The first week of September was a week that I had been expecting all summer. I didn’t want summer to end. But I was excited about going to high school for my first week.

When I got to school in the morning on the first day I realized how large the school was, and how many students went there. I ended up in the wrong classroom because of the size of the school. Luckily, a kind senior showed up and guided me to my homeroom before I was late. I was happy to see that in a class of unfamiliar (不熟悉的) faces, the only open seat was next to my good friend, Casey. My science teacher seemed like a good teacher. She was exciting and fun.

After finishing four periods without too much of a challenge, I didn’t feel too bad about ninth grade.

5 . Last week, I went to Montpellier in the south of France for an exam. So this trip was for business, not pleasure. However, I was looking forward to seeing some of my friends, who studied in Paul Valéry University in Montpellier. I was quite happy to go to Montpellier because it was a part of France that I hadn’t seen before. Upon arriving there, I was greeted at the train station by one of my friends. We decided to go for a walk to Place de la Comédie before heading to our exam. Then, we received a text message from our lecturer saying that the exam had been cancelled. I was initially furious because I had travelled three hours from Toulouse for no purpose.

After venting our anger, my friend and I decided to go to the nearest shopping centre — the Odysseum. I enjoyed my time here, especially since my friends took me to the aquarium there, and I picked up even more French words for sea creatures like a sea lion. Also we joked around a bit whilst there, so my journey to Montpellier wasn’t totally without purpose. After this, we went to Pizza Pino for lunch in the Odysseum. However, after that it was time to indulge in a secret passion of mine — shopping. I loved the shops in the Odysseum but I remembered after buying a new shirt for work and gloves that I need to save money for going home.

So I asked my friends to show me some of the sites, like Place de la Comédie. My favourite site of the whole trip must have been the Arc de Triomphe that is in Montpellier. My reason for this is that behind the Arc is a park area with an aqueduct at the top and an area to stand. From here, my friends and I watched the sunset before I had to go back to Toulouse. Overall, my trip wasn’t a total waste. I had a great day in Montpellier with my friends and learnt some new words in French!

6 . Bonfire Night, also called Guy Fawkes Night, is celebrated on 5 November, and the night skies all over the UK are filled with colour. It’s a tradition that started with a historic event. For over 400 years, on 5 November, people in Britain have had bonfires and fireworks to remember a historic event.

In 1605, some English Catholics were angry because King James I was treating them badly. James I was a Protestant, and many Catholics wanted a Catholic country. In November of that year, a group of Catholic men made a plan to blow up the government buildings in London, the Houses of Parliament. An enormous explosion was planned for 5 November, when the king was going to open Parliament. The men put 36 barrels of gunpowder below the Houses of Parliament and waited for the king to arrive. The group decided that one of them, named Guy Fawkes, should light the gunpowder and cause the explosion.

Their plan didn’t succeed. The police found the gunpowder before it exploded and they caught all the men involved in the plot. The men were tortured and killed. To celebrate his survival, King James ordered the people of England to have a bonfire on the night of 5 November.

These days, Bonfire Night is a fun tradition with a festive atmosphere, and people don’t connect it to religion or politics. All over Britain there are firework displays and bonfires, with models of Guy Fawkes, which are burned on the fire. The guy is made of old clothes, and the clothes are filled with newspaper. The fireworks are a reminder of the gunpowder that Guy Fawkes hid in the Houses of Parliament. Some people have a small bonfire in their garden, while in main towns and cities there are big bonfires and firework displays.

It’s normally quite cold in November in Britain, so on Bonfire Night people wear hats, scarves and gloves to spend the evening outside. Traditional Bonfire Night food includes hot dogs, burgers and hot baked potatoes. The potatoes are cooked on the bonfire and filled with butter and cheese. There are also toffee apples, which are apples on a stick, covered in sweet toffee, and in the north of England there is a special type of cake called parkin. Toasting marshmallows on the bonfire is also popular.

Fireworks in the night sky are beautiful to watch. But fireworks are dangerous and they can hurt people and damage things, so you should always be careful around them. Never light fireworks inside or near other people or buildings, and never hold lit fireworks in your hands. Also, keep your pets inside because they can be scared by the loud bangs. Want to know more information, please click: https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break /magazine -zone /bonfire-night.