Una más y nos vamos

Queridos compañeros y Lic. Enrique Cabrales:

Ha sido largo el camino que hemos recorrido juntos, desde que iniciamos esta carrera hasta éste semestre que vamos terminando, por nuestro paso en esta universidad hemos tenido diferentes maestros y creo que uno de los que nunca olvidaremos es nuestro profesor Juan Enrique Cabrales. Debo confesar que cuando lo conocimos en 4º semestre nos fué difícil adaptarnos a la manera de trabajar de él. Hoy puedo decir que ya nos entendimos y sobre todo que el teacher ha dejado en nosotros enseñanzas muy importantes, no solo en lo que al aprendizaje del idioma se refiere, sino que debemos recordar siempre sus consejos de ser autodidactas y de no quedarnos en el camino, que las cosas cuestan pero querer es poder.

Esta actividad del blog fué para mí muy difícil, pero creo que al final algo aprendí, hay que ser constantes en lo que hacemos. Por el momento hago una pausa y me siento satisfecha, tal vez no soy la mejor estudiante pero creo que algo he aprendico, sobre todo que podemos contar con verdaderos amigos, esta antrada va dedicada a todos ustedes compañeros a Celia, Kandy, Maty y a ud. profe Cabrales, ¡¡¡GRACIAS!!!

PD. Realmente disfruté el ¡Karaoke!

F R I E N D S H I P

We have developed a good relationship during six semeters. I think we have improve our each other's understanding. I really enjoyed your friendship and I wish we finish this bachellor together next November.
I want to share a poem I find this night...

When we first talked to each other
I knew we would always be friends.
Our friendship has kept on growing
And I'll be here for you to the end.


You listen when I have a problem
And help dry the tears from my face.
You take away my sorrow
And put happiness in its place.

We can't forget the fun we've had
Laughing 'til our faces turn blue.
Talking of things only we find funny
People think we're insane-If they only knew!

I guess this is my way of saying thanks
For catching me when I fall.
Thanks once again for being such a good friend
And being here with me through it all.

- Rachel Ellis

Thank you for being my good friends!!!

Ups¡ The corrected blog

Advantages and Disadvantages of watching TV

Nowadays, television has become the most popular source for entertainment to have at home. It is also an indispensable device in our daily life. Television has been very popular since it was invented, and almost every family has access to it. By watching TV , we get see many things happened in the world . The advantages of watching TV are very considerable:

*You can get a whole look of world events.
*Television programs enrich our knowledge .
*Many events and competition can be watched “live”.
*Many exclusive movies are presented as well .
*Television specializes into many channels , each one satisfies the different audience’s taste such as news , sports, and film .
*You can learn and meet many interesting places watching discovery channel or national geographic channel.

Beside those benefits , there are some disadvantages that we must notice:

*Wasting time is one of the inherent disadvantages of watching TV.
*Television programs are not always suitable for all ages. Sometimes, there are some movies with sexual content and violence which affect the stormy phase of growing children and teenagers.
*The government control the information so we are not suposed to believe all we watch on TV.
*Families rarely comunicate among each others because they have adopted watching TV as a normal activity during the whole day, even for dinner , brakfast, or lunch time.
*If you don`t care about how much time you spend in front of your TV you may turn into a "couch potatoe".

Finally, I have reached the conclusion that nowadays television could be indispensable for some. TV benefits our life by getting us informed about things happening all over the world. On the other hand watching TV affects our lives,thoughts and habits.

My wonderful kids

It`s time to tell you about my children, you know them but I want to tell you more information about them you don't know.

I'm going to start with my first boy MORONI, his birth was very difficult because he was trapped with his umbilical cord so was difficult for him to born. Once he arrived to this world we were very happy, he was my mom's first grandson so you can imagine how loved he was.

Moroni was a very quiet baby, he used to be calm most of the time. Now he is an obedient boy, helpful, responsible, and perseverant. When he has a goal he never rest untill he gets it.

