Easter Holiday

In the Easter Holiday I went to the movies twice. I saw the "Hurt Locker" and "Avatar". Ich saw "Avatar" in the IMAX cinema in Darling Harbour.
It was fantastic to see this movie at the big screen.

In the Easter Holiday I also had time to catch up with few friend's and enjoyed my free time to read.

The most of the time I been working in our garden.
The weather was really good, so I enjoyed to spend time outside.

ANZAC Day

On ANZAC Day, 25th April each year, we remember the brave men and women who have served our country in times of war.

To most Australians, ANZAC Day is a very special day in the year. The letters stand for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Most countries have people who work in the army, the navy or the air force - this is called the Defence Force. “Defend” means “to keep safe” and the people in the Australian Defence Force keep our country safe and protect us.


Australian soldiers are called Diggers.
Very brave people are called heroes. Simpson and his donkey are famous heroes from the First World War. Simpson put wounded soldiers on the donkey’s back and helped them to the first aid tent. Simpson called his donkey Duffy.

On ANZAC Day we show our thanks to the people who have fought for our country. It is such a special day it has been made a holiday so families can go to the march in their towns. We can wear ANZAC badges and wave Australian flags to show how proud we are.

The Ode is part of a special poem that is said during the ANZAC Day service. Here are the words:

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."

On ANZAC Day flowers and wreaths of red poppies are laid at the bottom of war memorials as a way of saying we have remembered these brave people.

Harmony Day

Last Wednesday our class celebrate Harmony Day.

We went to building A into the communication room there are already been waiting many students from other classes.

At the beginning a women told us moor about Harmony Day and why we are celibate this day.
Following there been few students how told us something about them self.
This students spoke about there countries, where they came from, way they came to Australia and way Australia is different to they home countries.
After this few stud ends sang songs from there home countries. We heard a song from China and Russia.
At the end all students sang songs together. We sang the National Anthem of Australia "Advance Australia Fair", "I am Australian" and " I still call Australia home".

After the formal part we have had the change to eat something from a buffed.
But here been many people so other class decided to eat the foot with we brought in owre class room.

This was a nice finish and we all enjoyed the Harmony Day.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show

The Easter Show is Australia’s largest annual event, an iconic showcase of Australian culture, heritage and excellence. It combines innovation, heritage, education and entertainment. Every year The Sydney Royal Easter Show attracts around 900,000 visitors.

The Show aims to recognise achievements in agriculture through the various competitions that it organises and promote awareness of rural industries, issues and lifestyles among city Showgoers. It pays tribute to Australia’s agricultural heritage whilst providing a platform for the future.

The Show is also a dynamic entertainment experience for the whole family. Live music, extreme action performances, entertainment, sideshow, food, rides and shopping are all integral components of the Show.
In 2010, The Sydney Royal Easter Show will take place from 1-14 April. A taste of what visitors to the show will experience:

•Around 15,000 competitors display the very best of breeds and livestock, art, food, fashions and produce as they compete for a prestigious Sydney Royal Blue Ribbon.

•Fascinating demonstrations and hands-on experiences reveal some of the varied facets of rural life to visitors, including cow milking, sheep shearing and working dogs.

•Live music shows bring some of Australia’s hottest talent onstage. Performances also include street and sideshow artists, extreme action, comedy and more for all ages.

•Shopping at the Show provides a one-of-a-kind retail experience. Showbags, gourmet food and wine, home and garden products, hand-made fashions, arts and crafts and health and beauty products feature in a shopping extravaganza with something for everyone.


