I was watching "The Pursuit of Happyness" on TV this one night a month ago and I concluded that it's a lot like "Slumdog Millionaire" and underappreciated. Basically, Will Smith is stuck with a job where he has to sell these X-ray machines, and it used to be a good job, because he used to sell a lot of them and make a decent living, but now due to advances in technology no one wants to buy them. In the film Will Smith's dilemnas include keeping his son's hopes up, having his X-ray machines stolen, being evicted, having his wife leave him and trying to be the best internship worker in a life insurance company.
In "Slumdog Millionaire," on the other hand, the dilemna of Jamal is answering questions correctly in hopes of winning a lot of money or getting the girl. In fact, the film doesn't really explain in much detail how Jamalgets on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" or his hopes and motives for going on the show. He does face dilemnas but they take place in the past, rendering them less emotionally effective. Most of all, you totally know exactly how the movie will end, while in "The Pursuit of Happyness" the ending is less predictable and Will Smith still has issues he needs to resolve.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Spain versus Mexico
The things here that remind me of Mexican and Latin American culture are food and music. On the radio they might play Maná and Julieta Venegas, and in restaurants and cafes they might play salsa and tango. The pop music is similar enough to Mexican pop music such as Superestrella 107.1 that I can't tell it's Spanish music unless I hear the "theta" sounds. The music is also less tied to culture while being more modernized. In Mexican music they still use accordions and trumpets but here it's all digital sounds, drums and electric guitar. I asked people what kinds of traditional music exist in Spain and all they could think of was flamenco. In modern music the famous bands and singers are El Canto del Loco, Pereza and David Bisbal, who are unknown in the United States. In all, I believe Mexican and Latin American music has the edge over Spanish music. Food time.
Albóndigas=soft meatballs in a meatball broth. Really good and extremely reminiscent of those Chinese meatballs called "lion's head" (I think I'm doomed to compare everything with Chinese culture). I've seen them in Mexican restaurant menus but never had any. I blame the pricing and size of burritos. Winner inconclusive.
Empanadas= Crusty and ridged crust, like that of samosas or Hot Pockets® (lol) stuffed with tomato sauce, onions and oil. They're okay. The Mexican version is one of those tortilla-type foods, and I'm not sure if they have a similar version. Tie.
Tacos= I found out this word actually means "plug" or "wedge" or "shredded." This usually applies to octopus, for example "tacos de pulpo." Mexico wins.
Tortilla= Omelot with thin slices of onions and potatoes, coming in the shape of a small steering wheel. These are ingenious because they're pure energy and make you feel "breakfasty," without all the vegetable oil and sausages. The dining halls at UCSD do a similar omelot but the potatoes are not well-integrated with the egg because they use hash browns and just throw them in when the omelot's almost ready. The Mexican version is allright, but can't really be eaten by itself. Spain wins.
Chicarrones= Fried pork skins. In Spain they're called tocinos or torreznos, but they leave out the chewy fleshy part and seasoning. Mexico wins.
Orxata= A Valencian (language similar to Catalan) word for a drink that Mexicans spell as Horchata. The Spanish version is light brown, not white, not as sweet, yet lacking in cinnamon flavor. It's more subtle and probably better for your health. Spain wins, though Tamarindo would win against the orxata.
Albóndigas=soft meatballs in a meatball broth. Really good and extremely reminiscent of those Chinese meatballs called "lion's head" (I think I'm doomed to compare everything with Chinese culture). I've seen them in Mexican restaurant menus but never had any. I blame the pricing and size of burritos. Winner inconclusive.
Empanadas= Crusty and ridged crust, like that of samosas or Hot Pockets® (lol) stuffed with tomato sauce, onions and oil. They're okay. The Mexican version is one of those tortilla-type foods, and I'm not sure if they have a similar version. Tie.
Tacos= I found out this word actually means "plug" or "wedge" or "shredded." This usually applies to octopus, for example "tacos de pulpo." Mexico wins.
Tortilla= Omelot with thin slices of onions and potatoes, coming in the shape of a small steering wheel. These are ingenious because they're pure energy and make you feel "breakfasty," without all the vegetable oil and sausages. The dining halls at UCSD do a similar omelot but the potatoes are not well-integrated with the egg because they use hash browns and just throw them in when the omelot's almost ready. The Mexican version is allright, but can't really be eaten by itself. Spain wins.
Chicarrones= Fried pork skins. In Spain they're called tocinos or torreznos, but they leave out the chewy fleshy part and seasoning. Mexico wins.
Orxata= A Valencian (language similar to Catalan) word for a drink that Mexicans spell as Horchata. The Spanish version is light brown, not white, not as sweet, yet lacking in cinnamon flavor. It's more subtle and probably better for your health. Spain wins, though Tamarindo would win against the orxata.
