in March we march...

Let's make it clear, in 8 of March is not a celebration, we commemorate women, women who fight, who rise and demand better salary and better jobs, more education, public charges and more opportunities in the society... So this may be some books that me and some girl friends recommend to read... not because are feminist books but because books may be the answer, it also may be a heal, a company, a partner, a light, a step, a reason and may be also the word that we can't express by ourselves ....

oh me oh my...

i've been really busy lately!! oh me, oh my..! can't complain about that.. i've been sewing like maniac, spending time working outside, spare my time between working and else i barely had time for taking deep breath and put myself down working on my paintings... yes, i had 3 exhibitions almost in row... planing my workshop and taking classes and also workshops... yes, i love to be in workshop as a student! is quite nice! i really really enjoy taking classes! i won't stop doing it, i'll should take more and more... my last courses was about making soaps, having a herb garden and i'm planing more and more... yasss i miss school...! did i mention that i had a really nasty flu? well i was under medication and i feel so much better now... plans ahead?! what do you expect!? of course more work and classes and workshop... wish me luck!!

PS i barely could finish the books i'll use for my workshop in the international book fair... oh me, oh my...!

i'm getting ready...

This week was scheduled for test my workshop... yup i was so nervous about that! not because i'm gonna be in front of 30 kids but because i've got viewers, or should i say critics... and darn! that's the reason that makes me freak out! they will put numbers and reviews and ...!! aaghhhh!!! ....
I need to explain this better... in December, there's one of the most important book fairs (worldwide!, apparently the 2nd most important!...), i work in the children area and this will be my 5th time in row, with workshops that, of course, involves book but art, creativity, imagination and two years ago i beg, and i beg to had Sherlock Holmes workshop (it was so fun! i adore it although i lose my voice tho..) so this year, it totally involves art, illustration and narrative skills, if don't, well that's the idea, the kiddos will learn..
So well, i've got a friend (a partner in crime..) who is helping me to make this workshop go on but also to team up and had fun with kiddos... how ended up my workshop test? i really know a few things, just some adjustments here and there but... this ship is sailing guys!!!

quick snapshots

First, i've got to say that i feel totally great with myself! at the middle of the year i was so pressure to find a co-worker for my workshop... and could be not so difficult except that... i'm so picky! i'm not gonna work with someone who doesn't make a great team with me, also, someone who can love work with kids with patience but be with character (kids can smell fear and insecure.. :P)
My last co-worker was just beyond than great, we can laugh and we can understand the group and each other with just a sight...
So yes, i heard a loooot of people who recommend another persons but in this case, i've got the chance to work with someone that i can totally get along..
And well, wasn't so easy but, one of my oldest friend (she's from college..) was my partner in crime and we did pretty well and pretty awesome! there's no way to compare, i totally like to work with both and i guess i see our work reflected on child's smiles..
I worked with kids from 7 to 9 years old, i even worked with youngest kids but, i realized when they been there, before i already know... Still! you may probably think that work with paint and kids it could be for sure a messy disaster, well, it can be but if you explain everything before to drop the material the mess can be avoided (in some cases... still my shoes had zero paint on it! YeSSSS!)
Here's a quick snapshots of my workshop
PS: i barely could buy some books for me but, tsssssss i already read one of the books that i purchased... oh dear!

is almost here!!

I was counting down days, because the book fair is almost here, and yup! i already got a workshop... i'm so thrilled about what to expect but also that for sure it will be tons of hard work!
For a hard day, i'll be working with 300 kids at day, but is hard to say if it will be like that all the book fair... and because i'll be using my voice all the time, i already got a nice parcel of medicine, herbs, teas and everything that would help to not loose my voice or be talking like Vito Corleone... and it that parcel i may probably put some shots of vitamins
I'm taking my job seriously, i want to avoid any type of flu, cold or whatever that can put me on bed with high fever because, of course, after working with lots of kids is something sure... they can also infected me, and i don't have high defenses as them...
So, i'm gonna chill, do my best as always and just have fun on this...
I'll be counting down the days.. 

a thought lately...

Es Agosto, es de mis meses favoritos, llueve mucho, es fresco, no hace tanto calor y hay días nublados que me encantan!! :) además de eso, hay mas cosas que me gustan de este mes y otras que he hecho últimamente, unas a razón de que debo hacerlas por diferentes causas, pero debo decir que encontré inspiración para ello! tal vez parezca un tanto infantil y naif pero, es por cuestiones de trabajo. Por esa misma razón estoy leyendo un libro encantador y maravilloso, se llama Pippi Calzaslargas, el personaje me ha parecido de lo más simpático! que bueno que no he visto la película y no recuerdo gran cosa de la caricatura pero ese personaje me animó a hacer cosas que tal vez no haría del todo. Aunque no lo parezca soy algo tímida (e insegura, es parte de supongo..), no hablaré mas de ello...
Así que decidí finalmente armarme de valor y subí a mi tienda en etsy un par de bolsas que tengo haciendo desde hace un año.. 
Después de todo, los libros infantiles son para todas las edades no?

