Friday, 20 October 2017
Some writing
Below is evidence of some the stories produced while on Erasmus+ to the Montessori School in Alpedrete. A lot more was done over the 3 weeks, but this shows the imagination of the students who helped write them. The themes they were working to were Horror and also Detective, as well as their own character Couscous. Hope you enjoy.
Couscous, by Bea
Couscous
Bea
Once upon a
time there was a lonely banana in a supermarket. His name was Couscous and he
was the only banana left on the shelf because he was a little bit squished.
One day a
scientist came into the shop and put an orange he had been experimenting on
next to Couscous.
“Why are you
here?” asked Couscous.
“I don´t
know. I was under anaesthetic and have just woken up.” Said the strange orange.
“What´s your
name?” asked Couscous
“I think
it´s… Juice … that´s all I can remember.”
“I´m
Couscous” said Couscous
“That
scientist played with me!” said Juice, scratching his head and seeming quite
annoyed.
“I’m also
quite different. I am a bit squishy, but in a way that’s better, because I will
never be turned into my worst nightmare!” exclaimed Couscous.
“And that
nightmare is…” Juice said impatiently.
“Being turned
into a banana split!” said Couscous, terrified. “But I know how to prevent it
from happening: Turning the world and everyone in it into a giant banana!
Yipee!” Said Couscous excitedly.
Then suddenly
something rare, something very rare happened.
“I’m flying!”
said Juice.
“Oh no!
Someone is taking you to make juice!” Said Couscous worriedly.
“I know,
that’s my name!” said Juice.
“God, I don’t
know what I can do…except…” Couscous had an idea “unless I can escape and save
my only friend!” said Couscous sentimentally.
As Couscous
thought of an effective, fast but safe plan, Juice was in a cart being moved
all around the supermarket and the poor thing was at the bottom of the cart
with all the other food piled on top of him; it would be difficult to get him
out of there.
“Couscous!
You’re right, they want to make JUICE out of me! Help! I really need you
Couscous!” cried Juice the Orange.
“I am going
to save you from there Juice. We are friends and we always will be! I’m coming
but…try keep them distracted. In the worst case scenario, break the Fruity Law”
said Couscous, trying his best to save his friend.
“Okay
Couscous, thanks. But…If I break the fruity law I could end up like a
pet…trapped in a cage or in a museum!” said Juice, very worried.
“That is
still better than being turned into juice so if you need to do it then do it.
If you think about it, you could be famous. Nobody has ever seen talking
fruit,” said Couscous while he jumped off the shelf onto the white, clean
floor.
Couscous
darted around all the people walking around in that supermarket. Sometimes he
hid since part of the Fruit Law was to never be seen moving around.
Occasionally he would trip and fall on the floor. Suddenly he saw Juice
climbing out of the cart with about 10 people observing the sight. But that
didn’t matter. Juice was safe.
Couscous, by Sylvia
Couscous
Sylvia
Once
upon a time there was a lonely banana in a supermarket. His name was Couscous
and he was the only banana left on the shelf because he was a little bit
squished.
One
day a scientist came into the shop and put an orange he had been experimenting
on next to Couscous.
“Why
are you here?” asked Couscous.
“I
don´t know. I was under anaesthetic and have just woken up.” Said the strange
orange.
“What´s
your name?” asked Couscous
“I
think it´s… Juice … that´s all I can remember.”
“I´m
Couscous” said Couscous
“Why
are you here Juice?” said Couscous.
“Well
an anatomist took me…I don’t remember anything more...” said Juice.
“What
is your dream?” asked Couscous.
“Well,”
said Juice. “I would like to have more friends.”
Couscous
told Juice that if he wanted, he would be his friend. Juice, surprised, started
jumping. When Juice was finished his dance he asked Couscous what his dream
was. Couscous got serious. He told Juice that he wanted to turn everyone, and
the entire world, into banana’s.
Juice’s
face changed. He looked mad and disappointed. He approached Couscous and said
with an angry voice: “You would turn me into a banana? I thought we were
friends!”
“Juice,
you will always be my friend,” said Couscous.
Juice
looked at him and gasped. “I cannot be your friend, you are going to turn me
into a banana, and then it would be nonsense for my name to be Juice because
banana’s don’t have juice!”.
