Collage Septiembre 2011

1 VOL. 23 No 32. September 2011

THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE MAGAZINE LE MAGAZINE DE LANGUES ÉTRANGÈRES

Text and Photographs by Alfredo Castillo

My visit to Andorra La Vella which is the capital of the Coprincipality of Andorra was both interesting and shall I say overwhelming, but overwhelming in a negative sense. I hadn’t expected to find what I did. Too little space for too many people, too many cars, blowing their horns, small sidewalks overcrowded with tourists or locals walking in all directions. It was too much for me to take; I got a feeling of claustrophobia by making my way through all those people, by all those high mountains that surround this place.

I needed to flee down south, to run away from that locked-in town. In a moment of genuine panic, I checked a map discovering that La Costa Brava lay a couple of hours away just crossing through the Pyrenees and that the blue Mediterranean with its sparkling beaches was the perfect place to head for. I didn’t think twice and I convinced my travelling buddies that that was the site to go to immediately.

The afternoon we arrived to Tossa de Mar, a splendid summer sun welcomed us as we entered this medieval site full of joyful tourists filling the picturesque street. It was literally packed with people from all over.Tossa de Mar is strategically located between Barcelona, and the border with France, in the province of Gerona. While vacationing in this resort of 6,000 people , I learned that Tossa used to be a fishermen’s bay and that several constructions were built in order to protect the people from the pirates that constantly raided the Costa Brava.

Historically speaking Tossa has a lot to show and share with people that give it a try. Tossa still has many remains of ancient Roman ruins scattered everywhere along the coast. The Vila Vella walls, a distinctive landmark of Tossa with an awesome view of the bay, were built between the 11th and 12th centuries. It is a must for tourists to visit together with “Torre de Can Magí” that is basically an extension of the walls. Can Magi is a watch tower built in the 16th century by the Spanish King Philip II .

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The reason for this old construction was to protect the village from the constant attacks coming to the Mediterranean Sea from northern Africa. This tower is located on the very top of a hill. There were always several guards in different spots of the fort watching over the ocean, and whenever they spotted enemies approaching land, they would alert the villagers so they could run and hide away finding a safe place for themselves. Unfortunately you can´t go inside the tower because the access is restricted, but it’s worth visiting from the outside and at the same time you´re getting some exercise.

See the bright side of things.

I found it great to stroll down the narrow cobble-stone alleys at the Casco Antiguo. What an experience! The Casco Antiguo is full of little outdoor restaurants and bars inviting you to pull up a chair and just sit down and enjoy the atmosphere together with its Mediterranean cuisine. When it comes to food, Tossa de Mar can´t be beat. Seafood is out of this world and to be honest, the best paella I have ever eaten in my life has been precisely in a nice little rustic outdoor restaurant decorated with plants and flowers right there in Tossa de Mar. The waiter couldn't have given us a better table than the one we had underneath a shady tree.

If you walk further towards the Vila Vella walls, you can find more expensive restaurants due to their privileged location. We wanted to save money so we stayed at the Casco Viejo area. For less than 20 euros we ate delicious food, we drank excellent wine, and even had ice cream for dessert, who could ask for more. All kinds of sophisticated food are served in the many available restaurants around town, so do not worry because you won´t go hungry.

Tossa brags about its many beaches. I guess the most important one is called “Playa Gran” which is located right in front of downtown and it is here where all the action happens every day. Many people like little isolated beaches and Tossa sure has them around. So maybe next time you are in the Northeast part of Spain, you can well consider this incredible resort. From Barcelona, I am pretty sure you will find many ways to travel to Tossa de Mar. You can always surf on the net in case you want to search for more specific information about this place.

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By high school student Ana Patricia Melo Courage may be just another word in your vocabulary, but courage for me is just reaching to the top of the mountain. When you are lonely and all your hopes are gone, just trust yourself. Courage is the part of our heart that tells us keep going, you can do it, it is up to you. Courage is discovering that maybe you won’t win, But you made all your biggest effort and that you tried over and over again. It’s not be scared when something is wrong or different. I'm leaving my thoughts and feelings in these words, I’m leaving my heart. Do you know what that is ?

