MY LITTLE STORY

Last week my English teacher said us to do a story on a website called Storybird and then hang it in our blog.
This is mine, I hope you like it :)

CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

This March I went to the Camino de Santiago with my class, my religion teacher Marisa and my history teacher Diego. We were walking five days (from 21st to 25th March) and we traveled  about 70 km.
Our route was as follows:
-The first day went from Palas de Rei to Melide.
-The second day we went from Melide to Arzúa.
-The third day we went to O Pedrouzo from Arzúa.
-The fourth day we went from O Pedrouzo to Monte do Gozo.
-The fifth day we arrived in Santiago, although the previous day we had already been there in the afternoon but we had not been walking but rather by bus.
In addition, we had a schedule, which is as follows:
-7:00: Wake up.
-7:00-7:45: Breakfast.
-8:00: Start to walk.
-11:00-11:45: Stop walking and eat a sandwich.
-12:00: Star to walk.
-14:00-14:45: Arrive to hostel and have a shower.
-15:00: Lunch.
-16:00-18:30: Free time.
-18:30-20:00: Walk around the village.
-20:00-21:00: Dinner.
-22.00: Go to sleep.
I decided to go to the Camino de Santiago because it was a unique opportunity to visit a little Galicia and to see the Santiago's Cathedral. Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful city that I recommend to visit:

 Also, there have been lots of laughs and fun along the way:

Also Sandra and I met two English gentlemen with whom we had a little conversation:

This is the conversation:

I said: Hi my name is Cristina and she’s Sandra

Sandra said: Hi, we are english students at Jaime Gil de Biedma School in a village called Nava de la Asunción in Segovia. Could we ask you a few questions for a English project?
They said: Yes, no problem.
 I said: Thank you. What are your names?
John said: I'm John.
Tom said: I'm Tom.
Sandra said: Where are you from?
They said: We're from York.
We said: Ouh yes, Our teacher told us where it is.  Which languages can you speak?
John said: I spoke Portuguese, English, French… but I lost my memory because I had a stroke.
Tom said: He walks a lot and it's good for his health.
I said: Yes, It's healthy. And you? Which languages can you speak?
John said: Ouh, I only speak english and a bit spanish.
We said: Good, it's fantastic. Are you on holiday in Galicia?
They said: Yes, When we finish the Camino, we'll stay two weeks there.
We said: Where are you staying now?
They said: We're staying in Rivadiso.
We said: In a hostel, hotel..?
They said: In a youth hostel.
I said: What are your jobs?
John said: I was an engineer.
Tom said: I had many jobs. I was a professional footballer, I was a bookmaker for horses and other jobs.
We said: It's great. Which parts of Spain have you visited?
They said: Barcelona, Gran Canarias, Santander, Bilbao, Oviedo, Vigo…
I said: Which place did you like most?
They said: I like the north of Spain: Santillana del Mar, Altamira caves...
We said: Ok. Do you like Spanish food?
They said: Yes.
We said: What is your favourite dish?
John said: I like boquerones and octopus.
Tom said: I don't know, I like all. The food is very good.
Sandra said: I think that the food is better in the north of Spain that in the south.
They said: Yeah yeah.
We said: What do you like most about Spain?
They said: The girls.
( Everybody laughed)
We said: And what don't you like about Spain?
They said: The airport, because We go home.
Sandra said: I think that it's all.
They said: Oouh OK, It was good.
We said: Ouh thank you, thank you.

This trip has been a unique and unforgettable experience.

ST PATRICK'S DAY

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Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.

QUESTIONS ABOUT VICTORIA I OF UNITED KINGDOM

1) Where she was born?

2) How was her father's name?

3) Who was her uncle?

4) Where she lived while he was reigning?

5) Who was she married?

6) How many children did they have?

7) What year her husband died?

8) What year Victoria I died?

9) Where is she buried?

Victoria I of the United Kingdom

She was born in London on 24 May, 1819. Their parents were Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Victoria of Sajonia-Coburgo-Saalfeld. His father was the fourth son of King George III. 

The father of the future Queen had enough debts before marriage, but their economic situation began to worsen even more. Victoria’s parents had to leave England and started living in Germany. A few weeks later, Victoria's mother learned she was pregnant and the Duke realized the importance of the fact that the girl was born in England. Therefore, with the help of some friends, he managed to raise enough money for the trip when the Duchess was seven months pregnant. 

               
Victoria of Sajonia-Coburgo-Saalfeld 

 

 Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn

Victoria described her childhood as “rather melancholy ". His mother was very protective , so he had an isolated upbringing , away from other children their age , following the so called " Kensington System" , a set of rules and protocols developed by the Duchess and her ambitious and domineering Butler , Sir John Conroy. The system will meet people who prevented her mother and Conroy deemed undesirable (a group that included much of the family of his father). Victoria shared room with his mother, studied with private tutors according to a regulated and spent leisure hours playing with her dolls.

The 20 June, 1837, his uncle King William IV died and Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom. His coronation took place on 28 June, 1838 and Victoria became the first sovereign to live in Buckingham Palace. The 1 January, 1877 she was crowned Empress of India.

