Awesomeness

This was another exciting evening at Toastmasters Barcelona. Not only were we in for an Ice Breaker named after a very interesting question, but we would learn how to become successful bloggers –particularly useful for me, for obvious reasons!- and listen to a speech which will enter competition soon enough. Sounds promising, right?

After Agnieszka Gut, as acting President, welcomed Toastmasters and guests –quite a lot of us, by the way. Go Guests!- Carmen Pazos filled the Toastmaster role and skillfully introduced both the program and those covering the Ah-Counter, Grammarian and Timekeeper roles.

‘Where am I from?’ That can certainly be a tough one to answer! However Rayane Bachammar did so splendidly in her Ice Breaker, pointing out the difference between our physical place of birth and the place we feel we come from. The phrase ‘one identity made of different elements’ –as she describes her multinational origin and background- sounds as clear as a bell. Great speech Rayane, we welcome your identity indeed!

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a successful blogger? Sandra Guerrero hinted at three key elements: Making yourself visible, blogging about what you know, and building trust. If you choose the right  topic, work on a great blog design and post regularly without giving up, nothing can stop you! Thanks Sandra for sharing such expert insights with us.

Finally, we had the great pleasure of attending the speech ‘Modern Times’ by Girish Pramani, which will enter competition in just a few days. It is awesome to see the level one can attain when dedication meets talent. Girish reminded us a smile is ‘happiness under your nose’, so why not smile more often … kids do it up to 300 times a day! In this time of running up and down, we can reference so many similarities from the classic Charlie Chaplin film and extract conclusions from it. Let’s wear more happiness under our nose, shall we?

The table topics of the day were about fears, albeit quite particular ones. Mariyana Tasheva asked volunteers to talk about having fear of tasting food and having your partner prepare a special meal for you, fear of stair climbing when you work on a 74^th floor, or fear of flowers when you’re gifted with a bouquet of them.

The word of the day was ‘Propinquity’... I think most of us would probably have to look this one up in the dictionary. Even with such a complex word, eight members used it in their speeches. Aren't we simply awesome??