Astrid&Danica
Hello Astrid,
My name is Danica, and I am studying at a University in Canada. I will be your penpal!
Astrid&Danica
Forum
» Journal Pairs Spring 2018 / Astrid & Danica
» Astrid&Danica
Summary:
Penpals
Dear Danica:
Hi, I'm Astrid, and I am studying at SIPFLS, a famous senior high school in China.
I‘m from Suzhou, a beautiful city of Jiangsu,China.It lies in the east of China,beside the most developed city Shanghai.Suzhou has a long history,which is 2500-year long.In this city,there are many places of interest which are popular in China,such as Zhuozheng Garden,Liuyuan Garden,Canglangting Garden and etc.
I have variety of hobbies. From wild and active ones like climbing, sports and parties to quiet ones like reading and painting.I like outdoor, to participate in playing sports, especially football. However,I don't like risky things like skilling and motorcycling, although it' very interesting, yet it' very dangerous.
I really like Canada that I would like to study hard to choose a good university there. Can you give me some advises? Moreover, I only know a little bit about Canada, could you introduce some local culture for me, thank you very much.
I'm looking forward to hear from you soon!
Yours sincerely
Astrid
Hi！ Danica:
Have you heard something interesting about China?
As a traditional Chinese girl, the most thing I interested is the silk in the ancient.
According to a Chinese legend, “silk was discovered in 3000 B.C. by Lady Xi Ling Sui, wife of the Emperor Huang Di. When a silk worm cocoon accidentally dropped into her hot tea, fine threads from the cocoon unraveled in the hot water and silk was born. ”
I‘m collecting varieties of silk, such as Eri silk; Tasar silk; and Muga silk. What's do you think about that?
In my leisure time ,I would like to do something different from others. For instance, I raise a Chilean Rose as a little pet- an fascinating type of spider.Rose usually grows slowly, so you need a lot of patience, and since you bought him, he entrusted you with your life.That experience influenced me a lot and teach me how to be more responsible.
On the other hand, I would like to ask you something about how to keep a balance between friends and lover? Recently, I have seen lots of movies, still have such a problem, could you give me some ideas about this ?
I‘m looking forward to hear from you soon!
Yours sincerely
Astrid
Hi Astrid!
Thank you for sharing a lot of interesting information! I think it is neat that you live in a city that is beautiful and that has a long history. I have never met someone from Suzhou, so it is good to learn about it from you. I also enjoyed learning about ancient silk from you! I never heard about the legend of Lady Xi Ling Sui, but I think it is a fascinating story. It is also the first time I have ever read about a Chilean Rose, I never knew those existed. Is the spider very big? In Canada the only pet spider we have is a tarantula, and they are very big and some people are afraid of them. I am not, but I also would not have one as a pet. I prefer to have a dog. My family owns two dogs, one big and one small. We have a three acre property that they are free to be on without a leash.
As for your question about keeping balance between friends and a lover, do you mean how to be a friend and lover at the same time, or how to balance time between having other friends and a lover?
Thanks again for writing,
I also look forward to hearing from you again!
Sincerely,
Danica
Dear Danica:
I'm glad to hear from you. This time I would like to invite you to come to visit Suzhou.
The first thing that I would like to tell you is the delicious food in Suzhou.
The Pan-Fried Steamed Bun is my favorite. It is the most famous snack in suzhou.Do you know?Shengjian mantou (生煎馒头, Shengjian mantou) is not a kind of steamed bun but stuffed bun. The right way is use your tooth to tear a small hole on the top and sip off the delicious meat juice carefully, the last step is eating up the mantou.
At the same time,Qing Ming Jie（All Souls' Day） is coming soon(Qing Ming is a time to remember the dead and the dearly departed).In Suzhou, there is a tradition about this holiday. The most important one is eating Green Dumpling, a special food during April. The food is made from glutinous rice. Its green colour is from the juice of bromegrass which takes you a fresh taste. Moreover,the filling is made from sweetened bean paste and sugar.
During my childhood, the terrific and awesome food that I remember is Paopao Wonton. Wonton is the classic snack in South China. What's more , wonton is favorite for girls in Suzhou.The foul of this kind of food is its fillings. It usually use pork and shrimp and not filled too full, the remaining space is left for the air.
Well, would you share some yummy food in Canada? I will visit there on this summer vacation.
I notice that the question that I asked you is about how to balance time between having good girlfriend and boyfriend(lover).
I‘m looking forward to hear from you soon.
Sincerely
Astrid
Hi Astrid,
Thank you so much for the invitation to visit Suzho! It sounds like an amazing place, and I hope that one day I will be able to go there!
When are you coming to Canada? Where in Canada would you like to visit?
I have never heard of the Shengjian Mantou before, but it sounds delicious, I would like to try that! I live near Vancouver in the province of British Columbia. Vancouver has many people from China and there are lots of opportunities for me to try different foods. In Canada we have many different people from around the world that live here, so our foods are very diverse. One of my favorite classic Canadian dishes would be Poutine. It is french fries with Cheese curds (a special kind of soft white salty cheese) and gravy on top. This is very yummy for me.
