Relations with people

Our family is not very large. I have a father, a mother and a brother. The member of our family get on well with each other; my brother and I respect our parents.

My father is a worker. He works hard at his office and at home he helps my mother who is a very busy woman. She is a teacher and works at a school. Father and mother really love each other. If sometimes it happens that they ffall out with each other, it doesnt take much time to make it up. They really are equal partners in life.. I admise that my parents share daily routines and help each other.

My grandparents live in another place. They work hard about the house, but never grumble or complain about their difficult life. They live not far from us and I often see them.

My brother is a schoolboy. He learns at the same school. He is fond of computers, he eenjoys playing basketball. His marks are normal, of course he could learn better, but he is bit lazy.

I am student of the twelfth form. This year Im finishing school. Im fond of music. Im good at Lithuanian and Psychology. I wwant to become a teacher. I have to work very hard this year, because I will gave to pass my finally exams. I look forward to becoming a student, but I understand that I will have to work very hard it order to get the school leaving certificate.

Social affairs

I want to tell you about the town, where I live, about Kaunas. Kaunas is an industrial town. There are a lot of companies, factories and enterprises in Kaunas, but they pollute our rivers and blacken our sky. As Kaunas is a big town, here are a lot of cars, buses, and they pollute our environment too. People, working in these factories, sometimes suffer from ill and die of various diseases, bbut they dont complain, because they are afraid to lose their jobs. They have to support their families and money is very important for them. Nowadays prices go up and are high and wages are low in Lithuania. There are many unemployed, poor people. There are a lot of children, who beg for money or food.

I think, that all this sounds very sad, but I hope, someday it will be better. Thats all about my native town.

Health aand body care.

Health is the most important thing in a persons life. It is the biggest personal property. Every person should think more about his health because when health is lost, everything is lost. Good health is better than the best medicine. And if your health is good, you are always in a good mood. But sickness in the body brings sickness to the mind. Taking medicines is an unpleasant thing, and if we want to avoid it, we should go in for sports, eat various food, be in the fresh air, do exercises. We shouldnt wait when health comes like a bolt from the blue, we should do something ourselves. As for me I take care of my health. I do morning exercises in the morning. It doesnt take much time and I can feel bright, I can get back my energy, I can feel as strong as a lion. Sport is very important in our life. It is a way leading you to the healthy life. There are many kinds of sport but I dont like tennis, football or basketball. I like biking very much and I visit a lot of places in the countryside by my bbike. Biking you can hear birds sing, listen to the sound of nature and enjoy the fresh air. Its very useful for my health I think. I have the strict days routine. I never do my homework very late in the evening. Evening is my rest time. All my lime is planned. I plan everything ahead so I dont have to hurry. I eat six times a day. I never overfeed. I eat a lot of vegetables and fresh fruit, drink fruit juice. I dont eat sugar and fat. I use a little meat and salt. I keep my body clean, wear clean clothes. Looking at a person who is clean and orderly dressed you can feel better too. Hairbrushes, toothbrushes are not lent. Every person should use only his personal things. If a person doesnt keep to these rules he can easily catch an illness. People who dont do exercises, who dont do morning exercises are not tempered so they can catch cold very often. So if you really want to be healthy you should eat well-balanced meals, need extra vitamins, give up smoking and drinking. Physically inactive people get old earlier than those who have plenty of exercises. SSo if you want to look younger you should look after your health.

Education

In Lithuania education is free and it is compulsory. Children start school at the age of seven. They can stay at a secondary school for twelve years but some of them leave school having finished the tenth form. These pupils usually go to vocational or trade schools where they can get both secondary education and the qualification. Everybody can go to university or any other high institution after finishing secondary school. In Lithuania children go to school five days a week. There is no school on Saturdays and Sundays. The school year begins in September and ends in the middle of June. At our school there were three terms in a school year, but now there are two terms in a school year. We study Lithuanian, English, Russian, German and if you want can choose and study Polish and French or Spanish languages, history, geography, mathematics, chemistry, music and other subjects. We have also got a gymnasium, a school hall and a library.

In British the most secondary schools are comprehensive schools. In some areas children are selected for either grammar school or secondary modern school. Education in Britain

is free too, and most children go to send their children to independent schools.

All grammar and most comprehensive schools have a sixth form where pupils study for their A levels. Any student who wants to go to university needs to pays at least two or three A levels.

