North of Argentina
Last year I traveled with my wife to the north of Argentina. We had been planning that trip for several months. We wanted to know that region of our country because a friend had recommended that we should visit some historical places like "the Cabildo" and the Salta Cathedral, and the marvelous landscapes.
We arrived at Tucumán city on July 1st. We had reserved a room in a Francia Hotel, located in the heart of the city. Foremost, we had a shower. After that, we ate a sandwich and decided to sleep; we were exhausted because of the trip. The day after, we visited the historical House of the Independence Declaration and walked downtown. We bought some typical clothes and candies as a gift for our friends and family.
After we had stayed in Tucumán city for three days, we went to Salta. Until we arrive there, we passed by many quiet and agricultural villages. In those places, indigenous people still live, and they conserve their culture as thousand of years ago. They do the Incan rite, the Pachamama ("Mother Earth"), in the month of August. They sing and dance their songs using traditional instruments. I like that kind of traditional cultural expressions a lot.
The Salta architecture is very Spanish and interesting. In the surroundings, there are other kinds of architectural style and primitive houses can be seen. In the province of Salta, we went to the picturesque town of Cafayate where we visited several vineyards. Cafayate's wines are famous for their high quality. The vineyards are often located in mountainous terrains. My wife and I have the same taste for wines. We love Cabernet and Malbec but we like to try other native wines too, like the "vino patero", a wine made by stepping on the grapes with the feet. After five days, we came back to our home.
I think, in that trip, I have learned a lot about the cultures and the differences between human beings. Each person belongs to a specific culture. Very often, we believe that the only way to do something right is our way. The inhabitants of those regions, especially those who live in the mountains or in the Puna desert are very different from us. The way they think and believe belongs to their culture. The earth can't be separated of the human being. They consider the nature and the human being as a totality where everything is closely related.
On the other hand, I missed so many things from my home, particularly my usual meals. I am accustomed to eating fresh fishes and a big variety of vegetables and fruits almost every day, and I could only find that sometimes in some good restaurants. Even so, I would like to go there many more times!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Solange - B1 - Profile in a letter
Hi, Elton
How are you?
I’m fine. I’m in a new internship and I’m living in two homes.
On weekends, I stay in my mother’s house with my family in a small town, Taboão da Serra. My mother, my father, my sister and my nephew live there. I love them.
Monday to Friday, I stay in my boyfriend’s house. His name is Laerton. What tell you about him? He’s very friendly and kind. I love him. He is twenty-six. He works at Atento and he is a Physics student. He studies at USP.
He lives in a house in Rio Pequeno. It’s in São Paulo. His house is near my job and near the college, so I’m living there. I like to live there because Laerton is very funny and we talk about many subjects. Sometimes we watch films or listen to music at night. I love it.
We always study hard and we don’t have free time, but sometimes he invites me to go out or watch films at home. On Saturday mornings, we go to English course together. After that, have lunch and he goes to work. On Sunday, he goes to his mother’s house, too. He doesn’t like sports and dance. He likes to stay home with his family and he likes to play with his pets. He has four dogs. His favorite dog is Baby. Sometimes, he likes to drink beer or wine on Saturday evenings.
On weekdays, he gets up early, takes a shower, has breakfast and goes to college. He has lunch about midday and in the afternoons he studies at home. In the evenings, he goes to work. He works at night and arrives at home about two o’clock AM.
In Laerton’s house there are three rooms. There is a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. It’s a small house, but we like it very much. We don’t have big furniture, but we are ok there. We have many books, DVDs and CDs and we have a lot of fun.
See you in next class
Kisses
Sol.
How are you?
I’m fine. I’m in a new internship and I’m living in two homes.
On weekends, I stay in my mother’s house with my family in a small town, Taboão da Serra. My mother, my father, my sister and my nephew live there. I love them.
Monday to Friday, I stay in my boyfriend’s house. His name is Laerton. What tell you about him? He’s very friendly and kind. I love him. He is twenty-six. He works at Atento and he is a Physics student. He studies at USP.
He lives in a house in Rio Pequeno. It’s in São Paulo. His house is near my job and near the college, so I’m living there. I like to live there because Laerton is very funny and we talk about many subjects. Sometimes we watch films or listen to music at night. I love it.
