An Aussie Chrissie

An Australian Christmas is something very different to what a European would experience because of one significant difference- it's summer time! Yup, we get the best of both worlds as we can follow the traditional Christmas traditions whilst enjoying hot weather.

Here in Spain the three wise men are very important, but where I come from, the 6th of January is irrelevant. For us Christmas is celebrated on December 25th.

So what happens in the lead-up to Christmas, or as we say in Australia- 'Chrissy'?

People go shopping to buy Christmas presents for family and close friends. We have a lot of parties with friends and with workmates and it is common to send Christmas cards to all your relatives and friends.

Many people decorate the outsides of their houses with lights, every town has a Christmas Light competition and it is fun to drive around looking at all the beautifully decorated houses. In my city there is even a bus tour that drives people around to see the best houses. Inside each house there will always be a Christmas tree and other decorations around the house. Presents are placed under the tree but you can't open the presents (pressies in Australian slang) until Christmas Day.



Many Australians are no longer religious but Christians will go to church on Christmas Eve, the midnight church service is the most popular as it is done by candlelight. There are always Christmas carol concerts shown on the tv on Christmas Eve (24th December). Here in Spain your big Christmas dinner is eaten on Christmas Eve, but in Australia we normally wait until the 25th for that.



Christmas Day

Is a public holiday so all the shops are closed. It is a day spent with family. People travel to be with their family and on this day all the 'pressies' are opened.
Christmas is celebrated in one of two ways, in the family home or at the beach. Everyone eats a LOT of food and kids enjoy playing with all their new toys.



Food

Christmas food is delicious! People eat the traditional Christmas food that is associated with England, a roast meal of meat and vegetables, a leg of ham (different to Spanish jamon) is typical. However as it is summer and very hot weather many people also eat salad and seafood is very popular too.
There are also wonderful deserts that I miss being able to have here in Spain such as rumballs, fruit mince pies or Christmas pudding and Christmas cake, which are often served with yummy custard.

Boxing Day

Boxing day is the day after Christmas, the 26th of December. Even more people go to the beach today! People eat leftover food from the day before too.  I love Boxing Day as it is the day when the best sales of the year are on so I always go there early and buy new clothes etc.

 I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year too!

HALLOWEEN IN 2º ESO

You may think that Halloween is not a typical holiday in Málaga, but our 2º ESO students don't think so. They brought wonderful cakes to class and, most surprisingly, they ate them all!

There was a kind of contest to find out the most special cakes, and the winners were...

Tomás Carrasco's cemetery 

Alejandro Iván Romero's rotten arm

and











as THE SPOOKIEST cake

Irene Botella's glass of cold blood

 as THE MOST DISGUSTING drink
 
 ... and everyone agreed that

Zuleima Ortiz's spider muffins

were THE MOST DELICIOUS muffins they've ever eaten.

 We all had a great time, and finished even the most horrible rotten flesh

 

                                HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Car Racing on the Gold Coast

CAR RACING: 

GOLD COAST INDY 600

The Gold Coast 600 is a famous car race that is held in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast for three days each October. It first started in 1991. It is held in the city centre and important roads are closed to local traffic in the weeks before the race. 

The Gold Coast 600 is shown on the tv in Australia because a lot of people like to watch the V8 supercar race, which consists of 60 laps. As well as the car racing there are also modelling competitions and music concerts, this year Good Charlotte and the Living End will be playing. 

A three day race and concert ticket starts from $130 (about 104 Euros). Every year tens of thousands of people come to watch the race so it is very good for tourism.

Halloween

Halloween

Halloween came about thanks to the Celts who celebrated an ancient New Year festival that marked the change of seasons. The Celts believed that for one night prior to the New Year, the world between the living and the dead intertwined and ghosts could return to earth! Spooky! As the Catholic religion took hold this pagan festival changed but never completely vanished, as we know, we still celebrate Halloween to this day.

In Australia, Halloween is not an important holiday, but it is in the United States of America, where six billion dollars is spent on this holiday each year.

