I also made gingerbread muffins, but this is it for the cookies. Oh well...)I have high hopes for the coming year, and I'm sending out our best wishes to everyone!katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-63827903091497660712010-12-30T10:25:00.005+01:002010-12-30T10:47:38.205+01:00New Year's TraditionsRaul's comment on my last post got me thinking about different New Year's traditions. I have mentioned in the past that I am not a fan of the Spanish "cram 12 grapes into your mouth one by one and attempt to chew them up and swallow them before the clock stops chiming" thing, but there is a nice Italian tradition about the first food you eat in the new year (meaning, a katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-33983787789708263342010-12-27T08:44:00.004+01:002010-12-27T09:55:33.743+01:00Just because I canI'm going to link to a few things that may or may not be of interest to anyone...This Boston Globe article on a prison library, which I found as usual via aldaily, is a quick read and for me, at least, uplifting.Richard Thaler's question at The Edge: The flat earth and geocentric world are examples of wrong scientific beliefs that were held for long periods. Can you name your katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-71994813800236036062010-12-16T20:34:00.003+01:002010-12-16T20:51:58.598+01:00If a man you've never met before suddenly gives you flowers...*No, this did not happen to me. They were talking about this ad on the radio (that morning program I mentioned) and though I hadn't heard the ad in several decades (am I old enough to say "several decades?" I hope not. Let's just say " a couple...") it immediately came back. Of course, they were talking about it in Spanish, so it was katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-26769652260004661912010-12-01T22:10:00.004+01:002010-12-01T22:31:32.139+01:00A brief noteI have found a peanut-free (supposedly) brand of turrón that Dani can eat. It is probably pretty pricey, since I found it at the Club del Gourmet in El Corte Inglés, but it is also probably pretty tasty, so we'll have to make a trip out there soon. Soon! I can't believe it's December already! Aaaaaahhhh!In other news, I was flipping through Pedro's Language Arts notebook this evening,katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-8760828578241350552010-11-29T17:15:00.006+01:002010-11-29T18:01:26.318+01:00Morcilla Firefox????Does using the computer make you hungry? Apparently it does Elías... (I personally wouldn't eat the stuff even if I were hungry!)Edited to add: The name of the dish shown above is morcilla (blood sausage, and the post title is what Elías called our browser yesterday!katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-37999513683457847342010-11-15T23:28:00.003+01:002010-11-16T00:12:19.510+01:00To dream the impossible dream...Okay, a few words about the State Teaching Exam (and no, I don't think that passing it is an impossible dream, in fact, I have high hopes, but when you read the rest of this post you'll see why it sometimes feels that way...)The exam has several parts. The first part is a written essay about a topic-- you choose three numbers at random (each representing one of thekatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-54561132255727647962010-11-05T23:01:00.009+01:002010-11-05T23:47:57.300+01:00Lone lunchWow, is this actually another post so soon? Why yes, it is-- I can't believe it myself! And despite the title, I hope to cover, however briefly, several point of interest!Anyway, last (school) year I mentioned eating in the conference room with other teachers (my "first week in review" post.) Well, starting Monday I will be eating alone in my classroom in the Preschool/K building. Whilekatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-29852088621768345342010-11-01T20:26:00.006+01:002010-11-01T20:53:54.323+01:00Halloween etc.It's been so long I'm almost embarrassed to come back! Since past years have meant a flurry of Halloween posts, it would be nice to give this year's update. Unfortunately I left my camera in the village, but there aren't many pictures anyway. I made a carrot cake in a Wilton Jack-o'-lantern cake pan, and it was very well received. We spent Halloween night in the village and had somekatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-29364338020320635292010-09-15T16:30:00.004+02:002010-09-15T17:09:59.471+02:00HotHigh temperatures today hit 93º. It has been quite the toasty week around here, and no air conditioning at school or at home. In fact, the only place I have AC is in the car, where I spend a good 45 minutes to an hour every morning and afternoon. School starting on Monday has caused the traffic to ramp up (wish it also caused the temps to go down...) which makes it closer to an hour commute inkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-70489431507675459772010-09-06T23:11:00.002+02:002010-09-06T23:26:00.731+02:00Hanging in thereJust dropping in to say that we