Swahili_Lesson 1

This is what I remember today:
-wapi: where
-asante: thank you
-u: you
-enda: go
-Ndio: yes

Swahili_An exciting video

The most inspiring teacher ever on Swahili.

Is that among characteristics of Kenyan: Smart and humorous?

Swahili_ A language of Malaika

Inspired by Joe, I decided to learn Swahili- a language used by 60 millions of population. 

Some basic information:

It is from Bantu language

It's the official language of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Comoros.

There are 5 vowels: A, E, I, O, U

Their pronunciations are very similar to Vietnamese.

And you say what you write.

I name this post_Swahili- A language of Malaika, it means a language of angels. 

Spanish- Day 2

Vi'spera de Todos Los Santos: Halloween
Ves una escena muy misteriosa. Describe lo que ves...
Hay muchas fantasmas sobre de la casa y en la casa. Ellis vuelan. No hay luz. Esta oscuro. Hay algusnos esqueleto en rojo.

Mucho gusto: Nice to meet you - Encantada: (Enchante')/Encantado
Me gusta: I like

Son las dos de la tarde : It's 2 p.m
Siemplre me echo una siesta por las tardes. (accion): I always take a nap in the afternoon.

Hoy: today
Hoy en di'a: Nowadays
Esta: (to be- temporary)- Es (To be- permanent)

IV. Directed dialogue:(p.39)
1. Por que' esta' Ud. en la calle ahora?
- Por que' yo busco la casa de mi amigo.
2. Pero es muy tarde. Que' pasa en la casa?
- Yo corro a una reunion en la casa/ En la casa, hay un reunio'n en la casa. Es por que yo corro.
3. Es extran~no a esta hora.
- La invitaccio'n dice que' la reunio'n es el 31 de octubre a las once de la noche.
4. Te acompan~no a la casa. Cua'l el el nu'mero?
- Nadie sabe quien vive en la casa. El nu'mero es noventa y neuve.
5. Que' misterioso es! Mira, un fantasma abre la puerta!
- El fantasma es mi amigo con una ma'scara. Hay una fiesta aqui'/alli'. Todo el mundo asiste, come y baila. Que' sorpresa!

Nouns
estrella: star
el adobe: a typical house of Mexican
la basura: gabbage

Ejercicios (p. 45)
1. Ellos hablan de la chica
a. Ellos no hablan de la chica
b. No hablan ellos de la chica?
http://studyspanish.com/lessons/quest.htm

Mary haba espanol, ?no? (Maria speaks Spanish, doesn't she?)
Maria havla espanol, ?verdad? (Maria speaks Spanish, right?)

1. Cuantos do'lares necesita Carlos?
2. Donde' trabaja Pablo?
3. Co'mo leen los alumnos?
4. Cua'l es la capital de Espan~a?
5. Cua'ndo vienen sus padres?
6. A quie'nvisita Jorge?
7. Quie'n es muy simpa'tico?
8. Cua'l de las blusas prefiere Ana?
9. A donde' va su amigo?
10. De quie'n es el cuaderno?

Que': What
Cua'l: Which

Taera: III (p46-47)

Spanish- Day 1

En La ESCUELA : At School

Noun
el estudiosa: student
el profesor
la profesora

From a beloved little corner to a vast ocean

I dearly call my little home by the Perfume River, in the outskirt of Hue City, Vietnam “my beloved little corner”. There, my parents, my two siblings and I spent a peaceful and happy time together. There, in my childhood, every morning I went to school, and every afternoon, I with my Mum picked the star fruits for me to sell by the village street sides. There, in many winter days, back home, my bicycle was in flood, and my books in mud; and in hard rainy days, the whole family looked out of the window, longing for the sunshine for drying the clay pots to earn money for food. There, close to Tet holidays, we diligently made traditional whistle toy animals and paper crowns to get money for a cozy Tet with sticky rice cakes and candies. There, because of sickness, my Mum had to quit her teaching job, and my Dad in tears quit his passion of painting to care about their children. But, then, from such a dear place, not displeasing my parents, my siblings and I grew up, and became a teacher, a nurse and an architect. How touched we were when we felt the happiness on our parents’ eyes.

We have tried a lot in study and work. Everyday, while my little sister diligently cared her patients in the hospital, my little brother worked on the architecture design, I went to teach at Dang Huy Tru High School in Huong Tra district, Thua Thien Hue Province. There, over 2,000 pupils who were growing up in very disadvantaged families- even poorer than my family have pursued their study. With all my love, care, effort and desire to acquire knowledge and experience, I, along with my colleagues have supported our students in nourishing ambitions, dreams and beliefs in life. They have become useful citizens in the society. They sometimes send me messages and we recalled the old time together when I came to visit their families and got lost; when in harvest time, I went to help them harvest beans; when they felt very excited as the first time they learned with computers in fragile classrooms, when I shed tears as I saw my students’ notebooks in mud from floods… Such a good time made me understand that I have to do more for my dear students and for this S-shaped country. Such old time nourished my dream of reaching the ocean.