   

She married with  Albert of Sajonia-Coburgo on 10 February, 1840 at the Chapel Royal of St. James Palace in London.They had nine children: Victoria, Eduardo VII, Alicie, Alfred, Elena, Luisa, Arthur, Leopoldo and Beatriz. They lived in Buckingham Palace.

The saddest moments in the life of Victoria were in 1861 when her mother, and her husband Albert died within months of each other.  
She died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight because of their weakened health, on 22 January, 1901, with 81. Victoria had left written instructions for her funeral , I wanted it to be military , as the daughter of a soldier and commander of the army , and that the dominant color was not black and white. His funeral on 2 February, 1901 was held in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and after two days of viewing, was buried next to Albert in Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park.
Victoria was the monarch who reigned more years in the UK, was beloved by his people and his family. Now is remembered as a great queen who did the best for his country.

The Bullying

This post is about bullying, a problem which occurs in almost every schools in the world.

HALLOWEEN

THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

The origin of Halloween go back very far to the ancient Celts. The Celts lived in the British Isles during ancient times. The last day of year on the old pagan calendar, October 31^st, served the triple purpose of bidding goodbye to summer, welcoming winter and remembering the dead. This day was called "Samhain". On the evening of October 31^st and the day of November 1^st, the Celtic priest called Druids, used to honour Samhain, the god of death. According to Celtic legend, Samhain controlled the spirit of the deads and could allow them to rest peace fully or make them go wild on this night. The Celtic believed that on the night of October 31^st,ghosts come out of their tombs. The spirit of dead returned to heart. Druids made big fire to frighten the spirit of evil and death. On October 31^st, they also predicted the future. The Celtic people dressed in scary costumes to frighten the evil spirits. They dressed as witches, ghosts and skeletons. They also played games to bring good luck in the new year.

After the Roman invasion in 43 AD, Samhain also became a harvest festival. Rome had a festival honouring the goddess Pomona who ruled fruits and garden. The Romans pictured her as a beautiful maiden, her arms filled with fruit and a crown of apples on her head. Nuts, fruits and apples were part of the Samhain ceremonies. Apples were sacred and lucky.

The colours of Halloween are orange and black. They represent the harvest (orange) and the death (black).

After the Roman invasion, Christian rites substituted pagan rites. For the Christians the first day of November was the day of All Saints. It was called All Allows Day (the day of All Saints). The

evening of October 31^st was All Allows Eve. This was shortened to Halloween. The druid religion went on for a long time in Ireland and Scotland. Halloween continued to be important in both places. In XIX century, Irish immigrants brought their Halloween costumes to the United States. Now Halloween is one of the biggest festivities in USA. The date is on every calendar.

HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS

Halloween means "All Hallows Eve", the evening before All Saints. Halloween is a popular event in America , Great Britain and Ireland. Both adults and children alike celebrate All Saints Eve. The children dress up in funny clothes and masks .They go round the houses, ring the door- bells and say: "Trick or treat". People give them some candy, fruit, money, or they play a trick , like writing on windows with soap, ringing door-bell, spray shaving cream on cars, dumping garbage can. People make faces out of large pumpkins and put candles inside: this is called Jack O'Lantern. They cut out ghosts and spectres and even skeletons and put them in their windows. Teenagers in middle school and high school have a Halloween party and dance. The party is in the evening in the school gymnasium. After the school party, everyone helps to clean up. At home and at school children play games such as "dunking for apples", "apples on a string", and others. Typical Halloween food is nuts, popcorn, pumpkin pie, liquorice, sweets and candied apples. The Halloween drink is apple cider.

In North America, It was believed that it was unlucky for a black cat to come into their homes or travel on their ships. In the United States trick-or-treaters are welcomed by placing lighted pumpkins known as Jack-o'-Lanterns in their windows. The North American tradition of trick or treat comes from the original idea that you must be kind to dead ancestors or they will play a trick on you. Neopagans of North America honor their ancestors on October 31. It was once believed that on this night any souls who had not yet passed into the paradise of the summer lands might return to wander the streets and visit their old homes once more. Neopagans celebrate the festival today as a turning point between the old and the new year, as well, the date of October 31 as the gateway between the worlds. Many neopagans believe that, on the eve of Samhain, the veil that separates each world that of the living and that of the dead is at its thinnest and that on this night, there is a better chance of being successful in communicating with their ancestors.

In Spain also a special pastry known as the Bones of the Holy is eaten on this day. November 1 has become a public holiday. On All Saints' Day Catholics attend church services in honor of the saints, the martyrs and those who have died for the Catholic faith. People may also visit their family’s graves to beautify them with wreaths and small lanterns. Sometimes a mass is said at the gravesite and the grave sprinkled with holy water.

JACK-O-LANTERN

Jack, it seems, was a bad man. He kept all his money to himself. He wouldn't help people for all of his life. When Jack died, he wasn't allowed into Heaven because he was such a miser: a person who wouldn't share his money. It seems that Jack also had played tricks on the Devil, who wouldn't let him into hell, either. Jack was stuck. He had to walk the earth, holding a lantern, until Judgment Day. This is the story that has been handed down to us by the Irish people who came to America in the 1800s. They carved their turnips into the face of "Jack-of-the-lantern" to remind themselves what happened to people who were misers. And in the fall, pumpkins are much easier to ferns. So that's why Americans today carve their pumpkins into jack-o-lant.