Friday, December 11, 2009
The People
The nuns are becoming quite predictable. There's the one who's dressed in an authentic nun suit with thick glasses; she tends to be concerned about laundry. "Remember to put two cups of detergent! Don't forget the softener. The softener! You know?" Two days ago I did my laundry but I didn't want to hang it up on the lines or leave it in the machine, so I put it in a big plastic bucket and took it with me downstairs. When I was coming up the stairs the next morning she saw me and started talking about detergent and softener. I told her it was already washed, but she said mumbled something like "It's already washed? But it needs detergent!" So she followed me up three flights of stairs to say "Give me that," and I couldn't so no to a nun. She put the clothes in the washing machine and showed me the proper settings and started the machine. At least now I know the proper settings. Then there's the one that serves the food. She says "Que te proveche! (bon appetit)" and "Did you just wake up and NOW you're eating breakfast?" (accompanied by an incredulous and amused look)" since I usually first eat at 1100-1150 am. Most predictable is Sor Carmen, who tries to talk to me the most. She likes to ask "How was your afternoon? And your classes? Are your students learning a lot?" She says things like "Here you have the bread. And here you have the soup. Take more if you want." Then she hangs around for a minute watching you eat before saying "Bueno....." and walking away. I've started boiling water in the microwave in the mornings to make tea. She has said multiple times "Those herbs are for losing weight? Because you're eating less" though I tell her no.
The teachers are definitely more interesting than the nuns. Asuncion has a very teacher-like personality, with her teacher wool sweaters and consistent eager disposition toward students that often results in long commentaries complete with corny gestures when responding to students. She tends to gravitate discussion toward the effect that mealtimes can have on our health, food comas, and ethnic foods. I have her class once a week, and on two occasions she made the topic of discussion food related and ignored the textbook. The next week she had us play a crossword game where we had to give clues to complete the crossword, but last week we talked about a student's visit to Poland and then she brought up food portions and food times and their effect on digestion.
Adriana is actually the youngest-looking teacher. She has colorful outfits, curly hair with bleached streaks and a wider face. She likes to have half of her students talk to me while she teaches the other half so her classes are more complicated than the other teachers'. Her students are closest in age to me.
Pablo is big boned and bald. He made me guess his age and I said 50 but he said he's really 41. He is intense, serious, and his classes are strictly by the book and methodical. He likes to pick on a person randomly and ask a question related to the page we are covering and then move on to a different person, giving his classes a jerky and disciplined feel.
Hilario is an older, mostly bald guy who uses very teacher-like language: "That's right...very good....OK kids, today our friend Oliver will...." Every so often he tends to talk out of the right side of his mouth as if he were a stand-up comedian. Hilario's clothing is either bright clothing that would glow under a black light or shirts tht people buy as travel souvenirs that range from Rajasthan to Los Angeles, Harlem, Jamaica and New Orleans. He tends to announce in Spanish "I'm going outside to smoke" and then return smelling very smoky. All in all he reminds me of a cross between Robin Williams and Dennis Hopper.
Anne is Scottish and it's often pointed out by students and the other teachers tht she can pronounce "R's" that occur in the middle or end of a word. Her defining habit is finding something to gripe about, such as students coming late or not understanding the lesson and complaining about it in a way that doesn't sound overly bitter or annoying. She's lived in Spain for over 20 years and is fluent in Spanish, but her Spanish sounds very peculiar because it preserves the Scottish intonation pattern where the second to last syllable dips in tone. She's more interested in my weekends and my life than other teachers.
Last of all is Juan. When I first got to Almansa he would take me on walking tours and do stuff with me over the weekends. Although he is 45 he looks 10 years younger, probably because he's ridiculously hip. His British accent is more posh-sounding and more developed than the other teachers and he frequently asks me if the certain phrasing of a spoken sentence of British English is the same in America. He is ridiculously hip because he wears flannel button-up shirts over T shirts, short sleeved shirts over long sleeve shirts, mentions flower power, free speech, The Flaming Lips, Wilco and the White Stripes, and the last three times I saw him at the library he was watching The Colbert Report. I don't have classes with him this semester.
The teachers are definitely more interesting than the nuns. Asuncion has a very teacher-like personality, with her teacher wool sweaters and consistent eager disposition toward students that often results in long commentaries complete with corny gestures when responding to students. She tends to gravitate discussion toward the effect that mealtimes can have on our health, food comas, and ethnic foods. I have her class once a week, and on two occasions she made the topic of discussion food related and ignored the textbook. The next week she had us play a crossword game where we had to give clues to complete the crossword, but last week we talked about a student's visit to Poland and then she brought up food portions and food times and their effect on digestion.
Adriana is actually the youngest-looking teacher. She has colorful outfits, curly hair with bleached streaks and a wider face. She likes to have half of her students talk to me while she teaches the other half so her classes are more complicated than the other teachers'. Her students are closest in age to me.
Pablo is big boned and bald. He made me guess his age and I said 50 but he said he's really 41. He is intense, serious, and his classes are strictly by the book and methodical. He likes to pick on a person randomly and ask a question related to the page we are covering and then move on to a different person, giving his classes a jerky and disciplined feel.
Hilario is an older, mostly bald guy who uses very teacher-like language: "That's right...very good....OK kids, today our friend Oliver will...." Every so often he tends to talk out of the right side of his mouth as if he were a stand-up comedian. Hilario's clothing is either bright clothing that would glow under a black light or shirts tht people buy as travel souvenirs that range from Rajasthan to Los Angeles, Harlem, Jamaica and New Orleans. He tends to announce in Spanish "I'm going outside to smoke" and then return smelling very smoky. All in all he reminds me of a cross between Robin Williams and Dennis Hopper.
