August 14, 2019

Book review: Language strategies for bilingual families. The one-parent-one-language approach by Suzanne Barron-Hauwaert

This is an interesting and useful publication for bilingual families. Mainly, because each chapter finishes with some comments from the parents on the topics discussed in the given chapter. I think it’s a very good addition to the research-based theory, the real voice of bilingual parents.

What is the one-parent-one-language approach (OPOL)? “The original term came from a French linguist, Maurice Grammont, who […] introduced the idea of une personne; une langue”. Literally translated from the French as one person; one language”. (p. 1) OPOL means that each parent speaks their language to the child. (p. 213)

Suzanne Bareon-Hauwaert, the author of Language strategies for bilingual families is an expert on bilingualism both academically, through her extensive research and practically, as a mum to her three multilingual children. In her publication, she discusses various topics linked with bilingual upbringing and OPOL, from a child’s refusal to speak one language, mixing languages, homework, grandparents’ involvement, trilingualism (multilingualism), the advantages and disadvantages of bilingualism to biculturalism. Suzanne Barron-Hauwaert also discusses the philosophy behind being successful in bilingual upbringing and I personally found it fascinating, not only in regards to bilingual upbringing, but also in other aspects of the child’s life (e.g. education or interests/hobbies). So, what guarantees successful active bilingual upbringing? Interestingly, the families who are most successful are those who are passionately committed to their kids’ bilingualism. “[They] discuss, read, and plan their children bilingualism well in advance of the child‘s arrival (…). They highly value bilingualism and its benefits to both the individual and society.” (p. 112)

Do you follow OPOL? How does this approach work in your bilingual family setting? Please let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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August 7, 2019

Book review: Zen: The Art of Simple Living. by Shunmyō Masuno

Zen is a perfect bed-time read. It’ll calm you down and give you some perspective on your worries, stress, sadness, but also all the positive aspects of your life. It’s written by Shunmyō Masuno, a Japanese Zen Buddhist who very gently, but also practically, leads us into the Zen philosophy, how to enrich and simplify our lives through introducing some Zen day-to-day solutions and practices. The book is beautifully published with the illustrations designed by the talented Zanna and Harry Goldhawk. The book is divided into four main chapters and a hundred mini-chapters on how to live a more Zen life.

I often read the book before bed-time, depending on what I feel, I look for the right mini-chapter to resonate with my feelings (or even a heading, if I’m very sleepy). Reading the book has definitely brought more tranquillity into my life and sleep and also makes me think that everything is figureoutable and that being surrounded by nature can heal our bodies and minds.

To bring the book and the Zen philosophy closer to you, below I present some of my favourite chapter titles and quotations:

Savour the morning air (p. 22)

Don’t waste time worrying about things you cannot control (p. 58)

Don’t put off what you can do today (p. 74)

You cannot regret the future (p. 74)

Try your best to do what you can now (p. 76)

Don’t be troubled by things that have not yet happened (p. 82)

Joy is to be found within yourself (p. 84)

Don’t compare yourself to others (p. 92)

Cultivate your sense of gratitude (p. 146)

See things for what they are (p. 162)

Make someone happy (p. 178)

Be here now (p. 184)

Be positive (p. 190)

Make the most of life (p. 222)

Have you read Zen. The Art of Simple Living.? What are your favourite chapters? Please let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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July 31, 2019

Travelling corner: A day in Blackpool

Yes, we made it to Blackpool, the capital of ballroom dancing! The town is also famous for its rollercoasters, clubs and all the glitter, but as we travelled with our 2 daughters (which makes some difference on how much clubbing you can actually do!), we rather enjoyed other attractions of the town. Please see below how we spent our day in Blackpool!

Trams

I think I’m sentimental about trams/tramways, so we had to have a tram ride in Blackpool, especially since they go along the promenade with its beautiful views of the sea (plus it’s practical; you can get a 24-hour ticket and visit more in one day)!

Promenade & beach

The promenade is long, the same as the beach, but as the tide is high, the majority of the beach is under water (the beach actually disappeared in the afternoon when we visited the town), so the promenade gives the opportunity to continue walking (or bike riding) and enjoying the sea views.

The old pier & tower

There are three piers in Blackpool, if I remember correctly, and I think we visited the North Pier. It’s a vintage pier with some French-styled carousels and a unique relaxing and sun-bathing room. There was live music and some good dancing (!). And the view of the tower (which is circa 125 years old!) is breath-taking.

Have you visited Blackpool or other seaside towns in Lancashire? What did you enjoy most?

Kinga Macalla

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July 24, 2019

Book review: Chineasy. The New Way to Read Chinese by Shaolan

Learning a language is a journey.

