Life & English

Life & English: “Spring Poems”

On a Forenoon of Spring
by William Allingham

I'm glad I am alive, to see and feel
The full deliciousness of this bright day,
That's like a heart with nothing to conceal;
The young leaves scarcely trembling; the blue-grey
Rimming the cloudless ether far away;
Brairds, hedges, shadows; mountains that reveal
Soft sapphire; this great floor of polished steel
Spread out amidst the landmarks of the bay.

I stoop in sunshine to our circling net
From the black gunwale; tend these milky kine
Up their rough path; sit by yon cottage-door
Plying the diligent thread; take wings and soar--
O hark how with the season's laureate
Joy culminates in song! If such a song were mine.

(Source: http://www.poetry-and-poems.com)

Ảnh: 

Dear Peter,

How are you?

I am staying in Halong, Quangninh, Vietnam. I have 3-day-cruise in Halong Bay. Now, it is the 3^rd day.

The weather is great!HalongBayis the world heritage but the beach is so polluted. The water isn’t clean.

I often play in the sand. I like octopus because the restaurant on the ship cook it really well. I like fishing squid but I couldn’t get any one. On the second day in the morning we went to the SungSot and Luon cave. I like this cruise but we need to go home. And I want to show you all my photos!

See you soon,

Your best friend

Dong Nhat Khoi Nguyen

Author: Dong Nhat Khoi Nguyen

Editor: Ms Trang - Teacher

Wider world Language Center, http://widerworld.edu.vn/

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Dear my friend.

I’m having a great time in Danang city.

It’s great weather here! It’s very hot and sunny. My family goes to beach everyday. The beach is a lot of fun because I can see lot of sand, water. I’m going to swim with my mum, dad and my sister.

The food here is so good. We are going to eat in a seafood restaurant tonight. I love fish very much.

We’re going to visit the park tomorrow. It has a lot of flowers. I think it is beautiful there. Then tomorrow evening, we’re going to go to the biggest supermarket in the town. We want to buy some presents. I want to buy for you a present from Danang.

We’re going to fly back home next week. I want to show you all my photos.

See you soon.

Best wishes

Uyen Chi 

Author: Uyen Chi

Editor: Ms. Trang- teacher

Wider World Language Center, http://widerworld.edu.vn/

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Dear Sakura,

How are you? Are you good?

I write this card to tell you about my holiday. During the holiday, I went to Japan with my family. We went to the historical museum. Then we went to the supermarket to buy something to cook. Tomorrow, we’ll eat seafood. It’s so delicious. And I want to eat something specially. Next week, we are going to fly back home by plane.

Goodbye, see you soon!

Your best friend

Thu Nguyen

Author: Nguyen Thi Hien Thu

Editor: Ms Trang - Teacher

Wider world Language Center, http://widerworld.edu.vn/

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Some years ago, I liked the sparkle fireworks in the wedding album. After “Tet”, New Lunar Year, I had a trip to the flower bed of sparkle fireworks by bus.

So I went to a flower bed of sparkle fireworks in Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh. From Hanoi, at 8 a.m, I catched the bus 204 in Luong Yen bus station, followed 5 national highway to Thuan Thanh. It costed ten thousandVietnamdong.

When I came to Thuan Thanh, I came to a small restaurant to eat the special of this area. I asked the way to the flower bed of sparkle fireworks in the riverside. It’s very famous, from parking place, you can use taxi or motorbike.

It was right to my wish, the flower bed of sparkle fireworks here was very wide. After the cold snap, flower beds of fireworks sparkles opened in unison. Just the time the sparkle firework opened, it was bright yellow. Then, I walked to the village and asked the people where I could see the field of white cabbage flowers.

I took a lot of photos here at 8-10 a.m and 2-3 p.m. When the sunset was down on the unending field, the flower bed of sparkle firework was very fantastic and I was relaxed. I bought a bunch of flowers and I thought that my mother will be very happy.

I like this trip and I hope I will have a lot of great trips.

Author: Giang- Student

Editor: Ms. Trang- Teacher

Wider World Language Center, http://widerworld.edu.vn/

Ảnh: 

People born in the Year of the Horse are clever, kind, animated and energetic. Although they sometimes talk too much, they are cheerful, perceptive, talented and love to be in the center of a crowd. They are popular among friends, active at work and have a deft sense of humour.

2014 is the year of the Golden Horse. Golden Horses are strong and stable and have a better ability to make decisions. Excellent at interacting with others, they are successful personally and professionally.

Anna N.

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Spring is the season of the brightest and most effulgent colors. Especially in Asia’s beliefs, red is considered good luck, prosperity, joyfulness and contentment. We can see the red color everywhere, from the ornaments, lucky envelopes, to the clothes of the elderly on the first days of New Year.

Coming toVietnam during the Tet holidays - Lunar New Year, you can see the whole streets covered with the color of red. Whichever gifts you plan to give, place a priority on red and yellow and avoid dark colours. For example, if you want to buy children new clothes, try to pick the most bright coloured ones.

Anna N.

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Banh Chung (steamed square cake) and its Southern variety called Banh Tet - is unique to Vietnam's Tet holiday, though many other countries (China, Japan, Korean, Singapore, Taiwan) celebrate this holiday as well. Banh Chung is a food made from glutinous rice, mung bean and pork, added with many other ingredients. Banh Chung is covered by green leaves (usually banana leaves) and symbolizes the Earth, invented by the prince Lang Lieu from Hung King dynasty. Besides traditional reason, Banh Chung is chosen as the main food for Tet holiday because of it can last long for days in the severe weather of Vietnam (Banh Chung can survive at room temperature for nearly 1 month).