Anne is Scottish and it's often pointed out by students and the other teachers tht she can pronounce "R's" that occur in the middle or end of a word. Her defining habit is finding something to gripe about, such as students coming late or not understanding the lesson and complaining about it in a way that doesn't sound overly bitter or annoying. She's lived in Spain for over 20 years and is fluent in Spanish, but her Spanish sounds very peculiar because it preserves the Scottish intonation pattern where the second to last syllable dips in tone. She's more interested in my weekends and my life than other teachers.
Last of all is Juan. When I first got to Almansa he would take me on walking tours and do stuff with me over the weekends. Although he is 45 he looks 10 years younger, probably because he's ridiculously hip. His British accent is more posh-sounding and more developed than the other teachers and he frequently asks me if the certain phrasing of a spoken sentence of British English is the same in America. He is ridiculously hip because he wears flannel button-up shirts over T shirts, short sleeved shirts over long sleeve shirts, mentions flower power, free speech, The Flaming Lips, Wilco and the White Stripes, and the last three times I saw him at the library he was watching The Colbert Report. I don't have classes with him this semester.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Encounters with Chinese stuff
1. First of all, when I was in Madrid with The Mom and her Sister, we went to the Royal Palace and there was a room decorated with in Chinese style, with people in robes posing near plum trees, pagodas and such, and it was obvious that the decoration and artists were European and trying to imitate Chinese art. There was another room which had Chinese tapestries and the placard said they came from China as gifts.
2. I get a couple of ¨Ni hao"´s every week. They tend to come from guys who are walking in groups and younger than university age. I found that if I make the slightest eye contact with them as I walk in streets there´s an approximate 75% chance at least one of them will say it. On the other hand, it´s good to see that Spaniards are culturally appreciative.
3. Then there are the convenience corner shops that are scattered every 10 blocks or so in Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Valencia and Segovia. They are almost uniform in appearance; cold fluorescent lights, Chinese pop songs, a lack of ads telling you of discounts, Chinese lanterns and calendars, and the general impression that they just took a bunch of kiosk items like canned food, magazines, drinks and snacks, and brought in some shelves on which to place the items to create a corner shop. In smaller cities you can find a couple of these Chinese corner shops as well as places called "Bazar Oriental" or "Bazar Chino" that are just as minimalist in decoration and sell cheap decor, clothes and electronics. Additionally, of course, are the takeout stores which I'm told specialize in sweet and sour sauces and spring rolls. There is no escape. In Almansa and other cities these places tend to be family-owned, and in some they speak to each other in a dialect that isn't Mandarin or the other three dialects that I can identify by the way they sound: it might be Shanghainese. In Segovia The Mom asked the Chinese corner shop cashier why there were so many Chinese corner shops and if the shopowners of a store tended to be relatives of another store, but the cashier didn't know anything about it.
4. Dia de los Difuntos is similar to both Dia de los Muertos and a Chinese festival that takes place in April. In both Dia de los Difuntos and the Chinese festival you're supposed to visit graves of your relatives and clean them, but the Chinese festival also recommends that you place food and chopsticks on the grave.
5. The Spanish churro tastes almost exactly like the Chinese churro because it is crispier and doesn't include cinnamon and sugar. Both have a crispy outer surface, lots of hollow spaces inside and a doughy flavor. I also had pig ears: the Spanish version is pan fried briefly in an orange oil, while the Chinese version is cold and served with sesame oil.
6. People like to bring up the subject of how China is affecting the local shoemaking industry. On the one hand, China is buying more Spanish shoes and on the other hand Spanish factories are operating in China because of their lower wages. There's this Colombian immigrant Adriana in an advanced English class who says that Almansa probably has 1,000 immigrants out of the total population of 25,000 and that a lot of them are Colombian, Ecuadorian and Chinese. She also said that there are undocumented Chinese people who live in the shoe factories who have to endure tough working conditions and demanding bosses who would send them back to China if they don't comply and such.
2. I get a couple of ¨Ni hao"´s every week. They tend to come from guys who are walking in groups and younger than university age. I found that if I make the slightest eye contact with them as I walk in streets there´s an approximate 75% chance at least one of them will say it. On the other hand, it´s good to see that Spaniards are culturally appreciative.
3. Then there are the convenience corner shops that are scattered every 10 blocks or so in Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Valencia and Segovia. They are almost uniform in appearance; cold fluorescent lights, Chinese pop songs, a lack of ads telling you of discounts, Chinese lanterns and calendars, and the general impression that they just took a bunch of kiosk items like canned food, magazines, drinks and snacks, and brought in some shelves on which to place the items to create a corner shop. In smaller cities you can find a couple of these Chinese corner shops as well as places called "Bazar Oriental" or "Bazar Chino" that are just as minimalist in decoration and sell cheap decor, clothes and electronics. Additionally, of course, are the takeout stores which I'm told specialize in sweet and sour sauces and spring rolls. There is no escape. In Almansa and other cities these places tend to be family-owned, and in some they speak to each other in a dialect that isn't Mandarin or the other three dialects that I can identify by the way they sound: it might be Shanghainese. In Segovia The Mom asked the Chinese corner shop cashier why there were so many Chinese corner shops and if the shopowners of a store tended to be relatives of another store, but the cashier didn't know anything about it.
4. Dia de los Difuntos is similar to both Dia de los Muertos and a Chinese festival that takes place in April. In both Dia de los Difuntos and the Chinese festival you're supposed to visit graves of your relatives and clean them, but the Chinese festival also recommends that you place food and chopsticks on the grave.
