Friday, May 23, 2014

Karaoke, the Library and Interns from the US

Greetings to all!
     Well, our chronic Internet problems have just been getting worse and worse. We apologize once again for not getting anything up last week. Hopefully we have the problem solved now and we will be in touch until we leave.
     First, a report on two continuing items: Karaoke practices are ongoing, and the variety of song choices is trully astonishing! They range from simple teen pop music to classic rock to adult easy listening. We can’t wait to hear how they all come out! Since we have no way to adjust the sound properties of our system, it has been a challenge finding a room to use where the echo is minimal enough to keep from feeding back into the microphone, but we are now using a room with carpet on the floor, which is much better. Last time, we not only had 10 students come and practice, but there were at least 4 others who came just to listen and enjoy the music. So much fun!
     The library remodel is coming along. THANK YOU to St. Andrew’s for donating the rest of the money needed to finish the project before we leave. Ruben is thrilled! This week will see many changes, and we will take plenty of pictures for you all to see next week.
      Second, our big news this week is the group of student interns from Siena College in Albany, NY, arrived! Two of them, George and Joanna, will be interning with the elementary school in the village in the mornings in their advanced English class, and in the afternoons/evenings they will be working with my two classes. I am very excited to meet with them and work out exactly how they will fit into our last few weeks of class. You can read more about the Siena students (and some of mine!) on their blog: http://sienaglobalserviceinternship.wordpress.com/2014/03/19/where-will-you-be-serving/ (The entries by my students were for a class project on learning to introduce and describe themselves.) They also read this blog for information about the Siena students. I am very much looking forward to having Joanna and George in the English program!
     I will close this week with a proverb in Spanish that hangs on the wall in our apartment. It’s great food for thought!

Vigila tus pensamientos, se convierten en palabras. Vigila tus palabras, se convierten en acciones. Vigila tus acciones, se convierten en hábitos. Vigila tus hábitos, se convierten en carácter. Vigila tu carácter, se convierte en tu destino.


Watch your thoughts, they will become words. Watch your words, they will become actions. Watch your actions, they will become habits. Watch your habits, they will become your character. Watch your character, it will become your destiny.

Abrazos a todos!
Susan

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