are here, and all is well. It's still way too hot for comfort, but hopefully that will taper off soon. A few bullet points by way of an update:***Dani did well on his first day of school. MIL dropped him off and we walked into his classroom and went over and started playing, much like Pedro did on his first day of daycare many years ago. Aparently katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-70613265092442425822010-08-31T08:36:00.006+02:002010-08-31T09:05:16.858+02:00Gendered language and habits of mind and oh yeah, welcome back!I've been meaning to post for awhile, though we only just arrived back home (and back to an internet connection) Sunday night, and so far I have been a bit occupied enduring the horrible heat and the fact that there is no food in the house which means I have to take three antsy kids grocery shopping, and, well, you get the picture. Sokatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-67904942228533777392010-07-14T14:37:00.002+02:002010-07-14T14:41:56.263+02:00Campeones!Given my last post, I figured I had to come in again and bask for a moment in the glory of Spain's World Cup win. If we had been in Madrid on Sunday, it would have been much more exciting (and we would have gotten a lot less sleep!) Here, the event went relatively uncelebrated, though we certainly did our part!katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-7534606023900800292010-06-22T22:48:00.002+02:002010-06-22T22:58:27.334+02:00Viva la Roja!So despite Spain's inauspicious debut against Switzerland in the World Cup, they beat Honduras in yesterday's game and will play Chile on Friday, for the chance to advance further or be eliminated. They originally were considered a (the? seems a stretch, but who knows) favourite, so we'll see if they live up to expectations.¡Viva la Roja!katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-29938173852687566712010-06-10T22:10:00.003+02:002010-06-10T22:49:29.565+02:00UpdateOr continuation, or something. I was able to get a regular appointment, so I didn't have to go as an "emergency." I got the excuse for yesterday's absence, and probably could have wrangled one for today, but I did go in, and didn't lose my voice. Speaking of voices, Dani has been saying a lot more in the past month or so. Monday when I got home from work he toddled over and thrust a book katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-91942941228896288722010-06-08T21:48:00.002+02:002010-06-08T22:46:13.435+02:00AfónicaYes, I actually went a whole month without posting. And this month is likely to be pretty dry as well, given all the stuff we have to do before July 1st. However, I am not going to work tomorrow, because (as the title of this post indicates) I have lost my voice. I was quite hoarse this morning, and a couple of hours in all I could do was whisper, and only barely. I tried to get a doctor'skatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-83235382602089530922010-04-25T21:42:00.004+02:002010-04-25T22:12:53.445+02:00Trains and thingsOnce again I pop in with a quick update. School is going well, aside from that one class that is driving me absolutely nuts (and as I said, I teach them eight sessions a week.) But, the working relationship with the other teachers is good, and I like the kids, even when they make me want to tear my hair out. Oh well.Dani is starting to talk a bit more. We were looking at a farm katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-17643178147085248092010-04-11T22:55:00.003+02:002010-04-11T23:15:25.832+02:00Hey there!Sorry, can't think of a catchy title. I'm enjoying work, though it's still an uphill climb with the 4 year olds. Man, that class is a headache. I see them 8 times a week, so it's a fairly pressing concern to find a way to make things more manageable. I do have some ideas (and in fact, I tried something that worked fairly well for a short period of time, but no longer does.) katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-55903696702642212152010-03-22T22:07:00.004+01:002010-03-27T22:15:25.875+01:00Reality CheckOkay, I don't know why I ever thought I might have the time and/or energy to blog at some discreet location about my new job. Because I seriously don't. That doesn't mean I don't muse about things and wish I could blog on them-- I do. But, not gonna happen. In case you are wondering what I am musing about, however, I will give you a quick taste:--The fact that my teaching degree has katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-40786307599126077752010-03-07T16:52:00.002+01:002010-03-07T16:56:50.018+01:00Like clockworkI don't know if it was the extra germ exposure of this week or the lack of sleep (or maybe both,) but on Friday evening I started to get the telltale signs of a bad cold. So now I'm doped up on cold meds... I guess I will have to be more vigilant about washing my hands. At least I already had the swine flu, courtesy of student teaching last