5. The Spanish churro tastes almost exactly like the Chinese churro because it is crispier and doesn't include cinnamon and sugar. Both have a crispy outer surface, lots of hollow spaces inside and a doughy flavor. I also had pig ears: the Spanish version is pan fried briefly in an orange oil, while the Chinese version is cold and served with sesame oil.
6. People like to bring up the subject of how China is affecting the local shoemaking industry. On the one hand, China is buying more Spanish shoes and on the other hand Spanish factories are operating in China because of their lower wages. There's this Colombian immigrant Adriana in an advanced English class who says that Almansa probably has 1,000 immigrants out of the total population of 25,000 and that a lot of them are Colombian, Ecuadorian and Chinese. She also said that there are undocumented Chinese people who live in the shoe factories who have to endure tough working conditions and demanding bosses who would send them back to China if they don't comply and such.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Es muy difícil entender la lengua española. específicamente si la frase contiene las palabras relacionadas con el verbo "haber" porque no son destacadas cuande se pronuncian. Creo que el español se pronuncia más rápido que el inglés y el inglés se pronuncia más rápido que el chino mandarín. No me gusta decir las frases en que la letra final es la misma que la letra primera de la siguiente palabra porque es difícil de decirlas y entenderlas. Una vez todos los ayudantes como yo fueron a un curso para orientación y yo pregunté una latina de Norwalk sobre las diferencias entre el español de España y el español de México. ella me dijo que hay diferencias entre la pronunciación de "j," "z," y "c" y diferencias en vocabulario, pero no hay mucha diferencia en intonación u otras modas de hablar. Para mí, si alguien habla una frase que no tiene las letras "j," "z," y "c" no podría saber si esta persona es de España o México.
Una vez yo pedí un jugo de durazno pero el camerero no me entendió y el profesor de inglés Pablo me corregió, diciendo que yo quisiera un zumo de melocotón.
Este mes estoy probando la pronunciación española. Tengo una teoria que puede explicar las diferencias de pronunciación entre la America Latina y España. Pienso que puesto que la letra "y" quiere decir "i griega," y vino de Grecia, la letra "z" es Θ (Theta), y no se debe pronunciar como "zeta."
Una vez yo pedí un jugo de durazno pero el camerero no me entendió y el profesor de inglés Pablo me corregió, diciendo que yo quisiera un zumo de melocotón.
Este mes estoy probando la pronunciación española. Tengo una teoria que puede explicar las diferencias de pronunciación entre la America Latina y España. Pienso que puesto que la letra "y" quiere decir "i griega," y vino de Grecia, la letra "z" es Θ (Theta), y no se debe pronunciar como "zeta."
Monday, November 9, 2009
Los fines de semana
La semana de Halloween puse anuncios para un evento de conversación. El evento ocurrió en Halloween, y un chico que tiene alrededor de 40 años y dos chicas que tienen alrededor de 25 años y yo miramos la película "This Is It." Cuando Michael Jackson cantaba "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" y "Human Nature" él me parece muy "nerdy." Me gustaba también cuando decía "It's allright. That's why we have rehearsal. It's all for love. L-O-V-E." La mejor escena era el "dance break" para "Billie Jean;" aunque no hacía "moonwalk," hacía muchos movimientos impresionantes. Pienso que este documental se falta una entrevista con Michael Jackson su mismo. Sin embargo, me gustó la película porque mostraba los esfuerzos grandes de esta producción, los bailes sincronizados, y las canciones mejoradas. Después de mirar la película fuimos a un café, tomamos cañas de cervezas y hablamos de Michael Jackson, España y las experiencias de aprender inglés.
El fin de semana de octubre 23-25 no hice nada y yo estaba muy aburrido. El fin de semana de octubre 16-18 yo fui a un concierto honenaje de Pink Floyd. El grupo tenía dos personas para cantar y tocar las guitarras eléctricas, dos "backup singers," dos "drummers," "saxophone," un "keyboard" y una pantalla en la pared en que proyectaban los "videoclips" de Pink Floyd. El concierto duró tres horas pero costó solo 10 euros. Aunque no cantaban bien, las partes de instrumentación eran más desarolladas de las que existen en los álbumes de Pink Floyd. El domingo yo fui al paisaje para comer paella y andar una colina para ver la meseta. El fin de semana de octubre 9-11 yo fui al castillo de Almansa. El castillo está situado en una colina con muchas piedras y tiene muchas niveles y escaleras muy verticales. Tambien jugué al tenis y fui a un pueblo que se llama Ayora para ver la fiesta medieval.
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The week of Halloween I put up ads for a conversation event/table, which happened on Halloween, and a guy around 40 or the late 30s showed up with two girls around 25. We saw "This Is It." When Michael Jackson sings "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Human Nature" he looks very nerdy. I also liked when he said "It's allright. That's why we have rehearsal. It's all for love. L-O-V-E." The best scene was the dance break for "Billie Jean;" although he didn't moonwalk, he did a lot of impressive moves. I think what this documentary lacks the most is an interview with Michael Jackson himself. Nevertheless, I liked it because it showed the efforts behind a grand production, sinchronized dancing and remixed songs. Afterwards we went to a cafe where we had glasses of beer and talked about Michael Jackson, Spain and the difficulties of English and Spanish.
