Thursday, February 28, 2008

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)

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Spanish- Day 1

En La ESCUELA : At School

Noun
el estudiosa: student
el profesor
la profesora

Saturday, January 12, 2008

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.