What do people do on Halloween? Well children (and some adults) get dressed up in scary costumes of things like- witches or ghosts. In the evening they go visiting from house to house ‘trick-or-treating’ at each house they visit, they receive lollies. A lot of houses will be decorated with carved lanterns made from pumpkins.

Some people have Halloween parties where they might have a bonfire, tell ghost stories, watch scary movies or play a party game called ‘Bobbing for Apples’.

                           

                                   

Hi! I’m Sarahann and I’ve come to work at your high-school, Nuestra Señora de la Victoria, here in Málaga as a teacher aide and cultural ambassador. I have come all the way from Australia to live in Spain for 8 months.

In Australia, I live in a city called the Gold Coast, it is a very famous tourist destination. The Gold Coast has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, it is a modern city and there are also rainforest areas very close by.

I live just 5 minutes walk from the beach. The beach closest to my house is a surf beach, they even have surf competitions there during the year.

You won’t find kangaroos jumping in the streets in Australia but you will find lots of beautiful birds and of course if you leave the cities there are opportunities to see some of the native animals that you can only see in Australia.

What do I miss most about Australia? My pet cat!

My favourite type of food is Indian cuisine.

In my spare time back home I would go out to restaurants with my friends or meet friends for chai (a type of tea with spices and milk that originated in India and is very popular in café’s in Australia). I also enjoy going to yoga or meditation classes.

While living in Spain I am looking forward to improving my Spanish and hopefully travelling to different parts of Andalucia, while here I would particularly like to visit Cadiz.

If you would like to know more about me then come and ask me 

Eurocup 2012

All the latest Uefa Euro 2012 scores, results, fixtures, groups, group tables, matches...

Now that I got your attention, here we are, at the end of our first bilingual year. We'll continue working hard in September.

But let me just close this post with a quote by one of our students' most admired celebrity:

“We've made history, already. We are still making it. We hope people remember that forever. Because it is unique what we are achieving”

Iker Calillas

Diamond Jubilee

Yesterday it was Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend in Britain and more than a million people lined the Thames to pay tribute to the Queen.

The Diamond Jubilee celebrates 60 years of the Queen's reign and  many different activities will be held all over the country to celebrate it.

But the Queen's sovereignty stretches more than just the United Kingdown, Elisabeth II is the head of the Commonwealth, and during her reign the Queen has visited every one of its countries  (with the exception of Cameroon, which joined in 1995 and Rwanda which joined in 2009), and made many repeat visits.

This is an important date for all British people around the world, so let's join their celebration, God Save the Queen!

How much do you know about the British Royal Family? Try this quiz to test your knowledge of the monarchy.

And don't forget to watch the  jubilee concert tonight

65/151. International Year of Sustainable Energy for All

You may wonder what 65/151 means. Well, it is the number of the  United Nations resolution that designates the year 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.

2012 is then a special year to recognize the importance of energy for sustainable development.

For that reason we are going to celebrate a RENEWABLE ENERGY WEEK starting on May 28th. For five days, there will be many activities related to renewable energies in our Science, Geography, Spanish Language and English classes. And even though it is an activity mainly designed for ESO students, all of you are invited to take part and enjoy the "sustainable mood".

To start thinking about the topic I recommend you a wonderful film, it is called HOME and you can watch it at the link provided with its title. It is a spectacular production, full of beauty and deep thoughts about the future of our planet.

We hope that the Renewable Energy Week will help you THINK GREEN 

See you there!

2012 EASTER IN MÁLAGA by Angel Luis Díez López, 4º ESO A

Easter is Málaga's most important festivity because a lot of people come from many countries or many places of Spain to see our processions, but rain always appears and it doesn't permit that different sculptures of Christs and Virgins can go around Málaga's streets.

From two Saturdays ago, many images have been moved so you could see them in our streets.

PALM SUNDAY MORNING: IT'S SUNNY!

Palm Sunday is opened by Pollinica brotherhood. This parade is very waited by children who always wake up early. The "nazarenos" carry olive branches to celebrate Christ arrival in Jerusalén.

