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J’adore les langues, ils sont très important en notre monde. Je voudrais être fluent en francais, allemand, espagnol, italien, japonais, chinois, arabique, gaelique, and portugeuse. Et plus je ne peux pas pense de maintenant.

Today our world is so interconnected because of technology that it  is even more  important to know foreign languages. Although I am only in my third year of taking French, I am happy that I can communicate with French speaking people in the blogosphere. From blogging I am also alerted to the fact that there are so many wonderful languages just waiting for me to learn them, whenever I find a class blog in a different language I always wish that I could understand it, and that is something that will motivate me to learn more foreign languages. Imagine how simple communication would be if you could speak a foreign language. And how many opportunities would be available.

Around the beginning of December I entered a podcast contest about the importance of learning foreign languages, hosted by the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages. I made a podcast for the contest, but unfortunately mine was not chosen as one of the finalists. Even though it did not amount to anything it was still fun to do. On the other hand one of my friends, Adrian, made a podcast rap about foreign languages with her friend Peggy. They have actually been chosen as finalists and can be voted for on the website. I already quickly made an account and voted for them. This link brings you to the contest/ voting page and this link brings you directly to their video. And the best part is, THEY WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a coincidence that the podcast contest was brought up in French class shortly after I conceived the idea for this post, specially written to go on Ms. Water’s blog. I think that just goes to show how important foreign languages are  becoming in our world.

p.s. When I mentioned in French, the languages in which I would like to be fluent, those are not all. There are many other languages that I would also like to learn  (I simply do not know how to say them yet in French…).

Around the middle and end of December my region received snow. In fact the Sunday before Christmas we had a mini-blizzard, giving us a day off from school and nearly two feet of snow!!!!!

Unfortunately that snow melted  but then it snowed again, not as much though. That was a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks to the rain we had the other day that continued through yesterday the remnants of snow that remained are now mostly washed away.  I enjoy winter when it is snowy but not when it is rainy, slushy, and grey (which is typical March weather for Cape Cod, although it’s only January, perhaps this means a nicer Spring is in store…). I really hope we get some more snow!!

What is the weather like where you are?

Around the beginning of December I entered a podcast contest about the importance of learning foreign languages, hosted by the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages. I made a podcast for the contest, but unfortunately mine was not chosen as one of the finalists. Even though it did not amount to anything it was still fun to do. On the other hand one of my friends, Adrian, made a podcast rap about foreign languages with her friend Peggy. They have actually been chosen as finalists and can be voted for on the website. I already quickly made an account and voted for them. This link brings you to the contest/voting page and this link brings you directly to their video. Feel free to follow the previously given link and vote for their podcast if you like it….I really hope that they win the middle school category for the contest!!!

In November 2008, my seventh grade ELA teacher asked us to make a writing project. There were no specifications to what type of writing it had to be, it simply had to be writing though. For example one of my friends combined writing and artwork and made an animal alphabet book. Another friend wrote a collection of poems. I though leapt at the chance of  this very versatile writing project, I set my sights on starting a novel. Who knows if this will ever be published, whether it will forever reside on my  laptop, or whether it will someday be a bestseller? For now I am content with it being something that I simply work on  when I have some time to spare and I am in the creative writing mood. I only had about twenty  five pages when I showed my teacher last December, but now (after me slowly adding more) it is almost at sixty pages.My story is about Liana, your typical fifteen year old princess. Her kingdom of Cardith is in grave danger, a danger that is unknown to most. They are threatened from a vast empire from the north that will stop at no means to conquer her kingdom. Her mother died when she was a child and the only clue she has of her mother, the Queen, is a hastily written note, telling her to seek hope in her mother’s kin. But what happens when she returns to the palace to find that her father is betrothed to an enemy?

Here’s an excerpt from it, I hope you enjoy!

***

Time to see my father and his  fiance-Olga.I practically ran to the throne hall which I always looked forward to for it was always very cheery. As I flung open the double doors, I gasped at the gloominess. Where are the musicians? The court jester? Where is the sunlight that always streams in from the  huge windows. Where are the exoctic dancers? Where are all the people, commoner and noble alike? Now the musicians, dancers, jester and mass of people are gone. The huge windows have heavy black velvet curtains over them. In the shadows, where my father’s normal beautiful oak throne stood, are now two black marble thrones. Sitting on each is a richly-clad and fancy person dressed with much adornment. Olga is beautiful, but not in the way everyone said my mother was, Olga is beautiful like how ice is beautiful. But oh so cold. She is the polar opposite of her daughter Kate, they both look alike, though. Where Kate was dull and was a glutton, Olga is cunning. Her eyes sparkle with menace and her pale skin was brought to notice by lots of rubies, and her sleek black hair was piled up and was adorned with ruby teardrops. As I walked up to my father and his fiancé, she coldly sneered at me, but then her face spread into a grin.

“Did you get my soup, Mary,”she innocently asked.

“My name is-“ I had no time to finish for she had cut me off.