My second child is ISAI, he`s a mischievous boy, he likes to play all the time, he was a noisy baby and he needed a lot of atention. He enjoys playing with his brother, he`s lovely boy because he tells me that he loves me all the time. He is very smart at school and he likes to sing and to dance.

My beautiful boys are my support, believe it or not, they cheersme up and I really enjoy when I'm with them. Well, once you turn into a parent may be you would understand how important is a child in your life.

My husband.

I want to tell you about my husband because he is my friend and my support and I think is good that you know a little bit of his personality and skills.

Well, he is from Tampico, his mom is from Tuxpan, Veracruz and his father was born in Tampico too. He lived his childhood in Tuxpan, Veracruz and his adolescence too, then, he moved to Tijuana City for two years. Latter he return to Tampico, but he decided to study in Mexico City and that was the reason I met him.

He culdn't to study at the Metropolitan university so he return to Tampico and he started to study Psychologist Bachellor. I married him and we were living here the last twelve years.

What my husband likes is listening music, doing exercise, spending time with his family, playing with his children and helping people because he is a psychologist.

He plays basquetball very good and he cooks delicious enchiladas. He supports me and chers me up when I'm week, He helps me a lot since the time I decided to study in this university .

We have had differences but finally we have have get over them.

C A R L O T T A

Well, this story is special to me because is the one we had to write, at the begining I didn't liked the idea but at the end I enjoyed it. We had many ideas, and we were talking and talking but the most dificult was to write it. Well, i think that was good for our writting skills anyway, as this blog is.

Now the story of Carlotta....

Long time ago, in a Village of Kansas, there lived a very rich woman who used to lend money to the poor people. Her name was Carlotta. She was single with no family, and no children.

Carlotta was a mean person even she lend money to everyone she never cares about the people needs.

She lived alone in an old house, she didn’t have any friend because she never wanted to give or share anything. She looked like a miserable person because of the old fashion clothe she wore.
People in the town sometimes wanted to help her but she never accepted their friendship because of her bitterness. She didn’t love anyone.

One Sunday afternoon a couple knocked at Carlotta’s door. They were Peter, Julia, and their little baby named Daniel. They seemed to be in problems. When she opens the door she talked to them in a despective and aggressive way.

What they wanted was a huge amount of money to solve their problems. As they were planning to travel they decided to leave Daniel with Carlotta as a guarantee that they will return in a week or before with Carlotta’s money.

Carlotta accepted the deal not very convinced at all because she had to take care of the child, but she thought it was the only way she can get her money back with the high benefits she was going to gain out of it.
Two weeks passed and the couple showed no sign of themselves. After sometime Carlotta received news from the couple. They had had an accident on which they both died.
Carlotta was very angry, but at the same time she thought that the child could be of help to her when he grew up. As the time went by, the young child was growing. He was a nice and cute boy. He always wanted to pleased Carlotta but she never accepted his love because of her bitterness.

Fifthteen years latter Carlota became an old woman living alone and sick. Finally she recognizes her attitude against all people and Daniel, so she decided to leave all her belongings and money to Daniel as well as she asked him to help all people she had abused to.

Some days later, Carlotta died. Since that day, Daniel started helping al people from the village. Latter he knew a pretty young woman and married her having a beautiful family. Celia Del Toro and Maricela García.

The Phantom of the Opera House

Hi! I want to share more about I read last month, I need to explain you that I saw this movie when I was living in Mexico with my family, I realy liked the movie of the Phantom of the Opera, I remember that it was interesting and sad. I enjoy the drama and love stories and this is a good one.

For those of you have never seen the movie or read the book let me tell you what this story is about...

...This story is about strange things happening at the Paris Opera House, people hear voices and see shadows. Everybody say there is a phantom, the phantom of the Opera. The phantom that many people have seen is a strange man with an awful face, he loves music and singing. He participated at the construction of the opera’s building so he knows very well that place; in fact, he lives in a place down the theatre next to a river. The problem is when he felt in love with Christine, a young singer who accepted a relationship with him after he gave her singing classes.

The themes we can tlak about in this story are: horror and ysticism, impossible love and arts and music.

