Category Archives: General

Weddings

Written by Sandra Garcia Corte , 4º year

To start with, I have to tell you that I have been to many weddings in my life since I was a little child. This is because my mother has a lot of first cousins. In fact, they can be more than 20 ! 

Anyway, despite me having gone to so many weddings, I just really enjoyed my self in the first one.

I was with my aunt in my grandma’s house one day, when the door bell rang. It was my aunt’s boyfriend wanting to tell her something extremely important… As everyone was expecting (except my aunt) he showed her a beautiful golden engagement ring !  Of course, she said Yes !

The wedding took place three months later. (I was six years old). It was on the 4th of February and to  everyone’s surprise  it had snowed a lot the week before. Fortunately, that Saturday, the sun was shining.

The groom arrived before the bride. He was wearing tails and my mother was with him because she was the maid of honour. Half an hour later, the bride arrived. She looked gorgeous with her beautiful white dress and veil covering her face. I was one of the bridesmaid and my cousins were page boys.

More...They got married in a small chapel in the countryside. My grandfather, who was the best man walked the bride down the aisle. During the ceremony they pronounced the vows and exchanged silver coins, as usual. The significance of this ritual is sharing the worldly goods.

After the service, they stood outside for photographs for a long time. As they were leaving the Church, the guests threw rice over them. Besides,  my aunt threw her bouquet of flowers over her shoulder towards the crowd.

Then, we went along for the reception. We stood on the grass, by the river outside the restaurant and everyone drank cider and champagne for hours!

Later on, we entered the restaurant to have lunch; we took places. When the bride and groom came in looking wonderful, everyone stood up to welcome them with lights ! The meal consisted of 3 or 4 courses. After the meal, the couple decided to cut the wedding cake together. As they were cutting it, my dad proposed a toast. Afterwards, the best man gave the first speech. It was about the fact that  in marriage, you have to give and take… Finally, we danced the whole afternoon and even the whole night.

The next week the new couple left for their honeymoon to Egypt !!

At a Hospital

Last Saturday a friend of mine was badly injured in a car crash because he was under the alcohol effects. Fortunately, the accident was near Villa so the paramedics could get there before it was too late. They examined him and realised that besides suffering from shock, he could barely  breathe and there was blood everywhere. They rushed him to hospital and as soon as he arrived he was taken to the operating theatre to have an operation. His lungs were quite damaged but during the operation the doctors realised that his stomach was injured as well. Eventually it turned out worse than the surgeons expected so the operation lasted quite a bit more.

         After having been operated he was taken to intensive care and the nurses gave him an injection to avoid him the pains. Unfortunately his condition deteriorated overnight: he began to throw up, had a temperature… but it was all because of a virus so the doctors prescribed him some painkillers and antibiotics. After having healed the virus, the doctors discharged  him from hospital and gave him some advice as having a healthy diet (because of the virus), giving up smoking (because of the lungs injury) and keep away from the alcohol for a couple of months because he could be hooked on it.

         Nowadays he has scars because of the stitches he needed and is walking on crutches until the twist ankle gets better, if it doesn’t, he might need surgery. Moreover he has got rid of all the alcohol he had at home.

This essay has been sent by Estela Ramon García, 4º year

April Fools’ Day

April Fool’s Day or All Fool’s Day occurs annually on April 1. The day is generally observed by playing a practical joke on a “victim” who soon becomes known as an April Fool. This custom is thought to have started in France during the 16th century but the British are credited with bringing it to the United States.

In England, tricks can be played only in the morning. If a trick is played on you, you are a “noodle”. In Scotland you are called an “April Gowk” or cuckoo bird. It lasts for two days there. The second day in Scotland is called Taily Day and is dedicated to pranks involving the buttocks. The Scotts can be given credit for the “Kick Me” and the ‘to be the butt of a joke’ expression.

Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One common trick on April Fool’s Day is pointing down to a friend’s shoe and saying, “Your shoelace is untied.” If victim falls for the joke the prankster yells, “April Fool!” Most April Fool jokes are harmless pranks. 

Sometimes articles in print and on line magazines are written ‘tongue in cheek’ as an April Fool’s prank. The news media sometimes gets involved. A British short film once shown on April Fool’s Day was a fairly detailed documentary about “spaghetti farmers” and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees

Beauty is a product of Photoshop

To illustrate my lesson this week where we’ll be discussing what makes a beautiful woman or man, just have a look at this video.


Today’s beauty ideals can create a desire for perfection which leaves women all over the world with feelings of anxiety and inadequacy about their physical appearance. Living with these ideals can negatively influence the way a woman values her physical self and impact her overall sense of self-worth.

This perfection we sometimes see on billboards and on TV  is often deceiving; just the work of the miraculous Photoshop. I’ll help you see my point with some Quotes.

I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.  ~Author Unknown
Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.  ~Kahlil Gibran

About books

Some books are not “food for thought”… and these are clearly not.

 

THE WORLDS 15 THINNEST BOOKS
   15.  HOW I SERVED MY COUNTRY – by Jane Fonda
   14.  MY BEAUTY SECRETS  – by Michael Jackson 
   13.  THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BILL – by Hillary Clinton
   12.  MY LITTLE BOOK OF PERSONAL HYGIENE – by Osama Bin Laden
   11.  THINGS I CANNOT AFFORD – by Bill Gates
   10.  THINGS I WOULD NOT DO FOR MONEY – by Dennis Rodman
   9.  MY WILD YEARS  – by Al Gore
   8.  DETROIT: a Travel Guide
    7.  EVERYTHING MEN KNOW ABOUT WOMEN
    6.  EVERYTHING WOMEN KNOW ABOUT MEN
    5.  ALL THE MEN I HAVE LOVED BEFORE – by Ellen de Generes
    4.  MIKE TYSON’S GUIDE TO DATING ETIQUETTE
    3.  THE 2008 AMISH PHONE DIRECTORY
    2.  MY PLAN TO FIND THE REAL KILLERS – by O.  J.  Simpson
    
AND THE WORLD’S THINNEST BOOK…
  �
1.  MY BOOK OF MORALS – by Bill Clinton/with introduction
by The Rev. Jessie Jackson