New Years Exe

What are you doing on New Year's Eve?

It's time again - New Year's Eve is coming. And I ask you, what are will you be doing on this evening?
This year, I think I will be at home. I will drink a glass of wine and read a good book.
My year wasn't so good because I lost my dad at the beginning of the year. And it is my first New Year's Eve without him.

But where are you? (What about you?) Do you will celebrate with friends? Family? Do you travel to another country to make have a party?

All the same, I hope you have a great evening and your new starting will be go well.

Happy New Year!

First notebook entry: Introducing myself

My native language is Spanish. Since I am a teacher I can manage different Spanish profiles: colloquial, polite, technical, and business. Since my wife is from Argentina I know some latinamerican variations in words and phonetics.

I am learning English. I can write English wih to a high intermediate level. I am interested in practising mainly with native English speakers from the USA, Canada or Australia. USA, Canadian, Australian.

I like biking, hiking, geography. I am expertise an expert in telecommmunications.

Catsitters

Unlike dogs, cats are normally not very keen to accompany their families on a holiday. They prefer to stay in their usual surroundings and follow their daily routines. As cats don't need as much attention as dogs, it's often possible to leave them alone at home and just make sure that someone comes twice a day to feed and caress them and play a little with them. A lot of neighbours are willing to do that but sometimes nobody is available or someone a cat owner just doesn't want to bother their neighbour or a friend.

If you nevertheless want to go on holiday and leave your cat at home, it's possible to hire a catsitter which are available in many cities (If you nevertheless want to go on holiday and leave your cat at home, catsitters are available for hire in many cities [I wouldn't say "catsitter are"]). Catsitters are volunteers who usually have cats themselves. They are organised in a non-profit association. In order to become a member, it's necessary to hand in a copy of your passport. That way the association makes sure that no potential thieves join and rob a house or apartment while the owners are on holiday. So far I have never heard that a catsitter stole anything, so the concept is pretty safe. If you need a catsitter, you have to become a member of the association and pay a small annual fee.

It's not necessary to be an active member, that means volunteering as a catsitter yourself. However, when there's a high demand, active members who have looked after other members' cats in the past and now need a catsitter, are preferred.

Normally two catsitters are involved when one or more cats need to be cared for while their family is on holiday. One of them comes in the morning, the other one in the evening. Both catsitters introduce themselves before the family leaves. That way everyone gets to know each other, the catsitters are shown where everything can be found in the house and are given some information about the cats' habits.

After everything is sorted out, you can leave for your holidays and be reassured that your cats won't lack anything. If necessary, catsitters often agree to feed other small animals like rabbits or guinea pigs, too and water the plants. It's a perfect arrangement when you can't or don't want to rely on your neighbours.

(The cat on the picture is mine, he's called Sammy and is 15 years old.)

First notebook entry: Introducing myself

Hello, guys.
I'm a Chinese, I'm fifteen years old. I'm learning in a middle school.
We learn English, but I'm not good at it. It'is too difficult for me to learn it well. I must remember too much grammar! I can't get a good mark in the English test. The teacher always shout at us, because our marks is bad. We are sad too. But we are still very hard.
I can speak Chinese and I can help you learn it. Although I am a student, my Chinese is not bad. I think we can be language partners and get on well with each other!
thank you! :-D