I’ve been a bold person with no regrets or fears of what other people think. In this barrier we call fear, let me be the person, who knows the way, walks the way, and shows the way. Because the key for success is to let go your fears.

Sometimes life is hard, sometimes life leave scars, and sometimes we don’t see a way out. But what we don’t know is that actually we are winning strength, courage, faith, confidence and more. Facing everything is the right way to fix our conflicts.

Don’t be scared, that will only make things worse. Courage is being who I am. I’m standing in front of you, I’m showing you the deepest part of me. I will not give up. You will see my strength , my hopes, my fears, and my goals. Sometimes I think that courage is a present from God. It’s priceless. Courage involves a story of faith, a battle between my fears and my goals. Courage, is what brings me here now!

By Jorge Torres Almazan

lot has been said and written about non-NEST (Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers) skills regarding proficiency, knowledge, cultural knowledge, pronunciation, etc. Peter Medgyes for instance outlines and explains in detail a good number of advantages and disadvantages of all kinds. There are many essays and articles in ELT journals, magazines and internet websites about this issue.

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Pronunciation, however seems to be the one, we Non-NEST feel particularly handicapped and/or in great disadvantage. Many Non-NEST themselves believe that they are “OK” to help learners at the beginning of the learning process, giving them the basic knowledge and that later these learners will have to look for a NEST (Native English-Speaking Teacher) to improve pronunciation or to travel to a country where the language is spoken. Fortunately, now there is evidence and research that indicates that Non-NEST can be as effective as a NEST and that both share advantages and disadvantages, even for pronunciation. When it comes to this aspect of the language Non-NEST seem to have more advantages than disadvantages while NEST seem to lack the correct model, according to some Linguists and Teacher Trainers.

David Graddol (2007) states the following “traditionally, native speakers of English have been regarded as

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the authoritative standard and the best teachers. Now, they may be seen as presenting an obstacle to the free development of Global English” David Graddol names it Global English, David Crystal Calls it International Standard English, and Jennifer Jenkins says it is EIL (English as International Language). And according to all of them this is the variety of English spoken in interaction, most of the times, among Non-Native English-Speakers.

David Crystal says, this is the kind of English free of American or British or Australian slang, this is plain English to communicate ideas. The Variety most Non-NEST speak David Graddol (2007) adds “Global English focus on internationally, intelligibility rather than a specific variety”. Intelligibility is what we need rather than American or British Pronunciation” Furthermore David Graddol (2007) suggests “In the new rapidly emerging climate, native speakers may increasingly be identified as part of the problem rather than the source of a solution”. Kachru and his famous inner, outer, and expanding circles indicate that now Non-Native English-Speakers outnumber Native English-Speakers by millions. This new majority will set the rules needed for international communication and the new rules for this new variety of the language spoken by a vast number of people. So NEST will have to adjust their variety to fit this strong growing English.

This has become a serious issue for some governments, in China in 2001, they hired Belgian Teacher Trainers because of their experience in bilingual education. Some countries in Asia have broadened their idea of “Native Speaker Teacher” and this includes teachers from India and Singapore, these two countries according to Kachru´s circles are part of the outer one.

Even international examination boards are aware of this situation. Cambridge ESOL trains and recruits hundreds of Non-NEST as Speaking Examiners to conduct their different ESOL examinations around the world. These Speaking Examiners must fulfill professional, personal, administrative, and some other requirements. The section for English language competences includes: Overall language proficiency relevant to the examination level (at least 2 CEFR levels higher than the CEFR level of the exam).Clear diction including intelligibility outside the region/country where examining takes place.

Linguistic accuracy.Ability to judge the grammatical accuracy, acceptability and appropriateness of spoken English at the relevant examination level.

Jennifer Jenkins conducted research about communication among Non-Native Speakers and she found out that intelligibility and an acceptable standard form is the key to successfully getting your ideas across. She says that features like pronouncing /θ/ instead of /ð/ does not cause any kind of breakdown in communication. On the other hand some other features cannot be neglected; if they are, communication will be at risk.