The weekend of October 23-25 I did nothing and it was really boring. The weekend of October 16-18 I went to a concert by a cover band for Pink Floyd. They had two people to sing and play guitar, two backup singers and drummers, a saxophone player, a keyboardist and a screen on the wall where they showed Pink Floyd music videos. The concert was 3 hours long but only cost 10 euros. Though they didn't sing well, the instrumentation was more developed and extended than what exists on the albums. On Sunday I went to the countryside to help eat a large pan of paella and to climb a hill to see the plains. The weekend of October 9-11 I went to Almansa's castle. The castle's on a steep hill with a lot of boulders and in some parts the boulders blend into the castle, and there were multiple levels and steep staircases. I also played tennis and went to a town called Ayora because they had a Medieval fair.
El fin de semana de octubre 23-25 no hice nada y yo estaba muy aburrido. El fin de semana de octubre 16-18 yo fui a un concierto honenaje de Pink Floyd. El grupo tenía dos personas para cantar y tocar las guitarras eléctricas, dos "backup singers," dos "drummers," "saxophone," un "keyboard" y una pantalla en la pared en que proyectaban los "videoclips" de Pink Floyd. El concierto duró tres horas pero costó solo 10 euros. Aunque no cantaban bien, las partes de instrumentación eran más desarolladas de las que existen en los álbumes de Pink Floyd. El domingo yo fui al paisaje para comer paella y andar una colina para ver la meseta. El fin de semana de octubre 9-11 yo fui al castillo de Almansa. El castillo está situado en una colina con muchas piedras y tiene muchas niveles y escaleras muy verticales. Tambien jugué al tenis y fui a un pueblo que se llama Ayora para ver la fiesta medieval.
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The week of Halloween I put up ads for a conversation event/table, which happened on Halloween, and a guy around 40 or the late 30s showed up with two girls around 25. We saw "This Is It." When Michael Jackson sings "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Human Nature" he looks very nerdy. I also liked when he said "It's allright. That's why we have rehearsal. It's all for love. L-O-V-E." The best scene was the dance break for "Billie Jean;" although he didn't moonwalk, he did a lot of impressive moves. I think what this documentary lacks the most is an interview with Michael Jackson himself. Nevertheless, I liked it because it showed the efforts behind a grand production, sinchronized dancing and remixed songs. Afterwards we went to a cafe where we had glasses of beer and talked about Michael Jackson, Spain and the difficulties of English and Spanish.
The weekend of October 23-25 I did nothing and it was really boring. The weekend of October 16-18 I went to a concert by a cover band for Pink Floyd. They had two people to sing and play guitar, two backup singers and drummers, a saxophone player, a keyboardist and a screen on the wall where they showed Pink Floyd music videos. The concert was 3 hours long but only cost 10 euros. Though they didn't sing well, the instrumentation was more developed and extended than what exists on the albums. On Sunday I went to the countryside to help eat a large pan of paella and to climb a hill to see the plains. The weekend of October 9-11 I went to Almansa's castle. The castle's on a steep hill with a lot of boulders and in some parts the boulders blend into the castle, and there were multiple levels and steep staircases. I also played tennis and went to a town called Ayora because they had a Medieval fair.
Friday, November 6, 2009
La escuela
En la escuela no se imparten clases de ciencia, matemáticas, literatura española o historia, sino clases de idiomas extranjeras. Entonces los estudiantes asisten a las clases de idiomas pero también trabajan o asisten al colegio o universidad en otros sitios. En unas clases la gente es muy mezclada, así como algunos estudiantes tienen alrededor de 20 años y otoros tienen alrededor de 50 o 60 años. En otroas clases hay muchas chicas y pocos chicos.
Los libros y materiales de escuchar son basados en la lengua inglesa de Inglaterra. Por eso me está dando cuenta de muchas diferencias entre el idioma inglés del Reino Unido y el de los Estados Unidos. Además de las diferencdias de vocabulario y pronunciación, hay diferencias gramáticas. Por ejemplo, se dice “What do you do at the weekends?“ en vez de “What do you do during/on the weekends?“ Se dice “Queen are a popular band from England“ en vez de “Queen is a popular band from England.“ Se dice “October the 31st“ en vez de “October 31st.“ Una vez la voz del disco compacto para el libro dijo “Those two are a right pair of troublemakers....“ Además los profesores llevan el acento de Inglaterra sino que una profesora de Escocia quien ha vivido en España por muchos años. A uno de ellos le gusta decir “That’s righhht......Very gooot......“ después de que un estudiante lea un párrafo; me parece un poco “creepy.“ No obstante, los profesores tienen mucha curiosidad del inglés americano y siempre me preguntan “Is this how you say it in the States?“
Esta es mi cuarta semana como ayudante del inglés y he hecho tareas como leer párrafos; preguntar estudeiantes sobre sus tratamientos de dinero, sus familias, las enfermemdades; y preguntar las respuestas correctas y escribirlas después. Dos veces la lección fijaron en mí y tuve que contestar preguntas sobre España, California, los hospitales americanos y los supersticiones. Una vez di a los estudiantes copias de una publicación de “Los Angeles Times“ que se trató de los eventos públicos de Halloween en el sur de California y expliqué las palabras nuevas.
