Announcing a new perspective

Well, my friend is here to make an announcement.
After five and a half years in residence, I have started the process of getting my Mexican papers. I think I will feel like I truly belong after I have those.
Of course, I should improve my Spanish enough so I don’t sound so ignorant all the time, but I’m working on it.
I always use the excuse, to anyone who appears to need one, that I am so busy working on English lessons that I don’t have the time to practice, but that is an excuse. When I’m not checking students’ work and preparing lessons, I try to get some writing done. And I’m always checking other people’s blogs and Arts & Letters Daily for news and items of interest, so I am rather busy.
Have recently been reading far too much about “information overload.” That’s my problem. I’m addicted to the acquisition of information.
Anyway, I’m going to try approaching my own projects from a new perspective in 2007. I’m going to be an American-Mexican.

From Y2K to 2012

Inside Outside-In: A Blog (game) for the 21st Century.
Beginning: 31 December 2000
Midpoint: 21 December 2006
Finish: 21 December 2012

Advice to the Friends of the Extranjero

Let him breathe. Give him a space which he can identify as his own. Remember he is a guest in your territory and will always maintain that status even if he stays long enough to acquire citizenship; your home will never truly be his home. I know, you will say things like, “Mi casa es tu casa.” But the subtext tells him it is your home and you are sharing it. It is not his home.

The ideal place, or space, he can occupy is most likely where he works. Don’t invade his livelihood, unless he invites you into that space, and if he does, be aware he may be selective in the process. He is not asking you to bring your entire lifestyle and accoutrements in with his invitation. If you are his connection to his new residence, he likely wants to be able to share with you some part of his life that is proprietary to return the favor of your sharing the other 95% of his quotidian activities. Remember, 100% of the space is yours but you must cede that small portion where he feels in charge to him and then act the guest. Failure to respect this small portion of the extranjero’s space is probably the greatest reason to send one packing. You are “at home” 100% of the time, but the extranjero is never truly at home. Play nice.

Respect that his ideas and ideals may be different from yours. This refers to food, customs, entertainment, lifestyle. The extranjero is an adventurer. If one has come this far, he is probably open to experiment, but has a lifetime of experiences already behind him. It is not that easy to change however strong the initial effort or drive may be. It is like the non-swimmer who likes to dip his toes in the water before plunging. Pushing one into strange waters can produce irreversible shock to the system. Give the experimenter time and realize that everyone’s “time” is different. Because you had a cousin that learned a foreign language in six months and seemed as fluent as a native speaker within two years, does not mean everyone can do so within the same timeframe. Your new friend may never become fully accustomed, despite a strong desire to do so.

Meet him halfway. Don’t make him do all the work of becoming accustomed. Surely you have heard the old maxim that the best way for one to learn a foreign language is by becoming fully immersed in the experience. For some this may be true, but in my experience it is scary to feel lost without a signpost. Speaking only your native language all the time is just as debilitating to the extranjero’s development as constantly deferring to his. Remember, everyone he comes into contact with, who is not yet a friend, will take care of this chore. As a friend, and most likely the reason for his being in your country, you must be the signpost. If you care about acclimatizing your new friend, you must be aware of his “moments”, those times when he is ready to try. While it is true that children can and must learn by constant exposure, it has been proven that adults are resistant to this practice. If you speak nothing but your native language to the extranjero, the process of becoming accustomed starts to feel like a second job. Likewise, if you constantly defer to his, he will become lazy about the process and avoid situations where that “work” is required. Become alert to the signals. Learn to recognize the openings.

Be honest. Of course, when these “chores” begin to feel like too much work to you, perhaps it is time to admit you’ve had enough. You can never be friends with someone for whom you must “work” all the time. Let your friend know that you need a break. Don’t depend on subtlety to get your message across. The other will read your discomfort as betrayal. Don’t try to arrange things to appear as if they have happened by chance, and don’t lie. Even a “white lie” can be a form of betrayal. Case in point: you have been invited to spend the evening with the extranjero and some of his co-workers. He is trying to mix his two worlds (It is one of those moments.), and you take charge by inviting cousins or friends to casually drop by at a place they are not known to frequent to join the party. Unless your new friend is ignorant, in which case such a ploy would not be transparent, your maneuver will clearly be read as your reaffirming of his “guest” status, someone whose social activities must be managed by a firmer hand. This kind of set-up may be appreciated by a newcomer of a couple of weeks or less, but is insulting to someone who has been in in situ for several months or more. It is condescending and sends the signal that you have made a private assessment of the other’s social development and found him wanting. You are trying to change your 95% into 100%. If in truth, you were the one who would feel uncomfortable without your “back-up” in a group of extranjeros, it would have been better to make other arrangements at the outset.

