Out on the playground in the UK

Hello our friends at home in Romania and all our friends around Europe,

We have been having lots of fun getting to know the children in United Kingdom. They have some nice trips planned for us us over the next few weeks.

We have noticed the children work very hard in their lessons. Here we are practicing our English reading. We were finding out about how diamonds are made.  Is everybody working hard at home?

Everyday the children get some play time. They have 15 minutes in the morning to play outside. They also have the same in the afternoon.

Here is Smarandita with some of her new friends. I had to take their picture.

 The children in the UK are extremely lucky. They have wonderful playground markings. A few years ago they had a summer celebration. The parents, teachers and children raised money to pay for the games on the playground. I enjoyed playing hopscotch!

The target game is great fun. I scored 50 points!

Here we are playing the maze game! I was really happy to find Smarandita in the middle.

I also watched the boys and girls play football. They have a special competition in school.Whichever class has the best attendance wins an extra football session at the end of the week.

Here we are lining up, ready to go back inside school. Didn't we look sensible at the front of the line?

We are now getting ready for some fun events.  Next week we will be working with an Ipad artist and we are going on a class trip to Shibden Hall, a tudor house in Halifax.

See you soon! We are looking forward to coming home in May!

Love Nica x (and Smarandita x)

New Friends For US!

Hello friends at home,

Here we are in Sardinia. Giovanna has just introduced us to the teachers from the new school we will be visiting.  We are pleased to announce that soon we will be on our way to the United Kingdom with Mrs Moody and Mrs Stott.

Mrs Stott has promised us some tasty Yorkshire puddings with roast beef when we arrive home on Sunday night. Yum - we love trying new European foods.

Happy Greetings from Nica and Smarandita xxx

St. Anthony celebrations

We are learning a lot about Sardinian culture!

On the 16th and 17th January, in several Sardinian towns  will be celebrated the S.Antonio Abate's day and the suggestive fires lit up the night. The celebrations mark the beginning of the one of the most important events in Sardinia: the traditional Carnival. The typical Sardinian masks show up for the first time in the year and all around the bonfires there will be dances and songs together with a good glass of wine. 
After the blessing of the wood, the fire flares up and lights up the night, the flashing goes up to the sky and seems to mingle with the stars: then people gather, dance and  drink the best wine and eat the sweets made for the occasion.
In some towns , as the fire burns out and the wood starts to cool a bit, people get the black embers with the hands and it could happen that somebody fondles your face with hands dirty of soot...don't worry it means that they are wishing you good luck. 
In other places, especially where the fire is lit as a votive offering, people keep the embers as relics wich should turn away the bad luck.

La Befana a Ghilarza

   Celebration  of the Epiphany can be traced as far back as the 13th century and is one of the most popular Italian feasts.  Children of today know Befana as an old witch who flies a broom and wears a black shawl, with a dress underneath dirty with soot from the chimneys she climbs down to deliver her gifts. For the good children she brings sweets, toys and books. For the ill-behaved children, she brings onions, garlic and coal.

The Legend of La Befana

The legend tells that the three Kings, on the night between the 5th and 6th of January, wanted to visit baby Jesus. They walked all night carrying presents with them. They became lost and knocked at a door of an old woman’s house, the house of La Befana.

They asked Befana which way they had to go to find Jesus and if she could come with them to Bethlehem. Befana gave them the right directions but she refused to go as she had lots of things to do at home.

After that, however, she regretted saying no to their request. So she made lots of cakes and walked outside her home. She offered cakes to all the children she met on her way, hoping one of them were Jesus. Since then, Befana brings gifts to all the children.