tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82866619608939025342024-03-13T15:00:09.617+01:00A Chalkboard and A CameraObservations of the world of education and my experiences in it.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-34918643075061267452016-07-02T01:13:00.000+02:002016-11-26T01:24:29.246+01:00Lands End, San Francisco I'm sitting at the base of a Cyprus tree - low, with sprawling trunks or limbs coming out of the sandy dirt. I got here by walking down dirt-covered steps then stooping underneath the tree branches. Its pine needles frame the most spectacular view - blue water, the curves of the headlands, Golden Gate bridge, green and tan cliffs to each side. And the light.<br />
<br />
The light. Right now it's beaming down from the sun, reflecting on the water and warming my face. But earlier it was a soft glow, teasing at the end of the dark path, illuminating the forest in magical yellow. Then there was the Cyrpus path, perfectly aligned with the sun so it came down in fierce streaks through the branches overhead. Big, dramatic sprays of sunlight that I usually don't believe are real. They were waiting to be discovered around every bend, alternating my steps with shade and light. They fed my soul. When I thought I couldn't take in any more beauty, there were the flowers, spring up on the sides of the forest trail. Pink, lilac, white, small, hanging, climbing - just a small dusting of one type after another. I'm lucky to be here with so little fog.<br />
<br />
I first panicked when my camera died, then pressed on with the promise that I would return, then soon retracted my promise and told myself to experience it today, now, and that is enough. But I'm still writing.<br />
<br />
Sounds - the ocean breathing below me, birds chattering all around, and the steady call of a foghorn. I read about the multitude of ships that have gone down at the entrance of the bay. What tragic sights these trees have witnessed.<br />
<br />
And the water - like a field, stretching dense and massive to the left (ocean), in front of me (to the headlands), and to the right (under the bridge). A consistent navy, barely marked with ripples and, barely, a boat. But the water below me turns, churns, and rolls with white froth, colliding with dozens of craggy black rocks that dot the small stretch of shore, then finally nestles on the smooth wet sand. I remember that I forgot to bring a container to collect sand. Birds fly in groups. The sunlight catches spiderwebs in the foliage to my right. Another hiker comes wandering up my path - time to leave and see the rest.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Later - chai and toast in the garden of Marla Bakery. Later - reading Julia Child on an enormous fallen tree trunk at the top of Strawberry Hill, then watching two hummingbirds dance on the branch above me, send out flashes of their long, silvery tongues. A hawk glides above and I catch its twin, the shadow gliding below.<br />
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-20838551982821644882015-07-16T01:17:00.000+02:002016-11-26T01:25:49.459+01:00Draft: Final Reflections from CambodiaWell I'm writing this from a clinic hospital bed in Cambodia with an IV stuck in my hand. Not exactly how we planned to spend our last 2 days here. However, I'm overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude, admiration, and humility. You would expect that after an experience of getting sick and an unexpected overnight hospital stay (full of needle pricks, unfamiliar medicines, and toilet breaks) that I would be turned off to the country. I feel the exact opposite. When thinking about it, I hope to come back one day, mostly for these 3 reasons:<br />
<br />
- to show the Ta Prohm Temple to people that I love. Yes Angkor Wat is the main attraction, and I'm glad to have seen it, but Ta Prohm will be deeper in my memory. It's an incredible showcase of the power of nature and time, and shows how insignificant human activity can be. It's possible one day our entire earth will look like these buildings, covered over in plants and trees.<br />
<br />
- to learn more about the Khmer Rogue genocide in the 1970s. Before coming here I was only vaguely aware of it, and it seems that even my awareness was higher then most Americans. Between 1975 and 1979 they killed 20-25% of the population. That's statistically at least 1 person from every single family. The details include forced labor, starvation, forced relocation, prisons, rape, terrible torture methods that made me sick reading about it, kneeling people over mass graves then cutting their heads off, and removing everyone's gall bladder (through their back) to sell, sometimes before and sometimes after they killed them. I can't even begin to fathom it. Anyone currently aged 40 or older was at least 10 years old when it began, so must still have a complete memory or it. I almost...Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-75160225744333577902015-07-08T14:20:00.001+02:002016-11-26T01:26:36.793+01:00Homestay List Moments:<br />
<br />
Bung Dee laughing at durian tasting<br />
Nutch securing my headscarf<br />
Riding in the back of the truck to the marsh & market<br />
Listening to Brooke and Tui play cards<br />
Waking up to the call to prayer, rooster, and monsoon on the tin roof<br />
Ducks, chickens, rooster, goats, cats, cows, and water buffalo hang out, near the house & on the street<br />
Meals serenaded by the song birds<br />
Clam hunting together, in the mud with crabs and mud skippers<br />
Playing in the waves with kids at sunset<br />
Watching Bung Dee take down and crack open coconuts<br />
English/Thai lessons - what is your name? Do you like this house?<br />
Squat toilet, bucket bath<br />
Meeting neighbors during batik, palm roof, and soap lessons (old woman's hands!)<br />
Watching Lindsey walk a wandering goat<br />
Getting caught in the monsoon rains during a run to the beach<br />
Mangrove tour in a homemade boat with our local guide (we saw a monkey!)<br />
Going to the local market, we were the only people eating during Ramadan<br />
Playing clapping game with school children (cheek kiss!)<br />
Stopping to see the rubber trees<br />
Watching Jah Rei smile and wave as we left<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-75700653903761280052015-07-08T14:04:00.001+02:002016-11-26T01:26:55.299+01:00Tokyo "What were some of the best parts of your day?"<br />
<br />
Swinging and playing at the "wipe out" park<br />
Meeting someone who went to UC Davis<br />
Rituals and fortunes at the temple<br />
Harajuku fashion, laymen noodles<br />
Navigating trains like a boss (except when we couldn't exit)<br />
THE AIRPORT SHOWER!!<br />
Arriving at the garden and tea house from the boat<br />
People watching - smart clothes, crowded and tired subways<br />
Intense vending machines and toiletsNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-69014777654172180342015-07-08T13:58:00.002+02:002016-11-26T01:25:35.988+01:00Ramblings in Thailand Driving, northern Thailand:<br />
<br />
Another countryside speeds past me. Green green grass, broken occasionally by watery rice paddies (we think). Green trees, some tall elegant palms, some unknown, and some squat banana fronds with fanning leaves. The sun has been playing peekaboo with the clouds but now it's shining in full force, glimmering off water and shiny waxy leaves, yellow through my sunglasses and warm on my skin. The sky is a light blue, not bright, but easily holds layers of fluffy clouds in suspension. The clouds play with the tips of the mountains in the distance, rugged and deep blue-green, anchoring the horizon.<br />