TOM SWAYER

Well, as you know, in literatura class we were reading some books and short stories. I really enjoyed it because, believe it or not, I like to read is just that I rarely have time to do it. Tom Sawyer is one of the stories I liked. I had hear that story before, but I have not known the plot before. I went to the SAC and couldn`t find the book so I decided to listen an audio material with Tom's story. I want to tell you a little bit of Tom Sawyer`s personality, Tom is a mischievous boy with an active imagination who spends most of the novel getting himself, and often his friends, into and out of trouble. Despite his mischief, Tom has a good heart and a strong moral conscience. As the novel progresses, he begins to take more seriously the responsibilities of his role as a leader among his schoolfellows.

I think all subjects are important for getting knowledge but I think American Literature is necessary if we want to understand the American culture and the English as a second language. I think teacher Ana Maria is an excelent teacher because she encouraged us to read and to understand what we read.

The M U S I C

"..there is strong evidence supporting the use of music in the ESL classroom. Language and music are tied together in brain processing by pitch, rhythm and by symmetrical phrasing. Music can help familiarize students with connections and provides a fun way to acquire English."
Bob Lake

Songs are a good resource for English Teaching:
They are funny.
They promote mimics, gestures, etc. associated to the meaning.
They are good to introduce suprasegmental phonetics (stress, rhythm and intonation)
Students play a participative role.
They can be applied to comprehension stages (listening) or production (singing).
There are songs for all levels and ages.
Students learn English very easily, through echoic memory.

Anyway, if you want to use songs in your class, it is not enough to play a cd or to say 'Let's sing a song'. We have to introduce activities to promote student's comprehension and acquisition of the rhythm. How can we do that without the students getting bored? There are good ideas.

ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE COMPREHENSION

1. Hands up!! Students have to put their hands up when they hear the word X. We can increase the difficulty: 'When you hear the word 'tomato' put your hands up. When you hear the word 'carrot' close your eyes'. (We can add a new request each time, the activity will become a funny 'dance' at the end).
It is good to use meaningful gestures if possible. For example: 'Make the monkey when you hear the word 'monkey'.

2. The chairs. Put some chairs in a circle. All the students sit on a chair but one, who will stay in the middle. Put flash cards under the chairs. There must be two flash-cards of each word (two monkeys, two lions, two elephants, etc)
Now, play the music. When they hear the word 'monkey', the two students sitting on the chairs with the monkeys have to stand up and sit down on each other's chair, but the student in the middle will try to get one of their chairs. There will be always one student without a chair.

3. Fill in the gaps. The most common and traditional. Students are given a copy of the lyrics and they have to fill in the gaps.


LISTENING ACTIVITIES
(Activities that make possible to play the song many times without the students getting bored. These activities promote an unconscious learning of the song. They are useful if we want the students to sing the song after a few lessons)

1. Pass the ball. Put all the chairs in a circle. The students sit down. Choose one student to start the game and give him/her a ball (or any object). Then play the music. They have to pass the ball following the rhythm. (Each student has to pass the ball to the student on his/her right). Suddenly stop the music. The student who has got the ball when the music stops has to stand up and answer a question. If the answer is right, s/he can sit down again, and the game continues. Otherwise, s/he will be eliminated.

2. The ring. For very young children. The traditional ring, dancing in a circle, falling down, etc.

3. The cage. We make a ring like the traditional one, with young children. The difference is that we put a small circle on the floor (the cage). We play the music and we start to circle. When the music stops, the student in the 'cage' will go to the middle of the ring, and so on.

Students love listening to music in the language classroom. Music can provide schools with benefits such as:

Stimulating both hemispheres of the brain.
Providing a relaxing, calming, soothing working environment
Reducing and managing stress levels of pupils, students and teachers
Enhancing concentration and stimulating the learning experience
Reducing hyperactivity and psychological distress in classes

D A N C E

Dance is an art form that generally refers to the body movement used as an expression form of social interaction presented in a performance setting. Dance has envolved many styles and dimensions.