And my dream came true. I applied and won the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program (IFP) scholarship to pursue my study in the United States. How happy my family, friends, colleagues, students and I felt. Before I left Vietnam, my students told me, “ Please come back to teach us when you finish your study!”

In 2006, I arrived at Columbia University in New York city to pursue a master degree in international educational development. Overcoming first frustrations in language, culture differences and an unfamiliar educational environment, I have become an active student: tutoring black children in Harlem, publishing and translating books, writing articles, being an assistant for a website of a center of languages at school. I am now preparing to deliver a paper titled “Education for disadvantaged children in Vietnam” at an international educational conference. This journey has brought me knowledge and experience. I know how to live independently and I gain more knowledge of education, and of cultures and languages of many countries in the world. I have known many students from over 140 countries. Here, in interacting with my professors, friends and people around me, I have learned more about what I have: the vision, love, tolerance and devotion.

Like you, I am just an ordinary person: growing up from a disadvantaged village, loving and wanting to do my best for my country. You may think that I am a lucky person because I am nourished in such a dearly beloved corner and I have met a good opportunity to see the ocean. However, you are like me: the Lucky Seed will sprout in you as soon as you hope it will, and if you care and create good conditions for its growth. I believe that, if you believe and do your best, you will be successful.
Now another long and exciting journey is awaiting, I will soon depart this vast ocean to my dear beloved corner, and I believe I can contribute a lot to my dear S-shaped country.

After a long silence...

Since I last typed the Kreyol vocabulary to study every day, I haven't written anything else. A new semester has come and I'm quite busy with study. This semester, I'm really happy and excited as I have taken so many interesting courses:

• Principles of Learning and Teaching - Required book: Teach to Change the World
• English methods - Required books: Bridging English, When Kids can't read, Time for Meaning
• Technology and social changes- Required books: Use Technology Wisely, The New Meaning of Educational Change
• Problem solving and Cooperative Learning- Required books: Schools and Society, and Modelling with technology.

The most interesting is that all of the content of the books are overlap and related to teachnology use, pedagogy and educational change. These books have provided me a bond grounding for my study and research. I wish I had more time to read them deeply. But then, I remember Bomer' saying in Time for Meaning something like "Say you're destroyed by time as if say you're drowned with the air. Time just is. The problem is we know how to control and manage the time: We should have a clear purpose". So, I shouldn't complain any more about time.

When reading the books, I also find myself lack of the histories/theories of learning and teaching. I hadn't realize that learning/teaching change arise from the actual need of the society/current situation, such as In the World War 2, solders had to learn how to read and do math, instead of teaching any other skills. In presence, what does our society need?- To keep pace with the development of technology and other improvements in science and lives, to prevent global warming, to maintain culture and respect diversity, to fight against social injustice and inequity, to spread out the democracy and fight for peace. So, why don't we teachers integrate such issues into curriculum. They would say, Yes we know, but we need time and efforts and burget, and so on... But if we don't start right now, when will we start?

Creole diary- Day 6- 27th June

Some nouns to remember:
chanm: room
enfimyè: nurse
doktè: doctor
bwa: wood
chans: chance
limiyè: light Ex: limen limiyè a/etenn limiyè la
BonDye: God
Lakle: chalk
adrès: address
nimewo: number
nimewo telefòn: phone number
biznis: business
konpitè: computer
pòtab: cell phone
repons: response
chifon: eraser
lanp: lamp
chenn: chain
dan: dent
fanm: woman
devwa: homework

Creole diary- Day 5: 26th June- Part 2

Leson de:
Ban m nouvèl ou
Lwi: Bonjou, Mari. Ki jan ou ye jodi a?
Mari: M byen, wi. E ou menm? Ban m nouvèl ou, non.
Lwi: M pa pi mal. M ap kenbe. E Sadrak?
Mari: Sadra la, wi. L ap boule.
Lwi: E lòt timoun yo? Yo byen tou?
Mari: Wi, monchè, Y al lekòl.
Lwi: Bon machè, m ale. N a wè, tande?
Mari: Men wi, n a wè lòt senmenn, si. Dye vle.

Creole diary : Day 4: 26th June- Part 1

Leson en:
Sou wout Petyon vil
Lwi: Bonjou, tidam. Ki jan ou ye?
Mari: M byen,wi.
Lwi: Se pitit ou?
Mari: Wi, se pitit mwen.
Lwi: Ki jan li rele?
Mari: Li rele Sadrak.
Lwi: M rele Lwi. E ou-menm. Ki jan ou rele?
Mari: M rele Mari.

Kesyon:
Ki moun k ap pale ak Mari?- Lwi ap pale ak Mari.
Ki jan madamn nan rele?- Li/Madamn nan rele Mari.
Ki jan msye a rele?- Li rele Lwi.
Ki jan piti la rele?- Li rele Sadrak.

Note: Articles
madamn nan
msye a
pitit la

Note: Personal Pronouns:
nou: we, you
yo: they
li: he, she, it
Ex: Nou se pwofesè. (We are professors.)
Nou se elèv. (We are students.)

Identification:
To identify or point to someone one uses the construction se= It's
Ex: Ki moun sa a?- Se mwen. (It's me.)