fall!katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-4619694088020329062010-03-05T22:13:00.005+01:002010-03-05T23:06:14.129+01:00The First Week in ReviewWell, the first week is over. The commute. It's not so bad-- in the morning I ride in with Santi to Madrid, about 30-40 minutes, and then take a commuter rail (about 15 minutes) and a metro (only one stop), then walk the rest of the way. Basically I leave home at around 7am or a bit earlier, and get to the school about 8:15ish. I stop at a great little bar that's right katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-80245149560384599412010-02-26T22:32:00.002+01:002010-02-26T22:40:50.759+01:00Two TodaySo, Dani turned 2 today! We'll celebrate with a homemade, peanut-free cake tomorrow, but I couldn't let the day go by without at least a mention. He still doesn't say much, but claerly understands tons, and when you ask him a question he will often nod yes or no. He loves his brothers and one of his favorite activities is putting on their shoes and clomping around the house (or grabbingkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-35027082864742000292010-02-23T22:50:00.003+01:002010-02-23T23:07:15.816+01:00TituladaIn case you were imagining that I was blissfully busy with my new job, well, no. I have been waiting for the various hoops to be jumped through, and today I finally got the call that I will be signing the contract on Friday and I will start work on Monday. As of yet I still don't have any details, except in the most general sense, about who and what I will be teaching, so I can't make anykatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-53794164480985753732010-02-17T21:30:00.005+01:002010-02-17T21:35:07.535+01:00The Talking ParrotSo this morning Elías wanted to give it a go...katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-57638675152962879872010-02-15T22:20:00.004+01:002010-02-15T22:32:56.396+01:00The Spatula ManSpongeBob fans might be familiar with this one. Pedro dictated it to me, and he drew the pictures. He made the "p" in the title and also told me to make the "O" in the first word bigger than the rest of the text, like he has seen in other books. You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them.katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-87639461617169296102010-02-12T07:37:00.004+01:002010-02-12T07:52:03.751+01:00Holding outYes, I've been holding out on you all. A couple of weeks ago I got called from the place I had applied to, and Monday had an interview. Wednesday I was offered (and accepted) a teaching job! Unfortunately, it will involve a lengthy commute, so I will have to leave the house at 7am and probably won't get back home until almost 6pm every evening. This will require some sacrifice on the katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-68153859508415058542010-01-31T08:36:00.003+01:002010-01-31T08:50:25.784+01:00Watercolors and booksOn the first subject, oreneta has been painting a canvas a day and is doing some interesting things with watercolor. That reminded me that I wanted to post about this book, and when I read that Jerry Pinkney had won the Caldecott for it, it seemed the perfect time. You can read this brief interview with him in the Notes From the Horn Book newsletter (you will probably have tokatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-52000993495994644232010-01-31T08:11:00.007+01:002010-01-31T08:31:46.346+01:00Our weekend in picturesOr at least the first part of it. Friday was a day off for the kids, to celebrate the patron saint of teachers. We started the day with pancakes, and when I cracked open the egg into the bowl, this is what I found:Strange, huh? I guess this would have been chicken twins...Lunch yesterday was glorified pigs in a blanket:We made the dough in our bread machine, then wrapped itkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-64125186404395669932010-01-22T12:20:00.006+01:002010-01-22T21:34:03.106+01:00GinormousOkay, so I'm a bit behind the times, again. I have seen this word pop up in blogs and other online media, but in my head I always pronounced it with a hard g and short i, rendering it a cutsey mispronunciation of "enormous." But yesterday I rented Monsters vs. Aliens for the kids, and realized what most of you probably already know, that the word is actually a combination of "gigantic" katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-5908406787905094792010-01-22T12:17:00.002+01:002010-01-22T12:20:52.774+01:00Purple AmericaJust wanted to mention that Sophia Raday, author of Love In Condition Yellow, has launched a new column. Here's what she says about it:If you have differences – political or otherwise – with people you love, this column is for you. Or if you’ve ever been curious about “the other side,” if you believe that politics don't define character and that reasonable people can disagree, thenkatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-2156585515033258542010-01-21T16:40:00.009+01:002010-01-21T22:24:38.420+01:00In case you've been