Scottish breakfast

Ok, I've gained weight, and it's no surprise, since I've had this huge breakfast almost everyday during our stay in Scotland (one week). The brown stuff is something called haggis, cooked with lamb and spices, the darker brown is black pudding (I think it's pork), then there's bacon, egg, toast and mushrooms. And then of course there was cereal, coffee, more toasts, butter and jam. I loved it, but I think I should go back to my regular more modest breakfast, or what they call "continental" breakfast... Many things in Scotland remind me of the US: carpet on all floors, no blinds on the windows (which I don't find practical), and that tasteless coffee (sorry, we're used to espresso). Love it, though.

Scotland...

We arrived in Scotland two days ago, hired a car and started our 6 day stay. I had to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road, but so far, so good. Thanks to my dad's GPS we are getting around easily, even though, when we crossed Glasgow, instead of a straight line, like the GPS showed, we did something more like this:

Option A would have been preferrable, but we happened to get lost and choose B.

I'll keep you posted, my internet time is up!

Holidays and work

We've had a few days off (Easter), and visited my parents. My father bought quite an expensive camera, a Leica M8. I just had to try it...

These are typical pastries we have for easter... my mother made them.

Cristina and her dad...

I'm working on different essays right now, so even though I'm not going to school these days, I still have a lot to do. One of my papers is on immigration and education. It's a team project and we're focussing on immigrants from Morocco, because they represent the largest group of migrants here. I interviewed two mothers. they both quit studying when they married (and they were just 18). When I asked them if they like teachers here, and if they should do something in a different way, one of them told me that teachers here are too soft, and they need to spank kids, otherwise "they don't pay attention"!. I told her it's actually illegal, which she didn't know. She didn't understand why her children are so difficult at home, and just assumes she has to hit them, which only makes the problem worse...

My dear e-friends

Yes, it's been a looong time...
University and kids keep me busy. And then when I have time to write something on this blog I feel I have no inspiration at all!
Let's see... I'll let you know what's going on...

About health: Hubby is fine. The doctor said he has to another EEG after night of no sleep at all (he alredy did that about a year ago). Since he had been taking one pill less, he feels it's the best thing to do in order to determine if the decrease in medication could have caused this new seizure. But we're not too concerned. I think we've learned that epilepsy is not going to go away, so we'd better just take it as it comes and do our best not to dramatize (did I spell it right?).

Work/Studies: I made the right choice when I decided to go back to university. Life without challenges is just.... missing something. Doing the same thing everyday was killing me. I love my daughters but I just couldn't be home all day doing nothing but take care of them. Classes have given me the oportunity to meet interesting people and learn, not just about many subjets, but about myself too, and the way I relate to others. I feel I'm still growing. We never really stop changing, do we? I mean, we have this tendency to think only children change, but life is about constant growth (to me, at least). Sometimes I have second thoughts about this career change thing. I'm a journalist, and I've been a journalist since I was 20. working for the same newspaper all my life, and it's like a second home to me. But journalism was good before I had children. Since hubby is a sports journalist (working at the same newspaper), we decided we couldn't have the same schedule. Somebody had to be home at a decent time for our daughters, and I made some changes. I adjusted my working schedule, but with that came a more boring kind of reporting. And I miss the old one! Interviewing people, reporting about all kinds of things... but I don't think I can ever go back to that. It entails finishing work after 8pm which is too late for me. Who'd be home with the girls?

Travel: As a part of my studies, I'm supposed to go to Scotland late in April for an observation week in a school. So I decided I'd take the whole family with me and we'll be there some more days just on a short holiday. I couldn't risk leaving hubby alone with the kids. What if something happened to him? And anyway, I like it that we can travel together...

And one last thing: this week I'll have to tell "Green eggs and ham" to the whole class so they can evaluate my "performance"...! I know the story by heart, I've told it to my daughters so many times! I'll let you know how they rate me!

Take care, my e-friends. Don't give up on this lazy blogger!

I'm a B student and other tales...

