Describe an occasion when you anticipated something special happening | IELTS Speaking Part 2

Part 2: Describe an occasion when you awaited for something special to happen

Sample (Bài mẫu)

Well, there have been many times that I long for something special or major to happen, like the day I would get my job interview results or my older sister’s wedding. Today, I would like to talk about an occasion that I was really excited about, that was last year’s Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner.

On this day, traditionally, my mother would always make Tet holiday specialities, namely stewed pork, spring rolls and pork skins soup. I & my sister have always been helping with menial tasks like preparing the ingredients or cleaning but never taking the role of head chef. However, we broke with tradition last year. I didn’t want my mother to labour so hard on such a special day, so to spice things up, for the very first time, I was in charge of all the cooking on New Year’s Eve.

Being a first-timer really fostered a looming fear of failure inside of me as the day approached. While trying out the recipes, I was very anxious and kept messing up with the seasoning. For your information, Vietnamese cuisine really requires refined skills and a lot of knife work, which wasn’t for the faint of heart. I did cut myself a few times trying to slice the boiled pork or burn a bit of my skin while cooking the dried bamboo roots soup.

I have to admit, for the whole afternoon before dinner, I was constantly on edge about my performance. I was eager to see everyone’s reactions to the taste, the decoration and the overall quality of the dishes.

Nerve-racking as it might sound, surprisingly, things turned out amazing! After tasting the food, my mother gave me her honest opinions and constructive criticism on my cooking techniques. My father praised me for at least trying out something new. And my sister couldn’t help herself from showing off the dishes of her social media platforms. All and all, despite the anxious feelings, I was so relieved that I could step out of my comfort zone and that my family had a whale of a time enjoying the food and celebrating New Year.

Cao Lê Duy Anh

Vocabulary Highlight

• To break with tradition: làm một việc khác biệt, phá cách so với những gì thường làm
• To spice things up: thêm thắt để mọi thứ thú vị và hào hứng hơn
• A looming fear: một nỗi sợ đang dần dần kéo đến
• First timer: người lần đầu làm chuyện gì đó
• Foster (v) nuôi dưỡng, nhen nhóm, làm mạnh mẽ hơn
• To be on edge: bồn chồn, đứng ngồi không yên, nôn nao, hồi hộp
• to be eager for / to do something: háo hức, hau háu, hào hứng chờ đợi (để làm) điều gì
• Relief (n) sự nhẹ lòng, nhẹ nhõm
• To be relieved: cảm thấy nhẹ nhõm
• Have a whale of a time doing smt: rất tận hưởng trong quá trình làm gì đó

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