Lesson 1 A Spark in You
Can I Swim? Part 1
Tom ____ is a British teacher.
In the ____, he worked at an English language boarding school in Argentina.
One day he ____ a beach and found a penguin that was injured and alone.
____ decided to help the bird.
He cleaned it, fed it, and even ____ it a name—Juan Salvado.
From that ____ on, Juan Salvado lived on the terrace of his room in the school dormitory.
The following is part of the ____, written by Tom Michell, about the penguin and a boy at the school.
From the first day that I brought a ____ to live at the school, one student in particular wanted to help with his care.
His name was ____ Gonzales.
Diego was a shy boy who seemed to be ____ of his own shadow.
One of the best things that travel gives us is the ____ of the places we've visited and the special experiences we had there.
In order to ____ on to these precious memories, we often bring home souvenirs.
These souvenirs tend to be objects ____ postcards, fridge magnets, and key chains.
However, a souvenir doesn't have to be something ____ in a gift shop.
In ____, the word souvenir means "memory" in French, so whatever brings back memories could be called a "souvenir."
Then what can we keep as souvenirs to preserve our travel memories other ____ ordinary gift shop products?
Let's ____ into what other travelers do to make their travel memories last longer.
He struggled with his classes, and none of the after-school activities seemed to ____ him.
He was ____ strong nor athletic.
On the rugby field, nobody ____ the ball to him or involved him in the game, except to make fun of him.
Diego’s ____ education had not prepared him well for life at his new school.
His knowledge of English was limited, so he avoided ____.
____, Diego enjoyed the company of Juan Salvado.
Indeed, on the ____, Diego could relax.
He had some friends who also had trouble ____ in.
Looking ____ Juan Salvado was good for those boys.
They fed him ____, swept the terrace, and spent time with him.
Buying souvenirs and taking photos can be good ways to remember a trip, but most of the time I would store these things somewhere and hardly ever ____ at them, and thus they would be slowly forgotten.
So I came up with my ____ method of preserving memories in a more interesting and visible way.
I started doing this two years ____ when I got an opportunity to travel around Europe with one of my best friends.
It was a spontaneous trip, so we relied mainly on paper maps from hostels or tourist information ____.
Every ____, we planned our route and sightseeing stops on those maps.
When I returned home, I realized I had accumulated lots of these maps, and suddenly I thought I could ____ a souvenir out of them.
I began by cutting out some landmarks from the map that showed the best parts of our ____, such as the Eiffel Tower, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Colosseum.
____ I got an ordinary plate and pasted the map pieces onto it using special glue.
Finally, I put a layer of sealant over the whole plate so that the paper wouldn’t fade or ____ out over time.
The result is a ____ decoration that I can look at every day.
It is also a ____ reminder of every place I visited.
Can I Swim? Part 2
One day, I took Juan Salvado to the school swimming ____ with the boys.
As soon as the other swimmers left, we brought Juan ____ to the water to see if he would swim.
Juan Salvado ____ been living at the school for several months by then.
However, in all that time, he had never been able to ____ because his feathers had been damaged.
“Go on!” I said. The penguin stared at me and then at the ____, like he was asking, “Ah! Is this where the fish come from?”
____ further encouragement, he jumped in.
With a single ____ of his wings, he flew like an arrow across the water and knocked into the wall on the opposite side.
Luckily, he was ____ hurt!
Shortly after my wedding 30 years ago, I went on a ____ trip with my husband.
We started in New York ____ and drove across the entire country to San Francisco.
There, at a tiny souvenir ____, my husband found a bracelet charm in the shape of the Golden Gate Bridge.
When I saw this cute little ____, I thought it would be a great souvenir to remember the trip, so I bought it to hang on my silver bracelet.
This turned out to be the beginning of a lifelong ____.
____ a few months, my husband and I got a chance to travel to Moscow.
There, we happened to find a tiny St. Basil’s Cathedral charm and it reminded me of the first charm from San ____.
Without a moment’s hesitation, we ____ it to add to the bracelet.
____ then, we have managed to find the perfect charm on every trip.
We now have nearly 20 ____ charms―one from each trip.
We have a Taj Mahal charm from India, a Parthenon charm from ____, and even an elephant charm from Kenya.
As my children grew up, they ____ choose some of the charms, so our whole family can look back at every trip we’ve taken together.
I had never had the opportunity to study a penguin in the water ____.
I was familiar with the awkward way that Juan Salvado ____ on land, but now I watched in awe.
Using only a stroke or two, he flew at great ____ from one end of the pool to the other, turning swiftly before touching the sides.
