Hi from the other side of the USA!

Hello First Graders,

This is the first trip that I have taken to another part of our own country, instead of a foreign land. Because I am still in the United States, many things are the same as they are back home in Rock Hill. Same president. Same money. Same language. Same clothes. Same holidays. There are not as many new things to get used to as there have been on my other trips.

 

Everyone here is putting up Christmas trees just like we do at home. One of the good parts about being little and flat is that I get to go where other kids can't. I climbed to the top of a Christmas tree to take the place of the angel!

But some things are different too. One thing is the weather. Xaria and James had questions about the weather. Because Washington is so far north, it is colder here. There is more snow. It is also much rainier. This is a picture of the highest mountain in the state. It is called Mount Rainier.

I thought that was funny. It looks like the word rainier (RAY-nee-er) like the weather, but it is pronounced differently (rain-YEAR).

Mia asked about the plants in Washington.  All of the cold and rain here makes this a perfect place for evergreen trees to grow. I have seen lots of them. They are everywhere. In fact there are so many that Washington's nickname is the Evergreen State.

You know that evergreen trees are those that have needles instead of leaves, and they don't turn colors and fall off in the autumn. Some evergreen trees do grow in SC. Did you get a loblolly pine tree on Arbor Day? That is an evergreen tree too, but one that can live in a warmer place.
I hope that you plant your tree and take good care of it. Trees are a valuable and important part of our environment.

Another plant that I have seen here is holly. Do you know a Christmas song that goes, "Deck the halls with boughs of holly." ?  This is a picture of a holly bush. Holly grows wild here in the woods. Some people plant it in their yards too, because the leaves are so shiny and the berries are so pretty.

Watch out for those leaves, though! They have hard, sharp points that hurt if you touch them.

Jaylen asked about animals that live here. Two wild animals that are both in SC and Washington are deer and coyotes. In Washington there are many more of them, and they are not really afraid of people, so you can often see them. 

This deer was just wandering around the neighborhood!  At home in Rock Hill the deer are much more shy, and hide from us.

Coyotes live in the woods, but they come into town. At night we hear them howling. That is a scary sound! It makes me glad that I am indoors. People have to keep their little pets inside, because coyotes are hunters, and will kill cats and small dogs if they can. I have heard them, but I haven't seen one, so I have no picture.

Have you ever gone fishing? What kind of fish did you catch?
One animal that lives here but not in South Carolina, is the salmon. It is a fish that loves cold water. They live out in the salty ocean water for part of their life, and then swim up into the rivers to lay eggs and have babies. I haven't seen any, but I did see this painted salmon design on a house in town.
The folks in Washington love their wildlife.

Even though it is winter, I did go to the beach. We took a walk, but we were bundled up in coats and hats. The sky was grey, and it was windy and cold. The water you see is the Pacific Ocean.  Do you know what ocean you visit when you go to the beach?

The waves are much bigger here, and there are huge boulders out in the water. The beach is made out of stones and pebbles, not soft sand. No one can swim here, even in the summer. It is too dangerous. People go to swimming pools to swim and dive.

 

 

I'm having fun, but I want to come home in time for Christmas. Have fun on your Winter Break. I will see you in your classroom next year.

Your Friend,
Flat Stanley




 

Jambo from Tanzania!

Jambo means "Hello" in Kiswahili, the language spoken here. I don't know a lot of other words, but many of the people understand English also, so it is easy to travel here. I like being back in Africa again.

I had to stay in the hotel during the week, because Dr. Clarke was busy working every day. I could see the water of the Indian Ocean from our room, and I could hardly wait for the weekend, so I could go out exploring!

 

 

I didn't know if we would go to the mountains or the beach. The tallest mountain in all of Africa is here. It is named Mount Kilimanjaro. I thought maybe I would like to go mountain climbing.

When Saturday came, we went on a trip to an island called Zanzibar. We had to ride on a boat for an hour to get there. It was a bouncy ride, and my tummy felt funny. I was glad to get onto land again.