We always study hard and we don’t have free time, but sometimes he invites me to go out or watch films at home. On Saturday mornings, we go to English course together. After that, have lunch and he goes to work. On Sunday, he goes to his mother’s house, too. He doesn’t like sports and dance. He likes to stay home with his family and he likes to play with his pets. He has four dogs. His favorite dog is Baby. Sometimes, he likes to drink beer or wine on Saturday evenings.
On weekdays, he gets up early, takes a shower, has breakfast and goes to college. He has lunch about midday and in the afternoons he studies at home. In the evenings, he goes to work. He works at night and arrives at home about two o’clock AM.
In Laerton’s house there are three rooms. There is a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. It’s a small house, but we like it very much. We don’t have big furniture, but we are ok there. We have many books, DVDs and CDs and we have a lot of fun.
See you in next class
Kisses
Sol.
Wellington - B1 - email to a classmate
Hi love, how are you? I'm fine, but I miss you. When will I see you again?
This week I studied very much, because next week I have a test.
The course of French is very interesting, I learned some new expressions,
I met a classmate who went to France last year, his name is Joaquin,
he 32 years old, is married and has one child.
Also I went to a lecture on Walter Beijamin, I was pretty cool, there were two
speakers who spoke about the Weimar Republic, and also the interwar period
in Germany.
I'm also eager to go to the theater.
I love you
Kisses
This week I studied very much, because next week I have a test.
The course of French is very interesting, I learned some new expressions,
I met a classmate who went to France last year, his name is Joaquin,
he 32 years old, is married and has one child.
Also I went to a lecture on Walter Beijamin, I was pretty cool, there were two
speakers who spoke about the Weimar Republic, and also the interwar period
in Germany.
I'm also eager to go to the theater.
I love you
Kisses
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Regiane - B1 - Profile
Claudia is my best friend. She's from São Paulo, but now she lives in Manaus. She's a speech therapist too and she loves her job. She is married, her husband's name is Luiz. He works hard in a big computer firm, but he likes cooking in his free time! They have a daughter. Their daughter's name is Giovanna, she's thirteen and she's a student. Giovanna is lovely! She’s very intelligent and participates in large groups of challenge on the internet. Claudia works hard but helps Giovanna on the challenge. She likes making origami, to sew and to surf the internet in her free time and she loves Japanese food. She loves running, so she participated in São Silvestre and will participate in the marathon of Rio de Janeiro! On her holidays, she comes to São Paulo to meet her friends. She’s very special!!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monica - U1 - Travel log
The Trip of my dreams!
In September, 1997, I went to Europe with my parents. It was the trip of my dreams - although I still have a lot of places to visit! We went to France, Germany, Italy, England... We spent about a week in each country.
In Paris, we could walk for hours because the city is very plain; in Rome, we saw the ruins - Rome is a museum in open air - we also saw the Pope; each place has its charm, it is hard to talk about something special because all the trip was wonderful...
The food, the people, different behaviours, the language, the way we tried to communicate with the others on the streets, bars, restaurants, buses, subways...
In England and Paris there were flowers everywhere because of the death of Princess Diana! Everybody was only talking about this! It was a great loss for the English people!
In Germany, going to a city near Stuttgart, where my brother was playing tennis in a championship, we had to stop to ask for direction and we met a taxi driver who spoke Portuguese with us! He spent some time in São Paulo 2 years before, can you believe that?
Something amazing also happened when we went to Italy. In Assis, 2 days after leaving the small and cosy city, there was an earthquake that destroyed some buildings and the famous church!
I spent my birthday in Nice - South of France - and the manager of the hotel we were in surprised me with a big and tasty cake with candles and everything that goes in a birthday cake! "Nice" thing to remember!
When people ask me what I liked most I say: I liked to have been there! It was marvelous!
In September, 1997, I went to Europe with my parents. It was the trip of my dreams - although I still have a lot of places to visit! We went to France, Germany, Italy, England... We spent about a week in each country.
In Paris, we could walk for hours because the city is very plain; in Rome, we saw the ruins - Rome is a museum in open air - we also saw the Pope; each place has its charm, it is hard to talk about something special because all the trip was wonderful...
The food, the people, different behaviours, the language, the way we tried to communicate with the others on the streets, bars, restaurants, buses, subways...
In England and Paris there were flowers everywhere because of the death of Princess Diana! Everybody was only talking about this! It was a great loss for the English people!
