Spanish 301 - Again!

It's been a privilege to take (for the 2nd time) a Spanish 301 class at the University of Idaho. La profesora, Irina Kappler-Crookston (center, brown sweater) is wonderful, and the other students are bright, funny, and I gotta tell ya, a lot quicker than me at mastering the subjunctive mood and all those verb tenses.
I won't be taking the final this week (out teaching a few too many weeks myself this semester) but I'll be back for another stab at it. Third time will be a charm?
In the meantime, this morning I called "my" guesthouse in the little town in Mexico where I'll be heading again next month, and found out that ¡Sí! they have room for me. We chatted a full 5 minutes - all in Spanish. Yeah!
I'm a few baby steps closer to realizing my mission: To use my art form to help build bridges instead of walls between our cultures.

Countdown / Cutting Up

Here I am in the process of finishing the prep for about 250 more looms. That's all 100% POST-consumer cardboard, too.
Just got a new account for my kits: University of Idaho Bookstore. (Vandal golds and silvers of course.) Have a couple more events this month, such as Buy Local Moscow but my main energy now is going into the draft of my manual... something about How to Help Weave a Million Beads and Make Friends Around the World at the same time...
Title needs a little work. Suggestions welcome...

A closer look at student work

Here's a closer look at Shailie's glass beadwoven bracelets. Also one of the tin tops that each student wove.

McLoughlin High School

I just had a wonderful week teaching at McLoughlin High School in Eastern Oregon. Many thanks to art teacher Blue Leitch, for setting this up and letting me move in and take over. And also to the Humanities for Youth Program in Milton-Freewater, the Milton-Freewater Art Club, and ArtsEast / Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council for their continued support of arts programming. The kids, staff, my homestay - even the salad bar in the cafeteria - were all great! As were the swell projects the kids made.
!Muchas gracias!
Jeanne

Help! I am surrounded by "Interculturalists!"
SIETAR-USA: Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research, is full of fascinating folks using their hearts and brains to help build bridges instead of walls between our cultures. Most of them use a lot more technology than I do as well.
But I am going to surprise them tomorrow, with a bit of Right-Brain-Hands-On-Community-Building ART.
Now, off to a session....
Jeanne

That's me... back behind my trusty Ott light...

Taking a pizza break with Conny and Abigail and family at their "Canadian Club."

How my neighborhood internet cafe in Tomatlán, Mexico got that name I'm not exactly sure, but I'll report back later on it...

and the book I was working on...

and my buddy by the pool at the Hotel San Miguel, where they let me swim...
and more of the folks there...

I'm now back home in Moscow, prepping for my spring residencies, and planning my next INTERNATIONAL beading project - which anyone - including YOU! - will be able to take part in!

Back soon...

¡Hasta luego!

Jeanne