Couscous
started to change his opinion. He liked his dream, it made him happy. He sat on
the floor and thought, reflected. Then he approached Juice told him with a very
happy face that he is not going to follow his dream, but instead develop are
nicer, more beautiful one. Juice was so happy. He went running to Couscous to
give him a hug and – “THOMAS, STOP PLAYING WITH THAT FRUIT!” said Thomas’s
mother. Thomas put the banana and the orange back on the shelf where he got
them, and re-joined his mother.
Couscous, by Salma
Couscous
Salma
Once
upon a time there was a lonely banana in a supermarket. His name was Couscous
and he was the only banana left on the shelf because he was a little bit
squished.
One
day a scientist came into the shop and put an orange he had been experimenting
on next to Couscous.
“Why
are you here?” asked Couscous.
“I
don´t know. I was under anaesthetic and have just woken up.” Said the strange
orange.
“What´s
your name?” asked Couscous
“I
think it´s… Juice … that´s all I can remember.”
“I´m
Couscous” said Couscous
“Oh
hi” said Juice.
“So…
let’s be friends” said Couscous.
“Yeah!”
said Juice.
“What
do you remember about the anaesthetic?”
said Couscous.
“I
remember a person saying ‘you’ll be a banana, like everybody will’” said Juice.
“No!
It’s not possible!” said Couscous.
“Why?”
said Juice.
“My
dream is that EVERYBODY will be turned into a banana,” said Couscous.
“Everybody?”
said Juice.
“Yeah”
said Couscous.
“Well, do you want to be my friend?” said Juice.
“Yes!
Oh my god, you are starting to get yellow skin!” said Couscous.
“Wait,
what?” said Juice.
“That’s
cool!” said Couscous.
“Yes,
Now you think I am like you! We are friends that have something in common!”
said Juice.
“Yeah,”
said Couscous. “But now be careful! You might turn into a banana split!”
Group 4's horror story, Alpedrete
There was always something
fishy about Wellington Manor. It lay abandoned for years on the misty moors, a
place the sun never seemed to shine. Shrouded in clouds it loomed ominously on
the outskirts of Alpedrete. I avoided it as best as I could. It gave me
shivers.
When Caroline went missing
the whole town went crazy. Every night we had a search party. My mother and
father fell apart, and I spent most nights lying awake looking at her empty
bed. She was my big sister, and she was everything I had ever wanted to be. Everyone
in school liked her, so much so that the meaner, older students left me
alone…even though they didn’t like me very much. Caroline always said that I was too shy.
Groups 3's Story
“That’s all of them boss.”
Detective Ingnatius Alberto looked up from
the files on his desk. It was late at night, and he was tired.
“It’s about time,” he grumbled. “Are they
in the holding cell?”.
The officer, standing at the door of Alberto’s office, nodded. He threw a ring of keys to the detective. Detective Alberto stood up from his desk and made his way out into the main hallway of the Police Station, down two flights of stairs and he found himself in the holding area, where five miserable looking men stared at him through the bars of the cell. He cleared his throat.
The officer, standing at the door of Alberto’s office, nodded. He threw a ring of keys to the detective. Detective Alberto stood up from his desk and made his way out into the main hallway of the Police Station, down two flights of stairs and he found himself in the holding area, where five miserable looking men stared at him through the bars of the cell. He cleared his throat.
“Gentlemen,” he said. “I’d like to thank
you for your patience. We are just about ready to begin.”
“We’ve been here for hours!” cried one of
the men. “You can’t keep us here like this! It’s not right.”
Detective Alberto zoned in on the speaker,
a tanned young man by the name of Jake. “Now now,” he said. “A man has lost his
life, what’s a few hours of your time in comparison?” Jake was silent. He
seemed like a nice kid. The detective turned his attention to the newest
addition to the holding cell, a rugged looking man, of whom Alberto was already
familiar. An ex-colleague.
Group 2's Story
“Welcome to the
Emerald Mansion! It is our pleasure to have you here in our spacious and rustic
hotel. I will be your host for the weekend and I hope that you all have a
wonderful stay.” I had been preparing those lines all morning. Four guests were
booked to stay for the weekend. When the reservations were made the week
previously, I found it odd. No one had come to stay here for years.
I tried to hide
my surprise, but I couldn’t help but bite my nails nervously, and wonder why
they chose the Emerald Mansion. Perhaps they hadn’t heard the rumours of what
happened to our last guests. None of which were true, of course. Our four
guests were not coming together as a group. It seemed each was staying of their
own accord and for their own reasons. Coincidentally.
