Goodbye Mad-Lib

See you all tomorrow on the Costera bus to Kristal's place! Call me or send a message if you want to all get on the same bus. We can go all the way there, canchero style! Haha.

So here's one of our goodbye Mad-Libs, created by you. Thanks for an amazing year!

Well, it's been quite an admirable year! We started out with fifty students and now we've been run down to two. Those of us who still stop our birds every class are only only the smallest!

Charly and Kristal come from a dirty country, a place where people like to put water on their chili, wear long or dumb clothes, dance to rock and roll music, and jump wild poops.

We will certainly fly them madly after they play away in their truck, but we know they will always have smelly memories of our dark country, the Smooth Republic of Argentina.

Soon summer will arrive so we can go on vacation to our homes in Mar del Plata, Junín, or Río Cuarto, or even the Bahamas or Tajikistan. After that we'll be back to the Hairy University of La Plata, loud and fuzzy, ready to mock again.

See you later, radiators!

Ultimate Goodbye-Party!!!

Hello all,

As most of you know, we're almost all done with the práctico sections of English 3 and Charly and I are getting ready to leave Argentina as our Fulbright fellowships come to an end.  We have had a fantastic school year with you and have learned a great deal from you.  Every day after class, I leave Humanidades so thankful to have had this opportunity to get to know you and to learn about your lives and experiences. I hope the learning experience was mutual and that you also enjoyed our time together. 

Anyhoo, we're throwing a big goodbye-party (no, there's no snazzy word in English for "despedida"- just Goodbye Party, or Going-Away Party).  We hope that you can all come.  Also, everyone from English 3 is invited whether they are still attending class or not, so if you have friends that left the class, please tell them about the party!!!  It's on November 15th (that's Saturday) and it starts at around 10:30 pm (but come any time after that). It'll take place in my famous subsuelo an San Telmo.  I know, it's a far journey for you to go to the Capital, but it's really easy to get to my place using the Costera Chevallier bus (with the rose on it).  Come either "por autopista" or "por centenario" and get off at the first stop in the city on Juan de Garay.  You'll be on the corner with Paseo Colon.  Cross Paseo Colon, and my building is the first one there with a mural painted on it.  The address is Juan de Garay Nº223, depto 1.  If you come by car, there's usually parking available in front. We hope you can come share our last night in Argentina with us.  Feel free to bring friends and whatever you like to drink.  We'll have the beer bong ready for you (heehee)!

Love,

Kristal

Fiesta HALLOWEEN!!!

A thousand thanks to all of you for the best party since... haha, ever!!! Your costumes were amazing!

Photos will be up on Facebook soon.

Fiesta Halloween

Alright, you already know, but

HALLOWEEN PARTY
Costume Party!! Fiesta de disfraces!!

Tonight, Friday, Oct. 31

@ Wadoo Wadoo Cantobar, Calle 54 Número 632 e/ 7 y 8.

22hrs - pizza, beer, live music, CD pre-release of Charly's "Musical Travel Journal"
Right after that - Karaoke
~2 am - baile: hip hop, electrónica, etc etc etc

Any questions, concerns, comments, queries? chuckabbo@gmail.com or 011-3251-9018

Attendance Make-up Day

Just a reminder...  

We're having our attendance make-up day this Friday, that's 10/10 at Antares on calle 56 entre 11 y 12.  We'll be there from 19:30 to 21:30.  You don't have to buy anything to eat or drink if you don't want to, just come hang out!

Any questions?  Email Charly or Kristal.

The Left Hand of Darkness

Since we've been dedicating some time to "The Left Hand of Darkness" in our class sections, I think it's only fitting that we have an online discussion board for anyone who wants to further explore the novel here.

I'd like to start the discussion by posting a few links that might be helpful when reading the book:
The Wikipedia entry
A map of the planet Gethen
An online book review from Slashdot.com
A short biography and interview with Le Guin on The SF Site
A glossary of terms from Le Guin World, a website dedicated to the author

In our next class discussion, bring in a list of any "alien" words that appear in the book and we can define them together.

*A correction: In the first class incorrectly stated that "shifgrethor" refers to a personal struggle to save face. This is actually a definition for the phrase "playing shifgrethor". The word "shifgrethor," when used alone in the book, refers to "social prestige" or "prestige-rank". In the novel it is explained that the term means "to cast a long shadow" in the Karhidish tongue.