One Day

One day is just like the next. It all averages out. The action is in the minutes.
Take a moment to relax. Have a cup of tea, or coffee if you prefer. Have a biscuit.
Call a friend.
Write in a diary. Don't lose any of those precious moments. Time has a way of eliding their significance.
One day everything will be right, or it may never be. One day never comes. It never happens. You can only concentrate on the moment. Maybe tomorrow you'll take care of it. It happened yesterday. Today's the day. Can you? Did it? Is it, really? The whole day? Or just in the space of an hour?
Have you ever planned and prepared a sumptuous meal? The shopping for it, especially if it contains exotic ingredients, could take a while. The cooking may take more than an hour or two or even longer. Maybe you'll share a nice bottle of wine with your spouse or whoever it is you plan to share this meal with.Oh, it's going to be a glorious repast! You even light candles.You sit down at the table. Spread your napkins in your laps and raise your glasses in a toast. Then dig in. Delicious! And before you know it, one of you turns to the other and remarks, "Oh, all that work, and it's all finished." The essence of that meal was that one moment when you swallowed that last forkful. It may have taken hours to prepare, but it was all building to that point where you had ingested all. That final moment was the meal.
One day is a collection of moments. One day is a formless thing only given some shape by collecting the memory of those moments.
In the Disney movie version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (I hate that description, but more of that at another time), Snow sings, "One day, my prince will come..." One day, at one particular moment, he will arrive and lift her heart to heights of rapture previously only imagined, but what of the day after he comes? That rapturous moment will become old news, no news. Memories never hold as much emotion as the moments they recall. That only happens in the movies where the moments can be played over and over again as real (or cinematic, if you will) as the first time they occur, and think of this, the first time you see it, you're only seeing the image of something that happened for real on a sound stage months or even years ago. So not even your first time is the real thing for the participants. Even if a tear comes to your eye because you are moved so deeply -- it's their memory, not yours. But it evokes a moment you have experienced. A moment only.
The moment you learned whether it was a boy or a girl, or twins.
The moment you passed and could proceed to the next step.
The moment you said, "I do." The very essence of your wedding day.
The moment you realized you didn't.
The moment you were given praise for a job well done.
Childhood moments of gratification. All those moments gathered together in big bundles of hours. Those were the days.
Can't I get a moment's peace? One day you will have endless peace.
One day, but hopefully not today.

I need somewhere to put my stuff

This looks like as good a place as any.

Haunted Pictures?

** UPDATE (2015) **

See also:   Reportedly Haunted Paintings at Wikipedia

detail of The Hands Resist Him
painted in 1972 by
Bill Stoneham

Some people claim this painting is haunted. Take a look at these two articles:
Castle of Spirits
The Artist's Site

People say they come away from looking at it with a queasy feeling in their stomach.
What do you think?
Can a painting or photograph be haunted?
Can an artist hypnotize you through his work?

After pondering Mr. Stoneham's "haunted painting", take a look at this site.
I'm pretty sure it will leave you feeling odd.
Spirit in the Canyon

By the way, do you have any good Halloween stories?

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far away...

Here's something to check out:

Yahoo 'Time Capsule' to Launch from Mexican Pyramid
The Mexican Pyramid of the Sun at the Teotihuacan archeological site outside Mexico City will serve as a “launch pad” for the digital information capsule
Yahoo to Launch Time Capsule From Mexican Pyramid
Time capsule to be beamed from Mexican pyramid
Yahoo To Pester Aliens With Earth News

If they asked you for something to include in the Time Capsule, what would you contribute?

That is to say, what do you think the aliens should know about Earth and its inhabitants?

All dressed up and nowhere to go...