While Pollinica is walking around Málaga's roads, the Virgin of "Lágrimas y Favores" leaves from San Juan. Do you know you can see Antonio Banderas, a famous actor who comes from USA,  helping in this parade? He carries the "trono"!

PALM SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT; MANY CLOUDS ARRIVE TO OUR TOWN

When Pollinica enter in its brotherhood house, "Dulce Nombre" leaves from Capuchinos. Last year, it started raining when they were in the Cathedral so they were not sure to leave. "Salutación", "Prendimiento", "Huerto" and "Salud" left too. The latest procession, "Humildad", left because it could start raining. They had to run. Rico's brotherhood house's doors were opened while this procession was passing.
 
EASTER MONDAY: A BROKEN DAY

The rain appears in Málaga. At 16:00 it started raining so "Crucifixión", "Gitanos" and "Pasión" couldn't leave. Last year, "Crucifixión" couldn't complete its itinerary, it rained on "Gitanos" images and "Pasión" had to wait in the Cathedral until Holy Tuesday morning.

Suddenly, the sun started shinning and "Cautivo", "Estudiantes" and "Dolores del Puente" started the visit to the city center. They were lucky.
 
HOLY TUESDAY: IT STARTS RAINING WHILE NUEVA ESPERANZA IS LEAVING

Málaga's girlfriend, the Virgin Rocío, at 15:30 begins her journey. It's cloudy.
Meantime, in Nueva Málaga, a neighborhood of Málaga "Nueva Esperanza" starts the longest parade: it begins at 16:00 and it finishes at 4:00! But it started raining. In 2011, they had to turn around in Mármoles street. This year, they have been brave and they have completed the journey. They were also lucky.
"Penas" could leave too. The virgin's mantle is made out of flowers!
"Rescate", "Sentencia" and "Estrella" could leave too.
 
HOLY WEDNESDAY: IT'S CLOUDY

"Salesianos" and "Fusionadas", the slowest procession with four "tronos" left. When "fusionadas" arrived to Atarazanas, it had to wait an hour because Salesianos was late. It was a very singular moment.

Every year, the "Rico" releases a prisoner in Plaza del Obispo.

"Paloma" brotherhood gives real doves to people. This doves fly near its Virgin because people release them.

The "Sangre" is the most ancient parade. It's very famous because its Christ is very bloody.

If you see the left of "Expiración", you will enjoy with the formation of the Guardia Civil. This year, I have lived a very special moment: the Christ and the Virgin went up the first street without stopping!

HOLY THURSDAY MORNING: THE LEGIONARIOS ARRIVE

You have to wake up early to go to the port because  the Legionarios
 disembark there. Then, you have to go to the move of "Mena".
 
HOLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT: IT STARTS RAINING

This is the best day of the week. The "legionarios" come to Málaga to accompany the parades.

The "Santa Cruz" opens this day. It is a very simple brotherhood but it is very interesting.

The "Cena" is very singular because it has the biggest "trono".

The "Viñeros" is very important too.

But the most important and waited processions are "Mena", "Misericordia", "Zamarrilla" and "Esperanza". The "legionarios" accompany them.
At 23:45, when only "Esperanza" remained in, it started  to rain. The parades who were in the street started running. "Esperanza", by second consecutive year, couldn't leave.
 
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING: THE CHRIST OF MENA BROKE UP

In the Good Friday Morning, by mistake, the Christ of "Mena" fell down and the image lost all its fingers. This Christ is called "the dismembered Christ" because he lost a leg, but it was reppaired. Now, he is again the dismembered Christ!
 
GOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT; IT'S RAINING!

Christ has died and everybody is very sad.

At 17:35, "Dolores" starts its parade.

The "Descendimiento" shows the descent of Christ from the cross.

"Calvario" is a very disconsolate Virgin. This parade left from Monte Calvario and when they were in Vía Dolorosa del Calvario, it started raining. It stopped at 17:15 so all the parades could leave.

In the "Traslado", Christ is carried to the tomb.