In Germany, going to a city near Stuttgart, where my brother was playing tennis in a championship, we had to stop to ask for direction and we met a taxi driver who spoke Portuguese with us! He spent some time in São Paulo 2 years before, can you believe that?
Something amazing also happened when we went to Italy. In Assis, 2 days after leaving the small and cosy city, there was an earthquake that destroyed some buildings and the famous church!
I spent my birthday in Nice - South of France - and the manager of the hotel we were in surprised me with a big and tasty cake with candles and everything that goes in a birthday cake! "Nice" thing to remember!
When people ask me what I liked most I say: I liked to have been there! It was marvelous!
Juliana - B1 - email to a classmate
Hi! What is up?
This week has been tiring, I did a test.
The university is very interesting, my classmates are very nice.
My work is wonderful, I love a friend who works with me, her name is Mary, she is
39 years old and lives in Caieiras city, just like you. You know?
I am anxious for Sunday to arrive to go to the theater. Do you have your English activities this week?
Well, I do!
I like the English classes very much. We are lucky to have an excellent teacher and very good classmates.
I miss you too.
Kisses.
I love you!
Ju
This week has been tiring, I did a test.
The university is very interesting, my classmates are very nice.
My work is wonderful, I love a friend who works with me, her name is Mary, she is
39 years old and lives in Caieiras city, just like you. You know?
I am anxious for Sunday to arrive to go to the theater. Do you have your English activities this week?
Well, I do!
I like the English classes very much. We are lucky to have an excellent teacher and very good classmates.
I miss you too.
Kisses.
I love you!
Ju
Maristela - U1 - Tourist leaflet
Discover good reasons to visit Greenland
Greenland Happy Tourism is a very reliable company that has worked since 1984 by developing entrepreneurship and marketing of Greenland adventures. This leaflet brings you several pieces of information about Greenland as a tourist destination.
Join us and have a happy adventure!!!
Travel Routes
a)By air to Greenland from Denmark
You can take a flight to West and South Greenland from Copehagem by the Greenlandic airline Air Greenland.
Onward transport to the towns on Greenland’s west coast takes place by airplane or helicopter. Contact your travel agency or Air Greenland for more information.
b)By sea to Greenland
You can go cruising from Iceland, to the USA or Canada
Accomodation
Hotels – The four-star hotels include Hotel Arctiv in Ilulissat, Hotel Sisimiut in Sisimiut and Hotel Hans Egede in Nuuk. All of them have suite bathroom/toilet, telephone and also TV.
Four seamen’s hostels – Originally cheap and basic overnight accommodation for sailors. Today, they are standard hotels and offer breakfast which is included in each hotel rate price.
Bed and breakfast – Arrangements with Greenlandic family or in sheep-farmer for basic overnight accommodation.
Currency
Danish kroner
Landscapes
The Ice sheet – It’s a huge ice cap where travellers could have an extreme experience to cross the ice sheet. The ice sheet has covered parts of Greeland for the last 2-3 million years.
Midnight Sun – It can be experienced in north of Arctic Circle from a period of a single day to five months. It depends on how far north you travel. The most northerly town is Qaanaaq.
Outdoor adventures
Greenland offers you several outdoor adventures such as trekking, anlgling, kayaking, mountain climbimb and even paragliding on the ice cap. Several travel agencies could be contacted if you were interested.
Greenland Happy Tourism is a very reliable company that has worked since 1984 by developing entrepreneurship and marketing of Greenland adventures. This leaflet brings you several pieces of information about Greenland as a tourist destination.
Join us and have a happy adventure!!!
Travel Routes
a)By air to Greenland from Denmark
You can take a flight to West and South Greenland from Copehagem by the Greenlandic airline Air Greenland.
Onward transport to the towns on Greenland’s west coast takes place by airplane or helicopter. Contact your travel agency or Air Greenland for more information.
b)By sea to Greenland
You can go cruising from Iceland, to the USA or Canada
Accomodation
Hotels – The four-star hotels include Hotel Arctiv in Ilulissat, Hotel Sisimiut in Sisimiut and Hotel Hans Egede in Nuuk. All of them have suite bathroom/toilet, telephone and also TV.
Four seamen’s hostels – Originally cheap and basic overnight accommodation for sailors. Today, they are standard hotels and offer breakfast which is included in each hotel rate price.
