TRAVELLING... AROUND THE WORLD

Hi students!
     Here you can find some important and useful tips for travelling. You may think they are obvious but when planning a trip, it's sometimes easy to forget these considerations. Read these tips and think about them:


1. Leave copies of your important documents such as: tickets, drivers license, passport, visas, medical documents, presciptions and so on with a friend just in case you need a back-up sent to you in an emergency. Also, leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.


2. Familiarise yourself with any local laws and customs of the coun tries to wich you are travelling. You must know the laws about exchanging money and deal only with authorised agents when you exchange money or purchase art or antiques. Remember, while you are in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws.


3. Never leave your luggage unattended in public areas especially in airports and never accept pacjages from strangers.


4. Put identifying markings on the suitcases you check through such as bold coloured tape in a recognisable design. Don't put all your valuables in luggage you check. E.g. jewelery, cameras, watches.


5. Make sure you hav e a signed, valid passport (and any visas, if required). Most countries require you to have a full 10 year passport. Your passport should be valid for at least six months after your expected date of return, if not, get a new one.


6. Do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards. Carry only enough cash to make it through the day and leave the rest in the hotel's safe. Do not carry your passport around, leave it in the safe in your hotel. A photocopy will suffice if local law states that you need to.


7. Avoid travelling alone. Always be aware of what is going on around you. Try to look as if you know where you are going, this may not be so easy if after all it is the first ever time in that country, but even still look confidents as IF you know.


8. Stick to the main roads and avoid taking shortcuts down narrow alleys and poorly lit streets. Carrying maps around looking perplexed, and stopping to look at monuments or buildings, obviously shows that you are from out town, and may attract the wrong type of attention.


9. Don't under any circumstances get involved with or take drugs. Some countries have severe penalties for drug misuse including the death penalty. You could get to stay a long time in that at the government's expense if you are caught even with a very small amount.


10. Wherever you travel it is always worthwhile making a note of where your local embassy is. Your embassy is your connection to your home country while on holidays and are there to assist if you lose your passport or are in a trouble. You will normally find your embassy in the capital city of a country, thowgh other major cities might have consulates or consulate offices.








Enjoy your trip!


Rosa.    ;)




HOMEWORK: Prepare and plan a trip to any destination. Write some tips and make a short presentation  (in the class) about the interesting things to visit there. Here, in the blog, you can add comments.

HALLOWEEN

HELLO EVERYONE! In some days England and most of English-speaking countries are about to celebrate "halloween festivity". Let's go with some definitions to discover in a thorough way this important celebration which is widespreading around the word in a kind of cultural transmition and a search of common roots (Celtic, tales and superstitions). Enjoy it!

What is HALLOWEEN?(or Hallowe'en) is an annual holiday celebrated on October, 31st. This is a holiday of legends, monsters, trick-or-treating, but originally it was the Celtic celebration for the beginning of the year after the harvest of summer and autumn were collected. It can be traced back 2,000 years. The Celts believed that winter was the time when living and the death were strongly linked.
This celebration ruled many sacred activities, for instance:

a) Samhain:

It was the name of the original Celtic celebration in the date of the current Halloween. They took two festivity days when they honoured Goddess. It can be, somehow, considered as the root of the festivity.

b) The Holy Fire: 

Druids lighted a fire which burned during all the night of offerings, prayings and celebrations. When the actions finished every family of the village took one ember of the Holy fire and used it to burn the fire of their house. In that way they felt protected by the spirits of their death relatives. That fire may last the whole year; so, what happened when the fire was extinguished naturally? They took one ember of the "holy fire" in the house of any of their neighbours and lighted their home fire again.

c) Costumes:

Actions and celebrations where animals (death or alives) took an important role were important at Halloween. People used animals' fur to disguise themselves and dance, tell their fortunes or don't be recognized whenever they participate in the celebration.

d) Pomona: 

Goddess of fruit and trees whose symbol was an apple. People made her some offerings of fruits and flowers in her honour. Some of the activities related to Pomona are made nowadays, such as "boobing for apples" (explained later)

Important terms related to that night:

Black cat, favourite company of witches ...

Boobing for apples

  

Trick-or-treating

Carved pumpkin

• Boobing for Apples: Amazing activity. Some apples are floating in a barrel full of water. People tries to catch them using their mouth (they cannot use their hands).
• Black cat: Symbol of demon and company of witches and wizards. As evil spirits could take the appearence they needed to make their incursion in human society they looked like cats.
• Witches and wizards: People with magical powers. They were somehow frightening for people. They were surrounded by mystery and magic.
• Spells: A kind of poems of magical words to get something or have influence on people.
• Costume: People disguise themselves like witches, skeletons, wizards, monsters and ghosts.
• Candy: Food is an important part of 
• Trick-or-treat: Famous saying at Halloween. Especially children knock the doors of their neighbourhood trying to get some candies.
• Pumpkin:Vegetable that gives its colour to the festivity. Carving the pumpkin is a typical ritual in almost all the houses and schools. They are part of the ornamentation, you can find them everywhere! 

ACTIVITY:

1. Look for some information about  Jack-on-Lantern Tale.

J'AIME LA MUSIQUE!!!

Ça va?! Le français, c'est une langue très musicale. Nous pouvons profiter des suivants chansons en français:

GRAMMAIRE ET VOCABULAIRE

Bon Jour!
Nous començons avec un peu de vocabulaire très facile mais très important. Regardez les video et répétez les mots.


L'ALPHABET:

LES VERBES -ER: Pour apprendre certains verbes reguliers en français, vous pouvez trouver ici un video qui montre verbes en suivant l'alphabet. Est-ce que vous pouvez découvrir la signification des actions suivantes?

STONEHENGE

Here you can find some questions you must answer after working in the subject. Read the advice I give you! Advice: a) Use the dictionary or www.wordreference.com to know the meaning of important words in definitions you don’t know. b) Be clear and concise when writing the answer, don’t copy what you don’t understand or pieces or paragraphs, c) Look for some photographs, they may help you to understand, explain and answer the questions. 1. What is the meaning of STONE? What is the meaning of HENGE? 2. What is “Stonehenge”? 3. Where can we find it? 4. What’s its shape? And its material? 5. How do you think people moved the materials or made the dolmens? 6. Some circled stones hand-made were found in that area. Is there any theory about their use? Did they have to do with “Stonehenge” monument? 7. Add some photographs: (Monument, people, tourism there, rounded hand-made stones) 8. How did people use it? Is it used nowadays? 9. Look for some legends related to “Stonehenge”, some of them have to do with magic. 10. Would you like to visit it? Why? Rosa.

                                                                       

TRIBUTE TO STEVE JOBS

Hello everyone! Here you can watch, listen and read (just in case you need subtitles!) the marvellous speech of Steve Jobs at Stanford College. His words are appealing and inspirational. I hope you like it! I love it!

                                                               

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION makes relation with the world...

Jonathan (8 month-old baby) is deaf. He was implanted an audition system and the video shows the first time he heard the voice of his mother. His reaction is awesome! What do you think of it?