On the 7 of April my boyfriend, friends of my and me went to the Sydney Royal Easter Show. We travelled to the Olympic Park by car and used a free shuttle bus to get to the showground. It was very busy when we got there. I told my friend that I read, that around 900.000 people are vised the Easter Show every year.
We bought our tickets. It coast us $33 per person.
We decided to start the day with the Xtreme show. It was really great and we all enjoyed it. After the show we decided to go to the rides. I rode the Power Surge which coast me 7 coupons ($7).
My friends children won ed to do the Animal Walk so we went to the corner of Channel 9 Grand Parade street and Orana Parade street where the walk started. We walked to the Domestic Animals (corner Hawkesbury street and Channel 9 Grand Parade street) where the walk ended.
After the walk we rushed to the Kung Fu Panda show. My friends children loved the show and we adults used the time to relaxed a little bit.
It was already 2 pm as we start to become hungry. I eat a yummy fresh corn. after everyone had something to eat we went to see the fashion parade.
After the show we went to the craft corner. We looked around the Arts Pavilion and got a few good ideas for our garden; from the home, garden and lifestyle Pavilion.
We also bought show bags in the show bags hall. I bought a Blinky Bill Bag for $1 for each child.
We finished the day in the Graze Theatre where we saw the Band "Chase the Sun".
It's was late until we arrived home we felt tired but happy. It was a long but good day at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

St. Patrick's Day

When is St. Patrick's Day?

St. Patrick's Day is on the 17 of March.


What color do you wear on St. Patrick's Day?

Green


What drink is popular on St. Patrick's Day?


Geen beer






What do you know about St. Patrick's Day?

The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick's Day Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage


What stories are associated with this Day?

During his mission in Ireland, St. Patrick once stood on a hilltop (which is now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff by his side, banished all the snakes from Ireland.


What countries celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

It is a public holiday on the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Montserrat, among others.








What is the name of the delicious black Irish beer with a white creamy head?

Guines


What is an Irish coffee?

Coffee with cream and Wisky


What do you know about Ireland?

Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe.
The population of Ireland is estimated to be 6.2 million. Slightly fewer than 4.5 million are estimated to live in the Republic of Ireland and slightly fewer than 1.8 million are estimated to live in Northern Ireland. This is a significant increase from a modern historical low of 4.2 million in the 1960s but still much lower than the peak population of over 8 million in the mid-19th century prior to the Great Famine.
Irish culture has had a significant influence on culture world-wide, particularly in the fields of literature and, to a lesser degree, science and learning. A strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed for example through native sports and the Irish language, alongside a common Western culture, such as contemporary music and drama, and sports such as rugby, golf and the English language.


What Irish singers do you know?

U2, Enya, Westlife, The Script, The Coronas, B*witched, BoyZone and Black 47.


What are the colors of the Irish flag?




What is a shamrock?

According to legend, Saint Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish people.

What is a leprechaun?

A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology. Popular depiction shows them as being no taller than a small child.


What did Saint Patrick do in Ireland?

At the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Auxerre in Gaul and studied to be a priest.
In 432, he again said that he was called back to Ireland, though as a bishop, to Christianize the Irish from their native polytheism. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. After nearly thirty years of proselytizing, he died on 17 March 461, and according to tradition, was buried at Downpatrick. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity and is held in esteem in the Irish Church.


When was Saint Patrick alive?

Little is known of Patrick's early life, though it is known that he was born in Roman Britain in the fifth century.


When did St. Patrick die?

St. Patrick died on 17 March 461.

The story about the small but pretty person

Few years ago there was a small but pretty person that had a big problem.
The problem was that the small but pretty person couldn't stop sneezing.

The poor, small but pretty person, was sneezing through out the whole day and the whole night.
The sneezing was so bad and noisy that even the glass pane in the windows began to break.
At the end there wasn't any glass pane left, in the windows of the small but pretty person's house.
Because there wasn't any glass pane left, it was always crispy in the house and the small but pretty person's sneezing got worse and worse.

The small but pretty persons had enough and decided to do something about his problem.
He sent a letter to the Agency of Sneezing Purposes, in which he asked for help with his sneezing problem.

After twelve days the small but pretty person got a very interesting letter back.

