Answers to Tatiana and Federico

1- How far are you from the Amazon?

I am a bit far from the Amazon, because it is in the North, and I live in the Center, closer to the south. Come to think of it, I've never visited the north of the country, and I would really like to visit it someday. I would also like to visit your country, and see all you've mentioned in your blog.


2- How does your government fight pollution?

In Brazil we have stations to do the water treatment, which is very important for the country. The government does recycling activities as well. When we are talking about pollution, I think it's important that the government tries to do everything to avoid it, but then it's also true that people should worry about it, and do whatever they can to help the environment.


3- How do you celebrate carnival?

Well, carnival it's one of the most popular brazilian parties, and it is celebrated with big, different parties all over the country. In my city, there are places you go to celebrate carnival, where you will listen to music related to carnival, including a few old songs people use to dance when this holiday began to get popular.


Well, I hope you have learned a bit more about Brazil. Take care.

Answers to Irene and Diego

3-Would you like to visit our country? Why? Why not?

Yes, because I think Argentina is a great country. My parents have been there four times and they loved it, they talked so well about Argentina that it really made my mind about visiting it. They were celebrating their wedding anniversary and they found Buenos Aires perfect for the occasion, especially the tango apresentations.

4- what can you tell about crime and insecurity in your country?

In some parts of the country it's a really complex problem. The security isn't so good in the outskirts of the big towns, so assaults and thiefts are common. but in the most part of the country, the security is good, and we hardly ever have problems with these things.

Raphael and Lucas

To Irene and Diego

1. When you go out with friends, what do you usually do?

We don't have many options in the city we live, so we always go to the same places. More than everything, we like to go to discos or parties in general. Also, we like to go to the movies or to restaurants. :)


2. What kinds of music is it played in discos nowadays?

We have different kinds of discos here, but most of them play the same styles. The most common kinds of music are eletronic music and funk, a very popular hit in Brazil. But if you want, you can find rock shows and whatever. ;)

Thaís and Luciana

Answers (to Matías, Narella and Macarena)

1. What are the most beautiful and important beaches in your country?

We think Copacabana's and Ipanema's beaches are the most important and famous beaches around here.

2. What do you usually do after school?

Most of us have extracurricular activities after school, so we're usually busy with that (like English courses).

3. What is public education like?

Public education in Brazil is not good, because the investments in education are insufficient. All the money goes to the politicians.

4. How do you celebrate Christmas in Brazil?

We buy presents to friends and family and spend quality time with them.

5. Where is your city located in Brazil?

It's located in the middle of our country. It's called Brasilia.

Awnsers to Mariana A., Sheila and Mayara

Hey!
We were glad to hear from you and your country. Also to know that you have the curiosity to visit our country, which would be great. Here are your awnsers:

1. Who is your favorite football player? Do you practice any sports? If not, do you have physical education at school?
We don't have a favorite favorite football player, we like everybody. None of us practice any sports, but we do have P.E at school.

2. When is "student's day" in Brazil? How do you celebrate it?
The student's day in Brazil is on August 11th, and ironicly, or not, we celebrate it at school.

3. What do you do in your free time?
Normaly, when we have a free time, we wacth TV, go to the movies with friends, go to parties and sleep, a lot!

4. How do you celebrate Easter in your country?
We eat chocolate eggs, we gather the family on Sunday for lunch.

Gabriela, Luciana Dantas, Larissa and André

Memorable Friend

The human being has a natural necessity to keep social bonds with people around them. The best example of a relationship between two people is a friendship. It is often thought that no one could ever live without having a friend, because, in this capitalist world, to trust someone is something that has to be well thought. When I was ten years old, I had a terrible fight with one of my best friends at that time; therefore, I started to meet other people and try to make new friendships. However, during this time, I met Fernanda, who was unlike everyone I had ever been friend before. That aroused my interest about her and we started to spend more time together. Since then, our friendship has just grown fonder and now we are best friends.

In the beginning, I thought my friendship with Fernanda wasn’t going to last a long time, because we had very different interests and our lifestyle didn’t match. She liked to wear flamboyant clothes, while I preferred the more common ones. Furthermore, we liked different kinds of music: while I enjoyed Rouge, Kelly Clarkson, Capital Inicial; she liked Beethoven, Mozart and classical music in general. However, as time passed by, we realized that we also had many mutual interests: we liked pink, going shopping, eating chocolate, reading books.

