Casa de Cockroach

You can imagine my surprise, when I pulled down the blankets of my bed, to find a cockroach sleeping on my pillow! After fourteen hours of travel, via shuttle bus, two planes and a taxi, I was in no state to call the front desk and try to explain my dilemma. Instead I shook off the pillow, put a second pillow on top, and went to sleep.

Little did I know that this cockroach would bring me good luck. How? Well. Throughout the week, when I met people at the fair and they asked me where I was staying...I couldn't stop laughing. I told them the story of staying at Casa de Cockroach. It broke the ice. They laughed, too. I sold everything I'd taken to Guadalajara and more. I experienced the best week of business in Mexico that I'd ever had...because I was always laughing and smiling.

The Guadalajara Book Fair is held every year during a week that straddles the end of November and the beginning of December. With exhibits of more than 1,600 publishing houses representing 40 different countries, the fair usually enjoys over half a million visitors. This year was no exception. It was great.

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Fair attendees enjoying lunch outside [left]. The fair was busy as always [right].

My trip this year was especially interesting because I met with Adela Gonzalez who took me to see her factory, Diako, just outside of Guadalajara. We also visited one of Adela's Edu-Kids educational stores.

This dynamic lady first began her business 18 years ago by making wooden puzzles in a stall of a barn. She now owns a busy factory which runs two shifts. They make many different kinds of educational wooden puzzles as well as desks and classroom supplies. Adela also owns 8 Edu-Kids educational stores scattered strategically across Mexico. A wife and the mother of three children, in her spare time, Adela loves to ride horses and is a professional breeder. It was an exhilarating experience spending time with Adela!

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Adela discussing business with vendors [left]. Bird's-eye view of the Diako factory [right].

The Frankfurt Book Fair - Celebrating Diversity Big Time

Earlier this month I spent a very full five days at the the world's largest and most important book fair, the annual Frankfurt Book Fair. Try to imagine a world community of over 180,000 international trade visitors, viewing more than 400,000 books displayed by publishers from more than 100 different countries - all over a period of five days.

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A bird's eye view of Hall 8 [left]. An impromptu concert (during the fair) by Alex Jacobowitz [right].

The experience was incredible. Visitors were ferried from hall to hall by shuttle bus, to meetings with hundreds of publishers from dozens of countries.

Always thinking as an educator, it came to mind that it be wonderful if we could find a multicultural experience equally as exciting for our students.

And then this week...I think I found it. I've discovered a free website which uses social networking to teach students languages. The Livemocha website offers students the chance to study and acquire 30 different languages through the help of other online participants who reside in all corners of the globe. The only caveat that I can see so far is that participating students must be at least 13 years of age. You can check it out at: http://www.livemocha.com

Now you'll know where I'll be spending my time! ¡Hasta luego!