Bed and breakfast – Arrangements with Greenlandic family or in sheep-farmer for basic overnight accommodation.
Currency
Danish kroner
Landscapes
The Ice sheet – It’s a huge ice cap where travellers could have an extreme experience to cross the ice sheet. The ice sheet has covered parts of Greeland for the last 2-3 million years.
Midnight Sun – It can be experienced in north of Arctic Circle from a period of a single day to five months. It depends on how far north you travel. The most northerly town is Qaanaaq.
Outdoor adventures
Greenland offers you several outdoor adventures such as trekking, anlgling, kayaking, mountain climbimb and even paragliding on the ice cap. Several travel agencies could be contacted if you were interested.
Angelina - U1 - Letter
Dear Emily
How are things with you? I’m very well!!
My big news is that I’m dating an Australian player of field hockey team.
I met Geoffrey Flynn in a currency exchange downtown four months ago, when he asked for me information about the exchange rate of the day in English. He is a tourist in Brazil, he is from Adelaide.
Now, I’m receiving Geoffrey in my home because we are dating. He still wishes he could know exciting places of São Paulo city and also I am taking advantage of this situation because I’m always speaking with my guest in English.
Then, we have visited beautiful places of São Paulo and we have especially watched several soccer matches at Morumbi Stadium. What exciting experiences! Geoffrey loves Brazilian soccer matches and he is a fan of Ronaldo, a famous player of Corinthians team.
Geoffrey and I also went to Sesc Pinheiros, near my house, and we watched a concert with a Brazilian composer and singer Edu Lobo last month. How wonderful! Geoffrey loved it!
Last weekend we came out of Eldorado mall and we were walking when I was attacked by a thief who made off with my handbag. The thief stole all my money, credit cards and cell phone! How horrible!
Geoffrey is in his twenties, he’s tall and very good-looking. He is very sensitive. I love him.Thank goodness for that!
I can’t believe that I found a handsome fiancé from a foreign country in my fifties.
Next year we are going to get married and live in Australia.
By the time we’ll have opened a joint checking account at Bank of Brazil because my money is all there.
Hang on! You’ll receive our wedding invitation.
I’m waiting for your news!
Keep in touch,
Angelina
How are things with you? I’m very well!!
My big news is that I’m dating an Australian player of field hockey team.
I met Geoffrey Flynn in a currency exchange downtown four months ago, when he asked for me information about the exchange rate of the day in English. He is a tourist in Brazil, he is from Adelaide.
Now, I’m receiving Geoffrey in my home because we are dating. He still wishes he could know exciting places of São Paulo city and also I am taking advantage of this situation because I’m always speaking with my guest in English.
Then, we have visited beautiful places of São Paulo and we have especially watched several soccer matches at Morumbi Stadium. What exciting experiences! Geoffrey loves Brazilian soccer matches and he is a fan of Ronaldo, a famous player of Corinthians team.
Geoffrey and I also went to Sesc Pinheiros, near my house, and we watched a concert with a Brazilian composer and singer Edu Lobo last month. How wonderful! Geoffrey loved it!
Last weekend we came out of Eldorado mall and we were walking when I was attacked by a thief who made off with my handbag. The thief stole all my money, credit cards and cell phone! How horrible!
Geoffrey is in his twenties, he’s tall and very good-looking. He is very sensitive. I love him.Thank goodness for that!
I can’t believe that I found a handsome fiancé from a foreign country in my fifties.
Next year we are going to get married and live in Australia.
By the time we’ll have opened a joint checking account at Bank of Brazil because my money is all there.
Hang on! You’ll receive our wedding invitation.
I’m waiting for your news!
Keep in touch,
Angelina
Monday, May 24, 2010
Regiane - B1 - Profile
Claudia is my best friend. She's from São Paulo, but now she lives in Manaus. She's a speech therapist too and she loves her job. She is married, her husband's name is Luiz. He works hard in a big computer firm, but he likes cooking in his free time! They have a daughter. Their daughter's name is Giovanna, she's thirteen and she's a student. Giovanna is lovely! She’s very intelligent and participates in large groups of challenge on the internet. Claudia works hard but helps Giovanna on the challenge. She likes making origami, to sew and to surf the internet in her free time and she loves Japanese food. She loves running, so she participated in São Silvestre and will participate in the marathon of Rio de Janeiro! On her holidays, she comes to São Paulo to meet her friends. She’s very special!!!
