You CAN teach an old dog new tricks

Look what the cat dragged in! How are you? Fine? I can’t listen to you so back to me. I still have this horrible cold. It is hard not to get sick during this season. There are these big molecules travelling around everywhere on every surface. Not molecules. What are they called? People. I tried everything in order to feel well. I drank ginger and chewed tabasco. I tried eucalyptus, menthol oil, honey and lemon, but nothing worked. So I put it all back, and I left the grocery store. 

The sad part is that I have to work anyway. You probably don’t know this, but apart from work as a teacher, I also work in a Canine day-care. I like working with animals.

I love doing different things. Some of you know me for a long time. You know I love learning about different cultures. I love cats, and I enjoy vodka. But there is something you don’t know about me. Wow! That’s a good promo for my post: “Claudio reveals something about himself he´s never told, anyone.”

Here it is: I hate routine. I mean, it’s not a big deal, I know that. But it's still something I haven't talked about before. Yesterday, I told a friend of mine about this, and he said I should go to therapy. And I said wait a minute why should I pay a stranger to listen to me talk, when I have a blog. So that’s when I came up with the idea of writing this post. So, today I want to talk about breaking the routine. A few months ago I turned 30, and you know what that means. 

But before I start knitting a new scarf while I’m watching “Caso Cerrado,” I want to learn as much as possible. It could be learning how to cook, learning a new language or playing a new instrument. In March I took a cooking course on vegetarian and vegan food. I loved it. I am the kind of vegetarian who doesn’t like buying frozen food. I love learning how to cook. I also learn a lot, about cooking, with Youtube videos. From how to make seitan to discover that a cat is running for mayor in the USA. Here you have some pictures of the things I’ve been doing.

I think that continuous learning is essential for our health. Learning something new helps our brain to make connections quickly and give us a rush of dopamine. According to Radiyyah Hussein, dopamine, or The Molecule of Happiness, is highly related to being happy, excited or experience satisfaction. This molecule is also related to love, lust, gambling, addiction and motivation. Basically, dopamine is the Kim Kardashian of molecules. Experts also say that learning a new skill can slow cognitive ageing. 

True story 

When I was 20, I decided to take saxophone lessons, and I honestly enjoyed the process. I felt really good about myself. Two weeks ago I learnt how to use the coffee machine. What's more, in a few months, I’m going to start taking Korean lessons. Why Korean? (Shut up, Emiliano) I love different cultures, and I enjoy learning about them. 

Benefits

According to Dustin Wax, editor and project manager at Lifehack:

• Learning helps us more easily and readily adapt to new situations.
• A broad knowledge of unfamiliar situations feeds innovation by inspiring us to think creatively and providing examples to follow.
• Learning deepens our character and makes us more inspiring to those around us.
• Learning makes us more confident.
• Learning instils an understanding of the historical, social, and natural processes that impact and limit our lives       

In the classroom

When I’m teaching, I don’t like to use the same activities every year. I get bored. So, I’m always looking for new ways to teach the same topics. This year I had to deal with numbers and colours. I used Pinterest to find new games for this. I have never used that app before. Someone recommended that I should use Pinterest. As a result, here you have this lovely activity. I changed it a little bit. I had an audio recorded by my niece and my nephew. My students had to feed the dog following the instructions. We had a great time feeding Hedwig. Yes, Hedwig. 

So, I hope this convinces you to try something new. It's going to make you happy. You will also have a young brain. Finally, I hope this post convinces you to vote for Tuxedo Stan.

Have a nice week :) 

Link: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/learn-something-new-every-day.html

Other interesting links: https://www.psychologies.co.uk/want-be-happier-learn-something-new. 

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/learning-new-skills-keeps-an-aging-mind-sharp.html.