Luke Hunter and
Nick Martin appeared to be in their late twenties to mid - thirties, while Mr.
Jones felt he needed to tell me he was 52, easily capable of being the father
of our youngest guest, Ted. Ted arrived with his rucksack that rattled on his
back and I don’t think he ever took it off for the duration of his stay.
Group 1's Story
Trinity Library
is an extraordinary place. An informative place, filled with curious people.
Everything about Trinity Library calls out ‘elegant’, from its spacious, wooden
interior to the rows of exhibited books and large columns. An air of mystery
climbs the stairs. The floor is very shiny and the green ropes act as barriers
which show that there are important books there.
This library is
a mysterious place where people and come and go, each minding their own
business and here, seemingly, for just one thing. To explore interesting books.
While the rooms are sought after for their quiet, they carry more secrets in
their silence than you could ever know.
Saturday, 3 June 2017
We Stayed in Madrid and Learning a Language
We stayed in Madrid and learning a
language
We stayed in Madrid on our last weekend there and I’m so glad
we did. There was a big match on and we had left booking the hostels until last
minute so our choices were limited as nearly everywhere was booked out. This is
something I’ll know not to do next time I stay in a hostel. It was like a sauna
in the 6 bed dorm and the air conditioning was broken. What were the chances? I
was six floors up and in a tiny little room but despite that, it really was
just a place to sleep and for the time I was there I was delighted to be!
Getting the opportunity to chat to more people. Everyone in the dorm was there
on their own so most people were open to chatting and being friendly. It left
me eager to want to stay in hostels again and not be afraid to share a dorm with
people I didn’t know. Bring a lock though, just in case, as the lockers didn’t
have them and we had to buy our own. I now know that if I want to travel solo
for a while, I can and it’s exciting!
Staying in Madrid allowed us to immerse ourselves in the culture and explore the city even more. We got a better taste of the Spanish lifestyle and it is well worth doing. It has left me wanting to learn the language more than ever. That was one thing that held us back throughout our stay – the language barrier. It meant we couldn’t really communicate with others and I felt bad for not having any Spanish. It’s much lonelier when you can’t speak with others and it’s harder to make friends with anyone from the area. As soon as I’m back and settled I will be starting Spanish on Duolingo!
Last Day of Classes
Last day of classes
Everything was worth it! Any struggles that we had stopped
mattering. The anxieties or tensions dissipated when we saw the work tied
together, and really got to see what we had created with the students. They
were sad it was our last class with them but they were excited to see the
finished story with all of their ideas put together!
In retrospect I know what I would like to have done
differently and I know there is so much more I would like to have done if I
could have. And hopefully I will get the chance to do so somewhere in the
future.
Visiting Madrid & Malasana
Visiting Madrid and Malasaῆa
Madrid is big! There is something for everyone, and it seems
there a mini city centres in loads of different places. My initial reaction was
that I wasn’t very keen. We got the 681 bus from Alpedrete to Moncloa station
in Madrid and there are great arches outside which leads along the main road
Princessa. This road is hectic! With traffic and people I was bombarded with
constant stimulus and wanted to escape it after a short while. Don’t be put off
though if it’s not your sort of thing. It gets so much better!
I find the best way to explore a city is to do it by foot. We
avoided the metro and the buses and wanted to really take the city on which
meant we did a lot of walking! Admittedly, I later realised we could have
packed in a lot more had we mastered the metro sooner, so don’t shy away from
it like we did.
We spent our first few times just walking upon new places without even knowing where we were or what we were looking at, and there was something lovely about doing that – just absorbing the city for what it was! At a later stage we got on a hop on - hop off tour bus without realising we had been to a lot of the places already. I would recommend going on this at the beginning as it’s a great way to gauge the city, even if you only get off at a couple of stops because will see where you might like to go. There is often this expectation of wanting to see everything and visiting everything, but realistically it’s very difficult to do so. A lot of the time, just seeing the city and its attractions from the outside is enough!
Here are a
few of the areas we went to:
-
Plaza de Espaῆa, which is
mid-point along the Princessa, and a nice stop sun trap with fountains.
-
Templo de Debod, an ancient Egyptian Temple
surrounded by water and a park to relax in. There are also some amazing views
over the city.