Matheus - B1 - Profile
Rita is a teacher. She is Brazilian and lives with her family in Salesópolis, a small city in São Paulo state. She teaches for little children in a public school. Rita is married to Paulo, and they have four kids, one son and three daughters. Her son is Matheus and Monike, Maiara and Marina are the girls of the house. Rita doesn’t like cats, but she loves dogs, and she has one named Boris. Boris is a puppy.
The city where Rita lives is very quiet. Rita works four hours a day and in her free time she is a housewife. She likes to watch TV; she doesn’t miss one chapter of soap operas and her favorite kind of movies is comedy. Rita is very happy, she loves her family and every Sunday she goes to Church, she prays and thanks, because her family is healthy and united.
In a few years Rita will retire, and her idea is to buy a little house in the countryside and to live there with her husband.
The city where Rita lives is very quiet. Rita works four hours a day and in her free time she is a housewife. She likes to watch TV; she doesn’t miss one chapter of soap operas and her favorite kind of movies is comedy. Rita is very happy, she loves her family and every Sunday she goes to Church, she prays and thanks, because her family is healthy and united.
In a few years Rita will retire, and her idea is to buy a little house in the countryside and to live there with her husband.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Irene - U1 - Travel log: Visiting Turkey
Two years ago I had the opportunity of visiting Turkey, a country situated between Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It was an old dream that came true because I was very curious about the Turkish culture. Due to the fact that my youngest daughter was studying in London at that time, I decided to take a flight in order to meet her and then we went together to Istanbul. This city is really wonderful and full of palaces, mosques, gardens, markets and museums from the sultan´s time. In Istanbul, we visited Bosphorus, a strait which divides the city in two parts, and links the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. We crossed the strait by boat and saw beautiful and enormous buildings in both sides of the Bosphorus. We also visited some famous Turkish Baths and the Spicy Market, a space full of typical products, like dry fruits, almonds, rugs and colourful handicraft. When we visited the beautiful Blue Mosque, a local guide explained to us all about the Muslims’ religion. Turkish people are used to praying five times a day and before entering the mosque they have to take off their shoes and wash their hands, their feet and their faces in a tap installed out of the mosque. They have to kneel facing Mecca, the city where Mohammed was born. As you can realize, I enjoyed our trip a lot and I recommend that you visit Turkey as soon as possible.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Andre – U1 – Travel log: Go Center-West
During my last vacation, I went to Goiânia, a city inside Goiás state. Because of work, I needed to choose when my vacation would be long before I could plan anything. But there was a very old trip plan in my family: To visit my cousin in his house, in Goiânia. My mother and my aunt went there once, but my father and I had never been there before. Goiás is located in the central part of Brazil. It’s known for being the home of many famous country music singers and for its farms.
So, because my parents and my aunt are retired and I’m the only one who cares about vacations now, we decided that we should go to my cousin’s house, in Goiânia. Because I like to drive, I convinced my family that we should go by car. The main arguments were that it’s quicker, cheaper and a lot funnier. My father has a ’93 Subaru Legacy, that is a very powerful and comfortable car despite its age (and very cheap if you are interested) so we decided that it was the right car to take this trip. My cousin gave us directions and tips on how to get there through Minas Gerais state. So, on December 8th, we packed our bags and hit the road by 5 am. It was a very rainy day (in fact that day São Paulo had problem with floods). I was the first driver and my father said that he would exchange seats with me if I got tired. After more than 330Km I didn’t feel tired at all… and neither at the 660Km mark. So I drove all the way to Goiânia and we reached my cousin’s house by 7 Pm, after 980Km.
My cousin’s apartment is very big and it’s located in front of the administrative center of Goiânia and Goiás (because Goiânia is the capital). Many governmental buildings are just across the street or just few minutes away on foot. It’s a beautiful city, with lots of trees and plazas distributed around the city. It was founded by Pedro Ludovico Teixeira, a politician that decided to move the capital to a new city during the 1930’s because Cidade de Goiás, the old capital, was starting to get crowded and its geography had limited the expansion of the city. Goiânia was founded on October, 1933.