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At school they don't teach science, math, Spanish literature or history; just foreign languages. Thus the students go to language classes but they also work or go to high school or college in other places. In most classes the people are very mixed, such that some students are around 20 and others are around 50 or 60. In others there are many girls and few guys.
The books and listening materials that are used are based on British English. Therefore, I am learning more about the differences between American and British English. In addition to the differences of vocabulary and pronunciation, there are grammatical differences. For example, they say "What do you do at the weekends?" instead of "What do you do during/on the weekends?" They say "Queen are a popular band from England" instead of "Queen is a popular band from England." Instead of saying "October 31st" they say "October the 31st." In addition the teachers have British accents even though they are Spanish, except for a Scottish teacher who has lived in Spain for many years. One of them likes to say "That's righhht......very goooot......" after a student reads something and it seems a little creepy. Nevertheless, the teachers are very curious about American English and they are always asking me "Is this how you say it in the States?"
This is my fourth week as an English assistant and I have done stuff such as reading paragraphs; asking the students about their relationship with money, their families, health and sickness; and asking for the right answers and writing them afterwards. On two occasions the lesson was focused on me and I had to answer questions about Spain, California, American hospitals and superstitions. One time I gave the students copies of an article from the Los Angeles Times that was about public festivals for Halloween in Southern California and I explained the new words.
Los libros y materiales de escuchar son basados en la lengua inglesa de Inglaterra. Por eso me está dando cuenta de muchas diferencias entre el idioma inglés del Reino Unido y el de los Estados Unidos. Además de las diferencdias de vocabulario y pronunciación, hay diferencias gramáticas. Por ejemplo, se dice “What do you do at the weekends?“ en vez de “What do you do during/on the weekends?“ Se dice “Queen are a popular band from England“ en vez de “Queen is a popular band from England.“ Se dice “October the 31st“ en vez de “October 31st.“ Una vez la voz del disco compacto para el libro dijo “Those two are a right pair of troublemakers....“ Además los profesores llevan el acento de Inglaterra sino que una profesora de Escocia quien ha vivido en España por muchos años. A uno de ellos le gusta decir “That’s righhht......Very gooot......“ después de que un estudiante lea un párrafo; me parece un poco “creepy.“ No obstante, los profesores tienen mucha curiosidad del inglés americano y siempre me preguntan “Is this how you say it in the States?“
Esta es mi cuarta semana como ayudante del inglés y he hecho tareas como leer párrafos; preguntar estudeiantes sobre sus tratamientos de dinero, sus familias, las enfermemdades; y preguntar las respuestas correctas y escribirlas después. Dos veces la lección fijaron en mí y tuve que contestar preguntas sobre España, California, los hospitales americanos y los supersticiones. Una vez di a los estudiantes copias de una publicación de “Los Angeles Times“ que se trató de los eventos públicos de Halloween en el sur de California y expliqué las palabras nuevas.
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At school they don't teach science, math, Spanish literature or history; just foreign languages. Thus the students go to language classes but they also work or go to high school or college in other places. In most classes the people are very mixed, such that some students are around 20 and others are around 50 or 60. In others there are many girls and few guys.
The books and listening materials that are used are based on British English. Therefore, I am learning more about the differences between American and British English. In addition to the differences of vocabulary and pronunciation, there are grammatical differences. For example, they say "What do you do at the weekends?" instead of "What do you do during/on the weekends?" They say "Queen are a popular band from England" instead of "Queen is a popular band from England." Instead of saying "October 31st" they say "October the 31st." In addition the teachers have British accents even though they are Spanish, except for a Scottish teacher who has lived in Spain for many years. One of them likes to say "That's righhht......very goooot......" after a student reads something and it seems a little creepy. Nevertheless, the teachers are very curious about American English and they are always asking me "Is this how you say it in the States?"
This is my fourth week as an English assistant and I have done stuff such as reading paragraphs; asking the students about their relationship with money, their families, health and sickness; and asking for the right answers and writing them afterwards. On two occasions the lesson was focused on me and I had to answer questions about Spain, California, American hospitals and superstitions. One time I gave the students copies of an article from the Los Angeles Times that was about public festivals for Halloween in Southern California and I explained the new words.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
¡Es animal!
Una noche (creo que fue el 7), dos profesores de inglés y yo estábamos visitando un piso en que yo pueda quedarse hasta el verano. Después estábamos caminando enfrente de unas barras y el profesor chido sugió que debemos pedir unas cervezas. Entrábamos “La Cabaña del Tío Rock“ y me dio cuenta de unas cosas parecidos a la barra “The Sire“ en Riverside. Se ponía música rock vieja y veía en la pared un nopal falso y una cabeza falsa de vaca. El profesor chido, Juan, me dijo que yo podía pedir agua y jugo si lo quería. Los profesores pidieron Budweiser, entonces yo también pedí un Budweiser. Juan lo dijo al camerero y después al otro profesor “¡Es animal!“. Creo que es interesante que un Budweiser sólo tuvo eso resultado; quizás los españoles se ponen entusiasmados en las barras, o quizás sólo Juan.
