We're on...

This will be one of the first of probably several entries related to different aspects of our play. The intensity of the music and the heightened pathos of its tragedy make the story of Aida so memorable... I didn't have to go to school today but still did so, just to let the kids know that tomorrow the girls will be working with Jenny on choreography, and the dozen actors preselected at the auditions will be meeting with me. The energy pounds against my chest from within... Free-flowing feelings and love transcending death and the physical limitations of our little human life, time and place displaced, overcome - what else could a musical propose?

Young energy!

Little by little I start to complete my regular teaching load. And I also started the musical 'The Legend of Aida' with my HS seniors yesterday. The whole day fifty six seventeen-year-old boys and girls did their very best dancing, acting and singing. Their energy is inexhaustible. From 8:30am to 5pm was a rather long tiring day but definitely worth it and promising. I love to see them working hard to do something they've probably never done before. It's a huge project that has to be done completely by May 28 and 29, the dates for our four performances. The adrenaline rush will last two full months!

De nubes y nubarrones

Hoy he transitado por mi camino premarcado. La rutina guió mis pasos para llegar al final de la jornada. He enfrentado las obligaciones buenamente... Encontré la sonrisa de la gente y la buena energía de otras, sin embargo... después del contacto por dentro seguí sintiendo ese malestar, esa desazón... la certeza de nuestra capacidad para herir, de la capacidad dual del ser humano de no saber hasta dónde llegar con sus palabras y creer que construye a cada paso... No siempre es así. Como seres humanos somos tan destructivos como porosos al candor del prójimo, tan nocivos en la dialéctica como tiernos con un bebé. Hoy completé mi día habiendo cumplido... También interactué, y traté de ver a la gente a mi alrededor y fijarme si siento dónde está parado cada uno. Tuve éxito sólo en algunos casos... Y por dentro, siento dudas y desilusión... del discurso amigable con agenda subconsciente de aislacionismo... Quizás esté pifiado y sólo sea un mero presentimiento, pero este sentimiento que atraviesa no mi corazón sino mis entrañas no me ha dejado tranquilo en todo el día... En cada hora casi la conversación de anoche me siguió dando vueltas en la cabeza y fue inevitable la recomposición de lugares y la consecuente comprensión de actitudes de otros... Una conciencia que lastima y a la cual se me mantuvo alejado a través de orejeras de palabras amables y evasivas... Esto es bastante oscuro porque a propósito no quiero ser concreto con el origen de mi sentimiento... No importa en realidad... Lo triste es ver más clara -o más enmarañada- la naturaleza humana y verme enlodazado en su podredumbre... Hoy necesito un descanso y un buen relax... Mañana será un día distinto, afortunadamente...

On broken bridges

Funny when people you've once acquainted or befriended with do not seem to care anymore. Or maybe they feel pretty much the same way I do? And one can't seem to take the right step to bridge the gap... It is not that easy and probably those people do mean something if it's difficult to approach and restart some form of communication with them. Also, I wonder about those that have the capacity to 'kill' others by simply erasing them from their lives. Is it really like that? It looks like it is... Then one is left with the desire to pursue their friendship but of course our life is complicated enough as it is and soon the energy is just not there to try as hard as to get a chance of rekindling the flames. Too bad... in a few days I'll be in the position of facing one or two of those people. I'll soon find out how much energy can be invested by either one of us...

Verde que te quiero verde

Different shades and texture of green leaves in my balcony... This morning a new type of croto joined the community of life that mediate between the outside world and my nest... Only a few minutes after I'd found a good place in it for the croto, a sudden summer shower sprinkled them all. As the bushes and limbs swayed at the rhythm of a fresh breeze of renewal, I join their celebration and feel infused with their energy ...

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Both pics of my balcony garden taken today!! :)

Plastic Surgery for Ophelia Kirwan

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/03/21/sociedad/s-03015.htm

Ophelia Kirwan is only two years old and her dad, a plastic surgeon in the UK, will operate her so that her Down syndrome features are not so apparent. As the case became news around the world, the debate is now heated and not likely to subside any time soon. Is her parents' decision right?

It is true that without or with less traits of this syndrome she is likely to have an easier life. People will not single her out just by her looks, which means she will have a chance of leading a more 'normal' life. Her cognitive capacity will still be the same, and if she is lucky to grow up in a supportive environment her integration with the rest of her peers throughout school and later on in the workforce will be facilitated. However, I wonder whether this surgery to change her face is more of a palliative to Ophelia's future suffering or to her parents'. Or to ours.