Non-NEST must worry about intelligibility and a standard model rather than pursuing for a Nativelike pronunciation that may take really, really long (or forever) to achieve. Moreover Native-like pronunciation may not be the right goal now. After all learners (according to numbers) are more likely to

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interact with other Non-Native Speakers and they need to be aware of that fact.

Peter Medgyes (1998) says that Non-NEST may feel unsafe about the language and may take a pessimistic or aggressive attitude in the classroom. They may give importance to grammar and give little emphasis to fluency and communication and this is something that may hinder learning.

Taking a preparation course for the Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test (all participants were NonNEST) more than 90% of the teachers told me that is speaking and pronunciation where they feel weaker in comparison with the other skills.

By gaining confidence Non-NEST will no longer suffer or stress about this kind of “correct” American or British pronunciation. Once free from these odd ties we will be able to focus and increase our knowledge in some other aspects of ELT, this may send a positive message to learners.

David Crystal (2007) assures that “…we are living in a world where most of the varieties we encounter are something other than traditional British or American English. We do our students a disservice if they leave our care unprepared for the brave new linguistic world which awaits them “, No-NEST may (dare) to correct Native-Speakers pronunciation when they do not adjust their own to this new demands, and aim for intelligibility and standard forms. We are and we can claim “nativeness” of this new internationally dominant variety of English.

Par Diana Dominguez Cette année, je suis allée en vacances en France. J´ai visité beaucoup d’endroits avec Elisa. On a habité à Nice pour trois semaines. J´ai vécu avec une demoiselle qui s´appelle Danielle Lefebvre et sa chienne « Chérie ». J´ai appris beaucoup de français avec Dani. Là, on a étudié le français dans International House et on a connu beaucoup de personnes de différentes nationalités ; il y avait des Chinoises, des Russes, des Allemandes, des Arabes et des Mexicains comme nous. Les week-ends on a visité les villes suivantes: Èze, Cannes, Monaco, Villa Kerylos (un belle ville Grecque), Grasse (la ville du parfum), Menton et Antibes.

Après Nice, on est allé à Lyon pour étudier le marketing à l´Université Catholique. Là, on a connu beaucoup de personnes aussi et j´ai connu un très bon ami qui s´appelle Brandon. On a habité dans la résidence des étudiants avec tout le groupe, ce pour ça que Elisa et moi avons fait plus d’amis à Lyon qu’à Nice. Lyon est très différent que Nice. À Nice il y a beaucoup d´étrangers et une belle plage. Lyon est une ville plus industrielle et il y a plus de français.

Finalement, on a visité Genève avec tout le groupe. On a visité les installations de l’ONU. Même si l’on a été seulement un jour là-bas, j´ai vu que Genève est un endroit très beau et que les personnes aiment bien garder leur ville et la nature. Toute la ville est très propre. J´ai eu des vacances merveilleuses !

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Par Dennise Piña L'été dernier je suis allée au Canada avec deux amies pour prendre un cours d'anglais. Je suis resté á St. Catherines, Ontario avec mes deux amies. Nous avons etudié á Brock University. Mon objectif principal était d'étudier seulement l´anglais mais dans l´ universite il y avait beaucoup de personnes de Quebec parce que le gouvernement de Quebec paie aux étudiants pour qu'ils apprennent l´anglais, afin que les étudiants soient bilingues en anglais et en français.

Pendant cinq semaines j'ai eu de cours d´ anglais, du lundi au vendredi de 8 am à 4 pm. grâce à la grande quantité de personnes de Quebec j'ai eu l'opportunité de pratiquer mon français. Il y a trois que j´ai étudie la langue française et mes classes sont avec un professeur qui vient de l'université de Paris et pendant ces années je me suis habitué á son accent. Alors quand j´ai pratiqué mon français avec les personnes de Quebec cela été très difficile pour moi de comprendre puisque l´ accent de Quebec est très différent de l´ accent de France.

