CALICO Comes To Texas State

And I got to drive them around town. No it wasn't a herd of cats although that might be just as blog-worthy. CALICO is an acronym for Computer Assisted Language Instruction COnsortium; they have a website at www.calico.org. I talked to a few of the educators about what they were learning at the conference. Stuff like using ipods and podcasts to assist with teaching foreign languages. I overheard some heated opinions on the subject afterward. Sounds like some really good ideas if implemented correctly.

One of the things about a conference like this is that it draws attendees from everywhere. There was a gentleman from Japan and a group from Canada that I talked to and teachers from all over the U.S. (all with fun accents, of course!).

I've decided I love foreigners! To them, the everyday places and objects we take for granted become wonderful tourist attractions worthy of several photos. For instance, the Canadians were absolutely fascinated with a place I frequent quite frequently for nourishment and indulgence. I even briefly blocked a lane of traffic with my bus for them to get out and take pictures. The object of their interest: a fully-loaded SONIC Drive-In. I was really impressed, but now that I think about it, Americans do the same thing when they travel abroad. I mean what's with this pic?

It's just some guy's fishing boat Marissa and I stumbled upon when we were in Scotland two years ago. But it was neat to me.

I wonder if there's something to be learned from this tendency of humans in foreign places? Maybe we should realize everything we do, no matter how repetitive or redundant or repetitive, has potential excitement hiding somewhere. We just have to look for it. Have you smelled any roses lately?