Hello, 50D WRL! Welcome to our class blog. This is the place where you will brainstorm and share ideas with each other.
You may be wondering about my profile picture. I'm holding an American Christmas tradition. Each Christmas, everyone hangs 'stockings', which are sort of like large socks, by their fireplace. The stockings remain empty until Christmas Eve, and then, on Christmas morning, they're filled with presents! Parents tell their children that Santa Clause came to their house and filled up the stockings, when really the parents filled them while the children were sleeping. In my family, adults still get to do the tradition. So, in my stocking, I received chocolate, tea, and giftcards to stores I like.
You may have heard about Santa Clause--the make-believe large old man with a white beard and red clothes who visits good children's homes bringing them presents on Christmas Eve. What you might not know is that the legend of Santa Clause began from a true story! Saint Nicholas was a real man who lived in the 3rd century in the area that is now Turkey. He was very rich, but instead of keeping his money for himself, he gave it all away to poor children by giving them gifts. Traditions like these and remembering to be generous are a big part of the Christmas celebration.
Now that you've read my story, I'm interested in yours. What did you do over the Winter vacation?
Santa Clause is famous in Japan too.
ReplyDeleteI have two sons. Their Christmas was earlier than usually day in last Christmas.
Because, we moved to Tucson before Christmas. They wanted to get Japanese toys. So, my wife thought them to write latter that is requested Santa Clause to bring toys on one week ago of Christmas. I bought and gave it on one week ago of Christmas. They was very happy when found the toys. They has still believe Santa Clause.
What a nice surprise for your sons, Ryota! I hope they're enjoying Tucson.
DeleteThere is the biggest holiday on winter vacation in korea. It is called Sul-nal that means new year day. All of korean get together with their relatives and eat together. Actually we eat korean traditional food that is Dduck-kuk (Korean rice cake soup). If we eat a bowl of Dduck-kuk, we can get one more age. Some people said if we eat more than one bowl of it, we can be older than real age. Because we calculrate one bowl of it to one age. It just for fun!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my family don't need to cook because our relatives prepare delicious food for us. So this day, we wake up early and wear clean clothes. We should were Han-buk(korea traditional cloth- it is so beautiful!).. but, it's not comfortable so just child or elder people were Han-buk. And then we go around to our relatives' house. First of all, we have to bow to eldery people and with their health and wealth. Student can get some money after bow. And then eat food and play traditional game! So korean really like sul-nal. This holiday is good chance to meet reletives and we can share our story. So we celebrate Sul-nal grand scale.
The Sul-nal celebration sounds very fun, Arong! I enjoy spending time with my family, too.
DeleteI have studyed English alone since just October. However, on December 24th, my wife and a 2 year old doughter came to Tucson. I had enjoyed spendingn with my family. While I had spent my family, I also went to Disney Land with them at LA. We was so happy. Particularly, my daughter was too excited and enjoyed seeing Disney characters. Last week, my family went back Japan. So I'm sad. From today, I intend to study English hard!! I'm pleased to meet you!
ReplyDeleteTaro, how wonderful that your family was able to come to Tucson! Hopefully they will be able to visit again soon.
DeleteMy name is Masahiro#999021770,your student of 50d.My homework is bellow.
ReplyDeleteMy Winter Vacation
I was told to come to UA by our company September.I had prepared to go abroad and study English for 3 months.I took a lecture of speaking English in our office.I took an exam of TOEIC. I got a VISA.I bought electronic dictionary.
I had never imagined I would live in foreign country and study English. Because I am always in my house and play TV or PC games,watch TV, and read comics on every holidays.I had not been interested in English and thought I would have no relationships with English by my death.
However I found I am like a baby in USA. I can not only speak language but I do not know even how to buy a milk and take a bus. I found it exciting.
I am working for a company,not student in Japan.So this CESL is big adventure for me as it may be not a vacation.
That is so true, Masahiro. Learning a new language is hard work! I'm glad it is an adventure, too.