In spite of having had other memorable friendships, this one has been the most special I have ever had. I used to tell many secrets to my previous friends, but this was the first time I heard somebody’s secrets too. Fernanda and I also had many adventures together like when we tried to make our own lunch by cooking rice, beans and frying steaks. We just did a big mess in the kitchen, but it was very funny. Moreover, we love gossiping about other people, how their personalities are, the way they talk, their clothes. However, the biggest reason why this friendship is so special is because we are very sincere to each other. This sincerity sometimes hurts one of us and makes us fight, but, when we get over the crisis, our friendship has become stronger than before.

Every experience people have in life teaches them important lessons. Being friends with Fernanda made me realize that it doesn’t matter the other people’s opinion about you, you must always be yourself. Moreover, our different lifestyles made us be more mature and changed the way we saw the world. Nowadays we are so close to each other that we think we will never separate from one another. We have already made plans to travel the whole world together and maybe buy an apartment to live without our parents when we turn eighteen. However, the future is always a mystery, all I know is that Amir Klink couldn’t be more right when he said that the ones who have a friend, even if just one, it doesn’t matter where they are, will never be alone.

Bárbara Fernandes Maranhão

4B

Second Composition: Friendship

The first time I saw Carlos Henrique, or Caíque for the friends, was about three or four years ago. We used to play basketball together at our old school, “Santo Antônio”, but we didn’t have a long talk due to the fact of being two years younger than he. Fortunately, we have changed to the same school, Galois, him in the first year of High School and me in the seventh grade. In fact, we only became friends in the beginning of this year, at SINUS, a kind of United Nations Simulation organized by UnB students, when we started to talk about politics, international issues, law and ideologies. Currently, the topics we are used to talking are about University courses, because he is in the third year of high school, the Honduras issue and Supreme Court decisions.

Despite the two years old of difference between us, we have a lot of mutual interests, probably because we are compatible, we both like UN Simulations, law, basketball and, mainly, we like a lot to discuss, to controvert other people’s ideas. Nonetheless, we disagree with each other in some topics; I am against social projects, it hides social problems, but he participates in Galois’ projects. Furthermore, I am against abortion, Brazil is officially a non-religion country, we must not follow Christianity ideas, but he says it is against the Constitution principles; however, it is not written in the Constitution.

Caíque has been more than a friend for me, he has helped me in some troubles and undecisive moments I had. Usually, he has very good ideas and he thinks very fast and we have also made an ideology based on our point of view about some world problem. Basicaly, it is very simple compared to the magnitude of the problems, but it is very pleasurable to discuss. Together, we realized that the UnB International Relations course, even though being the best in Brazil, is not complete or enough to prepare us to this area, so he decided to study Law at UnB.

Nowadays I have made a lot of decisions based on our conversations and our debates and I have decided, for example, that I’m going to study Law too. Maybe we will lose contact, unfortunately, because he is going to University and I won’t see him at the breaks in School. However, I would like to find other people to discuss, to debate, so I won’t lose the pleasure of contrasting ideas.

Guilherme Silva Chacon
4B

Disney

My first trip abroad was to Disney two years ago. This trip was my fifteenth birthday present, the best present I have ever gotten. It was the first time I traveled without my family, so in this sense it was a little strange, but special as well. My friends and I went with a tourism group. Not only were our guides very cute and thoughtful, but also very responsible. We just loved them.

We visited many amusement parks and malls there. We bought many things, took many pictures and met some new people. We had many things to do there, so we couldn’t even sleep at night. We used to sleep on the buses when we were going to the parks.

I have had the dream of going to Disney since I was a child. My friends and I were so eager to travel that we started to pack our suitcases in January and we just traveled in July. We arranged all the clothes we would take with us. Even so, we just wore our bikinis and shorts because it was summer there.

The trip was better than what I could imagine. People say that Disney is the place where dreams come true, and I agree. I have been very happy since I came back. If I could choose somewhere to visit, I would choose to visit Disney again, but now I would like to go with my brother because he loves Disney too. I hope I can go there many more times.

BFF.

The first time that I met Camila was on our first day of school in 2007, we were both in 7th grade. I remember that she praised my bag, but the first impression that I had of her was that she was that kind of girl that cares just about the appearance. Nonetheless, time passed and we had the chance to get to know each other. I started talking to her about all the things and then I realized that Camila was one of the most important and nicest people that I have ever met in all my life.