In the "Amor", the Virgin is crying thinking about her child.

In the "Piedad", Christ has died and the Virgin is holding him.

The "Sepulcro" shows Christ's tomb. Everybody is silent and the virgin is crying.

But the most different and special procession is "Tercera Orden de Siervos de María Santísima de los Dolores (Servitas)". It is a scary parade. The "nazarenos" ask for forgiveness to the Virgin. While the procession is passing, the lights are out. We can only hear the nazarenos' laments. The Virgin is very simple but it's very scary and beautiful.

At the end of Servitas, in San Felipe Neri, all was quiet when suddenly, a dark music began to sound and a man started singing an opera. It was really creepy and many children started crying.
 
RESURRECTION SUNDAY: THE SUN SHINES

There is only a procession this day : "Resucitado". Christ has raised from the dead and the Virgin is very happy.

“Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move”

Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland.  It is not a federal holiday in USA though they hold a very special celebration in their capital city: “White House Easter Egg Roll”.

The White House held a poster competition and invited elementary and middle school students nationwide to submit poster designs for the 2012 Easter Egg Roll. Students from over 20 states submitted entries. First Lady Michelle Obama selected the winning poster announcing the day. It was created by Breonna Bailey, a 7th grader from Macfarland Middle School in Washington DC. Breonna is 13 years old. The poster incorporates the event theme “Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move”, promoting health and wellness in support of the First Lady’s Let's Move! initiative, a national campaign to combat childhood obesity. We are very lucky to have our own Let's Move initiative at Martiricos promoted by Dr Jesús Barrera, one of our PE teachers.

Easter Monday Egg Roll is a big race on the lawn of the White House in Washington DC, sometimes even the President takes part in it. Eggs are rolled down a hill or slope and there is a variety of activities, as well as food and entertainment, for families.

Easter Monday Egg Roll originated on the grounds of the United States Capitol by the mid 1870s. President Hayes and his wife, Lucy, officially opened the White House grounds to the children of the area for egg rolling on 1978 Easter Monday. Successive Presidents continued the tradition, and the event has been held on the South Lawn ever since.
The White House estimates more than 35,000 people will participate, including Dora the Explorer, Katsuma and Poppet from the Moshi Monsters game, Alex the Lion from “Madagascar 3.”

The children attending the event take part in many activities, but rolling a hard-boiled egg across the lawn is still a highlight of the day.

At the end of the day as egg rollers say goodbye, each receives a special presidential wooden egg complete with the signatures of the President and the First Lady. 
The White House Easter egg collection involves a tradition that began in 1994 where each state sends a decorated egg to the White House for display.

Here in Málaga it is not bank holiday, but it is the beginning of our last term before summer holidays. This is the time to study hard to pass all your exams in June and have a wonderful time free from school homework.

St. Partick's Day

As you might already know, this Saturday -March 17th - was St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and many people believe that he was the first person to bring Christianity to the country hundreds of years ago. St. Patrick died on March 17th, so every year on this day, people all over the world have a party to celebrate him!

On St. Patrick's day, there are parades in lots of different cities. There is singing, dancing and live music, and people dress up in the traditional colours of Ireland: green, orange and gold. It is also traditional for people to drink Guiness on St. Patrick's day, as it is a very famous Irish beer.

The biggest St. Patrick's day celebration in the world is not in Ireland, but in New York. This is because, in the 18th and 19th centuries, many Irish immigrants came to New York to live and they wanted to continue their Irish traditions. The first New York St. Patrick's Day parade was held in the 1700s. Below you can see some pictures of the parade nowadays.









St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many cities around the world - even Malaga! Did you go to the town centre on Saturday? There were lots of people dressed up in green and wearing silly hats! I hope you celebrated St. Patrick's Day at the weekend and had fun!

See you soon,

Lynsey x

Saint Patrick´s Day

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick´s Day. If you want to learn what is it about, you can watch this video made by some children in Ireland, and you can read  an old article in this same blog.