Whenever we are victims of any kind of discrimination, we may be affected physically or emotionally, but many times discriminatory attitudes of others may go unnoticed to us. Either aware or not, we can overcome discrimination by finding strength in our own beliefs with the support of those who love us, who will nurture our self-esteem. How much is this operation likely to make Ophelia more resilient and prepared for our predatory society?

How much is the fact that she will look like anyone else supposed to assuage Ophelia's own anguish? Or is her operation more likely to dissipate everybody else's anxiety when they have to deal with someone different? Will her 'normal' features dispel people's discomfort around her? Will her parents feel better in the company of the 'after' rather than the 'before' version of their daughter?

In her innocence, Ophelia does not understand, and who knows if she ever will, that she was born in a sick society that finds a better solution in changing her outer looks so that she can be more acceptable to all of us. It hurts to think that in fact she will suffer less, that as civilized people we have not come to terms with others' differences and that we need to 'normalize' the different so that they may fit the pattern, the norm, the format. It's scary to think what we would choose if someone's skin color or sexual orientation could be changed with a simple operation.

Old friends of old times

After a few years I faced the task of contacting a former friend, someone who was one of my best lifelong friends and the only one in that category of uniqueness that I lost contact with. Even though it was mostly her decision to shy away form our friendship, I find it hard to exchange the first couple of words and I can't fathom what her reaction will be like. Soon I'll find out. Life in Tucuman has that kind of charm, anything and anyone you come across once, at some point sooner or later appears again on your way. What goes around, comes around. Time heals emotional wounds but for some they seem to stay open forever. Fortunately, I'm not in the latter group, but find it painful when someone you love does. Oh well...

Rushing but looking

In a time of anxious decision making and planning a change of direction, it's good to keep your cool and make a point of being extra patient, and remember that people (and objects!) around do not confabulate to make my life more difficult, but instead be aware that everyone does their best to keep going ahead with their own life and strive as much and as hard as I do. And if one can lend a hand in anyone's day, we'll feel better about ourselves. Why this cheap and cheesy comment? Because I do tend to forget it, and it helps me to keep this in mind. For the most part, people mean no harm, and in our rush like too many animals caged in our small world we may easily start bickering and become aggressive with each other.
Thank you for this day, this energy, this weather and the possibility to plan and make decisions... Having choices is a privilege, and I truly appreciate it...

Is love knocking on our door?

Should we go find love or does love come to us? Or does it just happen? Who knows... We all need it and sorely miss it when we don't have it. Yet it seems elusive at times and not a gentle caller...
You think you're doing the right thing by going out on different dates and then realize it all revolves around the mere search for individual physical gratification. In our community, it seems that whatever may happen in a substantial relationship must first pass the physical test. Is it possible to try a different approach? I don't have any answer but a whole bunch of questions... Meanwhile, the dating game demands so much energy, and yet we easily become entertained and absorbed in its animal and ephemeral sensations. At that point, we don't even remember the original purpose. We may fail to see 'the one' pass by if the rendezvous is just another touch-and-go. I guess the chance of finding my other half may be blowing in the wind... Will I ever breathe it in?
I should stay positive though, envision the type of partner I want, and keep going... finding all of the pleasures and brief moments of happiness in my several other endeavors. I hope I can do that and thus avoid growing desperate or overanxious! If I didn't have a profession that so nobly feeds me with good energy, I'd be a total wreck.

My objectives for this year

I'd like to grow professionally and move into the area of educational leadership and administration. My concrete goal is to prepare for the competitive race to get the position of Regente at IT. This would be quite a challenge in a prestigious institution in Tucuman, sort of like a Dean of Students position. I feel ready to face new duties and prove to myself I can be as effective as a school administrator as I've been as a program coordinator at Saint Patrick's for eleven years now!

This year I'll be teaching the UNT Didactics course as a teacher trainer. This is something for which I've been preparing myself for the last few years, so the time has finally come to put that preparation to practical use.

