We Loved your Package!!!



Dear Students and Dennis,

It was a dear surprise to get such beautiful material about Arizona and to read your messages. The postcards were lovely! All the students were delighted, and even thought it was our last class before the test, I took some time off to show them everything you've sent. They didn't even complain about not having time to review for the test in class!!! Generally, everybody gets a little anxious about it...

Chong's and Sara's photos raised students' curiosity. The messages, in general, grabbed avid eyes to read what was written on the postcards. The students wanted to keep the mementos, as well as the teacher!!! Everybody chose postcards to keep as a vivid memory of our exchange and I raffled the booklets, and that gorgeous book you sent will be formally raffled next class!

Soon, you'll get messages from everybody.

Notice the students' interest in the photos I took during class time.

You are really a great team with a wonderful "maestro"!

Oh, by the way, there is an article about Brazil on BBC Business News that might interest you. It's a very interesting analysis of Brazil's reality. Check it out!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4460068.stm

Carla

Dear Friends,

My Thanskgiving was really special because of the messages we got from you! They made my day. I was touched to read all the messages, the special words in your own languages and to know that you care for us...

Well, for sure this year I had much to thank. First, to have a nice and noisy family. Then to do the kind of work that I love. Being a teacher and working with Casa Thomas Jefferson's site give me a sense of professional accomplishment and happiness. It's rewarding to notice that I was able to reach my goal. Last but not least, I am really thankful that this semester I had the chance to work hard and learn a lot with a very dedicated advanced English group at Thomas and to meet and interact with all of you guys. It has been F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!!! I certainly plan to keep in touch with you and to extend this project to other groups.

Thanks you all for making me even happier and eager to develop more international exchanges!!!

Here you can see some of the pictures of our celebration of Thanksgiving. Check my comments to Sangsoon and Chong about Thanksgiving in Brazil.

Carla

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some Thanksgiving greetings from your friends at EMCC.

Dennis

The time for the holiday season is close, and our first holiday is around the corner; this holiday is one of my favorites. When I came to the USA I did not celebrate Thanksgiving. My cousins and their families were the ones to introduce me to Thanksgiving and I adopted this tradition as my own. Since then every year I prepare the traditional dinner of Thanksgiving and continue with my family tradition to open the front door to anyone who wishes to come inside and enjoy the family feast. I hope that every one of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Lucy

Lucy was sick on 11-22-05, so she couldn't send a Thanksgiving message with her classmates, but she posted the above message in our class blog and I'm sure she wouldn't mind my sharing it with you.

I especially like Lucy's tradition of opening her door to anyone who wants to share her family's Thanksgiving feast.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dennis

Jambo!

Thanksgiving Day is a special holiday when families come together for a while on the last Thursday in November. It is a great day because people prepare delicious meals for the family members to enjoy, To be more specific, turkey is a traditional food for this holiday.

Samuel Onuonga

¡Hola!

In México, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. We call it el día de acción de gracias ("the day of giving thanks") and we recognize the day but we do not celebrate it. And besides, no one in my family likes eating turkey. But we do have a big celebration for Christmas (Navidad).

Happy Thanksgiving Day anyway!

Ana Lagunas

Selam!

Thanksgiving is a unique holiday in the U.S.A. I like Thanksgiving because families gather from different states. This is a very busy week with people traveling from state to state. I didn't celebrate Thanksgiving when I was in Eritrea. I knew it when I came to the U.S.A., especially since I have kids. I like it because I know how to cook turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Sara Haile

Chào!

When the first English people came to the United States, the weather was too cold and they had no food; they just had turkey and corn. Now we have Thanksgiving Day. It's a holiday to make people remember the day a long time ago. I love Thanksgiving Day because my family gets together. We have fun, joke, and relax.

Dong Tran

Hi, guys. / Hola a todos.

In my home country (México), we don't celebrate Thanksgiving Day. At first, when I arrived in the U.S., I didn't know what it was, but now I can tell you what this holiday means to people. Thanksgiving Day is the time when family gets together to celebrate and give thanks for all the things they have in life. In addition, the traditional food for this holiday is turkey.

Sam Carranza

¡Hola! Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Even though in Guatemala we don't celebrate Thanksgiving Day, now that I live in the U.S.A. I have learned to celebrate this traditional U.S. holiday.

What I like most about this holiday is the meaning because I think that it is important to say, at least one day per year, "Thanks" for all the things that that God gives to all of us.

Mario Laynes

Annyonghasseyo!

We cook a lot of foods on Thanksgiving Day. The meaning of Thanksgiving Day to us is thanking God and celebrating our holiday every year.

We cook a big dinner and invite our friends, and every Thanksgiving, I thank God for how blessed we are.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chong

Annyonghasseyo!

I've been living in the U.S. for 6 years. Our family never gets together for Thanksgiving Day because everybody lives too far away, but we are still celebrating with friends.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Sangsoon

whazzzz up!!!!!!
Thanksgiving day is coming up
do you celabrate the thanksgiving day in Brazil?
If so, how do you celabrate,and what kind of foods you cook?( am I courious of food too much?)
by the way, happy thanksgiving!!!!!!

sangsoon & chong

Halloween!

How did you celebrate Halloween? Was there any kind of party? Did you dress up for the occasion?

Well, even though Halloween is a typical American celebration, here in Brazil we also celebrate it, mainly at our Language school, Casa Thomas Jefferson. Some crazy teachers, like me, even dress up to teach classes, and even some students take risks (like Fernanda, the black widow!). Students have a lot of fun seeing their teachers making fool of themselves, and it is hard to teach something serious!!!

Well, at least, it is the perfect time to say "oh, that teacher is a witch!"

Hope to hear from you and see your own Halloween pictures!

Carla Arena