<br />
As we speed by in the back of a red open-air taxi truck, I keep taking out my phone to capture photos. I don't want to miss anything.<br />
- the sun on the hills - check<br />
- the giant gold Buddha - check<br />
- friends sleeping in the cab - check<br />
- a dozen people working in the rice paddy - miss<br />
- the mysterious smoke hanging in the distance - check<br />
- infinite disorganized rundown shacks, sprinkled with mini gold shrines - check<br />
- a market scene as we pass through a town - check<br />
- a large building flanked by jewel-covered gold snakes - miss<br />
Taking it all in fills me up with it, bringing satisfaction, presence, and gratitude. I am here. I wonder if I'm getting a sunburn.<br />
<br />
I become aware of 2 sounds - the groan of the taxi tires on the pavement, and the whizz of cars and motorcycles that pass us. I'm glad our driver isn't speeding.<br />
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Changes have happened - more signs and billboards; denser, nicer stores; more electricity cables. We are getting close to Chiang Mai. We stop at the first stoplight since we left the waterfall. A Thai boy jay walks across the street, maybe aiming for one of the open eateries lining the road. They remind me of Chile.<br />
<br />
Now a cloud formation has moved in front of the sun and sends a spray of light waves glowing through. I want to capture it but the view is interrupted - car dealerships, shrine dealerships, banks, housing, traffic across the small median. We're sharing the road now with semis, tuk tuks, and my favorite dragon- painted trucks. One pickup truck holds a mass of people standing in the back, smiles on. We turn onto a smaller road, nearing our hostel. We're tired, damp, counting our mosquito bites, and content.<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-27488726176217396022015-07-08T13:30:00.001+02:002016-11-26T01:26:20.191+01:00Itinerary Alright, it's clear that I haven't had/made much time to write, but I do want to be able to remember what we did. The list:<br />
<br />
July 21: finish packing, dinner at yard house with Berke, drive to airport<br />
July 22: fly all day, air japan - lose this day<br />
July 23: tokyo 5am, temple with fortunes, slow pace since no plan, dennys, water taxi to garden with tea, closed fish market, subway to harajuku people watching, ramen, forest for no nap, airport for shower and sushi and nap. fly at midnight<br />
July 24: land in bangkok at 7am, waited at pool and hot tub for room to be ready, in love with 3 room suite, napped, asaitique and traditional dance show<br />
July 25: restorative yoga at hotel, terrible decision do floating market, grand palace (almost couldn't get in bc clothes) blew my mind! thai massages at wat pho school, dinner at pub next to hotel<br />
July 26: slow yoga at hotel, sad for our last buffet breakfast (roasted tomatos!), airport for chiang mai. impressed with thai airways - pink and purple seats! we got a meal for 1 hour flight! not impressed by MD House hotel, delicious burmese dinner + first thai beer, shots with swiss friend then zoe (bracelets!)<br />
Sat July 27: switched to dozy house, lice removal party, explored chiang mai with coconuts in hand (our noodle house!), cafe with mild panic attack with lindsey, italian dinner<br />
Sun July 28: restorative yoga then pad thai breakfast, waterfall, night market (so much fried veggies!) then beers & frogs with brookers (one more song!) <br />
Mon July 29: my day! slept in, walked to oldest wat and chinatown (learned how to pray with incense!), indian feast, met british girls and went back to frog bar<br />
Tue July 30: qi gong, noodles again, left for meditation retreat. monk was so genuine and earnest in wanting to share buddhism. I got into the zone a couple times - felt "field" of body and sensed lighter colors. no talking<br />
Wed July 1: woke up at 5am to monk ringing gong, meditation (45 minutes! I taught yoga!) truck ride back to Chiang Mai, such fun cooking class (with market tour), fish spa<br />
Thur July 2: last Chiang Mai walk (mozzarella sandwich, Thai massage - cracked 10 times!), first tuk tuk ride, found out at airport that we missed our flight. Super zen about it, flew straight to Phuket (Bangkok airways not as nice, ran over something). Shared a cab to kata beach - accepted that it's cancun. Deep conversation over pizza dinner, pool at old Rasta bar<br />
Fri July 3: slept in & looked at birthday plans, Kata beach! So many vendors like mini restaurants. Played in the waves, dinner wearing a scarf skirt, massage w lady boy<br />
Sat July 4: van to Ban Thale Nok village. Met Tui then family. They served us lunch, batik, Palm roof, saw the small mosque, beach at sunset with kids, dinner, impromptu Thai/English lessons. Fell asleep to monsoon<br />
Sun July 5: woke up to monsoon, rooster, and call to prayer. spicy Tom yum noodles for breakfast, clam hunting, mangrove tour, lunch, soap, truck to market, Bung Dee cut us coconuts, sunset beach, dinner, trying on Muslim clothes.<br />
Mon July 6: ran to the beach and got caught in the rain. school visit :-) bought soap, made palm dessert, last lunch and goodbyes, stopped to see rubber trees. Van to cute Phuket town, dinner with Lindsey (almost everything closed!)<br />
Tue July 7: woke up a bit under the weather, booked Bali flights on hostel computer, Dutch pancake breakfast, said bye to Lindsey, rushed to Koh Phi Phi ferry, wandered around hostel-shopping, ran into British friends and has Italian dinner on the party fire-throwing beach<br />
Wed July 8: solo day! Quick pancakes, walked to view point, journey through the jungle (Mosquitos! Unclear signs! Thai family with monkey! Realizing I had to climb down!) and rewarded with Rantee Beach. Curry lunch, swim and read, long tail boat back to ton sai, relax at garden hostel (swede, garlic rice)<br />
<br />
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-80141343670391596192015-07-07T21:36:00.000+02:002016-12-04T21:38:28.366+01:00Thai SchoolIn the village during our homestay :-)<br />
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgI4b_EkNB4Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-19879169965721040252015-06-27T13:52:00.003+02:002016-11-26T01:27:09.232+01:00Hello Again Hello again. I've decided to temporarily reinstate the blog since I'm in a different country. I really enjoyed archiving experiences/photos/reflections before, so it seems I should do the same again. It's for my own sake, basically a journal, but feel free to take a look around!<br />
<br />
So, context - I'm in Thailand with 3 girl friends. We'll be gone for a total of 3.5 weeks (a day in Tokyo, 3 areas in Thailand, then probably a visit to Bali though we haven't bought tickets yet). Our reasons are:<br />
- get to know another part of the world (Asia!). I'm one of those suckers for new things (culture, people, food, religion, ya know...)<br />
- intend to increase, or at least maintain, mindfulness (hello Buddhism)<br />
- further bonding with each other (side story: the O'Briens and I joke that we were destined to meet either in California or Thailand, since we were all applying to teach in Thailand a few years ago)<br />
- I guess feed and satisfy my wanderlust (*insert any quote from my sidebar on the left*)<br />
