July is my summer vacation so I’m out visiting friends, eating at delicious restaurants, and shopping for all the stuff I can’t find in Venezuela instead of reading and playing around on my computer. This post will be pretty short as a result of that!
Around the Web:
http://twenty-somethingtravel.com/2014/07/language-learning-time-crunch/ I’m afraid to say that even after living in a Spanish speaking country for three years I am still not fluent. The problem with teaching at an American school is that I am surrounded by English all day and I have plenty of expats (native English speakers) to hang out with outside of school. I like how this article suggests keeping a notebook and practicing the language over a couple drinks- I’m going to make an effort to do both of these things this coming year.
http://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/2014/07/financial-travel-tip-117-save-baggage-fees-carry-trick/ A lot of the time I feel like it is a tight fit to cram my stuff into my carryon sometimes- especially during my end of summer trip back to Venezuela where they have an embargo and don’t allow overweight luggage. Using a coat or vest has been suggested before, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a fanny pack!
http://www.adventurouskate.com/why-travel-safety-is-different-for-women/
I like the advice about asking locals for advice from Couchsurfing/Airbnb/Meetup about how to behave and places to avoid in a new place.
Books
This month I haven’t come across anything that great.
I recently read “City of Heavenly Fire“, which is book six of The Mortal Instruments, by Cassandra Clare. It was a massive 1000 page read (according to iBook) and was pretty good just because it seemed to wrap up the series nicely. I would give this book 3/5 stars.
I’m also working through a professional book called “Reading in the Wild” by Donalyn Miller. It is great, but I am reading it through my city’s public library, which only allows me to read one chapter a day… and that annoys me so I don’t end up reading it as quickly as I would like. There are a lot of great ideas for organizing and motivating students during reader’s workshop. I’m only on chapter three so I can’t say overall how I would rate it, but so far I would give it a 4/5 stars.
Music
I love to listen to sad, slow music so when I heard “Say Something” by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera I was immediately hooked.
TV
“The 100” is a new-to-me TV series I came across this month. It got my family and I hooked after watching the first episode. It is about 100 kids who were born in space and were sent down to earth after an apocalypse. They have to survive on their own and might be the only hope the rest of the humans in space have left.
Teaching Wanderlust 