On December 25th you are invited to a float making session with Lowri Mills as part of a seasonal skills class. The float making is at 4am-5am PDT and (12 noon UK) at the Hotel.
The main parade is on from 8am-9am PDT (4pm UK ) starting outside the Grammar House.
You will learn how to make a Christmas float which will involve being able to listen to instructions.
To continue the theme of making things and instructions, here is a great video on how to make an origami Santa Claus !
“Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose….”
This is the start of a popular Christmas carol about one of Santa Claus reindeers.
When you go and visit Bonnie go ahead and ask her who the other reindeers are, there a quite a few to guess.
The last Christmas Eve activity at English City is watching the movie Rudolf the Rednose reindeer, sometimes if I watch movies in a language that is not my own I get confused and want to ask someone for help with vocabulary or the story, well if you watch with Bonnie you will be able to ask her for help when you need it.
The film starts at the Cinema in English City at 1pm PDT (9pm UK) and lasts for around an hour.
A good way to practice English is to listen to new words and hear people with different accents speaking and then you can learn how to improve your pronunciation and intonation.
On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, Judith Triellis will be reading the famous poem, ‘Twas the Night before Christmas’ at the Manor in English City at 12-1pm PDT (8-9pm UK)
Be prepared to tell your own holiday season stories and to share your tales with other students, great practice for listening and speaking.
Here is a little background information on the author of the poem.
Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863) wrote the poem Twas the night before Christmas also called “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in 1822. It is now the tradition in many American families to read the poem every Christmas Eve. The poem Twas the night before Christmas has redefined our image of Christmas and Santa Claus. Prior to the creation of the story of Twas the night before Christmas St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, had never been associated with a sleigh or reindeers!
The first publication date was 23rd December 1823 and it was an immediate success. Moore was the Bishop of New York who was famous for officiating at the inauguration of George Washington. The tradition of reading Twas the night before Christmas poem on Christmas Eve is now a Worldwide institution.
Go and join the Christmas Parties on Wednesday 25th December at English City.
Christmas is an annual holiday celebrated on 24th-25th December. Traditionally it is Christian festival held to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem.
Customs vary from country to country but the celebration usually centres around spending time with family and friends and eating a lot of food, and perhaps going to a Church service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Houses are decorated with a Christmas tree and lights and presents are placed under the tree.
In most European countries Christmas Eve is celebrated on the 24th but in the UK and USA it is celebrated on Christmas Day, with turkey being the traditional Christmas Dinner.
However, each country has different traditional food and drink, in the Czech Reupblic they eat carp, a freshwater fish and in Poland there are 12 different courses to eat on Christmas Eve !
Christmas began as a Christian festival but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is celebrated all over the world.
Go and join the Christmas Party on Wednesday 25th December at English City.
Times are:
7am-9am PDT (3pm-5pm UK) With Kent
9am - 10am PDT (5pm-6pm UK) With Phillip
10am-12pm PDT (6pm-8pm UK) With Pebbles Click here to check schedule.
You can pick up your present, talk to your friends and have a happy and fun experience while practicing new vocabulary and learning new Christmas words.
Carols are traditional songs that people sing at Christmas, they date back to the 13th century and each country has their own traditional songs and customs that they follow at Christmas time.
They are often sung at church services or in public places like the town square where everyone can join in.
On Wednesday 24th December there is a Carols by Candlelight event at English City where you can learn some carols and practice singing them with the Enlglish City People and other students.
To help you practice singing here are the words for my favourite Christmas carol - ‘Jingle Bells’ and you can sing along too with the video kareoke! Have fun and come and join us at the Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve.
Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
Through the fields we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bob-tail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.
chorus:
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh, O
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Vocabulary
Dashing : going very quickly
open sleigh : a type of vehicle that is pulled by horses over the snow
bob-tail : the horses tail
spirits : people’s emotions
jingle : to ring
Languagelab will be hosting a range of activities, events and haunted attractions within English City with a super terrifying party at 5am PDT. Click here for the location.
The entire Languagelab team will be putting in a disguised appearance, so keep your eyes peeled, especially for our extremely shy friend “La-la”
Periwinkle’s currently stocks a variety of halloween costumes so make sure you wear your scariest outfits. There will be a competition for the best dressed male and female!
Make sure to check out the Gallery and the very Haunted House (beware of the trap door and…. !?!??!!)
A mysterious donor gave Languagelab students an old building to host their common room, with a condition: there has to be a special corner for students to make their homework and meet their teachers.
What would you like it to have? how would you like to organise it’s space? What would you like to be able to do there? Any special object from yoru inventory you would like to display?
Now we can organise ourselves, discus and decide and make this space trully ours!
It will be a wonderful Student common room, and it will be fun!
Next week there will be two meetings (in two different time zones to allow everybody to participate), to discuss and take decisions. (time and place will be announced by Sunday)
Millie has been so successful a large food company has bought ‘Conversations’ and it will move to an exciting new location in the plaza.
The new and improved ‘Conversations’ will have a Fast Food restaurant and a fine dining restaurant combined. Millie will continue to manage the cafe at the new food complex and she will also take her waitresses with her, so don’t worry she will continue making her famous pastries and you will still get the best cup of coffee in town !