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However, I've found that this time around, 2.5 years later than my last trip, those "explore the world" thoughts are often interrupted with guilt and anxiety in the form of "omg I'm spending so much money" "how will I ever afford to buy a house" "are people judging me for this trip" and "is this fun and transformative or is this irresponsible?"<br />
<br />
I haven't decided yet how I feel about these thoughts. Do they show healthy growth as a human - a sign of becoming older and wiser? Ready to be a real adult, support a family, and live happily ever after? Or are they a sign of becoming more jaded, hardened, and falling prey to work-obsessed consumerism? Where is the sweet spot between joyful experience and selfish irresponsibility? Being spontaneous and being practical? Pausing and productivity?<br />
<br />
Should pleasure be deserved?<br />
What truly brings me happiness?<br />
Really, what is the purpose of life?<br />
So many philosophical questions to ponder. I guess I have 20 more days to consider them. TBD<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-69685681949794914552014-07-20T21:09:00.000+02:002014-07-20T21:09:45.723+02:00Grandma This has nothing to do with education or travel, but I want to save it here :-)<br />
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-68286559661302527002014-07-19T19:11:00.000+02:002014-07-20T21:02:35.044+02:00Rocketship Love <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well I'm going through my phone and found some photos and videos... I'll miss those kiddos! <3 </div>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-39261900409759987762014-05-25T02:53:00.000+02:002014-05-25T02:53:14.965+02:00Europe Flashback So I was cleaning today and found the old notebook I brought with me everywhere in Europe. Some notes I found:<br />
<br />
- Porto, Portugal: "I think I'm having a physical reaction to how much I love this place. It's like the sunlight and language and waves (beauty?) are running through my nerves. I'll be back here. Probably for a summer or maybe to write a book."<br />
<br />
-"Venice feels like two places competing for the same real estate - Venice of history buried under Venice of today, a money-making island luring in 60,000 tourists a day."<br />
<br />
- "The setting sun, behind the Italian hills, rivals the rising sun of the English countryside. Both illuminate their respective fields and trees, but one looks like a storybook and one looks like a..." <br />
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- Venice: "When noon strikes, a bell tower in the distance begins to ring, long steady strikes. It is quickly lost by the great clanging of another, closer, bell tower. When the song of that one falls away, I notice the ringing of another tower, or two, echoing down the canal, a few second behind the rest of the choir.<br />
<br />
The sun bores itself into my arms and ankles as I sit, legs outstretched, on the stone ground with my back against the base of a bridge. People carrying shopping bags or strollers scurry across the arched bridge behind me then down to my left. To my right, the sound of waves lapping in the canal are disturbed only by the occasional boat - locals chug by on power boats, tourists armed with cameras float by on gondolas adorned in red and gold, and Venician men on boats laden with boxes make the delivery rounds. I watch three men deliver a washing machine - off the boat, to the cart, then rolled away, as the boat continues under my bridge to deliver at least six more. The images of the shutters, windowsills, and arches of the brick and plaster, sand and sherbert buildings lining the canal reflect off the blue and silver water; I reach down but cannot touch it.<br />
<br />
A white bird expertly sails down the canal, between the buildings. I am reminded that the bright slice of sky above the canal is the same sky above Chicago. A sandwich-eating couple sits near me; after they leave, a pidgeon bobbles around, looking for crumbs.<br />
<br />
I decide to wander off for gelato." <br />
<br />
<br />
What brings you here? She asks.<br />
I tell her about my traveling through London and Italy before settling, for a time, in Spain.<br />
I see two emotions come to her eyes:<br />
Joy for all the experiences she foresees in my future,<br />
her years of wisdom knowing more than I, deeper than mine.<br />
And recognition of a longing.<br />
I know that she knows she wanted to do the same.<br />
"Good for you," she says. "How good for you."<br />
So it goes with every woman older than me<br />
I've encountered, at cafes, on sidewalks, on trains.<br />
Sometimes her eyes reveal a third element:<br />
Memories from her past stirring up, <br />
herself - on a similar voyage.<br />
But most often there is not.<br />
It's just the two.<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-32021430496638445002013-07-01T02:53:00.000+02:002014-05-25T02:54:08.559+02:00CELTA Note <div>
Hello, Nicole :)</div>
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I just want to say I liked your lecture a lot.</div>
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Your lecture is always organized well (I am not sure how I can say...) and I could enjoy it :)</div>
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Your class was my favorite.</div>
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I really think your future students will also love your class and you:D</div>
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Good luck! </div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-19343216994210940722013-05-03T05:36:00.000+02:002013-05-03T05:41:01.413+02:00Hearing 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 <i>absolutely zero</i> 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.<br />
<br />
So, I love the kids. <i>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. </i><br />
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<u><b>Overview:</b></u> There are five kids between 2 and 4, maybe a dozen preschoolers, 8 kindergarten-ish, about 8 lower elementary, and about 8 upper elementary. HI children under the age of 2 receive services by a teacher who comes to their house once a week to show the parents how to work with their child, develop language, use hearing aids, etc. The children come from all over Grand Rapids - Kent City, Caledonia, Forest Hills, etc and use either hearing aids or cochlear implants, depending on the severity of their loss. Many children start young in the program then by the time they're in kindergarten or first grade have developed enough language skills to attend a "regular" school near their house - there are about 130 kids integrated in other schools who receive our services by teacher consultants, who work with their regular teachers to make sure their needs are met. That means that, in general, the kids with lower language skills are the ones who stay at our school through the upper grades; some of them also have other physical or cognitive diagnoses. We're a program housed inside of a larger elementary school, so some of our higher-functioning kids go to a general ed classroom for one or two subjects a day.<br />
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<u><b>Program: </b></u>The goal of the program is to develop listening and speech skills, so we don't use any sign language. However, there is a sign language program in the county and the parents decide which school to enroll their child. Though I haven't seen the other program, I've read about the benefits of speech methods over sign methods, especially for children who are able to hear a good amount. It makes you wonder, how many job opportunities are there for adults who only know how to sign?<br />
