I'm not here ;-)

I'm not here actually, I'm studying like crazy. *lol* I have to send a paper about Spanish literature in the 15th century to my tutor before tomorrow night and I still haven't written a word. :-( I need to do a lot of research and my internet connexion is so lousy I just want to cry.... I've been trying for 5 days now to get on to the school's server but no way José. I need to download some texts, read them and make a resume but there's still no luck. I don't think I'll make it on time because if I was all alone I could stand a day without food and a night without sleep but I have to take care of the kids and they are almost bored to death at home. This is getting much harder than I ever thought it would be. But I'm not giving up! NEVER!

So, if you see me around here this weekend, please give me a hug and a friendly kick in my butt because I really HAVE TO READ several hundred pages instead of hanging around the internet...

See you on Monday after I've got a bit of sleep!

Harry Potter

My mother brought me the last Harry Potter book - "Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows" in English last year. I didn't want to read it then, since I haven't read "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" yet but two days ago the temptation got too big and and I grabbed the book and I haven't let go of it yet. *lol* I should have done so many things today. Instead, I spent most of the day in my PJs, curled up on my bed, reading... *lol*

I just LOVE Harry Potter!!! I think J.K. Rowling is a brilliant writer. I've read some of the books in Swedish, in Spanish and in English and they are just great in any language. I prefer to read them in English actually, because of the british accent that somehow gets lost in translations. I'm glad I have three languages to chose from when reading because that way I have a bigger chance o read the book in it's original form. Translating a novel is much more difficult than people normally imagine. That's one of the reasons I became an interpreter instead. As an interpreter you just need to pass on the general idea of things, it doesn't matter if not every single word is perfect. Being a translator is much more precise and whatever you write will remain written and people will read it over and over again and have opinions about your work.

I will have to buy the remaining Harry Potter book, because there are several things I don't understand in this one, because the writer keeps referring to things that happened in the previous book. So now you know what I'll be doing next week.*lol* That's right, reading Harry Potter.....

Spanish medieval literature

One of the books I have to read for my literature class is "Cantar de mio Cid", originally transmitted orally but written down in the 12th century. It is written in medieval Spanish, which is sometimes very difficult to understand, even for a Spanish native.

The Cantar de mio Cid is based on a true story. It tell the story of a Spanish hero called El Cid or El Campeador, during the Reconquista, or reconquest of Spain from the Moors. He fell into the disfavor of the king and had to leave his home country, Castile. To regain his honor, he participated in the battles against the Moorish armies until the king forgave him and let him come back home. It really is an exciting story and a great way to learn about a period in history so different from ours.

Medieval literature is one of my favorite classes. It's fun and interesting but also one of the hardest this year, due to the amount of pages we need to read and memorize. It's okey, because I love Spanish literature and I've been looking forward to doing this class for several years. I'm so happy I decided to give it a try.

Study group

I'm glad I've found a group of girls to study with. We are 5 girls and we all live in different cities, so we study online. So far it works great!

There is so much to study so we have divided the work between us and then share our notes. We chat almost every day and also have fixed hours when we talk about different classes. Like today, it's Sunday and in less than an hour we'll talk about Spanish Medieval Literature. Thanks to the girls I'm slowly catching up on everything.

I spent 5 hours at the library on Friday and hopefully I'll be able to study at least 3 hours at the library tomorrow. I haven't been able to study much this weekend so I really need to work hard next week. And no scrapping. :-( I just hope the stupid carpenter will show up tomorrow and fix my bedroom closet because I'm sick and tired of not having a place to put my clothes.

Well, these are my plans for next week. What are yours? Are you doing anything fun?

Poetry for kids

At my kids' school they invite writers and poets to come and have workshops with the kids at least once a year. Being a Spanish school in Morocco makes it a bit difficult to transmit Spanish culture to the kids so I'm glad at least they have the occasional workshops.

Two poets came this week and worked with the kids in grades 3 - 6. My kids said they had a great time and that poetry is so much fun. I wish I knew how to help them keep that new interest, because I consider poetry to be an important part of a person's education. That's something I think is typical for Spain. You can ask just about anyone on the street and they will know several poems by heart and know the names of several famous writers. I know this is not so in many countries in the world.

