Slow down, you move too fast

(Workshop Meetings Feb 2nd and 3rd). Don't you sometimes have the impression that our life seems to be moving too fast and we are always in a hurry? Our modern way of living assumes that faster is better, but many people don't agree with this idea and that is why they have started a movement called "Slow Down". We've probably heard about "slow eating" and also about "slow cities", but you can find much more about this interesting movement in the following link.

The title of this post has been taken from Simon and Garfunkel's song 59th Street Bridge song (feeling groovy)

My time and I

(Workshop Meetings Jan 26th and 27th. Glossary). 
It is true that days have twenty-four hours for everybody, but what we achieve in that time varies significantly from person to person. Some people seem to be able to control their time while others are actually driven by the time. Some of us tend to find days too short to fit in as many things as we would like to do and we are always in a hurry. On the other hand other people manage to even find some time every day to relax and enjoy life.  What is the secret of good time management?  

From hearing to listening

(Workshop Meetings Jan 19th & 20th. Glossary) Let's start by reading this poem called 'Please, listen'.
Although some people actually think that hearing and listening are two words to define just one and the same concept, the truth is that there is a long stretch to go from hearing to listening, a distance that we should all start covering at some time in our life if we really want to improve our relationship with the people around us. For a brief definition of both terms click here.

I found this slideshow with plenty of information about listening. Funny, did you notice that in both places they use exactly the same definitions for hearing and listening? I wonder who copied who? 

Have you ever thought that you might be just hearing instead of listening most of the time? How good is your listening?
If you want to go deeply in the subject: The humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers put a lot of emphasis on active and -later in his life- receptive listening as a powerful strategy to use in therapy. Here is the text of a conference he gave on communication in 1964. 
Eugene Glendin, who developed the therapeutic process called 'Focusing', maintained that there are only two reasons to interrupt the person who speaks: to express that you are understanding what he/she is saying or to ask for a clarification of something that you did not understand.

A trip I will never forget

Hello, again. This coming Monday, Nov 24th I invite you to talk about the best and worst travelling experiences we have had. We all remember that one trip that meant a big change in our lives, something we'll never forget. 
Different people, different experiences. Here is how some people described the best trip they've ever had. 
It's also true that at different times and at different ages too, we travel in a different way. Have you heard about CouchSurfing? Read a bit more about it; it's the sort of experience that won't leave you indifferent. Do you think you would have a go at it? 
And if you think you are already the best traveller... forget it! Here you will find some tips on traveling that will surprise you.

See you on Monday. Get something ready, we are looking forward to hearing about your experiences. 

Blogs. How much do we know about them?

Next Monday, Nov 10th, we want to talk about Blogs and share our experience with them and how fond we are of blogs. Check vocabulary and useful questions here.
We have also uploaded a reading text describing why some people started writing their own blogs. 

Blogging has become a very popular activity over the last few years and we believe it is having a dramatic influence on journalism and on what and how people read nowadays. 
As usual, if you wish to read a bit more before the meeting, here are some links:

• Visit the wikipedia for a definition of blog. 
• Want to have a go at creating your own blog? Visit Blogger, a free weblog publishing tool from Google, for sharing text, photos and video.
• Here's a short YouTube video explaining how to start a blog using Blogger.
• If you are not yet convinced of starting your own blog, here are 15 reasons why you should do it. 
• Technicals aspects are usually a drawback. Here are some FAQ related to creating a blog or website. 

And one more week we shall be looking forward to seeing you on next Monday's meeting!! Bye. 

Time out

I'm afraid we'll have to take some time out in our weekly meetings as I've just come back from Barcelona where I've had surgery on my right hip. I'm recovering quite well but I'll need a long while to rehab and I'll be on crutches  that time. 

Sorry about that. In the mean time I offer you this beautiful poem "To an English friend in Africa", by Ben Okri, a Nigerian poet and writer. I first heard about him through my daughter, at that time studying Politics at Edimburgh University back fifiteen years ago.

To an English friend in Africa

For Daisy Waugh

Be grateful for the freedom

To see other dreams.

Bless your loneliness as much as you drank

Of your former companionships.

All that you are experiencing now

Will become moods of future joys

So bless it all.

Do not think your way superior

To another's

Do not venture to judge

But see things with fresh and open eyes

Do not condemn

But praise when you dan

And when you can't, be silent.

Time now is a gift for you

A gift of freedom

To think and to remember and understand

The ever perplexing past

And to re-create yourself anew

In order to transform time.