First we can mention the ritual dance, is the kind of dancie our ancestors used to express respect to their Gods or just representing important and significant situations in their lives.

Another dimension is when people dance just for leissure. Here we have all those popular styles like salsa, rock and roll, country, break dance, and hip hop. Young people get together and dance havin good time.

Other interesting dimension is when people dance in competitions, there are events where contestants poerform dances before a judge for awards or monetary prizes.

When people have troubles with their physical or mental health, dance is a good option, doctors recomend dancing as a therapy.

And finally we have the performance dance, it is the expression of creativity and imagination of this kind of art, generally a choreographer works with dancers in order to perform something in front of a public.

Dance is an essential tool to express feelings, ideas, and emotions. Is the type of art has been inherit to the human since ancient times and it will be always an important part of our lifes.

Advantages and Disadvantages of watching TV

Nowadays, television has become the most popular media of human kind. It’s also the indispensable device in our daily life. Television has been very popular, and almost every family have the access to it. By watching TV , we can see many things happened in the world . The advantages of watching TV are very considerable .

• Watching TV you can get a whole look all over the world.
• The appearance of television and television broadcasting enriches our entertainments .
• Many events and competition can be watched “live”.
• Many exclusive movies are presented as well .
• Television specializes into many channels , each one satisfies the different audience’s taste such as news , sports, and film .
• You can learn and meet many interesting places watching discovery channel or national geography channel.

But beside those benefits , there are some disadvantages that we must notice:

• Wasting time is one of the inherent disadvantage of watching TV.
• Television programme are not always suitable for all ages.Sometimes , there are some movies containing sexual material and violence which affected the stormy phase of growing of children and teenagers.
• The government control the information so we can not believe all we watch in TV.
• Families rarely comunicate each others because they have had watching TV as a normal activity during the whole day, even for dinner , brakfast, or lunch time.
• If you don`t care about how many time you spend in front of TV you may turn in a "couch potatoe".

Finally, we have reached a conclusion that nowadays television would be indispensable, TV benefit our life getting us informed enough about things happening all over the world, on the other hand watching TV affects our lifes,thoughts and habits. Life without TV doesn't turn us in a better person but gives us more time if we are wise enough, and who knows, someday it will be replaced by computers.

FRANKENSTEIN

Recently we saw a movie with teacher Ana Maria, in Literature class. The movie Frankenstein was directed by James Whale, the play was written by Peggy Webling, but the original novel was written by Mary Shelley.

The story is about a scientist who had a secret laboratory and he was interested in creating living with human exhumed corposes. The main characters were Dr. Henry Frankenstein, Dr. Waldman, Fritz, Elizabeth, and the monster Frankenstein.

Dr. Henry and his assistant Fritz nedded a brain for his project and they decided to steal a brain from Dr. Waldman laboratory, they accidentally took a brain of a criminal . When the monster was born they realized that they created an agrassive monster.

Honesty I was bored at the begining of the movie, but latter I noticed that I didn`t know that story before and I was interested about.

What I would recomend is to read the book, the novel, because is an horror classic and reading you use your imagination.

A lesson in Caring

The author of this article was moved to do volunteer work, maybe because he wanted to give a good lesson to his daugther, Nora... He mentioned that he had been delighted at how much Nora noticed in her world, but she had grown and now she was noticing suffering and poverty.

When the author saw an article in the newspaper he was interested in doing volunteer work. I think, this experince was really good for them because they could see how lonely elderly people live.

Nora was who finally tought an important lesson, she was friendly and kind with strangers no matter how different or poor they were. The opportunity to receive something enjoyable was for the author and his daughter .

I consider Nora and her father heroes because they decided to help others sharing their time and belongings.

"AIR JORDAN"

“There’s Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us”
Magic Johnson

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan, Jr., one older sister, Deloris, and a younger sister, Roslyn. Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation. He started his career at the University of North Carolina, after that, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as one of the stars of the league, His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness." He gained a reputation as one of the best defensive players in basketball.