The All Souls day does sound like an important day, I hope you are able to have a good holiday with your family. I have definitely heard about the wonton, we eat that here a lot. It is very good!
Today is not a holiday, but it is a day where we celebrate an Irish Man named Patrick. So March 17 is Saint Patricks day. We wear green to symbolize his Irish heritage. It is an interesting day to learn about Irish Culture.
So to answer your question about having balanced time between good girlfriend and boyfriend is hard to answer. Not every relationship is the same. However it is good to spend time with your girlfriends, especially when you are young. Friends are very important, and they are a good support for hard times in life. A boyfriend takes a lot of time, but you never know if the relationship will work out forever. That is why spending most of your time with friends is good, because they will be long-term friendship. I hope you have a good weekend!
Sincerely,
Danica
Hi! Danica,
Are you busy with your recent studies? I have varieties of projects to do these days.
When I went to a foreign language school, I felt really interesting but a little bit difficult to adapt. As the time passing by ,I would like to chat with each other and become more confident. Through my hard work, I got a satisfactory grades in this two term. However, I still have problem in aspects like having no choice to communicate with each other. How could I improve myself?
I was introverted girl. So it's quite hard for me to join a new group. For instance, in each term our school will hold a talent show and music festival. Fortunately, I have a good voice and have talent on it. Recently I would like to invite my teacher to sing together, but sometimes I lack of a little courage. How can I solve the problem like that situation?
If you would like to visit suzhou, I recommend you to visit some ancient towns and see the beautiful scenery alone. You will find the unique flavor of Suzhou.
I‘m looking forward to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Astrid
Hi Astrid,
Just like you I am very busy with projects these days. In one month my semester at school will be over and I will need to find a job for the summer.
That is very cool that you will participate in the talent show. You are confident in your music abilities and that is good. Use that confidence as your courage. I think it would be very nice for you to sing with your teacher. I am an introverted girl to, so I understand it is hard to communicate in a group. Just find friends who are very nice and kind. If people are not nice then do not be friends with them, but it is still good to be kind to everyone. What is your favorite subject to study in school?
One day if I visit Suzhou I would like to see the ancient towns. I look forward to seeing how beautiful it is.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Danica
Hi Danica,
This term is quite fugacious. At the moment, I have already learnt 8 subjects.
Among all of them ,math is my favorite. Most students don't like this subject because
it' too difficult to study, but I don't think so. Solving problems actually really fun.I en-
joy it when I resolve the challenging and get the answer. Recently, I sign up the Math
competition of Waterloo. In addition, Waterloo is the university that I desire most.
What do you think? Could you recommend some good universities in Canada?
I wish you to find a suitable job soon!
Sincerely,
Astrid
Hi Astrid,
Learning 8 subjects would be very busy. It is good that you enjoy math, because it is a hard subject to study. You are very smart and I think it is really interesting that you signed up for a math competition. Waterloo sounds like a good university! Other good Canadian Universities include Mcgill in Montreal, University of British Columbia in Vancouver and The University of Toronto. Do you know a lot about the different Canadian provinces? We have ten different provinces and 3 territories in the North part of Canada. I live in British Columbia which is the most west province of Canada. It is starting to become spring right now, so a lot of flowers are blooming and it is very beautiful. I hope you have a great week and good luck in your studies!
Sincerely,
Danica
~Hi! Danica~
I learnt a lot about Canada in various aspects such as the geography, history and so on. But I didn't know the specific differences about each province. Besides, have you heard about 'anime' before? Anime is a style of hand-drawn and computer animation originating in, and commonly associated with, Japan. I remember that the first film that I watched is called 'Spirited Away' by Hayao Miyazaki when I was six years old. It's quite fantastic and really open my eyes! I like it very much. I recommend you to have a look! Did you heard the Hayao Miyazaki before? He is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist. He has won many awards and famous all over the world.'The Wind Rises' is also a good movie is also a good movie. That's my favorite one.
I notice that you often reply me at night. I hope you not stay up too late, Have a good day!!
Sincerely,
Astrid
Dear Danica:
During these weeks hard-working, i have already been suitable for the school life in senior high school. Suddenly, spring is coming!
Spring blossoms, everything recovers. It's also the symbol that my birthday is coming soon! It's on Apr 15. And after that day I will sixteen years old. I'm feel quite excited and couldn't wait to meet my friends and family members on that day.
However, I don't know how to prepare for my birthday party well. I have lots of ideas about this. But these are not very cool! Do you have some ideas about how to spend time on the birthday?
I‘m looking forward to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
Astrid
Hi Astrid,
Yes spring is coming here to! I am very happy because I love all the flowers and blossoms. Congratulations on your upcoming birthday! That is very exciting. To prepare for your birthday party, I think what matters most are the people who will be there with you. And I am not sure how Birthdays' are celebrated where you live, can you tell me some things about Birthday parties in China? Are there some specific traditions that you do?
All the best!
Sincerely,
Danica
/forum/t-4911371/astrid-danica#post-