Après un mois, de vivre ensemble, je me suis habitué á leur accent et il m'a été plus facile de comprendre quand ils parlaient. Je me suis amusé beaucoup dans mon voyage au Canada puisque j'ai pratiqué l´anglais et le français et aussi parce que j'ai connu beaucoup de personnes de différentes parties du monde.

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Par Miriam Navarrete

Je veux vous partager mon incroyable expérience dans la ville des lumières, c’était la deuxième fois que j’étais à Paris, mais cette fois-là j’étais professeur dans un de meilleurs lycées «Le lycée Henri IV », c’était vraiment génial de prendre toujours le bus 21, descendre à l’arrêt Luxembourg, traverser la rue Soufflot, passer par le Panthéon célèbre et derrière ça, voilà, le lycée Henri IV, l’élite du 5ème arrondissement.

J’ai eu l’opportunité de découvrir tant des choses, la vie des étudiants parisiens, confirmations des clichés français, etc. Par exemple, là dans ce lycée et je me suis rendu compte que les français ne sont pas bons en langues étrangères par différents raisons par exemple ils ne prononcent pas bien, n’ont pas de vocabulaire, etc. mais une de choses qu’ils ont c’est qu’ils n’ont pas peur à prononcer mal, à se tromper quand ils parlent et c’est cette barrière que nous avons encore pour apprendre les langues.

Comme je vous avez dit, j’enseignais à parler l’espagnol aux français mais au même temps j’ai eu le plaisir de leur faire connaître le Mexique a travers les vidéos, photos, musique, lectures, etc. Ils sont très intéressés à découvrir notre culture et histoire. Egalement j’appris beaucoup d’eux et j’ai confirmé quelques clichés. Tels comme : Pourquoi les français sont minces ? Je crois c’est parce qu’il y a dans toute la publicité les titres ne grignote pas et mange fruits et légumes, et en plus parce qu’ils mangent vraiment très équilibré, par exemple à la cantine du lycée en repas ordinaire comporte en général quatre parties : une entrée, un plat principal, du fromage ou un produit laitier, puis un dessert. Pour l’entrée, on trouve principalement deux catégories alimentaires : des crudités (légumes crus ou parfois cuits, servis froids), de la charcuterie (saucissons, pâté, etc) ou quelques fois un fruit(melon, pamplemousse, avocat). La soupe est plutôt réservée au dîner. Pour le plat principal il y a de la viande, du poulet ou du poisson avec des légumes, du riz ou des pâtes. Le dessert est sucré ; cela peut être un fruit, un gâteau, une crème, une crêpe, une mousse au chocolat, une compote de pomme, etc. Et c’est avec le repas que j’appris à boire de la champagne, du vin rouge et du vin blanc.

Quand à gastronomie s’agit à Paris on peut trouver tous les restaurants de toutes les nationalités, il est très cosmopolites parce qu’il y a tant des étudiantes étrangères qui font des études à la Sorbonne de Paris ou dans des autres grandes Universités. Moi j’ai eu l’opportunité d’étudier à la Sorbonne et là tous sont engagés aux études et une chose qui m’a étonné c’est de voir partout les personnes en train de lire, dans les parcs, le bus, le métro, le RER, les magasins, et la plus parte des jeunes se battent et discutent pour voir qui sait plus, tous sont actualisé et tout le monde parle de politique mais personne croit aux politiques, les librairies sont pleins de livres nouveaux et vieux déjà usés mais en bon état et

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pas cher, pour moi c’était incroyable de trouver de livres à 0.20 centimes d’euro, bien sûr que j’en ai profité à acheter quelques.

J’ai découvert l’art de vivre à Paris même si c’est une grande ville avec des personnes toujours pressés, un peu stressés, on peut trouver la manière de profiter le côté de la diversité des cultures, l’art, la musique, l’opéra, les musées comme Le Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, Carnavalet, etc. Les cafés dans les terrasses. Au même temps j’ai eu l’occasion de découvrir l’histoire de Paris en vélo en traversant chaque arrondissement, et j’ai compris les raisons pour les quelles les français font toujours la grève avec son sentiment très nationaliste.