Most courses last for three or four years. Students receive grants form the government to pay for course fees and food, accommodation. Some students also receive learns, which they have to pay back wwhen they start work.

Shopping

Everybody wants to look well and be fashionable, but not everybody can look like that. Some people dont have much money, but their clothes look ordinary and they look nice too. I dont rush off to the shops as soon as I have some money to spend, because I think carefully what I want to buy. I find shopping a nightmare because I can never find what I want. There are a lot of different designs and II dont know what to choose. Sometimes I see nice things but I cant afford to buy them. They are expensive I am very happy when I buy an item that I want. I understand that it is impossible to bbuy all the things that I carefully want. That is why I choose the things.

I must say that I am careful with money. I dont spend all the money I have. When I have enough money I go to the shop and buy the things I want.

We all know that there are a lot of shops. Some of them are in Laisves avenue. And we all know that the prices are very high. That is why many people go to buy to markets or second hand shops. You can find very good clothes in second hand shops, and the prices are not high. On the one hand, it is good that we buy in the second hand shops. But on tthe other hand it is not good. Our factories make different clothes, they are of good quality but people dont buy them because they find cheapes things in other shops. In this way our industry cant develop and cant get money for the goods that are in the shops.

Food & drink

Food and drink are very important, because nobody can live without eating and drinking. These two things may be a great pleasure. Of course, we have to eat neither too mmuch nor too little. Foods that are eaten on a regular basis make up a diet. Although geographic location and family traditions play major part in forming dietary habits, food choices vary from person to person.

Eating too much salt, sugar and fat can effect your risk of developing heart disease and raise the level of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol is a natural waxy substance made by the body. It helps to form digestive juices. Eating too much sugar can mean that you’re more likely to become obese and that means a higher risk of getting heart disease. Sugar may taste good, but of course, it contains nothing but calories. Sugar can lead to tooth decoy. Eating too much salt has been linked with high blood pressure, which in turn can cause heart disease. Fast foods are major part of many people’s diets. Fast foods are often high in fat, salt and low in minerals and vitamins.

It’s important to eat more fresh fruit & vegetables, to cut down on salty snacks, chips, nuts, to go easy on sweets, chocolates and to use less salt and sugar in cooking. But the most important thing in changing your eating hhabits is to cut down gradually.

Services

All people use various services: postal services, telephone, telegraph, bank, police, diplomatic services, car maintenance services, petrol stations and personal services.

Personal service establishments are very useful and many people visit them every day. Sometimes I visit them too. When I am going to go to a party I go to hairdressers establishment. Sometimes I take my little brother to a barbers shop. If my shoes need mending, I go to the repair shop. When they are rather worn, I take them to the shoemakers and say that my shoes need repairing. Sometimes I need have my photos taken. I go to the photographers then. I use the postal service too. I like to communicate with people. I have some friends in Lithuania and Denmark, and I communicate with them. I send letters to Denmark by air mail. It costs more but it is faster. At the post office you can send telegrams too. I can send parcels with gifts to my friends when they celebrate their birthdays. The telephone is widespread nowadays, and more and more people would like to have that instrument in their homes. The telephone is of great importance in bbusiness, in administrative relations and in the national economy. When necessary, the police, the fire brigade, the first aid and ambulance service can be called by anybody from any telephone. You have to dial only two digits. We use police services too. Criminals are getting better organized today and the police arent always able to help us. Sometimes I use medical services. If I am not ill very seriously I treat myself. But sometimes I go to see the doctors. Sometimes I go to the petrol station for petrol. And when I was going to go to Germany I used the diplomatic services. I for my visa went to Vilnius embassy. So all services are very useful. They make our life easier.

Flora

Lithuania’s flora is rich and varied, because of its geographical position and climatic peculiarities, but we can’t boast that it’s peculiar to it alone. We have typical northern plants such as conifers, deciduous trees. Forests cover one fourth of its territory. 3 centuries ago, they were twice as extensive. Nowadays more woods are cut down than replanted. We have lots of spruce, birch and alder woods as well. It’s a pity such trees as oaks, ashes and

limes are decreasing, because they were used as timber. Now we can hardly find oak, ash or lime woods. The preservation and restoration of forest hasn’t been given great attention. Every year hectares of forest are planted, but more hectares are felled. Timber is still the chief article of export. Some trees are remarkable as natural rarities. In East Lithuania at Stelmuze grows an old oak, that according to botanists, about 1,5 thousand years old.

