Happy Ground Hog Day!

It's cold.  It's snowy.  It's winter in the US.   By this time of year Americans living in the Northern part of the country, tired of shoveling snow and driving on icy roads, are asking,  "How much longer will this last?"  

Tomorrow they will have an answer.   Because tomorrow, February 2 is Ground Hog Day.  Folk lore says that on this day ground hogs, furry brown rodents that hibernate in the winter, will poke their heads out of their holes and decide if there will be more winter or an early spring.  If they see their shadow, they will run back into their hole and continue sleeping for 6 more weeks.  This means 6 more weeks of winter.  On the other hand, no shadow means an early spring.  

One ground hog in Pennsylvania has become the most famous ground hog of all for his weather predictions.  His name is Punxsutawney Phil.  Every year on February 2 thousands of people and TV crews come to the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see Phil.  The celebration begins before sunrise with music, fun and fireworks at a park called Gobbler's Knob.  At sunrise, Phil's human handlers, dressed in tuxedos and top hats bring the ground hog out of his hole and interpret his weather prediction for the anxious crowd.  

Today we only need to turn on our TVs or computers to get an accurate weather forecast but there was a time when people used clues in nature for this information.  This tradition has now become a fun celebration. Read more about this unique American holiday at http://www.groundhog.org/  or watch a video and live stream of the celebration at  http://www.visitpa.com/groundhog-day-live-stream.

  

Geocaching - Making the Find

Here is a bonus post for today.  I wrote this post while I was back in the US traveling around but I never posted it.   So, here it is for you to enjoy...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy the game of Geocaching.  It goes perfectly with my other favorite thing to do ... traveling because you can geocache all around the world.  So far, I've geocached in 6 states in the US, as well as Vietnam and Thailand.  Hopefully, I will be able to add many more places to that list in the future.

One of the things I like about Geocaching is that it leads me to spots I might not otherwise go on my own and it helps me notice things that I pass everyday and never noticed before.

For example, here I am doing a cache in Pennsylvania.  It's in a store parking lot hiding on this lamp post.  A store parking lot is not a very exciting place to visit but look at the view behind it.  I never noticed before how pretty it is.  You can see the valley and farmland and the mountains in the distance.  I would have never stopped and noticed the view if it wasn't for Geocaching.

Martin Luther King Day

Happy New Year 2013!  I would like to say Welcome back to everyone including myself.  I took a vacation for the holidays and enjoyed some time back in the United States to visit family.  I hope you enjoyed the posts I did while traveling.  But now I am back in Vietnam and The Conversation Hour continues which means more posts here at Fastfood English.

So, let's start off the New Year by looking at an American Holiday in the month of January.  This past Monday was a federal holiday in the United States called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  We celebrate MLK every year on the third Monday of January.   We remember Dr. King for his tireless work as a Civil Rights Activist.  He spoke about equal rights and fair treatment for Black Americans and led non violent protests against unjust laws.   in the 1950's and 60's, Dr. King brought attention to the problems of segregation and discrimination that Black Americans faced in the US.  His work led to positive changes in laws and attitudes.  

How do we celebrate Martin Luther King Day?  Because it is a federal holiday that means schools and offices are closed for the day.  Many people use the free day to participate in volunteer projects.  It's called a Day of Service.  Here is an English Central Video that explains more about it.

Duck, Duck, Goose

There is something fowl about this blog post!  Can you guess what it is?

In the US there are lots of different types of wild ducks and geese.   We call ducks and geese (also chickens) fowl.  Fowl sounds like the word foul which means something dirty, gross, or an error in a sports game.  So I made a pun or a play on words.  It sounds like I'm saying there is something gross about this post but it's just a fun way to say it's all about ducks and geese.

 Here are two common fowl in the US.

Mallard Ducks

A male and female Mallard Duck out for a walk on a chilly day.  The male has emerald green feathers on his head and a bright yellow beak, the female is brown and speckled.

Canadian Goose

Canadian Geese are big, have a brown body and a black neck and head.  (Geese is the plural for the word goose.)   Although they are quite handsome, many people don't like the geese because there are so many of them.  They hang out in large flocks on open areas like golf courses, playing fields and school yards.  They  are noisy and poop all over making it unpleasant to be around them.  (Talk about a foul fowl!)

The title of this post is duck, duck, goose but it is more than just a description of the number of birds in the pictures.  Duck, duck, goose is a game played by young kids in the US.  Click on the link to read how this game is played.

Laundry Day

Laundry Day!  I have no more clean clothes and since I'm living out of my suitcase while I travel around the US on vacation it means a  trip to the laundromat.

Laundromats are the place to go if you don't have a washing machine and dryer at your house, apartment or dorm.  It cost me $1 (~20,000 VND) to wash one load, 75 cents (~15,000 VND) for a single size laundry soap and $1.50 (~30,000 VND)  for the dryer.  And that's pretty cheap as far as laundromats go.  

Most people wait in the laundromat while their laundry is in the machines.  It can be boring to wait but you don't want someone to walk away with your clothes by theft or by accident.   While I was there someone accidentally, opened my dryer.  They realized it right away, closed the door and restarted the machine.

I brought a crossword puzzle book to do while I was waiting.  Now I have clean clothes again.  Hooray!

Geocaching with Cassie

What do you like to do in your free time?  Do you have any hobbies?

Well, today I would like to tell you about mine.  (If you are one of my friends from the American Center, you already know.)  I like to play a game called Geocaching.  The idea is you use a GPS unit to look for boxes hidden in different places.   Here is an official video explaining more about it -



I have a confession to make.  I don't use my GPS very often when I play this game.  That's because I play in the city and it's often easy to figure out where the hidden location is by using Google maps and the hints listed on the Geocache page.  Of course, this doesn't work if you are looking for a cache hidden in the forest or on a long hiking trail but I've managed to find quite a few this way.

Come along with me as I drive from my hotel to find an easy geocache.  It's filmed in timelapse so the whole video is less than 1 minute.  (42 seconds to be exact.)

Animals Sing

Lots of alternative versions of the 12 Days of Christmas have been made.  Here is a funny one starring family pets.  Enjoy a good laugh!