Next time I go to Ceuta I will look for books with poetry for kids. Many Spanish writers and poets have done books for kids, just because it's such an important part of our common culture.

Unfortunately I don't read much poetry. I don't have time to. But since my kids seem so interested these days I think I'll take the opportunity and make an effort and start reading some. There are so many Spanish poets I like, like Federico García Lorca, Juan Ramón Jimenez and Rafael Alberti.

Do you read poetry? Or do you write poetry? Do you read novels? Or any other kind of litterature? Do you know the name of any Spanish writers?

Ink or not ink...

I spent all morning today printing notes and summaries for my Literature class. This year I'm studying Medieval Literature which is one of my favorite subjects actually. But there is so much to read. First of all we need to read like almost 1000 pages in different text books and then we also need to read 7 works in Medieval Spanish. *phew* And that is just one of the classes I take this year.

I think every student these day needs a computer with a printer, because copying notes by hand takes such a long time. Having a printer really is a blessing, because you can copy whatever you need, print it out and take it with you, to be read wherever you go.

So far I´ve spent a lot of money on ink for the computer. I am very forgetful and never remember the name of the ink I need for my computer. This is the usual scenario for me: Getting to the shop and not remembering what cartridges I should buy... That is so very embarrassing. I go back home, jot the name on a piece of paper and go back to the store, just to discover that I've lost that piece of paper. Isn't that annoying?

Recently I found Cartridge Finder, which is a user friendly site where you can find the name of the devices so you buy the right kind of ink. They carry cartridges for printers, copiers and fax machines. They also check PriceGrabber.com's merchant listings in order to give you the best price available. At least I know where to go next time I run out of ink. Which will be any time soon I'm afraid.

Young readers

I just came across a great site - International Children's Digital Library which is a place where children can read children's books on line for free. They have books in several languages, like English, Spanish, Chinese and many, many more.

I recieved a great gift

Trish at
An ordinary Life Artist has been so kind to send me a great book - "God's Garden of Grace" by Elizabeth George. Thank You!!!!

I went to the post office to get it yesterday so I haven't started it yet, but I definitely will start reading it this week end. I really look forward to reading this book. I'll let you know when I finish it. Have you read this book or any other of Elizabeth George's books? What do you think about it? Did you find it useful?

This weeks Wordless Wednesday has moved down, just below this one. If you scroll a little you'll find it....

My birthday boy

My oldest son, B, turns 10 tomorrow! I can hardly believe that, considering how sick he was when he was born.

I will never forget the first time I had a look at him, several hours after giving birth, because he was barely alive when he was born and the doctors ran off with him to the NICU right away. He was violet and swollen and seemed huge in comparison to all the other babies in the NICU. I only caught a glimpse of his feet, due to all the alarms and machines surrounding him. The first doctor I met in the NICU told me he would probably not live for more than a few days so it would be best if I didn't get too attached to him.

Every year, when his birthday comes closer, I get really, really stressed, because I remember her words and that reminds me of the futility of life. My baby does not belong to me. I just borrowed him for a while and God can take him back without a moment's notice.

And I love my son so very much! He is my most precious treasure and my biggest joy in life. I'm so proud of him!

I want to share with you a chapter from one of my favourite books, "The Prophet" by Gibran Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese Maronite who lived 1883 - 1931.

And a woman who held a baby against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."

And he said:

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Which book are YOU????

I am:

You're Compassion Fatigue!

by Susan Moeller

You used to care, but now it's just getting too difficult. You cared about the plight of people in lands near and far, but now the media has bombarded you
with images of suffering to the point that you just don't have the energy to go on. You've become cold and heartless, as though you'd lived in New York City for a year or so. But you stand as a serious example to all others that they should turn off their TV sets and start caring again.

Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

I have never heard of this book, but I will try to find it. It seems interesting so hopefully it's translated to Spanish so I can find it at the Instituto Cervantes library. It's really dificult to find books in English where I live. :-(