I come from New York City where seasons change. My body knows the rhythm of the seasons. It feels best, of course, in the spring and fall when the weather is temperate, but it needs the balance of the freezing winter and the torpid summer.
Here in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, it is always hot. When it rains in summer months, it is hot. When the rains stop in October and the natives say, "Now we will have fresh weather for a couple of months," to an extranjero like me, it is still hot. And in the spring, when there is no rain and no breeze, it is unbearably hot.
I think this is the hardest thing for me to accept as part of my decision to move here to teach English. My body resists the change to unchanging climate.
I spend many hours in front of a computer screen and I know it is because here at the window to hyperspace I can view and perhaps vicariously feel the infinite variety of an open atmosphere. It can be winter, cold, cold winter anytime I want it to be. I can read about spring in Paris and London. I can view pictures of storm threatened lighthouses on lonely seacoasts and almost feel the spray of the ocean. I can look at a lava pit bubbling in torment and know there is someplace hotter than where I am sitting. There is relief from sameness available, but...
It is a double-edged sword. I am usually here in front of a computer screen because I need to work on documents for school. There are reports to fill out, tests to prepare, articles to excerpt for students' reading and the pictures and armchair vacation moments are a distraction from necessary duties. Let's say I have to prepare a quiz for Thursday's class. If I had my priorities in order, I would do this on Monday evening, which would give me time to go over the work, correct for errors, give it focus and have time to print it and copy it for ten o'clock Thursday morning. That would be the ideal, but Monday evening, I am too worn out from walking in the sun all day - to the bus, down the road to the school, around the campus - not to mention the exhaustion of trying to keep teenagers in line for a couple of hours; teenagers who are well adapted to their climate and seem to reinvigorate themselves over the short hot weekends and are ready on a Monday to torment their tired teacher into becoming some kind of quasi-circus ringmaster. So Monday evenings I take refuge in my cyber world and tell myself I can get the work done Tuesday and still have time to prep it. Then Tuesday evening comes, after another similar day, I go to see a movie with friends in an air-conditioned movie theater. That's my other "escape". I eat a great hotdog smothered in picante stuff, too much popcorn, and drink a large cool beverage. After the film, of course, we have to discuss what we've seen and whether or not it measured up to last week's film and time slips away. By the time I get back to the house, it's too late to get involved in writing up a quiz, and I don't have the head for it anyway. That leaves Wednesday. One night to do it all.
I turn on the machine. Go get a Coke. Smoke a cigarette. Turn on both fans. Open my schoolbag and spread papers all over the table. Start reading something I was handed a week earlier and had forgotten I was expected to respond promptly to it. I start to prepare a response. Smoke another cigarette. Give up on the response and send an e-mail. Check my other e-mail because I notice Hotmail says my inbox is full and they are going to start deleting things. Much of it is junkmail, but I'm always afraid I will miss something from a friend (a necessary contact for people like me who have relocated somewhere so far from home). I refill my glass and eat a cookie or three. Check out the photo someone has sent me and then when filing it, open a folder with previously taken photos and daydream for a while remembering how it was the day in April, when Álvaro and I had a couple of beers at the outdoor café behind the World Trade Center and how that is all gone now. And how because it was April, the anniversary of having lost someone very dear to me, I had other things on my mind. I catch myself spiralling downward in memory and give myself a mental kick, trying to fixate on the task at hand. I have one more cigarette and start typing.
Two hours later it is eleven o'clock and I'm thinking about going to bed, but I have a beautiful little twenty question quiz that actually pertains to this week's unit of study. Not too difficult, I think, but not so easy that it will be pointless to administer.
Then I have to go upstairs and bring down the printer. I keep it hidden in a closet, as well as carrying my laptop every day since the house was robbed last year, and I print out a copy of the quiz. I have to print it here at home because whenever I bring a document to school on a diskette to print it on one of the networked computers, they are always occupied. After that long walk in the sun, I always arrive with not enough time to print and make all the necessary copies. The photocopier is usually occupied as well and I have to wait there a few minutes, which will make me late for class. Students wait ten minutes, no more, and then evaporate. It is best to do as much as possible beforehand. So I unpack the printer, attach it, print out two copies, detach it, repack it and return it to the closet. Come back to the table and admire my handiwork. I have to admit, this is the best quiz I've put together. Play with Paintbrush for a half hour, doctoring a photo, then close the program without saving my masterpiece because it really wasn't one, and besides, while playing, my eye caught a typo on the pages lying beside the computer. I debate myself on whether it is worth the effort to go get the printer and redo it, decide it's not, and manually correct it.
Finally, past midnight, I shut off the power and move the "vacation" into the mental zone. Perhaps I will have a great travel dream, though more likely I will experience a horrible nightmare where everything goes wrong and I find myself drowning in paperwork.
Thursday morning Álvaro drives me to the school where he works and I walk the six blocks to my busstop. I'm soaking in cologne scented sweat by the time the bus to Berriozabal arrives, but it's going to be all right. The bus is almost empty and there are plenty of seats. As the bus speeds down the boulevard, a cool breeze flows through an open window and dries me off. Maná is playing on the radio and all is right with the world. I close my eyes and I'm on the beach at Punta Arenas. With a lager in one hand and a delicious deep-fried jumbo shrimp in the other and the prospect of a swim in the temperate Pacific in front of me. Ah, life is beautiful! When I get off the bus and start the trek down that long dusty road to Tec, as hot as the sun is it can't drive the picture from my head.
I think about the classroom I'm about to enter. I think about the papers in my bag and how a few of the kids are going to say, "Oh, teacher, no. Not another quiz. We just had one last week," but then they will settle down and quietly apply themselves to their work. And before too long, they will start asking questions, raising hands at first, then just blurting out. Speaking will become banter. They can't contain themselves for more than fifteen minutes. They are teenagers and so full of energy. It probably comes from the sun. I'm sweating again by the time I walk up the steps to the entrance. I'm hoping none of the other teachers is using the photocopier. There are only about seven minutes until the start of class. Everything runs apace.
Mexico is a land of heat and dust and omnipresent sunlight. It is full of aportioned energy and life, vibrant in its uniquely slow way in the eternal pursuit of "the paper". Call it bureaucracy or red tape or whatever; even when things appear to be standing in torpid stillness, they are always moving, and people are usually smiling.
People don't smile enough in New York.