-
Parque del Retiro, one of the main parks - with a lake.
Yes a lake!!
- Sol, which is quite a touristy area with lots of shops
and restaurants which leads to Plaza
Mayor, a huge open space that held a concert on our last night in Madrid.
-
La Latina, a lovely area with a huge market on
Sunday’s that runs along many streets.
-
Malasaῆa,
was one of my favourite areas! Plaza del 2 de Mayo has a market on Saturday
every three weeks and there a great places to eat around this area. It is also
near Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo. If you like eating healthy out and
want a break from tapas or Spanish foods there is a lovely place called Federal
that has a huge selection of foods. It is very popular and probably best to
avoid on Saturdays as there were queues out the door! I went again during the
week and it was much nicer. Malasaῆa has great shops, bars and restaurants and
a good vibe over all. It is incredible at night and so worth experiencing the
way the Spanish do. Go out at about 10pm and get tapas and drinks and continue
on to different places and watch the night come to life until at least 4am!
Friday, 2 June 2017
Thank You
Now that it has all come to an end, we would like to thank
everyone involved in this project.
Thank you, Aideen Lester, for being there at the start, which
was arguably the rockiest period. Without you we probably would have lost our
minds.
Thank you, Colin Carters, for making this whole thing a
reality and for the constant support from home and for the excellent weekend in
Madrid. (The course wasn’t too bad either)
Thank you, Miriam Dunne, for your support from home, and for
ensuring this whole operation ran smoothly, and for all the advice you gave us.
And finally, thanks to anyone else who was involved behind
the scenes, whom we did not directly deal with.
Last Day
We had worked with the year 8’s in groups, which we actually
found more challenging to navigate. Using the characters created by each
student in each group, we created three murder mystery stories. Each group took
turns in reading their story out.
Fleaing the Scene at the Rastro Flea Market
Title could use some work, but anyway.
Every Sunday there’s a massive
flea market in Madrid’s centre. From nick-knacks and tat, to antiques to
clothing to food. This one may be worth splitting up for, the crowds are plenty
and it’s frustrating to follow each-other. Here’s me being handsomely caught off-guard:
Making the Most of It
I was inexplicably mortified by not being able to speak
Spanish. English is scarce in Alpedrete, and I soon discovered that shrugging
apologetically and speaking in English anyway is not enough to get you by. You
have to make an effort. And with that comes the struggles with pronunciation.
As time went on, I discovered that the sheepish, uncertain way I was delivering
my (absolutely minimal) Spanish was the cause to much of the confusion. Do not
pose your statements as questions, as is so often the case when you’re feeling
awkward or uncertain. The raise in pitch will hinder your annunciation and you
will likely not be understood. Deliver your crappy, broken lines with
confidence, and even if you make an absolutely hames of it, they’ll likely know
what you’re getting at.
Master the Metro
The obvious mistake was our dismissal of public transport. I
think, with Dublin being such a walkable city, we may have over-estimated our
own stamina. The first few times we went to Madrid we walked everywhere, and
while walking is a nice way to see the city in action, it’s a sure-fire way to
get absolutely knackered while you’re at it. The Metro is straight forward and
easy to figure out, we were just a little bit intimidated by it. It wasn’t
until our last weekend with Colin that we actually made full use of it. If you
want to fully utilise your precious time in Madrid, don’t rely on your legs.
Classes
.
Over the course of our time in Alpedrete, we worked with three
year groups. Years 7, 8 and 9. Each group came with their own set of challenges
but all were very rewarding to work with. The Year 7s being the youngest, and
subsequently the most the enthusiastic, were an absolute pleasure to work with,
and because of that the work practically did itself. The same can be said for
the Year 8s, although a little bit more patience was needed. The Year 9s were
the biggest challenge, a small group that had been thrown together based on
their collective. They were often boisterous and struggled with some of the
concepts, and that threw us off and forced us to rethink our approach with
them. While frustrating, in retrospect I believe that this challenge was the
true experience. We were forced to adapt our methods to accommodate this group,
and it took a lot of patience with them and each-other to figure out what to do
with them each day. 
We started each of these groups out by performing some
Workshops that were unrelated to the material we later presented them, as a way
to get them familiar with us and the concept of storytelling. We adapted the
workshops format used by Fighting Words, an organisation I volunteer with back
in Dublin. These went down a treat, we did an additional workshop with a class
of Year 5s and they had an absolute ball.