Announcements

BORDER LITERATURE/ CHICAN@ LITERATURE
Did you like our reading of "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldúa's book Borderlands/La Frontera? Good! Off the top of my head, here are a few more authors you shouldn't miss:
Sandra Cisneros
Rudolfo Anaya
Tino Villanueva
Here's a list of Mexican-American writers compiled by Wikipedia.

Also check out performance artist Guillermo Gómez Peña.

Due to the exam schedule, MOVIE NIGHT has been cancelled this week and next week (Sept. 25).
There will be no "official" (read as: organized) party for the English major this weekend, but we have reserved a place for our OCTOBER 31 HALLOWEEN PARTY! Start thinking of what your costume will be this year!

Those are my updates for now. If you have any questions, queries, comments, or concerns, you know how to reach me.

And now, here's your Moment of Zen (don't worry, it's "The Onion", a comedy fake-news show).

-Charly

Want to be a Fulbright Scholar?

I'm forwarding this message to all of you. I'll also leave flyers in the department. Please tell everyone you know who might be interested. I can tell you from experience that it's a great job!


Visite nuestra página en:
http://www.fulbright.edu.ar
www.me.gov.ar/dnci/becasint.html


BECAS FULBRIGHT- MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN

BECAS PARA ASISTENTES DE IDIOMA
2009
Objetivo: Se otorgarán hasta 17 becas a profesores de inglés argentinos para desempeñarse como Asistentes de Idioma en universidades públicas o privadas de los Estados Unidos.
Requisitos:
Nacionalidad argentina.
Título universitario o terciario de Profesor/a de Inglés de carreras de cuatro años como mínimo.
Promedio mínimo: 7 puntos.
Experiencia docente.
Un mínimo de 21 años y un máximo de 29 años al momento de comenzar el programa en agosto de 2009.
Puntaje de 213 (en computadora) 0 550 (en papel) en el examen TOEFL
Capacidad e interés en vincularse con distintos sectores de la comunidad anfitriona y de difundir la cultura, historia y costumbres de su país de origen.
Los becarios no podrán llevar familia.

Beneficios:
Visa J1.
Estipendio mensual.
Seguro médico.
Pasaje de ida y vuelta.
Costo de cursos obligatorios que deberán tomar los Asistentes de Idioma.

Documentación:
Presentar las solicitudes completas en inglés (dos juegos) y en español (un juego) disponibles en: http://www.fulbright.edu.ar/esp/becas_1_3.asp o en http://www.me.gov.ar/dnci/becas06.html. También una de cada una por correo electrónico a award@fulbright.com.ar
CV y certificado que acredite experiencia docente indicando si su cargo es titular, interino o suplente.
Cartas de recomendación.

Plazo: Hasta el 10 de noviembre de 2008.

Duración: un año académico de 9 o 10 meses comenzando en agosto de 2009

Los formularios deben ser entregados en:
Comisión Fulbright:
Viamonte 1653, P. 2, C1055ABE, Buenos Aires
Tel.: (011) 4814 3561/62; info@fulbright.com.ar

Importante: El otorgamiento de la beca y el comienzo del programa, estarán sujetos a que los candidatos sean admitidos por las universidades receptoras en los Estados Unidos.

S'Mores and Movie Night

Hi everyone!

This week we continue our MOVIE NIGHT "Cine Casero" film series with the international film
BABEL

and dessert: Indoor S'MORES - I'll teach you how to make the classic North American camping food

Where? Charly's apartment - Calle 58, No. 819, 6A
When? 9:30 pm, this Thursday, September 11th

Please contact chuckabbo@gmail.com if you're interested in coming! See you there!

Donnie Darko!

Hey all,

If after seeing Donnie Darko, you're as bewildered and confounded as I was the first time (okay, let's be honest... everytime I've seen it until I did some research), check out these websites for extra information.  As I mentioned, this is considered a "cult" film, so die-hard fans who seem to have a lot of extra time have written extensively on this movie.  Look these over before class next week, and then come prepared to talk about Donnie Darko.

Here you have the film's page from the Internet Movie Database.  This page comes complete with a message board of confused victim's of Darko, as well as some experts, and of couse, emo kids arguing about what it all means.

