Beware, travellers: Zika virus, the latest public health emergency

WHAT'S ABOUT ZIKA? 

For a start, talking about Zika, we know that this virus has been strange for us until it appeared on the news. It is caused by a mosquito. Some symptoms are temperature, pink eye and they are of short duration. It concerns specially pregnant women, whose babies can be born with microcephaly. It was started in Brazil last year, but now it has spread around twenty-four countries. The OMS has already declared Zika as a public health emergency.  I have heard that in June will be a vaccine for the virus. And remember, if you are going to travel to somewhere, you should look for further information about this issue.  I got to know about Cyprien two weeks ago, when my French teacher put one of his videos in class. In fact, the best video is about Spain. 

 Travelling to USA 

Travelling to Spain

Dialogue

AT THE DOCTOR'S

• Hello, Pedro. What's the matter?
• I've got a backache. 
• When did it start?
• Four days ago.
• Let me have a look... ah, maybe you've got an injury. Have you taken any medication for it?
• No, I haven't.
• Well. I will prescribe some painkillers. Take them twice a day. If you have any problem, came back at once.
• Thank you so much, doctor. (Pedro is leaving)
• Pedro, don't forget the prescription!
• Pardon! Bye.

Writing

Do some smell remind you of your childhood? What associations do they have?

The smell of war crayons reminds me of when I was at the nursery school without anything to do. I was all day drawing. Among other smells, I've always liked the smell of the beach and the smell of suntan lotion because they remind me of holidays and the sun. I also like the smell of fireworks because they make me think of Lobres festival, like Saint-Antonio, who is the patron saint of the village. 

What about sounds? Do some sounds or songs have strong associations for you?

Yes. For example, the song "El baile del gorila" by Melody. I really liked the song and I danced whenever I listened to it. It is beautiful to remind my childhood! Also, the song by Carlos Cano, "María la portuguesa!. This is the song which my father loves. We danced it in all parties together. As I was little, my father used to pick me up. What memories! 

My village

What can I say about my village?

To begin with the description, I'm going to write about my village in the past and now. I live in a small town in the south of Spain, it is called Lobres. 50 years ago, the town was very different. Approximately, there was the same population as there is now.

Although now it is small, before it was even smaller. There didn't use to be any modern buildings. Now there are some blocks of flats. There used to be one shop, where the was food. now there are two supermarkets, a butcher's, one clothes shop, and two bars. Although too many people go to shopping centres, the oldest people go to the shops there. Also there was a church, and it is the same as now, but it was repaired once. In the village there used to be sugar plantations, it was the main crop in the area for that reason there used to be a sugar factory. Now in its place there is a rum factory.

50 years ago there used to be an old bridge which used to go to other towns, but it fell down in 1973. Now there is a new bridge. Most people used to ride horses, donkeys or similar. People used to work in fields in 'Palmares' and they had to walk across the mountain without minding the weather (boiling or freezing). What a terrible journey! Now there are a lot of cars, and there is a big motorway which surrounds the village. There used to be a bus station near the road, where all the traffic cross. How dangerous! Now the bus station is at the entrance of the village.

People went to Cataluña to find a better life, because here the only job that there used to be was farmer.

My grandparents lived here. They say that there wasn't much to do then, except when there were the patronal parties. My granny used to go with the other women to wash the clothes to the river. There used to be a small room used as a school, now there is a state school. There didn't use to be a health centre, if you got an illness, you couldn't go to the doctor. All the people liked going out, and standing in the street (children playing football or many old-women talking in the door of their houses). Now fewer people go out, they prefer to stay at home playing computer games or with their mobiles. Children used to be by mid-night on the street.

All in all, life was quieter then, but now we have technological things which permit use to communicate without need of getting out of the village. Life has changed so fast!

Miraculous operation and some tips to live in the UK

It is certainly a miracle. Poor baby, in other cases he wouldn't have survived, but in this case he is safe.Thanks to the helicopter which brought him quickly to the hospital, he arrived in time It was a good job carried out by the doctor after six hours of operation.

It is true that getting used to life in a foreign country can be difficult, but you should try to talk all you can, make friends, eat the food from there, save money, visit as much as you can in a city, like: museums, theatres, cinemas, go to cafes... and why do you want your mobile? Look for information, download an app and so you can have access to all information about the city. I am going to go to Ireland and I hope that when I stay there all will be easy to get used to.

NO SMOKING: Drive me home, Daddy!

 In my opinion this is a good idea, because all of us know that smoking isn’t good for our health. It is incredible when it says that smoking in a car creates a higher concentration of toxins than in a bar - some research has put it at 11 times higher, so people should be aware of what they do. But this is not the only problem, there are a lot of them, like: Smoke can stay in the air for up to two and a half hours even with a window open, second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, some of which are known to cause cáncer ,exposure to second-hand smoke has been strongly linked to chest infections, asthma, ear problems and can even cause death in children… And only for the passive smokers. Smokers are not conscious of all the consequences derived from smoking.

Probably people don’t want to pay the penalty of £50, and so they will give up smoking.

I can’t see the pleasure in smoking, and less when you are driving, because it may cause an accident and it is even worse when you carry children in your car. If you are doing something, pay attention to it. Smoking can kill you.

Writing

What can I say about my image? 

 Regarding my image, maybe I am trendy. I usually wear jeans and a T-shirt to go to school, my clothes always math of course. I wear sporty clothes when I have PE, but I think they don’t suit me. I love wearing smart clothes, for example, dresses and wearing make-up like “cat eye” and jewellery (bracelets, earrings, rings, in fact, all the jewels) too. It is great to look like a famous person.

What can I say about things that I love? I really like going shopping, and having a look at all the shops in the shopping centre. I also love playing the guitar in my free time. The third thing I like is the idea that I am going to go to Dublin, because I haven’t been there, so, if I participate in the study trip, I will get the B1 in English. 

There are three things I hate. I don’t like arrogant people who treat people bad, maybe they don’t have a university degree. The second thing I hate is the people who don’t listen to me, for me it is important that the people pay attention to me. Finally, the last thing I really hate is going to the Official Language School. I don’t fancy that, and sometimes I am so angry that I wouldn’t go any more. I am tired and tired, but if I pass my 3rd year, I’ll get my B1 in French.