Big, bigger, the biggest

Atlantic Landscapes (2)

This is a photo of a shepherd, Juan Alonso.

Juan is fifty-three years old. He was born in Juncalillo but now he lives with his wife in Artenara.

He gets up very early every day from Monday until Sunday. He gets dressed and doesn’t forget his hat. Then he has a cup of milk with gofio and cheese for breakfast. He has a hundred and twenty sheep and he goes to the fields with them every day. He sits down and takes care of his sheep. In the evening, he milks all the sheep with his wife and she makes cheese to sell.

He likes walking and practising “the jump of the shepherd” with his friends. He doesn’t like cutting the wool of the sheep.

Juan is a special person because he keeps the Canary tradition.

Yolanda García de la Fe  NB1



If I were a mother, I would look after my children

If I were a clown, I would make them laugh

But I am a tree, I can only wait and stare

If I were water, I would be rain

If I were the sun, I would warm up the world

But I am a tree, I can only wait

If I were a king, I would stop wars

If I were a rich man, I would give poor people a hand

But I am a tree, I can only cry

Carmen Rodríguez Díaz  NA1

In my opinion, the piece of music that could accompany the photographs is the music of Gladiator BSO. The song is "Now we are free" because it is very relaxing and strong too . . . and this music stimulates the senses. This piece has many musical instruments  a symphony orchestra), some strong instruments (horns, trumpets, percussion...).  I like the brass instruments for this. The composer of the soundtrack of gladiator is Hans Zimmer. He was nominated for an Oscar for his music in this film. The singer of Gladiator is Lisa Gerrard. She is Australian.

The music makes you think and reconsider many things. You can feel the immensity and power of nature, your life and the lives of others.

Natalia Ónega Hernández  NB1

Dear Roberto,

Thank you for your letter. I’m very happy that you’re coming to stay with me in March. I’m sure you ´ll have a good time.

I’m sending you these photos so that you know better where I live. I know you like agriculture and these photos speak a lot of the hard work the farmers here do.

The island territory is very mountainous and difficult to create land for agriculture. The farmers have to imagine how to exploit the natural resources.

I like the photo in the top left-hand corner because it is of a very mountainous area which has been used to grow vegetables and fruit. They use rainwater for irrigation. They have broken the rock and incorporated the land. This work has been done with their hands and animals for generations.

Agriculture is integrated with the landscape. I think it is possible to operate in the territory to good use.  

I also like the photo in the top left-hand corner because it is also a rural area and has been used by farmers for several generations for the cultivation of cereals. These cereals are not irrigated because water is not available in this place. The green dots you see in the picture are almond trees that grow on the edges of the land. The house you see in the picture makes the landscape bigger.

The two photographs were taken from a plane, from an overhead view. There are other interesting things you can see too when you come.

I hope you like them because I live here!

Warm greetings

Javier

Javier Gil León, NB2

Atlantic Landscapes

A Piece of Music for the Acusa Plateau by Alicia Rodríguez Barrio (NB1).

The dance of El Vivo is a very ancient piece of music. It is an ancient piece of traditional music from El Hierro. They played it with a drum and castanets. The author is unknown, but Benito Cabrera took the score and made a version for the timple. Later, he sent it to the British composer, Peter Hope, who finished the work. It appears on the recording, “Ethnic”.

Benito Cabrera is a composer who was born in Lanzarote. He is a Canarian timple player, and he lives in Tenerife. He studies classical music and traditional Canarian music. Benito Cabrera makes a renewal of the Canarian music for the timple. He mixes musical elements from Celtic folklore and pop.

This piece of music reminds me of the ancient past when people lived more in accord with nature. It was a time when the landscape was not destroyed and people lived from the land. But at the same time they were difficult times to survive.

The echo of the music seems to repeat itself in the high mountains and it takes me to a distant time: the fight between the aborigines and the European conquerors of the island.



I don't know how to dance El Baile del Vivo, but if I knew . . .