This page is the official website of the movie, created by the director, Richard Kelly, himself.  Although this site has annoying and disturbing music, it has different clues that will lead you to the "truth" about Donnie according to the director.  It's very interactive and kind of fun!  Either way, it gives you extra information about the movie and might answer some of your questions.

If after the first two sites, you're still frustrated and determined to get to the bottom of things, read this long article entitled, "Everything you were afraid to ask about Donnie Darko."  This site spells it all out for you, but bear in mind that since this is a work of art that it can be interpreted in other ways.  Even the author explains a bit about the two main hypotheses about Donnie Darko.  1.) This film illustrates the deterioration Donnie's sanity... and he suffers from psychological illness, 2.) Donnie's not crazy and he is the chosen one that can save the actual world from eminent destruction by destroying the tangent world... and essentially "taking one for the team."

Well, I hope this helps you formulate your own ideas about the film and it's meaning.  I'm excited to discuss it in class!

xoxoKristal

Dinner and Movie Night

Featuring: Funny Ha Ha
9pm @ Charly's Apartment
Thursday, September 4, 2008

Dinner selection to be announced... oooh!

If you're coming, be so kind as to RSVP to chuckabbo@gmail.com so we'll know how much food to make! Thanks!

The world at your fingertips

Here are a few resources to start finding information for your country presentations:

Google Earth - A way to find your country on the globe and look at actual aerial photos of your country. If you haven't heard of your country before, this is a good way to literally get a "lay of the land."

National Geographic - This is the official webiste of National Geographic magazine. The links on the left include Maps, Music, Photography, Travel & Cultures, and other headings that could help you to find information about your country. It also contains up-to-date world news and searchable archives.

CultureGrams - This website describes itself as "concise, reliable, and up-to-date country reports on 200 cultures of the world." It is just that: it contains a searchable database of numerous, often very specific, aspects of the countries' cultures.

Best of luck as you design your presentation about your country and, as always, feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, comments, queries or complaints.

Fievel: An American Tail

For those interested, here are a few links to help contextualize the life and times of the Mousekowitz family:
When Fievel arrives in New York City, he sees the Statue of Liberty being built by a French pidgeon. In reality, the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French. Fievel and his family have to pass through immigration at Ellis Island. (Today, over 100 million Americans can trace their family history back to Ellis Island.) The sweatshop where Warren T. Rat tries to force Fievel to work, and the fire at the docks, may be allusions to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which until Sept. 11, 2001, was the largest industrial disaster in the city's history. The fat mouse in a top hat who registered dead mice to vote for him is a reference to the Tammany Hall political machines in New York.

For more about the making of Fievel, click here.

Think about this as we discuss the movie: What would Fievel: An Argentinean Tail look like? Where would Fievel go? What historical and cultural events would he run into in Buenos Aires?

Bilingual Writing Workshop!

Hey everybody,

You're all invited to participate in a free bilingual writing workshop.  The next one will be on Saturday, September 6 at 4pm (16:00) at Café de la Artes.  It will last for two hours.  Bring some paper and something to write with and your creativity.  It's bilingual, so even though this is an excellent opportunity to develop your writing skills in English, you can write in Spanish or even bust a Gloría Anzaldúa and write in both! Any questions, email me at kristalbivona@gmail.com or call/text me at (15)6683-6794.  See you then!

Return of Movie Night!

Return of Movie Night! DOUBLE FEATURE!

Flight of the Conchords (TV show episode)
and The Science of Sleep (movie)
Tomorrow, Thursday, August 28th
Charly's apartment: Calle 58, # 819 Dept. 6A
9PM (21 hrs)

Come over for pizza a lo Charly and bring any food or drinks you like!

If you're coming, please confirm so we know how much food to prepare: chuckabbo@gmail.com, (11) 3251-9018

End of the semester

As we near the end of the term, I want to thank you all for a great semester and wish you all a relaxing and well-deserved break!

And now some inspirational words from Li Yang, creator of Crazy English:
"I believe English will become my faithful servant and lifelong friend."

Word.
Charly

Winter Break!!!

Well, I just wanted to wish all of you good luck on your tests this week/ next week.  Also, have a great winter break and don't study too hard!!!  

