Amancay - The Ski Lesson

BILINGÜE ONLINE

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La clase de esquí The sky lesson Vanesa Pizzuto Dirección: Stella M. Romero Diseño e ilustración: Karina Varela Libro de edición argentina IMPRESO EN LA ARGENTINA - Printed in Argentina Primera edición MMXVI – 10M Es propiedad. © 2016 Asociación Casa Editora Sudamericana.

Queda hecho el depósito que marca la ley 11.723.

ISBN 978-987-701-576-8 Pizzuto, Vanesa La clase de esquí : The sky lesson / Vanesa Pizzuto / Dirigido por Stella M. Romero / Ilustrado por Karina Varela.

– 1ª ed. – Florida : Asociación Casa Editora Sudamericana, 2016.

24 p. ; il. ; 21 x 14 cm. - (Serie Amancay bilingüe / Romero, Stella M.) + Libro digital en inglés ISBN 978-987-701-576-8 1. Relatos. I. Romero, Stella M., dir. II. Varela, Karina, ilus. III. Título.

CDD 863.9282

Se terminó de imprimir el 08 de noviembre de 2016 en talleres propios (Gral. José de San Martín 4555, B1604CDG Florida Oeste, Buenos Aires).

Prohibida la reproducción total o parcial de esta publicación (texto, imágenes y diseño), su manipulación informática y transmisión ya sea electrónica, mecánica, por fotocopia u otros medios, sin permiso previo del editor.

-109320- C -109236- S -109237- PL -109238- STK

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LA CLASE DE ESQUÍ “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.“ (Proverbs 24:16) Text: Vanesa Pizzuto Illustration: Karina Varela lin e

inter had arrived in the mountains, the valley and the city. The city and the mountains were covered in a blanket of fresh snow. The children, wrapped with scarves, gloves and water-proof jackets, took every opportunity to play in the snow. Using a plastic bag as a slid, they sled down a slope at the square. They also made snowmen and snowballs in their garden.

But what Nahuel liked most was helping dad clear the snow from the sidewalk in front of their house. One day, after dad had shovelled the snow and Nahuel had thrown salt on the pavement so the snow wouldn’t settle again, dad said: “Shall I tell you a secret?�

Nahuel nodded his head. His huge eyes were twinkling with curiosity.

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“On Sunday we are going to Cerro Catedral to ski.”

“Really? That’s great!” Nahuel shouted, jumping for joy.

When they walked inside the house, Nahuel took the snow boots off, and ran to tell the news to his little sister, Amancay, and his mom.

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“Nahuel, don’t walk barefoot. Please wear your tennis shoes,” mom asked, because Nahuel never felt his feet cold, but then always caught colds.

“Yes, mom,” Nahuel said. Without wasting a minute, and while he was putting on his tennis shoes, he added: “We are going SKIING on Sunday. Hurrah!”

Mom already knew, but she smiled, noticing Nahuel’s enthusiasm. Soon the family sat in the living room to plan the outing. While they talked, mom served them ginger tea, with lemon and honey, which is not only delicious but it also prevents colds.

“Amy, this is going to be your first ski lesson. Are you excited?” mom asked.

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“Yeees! I am going to go zoom, zooommm,” Amancay replied, while sliding on the living room floor with floor rugs, as if she were skiing. Nahuel imitated her immediately.

“Don’t bump the table or the tea may spill,” mom said trying to hide her laughter, watching her children pretending to ski around the table.

When they finished the tea, dad took the cups to the kitchen. Then, the four pretended to ski on the living room’s floor. Dad would chase the children, and when he caught them, he tickled them. They all had such a good time that they even cried with laugher.

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Given the great piece of news, during the following days, the children didn’t complain about taking the rubbish out, or feeding the dog, setting the table for every meal, or washing the dishes. Even the homework got done quietly and in perfect harmony!