wondering... Dani is still not talking hardly at all-- he will say a word or two when something is novel or exciting, but mostly he just communicates with gesture and an urgent wordless whine. I don't know how else to describe it-- in Spanish the word is gruñido, which I just looked up in the Real Academia Española online dictionary, and the first definition is "sound a pig katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-34513828112458641882010-01-10T22:20:00.003+01:002010-01-10T22:34:13.684+01:00Life is goodIs it wrong that I am so happy that school starts again tomorrow, and MIL goes back to whence she came, and life can once again resume its natural course? I have enjoyed having the kids home, but I am definitely ready to move on.It started snowing late this afternoon, and hasn't stopped yet. Not those big fluffy flakes we used to get back home, but there is accumulation and we will katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-89654512817126502922010-01-04T22:25:00.002+01:002010-01-04T22:35:29.286+01:00Here comes the rain againAnd again, and again. It started raining December 21st and has barely stopped since. We are in for more of it over the week (with the possibility of snow in a few days as well.) Needless to say, our school vacation is turning into somewhat of a nightmare, with the kids cooped up inside all day long. Oh well, we shall troop on. The Three Kings are coming tomorrow night, sokatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-75014178682686897922009-12-31T21:24:00.007+01:002009-12-31T21:56:58.942+01:00The Year in ReviewWell, I suppose I should reflect back on some of the important events in our family from 2009. The two that come first to mind at the moment are finding out about Dani's peanut allergy (though that has proven to be a fairly low-key issue so far) and finishing all my coursework for my degree-- finally! Most of the rest seems like business as usual, generally, with some ups and katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-23170689895746160372009-12-26T20:43:00.001+01:002009-12-26T20:49:50.257+01:0022 MonthsToday Dani is 22 months old. He has said a few words over the past couple of days, like when he saw me get stuff ready to make cookies, and walked over and pointed at the oven saying "hot", or when he is excited for his bath, he goes to the bathroom and says "bath" (okay, what he says, more phonetically rendered, is "ha" and "ba" but the context makes it clear.)But he continues to use katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-8606627851316273532009-12-26T12:00:00.001+01:002010-01-26T16:31:15.449+01:00Re-memoir that?When I was doing my column at Literary Mama, what now seems like ages ago, several of my fellow columnists were writing book proposals and getting publishing contracts. Heidi Raykeil even had a spot on the Today show to talk about her book based on her popular column, Sex in the Suburbs. (Note: I just noticed that the book is Bargain Priced at Amazon for only $4.85-- I'm sorry it'skatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-58436252068103100292009-12-21T07:35:00.004+01:002009-12-21T07:44:50.013+01:00Rudolph breaks a leg!Since the crisis has hit many families pretty hard this year, a local news station ran a special report from the North Pole: Santa announces that poor Rudolph has broken his leg, and implores the children to ask for fewer gifts this year because poor Rudolph can't pull such a heavy sleigh.We didn't see this, since we mostly don't even watch the news (Santi reads it online, katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-84849472328629595082009-12-20T09:19:00.004+01:002009-12-20T17:05:24.351+01:00Local resources for bilingual familiesI just wanted to mention a couple of sites I ahev recently become aware of.Bilingual Readers is a new company that publishes bilingual books for children aged 0-7, but they also publish a blog and a newsletter with resources for bilingual families. They are a brand-new company and at the moment only have three books on offer, but more will be added soon. If katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-40077518589894044532009-12-20T08:40:00.003+01:002009-12-22T10:04:47.952+01:00Adventures in Multicultural MotheringThat is the subtitle of Call Me Okasaan, a collection of essays that was named one of Japan Times's favourite books of 2009. It is also home to my very first essay published in an anthology, and I have been meaning to write nice long post about the book. However, I will have to settle for a short post: great book! A wide range of topics, experiences, and katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-5320144362995103992009-12-19T11:28:00.005+01:002009-12-19T11:55:04.734+01:00Random notesReal post coming soon. In the meantime:1) Dani has discovered that, when presented with a banana chocolate chip muffin, one can merely pick out the chips and eat them, leaving the rest of the muffin forlornly on the table. Smart kid.2) I hate my new