Is August, is one of my favorites months, it rains a lot, is fresh, is not so warm and you can wake up and see a cloudy sky that i totally love!! :D besides of that, there's more things i do really like of this months and things that i've done lately, some of them i made it for the different reasons, but i must to say that i fond inspiration for it! and it may be looks a little bit childish and naif but, is just for work matters. For that reason i've been reading a charming and lovely book, is Pippi Longstockin, and the character is so charm! i haven't seen the movie and i can't barely remember about the cartoon but this fictional character encourage me to do things that i'll probably won't do.. Even when it doesn't look like, i'm a very shy person (and insecure, i guess..), but i'm not gonna talk about that...
So finally i encourage myself and upload some tote bags at my etsy shop that i've been doing since last year...
And after all, child books aren't just for child but for grown ups isn't?

So here i go again...

  

 

  

Por segunda vez, he podido participar en la Feria del libro internacional en mi ciudad con un taller para niños de 7 a 9 años, fue un reto! no es muy sencillo explicar Kafka a niños de esta edad, pero sabes algo? el reto no fue solamente hablar de ello, sino hacerlo de manera que parezca sencillo... Te diré una cosa, con todo y que crear un taller no fue algo sencillo (rechazaron un par de propuestas hasta que la tercera quedo finalmente..) debo decir que yo terminé cansada, ya que gran parte de la semana tuve que trabajar solo con ayuda de chicos de universidad como asistentes, con gripa que me contagiaron muuchos niños, sin voz pero muy, muy feliz!!

Voy a contar por qué, no solo fue porque me divertí, es también porque al final de cada taller, todos los niños terminaban con una historia (hecha y escrita por ellos!), un pequeño personaje salido nada mas y nada menos que de un cuento de Kafka y lo mejor, una gran sonrisa en sus caras!

Próximo año, cruzo dedos para volver a participar en otro taller!! 

For the second time, i've could participate on the International book fair in my town, with a workshop for kids of 7 to 9 years old, it was a challenge! it's not easy to explain Kafka to kids of that age, but you know what? the challenge wasn't just talk about that, but do it in the way to make it seems easy... I tell you what, with all that matters and build a workshop wasn't a easy thing (they rejected a couple of my ideas until the 3rd one was finally accepted..) i've got to say that i finished exhausted, because most of the week during the morning i was working by myself with the help of the guys of the college, the social services as assistants, with cold because of course kids contagious me, voiceless but so, so happy!

i'll explain you why, it was not just because i had tons of fun, is also because at the end of every session, all the kids leave the room with a finished story (totally written by them!), a small character from a Kafka story and also with a big smile in their faces!

Next year, i cross my finger to be part again with another workshop!

do you like books??

No se trata solamente de leer, es también esta actividad de cazador, de ir a buscar pacientemente y decidir cuál libro sería el indicado, como si fuera nuestra presa que va alimentarnos aunque muchos creen que es el libro el que escoge al lector... 
Esta semana que pasó fué una de las mas cansadas pero más emocionantes que tuve, 9 días trabajando en la Feria del libro de 9am a 8pm con grupos de niños de entre 9 y 12 años aprox. y entre 20 a 35 niños cada hora... haz la cuenta... 
Mi taller consistía en narrar animales fantásticos al azar, tomados del libro de "animales fantásticos" de Jorge Luis Borges y con un poco de ayuda mía los niños ilustran estos animales. Fué realmente una experiencia total, tuve niños y niñas que entraron un par de veces más a mi taller. Mi equipo de trabajo fué increíble, mi asistente de taller tuvo una energía genial ante los niños todo el tiempo y mis compañeros de trabajo siempre estuvieron con una actitud positiva durante esta semana. Tuve un poco de nervios, creí que iba a estar de locos! y hasta cierto punto así lo fué,  pero tuve mi guía, mi hermano estuvo frente a mi taller y es su tercer año trabajando en su taller así que todo el tiempo me dió consejos y apoyo cuando lo necesité.. Claro! tuve momentos de stress pero cada 10 minutos entre clase y clase, mis compañeros de trabajo rompían el stress con algún chiste o simplemente con su genial actitud... Resumiré que comí una exorbitante cantidad de miel, litros y litros de agua, muchas tazas de café y té, montón de caras sonrientes cuando dejaban el taller, muchos high-five pero sobre todo me guardo una linda experiencia...
Creo que esto no lo hubiera podido hacer posible sin ayuda de mis amigos :)
Hoy con mucha gratitud digo con permiso, voto de silencio que tengo que ordenar el lindo desorden que dejé en mi depa, hoy estoy sin voz y mañana será otro día...