But we didn’t stick to Goiânia only. We spent a day in Brasília, Brazil’s capital, that is placed 200Km to the Northeast. There we visited the congress, the senate, Paranoá Lake, 3 Poderes plaza, Brasília’s Cathedral and walked past many embassies. And we also spent a day in Cidade de Goiás, the old capital. It’s a small city in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains. We visited the old government headquarters. Every year, on the anniversary of Cidade de Goiás, it is once again proclaimed the capital of Goiás and politicians move from Goiânia to work there. It’s placed 150Km to the Northwest of Goiânia.
We left Goiânia on December 18th. I drove all the way back to our home, and didn’t feel tired. Did I miss anything from home? I think I just missed my beloved baseball and my computer (my cousin’s computer didn’t have any cool games), but I survived. It was a trip that I’ll never forget. And surely it encouraged us to travel more by car. It’s comfortable, cheap and the views you get when driving are fantastic.
So, because my parents and my aunt are retired and I’m the only one who cares about vacations now, we decided that we should go to my cousin’s house, in Goiânia. Because I like to drive, I convinced my family that we should go by car. The main arguments were that it’s quicker, cheaper and a lot funnier. My father has a ’93 Subaru Legacy, that is a very powerful and comfortable car despite its age (and very cheap if you are interested) so we decided that it was the right car to take this trip. My cousin gave us directions and tips on how to get there through Minas Gerais state. So, on December 8th, we packed our bags and hit the road by 5 am. It was a very rainy day (in fact that day São Paulo had problem with floods). I was the first driver and my father said that he would exchange seats with me if I got tired. After more than 330Km I didn’t feel tired at all… and neither at the 660Km mark. So I drove all the way to Goiânia and we reached my cousin’s house by 7 Pm, after 980Km.
My cousin’s apartment is very big and it’s located in front of the administrative center of Goiânia and Goiás (because Goiânia is the capital). Many governmental buildings are just across the street or just few minutes away on foot. It’s a beautiful city, with lots of trees and plazas distributed around the city. It was founded by Pedro Ludovico Teixeira, a politician that decided to move the capital to a new city during the 1930’s because Cidade de Goiás, the old capital, was starting to get crowded and its geography had limited the expansion of the city. Goiânia was founded on October, 1933.
But we didn’t stick to Goiânia only. We spent a day in Brasília, Brazil’s capital, that is placed 200Km to the Northeast. There we visited the congress, the senate, Paranoá Lake, 3 Poderes plaza, Brasília’s Cathedral and walked past many embassies. And we also spent a day in Cidade de Goiás, the old capital. It’s a small city in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains. We visited the old government headquarters. Every year, on the anniversary of Cidade de Goiás, it is once again proclaimed the capital of Goiás and politicians move from Goiânia to work there. It’s placed 150Km to the Northwest of Goiânia.
We left Goiânia on December 18th. I drove all the way back to our home, and didn’t feel tired. Did I miss anything from home? I think I just missed my beloved baseball and my computer (my cousin’s computer didn’t have any cool games), but I survived. It was a trip that I’ll never forget. And surely it encouraged us to travel more by car. It’s comfortable, cheap and the views you get when driving are fantastic.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Letter - Simone - U1
Asking for an opinion
I’m writing to a friend who is spending some time in London. I’m asking her some suggestions to an unexpected visit of an English-speaking person
May 10th, 2010
Hi Juliana,
How are things in London?
I hope you are doing a good job right there!!
Here, it’s fine but I wish you could be with us next month.
I’m writing ’cause I have some news to tell you and I think you can really make me a suggestion …
Do you remember Thomas Grisham from Canada? I’m sure you remember him. He’s that one who talked to us for a long time during the last World Congress of Pharmacology in San Francisco.
Grisham is arriving in São Paulo within two weeks and he’ll come to make some presentations in our department and at UNICAMP. Maybe his wife comes together. They’ll stay in Brazil for about ten days. The problem is our boss who asked me to be with them for at least three days. I know that Grisham is an easygoing person but I’m worried about my English and I need to do my best. I hope I can make myself understood with my English skills. When they come to Campinas, we won’t have much time, so I’ve planned to take them to drink draft beer or one “caipirinha” in the traditional Giovannetti bar, a pleasant place. In São Paulo, Karen promised to help me. At first, we thought about taking them to visit the Butantã Institute where they could see loads of studies about poisonous snakes. Right after that, I thought that it could be interesting if they could visit an informal place like…Rosas de Ouro’s Square – I remember you said it is an exciting place!! - or even…our National Soccer Museum…’cause almost all foreigners enjoy samba and soccer!