For next years students, be as creative as you can with your
lessons. We had some classes in the middle where we had the students just work
on the worksheets we were handing out, and it drained their attention and it
drained our enthusiasm. Follow all of Colin’s advice when it comes to using
props and music and the likes, if classes get cut for school trips and sports
day, actively seek out extra classes to fill lost time. Ask the teachers for
advice if you feel that you are losing the students attention, due to the
nature of the work placement, they tend to take a step back and let you do the
work…but you’ll find they are often itching to help.
Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Museum Hop
Museum Hop
We went to three (technically four) museums over the course
of the three weeks, and still there were many more we wanted to visit! Our
first stop was Museo Municipal de Arte
Contemporáneo, which I guess you could say is Madrid’s equivalent of IMMA.
The building is huge and while the grounds aren’t green like in Dublin, the art
there says a lot! There were modern twists on old paintings and an expression
of media and modern society through art, amongst many other things. If museums
bore you but you want a taste of people minds and ideas then this museum is a
must!
I came across a modern interpretation of Jan van Eyck’s
Arnolfini portrait which originally dated back to 1434. I remember studying it
in Art during my Leaving Certificate and coming to my own conclusion as to
whether the woman in painting was pregnant or not. It was a surprise to stumble
across this interpretation in the Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo. The
question raised was whether this woman’s dress was just large and ruffled or
was she pregnant. And the artist believed that she was pregnant.
Towards the end of the three weeks we visited Museo Nacional del Prado. We found out
that it is free in between 6-8pm before the museum closes which is an added
benefit! This place is colossal and the layout is beautifully designed. It was
a pleasure to go in and experience the paintings for what they were. Seeing and
being able to recognise paintings by Raphael, as well as visiting works by the
Spanish artist Francisco de Goya!
And finally, on our last day after
lots of exploring we went to the Reina
Sofia, which also offers free opening times on Monday at 7-9 pm, Wednesday-Saturday at 7-9 pm, Sunday 2.30-7.00 pm. And
if you’re around on the 18th of May you can get in free all day! We
got to see some of Picasso’s most famous paintings as well as works by Salvador
Dali, who I love!
Alpredrete Comes to Life
Alpedrete comes to life! (I promise)
Before we left we were told that
Alpedrete is a sleepy village with not a lot to do but when I arrived it wasn’t
nearly as quiet as I thought. Having grown up in the country side with little
around for miles and miles, the array of individual shops and restaurants was
much to my liking. However, admittedly I grew to realise there wasn’t a lot to
do after a few days. This all changed when the festival came to the village
half way through our second week. It almost seemed ridiculous how lively
Alpedrete was in comparison to what it’s normally like.
On the first night a huge stage
was set up with a sound and light system almost as good as what you would get
in the Three Arena!
On the weekend there is food in
the main plaza where you will eat some if the nicest steaks. There is copious
amounts of live music both during the day and at night, and while it wasn’t all
to my taste, the buzz in the town was enough to want to be there for a while!
People travel from all over to be there and teenagers in particular hang out in
the park where the carnival is set up for the duration of the festival (which
we didn’t realise until the last night!) One of the best parts for me were the
fireworks at the end which was definitely worth going out for!
When You Are Nervous
When You Are Nervous
I was nervous before I left,
anticipating the unknown. Curious, but nervous. I packed all of the anxieties I
could think of and in the early hours of Sunday morning we flew out and
regardless of what would happen when we arrived, it would happen.
This was the first time I would
ever stand up in front of a class of young students and the first time I would
be doing any sort of teaching. This was the challenge I applied for and I was
excited to face it. I wanted to do it well. We arrived on the Sunday and after
a brief meet with the school principal and later meeting the classes, we didn’t
actually start working until the Wednesday.
When I’m nervous I ask questions
and I think it’s a good idea. Prepare yourself as much as you can and that way
you’ll feel more confident going in on your first day. When we went in, I was,
of course very nervous but it meant I was going to try my best and after all
that, it wasn’t nearly as daunting as I thought it would be. The students were
curious in a different way than me, but curious none the less. Most of the
teachers were easy going and friendly and let us do our own thing. The classes
go so quickly that by the time you settle in and get a rhythm going it’s almost
over and it leaves you less nervous and more curious!
Friday, 5 May 2017
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