“When you set sail for Ithaca,
wish for the road to be long,
full of adventures, full of knowledge.”
―
The Greek poet from Alexandria Constantino Cavafis (1863-1933) tells us about the importance of enjoying the long journey, whichever journey, and not only be thinking about our goal, our destination. This is a metaphor to be applied to any targets in our life, or to the life itself.
That would be the case of our students in the quest for the best future they can expect and that is the case of teachers. Teaching is not an easy task, but with the rucksack full of eagerness and hopes this long vital journey will be more enjoyable. When I look back and see how much I have gone through (here's my blog and my site as an example) and the expectations I have for the future, I realise the importance of Cavani's poem making reference to Homer's voyage to Ithaca, his home.
I would like you to discover the real meaning of the poem and of what I have just said by having a look at the videos and articles I have prepared for you:
The Poem Ithaca by Constantine Cavafy (explanation in Spanish)
The legend of Ithaca explained
Everything you need to know to read the Odyssey (Episode 1: The Odyssey)
Ithaca by C.P.Cavafy (with Sean Connery & Vangelis)
Version with lyrics >>> Ithaca by C.P.Cavafy (Read by Sean Connery) | Powerful Life Poem | STRYV
Tourist destination:
ITHACA ISLAND GREECE hlias mpr photography
Visit Ithaca | Ithaca, NY Travel & Tourism Video
And here's the official trailer to the film Ithaca (2016)
Some activities for you to do:
Leadership: Do you know how to achieve your vision? (BBC Learning English)
A listening exercise for you to do: Are personalised diets the best way to be healthy? (BBC Learning English)
News Review: Tonga: Volcano and tsunami hit (BBC Learning English)
Papa English: Learn some Phrasal verbs with "away"
Here's my musical hint for today: The Long Road by Mark Knopfler.
LINGOHACK >>>
Episode 220119 / 19 January 2022 >>> Following whales round the southern ocean - Language related to 'researching animals'.
Need-to-know language: conducted, tags, track, migrations & transmitting.
And what about our great Rafa Nadal in his quest to become the G.O.A.T. in tennis? Now it is time for the Australian Open, where Carreño, Badosa and Alcáraz have done a great job too. Today he had a tough match against the French tennis player Manarinno, especially in the tie-break they played in the first set.