Continuera…..

Argentina – Mexico...Two different cultures By high school student Adrian Monzon

The cultures of Argentina and Mexico are very different. Their origins are completely opposite, and so is the way people represent it and live it. Argentinean culture has its origin mainly from European immigrants. Unfortunately, natives of the country were banished by a campaign called: “Campaña al Desierto”, and this is why native traditions had almost no influence in the culture. Between the years 1890 and 1920, there were a lot of European immigrants, mostly from Spain and Italy. These two were the ones that made the base of our culture.

Before this immigration, the culture we had was the “gaucho”, name given to the men that work on the field, and the “folklore” music also originated on the farms. After that, we could say that Argentina is a “policultured” country; its culture is based on the music, literature, arts, sports, philosophy, etc.

Most of these originated since 1890. Furthermore, the most important of this culture is the arts and literature: writers like Ernesto Sabato, Jose Hernandez (who wrote the “Martin Fierro), Alfonsina Storni, among others. Also, the very famous dance: the Tango, that appearead on the XIX century, and it’s one of the most beautiful representations of Argentina everywhere. Although there are other typical dances like: gato, chacarera, malambo, which are more practiced and known by local people.

I can mention that paintings and sculptures and fashion are part of this, but they have no influence at all. Another important thing is the food; Argentina is well known for its food, which in my opinion is great, typical dishes are: asado, mate, alfajores, dulce de leche, milanesa, sandwich de miga, locro and empanadas. If there’s a chance to travel to Argentina, I recommend that you not miss the opportunity to try these dishes and drinks.Then, we have sports, being football the most remarkable one, thanks to idols like Maradona, Messi (currently), Bochini, etc. who have made Argentina win an international recognition in the world.

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However, this is not the only sport that people practice, there is the Pato, originally from Argentina, which is our national sport, as well as Polo, that is one of the best shows of Argentina. The car races, with Juan Manuel Fangio as our legend; basketball, tennis, etc. Sports, I could say are new in our culture. In Argentina, there are a lot of celebrations; however, not all are taken formally and only a few are well celebrated. On the other side, Mexican culture and tradition are based on its real origin. Mexican traditions come from their very first inhabitants, highlighting Aztecs and Mayas. Mexico has a very variable culture, from what I know, there’s music, food, sports, dance, history, paintings, theatre, etc.

But I would remark the background history of Mexico as its more important fact. Mexicans live their traditions a lot more, they are more passionate with their origin. Although, this condition of their culture is not influenced by outside immigrants, this situation helps a lot. Due to the fact, that for these past months I have been living here, there were a lot of celebrations, in which I had the luck of participating in couple of them.

In my opinion, I would say that these two countries are different one from the other when it comes to traditions, but they both celebrate them deeply. From my experience, maybe Mexicans celebrate more their traditions; they are more followers from their culture, every time there is an event everybody participates. In Argentina, people do it too but there is a lack of participation from people.

Very few follow traditions completely, most people only celebrate the two most important dates and forget the rest of them which is a pity, and it would be much nicer if we all took part of in our celebrations. I think that there is a need of renewal of our traditions, come back to experience those things that are our bases of what we are and what we are made of and who we have become today. Not only in Argentina must this be done, but also all around the world so that people be more proud of what they are nowadays.

La Francophonie… C’est quoi?

Par Maria Emilia Rodriguez

Il y a deux façons de parler de la francophonie, et c’est une lettre qui fait la différence. Francophonie (avec une capitale initiale), désigne les gouvernements qui utilisent le Français ; et francophonie s’agit seulement des peuples qui, aussi, utilisent la langue.

Le français est la raison pour laquelle L’OIF (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie) a été crée. Elle se compose de 75 États dans 29 pays. Actuellement, plus de 890 millions d’hommes et de femmes autour le monde partagent le français, et le numéro de « francophones » est en train d’augmenter.

Pour francophones nous entendons toutes les personnes en contact avec la langue et le monde français, cependant la francophonie s’agit d’êtres humains acculturés.