In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993. Though Jordan abruptly left the NBA at the beginning of the 1993-94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but he returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.12 points per game, as well as averaging a record 33.4 points per game in the playoffs .

Jordan lives in Highland Park, Illinois, and both of his sons attended Loyola Academy, a private High school located in Wilmette, Illinois. He will be eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. In my opinion he is a successful person who represents a significant part of the sports history.

Feel comfortable. That's all that matters!

Some people spend a lot of money buying trendy clothes and changing their wearing styles.... but, I`m not that kind of person... I prefere to feel comfortable because I'm a very active person... that doesn't mean that I don't care my personal appearance, I like to combine colors, styles and accesories, actually one of my favorite TV program is Not to wear ( ¡no te lo pongas!) . But before wearing,in my personal opinion it is more important how do you feel than how good your wearing style is. Your inside define how good you look.

People wear different clothes according to the occasion.If you're in a wedding, camping, or in aprofessional exam you will choose what to wear, it depends! What it's true is trought clothing you express your personality, feelings, likes, and likes. If you're sad and nonconformist with your life you're going to reflect it on your wearing. If you're tired, worried or depressed would be very difficult you look great just with clothes and make up. On the other hand, if you're happy, pleased, proud of your self, and optimist your wearing is going to reflect it.

What I can finally say is you try to be yourself and find your own style, do not imitate others style, use the powerful tool that is your wearing and if you want to feel confortable just do it, don't be worried about others, express yourself.

The National Mexican Anthem

I was thinking what to write about and I decided to tell you about my class with my junior high students last week.

As the first class in my program I had to apply an examination about the Mexican Anthem, they needed to remember the complete lyric and who wrote it and who wrote its music to, I was in shock because some of the students just write a little bit of the chorus and others couldn't write the first verse at least.

I gaved them the complet lyric and as homework they investigated the Mexican Anthem history, in english because my art class is in english. In our second day we were talking about interesting events that happened before our anthem was written.

For example:

Antonio Lòpez de Santa Anna was the president who announced the competition and 25 poets participated in the contest, at the end, Francisco González Bocanegra's lyric was chosen.

But first, Francisco Gonzàlez Bocanegra wasn't interested in participating in the competition but his fiancée Guadalupe imprisoned him in a room untill he produced an entry for the competition. There were many pictures of the Mexican history events wich could helped him to inspired his work.

Jaime Nunó , a Spanish-born band leader, composed the music that was chosen for Gonzalez's lyric in a second national contest because in the first one the music of Juan Bottesini was disliked.

The Prima Donna Enriqueta Sontag sang for first time our anthem, she was the most beautiful voice at that time, unfortunatly one month later she died because of the cholera.

Some students were really interested about the history and now they think that our anthem is important for them, we are going to continue practicing the Mexican Anthem next week and I hope they can feel proud of being mexicans.

My interestes

I want to tell you about things I enjoy doing, my hobbies. One thing I like to do is learning new things, I like to do anything you can do with your hands, I'm talking about handcrafts it can be how to work with paper, foami, how to make jewerly, fabric painting, etc. What Imost like about that is that I can relax myself working on that, it is as a therapy for me.

Other thing I like to do is learning to play musical instruments, I have learned how to play piano and a little bit of violoncello, i want to learn how to play violin and guitar, you need to be a perseverance person for learning to play a musical instrument. I really enjoy all about music and artistic expressions .

Finally I really enjoy cooking for my family, the problem is that I don`t have enough time for that, I usually try to prepare delicious meals and deserts, something that my children found different and delicious. You know it is too bored eating the same every day.

The University

Here we are, almost at the end of the fifth semester, which means just three more. I have felt very tired because of the schedule we have had. Can you imagine every day starting at 3:00 and finishing at 9:00? That was exhausting!! That remembered me when we were in first sem. I wish all of you gays can get good grades , at least, more than five. you can do it , just try harder than today...

Children´s Day

Well is not children`s day yet, but I want to say something about that holiday. I was in charge of the bulletin board at my work and a was investigating way people celebrate to their children and when and I want to share what I founded.