I probably won't see you for a few weeks, but if you have any comments/ suggestions/ random thoughts, feel free to drop me an email!

xoxo, 

Kristal

A note from Uruguay

What it is, b-boys and b-girls?

Thanks for an amazing hip hop party! We had a great time! I write to you from Uruguay, where Kristal and I are gearing up to present at a Fulbright conference and tell everyone how cool you all are and how much fun we have at UNLP.

Remember: no discussion classes with us this coming week, but we'll have our final week of classes for the term from the 14th to the 18th.

Word,
Charly

Hip it to the Hip Hip Hop

The flyer will be printed out tomorrow:

From class:

The five elements of hip-hop: MCing, DJing, tagging, breakdancing, beatboxing (and "extended elements" like the fashion and the slang). The birthplace of hip-hop: Brooklyn, NYC in the late 1970s. Hip-hop's popularity and incorporation into mass media. The historical rivalry between the East Side and West Side, which came to a peak in the mid-1990s. The globalization and commercialization (and even product placement) of hip-hop and its reception in other countries (Japan, Sri Lanka, France, India, Spain, Mexico, Tanzania, Ghana, and of course Argentina).

And here's that amazing clip of Polish breakdancers getting blessed in the Vatican City - how's that for a Moment of Zen? What does that say about the reception of hip hop?

No Classes With Kristal and Charly 07/07-11/07

Hi Everyone,

Because of a Fulbright conference that Charly and I must attend, there will be no classes with us from July 7-July 11.  Don't be sad! We'll be back the following week!  Check the blog for possible reading assignments to be discussed when we return.

Best,

Kristal

Hip hop and you don't stop

Our party's location has been confirmed:

HIP HOP AND YOU DON'T STOP
feat. invited deejay DJ Mobil (from Brasil)

Friday, July 4th - 11:55 pm until the next morning
at FRIDA Bar - Calle 5 e/ 54 y 55

Check out our Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=21917927236
Soon we will have flyers ready to hand out. Contact us if you're interested in helping with publicity for the party!

Invite anyone you'd like! This is our party for all of you to congratulate you for a great first term!

Dear Monday Class,

Charly will be covering for me on Monday.  Come to class refreshed, and ready to learn about the wonderful world of hip hop.  

Love, Kristal

Return of the Movie Night

Now equipped with state-of-the-art technology, we proudly present our long-awaited

MOVIE NIGHT

9pm (21.00 hrs), Wednesday, June 25th

Charly's place - Calle 58 e/ 11 y 12, No. 819 Depto 6A

(now the doorbell works too!)

Featuring: O Brother Where Art Thou?

Give yourself a well-deserved study break! There will be food, movies, and good company. As always, bring any food or beverages you'd like!

Nationhood, indigenous peoples, immigrant cultures

OH MAN! I just remembered this terrible, terrible portrayal of indigenous people in Walt Disney's animated movie Peter Pan! This song is called "What Makes The Red Man Red?" Watch this and be privy to the kind of racist portrayal of indigenous people that for so long had been the dominant discourse regarding American Indians. Remember that Smoke Signals was the first movie of its kind: written, produced, directed, and acted entirely by Native Americans.

As I mentioned in class, recently the Canadian Prime Minister issued an official apology for Canada's historical treatment of indigenous people, specifically for the practice of placing indigenous children in boarding schools where they lost contact with their families and their traditions. (Some of you are reading about a similar practice that took place in Australia). A similar official apology has yet to be made by the US government, although currently a bill for it is in the US Senate... check it out here.

IMMIGRATION

As promised in class, here is a link to Fievel's American Tail (I loved this movie when I was little) and Fievel Goes West. Imagine, little Fievel Mousekowitz as a gun-slinging cowboy! Very interesting given our discussion about indigenous peoples, immigrant cultures, and the concept of nationhood.

And here's that iconic photo I told you about:



In 1869, work crews consisting mainly of Irish immigrants coming from the east and Chinese immigrants coming from the west meet at Promontory Point, Utah to complete the Transcontinental Railroad. At center, they drive a golden spike into the ground to commemorate the event.


For more perspectives, from real live people from the USA, check out our Facebook group where we ask them questions, entitled 'Tell Your Story'. Just click on this link... No wait, this one... No, wait, that's another song about Facebook.


No, THIS ONE! That's it! (See also: 'Comments' on this blog.)