I'll continue at Saint Patrick's as coordinator and teacher. As the IB English A2 teacher for seniors, I hope I can systematize the curriculum and focus on increasing the amount of reading and step-by-step development of their writing skills. As a coordinator, I hope I can keep the quality level achieved last year. Even if it doesn't become as productive a year, I would like to keep doing what worked so well then, i.e. promote teachers' professional development and my own through presentation of our work at professional meetings (conferences, congresses, etc.). I would like to keep a collegial atmosphere of constant improvement within the department, to promote teachers' autonomy and decision making about their own development. Also, I would like to see Aida become a memorable experience for everyone and a blockbuster success (!) with the senior class shining on stage while bringing the story to life.

At Lola Mora, I would like to keep the level of production reached last year in my Language III and Language IV classes. I hope I can improve the aspects of the syllabus that need revising, such as the cost of producing their portfolio and keeping a reading log.

My last objective is more of a wish. I'd like to enjoy the ride and feel that I'm in control of my duties because I'm responding efficiently to all of them. They ARE many; therefore, if I can finish the year mentally stable, and satisfied, I'll be a happy individual... My expectation is that this year is likely to become a turning point in my profession. I look forward to treading on the path I've set for myself and to seeing myself through successfully by December 2008.

Why not adopt rather than resent technology?

In today's Nueva magazine of La Gaceta, there is an essay reflecting on the success of isolation and failure to truly communicate by means of new tech gadgets such as mp3s, ipods, laptops, etc. The comment was triggered by the death of a teenager who was run over by a car because he could not hear the car coming while crossing the street in his own mp3 bubble. It sounds terrible and one tends to blame the new technology for this kid's tragedy, but I'm not sure that we see the whole picture when assessing the impact of technology on our lives. Rather than reject and resist it, we should adopt it and learn how to use it wisely.
On that same newspaper, in the Showbiz section there is a page long article on the immense range of possibilities that new tech gives musicians at the moment of creating music. There are also ads in which the requirements include a long list of software the successful candidate should handle. My feeling is that technology is part of our reality and instead of demonizing it, we should figure out how to optimize its use in the different areas of our life.
With every new advancement or invention, people have been reluctant to accept it. The appearance of the radio made skeptics believe that real person to person conversation would never be the same. A similar reaction was triggered by the television and other new gadgets. Now the internet and the videogames are to blame for all our teenagers' and children's evils. And we are rather slow to incorporate these tools as part of our repertoire to help them learn more and better. By complaining about it, we won't make it disappear or solve any of the bad consequences of its wrong use.

Time change

http://imgs13.stockmediaserver.com/th170/Corbis/CB027165.jpg

I've just made a new friend, Hector. It was a very brief conversation but we found we had quite a bit in common. We agreed we'd see each other soon and we both went on with our own commitments. After that, I changed the time of my watch. Tonight I'll be able to sleep an extra hour, and for a few weeks I'll be getting up when the sun is up already. I love that! Tonight I can breathe in and out and relax. So nice... to enjoy the moment: the fresh breeze that comes in through the balcony door of my 5th floor apartment, the background soft sound of the news channel, the occasional lost bat enjoying its flight of dark freedom and singing to it, lively conversation of happy teenagers who take the time change as an extra hour to party -not to sleep like me!-, the leisurely purring of car engines that come and go according to the traffic light at the corner. This quiet end of summer in Tucuman gives us a break, a respite of cool air in sixty extra minutes that today make all the difference...

Welcome to my sancto sanctorum...

So here I am... After a couple dozen blogs, I finally decided to open my personal one. I really explored many ways of how to use it with my students as a teaching/learning tool, and now I finally go for my own place, my little niche, in this cul du monde. I don't know if this will be all in English or if I'll end up writing everything in Spanish... I guess it'll just depend on the day, and the mood, and the need... For now, I thought of reaching the world, the virtual universe, reaching, who knows, some or one or none.

How much will I be able to allow myself to enjoy the solace of hitting keys and just relax? That's soon to be seen...
Quite a weird beginning of the academic year this has been... With interesting plans, yet finding it hard to get myself pumped up. Is it some other need still unfulfilled? Maybe... At least, this Saturday afternoon I could take my time and not rush and it felt so good. The air felt more refreshing, calm, the nap couch like a cloud, and getting online like a stroll around 9 de Julio park...

http://www.franciahotel.com/esp/imagenes_files/estatua.jpg

That's how I sauntered into the creation of this blog...