Monday, 27 February 2023

Book club 3rd meeting: Wonder

  Our third meeting will discuss R.J. Palacio's Wonder, an uplifting novel that reminds us how important it is to stop judging others by their looks.


Friday, 14th April at 6:30pm in the library of the Sección de Sar.

Participation is limited to the first 15 students who sign up here.

Save the date!

 

Monday, 16 January 2023

Book club 2nd meeting. Elizabeth is Missing

 Our second meeting will discuss Emma Healey's debut novel Elizabeth is Missing, a haunting psychological thriller in which the protagonist, an elderly woman suffering from dementia, remembers nothing but the fact that her dear friend Elizabeth is missing. 


Participation is limited to the first 15 C-level students who sign up here.

Hope to see you on February, 24 at 6:30pm in Sar! Enjoy!!



Friday, 16 December 2022

7th Mini Saga Contest Results

 We are delighted to announce the winners of the 7th Mini Saga Contest of the EOI de Santiago de Compostela.

A panel of teachers from the English department has chosen 3 stories from the 7 finalists and has awarded 3 prizes:

"A Second Chance" by Elena Rodríguez

"Mutual Surveillance" by Julia García

"Only a Breath Away" by Ramiro Cascallana


Thanks to all the participants for their amazing stories and special thanks to all the students and teachers who have voted for the favourite!

Looking forward to the 8th edition next year! Happy holidays!!


Monday, 21 November 2022

7th Mini Saga Contest: Voting now open

 The time has come for us to announce the finalists of the 7th edition of our Mini Saga Contest! We've had dozens of submissions and have carefully read and marked them all until we reached 15 semi-finalists. Thank you to everyone who entered; we have really enjoyed reading your stories!

Help us choose the 7 finalists by reading the 15 mini sagas below and voting for your favourite story here. Public voting will be enabled until December 9th.The jury, who will be composed of members from the teaching staff of the English department, will judge the 7 stories that receive the highest number of votes and award 3 prizes based on their originality and linguistic quality. Winners will be announced on December 16th.

 A second chance

Mildred and Ruppert had been married for thirty years. Their passion didn’t last long. At first they cared for each other but over the time they avoided spending time together. Big little lies started; they eventually joined Tinder. A blind date. Ruppert was so excited.

- What the heck! It's Mildred!!!

A sorry ending

It’s finally over. And it had been intense, oh dear! Intense, indeed! He would never forget it even when it had lasted just for a few days. But what an experience! Every word, every feeling. Oh yes, every page!, he thought as he closed the book for the last time.

Bus to nowhere

He wanted to escape. He packed his suitcase, slammed the door, and took the first bus to nowhere. The destination didn´t matter. He would never go back. Never! But an hour later he was again in front of his house. Without realizing it, he had taken the circle route bus.

Fireworks?

People in the street and lights in the sky. The little girl was looking through the window. She didn't like the deafening noises she could hear. Her father appeared: ''Are you afraid? Don't worry honey, they are just fireworks. Come on, it's time to go to bed''. Ukraine, February 2022

Love Actually

Ana spent her life loving a man who loved another woman that didn’t love him back, but fancied some other to whom she never professed her feelings, thank goodness, because he was enamoured of a green-eyed man who liked to roll in the hay with Ana every now and then.

Mutual surveillance

I’m peeping out through the hole. It looks like she’s sleeping, but I truly know she never lowers her guard. She’s always on alert. If only it would stop raining, I could have a chance to seek food. Oh no, she’s doing it again… I can’t stand her dreary purr.

Only a breath away

Only a breath, that's all I need to take your will down.

Like I did many times before.

To make you lay with me in bed.

A couple of days, or even more.

We’ll feel the heat,

We’ll lose the sense of time.

Because I’m the FLU and you’re mine.

Only once a year

I can´t fall asleep. I’m too nervous. I keep tossing and turning. My dog Otto’s by my side. He can´t sleep either. Tomorrow is the day. Only once a year. Such a big smile on my face…Otto’s smiling too.

8:00am. Beeeeeeeep. “The Three Kings have been here”, mum yells excitedly.

Perfectly Alone

Cameron is the type of guy that exudes confidence effortlessly, as if he was born with

it. He’s extremely handsome, very popular online, with piercing green eyes and a ripped body that he’s proud to show off. Cameron lives with his blind dog and never had a relationship. Bless Cameron.