Mais, je dois préciser… il y a des francophones qui ne parlent pas la langue. Peut être ils sont seulement en contact avec quelqu’un qui le fait, ou ils habitent dans un lieu où parler le français est bien nécessaire.

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Selon quelques études le français est la langue plus enseigné après l’anglais. Ici au Mexique, le français est enseigné comme une langue étrangère, mais, plusieurs sont les pays où il est enseigné comme une langue seconde. Imaginez ça !

Cela signifie qu’il y a des pays où la langue a acquis le statut de langue officielle ou co-officielle, comme la Belgique et le Bénin, et en parlant de l’Afrique, par exemple, il y a des régions ou de pays où les personnes qui ne parlent pas le français, n’ont pas des opportunités et ne peuvent pas aller à l’école. Donc la mondialisation de la francophonie a aussi des inconvénients….

Le plus important: la perte de l’identité. Pour finir, l’objectif de la Francophonie est précis ; l’OIF cherche la promotion de la langue française et la francophonie c’est le phénomène humain né grâce à tel action.

By high school student Juan Pablo Delgado

My name is Juan and this summer I lived the trip of my life. Really nothing could ever be compared with this experience, it was really amazing. I mean, I traveled all the way to New York and well who doesn’t want to go to New York?

It was an ordinary day when my dad ask me if I wanted to go to a summer camp to the United Sates, I thought he was joking and the first words that came out from my mouth were “Are you kidding?”, of course I want to go to that summer camp. It took me a complete month to prepare myself for this trip.

First I felt like “Oh my God, what am I supposed to do without my parents?”, but then I agreed immediately. I knew there were going to be kids my age in that camp so I would have fun. Right after that, I packed my hand-bag for the flight, it was stuffed with books and the accessories for my cellular phone and I also carried a jacket in case it would be cold up north.

My parents took me to the Mexico City because that was the place where I would be departing from.

This was a good chance to see my older brother. We visited the Café Tacuba; it’s so big and so well decorated. There are so many paintings and the shape is a dome. I also went to the Bellas Artes, it’s so awesome and huge. I didn’t have the time to visit all of it. I spent an entire day in Mexico City, and it was amazing. But nothing lasts forever, but next day I was going to the airport and begin my trip. I met the rest of the guys at the airport. At first nobody wanted to talk to each other because, it was too early in the morning, 4.20am, everyone was sleepy.

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We felt a little shy because we didn’t know anybody, but an extroverted guy broke the ice. His name was Fernando; he is a skinny and lively boy with blonde hair and has a piercing in his right eyebrow. He didn’t stop talking until we were split to board the American Airline flight to Dallas, Texas. During the flight I talked with my seat neighbor, her name was Karen. She’s an interesting girl; all her brothers were in the summer camp with her, her younger brother Gabriel and her twin Kristel.

After that the teacher that was taking care of us went crazy and started to shout at us “HURRY HURRY WE’RE LATE”. The airplane that we were taking to New York was about to take off and we needed to give some documents, show our identifications and boarding pass to the police men. Fernando and I were like helping some people carry their luggage. I remember one guy that seemed very distracted, he forgot his passport in the X-ray machine, his names is Rodrigo and he ran all the way from the airplane to the metal detectors and he was scolded a little bit.

On this flight, my seat neighbor was one of the coordinators of the summer camp, her name was Assenet. She is so sweet and so cool. When we arrived to New York we were all so excited, we wanted to go everywhere. But, obviously, that couldn’t be possible. All of us were starving, so they called a bus and took us to have something to eat because it passed like 5 or 6 hours since we grabbed something to eat back in Dallas Airport. We went to a McDonalds in New York.

After eating an Angus XT (I’ll never forget it), we went to the campus where we were staying for two weeks. We met all kinds of people: Russians, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Colombian, Spanish, Turkish. All of them were very nice people, they were all pleased to teach their native language if you taught some Spanish to them.