It was amazing! Everyone could see how much he was enjoying ____.
“Ooh! Aah!” The boys ____, as though they were watching a fireworks display.
After a while, Diego ____ over and asked quietly, “Can I swim, too?”
I was astonished. He had ____ gone near the pool before.
I was not even ____ if he could swim.
“The water is cold, and it’s ____ late.
Are you sure ____ want to go in?” I asked.
“____!” “All right then,” I said, “but be quick!”
Whether ____ for uploading status messages and selfies on social networks or for looking up the best restaurants, staying connected online is not an option but a must for many travelers these days.
However, finding an affordable way to get a reliable connection ____ traveling overseas can be very challenging.
So I buy a ____ card when I get to a foreign country.
At a reasonable price I can get the ____ connection speed as the locals.
That’s not all. Because countries all have different telecommunication companies, each ____ card is a unique souvenir of my trip to that country.
What’s more, as SIM cards don’t take up ____ space, they’re very easy to take home.
I ____ a collection of nine already, and it’s growing fast!
Another thing I ____ might sound strange: Wi-Fi hotspots.
____ I’m in a place I want to remember, I purposely connect to the Wi-Fi.
Then, the hotspot name is automatically ____ on my phone from that time on!
Occasionally I glance through the list of ____ the museums, resorts, restaurants, and other places I’ve visited in my travels.
Although I can’t connect to these hotspots when I get home, just catching a glimpse of one of their names on the ____ makes me excited.
All the memories from that place ____ flooding into my mind, and I can remember exactly what it was like to be, for example, at that peaceful terrace near the shore in Bali.
For a moment, it’s ____ like I’m actually there!
Can I Swim? Part 3
I had never seen him so excited ____.
His eyes were shining with joy, and he seemed to be truly alive for the first ____.
Without hesitating, he ____ into the cold water.
I was ready to jump in and rescue him if he could not ____.
However, I soon realized that I did not have anything to ____ about.
Not only could Diego swim, but he swam ____!
He chased ____ Juan Salvado, and they swam in perfect harmony.
It was ____ a duet written for violin and piano.
____ Juan Salvado took the lead and Diego followed after him.
At other times ____ went ahead and the penguin swam around the boy.
Occasionally they swam so ____ that they almost touched.
For me, the best souvenirs are new ____ I make while traveling.
Obviously, I can’t put the people in my suitcase to take them home, but while we’re together, I can have conversations and ____ with them.
Sometimes I add them on social media or ask for their contact information so that I can stay in ____ with them.
Two years ago I made ____ with an elderly couple from Japan I met at the Jeonju Hanok Village.
While in the restroom, I happened upon a woman’s ____.
____ away, I took it to a nearby police station.
When I got there, I ____ an elderly couple who had come there looking for their lost bag.
Happily, the woman was the owner of the ____ that I had found, so I handed it to them.
They were so thankful that they treated me to dinner, and we had a great time ____.
We still ____ in touch, and last year they even visited my home in Gyeongju.
For me, this proves that a good relationship is the best souvenir, because it can make the memories of a trip last for a ____ time.
____ Precious Memories with Your Own Souvenirs
In the end, travel is really ____ personal memories and unique experiences that will color your soul and enrich your life.
So the next time you think about grabbing a souvenir as a reminder of your trip, remember: whatever captures your own priceless moments will be better than ____ souvenir you can easily buy with money.
I was ____ speechless.
Suddenly Diego was not the sad little boy we ____ become used to.
He was a very normal boy with a ____ special talent.
“Diego! You ____ swim!”
“Yes, I can ____.”
“I mean you are able to swim really well. ____, in fact!”
“Do you ____ so?”
He asked without looking directly at me, but I saw a smile on his ____.
As we returned to the ____, Diego told me that his father had taught him how to swim in the river by their home.
It was the ____ time he had talked about his life.
I listened in silence, without making any corrections to his English, as he talked nonstop all the ____ back to the dormitory.
Can I Swim? Part 4
The events of that ____ were extraordinary.
A child had gone ____ to the water to swim with a penguin, and shortly afterward, a young man had emerged.
The ugly duckling had become a ____.
It was ____ a turning point.
____ confidence grew quickly after that day.
When the school had a swimming competition, he won every race he ____ in.
The ____ and acknowledgement given by the other boys was genuine.
He had earned the respect of his ____.
Over the next few weeks, his grades ____ and he became more popular.
Thanks to a swim with a penguin, a lonely boy’s life was ____ forever.