Someone pulled the trigger

I remained motionless on a cold morning. It was too early and still dark. There was no escape. I found myself surrounded by men with eager eyes. I could just hear a low voice far away. After that, only silence. Suddenly, a shot was fired! The marathon had just started.

Stop!

I get up early,

commute quickly

and work hard.

I have lunch on the go,

look after my kids,

and run some errands.

I do the housework,

answer the emails

and study a lot.

Utterly exhausted,

I end up the day,

closing my eyes and

making new and backbreaking plans.

Strategic move

Beads of sweat trickled down the rider's forehead: one false step and all the effort would be wasted. Many had fallen and hardly anyone was left in the rear, but just as he was about to give up, the white knight moved to d6 and the victorious player shouted: checkmate!

Too late to wake me up

It’s really nice to see family and friends altogether again. My graduation ceremony was the very last time we met and since then, cousin Luna has grown a lot. They all look so close right now. What a shame that I’m inside a coffin and I cannot kiss them all.

Ulterior motives

With death ever-present, she embarked on an ocean-crossing expedition with the sole purpose of keeping the lethal virus alive and managing to inoculate most of mankind. Her vials, some little orphans.

The human chain that carried the life-saving fluid was vital to spreading the smallpox vaccination. Isabel Zendal's priceless legacy.

When Weather meets Time

Somewhere by the ocean.

9 am, 14ºC, soft rain.

Perfect conditions for them to meet: medium, moderate and calm.

Weather was changeable, temperamental, lively, 4 months pregnant.

Time was apparently monotonous, trustable, experienced, wise.

They were meant for each other. …

When the baby was born, they named him Sea-son.


Friday, 4 November 2022

Book Club 1st Meeting. The Uncommon Reader

 Good news, Bookworms!

Our book club is back! We will be meeting on December 9th, 6:30 pm till 8:00pm at the Library of the Sección de Sar. The book selection for the first meeting is Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader, a lovely novella about the subversive and transforming power of reading fiction no matter how uncommon one's  background might be.

All C-level students are welcome! If you want to join us, you need to sign up here. Participation is limited to the first 15 students who sign up!

Happy reading!

Monday, 17 October 2022

7th Mini Saga Contest

 Can you imagine a story in 50 words?

Participate in the 7th edition of the Mini Saga Contest of the EOI de Santiago de Compostela!


Participation terms:

  • To enter, you must be a B2.2. or a C-level student enrolled in the EOI of Santiago de Compostela (Vite) or its satellite schools.
  • Write your mini saga in exactly 50 words (plus a title up to 15 words).
  • Send your text to biblioteca.sar@eoisantiago.org no later than November 18th, 2022. Make sure you include your full name and the name of your group.
  • A maximum of 15 stories will be shorlisted and published here so that anyone can vote on their favourite mini saga. Public voting will be enabled until December 9th.
  • The 7 stories that receive the highest number of votes will be considered by a jury of teachers from the English department, who will choose the 3 winners based on the originality and linguistic quality of the stories.
  • Winners will be announced on December 16th, 2022.
  • EOI SANTIAGO retains the rights to publish your text online or in a printed compilation.

 Participation in this contest necessarily requires the unconditional acceptance of its terms.


Monday, 13 June 2022

Two very special library additions: Thanks, Óscar!

 We are thrilled to show you the 2 latest additions to our library, I say, I say, I say - a collection of jokes, riddles and tongue twisters that will help you approach English culture in a fun way- and the English edition of O Coelliño Branco, a beautiful children’s book based on a Portuguese folk tale . Both books were illustrated by Óscar Villán, a C2 student of English in Sar and also a member of our book club, who has very kindly given us signed copies of both titles.





Óscar Villán is a renowned illustrator, graphic artist and photographer, most notably famed for his illustrations for children's books like A Cebra Camila, O Coelliño Branco, the collection Do berce á Lúa and several other stories published by Kalandraka, one of the leading publishers of children's literature in Galicia.

Óscar's work is unique in its genuine use of proportion, its sensitive use of colour and the simplicity of its scenes, which manage to capture the beauty of everyday life.


Thanks a million, Óscar, for such an amazing gift!