iatefl 2016 - Birmingham

This is one conference that brought back my energy as a teacher of English language. The wealth of ideas presented from so many speakers and presenters from around the world was a very enriching experience. I sure plan to visit coming iatefl conferences. It was an opportunity to meet in person the very light-hearted linguist David Crystal, who gave a rich plenary about how the English language has ever been changing and he provided examples from the language of the queen when she first ascended the throne and her language now to show how it has become less commanding and less authoritative.
Aside from that, Crystal with his also light-hearted wife,

David and Hillary Crystal performing modern Shakespeare

Hilary Crystal, lead a few events to celebrate Shakespeare. Iatefl 2016 coincided with the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death and that is why Shakespeare was present all throughout the conference especially in the evening entertaining sessions. 

River Avon

Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Jan Blake telling her stories of life

Among the plenary speakers who I enjoyed was Jan Blake. I had presented her to my Advanced Speaking class to give them a model of how to tell a story. I think knowing that Blake would be in the conference was an incentive for me to attend it. She definitely held her audience and trasported them into places they would not think of they could go to. Her stories of life, love and man were very genuine and full of wisdom and ethics.

Amal, Jan Blake and Rasha
It is obvious that I am not good at taking selfies :(

Pete Sharma, Coauthor of 400 Ideas for Interactive Whiteboard one of the many books I bought

And of course I couldn't but buy a whole bunch of books from the conference exhibition most of which I still have not had the chance to check out.

Being with great company was the best part of the conference and gave a special dimension to my stay in Birmingham.

Rasha Halat (to my right) and Noha Borhot (to my left)

And just as good was meeting people who I haven't for quiet a long time.  

A special person I had met in 2010 in an ELT conference, Sanaa Abudl Hadi

Another special PCELT trainer I met in a PCELT course in Beirut 2014, Samah Sabbagh. I hadn't seen her since because she moved to Algeria.