Do Books Furnish a Room?

My daily perusal of Arts & Letters Daily led me to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education called "Other People's Books" by Jay Parini, in which he explains how our book collections express "a way of being in the world." I asked students to skim the article and then respond to an impromptu four-question survey of my own.

Out of a group of 40 students about half of them commented. (It was a Friday afternoon, and I guess, an imposition.)
Here are the results:

What's the last book you read for pleasure?

Four people said: The Da Vinci Code
Other responses included:
History of BMW (English version)
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
"Los Diarios del Botox"
If Life is a Game, These are the Stories
Momo
"Una imagen en el espejo"
"El Perfume" by Patrick Süsskind
A french book called "The Accursed Kings" by Maurice Druon
Pandillas en jeans
Las batallas en el desierto
El Club Dumas
The last book I read is called "Don´t Tell God What He Has to Do: Albert Einstein´s biography.

What books are in your house?

History, Drama, Cars & Kids
Novels, poems, school books
We have different types of books. There are some encyclopedias, consulting books, law and constitutional books, but most are novels--some classics and some more recent.
There are lots of books of all kinds.
In my house there are a lot of interesting books, including History, (Mexico, Universal) also politics, fiction and micro-fiction Mexican stories. I've read some of them but I don't usually read unless I have insomnia.
I have a few books. The books that I have are about Business Management.
A lot of books, I don't know their names lol, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Principito, etc
You can find a lot of books, like dictionaries, encyclopedias, food books, a lot of books
Any kind of books, novels, dictionary, encyclopedia, drama, action, comedia, culture, etc..
In my home are a lot of book but the majority are about psychology and other things like this.
I have a lot of books, but the majority are novels and literature for kids
There are many types of books in my house: novels, encyclopedias, several dictionaries.
Encyclopedias, science books and text books
Encyclopedias, math and novels
In my house are encyclopedias, novels and dictionaries.
Adventure, fantasy, historical, horror, humor, mystery, romance, scholarly, science fiction... any kind.

Are there any titles you've heard about which you have not yet read, but are eager to? If so, please describe the topic and mention the title if you remember.

Two people said: No

Others responded with:
Some book called "La ciudad de las bestias" written by a Mexican author
"The House of Spirits", "Hysteria", "Sophia´s World", and others by Latin-Amercan writers. Most of the books I want to read are novels or philosophy-related, I love that kind of topic.
I want to read the book by Isabel Allende
I have heard about a micro-fiction novel, but I don't remember the name of the book, but I'll find it soon.
Harry Potter--it's about magic and phantasy
Rayuela
"The Da Vinci Code"...it is about the church's history; maybe it could change ideas that people have about religion!
I really do not like to read a lot, but the books that I like more are about fiction histories
Well, there are no titles I've heard about that I wanna read, but I read "The Alchemist" a few months ago and I liked it so I would like to read another book by Paulo Coelho.
Troya Horse by JJ Benitez-a trip to the epoch of crucifix in His last days.
"Inquieta compañia"--it's about a man who falls in love with a girl after spending hours watching her every day through a window.
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I don't know the topic but I found this online. Deeply controversial because of its themes of incest, child abuse, neglect, and other taboo subjects
No. There are, but I like to read science books and biographys
No. There are, but I like to read novels.

