My name is Quanzhou and I’m from China. My favorite time of the year is Chinese New Year. People decorate houses and streets with lanterns and flowers many days before New Year festival. Everything is red and gold, because they’re the lucky colors. People give children lucky money in red envelopes, and they also give friends mandarin oranges for good luck. The New Year’s Eve dinner is called Reunion Dinner. People in the family sit together, talk and enjoy the traditional food. One special dish is Nian Gao. People make Nian Gao with sugar and rice. We also eat fish, chicken and dumplings. After dinner we watch the New Year music performance on TV. At midnight, we can see fireworks in the sky. The colors are amazing. There are parades and lion dances in the streets, too.

My name is Quanzhou and I’m from China. My favorite time of the year is Chinese New Year. People decorate houses and streets with lanterns and flowers many days before New Year festival. Everything is red and gold, because they’re the lucky colors. People give children lucky money in red envelopes, and they also give friends mandarin oranges for good luck. The New Year’s Eve dinner is called Reunion Dinner. People in the family sit together, talk and enjoy the traditional food. One special dish is Nian Gao. People make Nian Gao with sugar and rice. We also eat fish, chicken and dumplings. After dinner we watch the New Year music performance on TV. At midnight, we can see fireworks in the sky. The colors are amazing. There are parades and lion dances in the streets, too.

SUMMER FUN

Tyler Jacobs, February 10
I love going to different festivals. I went to a great festival in my town last week called SummerFun. They hold so many great things there. There were lots of stands selling traditional foods and drinks. I ate so much. They also had lots of shows. I watched the fashion show and the talent show. I didn't have time to watch the puppet show, and I think puppets are boring. My friend, Jane, and I did the lug of war. We lost but it was still fun. My favorite thing was the music performance at the end. It wasn't Jane's favorite, though. Hers was the talent show. I can't wait for next year's festival. I'm going to bring all my friends.

Venice is a small city in Northeastern Italy, and about 75,000 people live there. Many people who work in Venice live in Mestre, a modern industrial city. Most people in Venice live in beautiful apartment buildings. Tourism is very important, and many people work in hotels and restaurants. There are also many art galleries and old palaces. People don’t drive cars or use roads. They walk or travel by boat on the canals. Tourists enjoy trips in small boats called gondolas.

I always enjoy going to the school show. The performance is usually very exciting. We rarely see a puppet show, but it is always fun when we do. My friends and I often buy candy and decorate the classroom for these events. Sometimes, there is a tug of war competition, and everyone loves it. Music plays a big role in the event, and we all appreciate the talent of the performers.