We love exploring different languages: how they work, look, and sound, and today we’re going to try Chinese. We’ll learn Chinese characters using Chineasy, a learning recourse created by Shaolan (Taiwanese now living in London). The idea behind Chineasy was born when Shaolan tried to teach Chinese to her own children. What is Chineasy? Its goal is to “allow people to learn to read Chinese easily by recognising characters through simple illustrations.” (p. 9). In other words, each Chinese character presented in the book has its own graphic design which feeds our imagination and makes the learning process easier and more enjoyable. What is more, we can also learn how to link characters, draw them or know their exact or historical/cultural meaning.

My favourite characters are: woman, boat, weapon, rain, river and numbers.

I also have a memory game which I plan to play with my friends this summer (I’ll report how we managed to memorise the Chinese characters 😉

You can learn more about Chineasy via their website: https://www.chineasy.com/

Do you use a similar recourse when learning a foreign language? Let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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July 17, 2019

Book review: Le Mot Juste by Imogen Fortes

We read on the back cover: “celebrating the art of the French language”. Beautiful, huh?

 

Le mot juste is a collection of French words, phrases and quotations with their actual meaning, pronunciation and sometimes also literal translation. I think it’s a good way to refresh one’s French if it’s a bit rusty or to have a useful reference of the borrowed French words, such as la joie de vivre, je ne regrette rien, l’avant-garde, la crème de la crème, cordon bleu or le prêt-à-porter.

My favourite French words:

Un pamplemousse. A grapefruit

Au claire de lune. In the moonlight

Le coup de foudre. Love at first sight (lit. translation: a thunder bolt)

En faire tout un fromage. To make a fuss (lit. translation: to make a whole cheese out of it)

Plus tard ça sera trop tard. Notre vie c’est maintenant. Jacques Prévert (translation: Later will be too late. Life is for living now.)

Nous sommes nos choix. Jean-Paul Sartre (translation: We are our choices.)

Have you read a similar publication in the language you currently learn? Please let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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July 10, 2019

TV Review: The Protector (Netflix, 2018)

Magic, science, immortals, love…

 

I began binge-watching the Turkish fantasy series “The Protector” on Netflix back in March, and was devastated when the first series ended: only to discover that the second series was available a month later. Yippee!

The story? A handsome young shopkeeper by the name of Hakan Demir (played by Çagatay Ulusoy) discovers that he is the last of a lineage of heroes dedicated to protecting Istanbul from a race of immortals hell-bent on wiping out the human race. Torn between his newly-bestowed duties as The Protector and his feelings for the beautiful Leyla (Ayça Aysin Turan), Hakan struggles to come to terms with his destiny.

The acting is very good, and the story works like a mystical soap opera – dragging you in so you just have to watch the next episode! My favourite character is Zeynep, portrayed by the wonderful Hazar Ergüçlü, whose voice became the main reason I couldn’t pull myself away from the TV. The show is full of plot twists and you never quite know what is going to happen next. The beautiful settings don’t hurt either.

My rating 8/10.

Darren Cameron

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July 3, 2019

Travelling corner: Wales with kids

I’m taking you to Wales today! To South Pembrokeshire, to be precise. We visited the exact same location when I was first-trimester pregnant, but back then I only wanted to sleep (and was too tired to explore anything). So we decided to visit Wales again as a family of 4 and today I want to share with you our favourite places/activities to give you some inspiration on what to visit/see/do with kids in South Pembrokeshire:

Beach

I’m a huge sea lover, so a nice beach is a must! It’s more for me 😉 , but I think my family likes it, too (happy!). We visited a few local beaches. Our favourite was Barafundle Bay (there will be a separate blog post on this hidden gem!) as the beach was sandy & clean, the sea was calm & greenish-blue, and it was just off the coast path. A bit further away was Broad Haven, it’s a large beach perfect for walking or playing some games/sports. We also walked to Swanlake Bay, but the beach was too rocky (on this particular day) to picnic. The sea view, however, was beautiful.The closest to our summer home was Freshwater East, it’s a long, sandy beach with a small river (perfect for little swimmers to enjoy) and with moderate sea waves (perfect for more advanced swimmers).

Coast path

How did we walk with kids? We took the younger child (6 months) in the sling and the older is a very good walker (4 years old)! One day, we made an attempt to walk to Swanlake Bay which wasn’t successful as we weren’t prepared for such a long walk and had to return home (yes, preparation is a key, especially when walking with kids). The second attempt was more successful (no, we didn’t give up!). Our other walk was to Barafundle Bay and Broad Haven. The walk is very pleasant and you can take a longer, zigzag route, following the coast, or you can take a more direct route, which is quicker.