While we were staying there, coordinators took us to some really amazing places, Manhattan, Rockefeller tower, several malls, Times Square. Times Square was the greatest place ever because it was always bright and fun. There were so many restaurants, shops with excellent brands and really cheap.

There was the biggest M&M’s store I have ever seen; it has three floors and a lot of stuff, souvenirs, and like twenty containers, each of them with a different color and flavor.

The Campus was awesome; it has a great swimming pool where I swam every morning to keep me awake all the day, an amazing cafeteria with more than 5 different dishes every 2 hours, a Seven Eleven down the street (that’s where we used to buy Arizona and DVDs). There was a pool table, ping pong, bunches of table games, a guitar and a huge room to use all this. We visited the place where the Twins Towers once stood.

They’re going to build 4 new towers; they’ll double the size comparing them with the last ones. It’s amazing; in fact, the tour guide was a lucky guy. He used to work at the Twin Towers, but on September 11 he felt sick, so he stayed at home. It was so sad for him to lose a lot of people he knew, he felt

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a little better some months later when he noticed that he was still alive, he could have been there, but he was a lucky guy he wasn’t there. After 2 weeks well spent in New York we moved to Boston. The people there have a peculiar British accent, sometimes funny. It wasn’t very exciting, at least not at the beginning. When we stopped by Harvard, my point of view completely changed, it’s so amazing, and you feel knowledge floating in the air. I bought a couple of books. I paid attention to every detail that the tour guide said.

Then we visited the museum made about the Boston tea party, in fact, there was a representation of one of the boats that transported tea to New England. It was pretty interesting. The ship has cannons, sails, a wooden floor and some cabins inside. After visiting Boston, we headed for Washington which I liked it so much. There are so many museums, the White House, so many memorials, etc. We made a great tour while we were hearing the history of the place. I have to go but let me tell you something, if you ever have the chance to go to a summer camp outside Mexico, just do it, you won´t regret it.

Please God, I´m only seventeen

(Unknown author)

The day I died was an ordinary school day. How I wish I had taken the bus! But I was too cool for the bus. I remembered how I asked mom for the car."Special favor," I pleaded, "all the kids drive".When the 2:50 bell rang, I threw all my books in the locker.

I was free until 8:40 tomorrow morning! I ran to the parking lot, excited at the thought of driving a car and being my own boss. FREE! It doesn't matter how the accident happened. I was goofing off - going too fast, taking crazy chances. But I was enjoying my freedom and having fun.

The last thing I remember was passing an old lady who seemed to be going awfully slow. I heard the deafening crash and felt a terrible jolt.

Glass and steel flew everywhere. My whole body seemed to be turning inside out. I heard myself scream.

Suddenly, I awakened: it was very quiet. A police officer was standing over me. Then I saw a doctor. My body was mangled, I was saturated with blood. Pieces of jagged glass were sticking out all over. Strange that I couldn't feel anything. Hey, don't pull that sheet over my head. I can't be dead. I'm only 17, I've got a date tonight. I am supposed to grow up and have a wonderful life. I haven't lived yet. I can't be dead. Later I was placed in a drawer. My folks had to indentify me, why did they have to see me like this? Why did I have to look at Mom's face when she faced

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the most terrible ordeal of her life. Dad suddenly looked like an old man. He told the man in charge, "Yes, he is my son."The funeral was a weird experience. I saw all my relatives and friends walk towards the casket. They passed by, one by one, and looked at me with the saddest eyes that I've ever seen. I saw some of my buddies crying. A few of the girls touched my hand and sobbed as they would slowly walk away.

Please, somebody wake me up! Get me out of here. I can't bear to see my Mom and Dad so broken up. My grandparents are so racked with grief they can barely walk. My brother and sister are like zombies. They move like robots. In a daze everybody! No one can believe this, and I can't believe it myself either. Please don't bury me! I'm not dead! I have a lot of living to do! I want to laugh and run again, I want to sing and dance. Please don't put me in the ground. I promise if you give me just one more chance, God, I'll be the most careful driver in the whole world. All I want is one more chance, that´s all. Please, God, I'm only seventeen

Exchange Program Germany-Mexico

By Monika Lehnert One year ago I decided to get involved in an exchange program. I chose Mexico because I am interested in the different culture, the new people and the language, Spanish. It was hard to say goodbye to all my friends and my family in Germany, but having the opportunity to do this, was the best thing it could happen to me. It is so exiting to have this experience, I have met a lot of people and everyone has been nice to me. They try to understand me and help me, when I have problems with the language.

