Sunday, December 7, 2014

December Blog Carnival

This month, I'm hosting the Reach To Teach Teach Abroad Blog Carnival, a monthly series that focuses on providing helpful tips and advice to ESL teachers around the globe.

The topic this month is "What are the most endearing/hilarious English mistakes your students have made?"

Check out the responses from teachers from different parts of the world!  If you’d like to contribute to next month’s Blog Carnival, please get in touch with Dean at dean@reachtoteachrecruiting.com, and he’ll let you know how you can start participating!

Rebecca Thering:
Crack a Smile with Some ESL Student Drawings
What do turkeys, families, a death note, and Real Madrid all have in common? They all appear in my carnival post this month! So stop on over and enjoy some photos of drawings and projects made by my elementary Korean students. You might even crack a smile! 
About Rebecca:  I’m a Wisconsin native who has recently finished a year teaching English at a rural elementary school in South Korea. My Spanish skills weren't quite as useful there as they were when I lived and taught in Madrid, which is where my Spanish nickname Rebe (Ray-bay) stuck. I have an itch to travel, learn, teach, and read—and to make the world a better place!


Dean Barnes:
Grammar and Spelling Mistakes
I was asked this month to write about the common grammar mistakes of my students, however I haven’t been a teacher for some time so I thought I would flip the mirror around on us adults. Below is a photo essay covering some funny and common spelling mistakes that adults have made. If we as adults cant get it right, then how do we expect our students to?
About Dean:  My name is Dean, I have been traveling for around 4 years now with a small stint back in my home country. I’m from the UK and I began my teaching career on the island of Bali. I then made the move to Taiwan where I currently reside. Here I have the joy to fulfill my passion for writing by providing ESL/travel related articles to the Reach To Teach website.


Holly Beddome:
Pint-Sized Sources of Joy and Humour
Kids all around the world can be mighty cute. Throw in an adorable accent and full-time interaction with 'em and you're sure to witness priceless moments and stories you'll want to remember for a lifetime. Teaching ESL is by no means a picnic of a job, but falling in love with such hilarious, strange, cute, unpredictable and happy humans certainly helps make the struggle worthwhile. This post is sure to make you smile.
About Holly: Holly was bitten by the travel bug in her early teens and has long since rejected the idea of spending her entire life in Canada! She loves to read good books, flail about on the dance floor, and form new friendships, and documents cityscapes and the natural world around her through the lens of a camera. Having volunteered in Honduras, backpacked around Southeast Asia and studied in Australia in the past, she now calls Seoul home for the next year. Her plans: eat ALL of the kimchi, hike ALL of the mountains, form incredible memories and friendships, and hopefully have a positive impact on her students’ lives!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Japan in Haiku

The most appropriate way to blog about my trip to Japan is in haiku form.



Tokyo tourists
Temples, parks, crowds, and sushi
Love builds for Japan

Sensoji Temple and Five-Storied Pagoda
Tokyo

Japanese Gardens
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
Tokyo

Tsukiji Fish Market
Tokyo

Fresh catch

Sushi at Tsukiji Fish Market
bluefin tuna, octopus, salmon, and neon flying eel

Tokyo at night
Mori Art Museum observation deck

Barrels
Yoyogi Park
Tokyo

Tokyo
Tokyo Metro Government Building observatory




Rain in Kyoto
Lunch from a vending machine
Every bite delish!

Kyoto rain
Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Choices, choices
Vending machine restaurant

I chose well :)


Bamboo to the sky
A maze of bright orange toriis
Kyoto magic

Bamboo forest
Arashiyama

Tenryu Temple Garden
Arashiyama

Talking
Tenryu Temple

Tenryu Temple Garden


Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Kyoto


Prayers
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Kyoto

Torii Gates
Fushimi-Inari Temple
Kyoto

Torii path
Fushimi-Inari Temple
Kyoto


Huge transformation
Makeup, wig, kimono: Smile!
Look! I’m a geisha!

An hour of make-up and costume
Kyoto

Konichiwa


Bullet train, clockwork
Shinkansen efficiency
All aboard! Zoom zoom

Shinkansen bullet train

Warning


Food! Glorious food!
Okonomiyaki - yum!
Ramen! Houtou, too!

Okonomiyaki

Ramen

Houtou
Sarah cooking teppanyaki

Serious noodles

Fried oysters on a stick


Miyajima Isle
Floating torii at low tide
Come with me, “deer” friend!

Torii Gate
Low tide
Miyajima

Miyajima

Miyajima

Miyajima fog

Cable car to Mt Misen
Miyajima

Miyajima

These deer roam free on Miyajima

Tide rolling in
Miyajima


Paper cranes for peace
Hiroshima, history
Atomic rebirth

Peace Memorial Museum
Hiroshima

Time stopped at 8:15 on August 6, 1945
Peace Memorial Museum
Hiroshima

Aftermath
Peace Memorial Museum
Hiroshima

The Centopath contains the names of all the known victims of the atomic bomb.
The Flame of Peace will only be extinguished when every nuclear weapon on earth as been destroyed.

Children's Peace Monument surrounded by thousands of paper cranes
Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima

Atomic Bomb Dome
Last standing building from the epicenter of the bomb
Hiroshima


Mt Fuji bike ride
Snow-capped peak, lavender fields
Unforgettable!

Kawaguchiko Train Station

Hangin with friends near Mt Fuji

Kawaguchiko Lake

Mt Fuji

Kawaguchiko
Mt Fuji foothills

Lavender fields
Oishi Park
Kawaguchiko

Oishi Park
Kawaguchiko

Trusty wheels
Saiko Lake
Kawaguchiko

Another breath-taking view
Mt Fuji


Bright stadium lights,
Baseball and beer, just like home.
Hey, Go! Go Swallows!

Root, root, root for the home team!
Jingu Stadium
Tokyo

Go Yakult Swallows!
Umbrella cheer

Beer and baseball go hand-in-hand


Japan in our hearts, 
Sayonara is so sad.
Oh, arigato!

Happy in Kyoto


Boo!