Forests cover one half of tthe territory in east and South Lithuania. The Varena-Druskininkai forests spread on area of thousands square km. These forests abound in mushrooms, berries and beasts. The Rudininkai forest remind as of historical events. The rebels of 1831 and 1863 against the Russian czar found refuge in it. The Cepkeliai swamp, covering 5000ha is the largest in Lithuania. Broad and beautiful are the Labanoras, Kazlu Ruda and other forests. 40% of Lithuanian’s territory is occupied by arable land.

Fauna

The Lithuanian fforests have inspired many poets, writers and composers. They devoted their works to the charm of woods.

The fauna has no particular species peculiar to it alone. There are various species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. For various reasons mmany kinds or them became extinct. This fate befell aurochs, bisons, bears, etc. All forests can boast of the giant of woods – the antlered elk. Elk meat is exported abroad. Deer are less common. Roe and hares are abundant everywhere. Wild hogs, foxes, squirrels, martens are rather numerous. The number of wolves has shrunk. The beaver was entirely exterminated, but now it has been reacclimatized. Their houses are frequent on the banks of many rivers. New species of animals such as punctate deer, minks have been acclimatized. They feel quit at home and bear offspring.

We have 300 species of birds. In forests we can hear voices of woodpeckers, cuckoos, owls, hawks and others. In rivers, lakes and swamps aare various species of ducks, geese, and swans, where they hatch their young. In Neringa there is a settlement of grey herons, rare birds.

There are about 50 species of fish in Lithuania. We can’t boast that abound in our lakes and rivers. Bream, roach, salmon, eels, carps are caught. Salmon comes to our rivers to spawn.

Television

TV is one of the ways to spend our free time. Sometimes it shows good or sometimes bad things. It’s good, that there aare some documentary films, which show us the life of wild animals, old civilizations, and the lost world. There is news, which inform us about the things, which are happening all around the world. Also TV shows some talk shows, where we can hear the interesting interwievs.

But there are a lot of violence and debauchery in TV films, even in cartoons. And violence has a bad effect on viewers, especially on children and teenagers. They can’t understand what is right or what is wrong and they think, that everything is true and start to copy everything and to do the same things as „good guys“ or „bad guys“. So, I think, that there are more violence and debauchery in our TV programs, than good and nice things.

Travelling

There are various means of travel. We can travel by train, boat, airplane, and finally we can travel on foot. First of all I will say what I think about walking. So, when you use your foot, of course then it is the cheapest way to get somewhere. But if that place is some 100 or more km. away, then everyone prefers a faster way of traveling. I agree tthat traveling on foot is good for your health, but just imagine that you have to go to another country and return using only your foot – I do not think, that it will be very healthy for you.

Travelling by car is the finest type of travelling. Its noisy, not good for nature, more dangerous, but it’s fast, comfortable and easy to use. Ship and plane are very useful too, when you have to reach another continent, because usually it would be too wet to get there another way.

Besides all these means of transport people usually get their trip by trains and hitch-hiking. I think, everybody knows, how cheep it is when you spent money given by your parents somewhere else. So its no need to speak about train. And the last way of getting somewhere from somewhere is hitch-hiking. Of course, anyone can say that it’s dangerous, but you really dont need to go alone. Its even more fun when you go together with your only-friend, girl friend or boy friend. So, I think, it is the funniest way to travel.

Smoking

It’s said, that 70% of young people smoke or have tried smoking. Well I think tthat smoking is a bag thing. It’s dangerous to us and to others. Smoking causes cancer, various diseases of lungs, throat. Doctors inform us about it, but smokers don’t pay attention to it. Youngest usually like to imitate the adults. For this purpose parents must no smoke themselves. Smoking is like illnesses, once try and you can’t stop. Smoking helps people to relax and they enjoy it. But to give up is very difficult, and some people can’t do this without others help.

I think, that many smokers are selfish people, because there are many places where is „no smoking“ sign, but a lot of people ignore them. They do harm not only for their health, but for non-smoker’s health too. To my mind smoking is really not the problem of the person itself, but it’s also the problem of mankind. The person not only poisons itself, but he pollutes the environment also. So it’s better not to begin smoking at all. The life of all people will be healthier, especially of the young people.

Seasons of the year

There are four seasons in a year. They are spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Every season is beautiful and pleasant in its own

way.

Spring is a wonderful season. Spring comes and nature awakens from its winter sleep. The days become longer and nights shorter. The ground is covered with fresh green grass and the first spring flowers .The trees are covered with new leaves and blossoms. The air is fresh and sun shines brightly. Spring months are March , April and May.

