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Leisure is often viewed as something we do to relax, but it is also considered just plain old free time. In America, what we do during our free time changes widely with different seasons, places, and times! Here are some examples of what I might do during my leisure time during the different seasons, and a letter from my friend in Singapore about things she does there during her free time.
In the United States In Singapore
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| • Swimming: This is a popular activity among
a lot of people. Whether somebody swims for fun, or swims on a swim
team a lot of swimming is done during the summer. |
http://www.yukonweb.com/community/kluane/tredmill/summer96/SWIMMING.GIF |
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http://www.affordableawards.com/holo/tennis.jpg |
• Water
Skiing: A sport in which you stand on
two skis and hold on to a rope attached to a boat. The boat then
moves forwards or in circles, dragging you behind! • Sports: There are a lot of sports that are played during the summer. These can include tennis, beach volleyball, swimming, soccer, and many other sports. Both guys and girls play these sports and there are many different ways to get involved with a sports team during the summer. |
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| • Reading: Sitting down in a cool place and reading a good book is one of my favorite things to do during the summer. Some schools give out a summer reading list, which is a list of required reading that must be completed before the next school year begins. |
http://www.mercurynews.info/gor/oter.jpg |
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http://www.historical-museum.org/educate/explorers/summer-camp-2004.gif |
• Summer Camp: Summer camp is very popular in the U.S.A. Summer camps are very different depending on where you go. Some summer camps are day camps where you would go for just the day (usually from somewhere around 8:00 am to 3-4:00 pm). Certain day camps are specialty camps and focus on working on or improving one specific skill with campers (such as a sport or art). There are also day camps that are very general camps and do everything from archery to drama every day. There are also “sleep-away”, or overnight camps. At one of these camps, you would stay for anywhere from a week to a month or two. Usually these camps have cabins in the woods, but there are also camp locations with dormitories, or large sleeping halls, where campers stay. At one of these camps, since there is a lot more time to spend doing activities, there is often a wider variety of things to do, including rock wall climbing, horseback riding, other sports, arts, and even educational classes (such as math or science). |
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• Sports: Sports are basically a year-round activity. The
only difference between sports in the summer and sports in the fall
is that sports in the fall are often through school teams. • Television: Watching the television is a very popular
activity in the United States. Some popular TV shows include: The Simpsons: An animated TV show about an off-the wall American family named the Simpsons. |
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Survivor: A show in the relatively new category of “reality TV”. This genre of television includes a group of real people being placed in an unconventional situation. Survivor is about a group of everyday people who are left somewhere in the wilderness and need to learn how to survive while completing various challenges. |
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American Idol: Also a reality T.V show, but this one is about different people competing to be a singing superstar in America. |
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Degrassi: This TV show is actually Canadian, but has started to take California by a storm. This is a television show about a bunch of teenagers at Degrassi High School, and their struggles, problems, and success. (shown at right is "Ashley" played by Melissa McIntyre and "Craig", Jake Epstein) |
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• Skiing and Snowboarding: This is a very common winter sport and activity. Winter vacations are often taken to the mountains to go skiing or snowboarding. Skiing is a sport in which your feet are strapped onto two wooden strips and you hold two poles in your hand and then slide down a snow covered mountain! Snowboarding is almost exactly the same thing; except you have no poles and your feet are attached to one board, not two. |
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• Theater: Acting is a popular activity year round, but spring is often the time of year in which schools put on plays or musicals. Acting (or drama) is usually a class offered in high school throughout the U.S.A, and there is are an abundance of other organizations and groups outside of school which put on large scale performances and offer acting and singing classes. |
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Outside of the U.S.A, leisure takes on many different forms, there are many similarities between leisure in different countries, but just as many differences also. Here is a letter from a friend of mine in Singapore who wrote to me when I asked her "What do you do during your free time?"
Hmm, things that we do here. Well, basically Singapore teenagers
like As I said before, Singapore is a really small place and there isn't What I do during my free time is to read good books, go TV shows... well, there's a lot , especially Chinese shows since over |
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