“Mary, dear, your name is Mary,” she stated her voice lathered with sweetness.

“Yes m’am-“ what was I saying? for a second I believed her that I was Mary.” No thank you,” I recovered with.

“Serving girl, did you hear my wife’s request? Get her soup now,” my father angrily said, not even  noticing I was his own daughter. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes.

“Mary the serving girl, please go get my soup,”she said again her voice layered again with this sappy sweetness. I could see her getting frustrated as I didn’t obey her, doesn’t she realized I have a mind of my own and I don’t believe everything?!?! She walked over to me and started to pull my chin up to meet her gaze. Some instinct told me not to look in her eyes. I chanced a glance and saw her eyes were glowing amber and then changed to red. A witch!!!!!She was trying to put me under her spell. Father must be under her spell. She is a dark witch and probably is in alliance with the dark king. And as Roger and John were saying she is allowing some of his soldiers into the city each night, so then when she has mustered enough the heart of the kingdom will be her’s. The beautiful citadel of Cashella will be her’s. Before I ran out of the room I looked at my father’s eyes and my suspicions were confirmed, for where his grey blue eyes once were was swirling shadows….

***

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Bonne Annee! Happy New Year!

J’espere 2010 sera être fantastique! Je pense il sera être!

I am really looking forward to the year ahead. I am currently in a play, Peter Pan and Wendy, at a local community theater which is extremely fun. Tennis season is also just around the corner, although my school team will not start until April. Another fun  thing that I am looking forward to is my family’s trip to Hawaii during spring vacation. We are going to visit my uncle, who was previously in Heidelberg Germany and we visited him there, and who now lives in Honolulu. I can’t wait! Also in 2010 I will begin high school, which is exciting!

What are you looking forward to in 2010?

In French class during the week before Christmas break we started a project on French impressionists. We could choose out of a list of about ten impressionists that my teacher Mlle. Watson gave us. I chose to do the only woman in the group, Berthe Morisot (pronounced, phonetically, as: burt more-e-so). The first part of our assignment was to create a Photo Story on the artist, using pictures that they painted, and narrating about their lives. The second part will be to choose a favorite painting of their’s and paint your own version of it, which I am really excited to do!

Here is my Photo Story on Berthe Morisot, I hope you enjoy!

berthe morisot_2

The images are from:

-Google

-http://www.artilim.com/artist/morisot-berthe/paintings.aspx

-http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/morisot/

C’etait le premier neige de la ans il y a un jour! Et il neige toujours!

Yesterday night, around 10:00ish it started snowing!!!!And it has not stopped! It is amazing, I woke up to about two feet of snow! Where I live, we typically do not get a huge amount of snow, 6 inches is about normal!!!!This snow is so deep I doubt, sadly, that I will be able to go sledding…But I will certainly be able to have snowball fights and make a snowman with Caroline!

I am hoping that my family will go skiing sometime over Christmas break (which starts on Thursday), but I am not sure because we would have to go up to New Hampshire or Vermont. I also hope the snow lasts until Christmas day, or that it snows again on Christmas eve.

Do you like snow?

Is it snowing where you are?

Since today is the 15th of December there is only 10 more days remaining until Christmas!  And for me, only six more days of school before our holiday break!  I am very excited for Christmas, a holiday anticipation that I think I will have for many  more years. It is amazing how fast this school year has gone this year….we are almost into 2010!

Do you celebrate Christmas?

Or do you celebrate a different holiday?

Elle s’appelle Caroline! Elle est 10 ans.Elle est très mignon!

My sister Caroline is in 5th grade. She is an excellent  runner, soccer player, and basketball player. Caroline also plays tennis and is really good. This is her second year of playing the clarinet, and she has also been playing the piano since age 4. She loves to play outdoors with our neighbors. And recently Caroline just made a blog! It’s called Caroline’s Corner! Feel free to visit!

Do you have any siblings?

For me, December means Christmas, holiday lights and snow. Although where I live we really do not get that much snow, but when we do receive snow it is wicked fun (I had to use ‘wicked’ there because the musical WICKED has become my new musical obsession lately)! December is also the countdown until Christmas, my younger sister and I write our Christmas lists, decorate our tree (which we still have to do), and use chocolate calenders. Chocolate calenders have a giant Christmas themed image on them (often of Santa Claus) and they have little doors with the day up until the 25th. Inside each little door is a tiny chocolate. My sister and I race each other to see who can find the day’s door first, and then we compare our chocolates. December also means holiday concerts, and the start of basketball season. I am really excited because we are traveling farther to other schools than we did last year in basketball. I love basketball so I can’t wait! Also December possibly means skiing, something that I love to do! I enjoy going on black diamonds: I am super scared sometimes at the top but they are fun!

And I have not even mentioned sledding yet, my sister Caroline and I like to sled at a golf course near our house that has some hills. Je ne peux pas attendre jusqu’a il neige!!!

The Snowbowl Trail Map, the ski mountain where I skied last year…

Do you get snow where you live?

What do you enjoy in December?