I'll start with the "other tales". Hubby had a seizure on friday. It had been nearly 15 months since his last seizure. We were at home, I heard a scream, banging noises, and I feared the worst. He was seizing on the floor, and had hit his head and elbow against something (my guess is the door frame). I said something out loud that I can't really remember, but it was something that brought Cristina to my side, and she started crying when she saw her father shaking in that strange way, unconscious. She was really upset, so I had to put myself together in order to calm her down. This time, somehow, I was more in control. My sister arrived right then and offered to take Cristina for a walk (Alicia was taking ballet lessons). I tried to make hubby comfortable, with a pillow and a blanket, and he just slept on the floor until he slowly started waking up. When he saw me, he reached out to me with his hand. I held it, and wondered if this time, he remembered who I was, but he didn't. A while later I took him to the hospital, just in case, and they decided to keep him there for the night. He's alright now. No more seizures since friday. I guess we're learning to deal with epilepsy. It's out of our hands, really. So we'd better get used to it.

Anyway... I've also been busy with exams, and so far, so good. I have a bunch of B's, and I'm so proud! I've never been a very good student, but I'm having so much fun now, learning a lot, not just academically, but about myself and the way I relate to others. It's a great experience and I'm glad I decided to change my career...

The lazy blogger is alive

I had my first exam today since... well.... I can't remember.

I found it tough. Hope I pass! I honestly thought it would be easier. I hadn't memorised stuff, I merely read my notes several times hoping to understand everything and get a good idea about everything, but I'm not sure that will be enough. Anyway...

Cristina turned 4.

A few days ago at my children's school a man broke the window of a car to steal something inside. Some parents caught him and held him till the police came. Alicia was really interested in the scene. She hadn't had the chance to see the thief and asked me "What do thieves look like?"

I said they can look like anyone. She didn't like that. And then I thought how we all seem to need an accurate picture of "bad people". It would be easier to avoid them, right? That's why we stereotype (to some extent). Because we feel safer this way. If we believe thieves are always immigrants and from a different ethnic group we like it because it allows us to clasify people... We need to think none of our neighbours can be bad so we can sleep well...

A trip to the dentist... on new year's eve...

I had a tooth pulled today.

The dentist was a big, robust, tall lady, with red hair and freckles. I couldn't help seeing her as a viking... as in The big lebowski, one of my favourite movies...

Meet my dentist... and her nurses.

Hey, I almost forget!! Happy New Year!!

Children See ... Children Do

I liked this ad...

God?

Alicia (my 6 year old) and I were having a conversation yesterday about God (the one who lives in the sky, as she says).
She doesn't know much about religion, so I told her many people in the world actually believe God is the creator of all things.
She looked at me in disbelief and stated:
"that's not true!"
"How can you know?" I asked her.
"It was the Romans who made everything!", she said.

Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham

Storytelling

I have to choose a story to tell in class. A children's story, but my audience will be adults (university). I'm finding it hard, because I'm used to reading stories to my daughters, but they're 3 and 6 years old and are far from being an intimidating audience. I can be silly with them, but will I feel confident telling a story to a group of adults, knowing that it actually is a test??? AAAAHHHH!!! I initially thought of telling the story of the Cow that went oink as an example of the good thing about learning languages, but I'm not sure it will be good enough. Any suggestions? Any stories that you think might work?... HELP!

What a week!

