January Week 1

_Hi Everybody!

_Happy New Year, I hope you've all enjoyed the holidays.   I know I did -- my trip to the United States was fantastic and now I'm ready to dive right in to the second trimester of the 2011-2012 year.

_In many groups this week we discussed New Year's Resolutions and motivation.  Go ahead and read this infographic explaining common resolutions or listen to this podcast about the topic.  After, you could explain in writing why you think so many people fail at keeping their New Year's Resolutions.  Are they a waste of time? 

Resolutions brings us to the topic of motivation. You can watch a fascinating video online called Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us or read about the Science of Motivation and how to motivate yourself to learn English.  So, why not write about what motivates you.  Or, for those who prefer creative writing, try writing a short story with a wintery setting.

_This week is our visit to the Wurth museum -- Saturday January 14th at 18:00.  We will check out the museum's collection along with the current exhibition by David Rodríguez Caballero (you can check out his website in English). I highly recommend this, not only because of the wonderful art, but also because one of our own students works at the museum and will explain a couple things in English!  Please fill out the online form if you are interested, especially if you would like to carpool. You are welcome to bring friends or partners to the event, as long as they agree to only speak English!

_Next Wednesday January 18th at 19:30 there is original version cinema at the Centro Cultural Caja Rioja on Gran Vía.  They are showing a fantastic documentary, Grizzly Man (check out the trailer) about Timothy Treadwell, who lived with bears in Alaska.

And now that you're all motivated and have made resolutions to improve your English in 2012, don't forget that there are lots of resources to take advantage of!  I still have office hours every Monday, Wednesday and by appointment and am happy to correct your work.  Keep it up!