Greetings

Greetings to everyone! First I would like to say thank you to Robert De Simone, Judith Rhedin, and Natalie Arsenault for this wonderful opportunity to meet each and every one of you, and also a special thank you for acceptance into this program that I know will be a defining moment in my life.

I know with the year winding down we are bombarded with paperwork, final exams, review sessions, and going to various end of the year functions, and I must say that this trip is the bright light that keeps me going. I've looked through the participant list and am excited to see a variety of people attending this seminar. Thanks to Natalie, we are able to communicate through this listserv to get to know each other better, and since both Natalie and Judith have told us a little about themselves, I think its my turn.

My name is Denise and I reside in Brownsville, Texas on the border by the sea. I teach English Language Arts at a public high school to 10th and 11th grade students. I am extremely involved in my school's academics and extra-curricular activities which I am able to do due to my single status and my one child (a 6 year old Schnauzer). If many of you are not familiar as to where Brownsville is, we are the tippy toe of Texas on the border of the United States and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Our community is much like that of Jorge Badillo (from El Paso). We are a 98% population of Hispanic culture, and we celebrate this as much as we can. That being said, you might ask why would I am so excited about this trip, and the reason stems that although I live on a border city, I have been raised with a blend of American values and Mexican culture. Brownsville is a different city all in its own, and for those who have studied border culture can say that we are very unique. I might has well fess up while I'm getting started. Even though I live in a border city my Spanish is horrendous. I understand the language quite well (thanks to watching novelas with my grandmother growing up), but unfortunately, my vocabulary is lacking; therefore, the Spanish survival class will be useful. I will be taking a little present from a student of mine from Guadalajara with me on the trip: a Spanish/English dictionary!

I will be honest with the group by saying that the journey has already taken me by the tail with the expedition of my passport and trying to obtain repatriation and emergency medical evaluation insurance (which by the way my school insurance does not cover and commented that I must be embarking on a dangerous journey if I need such coverage). Needless to say, with some trepidation, I have overcome my fears and am now on my way to completing all paperwork. Good luck to all this week, and I hope to hear from you soon!