Finally, the much anticipated day arrived! As soon as he woke up, Nahuel opened the window and saw the radiant sky without clouds. It was a perfect Sunday to go to the mountain! After having breakfast, they all put on their snow gear, put the skis in the car boot, and jumped in the car. As they got closer to Cerro Catedral, they saw the chair lifts packed with people, going up and down the mountain. There was even a queue to get on the chairlift!

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“It’s packed with people!” Amancay said, while zipping up her jacket.

“Look children, can you see the skiers?” mom asked, pointing out the window.

“Wooow! They are going really fast,” Nahuel commented.

“If you keep practising, one day you’ll be able to ski that fast too,” dad encouraged him.

When they arrived at Cerro Catedral, dad parked the car carefully in the parking lot and took the skis from the boot.

Meanwhile, dad warned them to get out of the car carefully, because there were so many people walking around, stepping on the snow, it had turned to ice and the ground was… very slippery!

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And then, bam! Amancay fell first, then, Nahuel and, finally, even mom! Luckily, the puffy winter clothes cushioned the fall!

After shaking the snow off their clothes, the family went to the beginners’ slope, and mom helped the children to put the skis on. The moment had come to teach Amancay the basic positions!

“Stand as if you were drawing a huge pizza slice with your skis,” dad said while showing her how to do it.

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“Very good, Amy! This positon is called ‘snowplough’,” mom explained.

“It helps lower your speed,” dad added.

Then, they showed Amy how to stand up again, if she fell while skiing. To help keep the skis in the right position, dad tied the tips with a wedge strap. Then he stood right behind Amancay and held her by the waist.

“Let’s go!” Amancay said when she felt they were starting to slide.

“Bravo, Amy!” Nahuel and mom exclaimed.

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Amancay and her dad went around the easiest part of the beginners’ slope a couple of times like that. Meanwhile, Nahuel and mom had fun sliding down the steepest part of the beginners’ slope.

“Now, I’ll do it alone!” Amancay announced after a while.

“Ok, Amy, I am going to ski behind you,” dad assured her.

Amancay put her skis as if drawing a big pizza slice, and started to slide. Dad followed her closely. For a few minutes, she skied on the gentle slope with ease. But, just like every beginner, she lost her balance at some point and fell.

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“Don’t worry, stand up again! You are doing a great job,” dad encouraged her helping her to stand up.

“Thanks, dad,” Amancay said, adjusting her goggles and trying once again.

The second time, Amancay managed to keep her balance longer before she fell. Dad helped her shake off the snow from her knees, and she tried one more time. Each time she managed to ski longer before falling. She was learning a lot!

“Shall we take a little break?” Dad asked after a while.

“Yes!” Amancay replied.

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They sat by the side of the slope where no-one would hit them, in order to watch people skiing. Nahuel and mom were at the steepest part of the slope, just about to come down.

“It is Nahuel!” Amancay shouted, pointing at her brother.

“He is doing a great job,” dad commented.

They were so engrossed in watching them ascend and descend the slope that they didn’t notice a lady, who just like them, came to watch the skiers. Suddenly, Amancay felt a little wet nose brushing her hand…

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“Ooh!” she said surprised.

“Sorry!” said the lady, quickly pulling the leash so her puppy would not lick Amancay.

Seeing the beautiful Saint Bernard puppy, Amancay got closer and let it sniff her. Soon enough, the puppy started licking her face, tickling her with its tongue.

“What’s your dog’s name?” dad asked, gently patting the dog’s back.

“Its name is Merengue, it is only eight months old, so it does not know how to behave very well yet,” said the lady.

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Then the lady, whose name was Susana, started to tell them some of Merengue’s mischievous deeds. Merenegue liked to chew the chairs’ legs, and leather shoes. Sometimes he jumped up and pulled the clothes off the line. But the most alarming part, was that he liked to jump on people.

Saint Bernard dogs grow a lot, and can weight more than 90 kilos when they are adults. Mrs Susana was afraid the he could hurt someone, so she had enrolled the dog in a training school.

“Do dogs go to school as well?” Amancay asked, surprised.

“Some do. Guide dogs that help blind people are specially trained,” dad answered.

