CHRISTMAS 1999 IN AMERICA RY AHN, SAHAR, ANITTA, MARLA and KIM

Here it is what they actually did last Christmas 1999 in Cedar Falls, IOWA (USA)

AHN's Christmas & New year

On Christmas eve me and my family went to Iowa city to have a nice family
party at my uncle, at midnight we went to church. In the morning we went
home and open some gift but I don't like none of them except money from my
mom.

New year me and a lot of friends go to this guy house and we do a little
dancing for 5 hour and a little drinking ( its pop and that all ) and some
of us worry about the y2k stuff its pretty funny they were paranoid about
it, 'nuff said.


SAHAR's

I don't had any programs at Christmas time. I just watch TV and I watch
movies especially Christmas time's movies. Also, my dad and my mom and my
sister and I gave gifts to each other and we hug each other. I got a
white hat, a white scarf, white mittens, pants and a T- shirt. We ate
dried nuts, seeds, cookies, sweets and special food in Christmas day.

I worked all of the break and I just don't work about three or four days
in break. I read my story book for E.L.A. class and I did my homework for
E.L.A. class, also.

My family and I watch TV on new year especially programs of the new year.


ANITTA's

24th of December

I woke up when my sister Carrie came to knock on my door and said: “I
think that someone’s calling from Finland.” There was my sister and my
parents. They wanted to wish me a merry Christmas and Happy Ney Year. It
was so weird to talk in Finnish again after a long break. We talked about
25 minutes and my sister cried. I was amazed that I didn’t felt bad at
all...I wasn’t homesick after that call :) . In the evening we went to
grandma’s house to eat supper, traditional redhamburger... I’m not a big
fan of meat, so...well, it was good, I have to admit it. After the supper
we went in to the church. It was so beautiful, there were lots and lots of
candles!!

25th of December

My sister Carrie woke me up at 9AM and then we started to open up our
Christmas presents. It took us like 1 and a half hour to open all of those
presents and after that we ate breakfast which was a traditional bread
cake and rice pudding with cherry sauce. It was 11:30AM when we finished
and 12 o’clock came my grandma and my older sister with her kids and they
opend up their presents. Then we ate dinner and waited for my brother and
his girlfriend to come. They came and they opened up their presents...all
day long we just opened up our presents... In the evening we played some
holiday trivia game and ladies won of course!! :)

31st of December

We were supposed to have practice from 7:30AM to 9:30AM at the high school
but I didn’t woke up when my radio went on. I heard something that
everything was all right in Australia but I didn’t woke up for that. It
was 11AM or so when I finally woke up. Everyone was gone...I was home a
lone. My friend Sofia called me and asked about my plans for tonight. A
while after that my parents called me when the year changed in Finland,
here it was 4PM. Oh, it was so much fun to talk with them. I even talked
with my dad... This was the first time when we talked after I left from
Finland. We talked about 20 minutes. After that I went to get ready for
this BIG night. A round 8PM I left into Marlla’s last home and there Sofia
were already. We stayed there like an hour and then we left into Marlla’s
friend’s house to celebrate New Years Eve. This party was really quiet,
like way different that I’m used to... The year changed and I went home at
12:30PM and went to sleep at 4AM. Sorry that I say this but my New Years
Eve was kind of boring...

1st of January 2000

The very first day of this new millenium... It wasn’t different from other
days, except my parents called me. I woke up around 12 and I was lying in
my bed when my dad knocked on my door and gave me the phone and said:
“it’s from Finland.” It was my mom. My parents wanted to know how was my
New Years Eve and I told them everything. They said that the next New Year
won’t be boring... I’m so happy now!! I feel like everything is so right,
my life is so good now!! After our little conversation Igot up from my
bed, took a shower and went to eat breakfast. I stayed home the whole day.

MARLA's

On Christmas Eve, I stayed at home with my host family. My host sister,
Andrea, that lives in Waterloo came with her husband and her daughter, my
host brother ,Jason, came with his wife. At five p.m. we went to the
church and we came back to home at 7 p. m. Jason brought some wine and
champagne and we drank some before and during the dinner. After dinner we
open our gifts, my sister received a camera so she could filmed everything.

I received a lot of gifts because I received some from my last host
family. That day was so magic for me, at 9 p.m. here my father from Brazil
called me because there was midnight and my family was celebrating that
day in my grandma’s house, after that I stopped to think how much I
miss them all.

On Christmas day my host family, except Jason and his wife, went to
Cascade. Because Dan my host dad wanted that I met the rest of his
family. After lunch he showed me the farm that he used to live when he
was young, that was great and then he did a city tour ! We came back to
home at 8 p.m.

At 9 p.m. on December 31st, Sofia and Anitta went to Brandon’s house and
we watched a movie and at 9 p.m. I called my father in Brazil and I heart
the sound of the party that he was with my sister and my family, it was
not very good because I wanted to be there!

At midnight we drank champagne and half hour later we went to home. Anitta
went to her house, and Sofia came to be over night in my first host family
with me. My actual host family was traveling to Arizona.

On January 1st, I slept all day because last night I went to bed almost at
5 a.m., because me and Sofia spent long time talking, meeting people in
chat room on internet, and after Sofia decided to watch Mulan.

At 9 p.m. my ex boy friend called me to say happy new year, and later I
spent long time on the computer until I got sleepy and went to bed.


KIM's

On the Christmas Eve, all my family came to my house and we enjoyed a nice
dinner and we opened the gifts. I got the bath stuff, money, and
t-shirts. After all I was packing my stuff for trip. I was having so
much fun with packing, because I was really exciting.

