Some fun street art I came across in Rio

This March has absolutely flown by! This is the first time I’ve ever done a Slice of Life challenge alongside my class and it was a steep learning curve.  It is also perhaps one of the most worthwhile activities that I’ve ever done in my classroom because I have never seen a group of non-native English speaking students so excited to write every day.  A big “thank you” to the Two Writing Teachers for giving me the opportunity to join this challenge.

This month was also really exciting because it gave me the opportunity to go to Rio de Janiero for my first international teaching conference (where I’m at now).   Expect more posts about Rio next week!

Around the Web:

My friends and I who are working in Venezuela are more than a little worried about the president of Venezuela becoming a dictator while we are here. The government removed the legislative branch of the government.  Now he and the people that he put into power have unchecked control of the government.

A friend of the family posted something on Facebook saying that she didn’t know why so many people were saying that they were “afraid” or “terrified” now that Trump is in power.  I shared this link with her that explains how hate crimes are on the rise since election day. I’m afraid too.

I have a handful of friends working in the Middle East right now so I keep seeing variations of this article which says that you cannot even use E-readers if you are coming from a flight in 10 ME and Africa airports.  I just wonder if you can get around this rule by having a layover in London or Pairs because I cannot imagine a cross-Atlantic flight without be able to read a book!  I suppose I would have to bring a physical book next year when I fly home….

Would you rather have $1,000,000 or $5000 a month in retirement? Here’s an article that discusses this question.

Music:

Ed Sheeran. I love his music, including his new album.  It is perfect for grading, btw, which is very important during report card season! Also, he’s broken a couple of Guinness records which is not surprising because I’ve even heard “Shape of You” on the Spanish radio stations here and all of my students randomly start singing it in class during partner work time. After the first thirty seconds, I had to buy it! hahaha.  My favorite song on the album is called “Dive” and it is so sweet! I imagine it will make a few wedding playlists.  If you haven’t yet heard “How Would You Feel?” give it a listen and then buy it too. Or the whole album “Divide“, because there are so many great songs on it too!

Books:

This month I had fun with some light reading and finished Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  If you liked the movie, then you will like the book, and if you haven’t seen the movie, then I suggest you do so now.  The movie and the book are almost exactly the same so I felt like the script came to life for me.  Also, unlike Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Fantastic Beasts is actually fun.

I also read Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology.  If you like reading about mythology then this is a really fun way of bringing the old stories to life.  It is pretty bloody and a bit more mature than other novels based on myths (nothing like Riordan’s books). I would call it a PG-13 book even though these short stories are very easy to read.

TV:

Survivor is on with a new season called Game Changers.  I never watched this show until I came to Venezuela. I say that they should find a couple of contestants who grew up here because my local friends are survivors by every meaning of the word.

Also, if you like Sci-fi you might want to check out Legion.  It is kind of mind bending and definitely makes me impatient to see the next episode.  It reminds me a bit of Mr. Robot in the sense that I’m not sure when the main character is having a crazy moment.  What is reality, anyway?

Movies:

I saw the very dramatic movie “Miss Sloane” which did not get nearly the attention that it deserves.  If I hadn’t seen the preview for the movie I wouldn’t have seen it, to begin with. I read that it was a movie about gun lobbyists.  I didn’t know what a lobbyist was and I am not really interested in guns at all, but I definitely agree with this movie’s sentiments.  I was constantly surprised by this movie and I was left wanting more.   The acting was also very well done, and I’m surprised it didn’t win awards.  If you liked “The Newsroom” you will like this movie (and probably recognize a couple faces).

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same but I will automatically receive a few pennies. Your support is greatly appreciated!