One of the most important days that we had together was on our last day of
school in 2007, when I invited her to go to my house and sleep there. Since that day, our friendship is getting stronger and stronger. We are not very different and not very similar.
However, we have many different points of view, but I believe that this is one of the reasons that has made her one of my best friends. Camila likes parties, dancing, eating, surfing the web, listening to pop music, meeting her friends, while I’m more interested in country music, in books … In fact, to be honest, we have many things in common. But what really makes us enjoy is our company to each other.

I really want to thank Camila for being one person that is always with me. She is
always listening to me and making me laugh and I know that I can count on her. When I
look at my friendship with Camila, I wonder how many people I’ve known whom I
have disliked just because of the appearance that they showed. Since this, I have begun
to have more determined effort to find friends without seeing what they just look like.
My friendship with Camila represents a lot to me. She has taught me many good
things that I can never forget. But I know that the first time I saw Camila, I only saw a
material girl, but after some time, I realized that she became a great friend. So, I would
like to thank her for teaching good things that will be in my memory until the last day of
my life.

My first day at school

My first day at school was unforgettable. I woke up early that day. I was five years old and I remember feeling very exciting and scared at the same time.

When I arrived at Marista, my classmates came running up and asked my name. However, the teacher didn't let me answer, so I entered in the classroom and my teacher told me to sit on the first chair, which was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Because of this, I met Jéssika and we are best friends until today.

During the break I was very happy to eat with my new friends. After that, my teacher told us stories and showed us pictures. When the bell rang, I was sad because I had to leave my friends, but I knew that I could come back on the next day.

Well, I thank God for having met Jéssika on my first day at school. My impressions were all good positive about that day. It remains fresh in my mind and will remain forever.

Coming in first

Joining a contest is an exciting sensation. But crucially, winning one is even better. In this sense, when I decide to enter a competition, I do my best and try to get the first place. It is not always possible, but it happens sometimes.

Nine years ago, when I was seven years old, I won a drawing competition. The contest occurred at TRF, where my mother works, and it was organized by the health committee. Moreover, the participants had one month to make a drawing about the oral health, including words or not. The three best drawings would receive a very good prize, at least in children’s point of view.

My mother had just known about the competition when she called me and my sister to give us the suggestion of entering the contest. I didn’t get very excited because I thought that I had no chances. However, my sister helped me to have some ideas and I decided to participate. I made an original picture and some weeks later they announced that I had gotten the first place. Furthermore, there was a little ceremony to give the prizes to the winners. I won an enormous box of legos, which I loved.

Obviously, I was very glad with my new toy. Nevertheless, what I liked the most was the sensation of being the first for the first time. I got so proud of myself. Finally, I have to mention that I will never forget that day as it was when I learned that, with effort, I can be the best.

The first time I played the taiko

In September 2008, I played the taiko for the first time in my life – and it was really exciting! Taiko is a kind of traditional Japanese drums, and there are a lot of groups that play it in Brazil and in the whole world. Some friends of mine were part of a group named Hikaridaiko (“Hikari”, in Japanese, means “light”, and “daiko” comes from “taiko”). This group was going to teach some people how to play the taiko, and these friends called me to those classes. I had seen a presentation they had made and I had found it beautiful, so I decided to take the lessons.

We had four classes – one on each weekend in September. All the meetings happened in the same place: the club where they always had the practice. On the first day, we all sat on the grass and talked for a little time. Everybody said their names and ages, and the veterans told us what the taiko was used for a long time ago, and the spirit and philosophy about it. After that, we took the taikos and started trying to understand how we should play it. It was really difficult at first! After that, our arms were so hurt that we couldn’t move them at all for about one week!

However, I really loved it, and I spent the whole week just waiting for the next Saturday. When we started training, I was really happy, not only because I was playing the taiko, which I loved, but I also had met a lot of cool, funny people. During the other week, once again, I couldn’t wait for the weekend. When the four classes were over, I was so sad that I think I could cry at anytime. Happily, we were all invited to stay in the group if we wanted.

All that happened one year ago, but it looks as if it has happened so much time ago! Everybody has improved so much that I feel ashamed of the way I played before. And, of course, I am still in the group until today – even though not everybody has stayed. I hope I can always get better and better, because I still have too much to learn, so I’ll always keep practicing.

My first pet

It's always exciting to do something for the first time. Not only will you enjoy the moment, you will have a great experience to talk about. In my life, one of the best experiences was when I got my first pet.

I've always dreamed of having a dog, and on my birthday, in 2003, this dream came true. My dog was brought into my house by my aunt, as a gift for me. My aunt was carrying a basket with the most beautiful yorkshire inside it. I remember that when I saw her, I just couldn't believe it! The feeling of finally having my own dog was really amazing.