coffee maker. In fact, I hate it so much that I had a draft post going enummerating its many design flaws. I also brought up the topic katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-51379052842951701862009-12-09T09:08:00.003+01:002009-12-09T09:21:00.991+01:00SpeechlessSo Dani is coming up on 22 months (the 26th) and while he will occasionally deign to use an actual word, most of his communication comes in the form of gesture. For example, the other day when his brothers were excited to wear some new winter hats, he too got excited and patted his head, as if to say, "Where's mine?" (Unfortunately, the novelty soon wore off and he then refused to wear katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-91896021718933108942009-11-28T23:01:00.002+01:002009-11-28T23:27:26.177+01:00December already?Well, almost, anyway. My, time flies! I still haven't even started writing up the student teaching dossier-- I keep getting distracted by all sorts of fun things, like polishing my CV and looking into local schools I could send it to, and choosing which courses I'm going to take for the méritos (extra points on the state exam) and trying to decide which academy to use to preparekatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-37381597235315625572009-11-14T08:20:00.006+01:002009-11-15T08:00:44.068+01:00Go to sweep, dear*We're reading a joke book again, and this time the kids are getting more jokes (and I'm able to explain more.)Yesterday I went to the supermarket and discovered that, of course, it is all decked out for Christmas-- yikes! This will be our first Christmas with Dani's peanut allergy, and unfortunately most of the traditional Christmas foods have potential traces of "frutos de katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-85592615819804614892009-11-08T22:13:00.003+01:002009-11-08T22:46:31.195+01:00A few random notesBut just a few! K asked about the health care system here, and while I don't really want to give a lengthy answer now, I have been thinking about it lately. In the public system, each person is assigned to a particular doctor at their local health center. I think in some cases you can change doctors but mostly you just go with what you get. The doctors tend to have an enormous katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-23598545285076129392009-11-03T19:14:00.002+01:002009-11-03T19:36:30.820+01:00Hostage in the hospitalSo I went to school today, but had to leave after an hour (during which time I was sitting down and observing) because I was so lightheaded I couldn't even stand up. So, taxi home, then a call to the health service tellling me to go to the hospital for a chest x-ray. I got there at around 11am, and finally was able to leave only at 6pm. First a three hour wait, then an katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-38718635801870836572009-11-02T15:11:00.003+01:002009-11-02T15:20:22.283+01:00And the verdict is......Asthmatic bronchitis! Lucky me! Actually, it is pretty lucky in that I'm not contagious, which means I can go back to school tomorrow. The doctor recommended resting another day, but I only have to actually teach one class, so I'm going to go (unless I wake up worse in the morning.) As for the other symptoms, I may or may not have had the flu, but at least those symptoms katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-91220878217205028592009-11-01T12:05:00.003+01:002009-11-01T22:05:13.792+01:00We interrupt this Halloween to bring you...the fluYep. After school on Friday I crashed out on the couch and then in bed, with full-blown flu. My abs are sore from all that coughing. The boys were pretty listless all day Saturday, but rallied at the end to carve the pumpkins and head out for a spot of trick or treating, which Santi was kind enough to engineer. I don't know if they will avoid the katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-80964230388667400572009-10-28T19:14:00.002+01:002009-10-28T19:23:32.506+01:00Halloween CraftsSo Pedro (and Elías, too) have been doing some Halloween crafts. The cotton-swab skeletons were fun-- mine is on the right. I brought the idea in to the school and the kids have made them as well (though it was the elementary kids, not preschool, so I wasn't there to see the process, only the results.)Next is a Model Magic bat (Pedro's) and a spider (Elías's), and finally a katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5992304.post-90833469141173967572009-10-22T21:51:00.004+02:002009-10-22T22:30:09.448+02:00Girl... You'll be a woman soon...This was the song that rang the kids into school this morning. One might think it's not particularly appropriate for elementary school, but although it is a bilingual school, I doubt students were a) paying much attention to the lyrics and b) could make the leap to interpret what exactly the song might be about. At the school I'm student teaching in, every day, katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16975826433125245969noreply@blogger.com6