From Mardi Gras to Cherrygoats

This is the celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, its history and people:

And this is what we have right across the Atlantic, in Cádiz:

Coming up soon in EOI Pinto: Cherrygoats...  Cherrygoats you said? Yup, cherrygoats! But what the heck is that?

Wouldn't it be nice to sound like Leonard Cohen?

In 2011, Leonard Cohen received the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature for "a body of literary work that has influenced three generations of people worldwide through his creation of emotional imagery in which poetry and music are fused in an oeuvre of immutable merit". When he came to Oviedo to collect his literary prize, he gave one of the most beautiful speeches I've ever heard in this kind of setting.

His voice is so soft and delightful, his pronunciation so clear and precise, and his tempo so fine-tuned, that I recommend you to listen and repeat his words: if you do so you will certainly make good progress in your pronunciation.

This post is dedicated to Paco for appreciating the good music, and for helping out with the classroom dynamics yesterday. Thanks, Paco!

Leonard Cohen's Prince of Asturias Speech

Talking about Melting Pots... Market Days

Talking about melting pots the other day, we finished the class watching the following short film which actually illustrates this very fact in a market place in the US. Click on the video below if you feel like tasting the human feelings treasured in it one more time... I'd like to thank my former student Carlos Crespo for showing this endearing story to me, and to you.

Market Days, Synopsis

Randall spends his days imagining the vibrant inner lives of various vendors at the multicultural urban market where he works: none more so than Angela, an angel with her own pastry shop. But Randall's inattention to his work lead to a string of thefts and soon threatens to cost him his job. A chance encounter with a beautiful starlet and her lapdog provides Randall not only an opportunity to break the ice with Angela, but a chance to prove his worth to everyone at the market - including himself.

R

Click here to watch the film with subtitles on

About the Mapuche People

Rossana sent me the Mapuche music that she wanted to play in class but couldn't, due to some technical problems. Here I attach it, together with a brief comment on their current situation in Chile. Thanks, Rossana, and see you later, guys!

Mapuche People

Music by the Mapuche People

The Cree Indian Prophecy

The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans in North America. Cree tribes spanned over a broad territory, from the Rocky mountains all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Men were hunters and fishermen, whereas women took care of their children, built their family's house, and gathered plants to eat and herbs to use for medicine. Nowadays, each Cree community lives on its own reservation. Both genders take part in storytelling, artwork, music, and religious festivals.
Click on this link to read more about the famous prophecy we just saw in class.