There are no cats in America,

Charly

A few notes

As we finish our discussion of the film Smoke Signals, be ready to draw comparisons between US history (as seen in our readings: Zinn, Takaki, Wikipedia - get them if you haven't already!) of treatment of their first peoples, and the history of Argentina's pueblos originarios. Thanks again to Natalia for showing us the following links, which can be a good punto de partida for some more discussions:

http://www.elhistoriador.com.ar/articulos/republica_liberal/conquista_del_desierto.php
http://www.elhistoriador.com.ar/articulos/republica_liberal/sometimiento_indigena_conquista_al_desierto.php
http://www.mapuche.info/indgen/indymedia040825.html

Regarding MOVIE NIGHT:
Unfortunately, as we're still making arrangements to have the technology available for Movie Night, our next Movie Night will be Wednesday, June 25. By then, for sure, I'll have it together. There will be lots of food to celebrate our re-inauguration of Movie Night, too!

4th of July Party to End All Parties...

Hello!

We're planning a party to celebrate the ultimate Yankee holiday: the 4th of July! Ok, maybe it's just an excuse to have a big party and share our frat-party culture with you...

Imagine: your favorite hip-hop songs, beer pong, and dancing like whoa!

We're looking into places, "salones de fiestas", where this night of fun and magic can take place.  We figured that you, dear students, of all people would know best about how to get a party started in La Plata, so if anyone has any information about a good venue, please let us know. Also, if anyone would like to help us organize you will be compensated for your time... with free beverages of a refreshing nature at the party.  

Thanks guys, and remember, like Charly's grandpa always said: 

liquor before beer, have no fear... 

beer before liquor, never been sicker!

Best,

Charly and Kristal

She Hate Me part 2

Hi all,

I wanted to give you some historical background information about the Watergate Scandal that is mentioned in She Hate Me.  The security guard, Frank Wills, who finds the duct tape missing from the door is a real person, and those men who surround him with cars are also real people.  The mask is of the former U.S. president Richard Nixon.   That first scene is, of course, not how things really happened.  There was no stand-off in the parking lot, and Richard Nixon wasn't even there at the time.  The second scene is more like what really happened.  There was a break-in at the offices of the Democratic Party's National Committee, which was located at the Watergate complex.  The men who broke in were discovered (because of Wills) and after further investigation it was discovered that this was merely one part of a huge corruption scandal that led to the impeachment and eventual resignation of Nixon.  It was a huge shock the the U.S. because this was the first time that the president was discovered to be part of a corruption scandal.  

Speaking of corruption, what happens to the big company in the film, Progeia, parallels what happened to a real corporation in the U.S., the energy company Enron.  Enron seemed to be one of the most innovative companies in the U.S. (according to Fortune magazine), but had been committing accounting fraud since the 1990's.  In 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy, and its 22.000 employees lost everything they had invested in the company.  This was one of the biggest scandals in the business world and opened the eyes of the U.S. to the unethical business practices of some of the most trusted companies in the country.

Hope this helps sort out the historical context of She Hate Me!

Thanks, Kristal

Smoke Signals

I (Charly) just put up the readings by Takaki and Zinn in the fotocopiadora across the street. For our discussion sections this week, please read one or more of the following:

1. The chapter from Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States
2. The chapter from Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror
3. Wikipedia reading on the following terms (print out the pages if possible): melting pot, Trail of Tears, Manifest Destiny, smoke signals, Battle of Little Big Horn, Sitting Bull, Andrew Jackson, John Wayne. Feel free to explore others as well, such as this definition of the so-nicknamed "spaghetti Western" genre.

Please come ready to talk about the reading you choose. Think about Argentine history, too, and find information about the history of Argentina's indigenous peoples as well.

Smoke Signals, an independent film which won critical acclaim at Sundance and other film festivals and was later redistributed by Miramax, was the first feature film written, directed, produced and acted by Native Americans. As we watch the film together, think about the ways in which the movie Smoke Signals presents an alternative vision to previous films made about Native Americans. What issues are explored in the film?

Exquisite Corpse

Hi everyone! I want to congratulate you all on some great group storytelling! I am putting the Thursday and Friday classes' stories under the Comments section for this post.