Carnival

Now we are in February - the month of carnivals! Last weekend I traveled to Cadiz to see the carnival there. It was so much fun! There were lots of people wearing costumes, singing and dancing. We saw people dressed up as pirates, as soldiers, as the three musketeers...my friends and I dressed up as sheep. We looked very silly but we still had fun! I have some pictures that will upload soon so you can see.

Next week is Semana Blanca so we have a week off school. What are you going to do in the holidays? Are you going to go skiing? I'm not - I hate skiing! I'm not a very sporty person. I am going back to Scotland next week to see my family and friends. I can't wait!

I hope you enjoy the holidays. See you soon!

Lynsey x

Shrove Tuesday

Do you like pancakes? Today is the day to eat them because today is Pancake Tuesday. The official name of this celebration is Shrove Tuesday . Traditionally, special food was eaten in the day before Lent. People had to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent begins. During this period of time, it was forbidden to eat any food that would give pleasure, people had to consume plainer food thus avoiding meat, dairy, or eggs.

There is an interesting activity that still takes place in many villages and towns across United Kingdom, specially in England, and it is pancake races. Participants with frying pans race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air, catching them in the pan whilst running. A perfect excuse to eat lots of them today!



But Shrove Tuesday is better known in the United States, France and other countries as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Different name but same tradition: eating richer, fatty foods the last night before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday. 

 

Its origins go back to ancient times, some time in the Second Century, during mid-February (usually February 15 according to the Julian calendar), Romans would observe what they called the Lupercalia, a circus-type festival which was, in many respects, quite similar to the present day Mardi Gras. This festival honored the Roman deity, Lupercus, a pastoral God associated with Faunus or the Satyr. When Christianity arrived in Rome, the dignitaries of the early Church decided it would be more prudent to incorporate certain aspects of such rituals into the new faith rather than attempt to abolish them altogether. This granted a Christian interpretation to the ancient custom and the Carnival became a time of abandon and merriment which peceded the Lenten period (a symbolic Christian pentinence of 40 days commencing on Ash Wednesday and ending at Easter). During this time, there would be feasting which lasted several days and participants would indulge in voluntary madness by donning masks, clothing themselves in the likeness of spectres and generally giving themselves up to Bacchus and Venus. All aspects of pleasure were considered to be allowable during the Carnival celebration and today's modern festivites are thought by some to be more reminiscent of the Roman Saturnalia rather than Lupercalia, or be linked to even earlier Pagan festivals.

You know that here, in Málaga, we have been celebrating the Carnival over the last two weekends and that the name for our particular Mardi gras is El entierro del boquerón. Again, different words for similar traditions...

Eat plenty of pancakes and boquerones before Ash Wendneday, you're still on time!

Sierra Nevada, by Ángel Luis Díez López 4º ESO A

We are going on a trip to a ski resort: Sierra Nevada. I have been there many times and I think it is a fantastic place to visit. Do you know what is that? No? If you read this information, you will want to ski there!

Sierra Nevada is in the south of Europe so it is always sunny there. The ski resort is very near of the capital city: Granada. There are other towns near it: Málaga and Almería.

There are many hotels where you can spend your night and there is a very big development called Pradollano. Many houses are rented there. It was the first ski resort in Spain and now, it is the biggest one. You just have to rent your skis and start skiing! You can also learn snowboarding in the ski school. The chairlift helps you climb the mountain so you just have to enjoy while you are going down the mountain.

In summer, people go cycling, climb the mountain and go running. Do you know that you can see Africa from Veleta, the highest peak?

And, what can children do in Sierra Nevada? Don't worry! There is an amusement park with cars, slides... where they will have a great time.

Don't forget your sleigh because in the ski station there are many places where you can enjoy with it. At night, you can dance in the discos and practise night skiing. There are many restaurants but there is not a Mc Donald's.

A bus service connects the resort to the bus station in Granada, the journey takes approximately 45 minutes, and parking is not a problem!

Sierra Nevada is also one of the National Parks in Spain and there is an observatory in Veleta. It is a fantastic place to visit and you will have a great time.

