Comments

Hi Anne: Unfortunately mi comment about your last blog hasn't appeared (perhaps the virus ... .) I hope to have good luck with this comment. I have had a nice long weekend with my family. As you, I went to the beach. It's wonderful to have sunbath and go walking for the beach now in spring before beaches become plenty of people in summer. Thank you very much for your corrections about my last entry. Sometimes I'm a bit sad because I think that my English needs lots of corrections. But, on the other hand, I'm glad to be with all of you in this fantastic blog, because it's one of the best oportunities to be in contact with native people and, at the same time, with learnig people. Your blog is very interersting today. Here in Spain, there are many and diferent traditions depend on the part of Spain. Most of the towns celebrate holiday days with a religious sense but it would be so long to explain each of them. Perhaps some day I will have the oportunity to be a blogger and to explain more about this question. I hope that Xuan tell all of us about traditions in Vietnam. Have a nice day Speak to you again soon Mercè

Dear Anne, Your blog today opened a broad spectrum to think about spirits and ghost. When I watch horror movie, I used to think that film directors are making fuss and just to satisfy some movie watcher, they are making such films. After reading your blog, when I searched webpage related to spirits and ghost, I found that not only Asian believes in ghost but also European and American believe in spirits and ghost. It is really interesting to know about Thai believes related to spirits and ghosts.

Hi Anne! How interesting to read about Spirit Houses.The pictures are really lovely. Well, by this time of the year my city is celebrating The Holy Spirit party. It´s a celebration which happens ten days before Pentecost( the Holy Spirit descent upon the Apostles). So all the city is dressed in red in order to honour the Holy Spirit. Apart from the religious cerimonies, there are many presentations of folk dance groups( my uncle dances in one of them)and also lots and lots of typical food such as 'afogado' which is a stew of meat, potatoes and vegetables, with special seasonings. Moreover, this year we´re celebrating 300 years of the Holy Sprit party in Mogi. Our party is among the most tradional Holy Spirit party in Brazil. Best wishes, Ana Paula.

Hi Anne, What you told us about spirit houses was very interesting. What is the main religion in Thailand? I think that traditions have something to do with religion. In fact people are influenced in their believes by the religion they follow. The main religion in Argentina is the Catholicism. Though I'm a catholic I'm not a strict follower. They have the tradition to put candles, flowers and money on Saints and Virgin Mary statues or pictures. They also pray to the images. Bye for now. Have a nice day. xxx Cris

Good Evening Anne, I was very pleased to learn about the spirit houses. I had never heard of such tradition. It's really interesting. I'm trying to think of a similar tradition in my country, but I can't come up with anything. Well, I once lived in a house which had two elephants on its rooftop. And they had to be placed in a certain position which I'm not very sure of, but I think it was with their noses pointing away from each other. I don't think it shows so often in brazilian houses, but you may find it in some of them. Well, as long as I can't come up with anything better, this one will have to do. Anyway, It's very nice writing to you. Have a good evening and until next time.

Hi, Good evening!! I have a doubt, maybe it´s a silly doubt but I have to ask.. :) Could you teach me the difference between Start and Begin?

Hi dear Ann , Happy holiday , First of all I 'm really thankful for your effort for sending entry while you were on holiday , that was really nice of you and Sorry for our delay in reply to your homework , here are mine :Hordes : very large crowd , got peppered with bites: being stung by insects repeatedly . lathered in insect repellant : you mean covering your skin with ... , cossies : some special stuff that might be used at beaches like swiming tube , kids balls and so on , arduous: sth difficult to do which demands some efforts , gear : equipment .Verb for run or walk : plod , race and pootle ( I think there is an spelling error for this one ) and nouns are : hike and trek . About my magical moments , the first one that comes to my mind was my son first laugh when he was a baby and he was sleeping on my shoulder . It was so sweet for me . Beside watching kids growing up is sweetest moment for all moms and dads , I think . And I always enjoy of our adventure to un known places and as you said some times some little things make our life beautiful and full of joy like smashing under the rain and not to be worried of getting wet .Anyway I didn't know about Thai ghost house or spirit house and it was really interesting for me . Thanks for sharing them with us . bye for now and kiss the kids for me . Xxx0