Finally, are there any books you have read more than once?

Eight people said: No.

Others responded with:
I'm not interested in reading.
I do not like to read a lot, but I have to do this because it is a good form to learn more.
I don't like to read.

And others mentioned titles:
mmm yes, about Jaime Sabines, some books from Gabriel García Márquez and from Dante Aligheri, "The Divine Comedy"
Yes, almost all because I have a terrible memory and I usually forget about the story, jaja. For example: "Veronika decide morir", "Como agua para chocolate" ...
"Las aventuras de Robinson Crusoe" about a sailor who gets lost on the sea
The Little Prince. I've read it in Spanish and in English several times. When I was learning English, it was so useful.
Yes I read "Ensayo sobre la ceguera" by José Saramago twice.
Carlos Cuauhtemoc Sanchez, La fuerza de Schmitt
Fish
Boule de suif by Guy de Maupassant.

I had hoped that putting my request as "an assignment" might prompt the recalcitrant students to at least respond with brief replies, but 20 out of 40 was about the best I should have expected.

I have to admit the results give this tired brain something to think about. The intellectual fire burning around me every day is somewhat hotter than I previously thought.

 

More later.

Books do furnish a room

Here's an interesting article about what our books say about us.

An intellectual disposition, a way of being in the world...

Please skim the article and then comment here.

What's the last book you read for pleasure?

What books are in your house?

Are there any titles you've heard about which you have not yet read, but are eager to? If so, please describe the topic and mention the title if you remember.

Finally, are there any books you have read more than once?

San Cristobal

Re: Positioning

Wish I'd continuously kept an online journal when I first came to Mexico a little over five years ago. It would be great fun to look back on the posts now to see how I or my surroundings have changed.

Working for a prestigious school here in southern Mexico has been a broadening (and sometimes exhausting) experience. It's not so much time in front of groups that is wearing. That's the fun part. It's all the planning and administrative work that tires me. I still, five years on, haven't taken the time to really explore all there is to do and see here. Although I have settled in to the daily routine of living here, my high-school Spanish has not greatly improved, but I can communicate and make my way around town, and must say the people who've befriended me have done so in a warm and gracious way. I don't feel like a stranger (much) but my intractibility has caused small difficulties from time to time. For instance, I served for a year and a half as the coordinator of English at the school, but was recently asked to pass on the position to a native Mexican because I wasn't much good at schmoozing with parents about their children's progress.

The many students I have worked with, of varying teenage years, have all been bright and there has never been a problem communicating with them. I often get them to write essays and fictional pieces and they mostly have shown high degrees of creativity.

Generally, however, there is a lack of interest in reading (even in their first language) for pleasure. Students will do required academic reading and almost all are computer literate and surf the Internet for pleasure. American and European music with English lyrics are widely appreciated and the themes are understood, and in fact, many students do read pop fiction, but when asked about it generally deny having recently read anything. I guess it's not cool to admit to that particular penchant. For instance, a large percentage were familiar with The Da Vinci Code before the movie came out, and all know what to expect in the next installment of the Harry Potter series, but nobody seems to want to discuss these things for fear of appearing too literate in front of their peers. Only adults occasionally discuss local writers of import such as Rosario Castellanos or Jaime Sabines.

American movies are very popular as are dubbed or subtitled television shows from the U.S. Sit-coms top that list, although, youth-oriented soap opera styled programs and crime melodramas also rank high. There is stiff competition in this area from the home-grown telenovelas that proliferate. A friend told me early in my stay here that Saturdays traditionally featured old black and white Pedro Infante movies, but the watching of these, too, is generally denied among the youthful crowd I deal with on a daily basis. MTV and TeleHit are thoroughly absorbed and though traditional fare is observed, it is hardly acknowledged. There are several cineplexes which seem to thrive, but I know of at least five smaller movie theaters that have closed during my residence.