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<b><u>Student Environment:</u></b> Some of my favorite moments have been observing how the kids interact with each other. Since it's such a small group of kids and some have been together for years, it's more like a family. They know all about each others hearing aids and implants, and all notice (and celebrate!) when one students gets new pieces (or surgery for an implant). If one kids loses part of his equipment on the playground, they all stop and help each other look. When I'm having trouble understanding what a student is trying to say, often one of his peers will interject and "translate" for me. They'll matter-of-factly help me out by saying "oh he can't say that yet," without malice or embarrassment. They know the parapros and teachers really well. It's great. They're silly, caring, and intelligent. <br />
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<u><b>Instruction:</b></u> The hardest thing when I first started was to change my habits to new ones that encourage speech and listening (and I'm still learning). Math, reading, and writing are important here, but developing speech and language is HUGE. For example, one teacher passes out homework every day by covering her mouth (so they can't lipread) then calling the students' names one by one - they have to listen for their name to know when to walk up and collect their homework. It's slower than just passing it out, but infuses listening skills into a normal task. Luckily a couple teachers were extremely helpful in explaining and 'training' me, so I now (try to): <br />
<ul>
<li>not point or use gestures while talking so they can only rely on my words (ex. 'go line up at the door' without looking at the door... I never noticed how much I gesture until I started working here!) - this is called 'say then show' so you give only auditory clues, then visual if they need it </li>
<li>after giving a command, wait a while to see if they've understood or not (this sounds basic, but it's sooo habitual just to repeat yourself when someone doesn't react right away) </li>
<li>make my sentences as clear and concise as possible </li>
<li>not give toddlers what they want unless they vocalize for it (ex. he points at his juice, I say "what do you want?" and play dumb until he makes an attempt to say 'juice'... I actually did this with my cat recently who was meowing for water one night when I was reallly tired) </li>
<li>have kids repeat basic words and phrases as often as possible by 'cupping' my mouth than theirs</li>
<li>narrate what I do and what the toddlers do all the time so they are immersed in language (ex. walk, walk, walk! ooooppennnn the doooor. take of your coat! coatt offf. zzzip, zzzip, zzip.) </li>
<li>maintain a distance of a yardstick away from their ears when speaking, on their level, so they hear my voice as clearly as possible... this is hard </li>
<li>notice things through their lens - for example, a parapro told me that many kids with hearing loss dislike cartoon movies since they can't get clues by lipreading the characters' words </li>
</ul>
The kids older than preschool also get one-on-one speech therapy and daily
instruction in explicit language patterns (ex. Marvin closed
the door. Who closed the door? He closed the door). They also focus heavily on how many syllables a word has, which they call <i>beats</i>. Kids have eagerly called for my attention to show me "miss ni cole - 3 beats!!!". Teachers use a whole system of symbols to mark verbs, nouns, etc. when writing. Yearly standardized tests of receptive and expressive language (what they can understand and say), called the <a href="http://psychcorp.pearsonassessments.com/HAIWEB/Cultures/en-us/Productdetail.htm?Pid=PAa3580" target="_blank">CASL</a>, show their level of performance given in an age score. For example, on the Sentence Comprehension part, an 8 year old might get a score of 5 years 7 months, meaning that she can comprehend sentences about as well as an average five and a half year-old without hearing loss.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Average age of sound development</td></tr>
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<b><u>Language Development:</u></b> So, how do they talk? Really, it's a range. Some kids put together sentences lacking full grammar ("Josie eat sandwich"). Some kids really struggle pronouncing some sounds, which I've learned is because they literally can't hear the sounds. There's a whole spectrum of which sounds are easier and hard to hear to the human ear (many kids call me "miss ni ole" since they can't pronounce the 'k' sound). Many kids know less vocabulary - I've told a 7-year-old that thing she drew is called a <i>tree</i>, a 10-year-old that the things in my eyes are called <i>contacts</i>, and an 8-year-old that the action of making bread or pies or cakes is called<i> baking.</i> There are 2 kids (age 7 and 8, I think) whose language is severely behind - one boy who rarely talks and one who continuously babbles but it rarely resembles words. They<i> </i>are both still working on things like copying how many beats I make, and pointing to the picture I name - "<i>pig</i> or <i>rooster</i>." A handful speak other languages at home (Spanish or Dinka) which complicates things. However, despite their challenges, they work hard, find what works, stay positive, and are eager to learn. There are a couple kids that have shown a HUGE improvement in just the few months I've been here, so I can only imagine how rewarding a whole school year would be to a teacher. <br />
<br />
<b><u>Social & Emotional Skills:</u></b> One thing I have noticed is a lot of bickering and conflict between students, especially at recess (I have lunch duty). The more I observe, the more I see how a delay of language can cause conflicts. For example, if you're unable to say "please stop taking my rock," your likely go-to method is to bellow "STOPPPP!" and wave your arms around, which tends to upset other kids. If you're unable to express why you're frustrated and what you would like the other person to do, you're more likely to roll your eyes and make a mean face. The kids with some of the lowest language skills are the ones that most easily yell. It seems like the lower the language level is, the higher the overall frustration level is. One of the kids who can't talk was recently seen biting into his wrists when he was frustrated, since he can't express his frustration in words. I can imagine that if I couldn't tell people when someone pushed me, or when I lost my hat, or when I didn't like my food, I might be perpetually frustrated. Communication obstacles add a whole new layer to social and emotional skill development.<br />
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Anyway, that's hopefully a clear picture of the kiddos. I wish I could add photos but want to maintain privacy. I do have to say that I've appreciated the perks of being in an elementary school again, instead of a high school - I've gotten dandelion bouquets after recess, random cards, daily hugs, and anger after I miss a day. The diapers, boogers, and slobber are worth it :-) <br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-89814039767904505512013-01-31T19:56:00.000+01:002014-07-20T21:02:11.463+02:00Scenes of Europe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A train to the Cotswolds, northwest of London: </div>