In that moment, I knew that I had just gotten the best gift I would ever get. I looked at my dog and decided her name would be Polly. She has been with me since that day, and I hope she will still be with me for a long time.

Well, I decided to talk about Polly because, as my first pet, she is really important in my life. I'll always remember tha day I saw her for the first time. I really can't imagine living a day without her. So in this sense, I wouldn't have these memories with me if I hadn't gotten my first pet. I wouldn't have one of my best friends either.

My fairy tale

It’s been seven years, but I can still remember the day my mother came home from work telling everyone we would spend our following vacation in Curitiba. Definitely, that was a perfect place for breaking the tradition of spending all vacation either with my mother’s family in Natal or with my father’s family in Filadelfia. Regardless of being only eight years old, I was so excited about going to a different place that I started searching on the internet all the sights we could visit. When I discovered “Beto Carrero World” was near Curitiba, I immediately tried to persuade my mother to go there and, after several attempts, I finally got it.

Even spending the whole month before the trip planning how it would be, we couldn’t finish the itinerary on time. My mother, an unadventurous person, was really worried about how we would get to the places. Fortunately, Curitiba had excellent means of transportation, with efficient buses that connected all the sights of the city. For a child, the best part of the trip couldn’t have been different: spending a whole day in “Beto Carrero World”. I remember being there was like living a fairy tale. All those rides waiting for me, the circus and the ice-cream parlor made me be indecisive of where to go. I was so delighted with everything that I even didn’t fight with my sister. Except for “Beto Carrero World”, I can rarely remember the other places we went to. All I kept in my mind were the names of some of them: “Jardim Botânico de Curitiba”, “Ópera de Arame”, “Relógio das Flores”.

Although Murphy’s Law claims anything that can possibly go wrong, does; the trip couldn’t have been more perfect. It is curious how the not planning things seems to go better than the planned ones. Traveling to Curitiba was a milestone in the history of our trips. Since that, we have been experimenting visiting different places. Until now, we have gone to Amazonas,Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Pantanal and even Argentina and Chile. Despite that, I will never forget the great time I had on that trip to Curitiba. The only aspect I regret about it was being so young at that time and not being tall enough to go in all Beto Carrero’s rides. That’s the biggest reason why I want to go back there.

Beto Carrero World

Bárbara Fernandes Maranhão

4B

Television

One gadget that can be found everywhere is the television. Nowadays, it isn’t only something to have fun. It has become necessary not only for adults, but also for teenagers. There are all kinds of TV: big, small, slim. Every kind is really advanced. However, like anything, TV has good and bad points. One polemic point is that some people say that since the invention of the television, culture has become united.

This gadget used to be used by adults to watch the news and to watch cartoons and things like that by teenagers and children. Nevertheless, everybody needs to know the news nowadays, not only because we need to have critical sense but crucially because of the college entrance exam. Moreover, when we watch TV, we can relax and learn at the same time.

The worst problem of the television is that it can manipulate public opinion without the person even realizing it. This means that the TV doesn’t show all the facts. In this subject, newspapers and magazines are more complete. So in this sense, we need to complement our knowledge with other media, because the television isn’t enough.

I love to watch TV and I think it is a fun information source. Also, I believe that the television has publicized cultures, making people know more about other countries. In addition, learning about other cultures is very positive because this way we realize that we have to respect other cultures and to value ours.

Cellular phone

In the last ten years, the mobile phone has become really popular. Nowadays, it’s certainly true that most teenagers can’t live without it anymore. This dependence happens because cell phones can do almost everything, like take pictures or sometimes make phone calls. Obviously, it has a few bad points, but the good ones are more.

The cellular phone has facilitated life. At first, its function was to have the possibility of talk to anyone at any moment. But now, the mobile is useful in many other situations. With the advance of technology, this gadget can easily access the Internet. This means that people can see the news, send an email, make searches and surf the web. Also, the cell phone is an agenda, a calendar and a calculator. Besides, it can be a radio and even a little television. Finally, the cellular phone has actually become an unlimited source of communication and entertainment.

However, the mobile phone has some disadvantages. Although it provides easy access to other people, it can be really annoying sometimes. Not only can people keep you informed of everything at any time, but also call you strongly all day. Moreover, it leads people to reducing the close contact. Besides, privacy becomes rare, because everybody can know where you are.