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One night (I believe it was the 7th), two English profesors and I were visiting an apartment where I could stay until the summer. Afterwards, as we were walking in front of some bars the cool professor suggested that we order some beers. We entered “La Cabaña del Tío Rock“ and it reminded me of “The Sire“ at Riverside. Classic rock was playing and there was a fake cow skull on a fake cactus. The cool professor, Juan, told me that I could order juice and water if I wanted. They ordered Budweisers so I also ordered a Budweiser. Then Juan told the bartender and then the other professor, “He’s an animal!“. I think it’s interesting that one beer garnered this result; maybe Spanish people are more enthusiastic in bars, or maybe it’s just Juan.
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One night (I believe it was the 7th), two English profesors and I were visiting an apartment where I could stay until the summer. Afterwards, as we were walking in front of some bars the cool professor suggested that we order some beers. We entered “La Cabaña del Tío Rock“ and it reminded me of “The Sire“ at Riverside. Classic rock was playing and there was a fake cow skull on a fake cactus. The cool professor, Juan, told me that I could order juice and water if I wanted. They ordered Budweisers so I also ordered a Budweiser. Then Juan told the bartender and then the other professor, “He’s an animal!“. I think it’s interesting that one beer garnered this result; maybe Spanish people are more enthusiastic in bars, or maybe it’s just Juan.
Friday, October 9, 2009
PUES......
¡Hola! PUES......Ya he estado en España por casi tres semanas. Y ahora empiezo este blog, porque las semanas pasadas no había tiempo suficiente para empezar un blog. Primero yo escribo en ’spanish.typeit.org’, donde se puede escribir las letras españolas fácilmente. Después lo copio al blog y hago traducción en inglés. No voy a usar diccionario cuando escribo en español, para que puedo practicar español usando el vocabulario que ya tengo.
Desde el 20 de septiembre hasta el 4 de octubre yo y mi madre estábamos buscando hoteles y mirando los horarios de trenes en el “web“. Yo y mi madre vistamos Madrid, Segovia y Valencia. A veces no es divertido viajar con ella. El 1 de octubre mi madre llevó mi tía “Ma-li“ de Taiwan, y eso me alegró porque por fin no tenía que viajar con mi madre solo. Además no había visto “Ma-li“ en los cuatros años pasados. Ella es divertida porque de vez en cuanto me presentaba cajitas plásticas llenas de frutas secas y chinas. También reía mucho, aunque yo no esperaba. Ella habla la lengua mandarín china en una moda muy elegante y feliz, y creo que habla la lengua china mejor que todos. Nosotros visitamos Madrid de nuevo, y también Toledo. En Toledo era la noche de una fiesta china para la luna más grande del año. Comimos “mazapan,“ un dulce toledano que tiene sabor similar que el dulce china “moon-cakes“ para esta fiesta. Después, el 5 de octubre mi madre y mi tía fueron a Sevilla y yo fui a Almansa para buscar alojamiento. Yo me quedé en el piso de un profesor de inglés por unos días, pasando el tiempo mirando pisos, usando mi computadora portátil para ver fotos y escuchar la música, y leendo un libro de David Sedaris que se llama “Dress Your Family in Denim and Cordoroy.“
Ahora yo me quedé en un convento en que no necesito ser religioso. Hay unas mujeres viejas y bajas que les llaman con el título ’Sor.’ Las mujeres cocinan desayuno, comida, y la cena. El precio para cada mes es 300 euros, comida incluido. Quizás me quedaré aquí hasta junio. Hoy por fin encontré una biblioteca donde se ponen ’wi-fi’ para usar el ’web’. El martes que viene yo comenzaré mirar lo que pasa en las clases de inglés. Los profesores de inglés me sugieron que debo pensar en actividades que tienen relación con ’Halloween’. A veces yo hablo con el otro lector de inglés, Jason. Su personaje me aparece similar que el de actor Thomas Haden Church en la pelicula ’Sideways’. El practica la ley en Tejas. Ahora son las dos menos diez y necesito regresar al convento para la comida. Además yo voy a convertir las palabras en inglés y escribir más.
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Hello! Well......I´ve already been in Spain for almost three weeks. And now I´m starting this blog, because in the last few weeks there wasn´t enough time to start a blog. First I´m going to write in ¨spanish.typeit.org¨, where you can write Spanish letters easily. Afterwards I will copy the text to my blog and translate it to English. I´m also not going to use the dictionary when I write in Spanish, so that I can practice the Spanish I already know (also, it would be impractical if you used the dictionary all the time when speaking).
Since September 20 The Mom and I have been using the web mostly to look for hotels and train schedules. We visited Madrid, Segovia and Valencia. Sometimes it isn´t much fun to travel with her. On October 1 The Mom brought her sister ¨Ma-li¨from the airport to Madrid; that was a relief because then I wouldn´t have to travel with just her. Also I haven´t seen ¨Ma-li¨for four years. She´s fun because sometimes she´ll bring out small plastic boxes full of seasoned dried plums and Chinese herbs. She also laughs a lot and when you don´t expect it. She speaks Mandarin Chinese in a way that sounds very elegant and happy and I think her Chinese sounds better than everyone else´s. We visited the same sites in Madrid again, as well as Toledo. In Toledo it was the night of the Chinese festival for the biggest moon of the year. We ate ¨mazapan¨, a Toledo snack that tasted kind of like Chinese Moon Cakes. Then, on October 5 they went to Sevilla while I went to Almansa to look for housing. I stayed at an English teacher´s apartment for a couple of days, spending the time looking at apartments and using my laptop to look at pictures and listen to music, and reading the David Sedaris book¨Dress Your Family in Denim and Cordoroys¨.
