Holiday tips

Have you been able to work out the answers? :)

1) c - departure

2) b - passport

3) d - identification

4) a - boarding

5) c - refunded

6) c - carriage

7) a - advised

8) b - baggage

9) d - reconfirm

10) c - arrive

See you around!!! ;)

Holiday Tips

Holidays are coming and if you are going to travel by plane, you should check out these tips before you set off. ;)

Do you think you can work out the missing words?

Question 1

Check-in counters are open two hours before the scheduled flight ........ time.

(a) going

(b) arrival

(c) departure

(d) transit

Question 2

It is the passenger's responsibility to ensure their ........ is valid for entry and they have fulfilled all immigration requirements in the country of destination.

(a) endorsement

(b) passport

(c) document

(d) papers

Question 3

Passengers are required to produce appropriate ........ at the check-in counter.

(a) passport

(b) visa

(c) ticket

(d) identification

Question 4

Passengers are advised to be at the ........ gate at least thirty minutes before the scheduled departure time of their flight.

(a) boarding

(b) ticket

(c) open

(d) arrival

Question 5

If you fail to check in on time or fail to board the aircraft, the fare you paid will not be ........ to you for any reason whatsoever.

(a) resigned

(b) remunerated

(c) refunded

(d) rewarded

Question 6

Children under age 12 will not be accepted for ........ unless they are accompanied by a person at least 18 years of age.

(a) journey

(b) voyage

(c) carriage

(d) trip

Question 7

Passengers are strongly ........ not to check in valuable or fragile items as baggage.

(a) advised

(b) informed

(c) told

(d) reminded

Question 8

Passengers are required to retrieve their ........ as soon as it is available for collection at their destination.

(a) ticket

(b) baggage

(c) boarding pass

(d) passport

Question 9

It is the passenger's responsibility to ........ all outgoing flights at least 72 hours prior to departure.

(a) rebook

(b) reorder

(c) reserve

(d) reconfirm

Question 10

Passengers must ........ at the airport sufficiently in advance of the scheduled flight departure time to permit completion of government formalities and check-in procedures.

(a) depart

(b) transit

(c) arrive

(d) transfer

Now write the number of the question and your answer next to it. :)

Answers on 27 June

News from Piauí

Have you any idea of where the pictures above were taken? Well, considering the title of this post, probably yes! Today, I´m not posting. Felipe Maruf Quintas is! Felipe is a Basic 3 student at Itaipu Branch. Incentivated by his teacher Cléo, he decided to contribute to our blog by writing about his last holidays in Piauí. Thank you Felipe! And here is your story:

Last holidays, I went to Queimada Nova, in Piauí. I went there on foot. I walked very much, but I am Brazilian and I never quit. I travelled with my neighbourhood. More than 50 people were with me to Piauí. It was great, but less dangerous than if I was alone there.

In Queimada Nova, we saw misery, but we saw beautiful scenes because the Brazilian backwood is wonderful, except the people. They are poor, starving, sad. Seeing all of them, we almost cried (some people have done it), but I know it isn´t because we wanted. In this city, we walked around the little city, and we gave food to the people. They were very happy, because nobody cares about them.

We didn´t have a car, so we did it all on foot. We found a waterfall (it´s a miracle!). There wasn´t anybody there, only us. We took a shower and we had delicicous moments of lust, lust for freedom, for the nature.

Later, we decided to go back to the city. It was night, and we didn´t have a comfortable place to sleep or stay, or some water and food to drink or eat. Our provisions were finishing, but we resisted, despite the complaints. This was very uncomfortable, we didn´t used to it. In the next day, some people decided to go back to Niterói, regreted of travel.

In my opinion, the trip was good. I learnt many things about Geography, History, Sociology and Brazilian popular culture (listening to songs and blind stories). I saw some of many faces of a same Brazil. I went back very tired, but it doesn´t matter now.

*****

Izabella Sepulveda

(Itaipu)

Road signs

Americans do make use of any opportunity for advertisement as highlighted by the previous post on road side ads. British roads, by comparison, seem very demure and quiet. They may be less creative, they may have stricter regulations. At any rate, in the nearly four years I lived there, all I ever came across were shy placards telling me to pick my own strawberries and hand painted signs for car-boot sales or church fêtes.

Now, when it comes to “weird”, Americans are not as far removed from their forefathers as they may like to think. Fair enough, Brits will not be advertising the “largest-anything-in-the-world”, but where else would you find a whole museum dedicated to lawn-mowers? Or even a large world renowned museum which has an area on its permanent collection dedicated to household appliances? And the museum even troubles itself to tell you little anecdotes on the uses of the said appliances. Picture this: ladies of society, sipping tea and playing cards. The proud house owner sprinkles the floor with the crumbs of her just eaten cucumber sandwich to the astonishment of her friends. In parade two uniformed maids to demonstrate the newest gadget. One of the maids operates the hose and the other pedals the contraption in an effort to create enough suction to clear the floor of the aforementioned crumbles, while barely holding this ancestor of vacuum cleaners in an upright position.

Anyway, you really don’t need to travel that far to see such wonders. The winding road from Rio to Petrópolis is decorated with as large signs as those of Florida. They may not be so clever, but they are alluring, selling from original “Mineiro” cheese, fresh caldo de cana or coconut to the best barbecue ever.

Our museums also showcase a selection of one-of-a-kinds. Where else could you see the first telephone ever to reach Brazil, through which D. Pedro spoke to Graham Bell himself? (at least that’s the story I recall from my school days). Or the dwelling of the inventive Santos Dumont - A Encantada - where you’ll discover the bucket-shower and the right-foot-first steps? (some say he was superstitious, but that’s for you to decide).

Unfortunately, you can’t exactly go carbooting in Petrópolis, but you could treat yourself to the next best thing. Just follow the array of antique shops and stalls, sebos and bazares and the craft fair downtown, and you’ll be exposed to the exact amount of second hand or hand-made stuff you would in the UK.

Hope to see you soon,
Luciana Berner (Petrópolis)

www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk/

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ (Galleries, The Secret Life of the Home)

http://www.museuimperial.gov.br/

http://www.petropolis.rj.gov.br/ (Fundação de Cultura e Turismo)