I want to thank Natalia for the following links, which talk about the "exquisite corpse" writing style, characterized by surrealist storylines and collaboration between different authors:

http://www.exquisitecorpse.com/
http://www.lmstudio.com/corpse_history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse

She Hate Me

Hello,

This is for the Monday class, the Tuesday class, and the Friday 12-2 class.

Tuesday, 03/06: We'll have class in room 108!

Monday, 09/06: We'll have class in the language lab, 208

Friday: We're still working on that one... 

This week we'll be watching She Hate Me (2004; Directed by Spike Lee).  This ambitious movie deals with everything from corruption in corporate America, whistle-blowing,the history of corruption in Washington, same-sex couples starting families, affirmative action, the "stud" stereotype of the African-American male... the list goes on.  

Here are the optional assignments to accompany She Hate Me:

After watching the film (we'll watch the second half next week), read this review by Roger Ebert (click here to get read the article).  Then, choose an assignment-

1.) Write a review of Ebert's review.  Do you agree with him?  What makes this movie good/bad?  What is the main idea?  Is there a moral?  You should quote the article in your paper, and address the specifics of Ebert's review.  No more than 500 words! Due before winter break via email.

2.) Write a critical essay about the film focusing whatever themes, ideas, images, characters, etc. that you feel are worth writing about.  You can write about anything having to do with the movie.  You can even write about why you hate it. No more than 500 words!  Due before winter break via email.

This is your opportunity to practice academic writing, prepare for your exams, and get commentary on your work.  If you don't like either assignment and would rather do something else to help yourself, let's discuss alternatives.  

Thanks guys,

Kristal

Friday 14-16 hrs class

Please click on Comments below and continue the story. When you post, please write your name so we can take ¨attendance¨ for our online class. Have fun and be creative! There is no ´wrong´ answer. (Students from other class sections can also feel free to participate.) The first person to post can choose one of these beginnings. The rest can follow that post:

1. It was a dark and stormy night. She could see only the dark road ahead of her, illuminated by the moonlight...
2. Once upon a time, in the land of Make Believe, there lived a magical...
3. ¨Would you like some more tea?¨ offered Aunt Edna. Little did she know it, but...

Charly´s journey to the Far North

Charly will be gone from Friday, May 23rd until June, June 3rd to attend his brother´s wedding in the United States. After a week of family and food, he will return with stories and pictures (and possibly looking like this from all the food).

The Friday 12-14hrs section will meet in the normal time and place with Kristal. The Friday 14-16 hrs class will have an online class on this website. Just post a response with your name and that will be your ¨attendance¨ for the day.

In the meantime, be excellent to each other.

Movie night this Wednesday

Thanks to everyone who came to our inaugural North American Breakfast! Thanks for being brave enough to come in even though the doorbell didn´t work and being brave enough to try some new foods even though they might seem a little weird!

...::: MOVIE NIGHT :::...

Waking Ned Devine (Ireland, 1998)

This Wednesday, May 21st

9pm, at Charly´s apartment

Calle 58, N° 819 Dept 6A entre 11 y 12

Movie Night, English Breakfast

So sorry, everyone! Tonight´s movie night will have to be cancelled as well!!! I´m feeling sick to my stomach and won´t be able to make it happen tonight! Sorry! I promise the next movie night will happen!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact Kristal or me if you´d like to come to our first-ever North American Breakfast, which will be this Sunday at 4pm, also at my apartment. We will be making a stereotypically large breakfast in the U.S. style. Possible items on the menu include: orange juice, toast, peanut butter and jelly, french toast, bacon, eggs, pancakes, milk and cereal, etc. Please contact us by Friday if you´re interested so we know how much to make.

Anyone missing a dictionary?

Hey all,

In the Thursday 12-14 class, someone may have left a giant, beautiful dictionary.  Emiliano was thoughtful enough to pick it up for whoever left it.  If it's you're write us and we'll hook up the reunion!

xxooK

Movie Night

A correction! Movie night this week has been cancelled, but we will resume movie night next Wednesday, same time and place. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Where? Charly´s depto: Calle 58, N° 819, Dept. 6A, entre 11 y 12
When? Wednesday, May 14 - starting at 9pm
What? Another optional English Movie Night. Bring your own food/beverages if you like. Also, we will make some North- and South- American food.

