Nowruz - Persian New Year

Hey, everyone! Today, I'm going to be talking about the traditional celebration of Nowruz. For those who do not know what Nowruz is, it is the Persian New Year and also the first day of Spring. It is celebrated throughout Central Asia and the Middle East. It is a thirteen-day festival celebrated by Iranian's all around the world! In Farsi, Nowruz means "new day", and it includes many days of preparation. My family likes to do spring cleaning a couple days before Nowruz so that everything is ready and the table looks nice. Last Saturday, my family and I celebrated the New Year by being all together and talking about the new year. We also exchanged gifts in a tradition of Nowruz.

Now, I'm going to be talking about the most important tradition for Nowruz, which is the table display called Haftsin. In Farsi, Haftsin means " Seven S's". These seven items on the table have spiritual symbols and all represent important things. The first item on the table is Sabzeh, which is grass or wheat growing from a dish, and it symbolizes rebirth. The second item is Samanu, a sweet pudding made from wheat germ, which symbolizes affluence. The third item is Senjed, the dried fruit of the oleaster tree, symbolizing love. The fourth item is Sir, gloves of garlic, symbolizing medicine. The fifth item is a Seeb, which is a red apple, symbolizing beauty and health. The sixth item is Somaq, which is sumaq berries, symbolizing sunrise. And the seventh item on the table is Serkeh, which is vinegar, symbolizing patience and age. As you can tell, all these seven items start with an S! Other items on the table included a Sonbol, which symbolizes the coming of Spring, or Sekkeh (coins) symbolizing wealth and success, a mirror, colorful eggs, and a bowl of goldfish.
Lastly, the dancing and singing figure, known as Hajji Firuz, is an announcer for the Persian New Year. He is represented as bringing blessing and happiness for the spring time.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and learned more about the Iranian celebration of Nowruz, and hope you had a great new year!

Photo Credit- http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFwSQ_7e-iI/VQxsWfBEezI/AAAAAAAAF7Q/rf8kfiqtccU/s1600

High School

Hey, guys! This week I'm going to be writing about going to high school. I thought of this because I am in 8th grade and middle school is almost over. As middle school went by, I have become a more intelligent and responsible person. I have a lot more knowledge of what is going on in the world and I also learned so many different things in school. I have made some wonderful friends and met a lot of great teachers as well. Going to high school, I feel like there will be many different types of teachers and people. The dress code will be more "high school" appropriate and you will become a more independent person. Some things I'm excited about high school are meeting new people, being in a larger school, choosing the subjects I'm interested in, learning new material, and growing up into a young adult. Although you have a lot more freedom, it also means more responsibilities. I also have fears such as getting lost, having very hard work, getting bullied and not being with any of my friends. A lot of people say that some older kids pick on the younger kids, but I think if I hang out with my good friends, I will be just fine. Another advice is to just be yourself and don't let anyone tell you what to wear or how to act. It's also good to stay away from peer pressure because it may not lead to good things. So, in conclusion, I think high school will be a challenging but a very good experience for me becoming a young adult. I will have to be more organized and always focus on my school work to be successful in life.

I hope you enjoyed my blog! - Mona

Fuller house!

Hey, everyone! Today I'm going to blog about the new show that is playing on Netflix called Fuller House. It is known as a reunion show from the original version, Full house. Full house was an 80's show on ABC. If you haven't watched Full house, then the characters and events might confuse you in Fuller house. Fuller house is like a sitcom to the original show, showing all the cast grown up about 29 years later. A lot of people say it's "cheesy" or "not as good" but I believe that it's really good and entertaining. I also think that it's cool how each character grows up but still has their same humor like before. However, I'm kinda sad how Michelle didn't want to be on the show anymore because she was like the main character in Full house. Oh and I love how the family always hugs and they all get along now. I can not wait until Netflix releases season 2. I have a feeling it's going to be really good! Anyway, If you haven't watched Fuller house, I suggest you watch it because it's great when you want to laugh. I hope you enjoyed reading my blog!

DIY Passion Tea Lemonade

Welcome back to my blog! Today I'm going to be showing you how to make your own passion fruit tea lemonade from Starbucks! If you have been to Starbucks, you probably have tasted this drink. It's very refreshing and also very good for warm weathers. It's a perfect mix of fruity, sweet and tart. In the spring and summer time, I usually always get the Passion Tea Lemonade. Sometimes you may not want to buy it and save money instead, so I'm going to show you how to make this delicious and easy drink with ingredients you may already have lying around in your kitchen.

First gather up all your ingredients. This includes Tazo passion tea bags (you can buy at target), a sweetener of your choice (sugar, honey), ice, water (for heating), and lemonade. There is no exact measurement because you can make as much or as little as you would prefer. 

