Sueos Compartidos Maestros Program, Class of , Popayn, Colombia for my students, con carioJohn Turnbull, de julio

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is for arepas, which give us strength during the ten-minute breaks that are never ten minutes. is for bilingualism. is word means that we do not always understand each other, but that we are curious about each other. is for Che, who watches over our studies with condence and calm. is for determination. English presents obstacles that we can overcome. is for English, the strange language that English-speakers at times do not speak well but that uses verbs like googling. is for ftbol, which is the rst language of all nations. is for greetings (saludos). Colombians with kisses and touches and Qu ms? greet better than anyone in the world. is for hospitality. In Colombia, it is the art of lling a strangers sometimes empty heart. is for iglesias ... de San Francisco, San Jos, de San Agustin, La Encarnacin, de Santo Domingo, El

Carmen, La Ermita, Catedral Metropolitana. ey bring tranquillity to the white city. is for justicia. What do you wish for? Our students write, in perfect, clear English, I wish I could bring social justice to Colombia. is for kindness. In Popayn people of esh give kindness to people from a land of gold. is for libro. Un pueblo sin libros es un pueblo sin alma. is for morro. In English, it means snout, like the snout of a beautiful pig. We sit on the snout of El Morro and watch the city of Popayn below. is for nosotros. We speak, stumble, correct, and learn as one. ere is no I in nosotros. is for openness. An open heart will always defeat a closed mind. is for Popayn, chalk-white in the middle, where Semana Santa is the dance of life in the face of death.

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is for quartz (cuarzo), which, when placed on a desk, brings luck to all who study English there. is for risk. Anyone who crosses the threshold to a classroom risks that they will never be the same. is for Shakira, who lives to the north, in a place far away. is for terremoto and for all we cannot remember and for all we want to forget. is for understanding that we are free to make mistakes in language, as in life. is for English vocabulary without which I will never be able to feel vitriolic, that is, pissed o. is for wishes that may be the same in any language, such as this one: I wish I could have a green planet, to be happy. is for Xmas (Navidad), one among many parties for which Colombians will probably arrive late. is for yes. James Joyces novel Ulysses ends with it. All adventures begin with it. is for zeta. It is the end, but there is no end.

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