Anyway, the cell phone has brought more benefits than problems. Personally, I am always with mine, even when I’m at home. I use only simple functions, like a phone book, a calendar, an alarm clock and to make phone calls, but I’m sure that I couldn’t live without my mobile. In sum, I believe it makes life easier for everybody.

Computer

With globalization, the development of technology is very significant. Life has become easier with these gadgets and every day there’s something new on the market. But by far the most useful gadget for a 21st century teenager is the computer.

This small machine giver you access to the whole world, without leaving your own seat. The amount of information you can get is unbelievable. News that happened two minutes ago, videos of people you never saw, information that you only got on books now are incredibly easy to get.

Another positive point is that you can make friends with people from all over the world, and also talk with distant relatives. You don’t have to leave you home to see your best friend or to talk with your cousin that lives in California. It helps you to keep in touch with the people you care about.

Basically, the computer is a great instrument that opened a lot of doors for a 21st century teenager. It keeps the teenagers connected to the world they’re living in and with a lot of extra information to entertain. So in this sense, that’s a great step for the teenager to become a better citizen.

Cell phone

Lately, more and more useful (or not so much) gadgets have been created. Simple objects, like refrigerators, new cars or even common telephones have been getting more and more updated everyday. However, one of the gadgets that receive newer functions every moment and that don’t stop getting more sophisticated is the cell phone. And it is definitely the most useful gadget for a teenager nowadays – which means, of course, that everyone has a cell phone.

The first obvious and really useful function is that you can use the cell phone to call anyone from anywhere. That may be just calling your friends to meet them when you go out, or even calling your parents or the police, in the case of an emergency. And that emergency is probably not going to happen in your house, so you will have to have a communication gadget with you – the cell phone.

Something that is also really useful and fun in the modern cell phones is that, in most of them, you can listen to music whenever you want, without the need of carrying an MP3 player or an “iPod” with you wherever you go. It can be very disturbing having to take lots of gadgets to the places you go – and, sometimes, you don’t even have enough pockets! One good example of these cell phones is the “iPhone”. It mixes up every kind of functions: games, internet surfing, music, and, of course, the phone itself.

Cell phones nowadays have basically everything you need to “live” in the world. It has way more functions than the cell phones we had before. A cell phone to a teenager can be a way just to have fun or to do important things, but they all have one.

Cell phone

It’s believed that the cell phone is one of the most used gadgets by teenagers nowadays. It’s hard to go anywhere without seeing someone talking on a cell phone. We all use cell phones not just in our private but also in our professional life. People all over the world use cell phones because of the advantages they have to offer.

The first advantage of cell phones is that we can communicate with other people anywhere, anytime and it is very fast. With cell phones we can move away or go on vacation and it seems like you are not even gone. With the technology getting even better, now it’s possible to change the operator keeping the phone number.
Secondly, cell phones can help us organize our daily plans. They can also remind us meetings.

Nowadays, cell phones have many features, such as: phone calls, txt messaging, accessing the web, taking pictures, using calculators, an alarm clock and all of these help us in our professional and private life.
In conclusion, cell phones help us to communicate in a better way and are very convenient to take with us. It’s possible to do almost everything just using a cell phone. Technology really makes our lives easier and cell phones prove it.

Cell phone

Nowadays, there is no limit to technology. New advances and techniques are produced everyday. For teenagers, it's always nice to know about it and to have as many gadgets as possible. Among the gadgets they usually have, there are the useful ones and there are the ones they'll never need. In my point of view, the most useful gadget for a 21st century teenager is the cell phone.

A cell phone offers lots of advantages, starting with the most important one: making and receiving calls. It may sound a little obvious, but that's the only way to talk to someone whenever you want. Of course, you can talk to a person using a computer, but only if this person is online too; with a cell phone, you can contact him/her anytime.

Another advantage of the cell phone is that it has a lot of tools in it. Therefore, other gadgets can be replaced by only one cell phone; for example: you won't need a camera or an mp3 player if you can take pictures with your cell phone and listen to music in it. Depending on the cell phone, you can also make videos with a great image quality.

Well, these are the reasons why I think the cell phone is the most useful gadget for a 21st century teenager. I believe that by the end of the century, more gadgets will have been invented. Nevertheless, cell phones may be considered very important for the technological advances.

Welcome

Dear advanced students,

Welcome to our blog!
This is the place where we are going to post our compositions and interact with other English teachers students from different countries. I hope you enjoy it!

Ronaldo