viernes, 22 de enero de 2016

The way. To be continued…

Some days ago, I wrote a post where I told my experience some years ago in the Way of Santiago. 

On 30th December 2015, I decided to finish the old year starting a "new" experience and fulfilling a promise.

On the second-to-last day of the year, I decided to start St. Jacques Way in St. Jean Pied de Port (France).

The adventure began early in the morning on my way to Roncesvalles (Spain). I walked thirty kilometers full of hope, joy, excitement, … but also worry, cold, tiredness… 

It was a difficult and hard route crossing the Pyrenees where the Moon and the stars were the last main characters. I could spot a sky with so many stars ever seen that I could not believe it at all. 

It became the perfect quasi-last day of the year!

Hoping this is just the beginning of a long path full of peace, nature and happiness.

Enjoy the photographs! 






martes, 22 de diciembre de 2015



DO SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY?

I invite you to watch the following video of Sir Ken Robinson talking about creativity in schools. It is a great speech mixed with humorous touches and a big reality. 
Hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc9D-Im68mw

jueves, 10 de diciembre de 2015



WINTER MEMORIES

I just can remember that time when we used to stay inside our car listening to the sound of the rain drops hitting the car´s roof. 
I just can remember those rainy days when you used to stay with us.
I just can remember how happy we were feeling this humid atmosphere. 
Because, now, I do not have any other thing, I just can remember.
I just can remember you, Dad.


















[   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWQ-oDMG6g   ]

Time, is going by, so much faster than I

And I'm starting to regret not spending all of it with you
Now I'm wondering why I've kept this bottled inside
So I'm starting to regret not selling all of it to you
So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know


You're never gonna be alone from this moment on
If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall
You're never gonna be alone, I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone

And now, as long as I can, I'm holding on with both hands
'Cause forever I believe
That there's nothing I could need but you
So if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know

You're never gonna be alone from this moment on
If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall
When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on
We're gonna see the world out, I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone

Oh, you've gotta live every single day
Like it's the only one, what if tomorrow never comes?
Don't let it slip away, could be our only one
You know it's only just begun, every single day
Maybe our only one, what if tomorrow never comes?
Tomorrow never comes

Time is going by so much faster than I
And I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you

You're never gonna be alone from this moment on
If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall
When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on
We're gonna see the world out, I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone

I'm gonna be there always
I won't be missing a word all day
I'm gonna be there always
I won't be missing a word all day

domingo, 6 de diciembre de 2015


HAVE YOU EVER LEARNED A FOREIGN LANGUAGE?



If  you have ever tried to improve your fluency in a language or even if you have ever travelled abroad to enhance your English, you will easily recognize this sentence above. I clearly remember those moments when I tried to face my first conversations with foreigners in an English-speaking country. It was so frustrating not having those proper words to say what you wanted to express in each moment!

However, time goes by and, if you keep on trying, you will be experimenting some progress. Then, spontaneously, you will find yourself singing an English song, dreaming in English or mixing your mother tongue with your second language. Because…if you are a constant and persistent person, English can become your second language. It is important not to be obsessed with having a native accent, it is just a fact of communication. If you can communicate using English, then it will be your second language. 

Always, keep on trying!

lunes, 30 de noviembre de 2015




WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BECOME?

Some years ago, when I was still a child, I was asked what I wanted to become when I was an adult. My undoubted answer was: "I want to become an English teacher". It was just something strange that a kid who did not know almost anything about English was sure that she wanted to be an English teacher in her future. But, have a look to my constant stubbornness to achieve my main goal!

Surprisingly, I remember every good news that I received related to my personal English career. I clearly remember when I was said that I had a post in the Official Languages School in Murcia. What an amazement! However, this was just the first step of a non-stop effort in order to learn English. 

After that, I started traveling to English speaking countries. Everybody who has made the attempt to learn a second language knows how important is to develop your social life in the country where your target language is spoken. You do not really know the language until you have faced your first real conversation with a native person. I mean, a bus driver, a shop assistant or a random person in the café. I have traveled to many different places and I have learnt so many things in each of them. I have lived such wonderful experiences, I have met so many different people and I have enjoyed life so much that I would never change my life story for nothing.