The Goatherd by Guillermina Afonso Perez. NI1

My name is Juan Alonso. I'm not sure about my age. My parents were illiterate and lived very far away, in Artenara. Still today, I live in Artenara with my wife and my two children. I am a goatherd in the highest village in Gran Canaria. I've got about four hundred sheep and goats, and two dogs that help me take care of them. My favourite one is Negro; its mother is very old. It's obedient, lovely and very hard-working. The other day a tourist was here and he took a photo of me with my dog. It was cold but the sun was shining, and I was thinking about my wife and children.

My wife is able to write and read a little bit (I have no idea) but I would like my children to go to a high school and, why not? to a university. They will be the new Miguel Hernández.



Goatherds on Los Cuchillos Road, Gran Canaria, in 1928.



 

SAM´S TREE

This has been my life since I was born until the day of my death.

I was only a seed when a boy called Sam planted me behind his house in Artenara in a great meadow. He took good care of me and every day, he visited me after arriving from school. Then, he used to tell me about his day, if he had had a good or a bad time and sometimes he sang to me his favourite song “Islas Canarias”. I was very happy every time I saw him. He watered me and saw how I grew more and more every day.

I couldn´t see anything yet because I was a little tree, but Sam used to tell me all the things he could see from that place (Roque Nublo, the Fraile Rock and even the Teide when the day was sunny) and used to repeat: “when you become a tall tree you will see the same things as me”.

A couple of months later, Sam started to lose hope because I didn´t grow as fast as he wanted. One day, he asked his father: “Daddy, how long does a seed need to become a tree?” His father smiled and answered: “Oh Sam, a seed needs a long time to be a tree, but don´t worry, we can go to the bookshop and  buy a book about trees in Gran Canaria, so you can know more about them”.

Ten years later...

During all this time, Sam came every afternoon to read a book sitting on my shadow. From there, we looked at the beautiful landscape that was in front of us. Moreover, we felt the different smells and how the breeze touched us. Everything was fantastic. However, one day Sam found out that  a housing estate was going to be built where I was. I knew it but Sam never told me so as not to hurt me. That was the last day Sam saw me.

Two days later, when Sam wanted to visit me, I wasn´t there. Instead of me, he found a truck, a crane and a big hole in the place where I used to be. The lanscape was never the same.

                                                           Carmen Rosa Torres García NA1

Atlantic Landscapes

Basic Level.

When we meet people from other countries, or when we travel abroad, we are often asked about where we live. Can you describe your island in English?

Take half an hour to have a look at the wonderful photographic exhibition about Gran Canaria in our school. It was prepared by Javier Gil León, an English student of NB2. Then, do two of the activities below and give them to your teacher before February 28^th. Perhaps you will win a fantastic prize!

1.    Prepare a short monologue for your classmates and your teacher telling us about one of your hiking experiences in Gran Canaria. You can use a PowerPoint to illustrate your talk, too!

2.    Choose the photograph that you like best. Make a note of its title and the number of the panel where it appears. Imagine you are going to send this photo to a friend who lives in another country. Write a short text by inventing answers to these questions:

·     Why are you sending this photo to your friend?

·     Why do you like this photo?

·     Who took it? When? Why?

·     What was happening when the person took the photo?

Tell your friend more about who or what is in the photo.

End the text with the words, “And I live here!”   Write about 100 words.

3.    Look for the photographs of the shepherds. Choose one of them. Use your imagination to write a text of about 100 words by answering these questions:

·     Who is the person in the photo?

·     How old is he? Where was he born? Where does he live? What does he do all day?

·     What does he like doing? What doesn’t he like doing?

·     Why is this person special?

4.    Study all the photographs in the exhibition. Think of a piece of music that, in your opinion, could accompany them. Explain your choice by writing a short text of 80 words which answers these questions:

·     Who composed the music?

·     How would you describe the music?

·     Why is it ideal for the photographic exhibition?

5.    Make a simple set of instructions for a group of English-speaking tourists who want to go hiking in Gran Canaria. Suggest one of the routes in the photos.

6.    Work with a partner. Person A: you work for an English language TV programme called, Let’s Go Canarias! You have been asked to do an interview with the photographer of this exhibition. Person B: you are the photographer. Your interview should last about 7 minutes. Record it and send it to your teacher.