 

Zanzibar has beautiful beaches. Summer is just about to start here. Did you know that the seasons are reversed in the Southern part of the world? When we have winter in the USA, they have summer, and when we have summer, they have winter!

 

 

 

The beach wasn't crowded like Myrtle Beach. We had it almost to ourselves. There were not any stores or restaurants. It was very quiet.

 

I did see the same kind of tree that I saw in Malawi. Do you remember what it is called?

 

That's right! It is a coconut tree. Look at your globe, or the map of Africa. Tanzania and Malawi are very close to each other. Because they are so near, many of the plants, animals, and the weather are the same in both places.

At nighttime, when the sun went down, lots of little fishing boats came in. There are no docks or piers to tie up the boats, so the fishermen leave them anchored out in the water. Fishing and farming are the jobs that most people have.

We tried some of the special foods that Tanzanians like to eat. Chai is a spiced tea. People drink it hot. Chapati is fried flat bread. It is a favorite snack for children. My favorite is fried bananas with cinnamon. It is called Ndizi Kaanga. It is sweet and soft and yummy!



 

 

Boys and girls here like to play sports like you do. Soccer is the favorite sport. Running or jogging is very popular too. Cricket is one that we don't play in the USA. It is a little bit like baseball, but the bat is flat like a paddle, not round. In our hotel there is a game room. I tried out another sport. Do you know what it is?

 

 

 

Yes. I played ping pong. Dr. Clarke showed me how. It was hard because the ball comes very fast. I know that it will get easier if I keep playing.

 

I hope that you liked seeing my pictures, and learning a little bit about Tanzania. I will come back home next week.

 

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

Hey Pinkneys!

Here in Jamaica, a child is called a pinkney, so I just said "Hi Kids!"

This is a small island country in the Caribbean Sea, where the weather is warm all year long. Because it is an island, there are lots of beaches all around the edges. Mikaelya asked if I went to the beach. Yes, I did! Here is my picture with my legs buried in the sand. Do you like to do that when you go to the beach?

Because the water surrounds the island, everyone lives pretty close to the sea. Many people have boats. They use them for fishing, for transportation, and for fun. People dive off boats to see the pretty fish, shells, and plants under the water. The sun is going down, and this sailboat is parked (anchored) for the night.

Jamarion and Nevaeh asked about the food that people eat in Jamaica. Most of it is just like ours, but here are some things that I found that are different.

This large green things are called breadfruit. They can get as big as footballs. The inside is white, and that might be why they call it breadfruit. It grows on very tall trees.

This is another fruit that grows on trees here. It is called aki. It has a pretty orangey-red color, and folks eat it for breakfast. Fruit is good for you, and there are so many kinds that grow all over the world. What kinds of fruit do you like to eat?

 We ordered some unusual foods at a restaurant. The meal on the left is goat curry. It is a favorite dish here. We have goats on farms in the USA, but don't eat them for meat. The meal on the right is called oxtail stew. It is very spicy and good.  Do you see the colors on the wall behind me? Where have you seen them before?

That's right - they are the colors of the Jamaican flag. People decorate their homes, restaurants, and clothes with those colors to show that they are proud of their country, the way that we use red, white, and blue a lot to show that we love America.

We visited a park, where I saw these huge, beautiful trees. You have seen one like them on the South Carolina flag. They are palmetto trees, and these are bigger than any that I have seen in the USA.

Jaylen asked if they have a president. No they do not. They do have a leader that is elected by the people. The leader is called a Prime Minister. Right now, they have a woman prime minister. I think that is great. Our country has never had a woman president, but maybe someday we will.
The Prime Minister's name is Portia Miller. I didn't get a chance to see her, so I have no picture, but you can see one by using Google on the computer.

It has been fun finding out things about Jamaica. I have loved my visit. I hope you get to come here some day. I will be back at school by Halloween.

Your friend,
Flat Stanley