Mogger Blogger

Big Families

2007-03-15T03:13:00.000-07:00

Do you have lots of brothers and sisters? Are you an only child? Write an essay on the advantages and disadvantages of having a big family and post it up for the rest of the class to read.

HELP

2007-03-02T00:26:00.000-08:00

I've got a problem and I need your advice. I lent my bicycle to my friend and he sold it! He said he needed the money. I was very angry. He says I never used it anyway, so why am I angry? I said because it was my bicycle, not his, and he had no right to sell it. He says I am too materialistic, I should not care so much about having things, especially if I don't use them. I am still angry about it, but he is still my friend, I don't want to lose him. What would you do if you were me?

CHARITY

2007-03-01T23:28:00.000-08:00

If I had a million dollars to give away in Mozambique I'd give it to the Carr Foundation. This is a non profit organisation working with the Mozambican government on the rehabilitation of Gorongosa National Park. I think it is a really good project, and I have a personal interest in it because as a child I spent many wonderful holidays there and I remember what it used to be like. Full of animals and beautiful Fever Trees. You can read about it on http://www.gorongosa.net/

What about you? Who would you give the money to?

Hi friends

2007-02-23T22:57:00.000-08:00

Hello, I'm Aurora a new classmate. I was born in Tete, the hottest province of Mozambique and grew up in Quelimane, the place I call my hometown.
I work at Ministery of Planning and Development as an Rural Finance Technician. I'm studying english because I need it in my job otherwise I want to apply for a master degree at a South African University.
My hobbies are I love reading, dancing and staying with my family specialy my daughter and her friend Georgia.
For now it's all, I'll be back soon.

New Classmates

2007-02-02T00:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new classmates Francisco, Celestino, Tassiana, Natercia, Carlos and Aurora. We hope you will enjoy being in our class and make lots of contributions to this blog. Please write a short description of yourself and post it onto the blog, telling us about yourself. (You can add a photo too if you like).

Welcome Back

2007-01-29T03:06:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Don't forget our course starts again today - same time but not the same place. Our lessons this block are in the British Council, not at Club Militar.

Hope you can all come so we can make a good start.

Chris

Happy Christmas

2006-12-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to post your holiday news onto the blog. What are your plans for the rest of this month and January? I am going to Zimbabwe tomorrow and will be in Harare until New Year. After that I am going to my house in Chimanimani, near to Mozambique. I can see Mount Binga from my veranda. And we are going to climb up there and spend a few days walking, climbing, sleeping in caves and swimming in the very cold rivers. I will take some photos to show you when I come back. What about you?

This is my design for a Mozambican T shirt. What do you think?

HOW WAS YOUR TEST?

2006-12-14T02:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody!

Hope you all well.
How did you find the exam yesterday?
For me it was very difficult. I don’t know if it was really difficult or I didn’t study enough. I lost many lessons. The last trimester of the year is always terrible for me because I have too much work and exams at university. However I hope pass to the next block and I'm going to do my best.

What about you?

PARTY PICS

2006-12-11T22:34:00.000-08:00

Who are all these beautiful people? Add your comments below each picture.

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Having your own Business

2006-12-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Having your own Business, is very good in our opinion, because many people think that, when you are have your own Business it is everything in life and you just open and next day your are a rich man which is not always true there are both pros and cons.

In doing your own Business, you are able to administer your company directly to make a profit immediately. However you are also under pressure, you must always know or study every time the market where you develop your Business, because it is really important to choose the best price to catch or to have many customers to grow your Business. On the other hand, you can spend a lot of money on it and if you haven’t customers to make it grow you can lose it, and also you are limited and controlled by your Business, you have little time to stay home with your family.

In conclusion, it is good to have your own Business, because you employ many other people to work with you and reduce poverty in their lives, you can be rich, meet many Business men in other Countries but it is better to be careful to have success.

Alfredo Sitoe
Geraldo Balate

HAVING A CELL PHONE

2006-12-08T01:44:00.001-08:00

Some people think that having a cell phone is the most useful and the best thing in our life. But it has advantages and disadvantages.

One advantage is it easy to comunicate with people who don´t have a fixed telephone line and people who are far from the city on the country. Sometimes when we don´t have credit we can send a text message.

However if you have a cell phone, you spend a lot of money, and you have to be careful of thieves.

In conclusion having a cell phone is not luxury but is a necessity. We need to have it to comunicate, especially in a country like Mozambique, because the people don´t have the fixed telephone.

By David and Sofia

2006-12-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

THE PROS AND CONS OF SHARING A FLAT

Some young people say sharing a flat is the best way to save money and at the same time, be independent. However, sharing a flat has both a good side and a bad side.

On the good side, when you share a flat you also share the bills. For instance, you don´t pay the full amount for water, eletricity, the caretaker and the rent. On top of that, you have your own independence; You can do whatever you want at any time without having to get permission from your parents.

One disadvantage is sometimes you share a flat with people who have different behavior, one can be tidy and the other untidy, and this is bad for the one who is tidy.
Another point is, you never have full privacy, sometimes your room mate can invite people that you dont know, and becouse of that, you can´t go around the house the way you want.
Last of all, you can have a personality clashes with your flat mate.

To sum up, although some young people say sharing a flat is the best way to save money, we think that if you want to share a flat, first of all, you have to know your flat mate very well.

By Nadira, Cecília and Sibone.

GETTING OLDER - THE PROS AND CONS.

2006-12-07T00:18:00.002-08:00

This is the subject of your final essay for next week, so share your ideas in the "comments box" and you will have a lot to write about in the exam.

