CELTA Note

Hello, Nicole :)

I just want to say I liked your lecture a lot.

Your lecture is always organized well (I am not sure how I can say...) and I could enjoy it :)

Your class was my favorite.

I really think your future students will also love your class and you:D

Good luck!

Hearing Impaired School 1: The Kids

Hello again!  It's been almost 4 months since I've written.  In that time, I've fallen into a job at a school for hearing impaired students.  I feel so welcomed and so fortunate to have found it. Since I had absolutely zero experience with hearing impaired (HI) kids before, it's been a learning experience.  I work with 2 & 3 year-olds in the morning, kindergarten-ish kids in the afternoon, and translate for Spanish-speaking parents on occasion.  I was too overwhelmed for a while to decide what to write, so I've decided to split it into 3 topics (kids, parents, adults).  It's detailed, but since I'm just here for another month-ish I want to make sure that I remember everything.  Up first - the kids.

So, I love the kids.  Short Version - I love working at the school and have learned a lot about how the program is structured and the support the kids receive. I've developed habits to encourage their listening and speaking abilities. It's been interesting to see their language develop and is incredibly rewarding. If you're curious to know more, read on. 

Scenes of Europe

A train to the Cotswolds, northwest of London: 

 

Our amazing hotel view in Cinque Terre, Italy:

Plaza del Sol in Madrid on most days: 

Switzerland 1: 

Switzerland 2:

Marina :-) 

Train to Avila, Spain 

My favorite place: Porto, Portugal 

Train to Bilbao, Spain

 

Bilbao  in Basque Country, northern Spain  

Madrid during Christmas

Rambling: Hasta Luego, España

Well I had this post 90% done before I left Spain, but then the holidays happened and I avoided doing anything mildly productive.  Late is better than never, so here is my trip summed up in 24 bullet points:

Things I Will Miss About Spain
1) Meeting up with the girlies, especially for churrrrrros
2) My Spanish family :) And being silly with Chiquita
3) The 20-second commute to work (downstairs to upstairs)

4) Cheap travel - I bought a round-trip plane ticket for $48 total, and one of my fave hostels was $9. And you never go through customs!
5) Being in a constant state of awareness and learning in Spanish. (Current favorite word? Elfo. It means elf) 
6) Feeling like a superior expat or traveler when annoyed at American tourists 
8) 40 degrees is "freezing cold" 
9) The family's massage chair. I will buy one someday
10) Driving the SmartCar.  And just how cute it is. And surprisingly, round-abouts
7) Patatas bravas, fried eggplant by the housekeeper, the kaki fruit, and frozen ready-to-heat crepes
11) So. much. free. time.

Things I Am Looking Forward to in the US

Captured: What I Did In Spain

Well, I started this post months ago, so now that I'm back in the states it makes sense to finish.  Though my schedule has changed over the months (I'd say my level of productivity over time would look like a bell curve), here is basically what I did during the weekdays:

7ish: Wake up, get sufficiently ready, and do 6 minutes of yoga (ok I was good about this for a while at least)