Winter Wonderland

Christmas is just a few days away and Santa (also known as Father Christmas) has already set on his journey to deliver presents. Would you like to track Santa and his reindeer as they travel across the world? You can do this on Google Earth through  Norad. This is the video for his journey last year. Merry Christmas and have fun!

London 2012 Olympics

The London 2012 Olympics, officially known as the "Games of the XXX Olympiad", will be held in London this summer. The Opening Ceremony will take place on 27th July, and the Closing Ceremony will be on 12th August, at the Olympic Stadium. The Stadium is situated in the Olympic Park, but other venues will be used for different competitions and games, for instance Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena, the Wimbledom All England Club, the Lord's Cricket Ground and the O2 Arena. The Paralympics will be held from 29th August to 9th September. So, summer seems the best time to visit London this year! 

The one-eyed mascots of the London Olympics are called Wenlock and Mandeville and they look like robots. This video tells their story: 

There is also a digital clock in Trafalgar Square which shows the countdown for the Olympic Games, but if you are really curious, would like to keep updated and want to have a look at the Olympic Park through webcams, check this link: www.london2012.com

Stereotypes

When we think about English-speaking countries (or any country or nationality in general), we often think in terms of stereotypes, a fixed idea that may not be true in real life. Let's do a little experiment: think about the USA, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa and write down what you consider to be typically British, American, Irish... I bet you name a few cultural icons for each country and you have some ideas about the people who live there!

If you are interested in comparing your answers with those of real British people, have a look at this interesting video from BBC Learning English. Did you mention any of the stereotypes they talk about?

Welcome!

If you are visiting the blog for the first time, welcome! If you have been here before, nice to see you again! 

In this blog we will explore, visit new places, meet new people and have lots of fun. I hope you improve your English, find the links useful and learn many interesting things at the same time. Share your comments with us and enjoy!