Twenty years ago my parents married here in México, they celebrated their wedding with Mexican people that they had just met. In Germany people are colder and there is more distance between each other. I have only been six weeks here in México, but I already know, I don’t want to go back to Germany. Mexican food is much better than German food , I think. There are many different flavors at the same time, like sweet and spicy lollipops, I have never tried that before. But in Germany we have got much better chocolate, more flavors and sweeter.

Summer in Germany can be between18-27 degrees. Some days are really hot and some really cold.

In the winter there is snow about -2 to 15 degrees. It changes every year, last year it was really cold and we had much snow. I love to travel, next year I am going to make the Ruta Maya, I want to see the pyramids and learn more about Mexican culture.

This has been the best experience in my life, I am learning so much. I started to learn salsa, windsurf, guitar and Spanish. It is hard to understand everyone, when they talk so fast. But in one year I will learn so much Spanish, much more than you could ever learn in a school. I only have a year here and times flies, I am pretty scared about the day when I have to return to Germany because I don’t know when I can come back to México again.

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Per Elisa Sierra Après Nice, je pensais que pas une ville française serait en mesure d'attirer mon attention, mais cet été, j'ai eu l'occasion de visiter Lyon. Avec le slogan OnlyLyon, Lyon est une grande ville, plein de choses à faire et endroits à visiter. J'ai été dans un programme d'échange avec l'ESDES, une université du business qui fait partie des grandes écoles en France, ça veut dire que les étudiants diplômés de l'ESDES ont peu de difficulté trouver un emploi.

L'ESDES est dans la Place Carnot, qui est juste autour de la rue Victor Hugo, où vous pouvez trouver de nombreux magasins, cafés, boulangeries et des bistros. Tous les élèves dans ce programme d'été, nous avions une chambre dans une résidence qui était à 15 minutes de l'université.

Dans ce programme d'été avait des gens de différentes parties du monde, j'ai eu l'occasion de se faire des amis du Canada, l'Australie, l'Argentine, l'Allemagne et certains jeunes filles chinoises. Je les ai trouvés tous une chance de connaitre et de comprendre les différentes cultures. Le programme d'été a également offert une variété d'activités parascolaires dont a été une visite au théâtre pour voir le film Seigneur des Anneaux avec l'orchestre symphonique et les chœurs live. Nous avons visité le musée Lumière, nous avons également eu l'occasion d'aller à Genève et visiter les installations de l'ONU. Le temps était implacable et parfois froid mais nous n'avons jamais arrêté à l'nombreuses sorties et aventures. Johnny Walsh sera toujours l'endroit idéal pour démarrer la soirée.

Quand je suis arrivé à Lyon la première fois que j'étais triste, je me sentais perdu et je voulais revenir à Nice, mais peu à peu, la deuxième ville de France, avec sa cathédrale sur la colline et ses ponts, la Saône et le Rhône, j'ai fini par me convaincre qu'il y a d'autres beaux endroits. Lyon est dans mes souvenirs et la vielle ville, a un petit morceau de mon cœur.

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DAVID GOMEZ FUENTES PRESIDENT

ALEJANDRO MONTANO DURAN INSTITUTO DE ESTUDIOS

ACADEMIC VICEPRESIDENT

SUPERIORES DE TAMAULIPAS

KAREN BEATON ARVES Avenida Dr. Burton E. Grossman

LANGUAGE CENTER

501 PTE. Col. Tampico-Altamira

COORDINATOR

C.P. 89609 Altamira Tamaulipas México

ALFREDO CASTILLO

Tel. ( 833 ) 230-2566

EDITOR

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