Gio Cha (Vietnamese ham/sausage) is another traditional food in Tet holiday, and usually served with Xoi (sticky rice) and Banh Chung. Gio is different from Cha since Gio is boiled and Cha is deep-fried. Vietnamese people make Gio from lean meat, added fish sauce and covered by leaves then boiled for hours. Cha is also made of lean pork and ingredients, but Cha is not wrapped by leaves and boiled but deep-fried in oil. Cha just survive for some days when Gio can last for month due to its covers. There are many kind of Gio, categorized by its origins: Gio Lua (made from pork),GioGa (made from chicken), Gio Bo (made from beef). All these types are used not only in Tet holidays but also over the year.

Xoi (sticky rice) is also a very important part of Tet holiday in Vietnam, since the meals to worship the ancestors can not missing this dish. Moreover, along with Banh Chung, xoi is the main staple foods for Tet holiday. Xoi in Tet holidays can be seen in many forms: Xoi Lac (sticky rice with peanuts), Xoi Do Xanh (sticky rice with mung bean), Xoi Gac (sticky rice with special “gac” fruit). Among these types, xoi gac is favorite the most by people because of its special red color – symbolizes the luck and new achievement for the New Year. Xoi is usually served with Gio Cha or boiled chicken in Tet meals. Sometimes it can be served with Che (sweet soup) like a dessert.

Thit ga (boiled or steamed chicken) plays an important role in Tet holiday cuisine because all the tribute meals to the ancestors must contain a boiled chicken, whole or chopped. Chicken meat in Tet meals are various in forms: usually chicken are boiled and sliced, but sometimes people can place the whole chicken in a plate, or nowadays some families use roasted or fired chicken to replace the original boiled ones. Chicken meat is served with Xoi (sticky rice) and Banh Chung, and become one of the most popular main dishes in Tet holidays. Boiled chicken are always go with sliced lemon leaves and salt-and-pepper sauce, as a tradition. Chicken (especially bones, legs and heads) can be used to prepare the broths for other soups.

Mut (jam) is food to welcome guests in this special period. Mut is always kept in beautiful boxes and placed at the table in the living room, and it is the main food for the owners and guests to taste when they’re talking, enjoyed over a cup of tea. Unlike Western jam, which is usually in liquid form and served with bread, "Vietnamese jam" is mainly in dry form, usually dried fruits and some kind of seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds). This once-in-year mix of snack is very large in variety, with so many tastes: ginger, carrot, coconut, pineapple, pumpkin, lotus seed, star fruit, sweet potato. Nowadays, cake and sweet are slowly replacing jam in Tet period, but many people still love the taste this unique food – an angle of Vietnamese culture.

(Source: www.vietnamonline.com)

Ảnh: 

Tet Nguyen Dan, or Tet for short, is considered the biggest and most popular festival of the year in Vietnam. Celebrated on the first day of the first month in Lunar Calendar, Tet’s celebration is the longest holiday. Vietnamese New Year in 2014 from January 31st to Feb 4th.

Tet is the occasion for Vietnamese to express their respect and remembrance for their ancestors as well as welcoming the New Year with their beloved family members. Moreover, in the past, Tet was essential as it provided one of few long breaks during the agricultural year, which was held between the harvesting of the crops and the sowing of the next ones.

Since Tet occupies an important role in Vietnamese’s religious beliefs, Vietnamese will begin their preparations well in advance of the upcoming New Year. In an effort to get rid of the bad luck of the old year, people will spend a few days cleaning their homes, polishing every utensil, or even repaint and decorate the house with kumquat tree, branches of peach blossom, and many other colorful flowers. The ancestral altar is especially taken care of, with careful decoration of five kinds of fruits and votive papers, along with many religious rituals. Everybody, especially children, buy new clothes and shoes to wear on the first days of New Year. People also try to pay all their pending debts and resolve all the arguments among colleagues, friends or members of family.

Like other Asian countries, Vietnamese believe that the color of red and yellow will bring good fortune, which may explain why these colors can be seen everywhere in Lunar New Year. People consider what they do on the dawn of Tet will determine their fate for the whole year, hence people always smile and behave as nice as they can in the hope for a better year. Besides, gifts are exchanged between family members and friends and relatives, while children receive lucky money kept in red envelope.

(Source: www.vietnamonline.com)

Ảnh: 

2014 is the year of the Horse.

Lunar legend holds that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on New Year's Day and named a year after each of the twelve animals that came. The animals in the Lunar calendar are the dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, cat (or rabbit), dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, and rooster. Also, according to legend, people born in each animal's year have some of that animal's personality traits.

The Lunar New Year is celebrated during the second new moon after the winter solstice, usually between January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar.

Lunar New Year festivities begin on the first day of the first lunar month on the Chinese calendar and continue until the 15th of the lunar month, when the moon is full. The public holiday lasts three days, but celebrations take place over the entire 15 day period.

Families gather together for meals, especially for a feast on New Year's Eve. Each day of the fifteen-day celebration has its own traditions, such as visiting in-laws or staying home to welcome good fortune.

Fireworks displays during Lunar New Year stem from a custom of lighting bamboo stalks on fire to ward off evil spirits. Lunar New Year ends with the lantern festival, celebrated at night with displays and parades of painted lanterns. The highlight of the Lantern Festival is the Dragon Dance. Beautiful dragons made of paper, silk and bamboo are held overhead, and appear to dance as they make their way along the parade routes.

(Source: http://edition.cnn.com)

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