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Our amazing hotel view in Cinque Terre, Italy: </div>
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Plaza del Sol in Madrid on most days: </div>
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Switzerland 1: </div>
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Switzerland 2:</div>
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Marina :-) </div>
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Train to Avila, Spain </div>
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My favorite place: Porto, Portugal </div>
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Train to Bilbao, Spain </div>
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Bilbao in Basque Country, northern Spain </div>
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Madrid during Christmas </div>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-51790595832017515932013-01-05T21:50:00.001+01:002013-01-05T22:29:50.730+01:00Rambling: Hasta Luego, EspañaWell 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:<br />
<br />
<b><u>Things I Will Miss About Spain</u> </b><br />
1) Meeting up with the girlies, especially for churrrrrros<br />
2) My Spanish family :) And being silly with Chiquita <br />
3) The 20-second commute to work (downstairs to upstairs)<br />
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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! <br />
5) Being in a constant state of awareness and learning in Spanish. (Current favorite word? Elfo. It means elf) <br />
6) Feeling like a superior expat or traveler when annoyed at American <i>tourists </i> <br />
8) 40 degrees is "freezing cold" <br />
9) The family's massage chair. I will buy one someday <br />
10) Driving the SmartCar. And just how cute it is. And surprisingly, round-abouts<br />
7) Patatas bravas, fried eggplant by the housekeeper, the kaki fruit, and frozen ready-to-heat crepes <br />
11) So. much. free. time.<br />
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<u><b>Things I Am Looking Forward to in the US</b></u><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
1) Seeing people I love <3 <br />
2) Thai food, Panera, and Noodles & Co<br />
3) People not looking at me like I'm crazy when I ask for veggie burgers, soy milk, and almond yogurt<br />
4) Not having one vegetarian option at most quick food places - bread and cheese sandwich. Just bread and cheese. Sometimes butter. I should have been keeping a count of how many I ate, with an increasing level of grudging. At least Italy had caprese sandwiches. My last was symbolically in the airport (it was like heaven at the airport in London during my layover seeing FOUR different vegetarian sandwiches. AND soup.)<br />
5) Having internet on my phone all the time <br />
6) Not having to do math ("plus seven hours") or troubleshoot technology to schedule dates<br />
7) Measuring in pounds and inches and Fahrenheit <br />
8) Making money<br />
9) Access to Pandora and Netflix again <br />
10) All the holidayyyy fun coming up<br />
11) Owning a hair straightener again <br />
12) Planning the next adventure :-) <br />
<br />
<u><b>Things I Learned</b></u><br />
1) I am now a champ traveler. The best way to get from point A to point B? Check. How to plan a daytrip? Check. How to pick a cheap authentic restaurant? Check. Packing and navigating airports like a jet-setter? Check<br />
2) Hostels > hotels <br />
3) Confirmation again that for kids, checklists of 'challenges' > reward systems<br />
4) When to push kids to understand/practice language, and when to give them a break<br />
5) Get the audioguide. Especially at art museums<br />
6) Spanish expressions - ¡como mola! ¡ala! ¡jope! (or the grown up version, "jo"). ¡que guay! <br />
7) British expressions - uni, tiddles, whilst, loads, serviette, wellies, advert, bother, maths, waistcoat, biscuit... I now say "I'm going to the loo" :) And they really do love to queue <br />
8) "We're open til 8" actually means "we're open til 8 except for the 3 hours in the middle of the day when we're closed for siesta" <br />
9) I really, really appreciate living in a country without a terrible depression or unreliable authorities<br />
10) I think I FINALLY mastered the difference between tratar/intentar/probar (all meaning "to try") and which is cuenta/cuento (the bill/story)... yes, by asking a waitress for "the story" at the end of a meal<br />
11) The rest of the world thinks we're crazy for loving guns, putting all our poor people in the same part of cities, eating crap food, and not having cheap health insurance <br />
12) A new appreciation for the intricacies of language - for an example in English, you may think you're fine and dandy by learning the word "work" in the dictionary (an occupation or exerting force) but that doesn't prepare you for <i>let's go work out, this plan isn't working out, they're working out their relationship, order it with the works, a work of art, </i>or <i>werk it gurl </i><br />
13) Reminder of this - "You have exactly one life in which to do everything you'll ever do. Act accordingly." - Colin Wright Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-35387063605166793272013-01-04T22:27:00.000+01:002013-01-05T22:38:17.395+01:00Captured: What I Did In SpainWell, 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:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7ish: Wake up, get sufficiently ready, and do 6 minutes of yoga (ok I was good about this for a while at least)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7:30 Help get the girls up, dressed, and fed.
Breakfast for Chiquita, and it seems all Spanish kids, is fresh squeezed
oj, toast with butter, and milk with Cola Cao (a chocolatey powder
that, until I just now googled it, I had no idea originated in the 1940s
and contains vitamins and minerals too. Huh)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8:15 - Take chiquita to the bus stop. This is usually when I try to start conversation in English and she looks at me like I'm crazy. Neither of us are morning people. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8:30 - Take Tessa for a walk. This picture looks so much warmer than it is now, sigh.</td></tr>
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Then daytime activities vary, based on the day of the week:<br />
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<b>Monday, Wednesday, and Friday </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hit the gym! I've been into spinning, aerobics, and 'cuerpo y mente' classes. Ok, sometimes I get too lazy to go the class in the morning so just run and lift with the boys in the afternoon. Or don't go. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2ish - Delicious, delicious almuerzo at home. I'm lucky that we have a housekeeper who cooks and cleans every day. Yum. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mB6Km8y0uB8/UMj0-6EuCLI/AAAAAAAABIQ/Tr7xs9qDPVA/s1600/IMG_0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mB6Km8y0uB8/UMj0-6EuCLI/AAAAAAAABIQ/Tr7xs9qDPVA/s320/IMG_0850.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then, whatever I want! Free time is glorious, simply GLORIOUS. Activities include painting... </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F_M4Pwmd1yI/UMj2XI0yYaI/AAAAAAAABJQ/gq2zvMZCugA/s1600/IMG_1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F_M4Pwmd1yI/UMj2XI0yYaI/AAAAAAAABJQ/gq2zvMZCugA/s320/IMG_1369.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... laundry...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Of9X7j_c52Q/UOiTpuWPloI/AAAAAAAABLI/ebSnRRzmpkE/s1600/IMG_1868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Of9X7j_c52Q/UOiTpuWPloI/AAAAAAAABLI/ebSnRRzmpkE/s320/IMG_1868.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> ... and sitting at my computer. I've given my resume a makeover,
