Factory Farms

There are as many factory farms as locals farms in Russia. The majority of them breed livestock and birds. Factory farms also produce dairy products.
Day after day new farms appear in different parts of Russia. I don't like to buy food from food stores and I'm used to doing it rarely. Many food stores are dirty and a lot of the goods are past their expiry date. I never buy poultry, beef and fresh fish especially because they look frightening. Besides, the producers often pull us in by marking the packs with inadequate information about the ingredients.
That is why markets have become more popular. Some food there are also cheaper than in the food stores.
I can't stand buying food every day. I try not to buy frozen and prepared food.
And it seems to me to be easier going to run some errands once a week and buying your food absolutely fresh in a market.

Correct the mistakes please, thank you :)

Since I was a little kid, my father , a proffesional volleyball player, tried to teach my little brother and I the benefits of living a healthy and active life. We spent hours and hours in the playground trying to learn basic volleyball rules. And today, more then ten years later, I'm teaching others how the simple game rules or habits can be applied in every sphere of our lives. For example, a lot of sacrifice always brings good results. Then, there is a fair-play, team work, responsibility, ups and downs, etc. What I want to say is that when I saw the subject of this TC, I immediatelly thought this was a perfect chance for me because I saw it as an opportunity to contribute in this project with two primary interests in my life – languages and sport.

First of all, as an athlete, I would like to be a part of any opportunity or project that promotes a healthy way of life in general because it aligns with my lifestyle and I want my future profession to go in this direction. Being a part of a team where you can express your thoughts, creativity, ability to listen and learn from others but at the same time keeping your personality unique, it is a great motivation for me.

In addition, as a linguist and philologist, being surrounded by new, creative people from different countries or linguistic areas and interacting with them, brings out the exploratory and scientific side of my personality. An affection for learning foreign languages has helped me many times while finding jobs and I think it's a plus and an advantage in this project too. <em>You could also have said "....and I think it's a plus and advantageuos in this project".</em>

Also, I can’t hide my enthusiasm that the project is taking place in the Netherlands because this year I’ve started learning Dutch and I would be very pleased to be able to work and interact with Dutch people as they are the hosts of the project.

Finally, it would be my first project of this type and I see it as a great opportunity and a challenge to work in an unknown environment. Aside from my personal and proffesional benefit, I’m looking forward to contributing to the creation of something healthy, interesting and positive, because in the end those are the qualities that make our bodies and spirits stronger, which I believe is the vision of this project.

Well done. 

My first essay

Hello everybody! I am Oxana, from Saint-Petersburg. For the last 2 years I have been living in Shanghai and trying to learn Chinese. <em>You could also say "I have been living in Shanghai and trying to learn Chinese for the last 2 years". </em>What can I say about my English? I think it is pretty far from a good level. Here in Shanghai, I have classmates from many countries and their English is perfect! They can speak fluently and their pronunciation is like they are Americans, especially 2 guys from Sweden). I am really jealous- how can they watch any movie and understand everything :( When people ask me how long I have studied English I don't want answer as it has been ongoing from the age of 7... 

Хорошая работа. Welcome, and good luck with your English. 

Some sentences

1. Our meeting was a real surprise because none of us did expected it!
2. Markus knows how to make you feel free and comfortable. He welcomes any suggestions. He is really easy-going and content about every situation. But be aware, he can easily convince you to believe that he is a Japanese guy.

Thinking in positive

Today I heard a amazing news on TV. A psychologist said that if you make a simple mental exercise you will have a more positive attitude, in fact you can train your brain to think positively.
The exercise consists of writing (every night) ten happy things that are happened you during the day. It doesn't matter if they are important things, such as a smile with your husband or a laughs with your children.
The psychologist explained that one hundred years ago nobody practiced sports because they didn't know it was healthy, and now everybody knows how important it is. In the same way, people in the next century will train their brains with these kinds of exercises and they maybe will have gyms for this purpose. They couldn't imagine that people from the past didn't do it. So this is my advise for everyone: be a pioneer and train your brain.

Well done. 

More and more people move to a warmer place after retirement

Nowadays, there´s an issue that is getting more common among people. In fact, aged people are becoming used to emigrating to warmer places and leave behind their lifetime´s town. For those families, this matter may carry out either advantages or disadvantages. Is moving on and changing their entire lifes better or worse for them? 

On the one hand, one of the reasons why people are leaving would be health care. For instance, Vasque Country has a high level of humidity in the atmosphere which is harmful for the bones. In addition, better climate or weather conditions have a strong influence on the moods, that could provide enjoyment of life more than ever. 

On the other hand, moving to a different place requires having a considerable amount of money saved. Many people have sold their home in order to buy a new one. If things get worse than expected, they may be unable to go back in their decision. Besides, it is really tough not being near beloved relatives or friends. Apart from that, as they come from a different place with other customs, it could be hard to adapt to a new cultural environment. These reasons may turn unhappy or uncomfortable their life there. 

From my humble opinion, after weighting up the pros and cons, I would go for the pros. Above all, the most important thing is being healthy and enjoying the last years of everyone´s life. However, for people who are going to live in another town, it is important that they take into consideration those facts.

Well done. 

My pets

I have got several pets. I have got two cats. Their names are Plush and Murka. Plush is a beautiful cat. She has got colorful fur and green eyes. She likes to play and to sleep. Murka has got blue eyes and white fur. She is an afraid cat. <em>This sentence is technically correct but sounds unnatural. It might be better to say "She is a timid cat".</em> She likes to run. And I have got a kitten. His name is Tikhon. He is Plush"s son. Tikhon is a cute kitten. Cats are very funny animals.
I have got a dog too. His name is Baikal. He is a big dog. Baikal has got red fur. He likes to eats and to sleep :)

Very well done. Sheep have wool, cats and dogs have fur. 

The rules of play

They don't seem to be playing correctly at all, - Alice was saying - There is not any justice and everybody is shouting so that my own voice isn't heard.
There are no rules, and if they are there then nobody keeps the rules.
You can't imagine how difficult it is to play if everything is alive.

L. Karroll.
Alice in Wonderland

Well done.