On New Year’s Eve, one tune that takes everyone into the New Year is Auld Lang Syne, or “Times Gone By,” a poem written by a Scotsman, Robert Burns. This folk song is sung to celebrate the New Year, and by extension is also sung at farewells and endings to other occasions.
As the year comes to a close many ELC Santa Barbara students will end their time here, and return to their home countries. I asked them to share some of their most memorable moments during their stay in the U.S. and heard some rather interesting anecdotes!
“We were surfing at Carpenteria beach and saw some dolphins swimming about ten meters away. That was so cool!” ~ Sandro
“We went to Las Vegas and saw One Republic in concert-then we saw some of the band members at the Cosmopolitan Casino afterwards. That was great!” ~ Michelle
“My 20th birthday party that I spent with my home stay family-we had a cake and balloons, and the whole house was decorated. It was so different from Switzerland, where birthdays are not so loud! ~ Andrea
“We had a crazy experience in LA-we all drove to Hollywood and went to the Santa Monica Pier. We had a GPS, but we still got lost on the LA freeway! We were driving here and there and everywhere, trying to find the Outback Steak House. We were getting so angry and SO hungry. At that time we didn’t think it was funny, but now we look back and laugh, because we were all so angry and SO hungry!” ~ Kira
“We also had a crazy experience in LA. They were doing some roadwork outside the hotel when the power line went out, and we didn’t have any power! So that night we had to put our makeup on with the other hotel guests in the hallway. Some of the lights were off and some were on, so that was interesting.” ~ Geraldine
“I spent Thanksgiving weekend with my host family in San Diego. We had a “”Tofurky” (tofu turkey) because we are all vegetarian. Then we went to Marina Del Rey and went sailing. It was cold and windy, and the sea was so dark, but it was fun”
~ Michele
All in all, the students at ELC Santa Barbara have had some very interesting “times gone by,” and we hope they will return to have more!!
By Debbie Belardino, teacher at ELC Santa Barbara