completely cleaned out my inbox (omg it felt amazing), started the search
for the next job, planned lots of weekend trips, kept up with the news,
tried to keep up on photos and blogging, and reorganized my pinterest
boards (ok, maybe that was unnecessary). <b><br /></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday and Thursday </b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCnDi6Jf67Q/UOiYLL4fLtI/AAAAAAAABNU/hnrCVqXD0bw/s1600/IMG_0672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QCnDi6Jf67Q/UOiYLL4fLtI/AAAAAAAABNU/hnrCVqXD0bw/s320/IMG_0672.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rush to head downtown. 4 minute drive to the bus stop...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54NiiH46A7I/UMj0OQNEVdI/AAAAAAAABHo/qIwZPNaDhVk/s1600/IMG_0658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54NiiH46A7I/UMj0OQNEVdI/AAAAAAAABHo/qIwZPNaDhVk/s320/IMG_0658.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.... then a 35 minute bus ride....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DHCXGKiZlUo/UOiUKGbewFI/AAAAAAAABLQ/9uRmfOvySVw/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DHCXGKiZlUo/UOiUKGbewFI/AAAAAAAABLQ/9uRmfOvySVw/s320/IMG_1291.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... to the metro. (which makes CTA seem ancient)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dRexkLkavwk/UMj01wpmO-I/AAAAAAAABII/0UK65_W-fNs/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dRexkLkavwk/UMj01wpmO-I/AAAAAAAABII/0UK65_W-fNs/s320/IMG_0847.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9:30 - Spanish class. This is the 'coffeeshop' of the center. My favorite thing about my classes was that every single student was from a different country - Japan, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Sweden, England, etc. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmFMqfJciPY/UMj0ZmI6_rI/AAAAAAAABHw/JFNpnTzOk2A/s1600/IMG_0665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmFMqfJciPY/UMj0ZmI6_rI/AAAAAAAABHw/JFNpnTzOk2A/s320/IMG_0665.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then I'd usually do downtown things, like wander around randomly.... </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mq5jjXSkMVY/UOiWQPbMCkI/AAAAAAAABME/zH5dQvKDj5E/s1600/IMG_1399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mq5jjXSkMVY/UOiWQPbMCkI/AAAAAAAABME/zH5dQvKDj5E/s320/IMG_1399.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.... or meet up with other au pairs....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t092r20B338/UMj12C9bMnI/AAAAAAAABI4/ShCZDMHQLpI/s1600/IMG_1289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t092r20B338/UMj12C9bMnI/AAAAAAAABI4/ShCZDMHQLpI/s320/IMG_1289.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.... or go to a museum. Sometimes I met with a couple Spanish girls for 'conversation exchange.' </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Evening </b><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o9Zslzn_520/UMjzut9RyOI/AAAAAAAABHM/8RCubIoHDNo/s1600/IMG_0633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o9Zslzn_520/UMjzut9RyOI/AAAAAAAABHM/8RCubIoHDNo/s320/IMG_0633.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4:30 or 5 - Pick up Chiquita from the bus stop or school. Now she's usually ready to be friends with me and speak in mostly English. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SQqR-OqGh-E/UMj0tmVOvjI/AAAAAAAABIA/GzT2TiEdxJg/s1600/IMG_0742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SQqR-OqGh-E/UMj0tmVOvjI/AAAAAAAABIA/GzT2TiEdxJg/s320/IMG_0742.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We used to go to the park when it was warm (ok, usually she played with friends and I read, but HOW CUTE is this photo). </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H3FEW6809bg/UOiWvAoFIMI/AAAAAAAABMk/9uTl7u1dPaw/s1600/IMG_1644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H3FEW6809bg/UOiWvAoFIMI/AAAAAAAABMk/9uTl7u1dPaw/s320/IMG_1644.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5:00 - 7:30 - Make Chiquita a snack then play with her (sneaking in some English), do crafts, help with homework, make Monster High videos, or just chill if she goes to a friend's house. (yes I chose this photo to show off my snowflake skillz)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LGDjBdkMwxg/UOiZVWdymJI/AAAAAAAABNk/dCYgsQ5Tir4/s1600/IMG_1906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LGDjBdkMwxg/UOiZVWdymJI/AAAAAAAABNk/dCYgsQ5Tir4/s320/IMG_1906.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7:30 - Bath time. Due to her increased desire to be independent, this evolved from me literally helping to wash her hair, to supervising and
leading "Math Class in the Bath" (yes we practiced math facts while I
pretended to be a crazy teacher), to sitting on her bed and facebooking
on my phone while she glares at me if I come near. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EOxSYqp6kP8/UMj1uZWgSaI/AAAAAAAABIw/Q379sAHpl5U/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EOxSYqp6kP8/UMj1uZWgSaI/AAAAAAAABIw/Q379sAHpl5U/s320/IMG_1286.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8:15 - Make dinner for Chiquita, complicated by the fact that she refuses to eat fruits or vegetables. Fried chicken is a staple. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P0qVWWdeKJI/UOiWPXCqm-I/AAAAAAAABL8/p8Ey9JHR9Bk/s1600/IMG_0655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P0qVWWdeKJI/UOiWPXCqm-I/AAAAAAAABL8/p8Ey9JHR9Bk/s320/IMG_0655.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9:00 - Book and bed time for Chiquita (this day we were reading online books).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qpHtR-XNugc/UOiY_AK8kBI/AAAAAAAABNc/r5fQzR3OVlQ/s1600/IMG_1299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qpHtR-XNugc/UOiY_AK8kBI/AAAAAAAABNc/r5fQzR3OVlQ/s320/IMG_1299.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9:30 - Adult dinner time, usually with conversation of culture or politics (unless I got hungry earlier and ate with Chiquita).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wuEK7l1J-YM/UMj2dV5plPI/AAAAAAAABJY/bNGkFbgjaB0/s1600/Padres.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wuEK7l1J-YM/UMj2dV5plPI/AAAAAAAABJY/bNGkFbgjaB0/s320/Padres.tiff" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10:00ish - Just in time to "hang out" with people back home. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1XymBoaZXy4/UMj2jC_VoTI/AAAAAAAABJg/m5WVvjivl2c/s1600/Palao.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1XymBoaZXy4/UMj2jC_VoTI/AAAAAAAABJg/m5WVvjivl2c/s320/Palao.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lf3eIZDU_Ak/UMj2k9mdtnI/AAAAAAAABJo/DDUsiX9OE5I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-10-03+at+11.25.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lf3eIZDU_Ak/UMj2k9mdtnI/AAAAAAAABJo/DDUsiX9OE5I/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-10-03+at+11.25.20+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kfJvIflbYg/UOiWVIg8lzI/AAAAAAAABMc/WsjhIDqf404/s1600/Roomie+Hats.