Summer months are June, July and August. The weather is usually fine in summer. It is much warmer than in sspring. The trees are green and the gardens are full of flowers. Everybody enjoys summer. A lot of people have their holidays in summer. They can go swimming and boating, they can lie in the sun and get sunburn, they can gather berries and mushrooms.

Autumn months are September, October and November. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. The weather often changes, and it gets colder and colder. The sky is often grey and cloudy, often rains. AAutumn is harvesting time; it’s the time when grain, fruit and vegetables become ripe.

Winter months are December, January and February. Sometimes it is very cold (30 degrees or more below zero). It often snows. Winter is a good time ffor sport. Little children are fond of playing snowballs and making snowmen, older ones go in for skating and skiing.

Language

Every one should know his native language very well. We start learning it in our childhood.

Native language helps us to understand what others say and to talk. But it is very important to know foreign languages too. They can help us to associate with people from other countries. I can speak and write English and Russian – two foreign languages. My native language is Lithuanian. It is one of two languages in the Baltic branch of Indo-European languages, the other one being Latvian. Lithuanian is the one of the oldest surviving languages in the world. It is distantly related tto Sanskrit. Because Lithuanian language has changed less than other languages over the centuries, its important linguistic link to the past and has an important place in the study of how languages have evolved. Lithuanian is difficult for a foreigner to learn because it has a countless number of grammar rules. But there are a lot of foreigners who are eager to learn it. Its very strange that some Lithuanian people are unable to speak their native language very well. TThey dont try. But I like my native language because it makes me a real Lithuanian. I cant say that I know it very well but I try to learn it more & more. Every language has its history. Many years ago our native language was banned. Lithuanian books were secretly brought to Lithuania. Today schoolchildren can begin learning English since their first form, so theyll speak much better than we do. English has become a world language, its spoken in all over the world. If you can speak in many languages you are happy person because you can associate with various people from various countries. You can understand them and they can understand you. My English language helps me too.

Crimes

Nowadays our life isn’t safe. It seems that neither police, nor government can’t guarantee public safety. Statistics shows that violent crimes at present have been increase. So no one can live in peace and feel save even in his own home. This situation in Lithuania is getting hopeless. A lot of dangerous criminals are allowed to escape and roam free. There are more and more burglars, kidnappers, murders and killers, who commit crimes and succeed in escaping penalties bby engaging good lawyers. Juvenile delinquency has become a serious problem and it’s evident. People can’t trust even banks, which most of them become bankrupt, because they were ruined by greedy, little-skilled people. Only few of these bank workers were convicted of being guilty and sentenced to imprisonment. Others sentence was commuted or the sentence wasn’t carried out at all. And now they are free. Meanwhile lots of people lost their savings.

I don’t believe, that criminals, who commit crimes of a particularly heinous nature can be reformed in the prison. Some people robbing, committing crimes, because of hunger or poverty. But the worst thing is that, then you are poor and can’t afford to have a good solicitor, you can be convicted of murder and imprisoned even being completely innocent. Sometimes it’s not use in locking for the truth and justice, because there is one law for the rich and another for the poor.

Lithuania

Lithuania is a small country at the Baltic Sea. The nature is very beautiful in Lithuania. One must show the foreign visitors it’s wonderful nature and traditions. To my mind, they must see everything what is nice. There are many national parks in Lithuania. YYou can take your guests to them. The Trakai national Park was designated in 1992 to embrace the historical city of Trakai, the forests, villages and lakes. The most significant historical monument is the Ancient Castle, erected on one of the island of the lake Galve. Zemaitija National Park was founded in 1991. The main aims of the park are the preserve the lake Plateliai system and the nature, to take care of cultural values in Zemaiciu Kalvarija, Plateliai and other places. In the park the visitors can have a good rest and spend the holidays or weekend in the fresh air, in picturesque places, play games, go by water bikes and yachts and do other things.

For the foreigners it’s very interesting to take part at festivals. The festival of Rasa is held on the 22-23 of June. There is a Church festival in Zemaiciu Kalvarija at the beginning of July. Thousands of people come there to pray, sign ancient Church songs and visit chapels, which were built 350 years ago. The Zemaiciai National Park contains many agricultural territories with a great amount of unique monuments, reflecting etnocultural heritage of the very early population up to our days.

And that’s all about the places where you can take the foreigners.