On Christmas, I got extra money from grandma and grandpa. I had really
quiet time on Christmas. I talked with my parents on the phone. At night
I went to the high school for leave to the Florida. After everybody put
their stuff in the bus, we leave to the Florida.

On New Year's Eve, all band members went to the dance. The place was so
big. Food was good, too. But the music was really slow so I was kind of
dispoint. But I had fun with my friends and took many pictures as I
could. When my favorite music came I was dancing like crazy. Dance over
at one o'clock AM. We came to the motel right away and went to the sleep.
Sleep for next day.

We are four girls having an exchange e-mail project with a group of students in Iowa. We live in the south of Spain, in a small town called Huelma in the province of Jaén (Andalucía). Here are our messages telling them what we did last Chhristmas:

María Jesús, Marta, María josé and Ana María

ANA MARÍA's Christmas & New year

I started my Christmas holidays on 23rd. I was in Huelma
at Christmas. I saw my friends everyday and I spent a lot of time with
my family: my dad, my mon, my uncles, my cousins and my brother. Any
members of my family didn’t come to visit me.

At Christmas Eve I ate
turkey with potatoes, salad, rice and I drank Champagne. At Christmas I
have spent a lot because I bought a lot of gifts for my family. But I
received a lot of presents. I received perfume, a blue T-SHIRT, a dress
and a white dog.

On New Year’s Eve I went to the disco with my friends and later I went
home. I wore a skirt and a blouse. My skirt and my blouse were black. I
was there for four hours (at the disco) on New Year’s Eve. But the disco
is far from my house. I got home on New Year’s Eve at seven o’clock.
I got up at two in the afternoon of New Year’s Day.

At Christmas I was in the olive.
The olive trees are in the country. The olive fruit is the olive. The
olive is to make olive oil and to eat with the salad and too, for the
other meals. I went to the olive with my family and I picked the olive
from the ground. My dad, my brother and my uncles picked the olive from
the trees with a stick. I ate very early and I later we went home.

I didn’t attend any religious celebrations. I didn’t watch much T.V. at
Christmas but I saw a good film ``Cierra los ojos´´ . I think that I had
good holidays. The best thing that happened at my holidays is to be with
my family and friends. But I didn’t meet any new friends. I enjoyed most
with the presents. I didn’t have any troubles.

MARIA JESÚS's

Well, we started holidays on 23rd December, I was in Huelma all the
holidays with my friends. My Christmas holidays are every year the same
but this year my Brother came from Segovia (are 700 km from Huelma at
the North of Spain, and he came very happy. We hadn’t seen him for two
weeks and everyone together had dinner at Christmas’ Eve.
On the table
there was lamb, sandwiches, seafood, olives and a lot of things more. At
Christmas holidays I spent much, but no money for present and I received
as presents a dress, sport shoes, etc.

Ah! I also received to go to the
country to work and every day all the holiday I was at my mother’s shop
where people bought vegetables, fish and a lot of seafood. I preferred the
shop because I hate to pick up olives in the country.

This year I didn’t decorate my house but I decorated the tree.
On the New Year’s Eve I was with my family and later I went to the disco
and I was very happy I wore a black Nightdress. In the disco I was five
hours and I got at half past eight and I danced much and I was with my
brother and my friends.

On New Year’s Day I was very tired and got up
at three in the afternoon. I’m not a religious person and I didn’t go to
mass, I attended no religious celebrations. In the holidays I didn’t do
homework, I didn’t watch TV, etc but I was much time with my family and
it was a very good time and all Christmas was very good because I met a
lot of new friends.

MARÍA JOSÉ's

This Christmas, I was in Belmez (my home village ) every day, and I saw
my friends every day, too.

On Christmas Eve: I ate in my house with my
family. I ate turkey with potatoes and later I went to the pub with my
friends. On Christmas'day I ate with my family too.

After, all the
week I was in the olive to help my parents. My father has a lot of olive
trees. I went to the olives every day of Christmas. There my mother and
I picked the olives from the ground and my father and my uncles pick the
olives from trees with one stick, later we ate in the country, we ate
very early because we were hungry of working a lot. At five o’clock we
went to my house.

On New Year’s Eve I was in the hairdresser’s and at night I ate
with my family, we ate twelve grapes at midnight and we drank champagne.
I went Juani’s house, Virginia and Guada (my friends) to her house and
came every night with me. We watched TV on New year’s Eve especially
programs of the NEW YEAR. I wore the evening dress. It is very pretty,
it is dark green colour and after I went to the pub with my friends. We
knew a lot of good-boys. We were all in the disco, dancing for 6 hours
and drinking a little to celebrate the first day of this new millennium.

I received a lot of presents. I received perfume, a teddy bird, money, a
sweater, etc... I gave presents to my parents and my brother. I had a
nice Xmas.


MARTA's

I started my Christmas holidays on 23 rd of December. I have been in
Alcalá la Real, my native town, because I travelled from Huelma to
Alcalá this same day. This Xmas Holidays have been a traditional Xmas. I
have been with my family because I saw my friends once a week only. Some
members of my family came to visit us, my family and me. I hadn't seen
since two weeks.

At Christmas Holidays I was in the country to work in
my olives and my grandfather's olives for picking them up. They paid to
me to do it. At Xmas' Eve I ate seafood (a lot). At Xmas on the 25 Th my
family and I went to visit my mother's cousin. We had dinner there all
night. I received a few presents because Santa Claus in my house came
later when ''Las Rebajas'' -the Sales-start . On New Year's Eve I ate
with my family, too. This year I went to bed at eleven o' clock. On Xmas' Eve I attend a religious celebrations, I went to mass with my mum.
At Xmas I watched a lot of T.V. especially programs of the New Year and
Xmas in general too some good films.