The Agency of Sneezing Purposes wrote:

"Dear small but pretty person,

we think the sneezing will go away when you fill up your sink with water and dip your head into the water for 10 seconds.
When you repeat this three times the sneezing will be stop.

Your sincerely

The Agency of Sneezing Purposes"

The small but pretty person was very excited.
Perhaps that was the solution for his problem.
.
He filled up the sink with water and put his head into it, so that the water was splashing everywhere. He did this three times.
The small but pretty person was so excited that he would be cured, but one minute later his sneezing started again.

On this evening the small but pretty person went to bed very sad.

During the night he had a very weird dream about water and sinks.
The alarm clock woke the small but pretty person.
He was very surprised that the clock woke him up, because usually he always woke up from his own sneezing.
This was the moment when he realised that he wasn't sneezing the whole night.
The small but pretty person was healthy again.

International Women's Day Excursion

Last Tuesday our class went on an excursion.
The reason for the excursion was to celebrate world women's day.
We met at the Migrant Resource Centre in Rockdale at 9:30 in the morning, where we got information about the excursion.
At 10:00 am a bus drove us to Hawthorne Park in Ramsgat.
In the park we met an indigenous Australian man, who perform a smoking-ceremony for us and explained what he was doing. We could also ask questions.
After the ceremony we walked into the bush and the Aboriginal man told us more about his culture and how the aboriginal people are connected with nature.
An hour later we met an other man. He told us many interesting things about Australian native animals. He gave us more information about certain animals such as, where we can find them, what makes them unique and how we can protect them. The man also brought animal with him so we could see and touch them.
We saw a green tree frog, an ringtailded possum, a tawny frogmouth, a flying-fox and a blue tongue lizard.
In the afternoon we got back on the bus and went back to the MRC.
Back in the MRC we got lunch and we had the opportunity to dance and celebrate world women's day.
The majority of our class enjoyed the excursion because we learned a lot about the Australian culture on international women's day.

Harmony Day

Harmony Day is celebrated on 21 March each year.

Managed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), Harmony Day celebrates the cohesive and inclusive nature of our nation and promotes the benefits of cultural diversity.

DIAC supports a range of community events and activities held to celebrate Harmony Day by providing free promotional products.

The continuing message of Harmony Day is ‘Everyone Belongs’. It's about community participation, inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

The 2010 theme is ‘Express Yourself’. This gives you the opportunity to share with others the importance of diversity in your workplace, school and community through action, performance, fashion and food.

Since Harmony Day began in 1999 thousands of schools, community groups and organisations across Australia have hosted Harmony Day events.

There is no limit to the range of activities that can be held for Harmony Day and we encourage schools, community groups, local government and businesses to get involved and actively support this day of celebration.

Rudder competition

At the weekend i been to the city to meet a friend. We went for lunch and after we finish oure lunch we went to Darling Harbor. Their was a rudder competition. I don't know how the competition called.
It was very interesting to watch the event. Many people been there. But we didn't stay long because it was very hot and we couldn't find a space in the shade.

The TAFE library

I can borrow items from the TAFE library when I have a TAFE card.
At the TAFE library I can borrow six print items and four audio items. Print items include videos, cassettes and CDs. I can borrow books for two weeks and videos for one week. If I want to borrow an item for a longer time I can renew books or other items when I ring the library.
I can renew items two times. I am also able to find items from home. I can call the library and ask them for help or I can use the Internet.
If I like to return books after-hours it is only possible between 8 and 9 am. This is the time when the building is open. I can't return books when the building is closed. The library opens at 9 o'clock in the morning.
To make photocopies in the library I have to put money on my TAFE card. The copies cost 20 cents but if I was a Student Association Member I would get it for the half price (10 cents).
The library provides many other services for example, they help you to find information even from other TAFE libraries.
The library has different ESL resources. For example, there are book kits with exercises, books and audio tapes to borrow. I can borrow items from other TAFE libraries as well. A good idea for ESL students is to borrow an English dictionary.