Here in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the city museum was closed and in a state of disrepair when I arrived, and though it is open to the public once again, it is never crowded, nor, it seems, is the Casa de Artesenias much frequented.

In the bookstores, there is a dearth of historical reading matter. This city is filled with schools and the bookstores carry loads of technical and academic titles, but one is hardpressed to find a good picture book of local history.

Not too long ago, an extension was built onto one of the modern malls, the most modern, in fact, and a Sanborn's opened bringing with it the cosmopolitan flavor of Mexico City. It is the only place in town I know of where someone like me can find a small selection of books and periodicals in English, and though some English language magazines have generally been available for some time, it is nice not to have to go to San Cristobal for the occasional novel.

So that seems to be the general states of affairs. This is an area rich in cultural tradition, but most of it you have to learn by word of mouth. I have been here, as I say, for five years, and all things being equal, will probably remain for the foreseeable future. I think I will use some of my free time to explore and note what I find.

How Could You Do It?

Plagiarism is on the rise, and it’s not just about students’ term papers. Consider the sordid case of Ann Coulter... more» Check out this article and let’s have your comments on this topic. Is it fair for someone to do a lot of research and others to receive payment for articles based on that research? What is plagiarism to you? Would you consider using unresearched material? If yes, under what circumstances? Is it ever right to do so?

Address to the Class of 2015

Address to the Class of 2015

Never forget who you are and where you come from.

Now you're becoming an adult and all decisions you take will bring consequences so try to take the right ones.

Making mistakes is the best way to learn so don't worry about them.

In your life, there will be good and bad days, live each one with peace and a big smile.

Be ready for every situation in life; anything can occur in an instant.

Enjoy life; you don't know when it's going to be over, and don't worry about the little things.

Foster good relations with your teachers. If you see them later in your life, greet them warmly, even if it is difficult getting along for now. They will be thrilled that you remember them; they will surely remember you.

Think like your teacher.

Pay attention in class or at least do the homework yourself, so at the end of the year you won't be worrying like hell about failing.

Don't waste time. Time is your most valuable asset.

Party on the weekends; it's good for distraction.

Dream like you're going to live forever and live like you're going to die tomorrow.

 

Prepare yourself; education is a valuable treasure; learn as much as you can.

Don't worry during exams; life is the biggest exam.

Enjoy everything you do, whether it is easy or difficult, but especially when it's difficult.

Finish a career. It will be the best decision you ever take.

Then, Find a job and work hard, try to be the best at what you're doing.

Think before you act; never act without thinking.

Talk to your parents about whatever you want, and never stop talking to them.

Read.

 

Meet a lot of people and keep your real friends close. Let someone break your heart. Keep a secret.

Spend time with the people you love. You won't regret it. Love and be loved in return.

Don't wait too long but neither too short to find the right partner. Maybe ten years is good enough. Enjoy now, life is too short.

Make love at least once, but have a lot of sex. Use condoms.

However, do not mess with someone else's wife. It really makes them angry.

Smile.

 

Never say never, or gossip about some one, you don't know what you are going to do.

Do and say everything you want to no matter who may be against you.

If somebody wants to make you feel bad about yourself don't listen, that's only a proof of their insecurity.

Times are changing; now, men and women do have the same rights. Nobody is inferior or superior.

Don't be afraid of changes some of them will be good for you.

Try to take advantage of all opportunities that stand in front of you.

Work out. Chicks like it.

 

If you want something well done do it yourself.

Be willing to ask for help, but be able to take charge.

You need to stand down before you can stand up.

Expect nothing from anybody, nobody owes you anything, but help everybody that you can.

Diversify, you can't trust banks unless its yours.

Defeat all your fears; don't let them defeat you.

Smile when you have problems or when you do something ridiculous.

Sing, and if you are really bad at it then whistle.

 

Take care of the people you care the most about and don't disappoint them.

Take care of the water; don't eat too much, and don't have a lot of children.

Appreciate paper and the trees it is made from.

Don't contaminate. Take care of the environment, you will need it someday.

Drink but don't get drunk.

Travel but not on drugs.

Don't see "Water World".

If it stinks don't touch it.

Whatever you do, always be honest, and...

Keep smiling.

 

--from the students of Lengua Extranjera (2006), after listening to Baz Luhrman's Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)

Let's Start Blogging

 

 

Try it. You'll like it.

 

 

Start by introducing yourself.

Puente de Chiapas

Tapachula

La Pared