Do you think it is a good idea? PLEASE answer ASAP!!
Waiting for your suggestions,
ooooo
your friend,
Simone
I’m writing to a friend who is spending some time in London. I’m asking her some suggestions to an unexpected visit of an English-speaking person
May 10th, 2010
Hi Juliana,
How are things in London?
I hope you are doing a good job right there!!
Here, it’s fine but I wish you could be with us next month.
I’m writing ’cause I have some news to tell you and I think you can really make me a suggestion …
Do you remember Thomas Grisham from Canada? I’m sure you remember him. He’s that one who talked to us for a long time during the last World Congress of Pharmacology in San Francisco.
Grisham is arriving in São Paulo within two weeks and he’ll come to make some presentations in our department and at UNICAMP. Maybe his wife comes together. They’ll stay in Brazil for about ten days. The problem is our boss who asked me to be with them for at least three days. I know that Grisham is an easygoing person but I’m worried about my English and I need to do my best. I hope I can make myself understood with my English skills. When they come to Campinas, we won’t have much time, so I’ve planned to take them to drink draft beer or one “caipirinha” in the traditional Giovannetti bar, a pleasant place. In São Paulo, Karen promised to help me. At first, we thought about taking them to visit the Butantã Institute where they could see loads of studies about poisonous snakes. Right after that, I thought that it could be interesting if they could visit an informal place like…Rosas de Ouro’s Square – I remember you said it is an exciting place!! - or even…our National Soccer Museum…’cause almost all foreigners enjoy samba and soccer!
Do you think it is a good idea? PLEASE answer ASAP!!
Waiting for your suggestions,
ooooo
your friend,
Simone
Letter - Fernanda - U1
São Paulo, 10th May
Dear Lily
How are you doing? Here everything is OK. It has been a long time I don’t have any news of you. First of all my sister sends kisses for you. I am writing to tell you the good news. I was invited to go to the USA to stay there for three months, now I have to look for or find a place to stay. I am looking for a host family to stay with. I think it would help me improve my English speaking once I would practice very much. I’ve done a list of possible houses where I can stay. One of them is a single woman’s house. She works all day in a clothing store but she offered to show me the city on her free time. Moreover, she doesn’t smoke and doesn’t have pets, which is great because of my allergy.
There is another one, a couple’s house but they have a baby and in their profile they ask for the person to take care of him on weekends. Certainly, I am not interested in taking care of babies, but I think it is a safer house. They live downtown near a subway station, which is very good. A family house seems more reliable than the single lady’s. Both offer breakfast and individual bedroom, though.
I am very confused and I am afraid of choosing the wrong place. A friend of mine told me that he had stayed with a host family that looked very good, but in fact, most of things offered on the web site were not as they had said.
So, what do you think about this? As I know that you’ve lived at the same place I will go I thought you could make some suggestions, couldn’t you?
Miss you
Fernanda
Dear Lily
How are you doing? Here everything is OK. It has been a long time I don’t have any news of you. First of all my sister sends kisses for you. I am writing to tell you the good news. I was invited to go to the USA to stay there for three months, now I have to look for or find a place to stay. I am looking for a host family to stay with. I think it would help me improve my English speaking once I would practice very much. I’ve done a list of possible houses where I can stay. One of them is a single woman’s house. She works all day in a clothing store but she offered to show me the city on her free time. Moreover, she doesn’t smoke and doesn’t have pets, which is great because of my allergy.
There is another one, a couple’s house but they have a baby and in their profile they ask for the person to take care of him on weekends. Certainly, I am not interested in taking care of babies, but I think it is a safer house. They live downtown near a subway station, which is very good. A family house seems more reliable than the single lady’s. Both offer breakfast and individual bedroom, though.
I am very confused and I am afraid of choosing the wrong place. A friend of mine told me that he had stayed with a host family that looked very good, but in fact, most of things offered on the web site were not as they had said.
So, what do you think about this? As I know that you’ve lived at the same place I will go I thought you could make some suggestions, couldn’t you?