In 1954 The United Nations recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of the world's children. It suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date which each considers appropriate. In Mexico, president Alvaro Obregon determined april 30th as a day for celebrating our children.United States of America National Child's Day" was proclaimed by the President George W. Bush, he declared that it be held on June 3rd.

The international celebration is on November 20th. That is because marks the day in which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989 and is often the day chosen by countries as their own designated day to observe Universal Children's Day.

I think the most important is to protect our children, their physical and mental integrity is our responsability as parents, brothers, uncles or whoever we are. And remember there is a child inside of all of you.

My vacations

Hi! Everybody, how have you been? I have enjoyed this days having good time with my family. I have rested a lot. I think I’m ready for the school … well let me tell you some things I did last days…

I visited a beautiful place called El Naranjo, is located 45 minutes near Ciudad Ocampo Tamaulipas, you can enjoy a beautiful view, there are some waterfalls and you can swim in the river. I was there camping for two days, was great! well a little cold but very relaxed. We were swimming and eating a lot of delicious snaks.

Somethig interesting about El Naranjo is That is a place were sugar cane is cut it and transformed in sugar, it´s very interesting, you can see many

lorries with tons of sugar cane on the road,

and some others waiting to unload cane in the

sugar refinery. People who live there have a

very different lifestyle than ours.

Well, I want to see you again but I don’t want to be stressed about school and work, Well I think we can’t have everything in live… See you soon.

Supporting statements

As a rule, most children in my country watch TV about three or four hours per day. Generally children plug into the world of television before they enter to school. But, is that a good habit? Health experts have long linked excessive TV-watching to obesity. While children are watching TV, they’re inactive and tend to snack. In all families children under age two use to be in contact with TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games. According to the experts, children under that age should have no "screen time" at all because during the first two years there is a critical period for brain development which helps young children develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. TV can get in the way of interacting and playing with parents and others, On the other hand, children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 or 2 hours a day of quality programming.

Of course, television, in moderation, can be a good thing. Children can get help learning the alphabet on public television. They can learn about wildlife on nature shows too. TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer, no doubt about it .Some parents have decided to teach their children good TV habits. They use to limit the number of TV-watching hours. Others treat TV as a privilege that their children need to earn. Their children are allowed to watch TV only after chores and homework are completed. There is another kind of parents that turn off the television and enjoy the precious time they have to spend with their family.

Naming Traditions

The article is very interesting, I have never thought in those simple things. The ways for naming people around the world are different. When you are meeting foreign people it is a good question to ask for their correct names and their correct pronunciation to. In the article we can read about people from Asia who are called by their first name, in the case of Americans who are living in the United States are called by their last name, and In contrast with those traditions, Mexican people usually use their father’s family name.

Well, I‘m not sure about the different naming traditions in the world, If I were from Korea my name was Garcia Maricela Serrano,I think it can be very confused. Truly your name should be your most prized possession like Hawaiian people because it’s an important part of your personal identity. I’m a married woman now and after 10 years of marriage I have finally decide to use my husband’s last mane. I don’t know way just it happened. I think I finally accepted that I’m married.

How to Relax

Relaxation is important because during whole day your body and mind are constantly stressed getting tensioned. Relaxation activities help you to keep your mind and body into a relaxed state. There are many options to relax yourself. Some people choose meditation, while others choose physical exercise there

are breathing exercises as well.

Some people think that Correct breathing is the most effective, easiest relaxation technique, yet few people get it right and many believe it is just a matter of taking ‘deep breaths'. You just have to practice the correct breathing technique for getting relaxed. Maybe you think that you never have enough time for relaxing, but sometimes you need just a few minutes. It is necessary to find time to take relaxation breaks at a busy, stressful job. This relaxation exercise may be practiced in a short time while sitting at your desk. Over time, regular practice will have long-term benefits.

At the end of your day it is important to relax you before going to bed. I recommend encouraging your brain to associate going to bed with sleep, don't read in bed or have TVs or computers in your bedroom. Finally if you relax yourself every day you are going to feel better and your energy is going to be enough for the next day.