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kfJvIflbYg/UOiWVIg8lzI/AAAAAAAABMc/WsjhIDqf404/s320/Roomie+Hats.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MFWrXqt-VEM/UOiWR_Ej7XI/AAAAAAAABMU/IOOOenh9rWc/s1600/bored.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MFWrXqt-VEM/UOiWR_Ej7XI/AAAAAAAABMU/IOOOenh9rWc/s320/bored.tiff" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s-91_Ks63Uw/UOiaUpIQr9I/AAAAAAAABN4/cKirVO5Q_Qg/s1600/IMG_0685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s-91_Ks63Uw/UOiaUpIQr9I/AAAAAAAABN4/cKirVO5Q_Qg/s320/IMG_0685.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midnight-ish - Buenas noches! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-39183958142995478752012-12-16T20:38:00.000+01:002012-12-21T20:38:49.435+01:00Rambling: High Speed Trains Alright this post is random but I just have to share. A friend of mine who is currently living in Taiwan <a href="http://inkandadventure.blogspot.com.es/2012/12/to-taichung-high-speed-rail.html" target="_blank">recently blogged</a> about how awesome the high-speed trains are (you can drive 2+ hours or sit on a train for 25 minutes). I had been thinking the same thoughts and wanting to write about it here, so decided just to share my response: <br />
<br />
OMG I've fallen in love with high speed trains. Barcelona is about 400
miles from Madrid, so about 6 hours by car. OR you can take the train
and be there in 2.5 hours. How awesome. <br />
<br />
Since the distance
from Chicago and NYC is about double, how cool would it be to get on a
train in Chicago and be in NYC 5ish hours later, rather than driving 12+ hours. It
would make business sooo much easier. And visiting people. We would just be so much more connected. I would do it
all the time, unlike driving 12 straight hours, which I'm never going to do. But taking a train for 5 hours I would definitely do. Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-65419262269920579622012-12-12T12:40:00.000+01:002012-12-12T17:35:09.814+01:00Words: Do you have beggars in the US? <br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img height="221" id="il_fi" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ezKR7G5-wg/UELOYPgb-GI/AAAAAAAAAcs/lgbl_vSnmuQ/s320/Beggar.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="320" /></div>
<i>*man begging for money passes us on subway* </i><br />
R, my British friend: Do you have that in the US?<br />
Me: What?<br />
R: People begging?<br />
Me: Ummm, yeahhh..... I mean in all the cities.<br />
R: *stares at me with horror and disbelief*<br />
Me: Actually, now that I think about it, I guess I didn't really see anyone begging when I was in London, hmm. Yeah we have them on the streets, on the trains, ya know, like here...<br />
R: *increases horror and disbelief* Wow, I can imagine it's hard to see them and not be able to help. Like here it's especially so sad when you see the elderly or sick people... there's this one woman always shaking.....<br />
Me: Yeah, we have lots of old and shaking people begging, especially since they probably can't afford health insurance so they can't buy medicine. It's the worst when you see them outside in the snow.<br />
R: *stunned silence of horror and disbelief* It makes me really glad to live in a country with a good welfare system.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
It makes me <i><b>wish </b></i>we had a good welfare system. And affordable health insurance. <br />
<br />
It also got me thinking about how we have come to accept the effect of "becoming numb to suffering people" as a universal and necessary fact of life... but is it? Last week we passed a severely disfigured man begging and R seemed really upset and agitated by it; I just brushed it off and didn't think much of it. Her reaction is one of immediately in touch with humans, while I had to take time to contemplate exactly the poor man's terrible situation and likely history of exclusion, inequality, and pain before I felt what she did (and I even consider myself pretty in-touch with others). She said, "people like that should never be begging."<br />
<br />
If a country has systems in place to support all its citizens, especially those that need the most help, then there's no need to develop coping mechanisms (like emotional distance) to deal with tragic conditions, since there are no tragic conditions. Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-85229653220452300552012-12-12T12:10:00.003+01:002013-01-05T22:33:00.373+01:00Recipe: Squash Soup Though my favorite was the onion soup, this one was pretty good. I'm curious to try it with different herb combinations! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vPz1lKf3ezo/UOib8hEciWI/AAAAAAAABPU/CUSnGyqFGfE/s1600/IMG_1859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vPz1lKf3ezo/UOib8hEciWI/AAAAAAAABPU/CUSnGyqFGfE/s320/IMG_1859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
1) In a large pot, boil salted water. <br />
2) Chop roughly and add half a white <b>onion</b>, one large <b>carrot</b>, three <b>potatoes</b>, and half a <b>squash</b> (they cook with squash all the time here and I thinnnk it's butternut). <br />
3) Whirl everything in the blender and strain. It's excellent with thick rustic bread.<br />
<br />
I wonder how it would taste with caramelized onions, too... Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-34248594512623011072012-12-11T13:23:00.001+01:002012-12-12T12:11:24.584+01:00Recipe: Fried Eggplant <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8jSaT1gr5JI/UMcpQkRmCsI/AAAAAAAABGQ/12sguLgJLc4/s1600/IMG_0642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8jSaT1gr5JI/UMcpQkRmCsI/AAAAAAAABGQ/12sguLgJLc4/s320/IMG_0642.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's one posing with salmon. </td></tr>
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THIS IS SERIOUSLY THE MOST DELICIOUS FOOD IN THE WORLD <br />
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1) Peel <b>eggplant</b>.<br />
2) Slide it thinly and place slices in a bowl of water.<br />
3) Beat an <b>egg</b> and sprinkle salt; pour <b>breadcrumbs</b> into a plate.<br />
4) Assembly - coat slice in egg then breadcrumbs, place in pan over <i>medium </i>heat with oil in bottom.<br />
5) Once golden brown, enjoy with <a href="http://achalkboardandacamera.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/recipe-tomato-sauce.html" target="_blank">tomato sauce! </a>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-74443895824500845832012-12-11T12:50:00.002+01:002012-12-12T13:12:43.568+01:00Recipes: Easy Garbanzos Yummy, super easy garbanzos:<br />
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1) Chop and saute <b>onions</b> in olive oil.<br />
2) In a large pot over medium heat, boil water, <b>garbanzos </b>from a jar (here they're packed with <b>spinach</b>), and a little salt.<br />
3) Add sauteed onions and chopped<b> potatoes</b> and continue to boil.<br />
4) Call it done when the texture is to your liking!<br />
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I like how there's so much leftover broth, so I use it to make couscous :) <br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-77456078465404249902012-12-08T22:59:00.003+01:002012-12-08T23:07:19.919+01:00Printed: Education Things <br />
