Hello friends in Harar. This is your friend, Kim, from Woodstock, Canada. I am thrilled to write my very first letter to all of you.
We saw the video of your special January birthday party! When we see videos of all of you smiling and laughing, it makes us smile too! We loved the colourful balloons and decorations and hearing your happy screams and laughter. The cake and snacks looked delicious. What was Tesfa spraying all over the place? The spray looked cool! We hope everyone has a lot of fun at birthday celebrations! Happy birthday to all of our special friends who celebrated their birthdays in January! Happy birthday also if you will celebrate your birthday in February!
It is February and it is cold and snowy in Canada. When I look outside today, the ground is covered in white snow. Sometimes when it is snowing here, you can actually see the shapes of the snowflakes if you look closely. It is so beautiful! I was walking outside earlier today and I had to be careful not to fall on the ice. It is so cold that sometimes the ground gets ice on it which is slippery. I have fallen a few times on the ice and it is not fun especially if you fall on your bum! Ouch!!
In February, Canadians celebrate 2 fun days: Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day.
Groundhog Day is February 2. Because it is cold and snowy here In February, Canadians want spring and warmer temperatures to arrive. We want to put away our coats, mittens and hats. Some people in Canada believe that an animal called the groundhog can predict the weather. A groundhog is a small brown furry animal who digs holes in the ground. They have short legs and a bushy tail. On Groundhog day, some people gather to watch the groundhog climb out of the hole where it lives. When the groundhog comes out of its hole and sees its shadow, people think it means there will be 6 more weeks of cold winter temperatures. If the groundhog does not see a shadow, people think that spring is going to be here very soon. Spring means that it will get warmer in Canada. On Groundhog Day, we all hope that the groundhog does not see a shadow because we want spring. Isn’t that silly? Do you believe that an animal can predict the weather? Are there any animals that look like groundhogs living near Harar?
In Canada, we also celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. On Valentine’s Day, we like to eat little red hearts that taste like cinnamon or sometimes we eat chocolate too. Yum! We sometimes wear red or pink and send little cards to our friends to show that we care about them. The cards are usually decorated with pink and red hearts. We hope
that you like the special Valentine’s card that we made for you. We wanted you to know how much we appreciate all of you! Friends are important even if they live far away. Do you do nice things for your friends to show that you care about them?
We saw the video of Shelley teaching you the song Skinnamarinky Dinky. That song is perfect to sing on Valentine’s Day because it is about love and appreciating other people. In Canada, lots of children sing it at school on Valentine’s Day. We saw you learning the song in a video. We loved seeing how much fun you had singing the song. Do you remember the song? Maybe you could all sing it again after you finish reading this letter.
Do you want to know a big secret? I have been a friend of Shelley’s for 40 years? 40 years! Can you believe it? That is a long long time! Shelley and I met when we were 16 years old. We went to school together and we both loved music class. We played in the school orchestra together. She played the violin and she was an excellent singer and I played the trumpet. When Shelley and I visit each other, we like to go for walks, talk and laugh together! We help each other by doing nice things whenever we can. Maybe you will have friends from Tesfa’s Shelter for 40 years! Wouldn’t that be cool?
We hope that all of you are doing well and that you enjoy reading our letter and seeing our Valentine!
Sending hearts and big hugs from Canada! One of your Canadian friends,
Kim
