I can ride a bike!

Today, Alicia learnt how to ride a bike... you know, without those small wheels attached... (How do you call them?)

Juggling

As I continue with my classes, I've come to face an old fear: speaking in public. I have always been rather shy, or had been, at least, until my job forced me to be bolder. But, speaking in public is still something that terrifies me. A group of nine year olds is one thing, but university students? With a teacher?? I think I'll need to practice and even videotape my "lectures" before speaking in front of the class!! Today we had psychology applied to education and social studies (if my translation is correct). Tomorrow it's pedagogy and English. We'll see... And it doesn't leave me much time for anything else! In the morning it's all about getting the girls ready for school, going to school myself, then to work, lunch, pick up the girls from school...

I'm making new friends, which is also interesting. Two women my age and a younger woman (I think she's in her late 20s) from Mexico.

Please, feel free to correct any mistakes, ok?

First day of school

Typical introduction, no classes. Mrs X explained to a group of 200 students what this career is like, its different majors and things like that. Most of the students were in their late teens or twenties except some moms, like me. We scanned the crowd and found each other as if we were trying to find aliens from outer space. A teacher (I'll call her Mrs X because I can't really remember her name) explained many details about our new career and then faced the questions from the students. One of the questions was particularly interesting. It came from a girl. I couldn't see her face from where I was sitting but I could see her feet: sneakers and socks with skeletons. "Is it really necessary to attend all classes?". Believe it or not, that's what Ms Skeleton Socks asked. Maybe she expected Mrs X to say "No dear, of course not, if that's too taxing for you, just don't ok? We just write down some subjects because they look good on your schedule, but you don't have to attend, dear..." That's not what she said, of course... Then the big group was divided, and I found that only 35 students plan to teach English in elementary schools. Among them were my "mom" friends. Good! Our first assingment was to write an essay about our stay in another country just to test our knowledge of English. The hardest part for me was handwriting. I'm so used to typing I feel I'm no longer "readable" when I have to use a pen...
Tomorrow, first day of real class...

Pictures of pictures

This is hubby as a baby/toddler


I think this was taken when I was 4 years old (like Cristina now...) I loved that horse.

That's me as a baby...
My father was taking pictures all the time. I started to hate it when I was 10 or 11. But it was no use, he liked taking pictures of me even if I was angry!

Families can be complicated

I once wrote about my MIL. She's changing, I don't know if it's because she retired or what, but she's softer. Easier to deal with, more relaxed. She's been taking care of my girls and some of my nieces and nephews during august and I've caught her sometimes just sitting outside, watching the kids play, which was unthinkable, say two months ago. "Oh, I couldn't do much today, I had to watch over the children" she says, as if she needs to apologize or something. Of course, the rest of the family thinks it's great that she can actually sit down and do nothing, but to her, it must have been a struggle! And she smiles now (no kidding, it was hard to see her smile when I first met her). And more than that. I told her about my plans to study and she was so supportive. She has offered to help me with the girls during the school year. I guess it's like hubby told me: to his mother, anything that means working or studying is good.

But things are not so good on the other side of the family, mainly because I just find it increasingly difficult to get along with my brother and his wife, J. There have been two “incidents” which are way too silly to post, but I will anyway. Because my brother chooses to think they're important. Last sunday my brother had a difficult time making Pau eat his lunch when Alicia showed up eating an ice cream. Seeing that she had alredy finished luch, my mother gave her the ice cream, but Pau refused to eat when he saw it and demanded an ice cream too. Sensing trouble, I told Alicia to put it back in the fridge and wait for Pau to finish so he wouldn't see the precious ice cream but according to my brother, she just took too long to hide it. And it was her fault that Pau wouldn't eat another bite. And, after lunch, when the kids were playing Alicia had a balloon and Pau started crying because he's afraid of balloons. My brother told Alicia to hide it, but she just stared at Pau and my brother. Until I told her to hide it (sensing trouble, again), she didn't do it. Too late, again, to my brother's standards. She just didn't behave properly, she lacked empathy. I just can't relax when I'm around them anymore. J has changed, she's distant, she barely speaks to us, and I know she feels we're just not a good influence for her son. She's trying to raise the perfect kid and I find it so annoying sometimes.

Strange words

Newfangled

I had heard it just in a song (can't remember which). Never knew what it meant. I guess it means, modern, but being English my third language, I wouldn't be sure how or when to use it.

I'm going to post words that are new to me, once in a while.

Just because.

Oh, I start classes at the School of Education on the 22nd. Adventures of a middle aged student coming soon...

Some portraits