Hi Ann,Thank you for your great efforts .I have always been reading your blogs and It's really interesting for me .I have learnt more english and about Thailand as well.So i think it's very useful to me to improve my english.By the way, I suppose that it will be better if using the large size word.Best wishes to you

Hi Anne and everyone, Thanks for information about animism largely prevailing in Thailand. When there was a no answer of natural calamities, happenings, animism developed rapidly so animism is product of our baseless fear, is it not. Animism has victimized almost entire world. Canny people exploit general masses both financially and mentally on account of animism and meet both their end meet while doing nothing. In India, when we shift to new house, we pure it by reciting religious hymns to free it from ill spirits. A religious man recites religious hymns for some period. Relatives and guest are invited. It is like a family / social function. But I am not going to pure my house. It is pity that well-educated people also belief in these baseless things. At this age, when man has placed its feet on moon, it is (moon) still worshiped; the earth orbit is full of satellites, we still continue to belief in spirits and ghosts. It sounds that governments of different countries are not paying due attention to develop scientific temperament in its citizens. These types of beliefs brunt the mind of young generation, stop them to think logically and rationally. Do you agree? This type of belief hampers the progress of any nation in a long run. Thank you.

Dear Anne!I tried a bit to think over the way the animism belief works. I hardly know anything about Thaland (I´ve seen one Jody Foster film only), but from reading comments written here by a student from Thailand I´ve got a strong feeling of a very happy person. The effluence of his happy attitude to the life seemed to me very diffrent from the forced smile culture implemented in the USA or a usual dimal appearance of people here in the midle-europa´s country on the other hand. And the feeling to write to you is really pleasant despite the fact sitting longer at work for this joy. Looking forward to read you all!

Dear Madam Anne, here we say 'Sir’ to the teacher and 'Miss' or 'Madam' to the female teacher, it is a good moment to me that within myself I’ve been confirmed that I will continue to you in this blog. But, writing for the first time in English to a native English teacher like you, I doubt immensely about the clarity of expression, base of my feeling and many other thing that I can't just enumerate. Anne, if you allow me, I want to put my dissatisfaction over the quality of English taught here in Nepal. You might have know that here is two standard of school and education, those who have good social privilege and sound economic background get enrolled to those school which offers comparatively good English but that is not available to the general people as a whole. It is very hard to get the public institution providing good English and education. It can be discussed in the coming days to come. Now let me tell about myself- I am a student of English in College of International Language at the level of ‘Advance Writing and Composition’ which is upper intermediate level, but they are using the book of intermediate level of Cambridge University. At the second semester, we had a teacher Prof. K. B. Gurung, being a son of Gurkha solder of India, he had been received his secondary education in India and university education in US. He had very deep knowledge in English and the way of English all over the world as he was visited all across the world. He would wear very shabby cloths, come in a old cycle, even if being the only Prof. of the whole college, hardly anybody would think that he is a Prof. One day he said us that he was initially a student and then Prof. and again student, because he used to cook his food in Kerosene Stove in the student life and, now also, he cooks in Kerosene Stove. He was drunkard, and unfortunately we were helpless to hear the he is paralyzed and admitted in hospital. As he was a good teacher, his substitution teacher can’t justify any thing to me. On last week, he told us about inductive and deductive writing, inductive is specific to general and deductive is general to specific and, he added, deductive writing is more strong the former, but couldn’t justify How ? Could you please tell anything about this so that we can adopt that. Eventually, I know, you also have a limitation to hear my non-stop word, please be kind to hear more from us in the days to come and help us get improved in English

Hello ANNE, It's an interesting topic.I also have the spirit house in my home.I am not buddhist,but sometimes I believe it exists.It can see what we do and bless us.I just offer some incense everyday,and then close my eyes and press my hands in prayer,sometimes whilst bowing three times.In fact,I don't pray anything,because I think it is not respectful to Buddha if just having something to pray.As for me,spirit house is just a mark of respect to Buddha.I have two josses from Nepal and a figure of a little Buddha from Tibet in my spirit house. After I read some books about Buddhism,I knew it was not right that some people prayed to buddha when they confronted bad things.Buddhism is like philosophy to tell us to know about this world.In fact,many people don't know what Buddhism is.They believe them just because they can't control something and have some fear about future,they don't know what the future will go,so they have to pray to Buddha. I am not sure whether my points about Buddhism are right,I don't mean to be impolite to buddhist. Have a great day.