Week 9

This week we talked about several things in our discussion groups. On Monday we talked about the Nordic Ski World Championships, but on Tuesday we barely touched the subject! That was because the people in the Tuesday group said that they do not like to watch any sports events on TV and therefore are not at all enthusiastic to talk about the ongoing Ski World Championships! On Monday and Thursday we talked a bit about the these games, and many people felt that it is a good thing that there are many different kinds of events within the field of cross-country skiing. Especially the sprint and pursuit -types of events seem to interest sports fans, maybe due to the swift turns these races may take.

We also continued last week's topic a bit, because I had some information on different kinds of wedding traditions in different cultures. We learnt, for instance, that in Japan it is customary to give a cash gift, and that cranes symbolize longevity and fidelity. We also noticed that for example in Jewish or Native American wedding traditions certain things have very strong symbolic meanings. Also the emphasis of family and seeing weddings as a unifying ceremony joining two families together seems to be important in these cultures.

Next week (week 10) we'll be having our winter holiday, so there will be no lessons then.