Questions? Messenger: che_carlitos_eua@hotmail.com, cel: (11) 3251-9018

---------------------------------------------------------------------

PS - Also, anyone interested in seeing The Life Aquatic (La Vida Acuática), directed by Wes Anderson, can see it this Sunday, May 11, at 8pm. It´s showing here in La Plata at a theater on 19 y 51. I will probably go, so anyone interested can contact me or meet up there. - Charly

Bilingual Writing Workshop

Hello,

I would like to invite anyone interested to participate in a bilingual writing workshop that I'm starting.  The first one will be Saturday, May 10 from 16:00-18:00 at Cafe de las Artes.  It will take place every other Saturday.  For the first one, just bring some paper and a pen.  Invite anyone you know who loves to write.  This is an excellent opportunity for you writers to write fiction, poetry, memoir, spoken word, plays, screenplays, or whatever you want in English in a supportive environment with other people who love to write.  However, you can write in Castellano if you'd like.  We'll help each other with language issues :) 

Any questions, email me at kristalbivona@gmail.com.  

Paz, Kristal

Etymology of Zen

Just to clarify, when I use the phrase Moment of Zen to refer to the five-minute break we have between the first and second hour of class time, I am borrowing the phrase, and the concept, from a popular US comedy/news show called The Daily Show. At the end of each show, they show a funny video clip introduced by the phrase, ¨And now, your Moment of Zen.¨

While the etymological origin of the word Zen comes from the practice of meditation, the phrase ¨Moment of Zen¨ is a purely secular pop-culture reference. Click on the following links for possible definitions of the word zen, as used in everyday parlance: Urban Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Meta-filter.

I hope it is clear that I am not, in fact, trying to make you into devout Japanese Buddhist monks. I just want to have everyone in class take 5 minutes for themselves to do whatever it is they need to do: go to the bathroom, stretch, eat some food, talk to their neighbor, etc. I also feature a five-minute selection of music in English relating to the course theme of the day, for those who choose to stay at their seats. Research shows that a short break helps students to maintain focus.

I suppose I could just call this time a five minute break, or a ´Freedom Hiatus,´ just as I could call our Word on the Street a ´daily quotation.´ But I don´t do it that way. Why? Because I´m eccentric.

...And now, here´s your Moment of Zen.

Feel free to post here or to speak with me personally if you have any questions, queries, concerns or comments. As always, the only ¨rules¨ for posting are to please try to write in English and be respectful of others.

Class readings

Attached to this entry, under Comments, are the articles by Freire and Tyler that we will read for the Tuesday and Friday discussion sections for the week of May 5 to 9. (In case you don´t want to wait for 2 hours at that crazy delicatessan of a fotocopiadora that we have.) Please quickly read these over for next class, looking for the main ideas in each.

Please also feel free to look up other educational approaches such as those of Montessori, Waldorf, Dewey, Illich, Socrates and others.

Most importantly, though, be ready to talk about your own personal definition of education. What does education mean to you? Where do you want your education to bring you? There is no wrong answer. Be ready to discuss your opinion! Also feel free to post here under the Comments link, as always.

And now a Moment of Zen for our great classroom-transformers. Yes, I watched this show when I was four years old. That´s why I´m so weird now.

Keep warm and see you soon,
Charly

To Kill a Mockingbird...

Hi All,

I wanted to share some websites that have useful information about To Kill a Mockingbird.  

First we have on on the historical background of the novel.  It parallels historical events to events in the story.  It has some graphic organizers, including one that parallels Harper Lee's life to that of her protagonist, and a timeline of the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. At the bottom there are some discussion questions that will definitely fun to talk about at a party! 

This page is from the Internet Movie Data Base.  Whether or not you've seen the movie, this page could be useful.  It has some still shots from the film, and a message board of reviews.

This page is from the National Public Radio website.  It's a short, short article that touches the controversy surrounding To Kill a Mockingbird nowadays:  In Chicago in 2001, the public library promoted the book by adding it to the list for it's book club while the public school district removed it from its syllabi for racist language.

This is another article from a news source in Pasadena (a suburb of Los Angeles... and home to my Gramma!) which discusses the controversy further.  This article is a series of letters between a member of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the principal of a public school.  

After reading so much of the N-word, why not indulge in a little modern-day satire courtesy of Dave Chappelle?  

:) Kristal

After exam week

I´m sure you all did better on your exams than this guy.