Friendship...

Well, I’m here again! Trying to say something interesting… yesterday I tried to explain to my children the reason for sending cards and gifts on Valentine's Day and I told them the history about that holiday, did you know that it started in the time of the Roman Empire?... In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

It is an interesting history, but nowadays people have had different traditions to celebrate this holiday, for example:

Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:

Good morning to you, valentine;

Curl your locks as I do mine ---

Two before and three behind.

Good morning to you, valentine.

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him…

Finally, let me tell you my friends, because I considered you my friends, that I really enjoyed our mini-party last Thursday. I thing It was the second time when we have had an activity like that. We should do it at least once in a semester. I think is a good way to improve our friendship. I hope that at the end of the bachelor we can understand our different personalities and we can have each other as a good friend…

Tampico`s Cluster!

Is one of Mexico's leading ports.

An important city for petrochemical industry.

A city where families enjoy beautiful beaches and rivers.

A place for practicing several water sports.

An interesting city with historical buildings.

Tampico is a city where families can enjoy a beautiful and relaxing trip . If they are traveling in their own vehicle, I recommend them Tampico Bridge tour. This bridge connects the states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz. Only a few kilometers after crossing the bridge, now in the State of Veracruz , you will find "La Ribera", a beautiful place where families can enjoy fresh seafood and other typical foods prepared in rustical restaurants situated along the Laguna de Tamiahua shoreline.

People can visit Ciudad Madero, whose main attraction is the Miramar Beach. Here families will find the Malecon, Las Escolleras and rustic shade palapas at the shoreline . Also, it is a popular recreational center with playgrounds, bar and restaurant service . If people prefer rivers I recommend a tour by the Panuco River. This tour last approximately three hours and families will be able to enjoy a beautiful view of the Maritime Customs Building.

Finally, if people prefer lagoons, Tampico has two beautiful ones.The Carpintero Lagoon and The Chairel Lagoon. The first one is located less than a kilometer away from the Tampico's Historical Downtown and could be reached through the Adolfo Lopez Mateos Boulevard. Families can see the beautiful Metropolitan Theater. On the other hand The Chairel Lagoon have being the most important water reservoir in the region, people can practice several water sports like canoeing, jet sky, and sport fishing. On its margins is the Club de Regatas Corona, a private yacht club that organizes several fishing tournaments through the whole year.

If families are interested in water activities Tampico is the city!

home schooling

This article is interesting because here in Mexico home schooling is unusual. In U.S. this is a growing trend. We read advantages and disadvantages at classroom. The advantage is students are often more self-directed and have a greater depth of knowledge, they are very well prepared for academic challenges. Another important thing is they re in a safety place because some times schools are dangerous. But not every student is successful; a disadvantage is they have fewer chances to interact with others their own age, so they lack the usual social skills.

Well, I think Home Schooling can be a very good option for kids. Nowadays schools are dangerous places, here in Mexico teachers sometimes are not patient enough and they hurt students physically and psychologically. In other cases schools are overpopulated then students can’t learn efficiently. I think home schooling is better, but, I’m not sure about the level parents can teach their children because parents should be prepared enough and they need to have much time, that means parents need stay at home with their children. In this case mothers are who can do this important activity.

Finally I think the social aspect is important to because sometimes parents decide to have just one child and they can’t develop their social skills. Human is a social entity, so we need to learn how to have healthy relationships. If you decide to teach your children at home it’s ok, most in the first six years of your child’s life. If you really want you can do it, just prepare yourself and organize your activities because your child’s instruction is in your hands.

Finally I´m here!

This is the first time I write in my blog, sorry but, you know, I don't need to explain you why, my time is never enough. Well, as the teacher said before, I think this is a very cool way to develope our skills lerning a new language. Belive it or not... I´ve never had comunication with someone by internet, so I feel a litle clumsy with this now , I hope next weeks I can feel more confident with this...

All comments are very interesting and congrats for all poeple who is working with this now, I thik we'll be closer than now¡

teacher mary

welcome to my blog