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<img alt="Teachers only spend 4 hours a day in the classroom, and take 2 hours a week for "professional development"." height="149" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4ee7bf2a69bedd945d000017-590/teachers-only-spend-4-hours-a-day-in-the-classroom-and-take-2-hours-a-week-for-professional-development.jpg" width="200" /></div>
Some things that have caught my attention lately:<br />
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<b>FINLAND: </b>Oh, Finland. The country with consistent wonderful education outcomes for years and years, studied and admired by all. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-school-2011-12?op=1" target="_blank">This recent article</a> gave some facts about how they do things that I hadn´t heard before - I´d be curious to find out how true these things are for all schools, but it´s definitely food for thought. (no school until age 7? teachers spending 4 hours per day in the classroom?? and they all have masters???)<br />
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<b>FRANCE: </b>The <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/12/02/166193594/pencils-down-french-plan-would-end-homework" target="_blank">President has proposed</a> banning homework in elementary and middle school, stating that it ¨penalizes children with difficult home situations.¨ His proposal has been met with much criticism, espeically from parents. Hmm.<br />
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<b>UNITED STATES: </b>The latest <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/documents/press-releases/state-2010-11-graduation-rate-data.pdf" target="_blank">graduation rate</a>s have been released. People are warned that since the criteria for measurement has changed this year, comparison to other years may be skewed. Michigan came in at 74% and Illinois came in at 84%. It´s ironic that our nation´s capitol has the lowest rate at 59%. Iowa is surprisingly the highest, at 88%! (AND they have pretty consistent figures across the board, not just one demographic inflating the number).<br />
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<a href="http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/28/national-graduation-rates-released/" target="_blank">CNN</a> points out, <i>Looking at the data itself another picture emerges - a gap between whites and blacks still exists, but an even wider gap persists between the general graduation rates and the graduation rates of children with disabilities and limited English profiency students. For these subgroups, graduation rates in many states are below 50%, and sometimes even below 30%.</i> <i> </i>Only<b> 23%</b> of students with disabilities in Mississippi graduate high school!! Where are the IEPs? Where is the support? Where is the outrage?<br />
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The comments from the public are really heated. One person pointed out, <i>there are appears to be little, if any, correlation between the amount spent per student and the graduation rates</i>. I don´t know enough about funding to know at a glance how accurate that is, but it´s interesting.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-47586689066387513822012-11-30T13:27:00.000+01:002012-12-12T13:12:53.870+01:00Recipe: Basic Fall Vegetable Soup SO EASY.<br />
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1) Boil water and add a cube of chicken <b>bouillon </b>(OK - so I learned this is NOT actually all vegetables, like I was told. This is not the first time this has happened in Spain - I ordered a 'vegetable sandwich' and was surprised it came with a bunch of tuna on it, people seem to never mention that things are made with BONES so now I always ask, and meat broth doesn't seem to 'count' as meat. Anyway, I'll just substitute with vegetable bouillon).<br />
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2) Chop roughly and add <b>potatoes, red peppers, squash, spinach, leek, onion</b>, and <b>carrots</b> (the big ones, not baby). Cook with the lid on for about half an hour.<br />
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3) Eat it as is or, if you want, puree the mixture so it becomes a creamy soup. The end! Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-49455940948094687162012-11-27T13:47:00.001+01:002012-11-27T13:47:43.664+01:00Captured: Quotes So many recent photos + my obsession with quotes + glorious, glorious free time =<br />
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Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286661960893902534.post-16041768470918834112012-11-26T13:30:00.000+01:002012-11-27T13:53:17.055+01:00Captured: Avila & Toledo Two more daytrips. I just love how from Madrid you can hop on a train or bus for an hourish and be in a totally different world with it's own history and culture. I can't say the same if you travel 60 minutes in any direction from Grand Rapids or Chicago...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CarVNmudMOk/ULSu9qUq10I/AAAAAAAABDs/W_fjNLAoBsQ/s1600/DSC_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CarVNmudMOk/ULSu9qUq10I/AAAAAAAABDs/W_fjNLAoBsQ/s400/DSC_0172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avila, just 25 min away on the train. The city walls - started in 1090, most rebuilt in the 12th century. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUaMCAM13SY/ULSvQ_fI9GI/AAAAAAAABD4/2UEvnbA641U/s1600/DSC_0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUaMCAM13SY/ULSvQ_fI9GI/AAAAAAAABD4/2UEvnbA641U/s400/DSC_0178.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love these roof tiles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MeguuDHkMTg/ULSverFkvCI/AAAAAAAABEA/wd4xZJkbkM4/s1600/DSC_0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MeguuDHkMTg/ULSverFkvCI/AAAAAAAABEA/wd4xZJkbkM4/s400/DSC_0180.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walls enclose the old city in a rectangle, and there are 88 towers! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9sAQai5NSMs/ULSvuRZDGcI/AAAAAAAABEI/xN_6CppFZv4/s1600/DSC_0210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9sAQai5NSMs/ULSvuRZDGcI/AAAAAAAABEI/xN_6CppFZv4/s400/DSC_0210.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toledo - so cute and medieval </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNsiGqJpxpk/ULSv7mxaTkI/AAAAAAAABEU/G1hcjB2FupY/s1600/DSC_0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rNsiGqJpxpk/ULSv7mxaTkI/AAAAAAAABEU/G1hcjB2FupY/s640/DSC_0218.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Countryside </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6bDBuNGO2qs/ULSwJQUT74I/AAAAAAAABEc/j6n2SLXT1cY/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6bDBuNGO2qs/ULSwJQUT74I/AAAAAAAABEc/j6n2SLXT1cY/s400/DSC_0224.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Synagogue in the Jewish quarter. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all have deep roots here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4M4yLfb0CY8/ULSwR3QopyI/AAAAAAAABEk/MR2rGx6Q1Pw/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4M4yLfb0CY8/ULSwR3QopyI/AAAAAAAABEk/MR2rGx6Q1Pw/s400/IMG_1389.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical last activity - find a cheap local bar/cafe away from the tourist area for a snack before heading back on the train or bus. Usually futbol is on tv, and usually my presence brings the total number of customers to about two. </td></tr>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05645932117924714665noreply@blogger.com0