The next thing you will need to do is make the tea. Just take the tea bags and place them in hot water, into a container. Let them sit for a few hours or so to make the flavors all come out. By the way, this may take a long time for the tea, but it's all worth it at the end. Next remove the tea from the heat and add your sweetener. Let the drink sit in the refrigerator for one hour and then take it out. After, add your lemonade to the tea mixture. Make sure to mix it very well. Next take a glass and put ice and add your Passion Tea Lemonade. Enjoy! 

That's how you make your very own Passion iced tea lemonade! It takes a long time to make but you will not regret it. Thanks for reading my blog, and I will talk to you guys next week! 

School Adivce

Hey, I'm back with another blog! As you can tell by the title, I'm going to give you advice about school and how you can get better grades. In one of my previous blogs, I wrote about tips for getting better grades and doing well in the class, well today it's about things like being organized and how to manage your time wisely. School is very important in your life and it also helps to determine your future and goals. So doing well and learning new ways to manage and be organized is very important.

The first tip is being organized. Being organize is very helpful and important when you have multiple classes and worksheets. You can find papers and worksheet's easier by using folders or binders. Seperate each class by using colors or highlighters. There are many ways to be organized, so you can find the way that you like best. Arranging your textbooks and materials are very helpful too. Another part of being organized is keeping a calendar. Write down when all your assignments are due and when you will take your tests. This way you can always be aware of upcoming events and ways to study properly.

The second tip is writing notes and asking questions. Notes are a key for taking tests and keeping material inside your head. You can write down all the important stuff that you need to learn and it's a great way to review for a test. But make sure you are listening to what the teacher is saying and not what is being written on the board. Asking questions are also very important because it will keep you active and also shows your teacher that you are participating in the class discussion.

The last tip is to plan and always put effort into all your work. Homework is not a fun thing to do, but it a way to progress what you know outside of the class. If you have a lot of work to do in one night, make sure to plan ahead or make a schedule for each assignment. Also, it's important to take breaks once every often so it will keep your mind fresh and not cram up all the information. Lastly, if you have a big project or essay, start them early! This is very important because instead of waiting until the last minute, it's better to be over with it soon and not have to worry about it later on when you don't have enough time.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and use my tips to improve your school studies! I'll talk to you guys in my next blog.

To kill a Mockingbird

Hey, everyone! At the moment, I am reading a book called "To kill a mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Harper Lee died yesterday, which was really unfortunate considering I just began reading her book. So, as I read the book I decided to write about each chapter and it seems like a good story so far. Today in my blog, I will be talking about chapter one. The first chapter of the book isn't really that interesting because it has very complicated text and is just introducing the characters, but the story starts to get better and more interesting throughout the rest of the chapters.

The story starts by introducing the narrator and her brother's story. Scout is a confident and intelligent  girl who is also referred to as a tomboy. Scout starts to describe her brother, Jem's, broken hand injury. They start to discuss their family's history and what causes led to Jem's injury. The first of their ancestors was Simon Finch, a fur trader who left England and found a farm on the banks of the Alabama river. The farm was very successful and had supported their family for many years. Jem and Scout's dad, Atticus, became a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb was a tired and old town. Also, his brother, Jack, became a very good doctor in Boston's medical school. Calpurnia, their black cook, helps to take care and raise the kids after their mother died. During the summer of 1933, a young boy named Dill moves in next door to stay with his aunt. Dill was a very active and intelligent boy, who had become the Finches new close friend. One day, all three of them decided to go to their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley, and convince him to come out of his house. Boo Radley was the next door neighbor who has never came out of his house after he supposedly murdered his father. So, Dill challenges Jem to run over and touch the door of the house, which is also known as the Radley's place. As Jem does the dare, he see's a slight shutter from the inside of the door and they all became scared.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog of the first chapter of "To kill a Mockingbird" and I will be continuing the rest of the story later on as I read it.

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie Recipe

Hey guys! Today, in my blog, I'm going to be sharing a delicious recipe with you. The recipe is a homemade strawberry and banana smoothie. This smoothie is quick and easy to make, but also is very healthy for your body. I usually drink it in the morning's, when I'm going to school, or in the afternoon when I'm doing my homework. It will make you energized and help you concentrate more for your day! So now I'm going to show you how you can make your own smoothie..


The ingredients you will need are two cups of Frozen strawberry's, one fresh peeled banana, one cup of milk, one cup of ice (if you want), one tablespoon of honey, and a splash of vanilla, if desired. After you gathered all your ingredients for the smoothie, slowly mix it into a blender. Make sure that the mixture is thick and creamy. Next, put the smoothie into a cup, or a to go cup, if your going to school or work. By the way, you can add more ice if you want it to stay cold and fresh.

I hope you enjoyed my blog and will try making this smoothie yourself!
 ~ Love, Mona