Tough, interesting week.
I've been assigned a second grade class (seven year olds). I'm just to watch and help when I'm told... May I introduce you to my class?
14 children. All of them have brothers or sisters. Lots of them. Many of them come to class with dirty, stained clothes. Sometimes they don't wear a jacket and it's november, and no, this is not a tropical country. It's cold. It's not just the clothes that are dirty: sticky fingers, long dirty fingernails... At first that's what most caught my eye: their unkempt appearance. Their family history is, in too many cases, quite sad. L's stepfather beats him up regularly. Thankfully, social services know now, and they're working on it. M's mother is known for her shoplifting: she usually takes a bag lined with aluminium paper so that she can steal clothes without the metal alarm going off. That's her role model. And now F. She didn't come to class for a few days, and showed up wednesday. Now we know that her father beat her mom, so they left and stayed in a shelter home until mom decided to "forgive" her partner and they are both together again. It's sad because you know the cycle is not going to be broken. J is funny but sad also. He's attending school, but in a few weeks he will probably be gone to some Carnival along with his parents. There's a couple of children who just show up from time to time, because they don't like going to school and their parents don't seem to think it's important either. Not that they're homeschooled! At home they just do whatever they want, or play on the streets. S's father is a drug addict. D is always yawning. If he goes to bed at midnight, it's a huge success. All of them stay up too late, watching programs that were never meant for their age...
They crave attention. If you're just a bit kind to them they'll be hugging you all the time. But some of them have huge behavioral problems, and they are behind in development (no books or computers at home). The problem is, all these gipsies live in the same neighbourhood. They have a school, a civic center, a sports facility and a health facility (primary care). No need to go downtown.... Or is it that the neighbourhood was set especifically distant so that we don't have to see them? I think the school should be closed and the children should attend schools in the downtown district. Otherwise, they don't know another reality other than their own...


I'm sorry I haven't visited blogs and have not posted much, but believe me, I've been too busy. In december I'll quit my job so I can focus on studying and my children. Hopefully, I can return to my workplace in december 2009....

James, in answer to your question, I do enjoy what I'm doing now. Some classes are really interesting and we're debating over education, attending conferences... it's fun, stimulating and stressing if you alredy have a job and a family, but it's worth it!

Practice

Today I started a week of "observation" in a school. Students could choose the school, and I chose the one in the most deprived area of town. Remember when I told you about the nursery school my youngest daughter attended? In a gipsy neighbourhood? Well, I chose that district's elementary school (kids from 6 to 12 years old). All children are gipsies. Some are Spanish gipsies, some come from portuguese gipsy families. All families have low income, they make a living out of Carnivals, fairs and such, and have very little education. I was appointed to a second grade class (7 year olds). There were just 13 children. They are supposed to have more children, but some are away "working" with their parents or just helping them in one Carnival or another. the parents of these children make a living out of selling chestnuts, balloons or running a ferriswheel or another type of amusement thing. But that's the good side. Some of the people in this neighbourhood make a living selling drugs. And their kids see a good portion of grown-ups making lots of money with drugs. so why bother studying and trying to have a good job? It's hard. Some parents decide to move to another part of town when they see their kids might be in danger of falling in that ugly cycle.
Aside from that, the children I saw today were mostly gentle and loving. Some of them would even hug me spontaneously even though it was my first day there! I'd like to think they can continue studying and break the family cycle, but that's not easy. Anyway... should education just prepare for what society expects from you or what children really need?.

Skipping classes...

Just like when I was a teenager... ;-)

It's been a long time, but I really have been very very busy managing University, work and kids. But I'm so glad I decided to study! I'm more interested in studying than when I was 18. There's a big difference... Some teachers (actually two) are really motivating, and make classes so interesting that you just don't want to skip a lesson. And I have an assingment due for the 7th (next friday) so I have some work ahead. English is not hard so far. They say it gets tougher on the second year. We'll see. A part from studying, it's a big holiday in our hometown, so we've been doing a lot of fun stuff with the girls, like visiting the fair, going to a really nice circus and attending an opera for children, based on the story of Cinderella. Both hubby and I loved it, Alicia liked it even though it was hard for her to understand the actors through their singing and Cristina... well, I think she's too little. She thought it was fun for about 10 minutes, and then we had trouble keeping her seated. But believe me, it was worth it!

Flunked

Not yet
But I really NEED to go over math. The math they teach in elementary and middle school because... well... I have not made a single division in ages without using a calculator. And all my math concepts are dusty and forgotten in some remote corner of my brain...
My plate is full right now: kids to school, university, work, sometimes back to university and home to kids or school to pick them up. I'm so lucky that everything is within walking distance!
So I don't know if I'll be blogging much. I still want to post every other day at least but I don't know if I will manage.
Anyway, the truth is I'm so happy I decided to study. Most of my teachers make really interesting classes and I'm meeting new people, which is also nice...

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!