Teaching, Learning, &
Global Engagement
Weekly News & Updates
| |
February 8, 2024 | Volume 10 | Issue 22 | |
Five Things to Know About Christy Cook | |
|
By Christy Cook,
Adjunct and Transition English Instructor
I'm originally from Kingsport, TN. I've been living and working in Davidson County since July of 1999. I moved here when I took a full-time teaching position with Davidson County Schools, starting at Brown Middle School. I have an undergraduate degree in education from Carson-Newman University and a Master's in Instructional Technology from East Carolina.
Throughout my teaching career, I've taught everything but math. I was a middle school teacher for ten years before moving to a district position as a technology facilitator. In that role, I helped Davidson Early College become one of the first 1:1 laptop schools in the state. In 2015, I transitioned back to the classroom full-time. I currently teach high school English at YVRCA (Valley Academy).
I started at DDCC in 2017 when Jody Lawrence called needing a TA for evening DRE English classes. Since then, I completed a graduate certificate in Teaching English at the Two-Year College through ECU. In my time at DDCC, I have taught DRE 097/098, Transition English, ACA 122, English 011, English 111, and English 112.
I am married to Joey Cook, and we live in the Welcome area. I enjoy cooking, reading, and working on puzzles in my free time.
| |
|
Five Things to Know
-
Travel: My favorite place on Earth is Cades Cove, Tennessee, in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. I love to travel and explore anything historical!
-
Music: My music tastes are pretty eclectic! Ben Folds, REM, and Phish are a few of my favorites.
-
Food: I love to cook for my family (and friends) and see the enjoyment they have from being gathered around the table.
-
TV: I'm currently on a rewatch of The Handmaid's Tale.
-
Joyful experience: After Christmas, we took a short trip to Washington D.C. We love exploring the Smithsonian museums. This trip, we went to the Library of Congress. I was humbled and in awe of the reverence for education and books!
| | |
|
-
Ireland - February 8 from 11:00 am to noon in Davie Admin 110/111
-
Global Scholars ePortfolio Workshop - February 8 from 3:00-4:00 pm in Gee N139-142
-
Ireland (Monday) - February 12 from 11:00 am to noon in Gee N111 or on Zoom
-
Ireland (Tuesday) - February 13 from 11:00 am to noon in Gee S124 or on Zoom
-
Culture Café: Valentine’s Day - February 14 from 10:30-11:30 am in Gee N139-142 (More info in the article below)
-
Axe-Con 2024 - February 20-22. Free, virtual digital accessibility conference!
| |
A weekly column brought to you by International Education | |
|
|
International Cuisine: Food in Argentina
By Germán Alcaraz
What if I told you that food represents the values and history of the “peoples” of a country? In Argentina, several dishes represent the Argentinian’s culture in the best way… Let’s get to know them and see what story they can tell us about the everyday people who cook and eat them. Get ready for a tasty journey through food and culture from this breathtaking country… my country… Argentina.
| |
Asado
Asado consists of beef, chorizo (similar to sausages but with different spices), and morcillas (similar to chorizo but made with cow blood), grilled together in a parrilla (grill on which you cook) with some wood or charcoal.
Argentina is well known for its high-quality beef, as the country has a strong tradition of cattle ranching. As there are many open fields in Argentina, cows are raised freely. Beef is a necessity in almost every house’s meals.
Asado is usually eaten on Sundays when families and friends meet. At almost every social event, there will also be asado.
| |
Mate
Mate is a wonderful creation that every Argentinian (and Uruguayan) enjoys. It is a kind of tea (it does not taste like tea whatsoever, though), and some people confuse it with matcha (and no, it has nothing to do with matcha). The herbs we use for mate come from a plant that is dried and later processed into smaller pieces. It is served with hot water and sometimes sugar. It is present at every situation life has to offer - from social events (both formal and informal to academic contexts - some people take and drink mate at schools and unis).
Here’s the fun thing: everybody shares mate and drinks out of the same mate (cup) and bombilla (straw). It is not cleaned or washed… it just goes from one’s hands to the other. Leaving aside ethnocentricity, this practice is amazing as it gives everybody a nice moment for sharing, being all equal, and making them feel together and loved.
In case you want to try it one day, as a good Argentinian, I always have mate in my office! And you are welcome to join me for mate whenever.
| |
Fernet con Coca Cola
Fernet con Coca Cola is a great alcoholic drink. The precise way of preparing it consists of 30% fernet and 70% Coke (some people get confused and may prepare it using 30-coke and 70-fernet… oops!). It is a typical beverage that is drunk and enjoyed all the year, no matter the season or weather. It is usually served with ice. In general, people drink fernet before, during, and after meals like asado.
It is a drink made with different herbs taken from the mountains and processed. This drink is most typically drunk in my province (Córdoba), as we have a lot of mountains where herbs can be found but it is well known and drunk all over the country and beyond!
Again, this drink is shared with others. People usually prepare it in big jars and they are passed around so that everybody can have a drink.
| To wrap up, I could say that all food and dishes from a country represent the customs, values, traditions, and manners of a country. In this case, I have decided to include only three typical dishes and drinks, but many others are also worth talking about! What all of these three demonstrate, from my perspective, is how close and caring for each other people from my country are. We all share, celebrate, and enjoy together… being together… | | | |
|
By Jason Setzer
Davidson-Davie Community College Library provides access to Statista, a statistics aggregator composed of data from market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources. Coverage includes an exceptionally broad range of international and domestic topics. In addition to raw data, Statista also provides insightful reports and dossiers analyzing data trends and their significance.
| |
Culture Café - Valentine's Day | |
Join us for our Valentine's Day Culture Café on February 14th at 10:30 am. In honor of the way that Valentine's Day is celebrated in different countries (often on different dates), we want to spread the love and honor our English Language Learners on the day that is known in other parts of the world as The Day of Love and Friendship, and invite you to the International Education Office in Gee N 139-142 to meet those students, welcome them, and have conversations with them--as well as snacks. | |
Do You Have a Story to Share? | |
We want to promote faculty and staff stories! Please contact Amy Holmes (amy_holmes@davidsondavie.edu) if you have ideas or referrals for stories. | |
Teaching, Learning, & Global Engagement is: | | | | |