DeleteKuwaiti people and specially guys have a really cool exciting event in every winter vacation. Since kuwait is counted one of the most hottest countries in the world, so were excited about winter a lot . Me and my friends go camping in the desert every single year, in the winter vacation of course. It coasts about 300 to 400 KD, and its about 1500 $. In camping 4-5 tents are set,usually me and my friend who sets them up cause the rest are so lazy. And every tent has an activity. One of the tents is called " Dowaneya " and this tent is mostly for relaxing and chilling out, and in this tent me and my buddies gather up and have chat or play cards. In the second tent we usually eat food in it, its like the dinner room. The third tent is the most exciting tent in the camp, in this tent we dig a normal size hole in the middle so we can set a fire, and we call it a " Dowa " so we can cook up a type of nuts that is so famous in the gulf and specifically in the winter times and its called " kastana ". Finally the 4th and last tent is a simple tent and its for sleeping. So thats my amazing winter vacation schedule and ill make sure that you'll do it in your home country.
ReplyDeleteSounds very fun, Hamad! Thanks for sharing your story.
DeleteI live in the equator area, every season are hot. There are 3 seasons in my country, summer, rainy and winter but in the fact they are hot, hotter and hottest so I don’t have many ideas about the winter adventures.
ReplyDeleteIf I want to get the experience of winter adventure I have to go to the mountain in the northern part of Thailand, which is a very popular place to go sightseeing in the winter. Normally, people take their time to travel in that place on the New Year festival, which is the wonderful time and the best weather to stay there. Camping the forest is the interesting special activity when you being there. Tourists are able to have new experience they have never got from their home. The excellent morning starts while you are sitting in front of your tent and keep waiting to see the sun rise and your day ends while you are keeping your eyes on the sunset view. This is one of the good means recharging your energy and preparing yourself to deal with the next serious year. Furthermore, you may pay respect to the Buddha at the temple that makes you feel delightful before you leave there. My family love taking a trip to the north of Thailand when we can manage our time. You may not believe there are not only Thai people go to join that place but also many foreign tourists do.
Suthida Vivekaphirat
Wow, Suthida! Thailand sounds very beautiful.
DeleteMy winter vacation
ReplyDeleteI went to my country in December for a month. My flight was 6am so, I just slept about 1 hour and I took the taxi. I have 2 luggages, backpack and hand-carry luggage. I was check-in my luggages but those were too heavy. International flight allow 50 pounds per a bag. Mine were 80 pounds and 60 pounds. So, they told me that I have to buy one more bag and I have to pay 270 dallars. I paid 65 dollars for a new bag. I want to cry. There were almost my nephew's toys, clothes, play doh, shoes, snacks and dolls. I think it was wonderful christmas for my newphew. I was his santa clause. I arrived at L.A. airport to transfer flight, but my flight delayed about 4 hours so,I was waiting 9 hours in L.A. airport. I just sitting on the chair,I didn't do anything for 9 hours.I came back here in Tucson on last tuesday. I transfered my flight at L.A airport again. Before I was bording my flight I went to the restroom. And I went to my gate but, my flight was gone. I want to cry again. So I waited 8 hours at L.A. airport. I don't want to remind last winter vacation.
Oh Jung Eun! Sometimes traveling is so difficult. I'm glad you got to spend time with your nephew.
DeleteHi, Amy
ReplyDeleteI'm Sunghee
I have been in Tucson for two years. In 2010, first christmas, my parents visited Tucson. so I had really happy christmas with my family. We traveled Las vegas, Grand canyon, Disney land, and Universal studio. That was so fun and I never forgot the memory.Obviously, last christmas also my parents had plan that they visit in Tucson. but my parents didn't come here because my young sister had baby too too early in my country. then the poor baby just lived ten days in hospital. All family were sad and depressed. so my family had sad christmas this year. We never forget that day.How sad.I really hope that this year christmas will happy christmas with my family.
I'm so sorry, Sunghee. Thank you for sharing your story. I hope this next Christmas is better too.
