The undelivered bill payment Last Thursday I was in a hurry mailing few of my bills payments. The due date to pay one of them was November 14. I took the envelopes to the mailbox early morning, I tried to beat the mailman. When I had all my mail placed in the slot I turned my head to the left and saw his truck parked right next to a mailbox one block away. I was late!.' Well', I thought,' if they also work on Saturdays, I still have Friday, Saturday and Monday for the payment to arrive on time to its destination'. What was my surprise when my daughter handed me today two of the envelopes that I previously had sent. They were returned to me because I forgot to place the post stamps on them !

Words in my mind Last week a met a wise old man. He is the owner of a folk art store. He sells pots, flower vases, paintings, figurines, games,flowers made out of paper, clothes, piñatas, and other very attractive and colorful stuff. I came here to learn about the day of the dead. He talked about this subject to a small group of people. The class was very interesting, he handled to us some sheets with a lot of information about the meaning of this day and also how to build an altar for our deceased loved ones. But during his speech he mentioned that his father once told him that the education or degree that you received or obtain from a higher institution don't make you better than the other people but it makes you to see LIFE very different. Now I have those words stuck in my mind ♪ ♫ !

Day of Death Yesterday morning, I took my daughter to a class which it was about the day of death and how to make an altar. Her Spanish teacher told her that if she could attend this class she would get bonus points for this. I'm Mexican and still I didn't know much about the meaning of this day. I remember when my family and I used to go to the cemetery on the second day of November every year. The place was crowded, every one was cleaning the tombs of their deceased relatives and placing flowers on them. That is the custom of my town, but now I know that in other towns they celebrate this day building altars to honor their beloved deceased ancestors. They place photos and favorite food or drink of the deceased, water, candles,marigold flowers, bread and other things. I found that the given information that we received from this class was very fascinating, Maybe this coming Day of Death I will try to build my own altar!

Listening to the radio. One of my activities to advance in English is to listen to the radio everyday, mostly talk shows. Every morning when I wake up I use my mp3 or my cell phone to do this. I have noticed that my listening skills have improved a lot. I wll continue doing this until I reach my goal.

My favorite place to workout Today, when my son and I were leaving home for a walk, we stopped by to say hi to our next-door neighbor. She's a very sweet and nice lady, it is a really pleasure to talk to her. We chatted for a while and then we left to go to a nearby bayou where there is a walking trail. One reason why I like this is because you do not get bored easily. Also this place offers you an enjoyable time, the feel of the wind touching you face, the relaxing sound of chirping birds, the different shades of colors of nature compounded by trees, plants, flowers, water, grass, soil and the sky. What a beautiful scene! We have several options to do our exercises; a walking track, a gym, a bicycle, walking around our neighborhood or a stationary bike at home. Between all of these my absolute favorite is going to the bayou!

Can you describe a liger? Also you can tell us if you have seen one before. Where? etc. etc.

How do you feel? How do you feel when you talk to an English native speaker and she or he doesn't understand you? Of course your language is not English but you are learning it.

First notebook entry: Introducing myself Hi, My name is Gloria. I'm learning English to communicate with others in this language. My goal is to speak it and write it very well and effectively.