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“And also rescue dogs, those which help when there’s an avalanche,” Mrs Susana added.

“Then, can I take Laika with me to kindergarten?” Amancay cheekily asked.

“I don’t think the teacher can teach our little dog to paint with watercolours,” dad answered, laughing.

“But there is a lot they can learn,” Mrs Susana said. “Not to pull the leash when we walk, to sit, and above all, not to jump on people. The secret is to be patient with them, and to keep trying. When Merengue makes a mistake I don’t give up. Learning takes time.”

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As Merengue was getting a little bit restless, Mrs Susana politely said goodbye to Amancay and her dad. As the lady and the dog walked away, Amancay noticed that Merengue walked obediently, without pulling the leash.

“We saw a Saint Bernard puppy that goes to school!”

Amancay said when Nahuel and mom reached the bottom of the slope.

“Woow!” Nahuel shouted, looking at the fresh prints Merengue had left in the snow.

Then, dad told them the story of Merengue, and how Mrs Susana lovingly and patienlly was teaching him to behave.

“Let’s go skiing again!” Nahuel suggested when dad finished

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the story.

“Amy, do you dare to go to the top of the slope?” dad asked, and Amancay nodded, smiling.

To get to the top of the beginners’ slope, dad and Amancay held onto a rope that dragged them up.

“Hold on tight!” dad recommended.

When they reached the top, dad helped Amancay to let go of the rope, and stand in the right position to descend. But because the slope was so steep, Amancay lost her balance and fell. Immediately, dad helped her to stand up. However, as soon as she stood up, Amancay slipped and fell again. By then, she wasn’t so happy anymore…

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“Go Amy, you can do this!” dad cheered her.

Shaking the snow off, Amancay stood up, and started the descent. Dad followed her really close, but only a few seconds later, she slipped for the third time, and fell. This time, she didn’t want to stand up again. Sitting on the snow, she took her gloves off, and folded her arms.

“I can’t do it. It is too hard!” Amancay complained.

“Yes you can, Amy. Nahuel started at your age too!” dad reminded her.

“I am tired of falling and I am cold,” Amancay cried, pouting.

“When learning to ski, we all fall. Amy, don’t give up.

I am by your side, and you have a helmet. You won’t get hurt,” dad tried to assure her, while blowing hot air on Amancay’s hands, and helping her put her gloves on.

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Amancay wasn’t too sure, but then dad came up with a great idea. He told her he was going to ski backwards, in front of her. So Amancay could look at him, and not worry about possible falls. Amancay agreed, and they started to ski down the slope. Dad’s radiant smile gave her confidence, and soon Amancay was enjoying the snow. Learning to ski was truly worth it!

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“Look how far you’ve come, just like Nahuel,” dad remarked when they made it to the bottom of the slope.

“Yes, but I fell many times,” Amancay replied.

“That does not matter, Amy. What matters is that you got up again!” dad said, giving her a huge hug.

Then, Nahuel and mom came to hug and congratulate Amancay too. They were so proud of her! Amy had learnt a lot during her first ski lesson, but above all, she had learnt 20

not to give up. Just like Mrs Susana and her puppy Merengue, Amy discovered that in order to learn, you must be patient and keep trying. To celebrate, the family went to the ski lodge to drink a delicious hot chocolate. Although their cheeks and noses were red from the sun and the wind, they still asked the waiter to take a picture of them to have a lovely memory of that day.

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Look at this ski slope, it’s a maze. The whole family is skiing. Follow their tracks and find out where each of them finished.

Mira esta pista, es un laberinto. Toda la familia está esquiando, sigue el surco de cada uno y descubrirás en qué turno llegó cada uno.

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Connect the dots and draw Merengue.

Une los puntos y dibuja a Merengue.

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Nahuel and Amancay live surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape, with lush trees, crystal waters and clear air. Enjoy their adventures and learn how to take better care of our planet.

With this book, you will be able to do the given activities in Spanish/English.

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You can also read the complete Amancay series in English, in its digital format. Download the books at: aceseducacion.com

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