DeleteI have a nice trip to China. I went back to China to accompany with my parents, because I miss them a lot, it's just take about twenty days, but I really think it's worth, my father inspire me to pass the TOFEL exam, he told me i need to study harder. And my father taught me how to drive, it's a fantastic experience. As we know, driving a car is very important in America. Because the public traffic, so i got a normal winter adventure~,
ReplyDeleteHow nice. I'm glad you got to see your family.
DeleteHello and greetings,
ReplyDeleteThis is Klaus(Zhou Zhan).About the vacation, I've been busy preparing all the stuff about abroad.Because the CESL admission came so late(arrival date was 12/22/2012)that I had to wait to apply for my VISA until 12/27/2012,after the Christmas duration.Then after I had the approval of the visa,I immediately booked the international flight of which departure date was 1/8/2012. You can easily see that everything was in a hurry and actually I haven't been ready for being abroad. But here I am,doing everything indenpendantly ,I think this is the exact experience that I've been hoping for,not just staying at home and everything denpending on my parents. There're too many feelings that I can write about but I suppose I'd just better express my potential and move forward. I'm so proud of my parents.
Good night ,Amy
It's very different living in a new country without family. Hopefully things will continue to get better!
DeleteI like sleeping, so I do not like winter, cause the winter is cold, so I did nothing except staying at home in the first two weeks during the winter break. For another, I went to LA with my friends at Christmas day, it was a lot of fun, but the most regrettable was I got sick in the Christmas eve because of the cold weather.
ReplyDelete(Chris)
Hope you were able to enjoy L.A. still!
Deleteyeah, why not. haha
DeleteHi Amy
ReplyDeleteHow’s going? I would say happy New Year to you, because Jan 22th 2012 is Chinese New Year.
During this winter vocation, I had an awesome memory with my family and best friends. As you know spring festival in china is very important that’s like Christmas for American. So we have lots of free time can do anything we want. But sometimes I missed my American family. I used to take 2 years American high school in Missoula, MT. I cannot enjoy Christmas with my American family that’s bad for me. So finally, I want to this semester is my final CESL semester. If I do that, I can fly to Missoula watching my American family.
Have a good night!
That's so great that you were able to live in MT for so long. I'm sure your American family will be excited to see you again.
DeleteI am so sorry Amy. That aninymous is mine. I just press wrrong word.
ReplyDeleteMakkah is a holy place for muslims. I went to makkah in the winter vacation with my family for three days. every thing there are great and spiritual. for instance the Zamzam wall. This is a holy wall and all muslims belive that. when we drink and wish at the same time the wishes come to true. So I drank alot to came my dreams to true.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! It sounds like a neat place.
DeleteIn my winter vacation,there's the biggest and the most important festival in china.That's spring festival.ALL the people will be free to get together with their family.Every family will cook the most delicious food ,such as,fish,dumplings,noodles,chickens,,,,The children get together to play and they can accept lucky money from their parents and relatives.The houses are full of red lanterns,red written papers.
ReplyDeleteTherefore,I like the spring festival very much .I miss the lively atmosphere and the red!
I've heard so much about Spring Festival. It sounds wonderful!
DeleteHi,Amy. Sorry for late. In winter vacation of China. It was fun. When i was still at school and then the weather began to snow which let me to look forward to have a winter vocation. When the vacation began,i always did lots of fireworks. In China's new year,senior people always gave children lucky money which was my favorite part of vacation. So in the winter vacation i often have a happy moment.
ReplyDeleteALI AMEER ALBAHRANI
ReplyDeleteI am really sorry for being late, but I didn't know that I must write my comment here. I thought its just to practice and without any grades :s !!
Well, in my country during winter, people do a lot of things such as camping and traveling. I like to go camping in the desert during winter. I go with my family and we start a fire and set up our tents to sleep in. When we sit around the fire, my father tells old stories. We also ride motorcycles and we cook. I really enjoy spending time with my family.