Farewell Madrid! Saturday June 20

The evening started out with a nice dinner hosted by James & Carmen, then ended with a surprise Italian dinner given to Ingrid & me at around midnight by my favorite Saudi students.

A Night to Rememer - Madrid - Friday June 19

SLU hosted a nice adios party for us in the afternoon, then the usual gang met at Parthenon, our favorite Greek restaurant, before heading out to Castellano 41 and finally Joy Eslavia. We had a GREAT time!

CESL - UA Wedding!!!

I just got an email informing me that one of my former CESL labbies, Matt, and my ELL - SLAT colleague, Jin, were married this past February. They were nice enough to send me video links of the wedding...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdBn2cuKIsY&feature=channel_page and
https://www.email.arizona.edu/horde/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DTbxdBI-5uLU%26feature%3Dchannel
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU BOTH!!!
Love, Robert & Ingrid

Hello New Readers in UAE!

Welcome to my personal blog. I wish I had known it was going to have new readers who are unfamiliar with the author and his writing style, so I could have provided some background information beforehand. But better late then never, so here goes...As part of my advanced writing class in the Spring of 2008, I required students to post comments in response to our often controversial class readings, films and discussions to our academic blog - http://www.cesltalk.blogspot.com/. At the end of the class, which used the book American Ways, 2nd Ed (Althen, 2002), when I told the students that I would soon be leaving for Spain, all of them laughed and teased, "Now, Robert, YOU can experience what WE have gone through as foreigners in YOUR country!" One student suggested writing a new blog, so they could read about my awkward moments in a new land. I had also taught these students that certain writing styles are required for certain audiences. This blog, whose primary purpose was to entertain, is a written version of the Italian-American oral narrative style (see Coté, 2005; Falassi, 1980; Gardaphé, 1996; Malpezzi & Clemens, 1992; Moramarco & Moramarco, 2000). I was "telling" stories of my experiences as an outsider in a new culture. Of course, there was some embellishment, but all of the stories are true. More importantly, they were written to show my students that even their teacher, who is well-traveled and in an inter-cultural, dual-language marriage, was living exactly the same mistakes, embarassments, and social faux-pas that they all new so well. As I told them time and time again in class, this is the risk we all take when we leave the comfort zone of our homeland. Too often, my international students become so self-conscious of their "foreign-ness" that they withdraw from the host society, sacrificing both their linguistic and cultural development, the entire reason they went abroad in the first place. So my hidden agenda was to show my vulnerabilities as a foreigner to the students so that they know it is OK to say and do "stupid" things, and see these actions as funny, not cause for embarassment. If we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at? I just hope some of the stories did not offend anyone. I cleaned up the language and deleted two that were, perhaps, not appropriate. In any event, I invite you to say hi, comment, respond to this or any of the posts, and most importantly, Welcome to my world!
Sincerely,
Robert

A Day in Pedraza

This is one of the most beautiful towns we have visited. It is about 90 minutes by car north of Madrid, near Segovia. All the buildings are made of colored stone. They also have the BEST lamb, cooked in an old brick oven.

Where Are They Now?!?

Our chaotic life keeps everyone asking, "Where are they now?!?" Here is a tentative schedule:

Madrid til June 23, except Barcelona June 12-14

Travel to Miami via Zurich June 24

South Florida June 25-July 3

Sarasota July 4-8

Tucson July 9-28

Toronto July 28-30

Travel to UAE July 30-31

Arrive Dubai Aug 1

I will keep you all posted on these plans, as well as new address and phone numbers as I get them. ¡Hasta Pronto!