Lesson 1 A Spark in You
Can I Swim? Part 1
____ Michell is a British teacher.
In the 1970s, he worked at an English language ____ school in Argentina.
One day he visited a beach ____ found a penguin that was injured and alone.
Michell decided to help the ____
He ____ it, fed it, and even gave it a name—Juan Salvado.
From that day on, Juan ____ lived on the terrace of his room in the school dormitory.
The following is part ____ the story, written by Tom Michell, about the penguin and a boy at the school.
From the first day that I brought a penguin to live at the school, one student in particular ____ to help with his care.
His name was ____ Gonzales.
Diego was a shy boy ____ seemed to be frightened of his own shadow.
One of the best things that travel gives us is the memories of the places ____ visited and the special experiences we had there.
In order to ____ on to these precious memories, we often bring home souvenirs.
These souvenirs ____ to be objects like postcards, fridge magnets, and key chains.
However, a souvenir doesn't have to be something purchased ____ a gift shop.
In fact, the word souvenir means "memory" ____ French, so whatever brings back memories could be called a "souvenir."
Then what can we keep as souvenirs to preserve our travel memories other than ordinary gift shop ____
Let's look into what other travelers do to make their travel memories last ____
He struggled with his classes, and ____ of the after-school activities seemed to suit him.
____ was neither 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 early education had not prepared him well for ____ at his new school.
His knowledge of English was ____ so he avoided conversation.
However, Diego enjoyed the company of ____ Salvado.
Indeed, on the ____ Diego could relax.
He had ____ friends who also had trouble fitting in.
Looking after Juan ____ was good for those boys.
They fed him fish, swept the ____ 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 look at them, and thus ____ would be slowly forgotten.
So I came ____ with my own method of preserving memories in a more interesting and visible way.
I started doing this two years ago when I got ____ 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 ____ offices.
Every day, we planned ____ 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 ____ make a souvenir out of them.
I began by cutting out some landmarks from the map that showed the best parts of our trip, such as the Eiffel Tower, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the ____
Then I ____ an ordinary plate and pasted the map pieces onto it using special glue.
Finally, I put a layer of sealant over ____ whole plate so that the paper wouldn’t fade or wear out over time.
The result is a wonderful decoration that ____ can look at every day.
It ____ also a terrific reminder of every place I visited.
Can I Swim? Part 2
One day, I ____ Juan Salvado to the school swimming pool with the boys.
As soon as the other swimmers left, we brought Juan Salvado ____ the water to see if he would swim.
Juan Salvado had been living at the school for ____ months by then.
However, in all that time, he ____ never been able to swim because his feathers had been damaged.
“Go on!” I said. The penguin stared at me and then at the pool, like he was asking, “Ah! Is this ____ the fish come from?”
____ further encouragement, he jumped in.
With a single movement of his wings, he flew like an arrow ____ the water and knocked into the wall on the opposite side.
Luckily, ____ was not hurt!
Shortly after my wedding 30 years ____ I went on a road trip with my husband.
We ____ in New York City and drove across the entire country to San Francisco.
There, at a tiny souvenir shop, my husband found a bracelet charm in the shape ____ the Golden Gate Bridge.
When I saw this cute little charm, I thought it would be a ____ souvenir to remember the trip, so I bought it to hang on my silver bracelet.
This turned out to ____ the beginning of a lifelong tradition.
After a few months, my husband and I got a chance to travel to ____
There, we happened to find a tiny St. Basil’s Cathedral charm and it reminded me of ____ first charm from San Francisco.
Without ____ moment’s hesitation, we bought it to add to the bracelet.
Since then, we have managed to find the perfect ____ on every trip.
____ now have nearly 20 different charms―one from each trip.
We have a Taj Mahal ____ from India, a Parthenon charm from Greece, and even an elephant charm from Kenya.
As my children grew up, they helped choose some of the charms, so our whole family can look back at every trip ____ taken together.
