Weddings in -------

Writing Topic #3

Please describe wedding customs and traditions in your home country. Consider the different parts of the wedding such as the ceremony and reception, the clothes, food, people and of course cultural traditions.

Weddings in Canada

Recently, I went to a special show in Winnipeg called, "The Wonderful Wedding Show". I went to this event because one of my best friend's in Winnipeg is getting married in August. At this show they have many different tables with people and services you can hire for your wedding such as photographers, invitations, cake, videographers, florists, and so on. The show was VERY big! There were two floors filled with different ideas for your wedding.

In Canada, it is common to have two parts to your wedding, specifically a ceremony and a reception.

A ceremony can take place anywhere, but it is common to have the ceremony in a church. Inside the church it is common to have two sides of chairs or pews (benches inside a church) The left side is for the bride's family and friends and the right side is for the groom's family and friends. Often a ceremony will start with the groom's friends (called groomsmen) walking down the church aisle ( a walkway between or along sections of seats)and then the groom walks down the aisle. Next, the bride's friends (called bridesmaids) will walk down the aisle and the bride is last. The bride can choose to walk alone, with her father, with her mother, with both parents, basically anything she wants! It is most common to have the bride's father walk her down the aisle. Once everyone is inside the church, the ceremony begins. Usually, the pastor/priest/ justice of the peace will speak about the meaning of the ceremony and marriage. Also, some people choose to have one of their friend's read a special poem or sing a song. And of course the bride and groom exchange vows. These are promises that the couple makes to each other. When the ceremony is finished, the bride and groom seal their promises with a kiss! It is very romantic and a special time.

After the ceremony, the guests of the wedding go to the reception. The reception can also be anywhere the couple likes. The most common location for a reception is a hotel. At the reception, people eat dinner, drink alcohol, dance and of course listen to many speeches! It is common for the parents of the bride and groom to make a speech. Also the bride's best friend (maid of honour) and the groom's best friend (best man) will make a speech. Of course, the bride and groom usually give their speech last thanking everyone for their help and for coming to their wedding. A new trend a wedding is to have a slide show presentation. This includes pictures of the bride and groom growing up and there is usually music to go along with the pictures. This is my favourite part of the wedding since I love pictures so much! Many weddings have free alcohol for their guests and a great dance party. Dancing is also a very fun and exciting part of any wedding.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Canadian weddings but please remember, this is just my opinion. Many people will do different things and have different ideas for what they would like for their wedding. I have simply given you some information about what is most common based on the weddings I have been to.

I would be interested to know about wedding traditions in your own country.

Writing Topic 2

Dear students,

This week I would like you to write a letter to a friend in your home country who wants to study English in Winnipeg, Canada. You should include advice about living in Canada and learning English. Some possible subtopics could be weather, living accommodations, food, culture, what to pack and any skills or tips you have about learning English.

Happy Writing 😃

United 93

Choose some of the following questions for your own discussion of the movie, United 93.

When you post your discussion, please title your post, "United 93 Movie Discussion"

Questions for Discussion

1. This film was released 5 years after the tragedy. Do you believe that this film has been made too soon after the 9/11 attacks? Why/why not?

2. Why do you think United 93 was filmed in real time? What affect is achieved by this?

3. How was your viewing of United 93 affected by knowing that these were real people and that it is based on a real event? How true to life do you believe the film is?

4. Why do you think the director chose not to give us any of the passengers’ names, or tell us barely anything about any of them? What affect is achieved by doing this?

5. How are the terrorists represented? What motivates them to hijack the plane? Why do you think the director chooses not to explore this?

6. Why do you think that the possibility of a plane hijack is not taken seriously by the people on the ground at first?

7. Why do the passengers decide to fight back? What do you think you would have done in their situation? Why?

8. How does the passengers’ planning and bravery affect the terrorists? Why?

9. Why did the director show the terrorists mumbling Muslim scripture and prayers as they pilot the plane alongside some of the passengers praying? Why do people pray in times of crisis?

10. What do you think would have happened if the passengers had not decided to fight back?

11. How did seeing United 93 change your opinion of the 9/11 attacks? Why do you think the victims’ families believe it is important for people to see this film?

12. What do you think is the right response to terrorist acts such as these?

13. What do you think that the director hoped to achieve by making this film?

My Family

My family is very important to me.
They are always there for me, they support me, they encourage me and they love me unconditionally.

In my family, there are four people. My dad, my mom, myself and my younger brother, Jonathan. My parents first met at church in the early 1970's. My dad was teaching at a high school in my mom's hometown and my mom was going to university at the time. My parents dated for a couple years and then my dad proposed to my mom. She said yes! They got married on August 5, 1978. My parents moved to Winnipeg and lived in an apartment on Pembina Hwy. My dad continued teaching and my mom got a job with MTS. My parents decided to wait 8 years before they had me! I think this was a smart decision because they could have some time together as a couple with no children first. During this time, my parents travelled together. My mom really loves the sun and hot weather so they went to Hawaii at Christmas time. My dad really loves sports so one year they went to Montreal for the winter Olympics and they also went skiing near the Rocky Mountains. I think that when I get married, I will also want to have some time together with just my husband before I have children.

After getting married and waiting eight year my mom had me! My parents loved me very much and would always do special things for me. Some of my favourite memories are going to McDonald's every Saturday morning with my Dad for breakfast. Then, my Dad would read the newspaper and I would play on the play structure. My mom and I made special memories too. We would watch TV shows in her bed and she would make me hot chocolate with mini marshmallows.

When I was eight years old, my Mom had my brother, Jonathan. I was very excited when my Mom had a baby and I always wanted to help her take care of my brother. When I got older, I would babysit my brother and my parents would go out on a date. My parents were very generous and they would always pay me for babysitting my brother. I have many special memories of my brother. We would play games together and sometimes I could even convince him to have a tea party with me and play with my Barbie dolls.

Now, my family is still very close. I do not live in the same house as my family anymore. Last summer, I bought a house so now I live with a roommate but I usually go home a few times during the week to visit my family. Ususally, my family tries to eat dinner together on Sunday evening and this is a special time for my family to catch up and talk about what is happening in our lives. My Dad is still working as a teacher but my Mom recently retired so she doesn't work anymore. She is very happy to stay at home, so I am happy for her! My brother is studying at university now. He wants to be a businessman. He is studying Marketing in the Asper School of Business. My brother is very smart and friendly so I am sure that he will make a good businessman.

I love my family very much and they are very important to me.

Welcome

Welcome 400- 450 students,

Hello Park, Yoshiko, Eriko, Hikaru, Haruka, Catherina, Seho, Mei and Diana!!

Welcome to my example blog.

I hope that you will enjoy this opportunity to write and share ideas with each other.

I look forward to reading your blogs!

Ashley