Carnival, by Ángel Luis Díez López, 4º ESO A

Spain

In our country, Carnival is celebrated in many places. The most famous cities are Santa Cruz, Las Palmas, Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Tarragona, Solsona, Cádiz, Badajoz, Bielsa, Plan, San Juan de Plan, Laza, Verín, Viana and Xinzo de Limia. People disguises and go to the city center to watch the parades.

Andalusia 
The Carnival of Cádiz is one of the most famous carnivals in Spain and the world, and it has been recognized (together with the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife), as  an International Tourist Interest in Spain.

 

Every year, during the months of January and February, a Carnival Competition is held in the Teatro Falla.

The costumes worn by the groups are often related to recent news, such as the bird flu epidemic in 2006, during which many people were disguised as chickens.
The most famous groups are the chirigotas, choirs and comparsas.


 Canary Islands

Santa Cruz and Las Palmas are, together with Cadiz, the most important cities for the carnival festival in Spain. They are very important for Spanish tourism too, and have been declared an International Tourist  Interest in 1980 by the Secretary of State for the Tourism.

Every February, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, capital of the largest of the Canary Islands, hosts the event, attracting around a million people. Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife now aspires to become a World Heritage Site.

 In 1987 the Cuban singer Celia Cruz, together with the orchestra Billo's Caracas Boy, performed in the "Carnival Chicharrero". More than 250,000 people were there and it was registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest gathering of people in an outdoor plaza to attend a concert, a record it holds today. The Carnival of Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) has a Drag Queen's gala where a jury chooses a winner.

Mr Scrooge, Jacob Marley, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Samuel Pickwick, Uriah Heep...

Who has never heard about these characters? We all owe them hours of joy and examples for learning about human nature.

Two hundred years ago their creator, the British writer Charles John Huffam Dickens was born. He is considered one of the greatest authors of all time and his texts have been read by millions of people since they were first published.

You may have watched a film based on one of Dicken's novels, or perhaps you have read an adapted version of it once, but if you really want to enjoy what I call LITERATURE -yes, that's it, with capital letters- then you should find youself a nice cup of tea, a confortable armchair, and a complete version of one of the texts as Dickens wrote them.

You can start with an easy and short one like A Christmas Carol. After reading it, you will be longing to find out about the other characters too.

THE DAY OF THE PEACE QUOTATIONS CONTEST

Who said ....?

1. If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. (Moshe Dayan)
2. A smile is the beginning of peace. (Mother Theresa of Calcuta)
3. I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. (Mahatma Gandhi)
4. Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind. (John F. Kennedy)
5. The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend. (Abraham Lincoln)
6. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. (Buhda)
7. Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous. (George Bernard Shaw)
8. There was never a good war or a bad peace. (Benjamin Franklin)
9. All we are saying is give peace a chance. (John Lennon)
10. Peace is the respect for the rights of others. (Benito Juarez)

Happy New Year

Hi everyone!

Happy new year! I hope you all had fun during the holidays. I went back to Edinburgh to see my family. I had a nice time but it was very cold.

On New Year's Eve (31st December) there is a big party on Princes Street, the main street in the centre of Edinburgh. People come from all over the world to celebrate the new year with music, dancing and fireworks. Here are some pictures:

At New Year, it is traditional for people to make New Year's "Resolutions", or promises about things that they are going to do in the new year. For example, popular resolutions are to stop smoking or to do more sport. Have you made any reolutions? My resolution is to be more organised...we will see how long that lasts!

Lynsey x

AND THE WINNER IS...

On 24th January we got the nomitations for the 2012 Oscar Awards. Though this happened in Los Angeles, California, almost every paper or tv news programe in the world talked about them. Have you made your bet yet?

The Solar System Song

Have a look at the following song and you will learn a bit more about the planets in our Solar System.

What will Málaga be like in 2112?

According to one of the predictions shown on a list that the BBC has recently published as Twenty top predictions for life 100 years from now , you will still be here to see if the other nineteen were right.