Now I´m staying in a convent where you don´t need to be religious. There are old short women who address each other as ¨Sor¨. The women cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. It costs 300 euros each month, food included. Maybe I´ll stay there until June. Today I finally found a library with wi-fi. Next Tuesday I´m going to observe what happens in an English class. The English teachers suggested that I think of activities having to do with Halloween. Sometimes I talk with the other English assistant, Jason. His personality and aura remind me of Thomas Haden Church in ¨Sideways¨. He practices the law in Texas (that in itself has a Texas attitude to it). Now it´s 1:50 so I have to return to the convent for lunch. Then I´m going to translate the text to English and write more (well, that´s not necessarily true because I wrote the Spanish part yesterday).
Desde el 20 de septiembre hasta el 4 de octubre yo y mi madre estábamos buscando hoteles y mirando los horarios de trenes en el “web“. Yo y mi madre vistamos Madrid, Segovia y Valencia. A veces no es divertido viajar con ella. El 1 de octubre mi madre llevó mi tía “Ma-li“ de Taiwan, y eso me alegró porque por fin no tenía que viajar con mi madre solo. Además no había visto “Ma-li“ en los cuatros años pasados. Ella es divertida porque de vez en cuanto me presentaba cajitas plásticas llenas de frutas secas y chinas. También reía mucho, aunque yo no esperaba. Ella habla la lengua mandarín china en una moda muy elegante y feliz, y creo que habla la lengua china mejor que todos. Nosotros visitamos Madrid de nuevo, y también Toledo. En Toledo era la noche de una fiesta china para la luna más grande del año. Comimos “mazapan,“ un dulce toledano que tiene sabor similar que el dulce china “moon-cakes“ para esta fiesta. Después, el 5 de octubre mi madre y mi tía fueron a Sevilla y yo fui a Almansa para buscar alojamiento. Yo me quedé en el piso de un profesor de inglés por unos días, pasando el tiempo mirando pisos, usando mi computadora portátil para ver fotos y escuchar la música, y leendo un libro de David Sedaris que se llama “Dress Your Family in Denim and Cordoroy.“
Ahora yo me quedé en un convento en que no necesito ser religioso. Hay unas mujeres viejas y bajas que les llaman con el título ’Sor.’ Las mujeres cocinan desayuno, comida, y la cena. El precio para cada mes es 300 euros, comida incluido. Quizás me quedaré aquí hasta junio. Hoy por fin encontré una biblioteca donde se ponen ’wi-fi’ para usar el ’web’. El martes que viene yo comenzaré mirar lo que pasa en las clases de inglés. Los profesores de inglés me sugieron que debo pensar en actividades que tienen relación con ’Halloween’. A veces yo hablo con el otro lector de inglés, Jason. Su personaje me aparece similar que el de actor Thomas Haden Church en la pelicula ’Sideways’. El practica la ley en Tejas. Ahora son las dos menos diez y necesito regresar al convento para la comida. Además yo voy a convertir las palabras en inglés y escribir más.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hello! Well......I´ve already been in Spain for almost three weeks. And now I´m starting this blog, because in the last few weeks there wasn´t enough time to start a blog. First I´m going to write in ¨spanish.typeit.org¨, where you can write Spanish letters easily. Afterwards I will copy the text to my blog and translate it to English. I´m also not going to use the dictionary when I write in Spanish, so that I can practice the Spanish I already know (also, it would be impractical if you used the dictionary all the time when speaking).
Since September 20 The Mom and I have been using the web mostly to look for hotels and train schedules. We visited Madrid, Segovia and Valencia. Sometimes it isn´t much fun to travel with her. On October 1 The Mom brought her sister ¨Ma-li¨from the airport to Madrid; that was a relief because then I wouldn´t have to travel with just her. Also I haven´t seen ¨Ma-li¨for four years. She´s fun because sometimes she´ll bring out small plastic boxes full of seasoned dried plums and Chinese herbs. She also laughs a lot and when you don´t expect it. She speaks Mandarin Chinese in a way that sounds very elegant and happy and I think her Chinese sounds better than everyone else´s. We visited the same sites in Madrid again, as well as Toledo. In Toledo it was the night of the Chinese festival for the biggest moon of the year. We ate ¨mazapan¨, a Toledo snack that tasted kind of like Chinese Moon Cakes. Then, on October 5 they went to Sevilla while I went to Almansa to look for housing. I stayed at an English teacher´s apartment for a couple of days, spending the time looking at apartments and using my laptop to look at pictures and listen to music, and reading the David Sedaris book¨Dress Your Family in Denim and Cordoroys¨.
Now I´m staying in a convent where you don´t need to be religious. There are old short women who address each other as ¨Sor¨. The women cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. It costs 300 euros each month, food included. Maybe I´ll stay there until June. Today I finally found a library with wi-fi. Next Tuesday I´m going to observe what happens in an English class. The English teachers suggested that I think of activities having to do with Halloween. Sometimes I talk with the other English assistant, Jason. His personality and aura remind me of Thomas Haden Church in ¨Sideways¨. He practices the law in Texas (that in itself has a Texas attitude to it). Now it´s 1:50 so I have to return to the convent for lunch. Then I´m going to translate the text to English and write more (well, that´s not necessarily true because I wrote the Spanish part yesterday).
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