The Great English/Geography Postcard Project (AKA: help me, dopers of the world!)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
101

[QUOTE=Fern Forest]
Actually one is from Honolulu(island of Oahu) and the other is from the island of Hawaii, a.k.a. the Big Island a little south of Hilo.
[/QUOTE]

Well, they were both postmarked Honolulu. I know Kiluaea is on the Big Island, though, my parents still haven’t forgiven me for whining so much about my chicken pox itchies that we left the Volcano House just before the volcano erupted…we came back to the hotel, turned on the TV, and the damned volcano was erupting. Sheesh, I was six and had the chicken pox on my stupid vacation, I’m not allowed to whine?

Anyway, the lava flow picture was a big hit, I got a lot of “what is that?” questions.

For some reason, I didn’t get my mail today. Hrm. I’m expecting double on Monday!

102

[QUOTE=silenus]
Card is on the way. It’s from Atlanta. It was in my desk, left over from a trip several years ago. Show the kids on a map how far it is from LA to Atlanta.
[/QUOTE]
Overlay a map of Europe showing Bulgaria with a map of North America showing the cities. I had to do this to explain to my English relatives that going from Toronto to Vancouver is like going from London to Istanbul.

103

[QUOTE=Kyla]
Yes, I have received admin permission to post this

Hi. As you are possibly already aware, I teach English as a Foreign Language in an elementary school in rural Bulgaria. My kids are quite sheltered and have a really terrible sense of the world outside of our little town. I am trying to get it through to my students that English is a worldwide language and if they can learn it, they can communicate with people from all over the world; but what do they care about that, if the only person they know who speaks English is me? So I am asking you, the Worldwide Doper Conspiracy, to help me with a combination English/Geography Project.

Basically, send me postcards. We’ll read them, learn about cities all over the world, and then I’ll tape them up on the wall, with a string going to their spot on the map of the world I put up. I’d really like to get postcards from as many English speaking countries as possible, specifically. I know you guys are out there!

Here are the rules, most of which are common sense, but, well, you never know.

  1. Please write in English.
  2. Make it fairly simple English, okay? The kids that are going to read these are in the 10-12 age range, btw.
  3. Please PRINT (no cursive) and write NEATLY. Bulgarian is written in Cyrillic, so the kids aren’t just learning a new language, they’re learning a new alphabet.
  4. Please use a postcard that actually has a picture of your town, area, whatever.
  5. If English isn’t the main language of your area, perhaps you could mention how and when you do use it, and how it comes in handy. If you yourself learned English in school, it would be GREAT to mention that.

It really doesn’t matter if you live in a super famous city or a tiny little town. The kids may have seen, say, the Manhattan skyline or the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Harbour Bridge on TV or in the movies, but they’ve certainly never been there, and to get a postcard from someone actually there will just be amazing. OTOH, they live in a small town, and will likely be able to identify more with other people who live in small towns, so that will be great too.

For mailing address, please email me at k.wall.polin@gmail.com.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Any questions? (Please ask, cause I only have permission for one bump!)
[/QUOTE]

Is it too late to join this? I have a herd of Indonesian relatives, and I could see if one of them might be willing to try it out from there. If it’s not, I can shake the trees and see what falls out. :smiley:

Barring that, I can see about the standard Seattle skyline and Pike St Market shots.

104

[QUOTE=Kyla]
Well, they were both postmarked Honolulu.
[/QUOTE]
Well you are technically correct. The best kind of correct I hear.

One of of the Big Island and one of Honolulu. You can tell the kids when I was growing up I could watch the volcano erupt from my bedroom. We were very close but uphill from the vent so we were safe …ish.

105

I’m very bad-- first to post, last to get to the post office. Vancouver BC was mailed today. “Best for last”!
That’s some fast international mail working there.
Fern Forest, you didn’t go to Pahoa school, did you? Have we had this conversation?

106

[QUOTE=Kyla]
Yesterday’s haul: Texas, Akron, OH, Sydney, and two very different cards from Honolulu.
[/QUOTE]
So it took about a week. That’s pretty good. I thought it might take much longer to get to there.

107

[QUOTE=capybara]
Fern Forest, you didn’t go to Pahoa school, did you? Have we had this conversation?
[/QUOTE]
No and No. I went to Mt. View and then Waikea when we moved into Hilo.

P.S. You might also recognize where I get my name from.

108

I don’t know if this is a useful teaching aid, but the World Chess Championship has now blown up into a serious dispute and could even be abandoned.

Basically Topalov has claimed Kramnik visits the toilet too often (claiming up to 50 times :eek: ) during the 7 hour playing sessions.
The implication is that Kramnik is either using a computer, or phoning a friend who has one.
The Appeals committee made changes to the toilet arrangements, including an attendant.
Kramnik refused to accept this, pointing out there was a legal contract in place (which covered such arrangements), attacking the neutrality of the Appeals Committee and then defaulting the 5th game.
The head of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) has left a meeting with politicians (such as President Putin) and is flying to Elista.

109

Email sent, snail mail to follow. Good project!

110

:: Sunspace waits impatiently to hear whether his postcards got there ::

111

Hi guys. I got ten postcards yesterday, including two from Toronto, Sunspace.

To avoid incurring the wrath of the SDMB mods, I’m moving discussion of the postcard to my blog (which I recently moved to a new server): http://nodforno.blogspot.com/.

If you post there, don’t mock the person MAKING all the CRAZED posts. That’s MY COUSIN, who is a VERY FAITHFUL reader and COMMENTER of my BLOG.

112

Kyla, could you post a list of all the countries you’ve gotten postcards from?

And is it too late to send a postcard? I’m here in lovely, scenic Columbus, Ohio–a place you already have at least 4 postcards from, thanks to gardentraveler. Do you want one more? I have a friend in Australia, and another who’s now living in Mexico and has family in India. It might be neat for your kids to get postcards from Mexico, India, and Australia. Would you like me to forward your OP on to my friends?

113

And I just read your last post, Kyla. I feel like an idiot for having replied to this thread. Never mind.

114

Tried to post but can’t, site will not accept any password I try.

So did my cards arrive yet?

115

[QUOTE=Kyla]
Hi guys. I got ten postcards yesterday, including two from Toronto, Sunspace.

To avoid incurring the wrath of the SDMB mods, I’m moving discussion of the postcard to my blog (which I recently moved to a new server): http://nodforno.blogspot.com/.

If you post there, don’t mock the person MAKING all the CRAZED posts. That’s MY COUSIN, who is a VERY FAITHFUL reader and COMMENTER of my BLOG.
[/QUOTE]
I just posted (anonymously) in your blog. :slight_smile:

116

Posted one today from Mesa County, Colorado!

117

Eugene, Oregon. Go Ducks!

118

Brisbane will be represented. Can’t let Sydney thing they are the face of Australia. :smiley:

119

I must say I’m impressed by the various postal services involved. I take it that postcards just all go airmail these days.

120

Just mailed off a postcard from an island off the coast of North America.

To make up for my tardniness, I have also sent (under separate cover), some brochures and a kid’s book on our historic lighthouse.

Great project!