Learning

A farewell letter by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

November 29, 2010

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, famous writer from Colombia, and Nobel Peace Prize winner for literature, has retired from public life for reasons of health. He has a form of cancer, which is terminal. He has sent a farewell letter to his friends. One day, I’ll know enough Spanish to be able to understand the original, untranslated […]






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The slow burn: Time and the realization of truth and dreams

September 24, 2010

A few months ago, on a fresh London evening, a girl friend and I were sitting at a pub catching up about the year away.  We talked travel and work and friendship.  Under the buzz of after-office revelry, we opened up about pain and history and the men in our lives.  She asked me about […]






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Compassion’s pain

July 29, 2010

Sometimes, there are moments I wish I could take back and do-over.  Press life’s Rewind button. Today, we went to the hospital to get the Boy’s stitches removed (he had minor surgery a few weeks ago and was in for a routine screen).  I hate hospitals.  Especially urgent care (emergency) rooms.  They are creepy.  A […]






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Full Circle

July 1, 2010

Back in February when we went to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics, the Boy and I were talking about the idea of progress.  It had been a while since I’d been back to Vancouver, my university town, and I was so pleasantly surprised to see such great improvements in transportation.  Obviously the city spent millions […]






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To another ending and beginning

June 8, 2010

Change.  It’s been this year’s theme.  It seems I write these “endings and beginnings” posts often and each time I do, a little bit of my heart breaks.  Change is never easy.  I know this.  I chase change like a silly dog chases its tail.  Round and round, always on the move, never a firm […]






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One day, the clouds just opened up…

April 24, 2010

… and poured full sentences of Castellano out of my mouth!  Full sentences!  Out of MY mouth! Like mute babies who all of a sudden start talking out of the blue, I started pulling words out of the air to build sensical phrases on the spot. Like a storm, it all just came raining down. […]






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Riki, Shakira and the women of Sex and the City

April 21, 2010

After writing about my demoralizing weekend of not being able to communicate with the boy’s family, I’ve received lots of great advice on how I can speed up my uptake of Castellano.  Everything from more dinners out (great!), more local TV watching and tandem language partnering! I’ve decided that I’m going to look for the Spanish […]






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Feelin’ on fire today

April 20, 2010

Ever have days when you feel like you’re totally in the zone of what you’re doing?  You’re lost, you’re engaged, you’re excited.  Well, that’s me today.  Since 9 AM I’ve been motoring away at all sorts of things that were on my list of things to do and it feels good to be so productive. […]






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