ESL Teachers' Blog of Substance

Earthquake Here in Southern California

First there was a sharp thud, then there was rolling.  I thought the thud was an intruder in the house, so I was actually relieved when I realized that it was an earthquake.  That is until the quake kept rolling.  It lasted longer than usual.  I was on the phone talking to a woman who was in LA, and I felt it first.  She got under the desk, and we kept talking.  When it stopped she hung up to call her kids.

My daughter Candice was at a gas station is Huntington Beach filling her car and a sign fell and hit her on the head.  It left a red bump on her forehead.  Her friend was sitting on the bedroom floor putting on her makeup when the mirror she had propped up against the dresser fell and broke on her face.  Some small pieces of glass lodged in her face.  Her mom's taking her to the hospital to have her eyes checked for glass.

Luckily, we're all okay.  I might pick up some more bottled water just in case there's another one.

Food Lessons for ESL Students

I added a new series of food lessons for ESL students and teachers.  The vocabulary is targeted toward beginning literacy to beginning high classes.  The lessons are called:  Breakfast, Food Lesson, Grocery Store, Healthy Foods, and Restaurants.  I'll probably add another five lessons to this section later.   I intend to create material about lunch, dinner, recipes, nutrition, and dieting.

Vietnam War Memorial in Westminster, California

Here's a photo of the Vietnam War Memorial that's in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park, which is near my house.  The memorial and was designed by Tuan Nguyen and was dedicated in 2003.  Councilman Frank Fry is credited with starting the project.  It includes bronze statues of a South Vietnamese soldier and an American soldier.  The soldiers are surrounded by a black waterfall that resembles the famous Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.   A large Asian-style vase is in the center of the memorial, and it has an eternal flame.  About 3 to 4 million Vietnamese (both sides),  1.5-2 million Laotians and Cambodians, and 58,000 Americans died during the Vietnam War, which is also called the Second Indochina War (1959-1975).  I often stop by and pay respect to those who lost their lives.

Interactive Crosswords - Still Experimenting

I'm adding some interactive crossword  puzzles to this ESL website.  I'm still experimenting to see which crossword puzzle software works best, so you may see several different versions of puzzles on the site.  I had a computer crash and didn't have all of the puzzles backed up, so I now I have to recreate some of them by printing out the downloadable puzzles that are already posted on the site and retyping them.  Darn, I hate redos!  Yes, even I don't back up my work often enough!  I think I have a flash drive hiding somewhere with some of the state crosswords on it.  I just can't find it at the moment.  I wish there were a hint that would help me find where I put it.

Old World Village - Huntington Beach, California

I went to Old World Village in Huntington Beach today to take some photos.  Old World Village is a quaint outdoor mall with a German theme.  It has restaurants, delis, coffee houses, shops, a church, and a hotel.  It reminds me of the toy village that my Grandma Christina Niven set up under the Christmas tree every year.  There are scenes from Europe painted on the outsides of the buildings, and there are apartments above the stores.  It's never very busy, so the atmosphere is relaxing.   The bratwurst at the Old World German Restaurant is excellent.  It's important to support unique places in one's community.  This would be a great place to take ESL students on a field trip.