Comparing cultures / Leticia Arely González

TOPIC1-What do you do in your free time? Why?

I’m from Mexico, so I’m going to explain what I used to do there, and the things that me and my friends used to practice or do .I prefer to do something or the other in my free time. Generally I get free time when I have finished my homework, so in my free time I prefer to do something which gives me enjoyment like listening to music, dancing and then I just give a call to a friend and ask her to come out with me for a walk.
I like to be alone, but just sometimes, not always. When I’m alone, I listen to music, because my mother and I don’t like the same music. I also play with the computer or watch the TV, I love series like "Friends" or "Two and a Half Man" it depends. I really like films about love, and action too, but I prefer see it in the cinema on Saturday night, because in home sometimes is bored, I think.
And, not all the time has to be productive, I sometimes, when I’m stress, listen to music in a green area, or just relaxing.

When I was in Mexico, I went out with my friends on Friday night, or I went to the beach, I love the beach, I enjoyed passing time there! And when I was free I used to go skating with my friends in a place called "Roller", I love it, because I had a lot of friends there that taught me to skate better. I’m a normal girl that does normal things like spend time with my friends, and chat with my other friends from Mexico or other countries.

My mother always goes out for a drink in the night, so I am alone. But she doesn’t do it every day. When I am alone I like to dance, and paint, but I really don’t paint well. I like to spend time with my mom, or with my father, we use to go to the movies, or play bowling. My father and I like to play tennis too, and sometimes we used to go practice in a hotel.

In the weekend my mother, her boyfriend and I go to the village in Cerdeira but I prefer to stay in Ourense, because the village is bored. But the only thing I like to do is to ride a horse, I also play games with my cousins Paula, Yaiza and Ana, we spend a lot of time together. The other weekend my cousins were teaching me to ride a bike, but it didn’t work, I still don’t know how to ride a bike, but I know I will learn it with confidence and courage!

When I’m bored I go to swim in a river of my village called "Embalse de las Gìstolas", and when I was in Mexico I used to swim every day in my pool, because Acapulco is always sunny.
I have a dog, its name is Dolce, from Dolce & Gabanna, it is a york shire terrier, it doesn’t like to be at home, it prefers playing with me or with my mom and go out. When I took it to the street, the people say to me that it is beautiful, and charming, because it is so small and it like playing with people that it doesn’t know. I like to play with my dog, and sometimes we spend a lot of time together.

When I was in Mexico, I went to dance in an academia called Juventus, I love dancing. At the first I danced Hawaiian music, I really liked it, but then I started to dance regional music of Mexico, it was so bored!, so I left it. After I started to practice football, I stayed in a team called "Los Tiburones" (Spanish for “The Sharks") which is a female team, but we played with boys too.

First I played because I liked it, but then it turned dangerous from me because I broke my hand and I had much pain and it really scared me. Now, I don’t practice any sport, I just sometimes go for a walk.

In summer I went to a disco called "Paradise" that remembers me a lot of things. This summer I will go to Mexico, and I plain to have much fun than ever!

I would like to do something different to the things I do normally, for example: ride a motorbike, bungee jump, ice skating, climbing... something like that. I think those activities are dangerous but exciting.
I think I do normal things, but they are funny too. I hope I will do activities more interesting, because sometimes I’m bored.

TOPIC2- Places where youngsters spend their free time. Why?

To answer this I’m going to ask some questions to my cousin Paula. Because she lives here, and she knows more than me, about what the youngsters do on their free time.

She and her friends like to go to "Café Real" in O Barco, because that place is quiet and it has a good ambient, and good music also, their friends like to go to "Morticia" in Ponferrada, because it isn’t a normal place, because it is a dark and strange place. They go to "Café Real" all Fridays, and to "Morticia" all the Saturdays at night.

The other teenagers go to cafés or to the movies or go shopping, with his friends.
My friends like to go to "Pontevella" all weekends, because in Ourense there aren’t much places to go and have fun. My friends don’t do cultural activities, they like to go to an academia of dance, or a Language school, a friend of mine also goes to the Conservatoire of music.

Also my friends spend much of their time on the Internet, in Tuenti, Facebook, or hi5, this are web sites to put photos, or videos, and it use to know people too. I think youngsters like that web sites because people can know you, and see your photos, and than is a way to know and do friends, but also it’s a way to spend time commenting and seeing photos of your friends, or people that you even don’t know, and it can be the start of a nice friendship.

My friends of Mexico practice sports like football, or basketball in the park or in the beach, it depends on the day. My best friend Yajaira, like to go to the Gym, or spend time with her family, all Sundays she have to go out with her parents, to watch a movie, or go for a walk. But I think she doesn’t really like to spend time with her parents, well, anyone likes to spend time with their parents.

My mom did almost the same things like me, went out with her friends or something like I mentioned. But when she was young the Internet didn’t exist, so she had to pass the time in parks, or in the cinema.
People spend also time with his/her girlfriend/boyfriend, going to the cinema or watching movies at home, or doing things they both like.

We all have hobbies, and we spend our time doing things we like, and enjoy, with people we like or care.

by Leticia Arely González Zúñiga, 4º ESO