Miss you
Fernanda
Profile - Edenise - B1
Surname: F*********
First name: Ediane
Age: 27
Job: nurse
Religion: Spiritualist
Birthday: February, 26
Sign: Pisces
Country: Brazil
Address: *****************, Jequié-BA
She is Ediane, she is married and has two daughters. Her husband is Lourival and her children are R***** and A** L****. Her father is Edilson and her mother is Eunice, she has two sisters. She has a pet, it is a beautiful dog, its name´s Fofonildo.
She gets up at six o´clock in the morning on weekdays, because she takes the children to school and then goes to work. She works in a hospital and in Family Health Program. Her life is very busy!!!But she loves her job!
She likes dancing, goes shopping and relaxes with family in her free time. She loves cooking too! The food she makes is very good. She doesn´t smoke, but she sometimes drinks.
Ediane is Edenise´s sister. When they were kids, they played and also fought, that was funny! Currently, they are close friends, share many happy moments and Edenise is A** L****´s godmother.
It is Ediane´s profile! This is for you to know a little of her life!
First name: Ediane
Age: 27
Job: nurse
Religion: Spiritualist
Birthday: February, 26
Sign: Pisces
Country: Brazil
Address: *****************, Jequié-BA
She is Ediane, she is married and has two daughters. Her husband is Lourival and her children are R***** and A** L****. Her father is Edilson and her mother is Eunice, she has two sisters. She has a pet, it is a beautiful dog, its name´s Fofonildo.
She gets up at six o´clock in the morning on weekdays, because she takes the children to school and then goes to work. She works in a hospital and in Family Health Program. Her life is very busy!!!But she loves her job!
She likes dancing, goes shopping and relaxes with family in her free time. She loves cooking too! The food she makes is very good. She doesn´t smoke, but she sometimes drinks.
Ediane is Edenise´s sister. When they were kids, they played and also fought, that was funny! Currently, they are close friends, share many happy moments and Edenise is A** L****´s godmother.
It is Ediane´s profile! This is for you to know a little of her life!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
email to a friend - wallace -B1
Dear Fabio,
How are you? I'm fine. Here's an email in English. It's good practice for you and me! I heve classes in English at the Sao Paulo in university. I'm in a class with eleven students. They're all from states: Paraiba, Ceara, Pernambuco and Sao Paulo. Our teacher's name's Elton. He's very funny and a very good teacher.
I live with a Brazilian family in a small, new house far from the centre of town. Neuza and Valmir have a daughter and son. Their daughter, Ingrid, is 19. She's a student at Anhembi university. Their son, Leandro, is a doctor for a hospital. He's 20. They're all very friendly, it's easy to understand them.
Anhembi is very big and very exciting! The restaurants and nightclubs are expensive, but the student bars and cafes are cheap. It's cold now, and it's lovely to be near the country side. I'm very happy here.
Email me soon!
Regards, Wallace.
How are you? I'm fine. Here's an email in English. It's good practice for you and me! I heve classes in English at the Sao Paulo in university. I'm in a class with eleven students. They're all from states: Paraiba, Ceara, Pernambuco and Sao Paulo. Our teacher's name's Elton. He's very funny and a very good teacher.
I live with a Brazilian family in a small, new house far from the centre of town. Neuza and Valmir have a daughter and son. Their daughter, Ingrid, is 19. She's a student at Anhembi university. Their son, Leandro, is a doctor for a hospital. He's 20. They're all very friendly, it's easy to understand them.
Anhembi is very big and very exciting! The restaurants and nightclubs are expensive, but the student bars and cafes are cheap. It's cold now, and it's lovely to be near the country side. I'm very happy here.
Email me soon!
Regards, Wallace.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
email to a classmate - fernanda -B1
Dear Bia,
How are you? I'm fine. Here's an email in English. I have classes at USP- Universidade de São Paulo. I'm in a class with eleven students, English is a very difficult language, but I like to study. I study at UNIFIEO in Osasco too.
I live with my father and my mother, I have one brother and one sister, my brother is married and has a daughter, Harumi, who is 5 months. And my sister is married but doesn't have a child.
Love, Fernanda
How are you? I'm fine. Here's an email in English. I have classes at USP- Universidade de São Paulo. I'm in a class with eleven students, English is a very difficult language, but I like to study. I study at UNIFIEO in Osasco too.
I live with my father and my mother, I have one brother and one sister, my brother is married and has a daughter, Harumi, who is 5 months. And my sister is married but doesn't have a child.
Love, Fernanda
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