It's not just about to read, is also an activity as hunter, to go and search around very patiently and choose the right book, like our prey that would feed us, although a lot of people think that it's the book that choose the reader...
This past week was one of the most exhausted working on the book fair, but also the most excited that i ever had, 9 days straight working from 9am to 8pm with groups of kids of 9 to 12 years old and around 20 to 35 per hour... figure out! do the math...
My workshop was about to tell stories about fantastic animals picked randomly of the book "manual of the fantastic animals" of Jorge Luis Borges and with my little help, the kids draw and illustrated this animals. It was a total experience, i had kids that came back a couple times again. My work team was incredible, my assistant on my workshop had an amazing energy with the kids all the time and my coworkers always had and awesome attitude during the week. I had a little bit of nervous, i thought that it would be a madness! and in some point it was, but i had a guide, my brother workshop was in front of mine and it was his 3rd year working, so all the time he gave me advices and support when i needed... Of course! i had my panic time and very stressful moments, but between every class i had 10 minutes of coffee breaks to relax with my coworkers that always showed an awesome attitude and very to kill stress with jokes and funny comments... I resume that i ate an exorbitant quantity of honey, liters an liters of water, so many cups of coffee and tea, tons of smiley faces after leavening class, a lot of high-five but most of them i keep a nice experience..
I think i couldn't do this possible without a little help of my friends :)
Today with so much gratitud i say: excuse me, a vow of silence because i've got to clean it up my lovely mess around my apt, today i'm voiceless and tomorrow would be another day...

a treasure from childhood..

Creo que ahora puedo entender un poco mas a los coleccionistas (en mi familia tengo 2!!) y a veces pensaba que era un hobby de acumulación, me era un poco dificil pensar cómo guardan cosas por gusto de excentricidad... Pero el pez por la boca cae! puedo dar una explicación al respecto, en casa, mi mamá cada cierto tiempo (como una o dos veces al año) hacía limpieza, nosotros le dabamos juguetes que no usabamos, ella seleccionaba la ropa que dejamos de usar y de manera muy sutil tomaba una que otra cosa que para variar, no reclamabamos porque obviamente no la extrañamos, muchas cosas se fueron a caridad,  asi de esta manera se fueron unos libros que para mi fueron un tesoro de mi infancia, tal vez voy a leer muchos libros, pero los libros de mi infancia los recordaré toda mi vida... Poco a poco los empiezo a recuperar y pedazos de mi infancia vuelven a mis manos...

I think now i can start to understand a little bit more the collectors (i've got 2 on my family!!) and i used to think that is a senseless hobby to accumulate random items, it was hard to me to think how they keep things just for matter pleasure and excentricity... But the fish hooks by the mouth! i can explain it better, at home, my mom every while (like once or twice at year) she made a cleaning and declutter around the house, we gave her toys that we didn't use, she also looks for clothes that it didn't fit us or don't use it and in a very subtle way, she took some thing from us that of course, we never complain for it because obviously we never missed, lots of this things went to charity, so  this way was that i lost some books that was a treasure of my childhood and i'll read tons of books, but those books from my childhood will be my first ones in my life... Little by little i start to get them and pieces of my childhood come back to my hands...

a nice cadeau...

Fué para mi una sorpresa encontrar un sobre postal en casa, me gustan las buenas sorpresas debo confesar, así que esta fué una muy linda sorpresa. Recibí por parte de un gran amigo un regalo maravilloso, el famoso libro de Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, el principito. Lo leí hace muchos años y me gusto, es una historia tierna pero con fuerza, las ilustraciones son muy bellas y hechas por el autor. Así que es hora de leerlo de nuevo pero en francés... oh la la! buena motivación para aprender y practicar un idioma (Saludos a la France!)

It was a nice surprise get a mail on my house, i like the good surprises if i must to confess, so this was a great surprise. I got a wonderful gift from a great friend, the famous book of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the little prince. I read it a few years ago and i like it, is a cute story but strong, the ilustrations and the painting are so pretty and made it by the writer. So is time to read it back but in french... oh la la! good way to motivate me to learn and practice a language (greetings to la France!)