I left my heart in San Francisco.

Hi there! First of all, I apologize for not posting so much this month, but I have been really busy. Believe me! I have noticed that many of my visitors are from San Francisco, I love this city and this post is dedicated to them all.

I went to SF in June 2007 with three classmates and also friends; we stayed there for just three weeks and it was an unforgettable experience!

The flight.- Travelling from Madrid (Spain) to SF (USA) took us about a whole day. We had to take three different planes: from Madrid (Spain) to Amsterdam (Holland), where we spent the night at the Schipol airport; from Amsterdam to Detroit (USA), where I was kept by the police because there was a problem with my passport (the policewoman said it was my lucky day, lol), and FINALLY, from Detroit to SF.

Accomodation and school.- We stayed in Amsterdam Hostel which is located in Taylor Street. In the mornings we went to a school, Embassy CEE in Pine Street to improve our English and in the afternoons we visited the city and its most popular attractions.

Attractions.- Golden Gate Bridge. I was really impressed when I saw it for the first time. It is much bigger and longer than it seems in films or pictures. I love it!

Hills.- As you have probably seen in films, there are a lots of hills in SF, that's why we saw so many people wearing a suit and, at the same time wearing trainers (OMG). I couldn't understand how they can park (or even drive) their cars on a hill.

Streetcar.- Perhaps it's the most popular medium of transport in SF, but I think that it is used mainly by tourists, as we did.

Fisherman Wharf.- You can go on a cruise, visit the Alcatraz Island, go shopping and have lunch in a nice Italian restaurant. We went there on July 4th, to celebrate Independence Day, there was a concert and we saw the fireworks.

Alcatraz Island.- It was a military prison and one of its most famous prisoners was Al Capone.

Weather.- I agree with Mark Twain who said: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in SF". Summer in SF is very different from summer in Spain, but I do not like hot weather so it was perfect for me. The worst thing about the weather was my hair, it was always curly. 

Enjoy the pictures as much as I do. Those people who live in SF, enjoy your city. I promise I'll come back.

"THE BEST IS YET TO COME"

Barack Obama was re-elected President of the United States last November 6th. He was the first African-American to be President and he is the first president since Theodore Roosevelt to be returned to office for a second term.

In his victory speech Barack Obama thanked 'every American who participated in this election'; he also thanked Joe Biden, vice-president, to whom he defined as 'the America's happy warrior'. He also had a few words to his wife: 'Michelle, I have never loved you more' and to his two daughters Sasha and Malia: 'I'm so proud of you guys'.

Barack Obama did not forget to talk about the principles the American nation is based on: freedom and dignity for every human being, hopes & dreams, obligations & rights, patriotism. "What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great."

The re-elected President also mentioned these difficult times we are passing through and he gave a few words of hope to the American nation and encourage them to keep working hard: "I have never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. [...] America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I belive we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you're willing to try".

However, in this long campaign what attracted my attention more was the polling stations in which Americans could vote. In Spain we vote in the primary schools which are nearer to our address but in the USA, they vote in churches, pet shops, sports halls, private homes or even in laundromats. There go the pictures!!








Congratulations to the re-elected President and to all Americans that believe that 'the best is yet to come'.

Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

Hi guys! After the Halloween celebration, let's continue studying grammar: the past tenses. In this post, both past simple and past continuous are shown, and also their uses, structures, examples and how to combine both in the same sentence. You will also have some links to put the theory into practice. Thank you!

HALLOWEEN IS COMING!

HALLOWEEN IS COMING!

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31 mainly in the USA, Canada, Ireland, UK, Mexico and Colombia, but the Halloween tradition is spreading out and we also celebrate it in Spain.

Few weeks before this date, some shopping centres or shop-windows are decorated with orange pumpkins, black witches'hats, huge spiders, black cats... Take a look at what I found in a shopping centre, a tomb with a skeleton inside!

Year after year trick-or-treating is more frequent in our country. So if you are at home that night, have some sweets to hand out; some children will probably ring your door-bell disguised in their Halloween costumes.

As long as you wait, you can watch an horror film: The Shining, The Silence of the Lambs, A Nightmare on Elm Street...

But if you prefer to go to a disco, you should wear a Halloween costume. Just choose one!

As we have seen, Halloween can be celebrated in many ways. If you are too shy to dress up in a costume, at least don't forget to wear something black, orange or purple; watch an horror film or, at least, bake some pumpkin biscuits.

A picture from http://anisyelmono.blogspot.com.es/

ENJOY HALLOWEEN DAY!

Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

Hi everyone! In this post you can learn about the present tenses and the differences between them. Both present simple and present continuous are presented, and also their uses, structures, some examples and the most frequent particles. You will also find some links to practice on-line. Good luck!

Christopher Columbus Day

Next Monday, October 8th, Christopher Columbus Day is celebrated in many states of the USA. They celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americans, which took place on October 12, 1492.

How do people in USA celebrate this day?
In some cities, like New York or San Francisco, Columbus Day is an official state holiday. Therefore, schools, banks and other state services are closed. This day there are large-scale parades and events in the streets in remembrance of Columbus and his Italian heritage.

On October 12, Spanish people celebrate Columbus Day, also known as 'Día de la Hispanidad'. This day, we also celebrate 'Día de las Fuerzas Armadas' with an interesting parade in our capital city, Madrid.

If you want to read more about this day, click on the following links:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day
• http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/columbus-day
• http://wilstar.com/holidays/columbus.htm

This video describes the history of Columbus and his arrival to Americans:

http://www.history.com/topics/columbus-day/videos#christopher-columbus-man-and-myth

The second video shows you how people celebrate it in San Francisco.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!!

Welcome to my blog.

Hi guys! I'm Patricia López, a Spanish teacher of English who wants to learn more about the use of technologies in teaching.

When I was a child, my favourite subject at school was English. I loved it! I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, a teacher of English. I remember those days when my parents and I went shopping and I didn't buy dolls or toys (as normally girls do), I preferred buying books in English.

And here I am, editing my first post on a blog. This blog has been specially created for my students, but also for those people who want to improve their English in a different way.

On e4upatricialopez.blogspot.com.es you can find not only grammar explanations, exercises, texts, videos... but also cultural related topics and news about the English speaking countries.

I hope you like it and find it useful. If you have any comments or suggestions, I would be very pleased to hear from you!

Thanks.