2006-12-07T00:18:00.001-08:00

GETTING OLDER - THE PROS

2006-12-07T00:18:00.000-08:00

GETTING OLDER - THE CONS

2006-12-07T00:06:00.001-08:00

Being beautiful

2006-12-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

Many people say being beautiful is good but there are advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it is good but also not good.

Most people say that it is good because you can have a lot of friends also, everybody likes you so you can be invited to do some advertising for some products so you can get a lot of money. In addition, being beautiful you can have many opportunities to choose your partner. On top of that you can enter beauty competitions to became Miss World or a model.

You don't know who your friend really. They can be with you to be seen with you, not because they like you. Futhermore you must spend time and money doing sports to keep fit also spend a lot of money on beautiful clothes, shoes......

In conclusion, some people see beauty people who can make a lot of money and can choose what they want to do. In our opinion we don't see any problem being beautiful but he must be simple and modest.

by Zainabo and Donato

The Pros and Cons of Having a Pet

2006-12-06T01:09:00.000-08:00

I have a cat and a dog and I love them both very much. Sometimes however, I have to admit my life would be easier without them.

I live in a flat on the fourth floor. This is no problem for my cat. He can go in and out of the window, down the stairs or up onto the roof, wherever he likes. But my dog needs to be taken out early in the morning to pee, and later on in the day he needs to go for a proper walk of at least an hour. This, of course, is good for me too, we both need the exercise but sometimes I feel lazy and wish my dog wasn't so bouncy and energetic. These days though, with the weather so hot, he also likes to lie about doing nothing, like me.

The main problem with having animals is when you want to go away and you need to find someone reliable to look after them. This is not always easy and often you end up having to stay at home instead. I once had a terrible experience with someone who promised to come and feed my cat every day and then just forgot all about it. When I came back two weeks later my cat had disappeared - gone off in search of food. I was so upset. Amazingly however he did come back three months later. Needless to say that person and I are no longer friends.

I can't think of any disadvantages to having pets if you live in a house with a garden - apart from the cost of their food. Dogs are good company and also provide security. Cats are fun, intelligent and also catch rats.

And even living, as I do, in a flat I would still prefer to have them despite the inconveniences. Animals, in my opinion, are far more loyal than human beings and life without them is somehow never the same.

2006-11-30T23:52:00.000-08:00

PARTY

Don't forget you are all invited to the party on December 9th at Pensao Martins at 6.30 and we want to know what music you would like to dance to - which songs or artists, be specific - please let us know under "comments".

Predictions

2006-11-30T02:08:00.000-08:00

Hello,

It was difficult but I have get it at last!
First of all I want to appologise all my mistakes, i'm just learning english.

About Mozambique predictions:

Life average expetancy will decreese for four years the next ten years.
People are going to have less children.
The vaccination agnaist malária will succed.
If the traffic road increeses people won't be able to drive in the city.

LEND OR BORROW?

2006-11-29T23:04:00.000-08:00

Do you borrow things from other people? Do you borrow books, CD's, clothes? I used to lend lots of books to people but I stopped because I never saw them again! What about money? Do you lend it to friends? Do they pay you back?

Add a comment and tell the class about your experience.

THE HOT HIPPO

2006-11-29T00:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a sweet story for you. You will need speakers, or earphones to hear it.

http://www.thinkport.org/microsites/video/wmv/hot_hippo.wmv

LITERACY

2006-11-29T00:14:00.000-08:00

Many people in Mozambique are illiterate - they cannot read or write. What about in other countries? Read an interesting article about this.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-magazine-illiteracy.htm

Remember if you click on any word in this article you will get an immediate definition from the online dictionary.

If you don't have time to read it on the computer why not print it out to read later?

A Phrase a Day.

2006-11-24T02:12:00.000-08:00

Phrases with colours.
To catch someone red handed - this means to catch someone in the act of doing something wrong. I caught the thief red handed. He was trying to take my cell phone out of my pocket.

Have you ever caught someone red handed? Or been caught red handed? Tell us about it.

What does "to see red" mean?

What does it mean if a person sees life through rose tinted glasses?

Can you find any phrases with these colours - blue, pink, yellow, green, black.

Post your answers in the comments box.

INTERMEDIATE CLASS

2006-11-24T02:09:00.000-08:00

COINCIDENCES - Remember we talked about this class? Read my story below and then write your own in "comments".

INTERMEDIATE CLASS

2006-11-23T03:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my Intermediate class - I hope you think this is a good a idea and will enjoy making interesting contributions to this blog. To start with please post a photo of yourself onto the blog, and write a short description of yourself.

Congratulations

2006-11-22T23:42:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Vale who has already had her surprise.

Coincidences

This week my intermediate class are writing about amazing coincidences - so if you have a story to tell please share it with them, I am also going to invite them to join this site.

A coincidence that happened to me. In 1995 I was teaching in Zimbabwe, and my students were from all over Africa, but there was one guy called Kim from North Korea in my class. A real Eager Beaver, but hopeless language learner, one of those students that always ask the most obscure and irelevant questions and do mountains of extra homework for you to wade through and try to make sense of, who used to shout down all the other students in the class especially when the subject of his homeland came up, and who used to way lay you after class to get in some extra speaking practice . In 1996 I went off to teach in Yemen and Kim went back to his beloved country. However in 2004 I moved to Mozambique and the very first time I walked into class guess who was sitting there ready for his lesson? With a delighted smile on his face, thrilled with the prospect of someone at last to talk to in this strange new country where he knew no one. "Teacher!!! We meet again!!!"

2006-11-22T01:18:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 22nd November.

Well, here I am waiting for visitors and the first person to leave me a message will get a special surprise!

Hello

2006-11-21T02:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my Blog. I think this may be the start of something quite exciting and I hope you will all take part and use it to share ideas, discuss all sorts of things, tell stories, jokes and improve your English.