We've almost come to the end of our EAP program and your ESL life. I hope you all have some good memories of your time here and have made life-long friendships. As they say, "This is the first day of the rest of your life!" Tell us what your plans are now; what post-secondary programs you will be attending, or the job possibilities in your future. who have you learned from and who will you miss? Think back to some memorable moments you had in EAP and share them with your classmates. Please post your comments by Tuesday midnight.

When was the last time to tried something new? When was the last time you tried to change a behaviour or adopt a new behaviour. We often talk about these things, but how many people actually do it? Watch this short TED talk and tell me what you think Try Something new for 30 days what are some things that you would like to try for 30 days?  Pick 1 thing that you are going to try to do or not to do for the next 30 days, and see if you can do it.

Favourite Food

 Lately, we have been discussing the serious issues surrounding the food we eat . Now let's lighten up a bit and talk about the food we like to eat! What is your favourite food and or meal and why?  As you can see from the photo, mine is Turkey! Tell us something about it and give us the recipe too if you can.
You will have until Tuesday, July 26 to share your food ideas with us.

Happy Canada Day!!

Happy 144th birthday Canada! The weather looks good and lots of activities are planned in and around Calgary this weekend. Let's take a break from all the serious issues we've been discussing in our BLOG and anticipate the fun you will have (hopefully) over the long weekend. Tell your classmates what you are planning to do or if you blog later on, what you have done this weekend. If you didn't celebrate Canada Day in a big way, tell us what kind of celebrations your country holds for its big birthdays.
As usual, please submit by Tuesday, July 5th midnight.

Have you ever thought about the food you eat everyday?

Where does it come from?

Is is grown locally or is it
shipped from far away?

Is it fresh and natural or are there additives and preservative in it?

Do you try to eat a balanced diet? What does that mean?

It is time to think about what you are eating on a daily basis, try answering these questions and comment on each others responses. by Tuesday June 28th at midnight.

In the last couple of weeks we have watched 2 videos that are related to culture. We watched a talk by Lionel Laroche that discussed the difficulties that cultural differences can create in the the workplace and a video talk by Chimamanda Adichie who told us about the danger of the single story. Thinking about these two talks, take some time to reflect on your own culture and answer the following questions. (these two videos are linked to the speakers names if you need to see them again)

1.    In what ways is your culture different from Canadian culture?

2.    In what ways is it similar?

3.    What are some of the problems that you have faced while trying to adjust to living in a new culture?

4.    Are there any stories that you would like to share with your classmates about your experiences living here?

Take some time to read eachothers comments and respond to them by midnight on  Tuesday June 21st.

If you click on this link The 3 As of awesome! you'll find a 17 minute TEDxToronto video by a guy named Neil Pasricha who has millions of followers on his blog called 1000awesomethings.com. During a difficult time in his life, he started this blog to discover and share all of the wonderful things that make life worth living.
Listen to his presentation and pay careful attention to the 3 awesome things.
Comment on how one or all three play or have played a role in your life. try to refer to some of the things he says in the video, and as well, take a look at your classmates responses and make at least one comment to them. You will have until Tuesday, June 14th at midnight to post your response.

Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at the issue of water as it relates to the world's poor, particularly women, and have recognized the inequality of water distribtuion. Some governments have experimented with handing over their water resources to private water companies and some have been charging fees to those who can least afford it. Lakes are drying up and water tables are diminishing and there is very little clean water for many people throughout the world. According to Maude Barlow of the council of Canadians, water might well be the new "oil." Look at the following 5 questions and choose one to comment on. Try to incorporate quotations or paraphrases from your class readings or lectures to support your statements.You will be given a mark for this blog post. Please submit it by Tuesday May 31st
1. Do you think that water should be a commodity to be bought and sold, or a shared natural resource.

2. Do you think that water is the new oil?

3. Nestle takes 5 million litres of water a day from Ontario lakes, bottles it and sells it back to us. Should private companies be able to do this?

4. 1/6 of all of the people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water.Who is to blame? How can this problem be solved?

5. Do you think that Canada needs a national water policy? What about your country?

As we are learning and talking about water, we are thinking about our own use of water and how to lower our water footprint. We've heard about the global water situation from Maude Barlow and the urgent need to focus our attention on the looming crisis. Follow this link and take a look at the many World Water Crisis Photos on the Time magazine website. Some photos are joyful and some are difficult to look at. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words," Choose one photo that inspires you or causes you to reflect. Comment on what it means to you and why you like it or don't like it. You will have until midnight on Tuesday, May 24th to post your comment.

This week I would like you to go to the website Go Blue and take the test to measure your water footprint. As you have seen in the Story of Stuff video, we often do not stop to think about water, since we take it for granted and so we often waste it unnecessarily. Take the water quiz and tell your classmates how you did on the test. What do you think about your score? Are there any areas in you and your family's lives where you can make changes to the amount of water you use?You will have until Tuesday, May 17th to post your comments.

Welcome to EAP! and Our EAP Blog! I hope you are all ready to enjoy your new term and are ready to start blogging. I know you will want to practice first to see how this works, but after you figure it all out, I would like you to post one comment each.

Here is your task: Please tell your classmates how you will define success in this course and how you will achieve the EAP goals.

You will have until Tuesday, May 9th to post your comments.

Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at the issue of water as it relates to the world's poor, particularly women, and have recognized the inequality of water distribtuion. Some governments have experimented with handing over their water resources to private water companies and some have been charging fees to those who can least afford it. Lakes are drying up and water tables are diminishing and there is very little clean water for many people throughout the world. According to Maude Barlow of the council of Canadians, water might well be the new "oil." Look at the following 5 questions and choose one to comment on. Try to incorporate quotations or paraphrases from your class readings or lectures to support your statements.You will be given a mark for this blog post. Please submit it by Tuesday May 31st

1. Do you think that water should be a commodity to be bought and sold, or a shared natural resource.

2. Do you think that water is the new oil?

3. Nestle takes 5 million litres of water a day from Ontario lakes, bottles it and sells it back to us. Should private companies be able to do this?

4. 1/6 of all of the people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water.Who is to blame? How can this problem be solved?

5. Do you think that Canada needs a national water policy? What about your country?