Twisted History

                                                                    

There is this weird thing that I call twisted history and it’s that they sell “Italian ices” when it’s really just junk made out of high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, artificial flavor including red 40 that can give you asthma (I bet you didn't know that!) and other artificial ingredients.

The real Italians make Granita out of ice with fruit juice [no artificial flavor] and that’s it!

Coca Cola was made in Atlanta, Georgia in the late 1800's and it was made without the sugar and high fructose corn syrup added: another example of torn up history!!!  There are a lot of foods and drinks that are super popular, that so many people consume when they are made with so many added ingredients that are really bad for you! Go figure. Basically it’s as if I invited you to my house and said “Here, have some junk that will make you throw up and get asthma! It’s really bad for ya!”  And you go for it!

I actually also got to interview a woman in the street , she was selling icees . I observed that she made them by scraping ice and putting heavy syrup on to them and putting them in  cups. I asked "What is that syrup made of and where do you get it?" She said "I get the syrup from factories and companies, then because they are not very sugary so I add a lot more white sugar." [whoa!] Then I asked "What do the factories put in it to give it to you?" And she said "They put in artificial flavor/coloring and high fructose corn syrup and some sweetening liquids." "..............." I was word less. Then I came back home and wrote it all on my blog.

                              

The last day of Third Grade

The last day of school can feel very weird because you might have many different feelings at the same time.  Sometimes you can really like school, enjoy the time with your friends and teachers, and have a good time there. Sometimes you really just want to go have a fun vacation, or have time off, sleep late in the morning, take it easy. Sometimes school might be boring and annoying for some kids, or hard, and you don't like it and you really just want to leave school because of that!
On the very last day of school you might experience all these feelings all at once.

 I really like school and I also have fun on vacation, so I try to avoid the sadness of leaving  my friends and having to move on.
On the first day of summer I went to Lux's house in Rhinebeck and it was one of the fun things that have happened so far in my summer. This time it was his birthday  and we went with my mom and my brother. We had a lot of fun! I like the countryside because it's relaxing and everything goes slow-mo and calm. You don't have to prepare your big bag for school and you can awaken to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of country. You don't have to wake up early or get dressed quickly not to miss the bus, you don't need to shove your breakfast in your mouth and you can take a break from smog and pollution!

Fun times

On Saturday June 8th my cousin Matteo and his girlfriend Himena came from Buenos Aires Argentina to visit us.

Jimena is really how her name is spelled, but pronounced He-mena … not to be confused with this guy...

 On that same day they arrived we went to the Guggenheim to see abstract art from Pablo Picasso and other artists’ work. I really like the design of the Guggenheim with all the loops forming a snail-like building. 

Then on Sunday, my mom, and my cousins and I went to Bare Burger and I had  a bison burger with bacon. I had a giant stomach ache because the burger was super big!!! The bison was great and my mom had wild boar, which also was good!

That Monday the cousins went to H+M in NJ and I went to school. When they came back they brought me a t-shirt with a Capricorn and plaid pants, I like them so much that I wear them every day!

Then every other day they went to some place interesting, like the NBC studios, the statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and I went to school, but one of the days we took a van to go to my  school  and I introduced them to my teachers. Because of Matteo’s big muscles, my friends asked : “Does he play rugby?’’ . 

It really felt good having my cousins over, because I don’t see them often.  In spite of our age difference, my cousin Matteo and I have a lot in common, including our love for our grandpa’s BBQ!  My cousin can speak English much better than my grandfather, whom I have been teaching for 6 years now. I understand Spanish better than I can speak it, therefore, we communicated mostly in Italian. We both did not grow up in Italy, yet we feel very Italian at heart.

I'm planning a trip to Buenos Aires with my mom to visit them and my aunt soon!