One day, while I was spending my holidays in Brighton (England) with my host family there, I received one of the most relevant news in my life: I was accepted at the University to study Education. It was now a fact but not an illusion, indeed all my efforts were having their fruits. I was going to become a teacher. 

In 2012, I received the saddest and the most shocking news in my whole life. My dad had had a working accident and he died some minutes after it. I learnt how cruel life is and I realized that bad events come to you but good ones must be looked for. I had no choice so I took my books and I finished my degree in Education in 2013. 

Nevertheless, I did know that I still had too many things to learn about English. After living and working a few months in Manchester, I eventually decided to start my second degree in English Studies and I can say that it has been one of the most correct decisions in my life. Nowadays, I am also studying at the same time to become a Civil Servant and I can surely say that now I know some things about English! 

Follow your dreams and do not let anybody deciding your future.




martes, 24 de noviembre de 2015


ESSAY – “THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION”


As far as education is concerned, Chomsky, an American scholar from the 20th century, highlights the different kinds of teaching or training; the important role of new technologies and their use in Education; the way in which Education is a government investment; and, at the same time, how the given education must be assessed in order to improve and advance itself. Later on, we are reviewing the impact of all these points in the Education field.

Firs of all, according to Noam Chomsky, there are two basic types of education. On the one hand, the education system can teach with the only purpose of students to pass tests and exams. However, on the other hand, there is a sort of education whose aim is to create independent and creative people. Consequently, there is a huge difference between both of them and the results that they try to achieve.

Secondly, Chomsky deals in most of his books, talks and debates with the use of technology in education. From his point of view, the use of new technologies must be neutral: it is a valuable tool for researching and it directs you to particular pieces of information. Nevertheless, in some aspects, it is unlikely to be helpful, so it is convenient to know how to use them.

Thirdly, it is very often a Chomsky´s task to talk about education as an investment. Indeed, it is. However, what kind of investment is it? Government invests money on education but what is its objective? Particularly, governments should invest for their economic growth. According to Chomsky, increasing children´s GDP is not as convenient as training students to be thoughtful, productive, inspired and autonomous adults.


In conclusion, Noam C. establishes the basis of his own opinion about the present education system, bearing in mind its weaknesses and strengths. He is a determined scholar who reckons that education must be the guideline to reach adulthood and to become a reasoning and innovative human being.


jueves, 19 de noviembre de 2015


I AM A DREAMER

I know that I am not the most appropriate person to talk about this topic because I am not a politician or an economist. And, although it is not that reasonable, we are not living in peace only because of politic and economic reasons. However, as I have said above, I am not here to talk about politics or economy; I am here to talk about education.

We have a huge lack of moral and ethic education. I am referring to human beings. The so called "rational animals" are behaving nowadays as wild animals without feelings, emotions or remorse. Again, I am not only talking about terrorists, I am talking about powerful people. I am talking about heads of important institutions, about prime ministers, about presidents... We are able to throw a missile or a grenade into civilized areas as if an ant´s nest was. We are able to take a gun and to shoot equally, not to the air but to people´s hearts. We are able to kill innocent people: guiltless children, adult workers, brave mums, hardworking and persistent students… Don´t we think about those families? Don´t we think about those future plans? Don´t we think about living and letting others live?

I am not talking about races, however, I am talking about education among races. It is widely known that it has been given more attention to Paris attacks than to other world disasters. But, for me, it hurts in the same way that a child is suffering from hunger while his government is wealthy and that a child is trying to hide from war tanks. It hurts me identically.

It is not fair that rational and hopeful people who are fighting to survive to some healthy problems, who are trying to work hard for living better, who are dreaming about a greater future, who are enjoying their families… It is not fair that a big amount of all those people were assassinated every day because a reduced group of people want to have the control under a petroleum source or the possession of a territory. It is just not fair. 

I do not know what ISIS is and I do not want to know what it is. I just want to know who is able to kill people as if life was not a human right. As John Lennon said one day: "Imagine all the people living life in peace". Let´s be PEOPLE, not ANIMALS. 



Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one