I ____ never had the opportunity to study a penguin in the water before.
I was familiar with the awkward way that Juan Salvado walked on land, but now I watched in ____
____ only a stroke or two, he flew at great speed 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 ____ himself.
____ Aah!” The boys shouted, as though they were watching a fireworks display.
After a while, Diego came ____ and asked quietly, “Can I swim, too?”
I was astonished. He had never gone near ____ pool before.
I was not even sure ____ he could swim.
“The water is cold, ____ it’s getting late.
Are you sure you want ____ go in?” I asked.
“Please!” “All right then,” ____ said, “but be quick!”
Whether it’s for uploading status messages ____ 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 ____ to get a reliable connection when 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 same connection speed as ____ locals.
That’s not all. ____ countries all have different telecommunication companies, each SIM card is a unique souvenir of my trip to that country.
What’s more, as ____ cards don’t take up luggage space, they’re very easy to take home.
I have a collection of ____ already, and it’s growing fast!
Another ____ I collect might sound strange: Wi-Fi hotspots.
Whenever I’m in a place I want to remember, ____ purposely connect to the Wi-Fi.
Then, the hotspot name is automatically stored on my phone from that time ____
Occasionally I glance through the list ____ all 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 ____ a glimpse of one of their names on the list makes me excited.
All the memories from that place come flooding into my mind, and I can remember exactly what it was like to be, for ____ 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 ____ seen him so excited before.
His eyes were shining with joy, ____ he seemed to be truly alive for the first time.
____ hesitating, he dived into the cold water.
I was ready to ____ in and rescue him if he could not swim.
However, I soon realized that I did ____ have anything to worry about.
Not only could ____ swim, but he swam magnificently!
He chased after Juan ____ and they swam in perfect harmony.
It was like a duet written for violin and ____
Sometimes Juan Salvado took ____ lead and Diego followed after him.
At other times Diego ____ ahead and the penguin swam around the boy.
Occasionally they swam so ____ that they almost touched.
For me, the best souvenirs are new friends ____ make while traveling.
Obviously, I can’t put the ____ in my suitcase to take them home, but while we’re together, I can have conversations and laugh with them.
Sometimes I add them on social media ____ ask for their contact information so that I can stay in touch with them.
Two years ago I made ____ with an elderly couple from Japan I met at the Jeonju Hanok Village.
While in the restroom, ____ happened upon a woman’s bag.
Right away, I took it to ____ 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 ____ to dinner, and we had a great time together.
We still keep in touch, and last year they even visited my ____ in Gyeongju.
For me, this proves that a good relationship ____ the best souvenir, because it can make the memories of a trip last for a long time.
____ Precious Memories with Your Own Souvenirs
In the end, travel is really about personal memories and unique experiences that will color ____ 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 almost ____
____ Diego was not the sad little boy we had become used to.
He was a very normal boy ____ a very special talent.
“Diego! ____ can swim!”
“Yes, I ____ swim.”
“I mean you are able to swim ____ well. Brilliantly, in fact!”
____ you think so?”
He asked without looking directly at me, but I saw a ____ on his face.
As we ____ to the dormitory, Diego told me that his father had taught him how to swim in the river by their home.
It was the first time ____ had talked about his life.
I listened in silence, ____ making any corrections to his English, as he talked nonstop all the way back to the dormitory.
Can I Swim? Part 4
The events of that day ____ extraordinary.
A child had gone down to the water to swim with a penguin, and shortly afterward, a young man had ____
The ugly ____ had become a swan.
It was definitely a ____ point.
Diego’s ____ grew quickly after that day.
When ____ school had a swimming competition, he won every race he participated in.
The encouragement and acknowledgement given by ____ other boys was genuine.
He had earned the respect ____ his classmates.
Over the next few weeks, his grades improved ____ he became more popular.
Thanks to ____ swim with a penguin, a lonely boy’s life was changed forever.