Here´s the deal: Kristal and I are switching classes this coming week. I heard there may or may not be a paro this Tuesday, depending on negotiations this weekend. If there is a paro we will follow the plan: optional English discussion, meeting outside of the normal room and then going to the Cafe de las Artes.

And now a Moment of Zen.

Information about Fulbright

Some of you have asked about Fulbright, the scholarship that has helped Kristal and I be here in Argentina. Fulbright is an international educational grant program that operates in over 144 countries.

In addition to bringing North American students to Argentina, it also has scholarships for Argentine students (and students from many other countries) to come to the United States to do research. If you are interested in being one of Argentina´s next Fulbright Scholars, contact the Argentine Fulbright Commission, located in Buenos Aires.

As always, if you would like any more information, or advice on completing the application, just contact one of us.

Argentina's on fire!!!!!

Hi,

I just wanted to tell the students who didn't come to the optional class on Friday (04/18) that class was cancelled due to the smoke.  I hope you all stay indoors and avoid the smoke.  Good luck on your tests!!!!!

Also, thanks to those of you who came to movie night!  Hope to see you at the next one in 2 weeks!!!!

Best, Kristal

Plans for the Paro

Hi all,

Like Charly, I'll be having any classes that are on "paro" days at El Cafe de los Artes.  These classes will be optional, and will be conversation classes.  You won't need to bring your texts. We'll just hang out and talk about the world.  

Also, come to Movie Night!!!  We have some delicacies from the US that we want to share with you!   Mmmmmmmmm  :)

Damn the Man,

Kristal

A few announcements, from Charly

First: movie night is still on for tonight at 10 pm. We will meet at Calle 58, N° 819, entre 11 y 12, Depto 6A.
--------------------------------------

Second: Charly´s Paro Plan

After talking with two of my discussion sections today, I have decided that in the case there is a teacher work stoppage (paro de docentes), as there was today, we will not have class and we will not take attendance. Instead, any students who are interested can meet outside of our normal classroom, and from there we will walk over to the Cafe de Artes (or whatever it´s called- you know, that big cafe a block away from the Facultad that used to be a gallery) and we will have an optional English discussion in place of our normal class.

If and when Kristal and I find out about another paro, we will do our best to let you know when it is so that you can plan ahead a little.

-------------------------------------------------------

Third: Class materials. Some of you have requested that I post some of the worksheets from class on our website. Well, here they are (look under ´comments´ for the education quotations).

Here you can find the Ignorance is bliss article we discussed relating to Flowers for Algernon.
...It turns out that they made a Paulo Freire school in Arizona, in the U.S.

Feel free to click on ´comments´ and leave your own!

Until next time,
C.

How to post and search sites

Hello everyone! Charly and Kristal here. We'd like to show you a site called YouTube, which is great for searching for video clips. Check out this fun example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFVoLz88hiU. We put it especially for you translators.

Another site that´s great for looking up information is Wikipedia, a public encyclopedia. It's written by users, and anyone can add information. It's also a good resource for literary analysis and information about texts and authors.

Facebook is a social networking site that was created by North American university students. In the site you can create groups, add applications, search for people with the same interests as you, and add people to your list of friends. To go to our class's group on Facebook, click here.

Have fun! Try posting links here if you'd like to share with everyone.

And now, a Moment of Zen for your exam week.

Don't let the man get you down,
Kristal and Charly

Movie Night!!!!! ;)

Hey all!!!!  

If you're not busy this Thursday night, come to our first Movie Night!!!

We're going to run a movie night every Thursday (except for during test week and other school holidays because you should be studying!!!!).

This week we're going to kick it off with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  Come by Charly's place for a movie, snacks from the U.S., and a good time! Feel free to BYOB (Bring Your Own Beer... or whatever else you'd like to drink) and we hope to see you then!!!!

Best, Kristal

Movie Night

This Thursday, come to our first Movie Night:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004) Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet.

10 pm @ Charly´s apartment
Calle 58, N° 819, Dept. 6A

Please RSVP if you´re coming and bring some movie food if you´d like.

Movie reviews: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GiLxkDK8sI

Welcome!

Welcome to our English blog!

Here we will post announcements for class and fun links to websites for your enjoyment!

If there is something you want to share with the class, please feel free to write a comment.

Your ayudantes,
Kristal and Charly