ahora vamos a contar

i saw this on stepping stone, one of my favorite bilingual educator blogs. thought it'd be a nice way to ring in the new year.

Seven things to do before I die:

1. Have kids. Preferably at least two or three. And watch them blossom into adulthood.
2. Learn another language.
3. Get my masters.
4. Visit every continent.
5. Open a bakery/panaderíá.
6. Learn how to sew my own clothing.
7. Fall in love again.

Seven things I cannot do:

1. Spend long amounts of time with my mother.
2. Snowboard.
3. Control the volume of my voice or laughter without using some sort of muffling technique.
4. Conceal my emotions well.
5. Have friends who I don't trust.
6. Read García Márquez in Spanish and actually understand it all.
7. Pray traditionally.

Seven things that attract me to... teaching:

1. Watching students' amazing progress over time and knowing I played a part in it.
2. Kids never get boring.
3. Kids are creative fountains who come up with ideas and drawings and explanations that boggle my mind.
4. I laugh every day. Repeatedly. Sometimes to the point where it's painful and I tear up.
5. I can put to good use my neat handwriting, drawing ability and organizational anal-retentiveness
6. Endless faculty meetings... just kidding. I am fortunate enough to have a whole hell of a lot of freedom in terms of what I teach and how I teach it. As shitty as my administration can be at times, they really do trust me to do what I must as I like.
7. I am a serious bookophile and I get to share all my favorite books/authors/illustrators/subjects.

Seven things I say most often:

1. Oh my GOD.
2. Fuck!/¡Chingao!
3. What are you doing?/¿Qué andas haciendo?
4. Dude! (often used with "Fuck!")
5. Yo..
6. Shut up! (in disbelief)
7. Ya.

Seven books I love:

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
2. Haroun & the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
3. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
4. And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
5. Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
7. Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada/Cien sonetos de amor by Pablo Neruda

Seven children's books I love:

1. A Porcupine Named Fluffy
2. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezska
3. My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman
4. Milton by Haydé Ardalán
5. The Peanut Butter Rhino by Vincent Andriani
6. Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
7. Animalia by Graeme Base

Seven movies I watch over and over again (or would if I had time):

1. Scarface
2. Singles
3. Keeping the Faith
4. Coming to America
5. Monsoon Wedding
6. The Usual Suspects
7. Zoolander

Seven people I want to join in, too:

1. Madhatter
2. Gustavo
3. Megan
4. Dree
5. César
6. Coco
7. Kait