Valentine's Day Part II

In the evening session of our activity we got together in the computer room to share some readings. At first we read texts in both English and Portuguese. This was quite an experiment for me, since not everybody understood both languages. The Italian team came in later.

 Despite the difficulty, I think it worked out quite well, especially as we were able to follow the texts that were being read on the screen. I've been giving some thought to the multilingual aspect of these sessions, and although I can see some problems, I think that we have to try to be positive and make the most out of it. If we are able to learn some little cultural aspect or enjoy the rhythm of a poem or a song, we should definitely appreciate it.

I personally enjoyed a song in Portuguese Amor e Sexo, by a singer called Rita Lee. You can take a look at it in the blog Abloguear that you can access from the menu to the right of this post.

Perhaps it is the English language that worries me more, since not everybody speaks it, and it is undoubtedly harder to figure out. I must say, though, that most people there had previously studied English and seemed to be enjoying the texts.

We also did a quiz about famous love quotes that I'll post below for you to try out. I'll be posting the answer key in a few days.

To finalise the session we embarked on a spontaneous writing workshop. Starting to write out of the blue doesn't seem to be the easiest task, but our goal was not too demanding. We decided to write Haiku. Have you ever heard about it before? Check out the following part of this post and you'll find out about it.

Haiku

A Haiku is a short poem of Japanese origin which uses imagistic language to convey the essence of the human condition. The common practice in English is to use 17 syllables divided into three lines 5-7-5.  Here are some examples:

your love was a port
of call where many ships docked
until morning came

(Sonia Sanchez)


we are sudden stars
you and I exploding in
our blue black skins

(Sonia Sanchez)


Do not be afraid,
the darkness will fade my love,
the next sun is ours.

(Stephen Hyer)

our eyes meet; you smile.
I think I’m falling in love.
how could this end well?

So this is what we came up with in a few minutes. We are thinking about talking to some publishing companies

Trying to learn some-

thing that makes you overwhelmed

is rather tiring

My son's growing up

he'll be taller than me

but he won't stay put

Thinking about you

I'm spending my summer days

under the green tree

She was so precious

to all people who new her

that she felt alone.