Swimming Pool

We wanted to go to the fancy swimming pool (Blue Lagoon Waterpark), but the day we decided to go it was raining, so there were almost no tickets available. Instead, we found a tiny community swimming pool (Swim Narberth) which turned out to be just perfect for the little swimmers. There were many babies and toddlers, so the atmosphere was just right for our family of 4.

Museum

We also wanted to visit Tenby and, on a one rainy day, apart from eating ice-cream in the rain, we fancied treating ourselves to some culture, and the Tenby Museum & Art Gallery was an ideal place to go. The museum turned out to be family-friendly and had many exhibits for kids to explore. It was rather small, but packed with museum pieces and art exhibitions. And the views from the windows…

What do you recommend to visit in South Pembrokeshire, Wales? Please let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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June 26, 2019

Book review: Walking. One Step at a Time by Erling Kagge

Walking is man’s best medicine. Hippocrates

Paradise is where I am. Voltaire

This book is genius. That should be my whole review, but I’ll try to explain why.

Erling Kagge is a Norwegian explorer and the author of Silence (my book review you can read here) which is a fascinating read. From this book is coming one of my favourite quotations: “Being on the journey is almost always more satisfying than reaching the goal.” (p. 126) His next book is on walking. It explains and explores the process, the ability, the relativism, the poetry, the philosophy, the medicine, the wisdom behind – one can say – the simple and basic human skill: walking. He refers to many philosophers, writers, artists, explorers, as well as to his own experiences, e.g. to his walking through LA, walking towards the South Pole or walking through New York’s sewerage system. I think the genius of this book is that he presents walking as poetry, as something so fascinating and beautiful that we immediately want to go out and try it as a new (more aware!) experience. Below I list some of my favourite quotations:

“I got lost here before, so now I know where we are.” (p. 21)

“I don’t expect some great thrill on the way to work each morning but I do expect something.” (p. 30)

“To walk is to enjoy simple pleasures.” (p. 98)

“It took me years to realise that a single piece of chocolate tastes better than an entire bar.” (p. 98)

“The present moment and the eternity are not necessarily opposites. Time ceases, and both can be experienced at once.” (p. 134)

It was a true pleasure to read the book. Do let me know in the comments below what impressed you most in Walking.

Kinga Macalla

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June 19, 2019

Travelling corner: Polperro, Lansallos, Barcelona. Where are we?

Can you guess where you can find all those towns located almost next to each other? I’ll help you: in Cornwall, UK! Yes, I was as surprised as you are when I discovered that some Cornish towns sound more Spanish/Italian than English. Today, I’d like to take you to South Cornwall to explore this beautiful region.

Looe

I visited Looe many times during my summer travels, as my camp-site was located very nearby. The town is small and has a beautiful beach (which can be quite crowded with sun-lovers). There are boutiques, bakeries, cafés and a small harbour. From the harbour you can go to the tiny island called Looe Island or St George’s Island, either as a short tour or a day trip (or you can stay on the island and hire a tipi). From the town, you can also go for a very pleasant walk to the next town/beach, Millendreath.

Fowey 

A cute little town with many tiny shops and boutiques, as well as a beautiful marina and beach. You can go by boat to Polruan or take a longer sea tour. You can walk around all the narrow streets to get a flavour of the town, or head to the beach to relax and chill out (Readymoney Cove).

Polperro

An old fishing town. When you walk through the small streets, you can feel some foreign accents in the architecture and building layout (Italian?). It can be quite crowded with tourists, but it’s still worth visiting for its special charm.

Which towns have you visited in South Cornwall? Let me know in the comments below.

Kinga Macalla

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June 12, 2019

Travelling corner: A day in Manchester

What can you do in Manchester, if you a few hours or a whole day to spend (and you’re travelling with kids!)? Well, it’s best to choose one or two places to visit, to have enough time to actually enjoy them. See below our day in Manchester.

Central Library

When we arrived in Manchester, we first went to see… the Central Library. The library is beautifully designed, spacious and modern. We spent most of our time in the kids’ section, but even passing by other rooms, we saw how their design is also functional and user-friendly. It’s a wonderful community space, inspirational and accessible. Now I’m spoilt and wish to have a similar space in Bristol. 😉

Manchester Art Gallery

The art gallery in Manchester is almost opposite the Central Library, you just need to traverse a square with many trams crossing it (I know, how exciting!). The art gallery has a kid-friendly studio which, unfortunately, was closed when we visited it. But, they had a really interesting exhibition on Scandinavian design (with the famous Danish chairs and armchairs). We briefly visited the permanent exhibition which definitely needed more attention and time. Our last stop was the gallery café (with some hypnotising window views) which was a perfect place to end our day in Manchester.

Have you been to Manchester? What’s your favourite place to visit?

Kinga Macalla

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