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By Andrea Bravo Tohon, ESAN University

One thing about Peru is its gastronomy. Peru might be known by almost everyone for Machu Picchu, one of the 7 Modern Wonders of the World; however, the food in Peru is also considered to be one of the best. My comment may be probably biased, but I have love for 2 countries, having dual nationality (Guatemala and Peru), so I can truly say that Peruvian food is out of this world.  

For starters, the variety of food is great. There is fish, meat, chicken—anything for everyone.

I took these pictures while traveling to the north of Peru, where the beaches are incredible. These pictures are food based on fish. The first one is very popular in Peru, called Ceviche. Basically, it is raw fish cured with lime juice and spiced with ají hot pepper. The second one is also based on fish but with a different variety of fish. Normally I tend to eat these kinds of dishes with my family during Saturdays or while at the beach.

However, my friends and I love discovering new small places to go and eat. Last year, for example, we were in search of the best burger in Lima, capital of Peru, and we are still searching for it. Eating with your friends is something I enjoy doing, and I like cooking, as well. My friends and I like to try new recipes of all kinds of food, and on summer vacations, we try to make Peruvian dishes. We try, but it definitely isn’t as good as our moms’ or grandmothers’ cooking!

By Justine LACROIX, ESAN University (NEOMA Business School in France)

In France “crêpes” are a typical dish which take the form of a very thin layer of dough made of flour, eggs and milk. It is generally shaped round.

This dish is born in the 18th century in Brittany when French people brought buckwheat back from Asia. In Brittany, savory pancakes are still made of buckwheat flour. The typical savory pancake is called “La galette complète” and it is filled with a mix of ham, cheese and eggs. Naturally, if we want to be a little more original, we can fill the pancake with salmon and cream cheese, mushroom and cream or grilled vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini and peppers. For the purists, a pancake made with buckwheat flour is called a “galette” and not a “crêpe.”

“La galette complète” Photo credit: supertoinette.com

Of course, we also eat sweet pancakes, but they are made with wheat flour instead of buckwheat flour. Concerning the topping of sweet pancakes, it goes from the simplest with sugar, marmalade or spread to the most gourmand with bananas, melted chocolate and whipped cream or cooked apples, salted butter caramel and vanilla ice cream (which is my favorite!).

“crêpe pommes et caramel au beurre salé” Photo credit: Marie Claire Cuisine

In France on every February 2nd we have the tradition to eat pancakes and this celebration is called “La chandeleur.” Originally it was a religious celebration to remember that exactly 40 days after Christmas Mary presented Jesus at the temple for the first time. To commemorate this day, candles were blessed and used in churches to replace torches. The round shape and the golden color of the pancake represented the solar disk and the come back to light. Indeed, at the beginning of February the sun is starting to set a later and later day after days.

Nowadays this tradition perpetuates, so on February 2nd it is very common to make pancakes and invite your family or friends to have a diner entirely composed of savory and sweet pancakes. There is one tradition that goes along with this celebration: you have to hold a coin in your writing hand and a pancake pan in the other hand and then flip the pancake into the air. If you manage to catch the pancake in your pan it is said that your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year.

Obviously, the 2nd of February set aside, French people eat pancakes randomly for diner or as a snack the afternoon. If you want to eat pancakes in France, you can either make your own pancakes at home, go to a specialized restaurant or a Breton restaurant or find a pancake stand at a fairground.

By George Alzamora, Esan University

I would like to talk about one of our national festivities. It is on July 28, and we call it “Fiestas Patrias,” and it is a festive day where we celebrate one more year of our independence from the Spanish conquerors.

For Fiestas Patrias, the national army prepares a show that is watched by thousands of guests that meet just for the purpose of supporting the effort and to celebrate this festivity. What I like most about this festivity is that everybody feels like family at least those days, because we’re all proud of being Peruvian. The air force sends some planes to do some maneuvers in the air, the cavalry also prepares a show, and basically everybody celebrates in their own way.

People use red and white t-shirts with the Peruvian flag printed on them, so it makes everybody feel in harmony. In lower-income areas, people drink some beers with their friends, they go out to some clubs and party, and some others just travel to the Andes Mountains or the Amazon Rainforest, two of the important regions of our country, to spend time with family.  

At school, kids prepare many shows from kindergarden to high school, and in history class, kids research and recreate some important historical events as theatrical skits. The President of Peru also gives a presidential address about the national situation, and everybody is aware of it. When a president finishes his term and gives transfers his power to another president, this event also happens just on that day, on July 28. Many Peruvian artists make presentations honoring Peru, too, and people go to watch these events.

By Lucas Irmisch, ESAN University (University of Heilbronn in Germany)

Today I will tell you about my favorite holiday of the year and one of the greatest seasons of the whole year in Germany: Weihnachten, which is Christmas.

Germany features a century old tradition and has some specific customs for Christmas and the whole month of December as preparation:

Advent Calendar (Adventskalender)

The Advent Calendar counts down the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve and is one of my childhood’s greatest memories. Every day during the Advent season a new door on the Advent calendar is opened. Each opened door proceeds to reveal a chocolate or other treat. You always see where you are and the excitement is growing each day!

Advent wreath (Adventskranz)

Many families in Germany put an Advent wreath on the living room table the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Our wreaths have four large candles and, traditionally, pinecones and berries. The candles provide a very cozy atmosphere in dimmed light and are enjoyed by my whole family.

St. Nicholas Day (Sankt Nikolaus Tag) on the night from the 5th tot he 6th of December you put your cleaned shoes outside the door of your house and if you behaved well in the year St. Nicholas will leave a little gift in the boots, such as chocolate, nuts or fruits, or a bag of gummy bears

Christmas Markets (Weihnachtsmärkte)

During Advent season the historic city centers of every German city light up with Christmas markets, known as Weihnachtsmärkte. Thousands of lights and decorations captivate you, and invite you to stroll around the vendors of local arts and crafts. We also have plenty of food! The Christmas market tradition dates back to the 15th century in Germany. Famous there:

Mulled Wine (Glühwein), hot mulled red wine, with an optional shot of brandy (Glühwein mit Schuss).

Traditional Christmas Foods

One of the most anticipated German Christmas traditions is the Christmas dinner! The traditional Christmas meal features duck, goose, rabbit or a roast. This main dish is ac companied by German delicacies such as apple and sausage stuffing, red cabbage and potato dumplings. Dessert typically includes Christmas Stollen, considered one of the best Christmas pastries in the world!

So these are the main customs and traditions we have and that I found only in Germany in this form. For me the month of December is a very special month full of togetherness and family time. The days are getting short and you make it cozy with candles, Glühwein and all the good pastries. On the evening of the 24th you have the delicious meal and then enjoy your presents under the Christmas tree and the time with your beloved ones.

Photo from:

https://www.trierer-weihnachtsmarkt.de/media/press/weihnachtsmarkt_023.jpg

By Tania, Universidad ESAN

There are a lot of interesting events in France. First of all, the most important national holiday is on the 14th of July. On this day, French people celebrate the day that people stormed the Bastille Prison on July 14 in 1789, which lead the French Revolution. On this holiday, many parades and processions are held while all the shops are closed. Fireworks adorn the night sky at various places. The streets are decorated with French flags.

 A well-known and highly covered event in France is the Tour de France, where many cyclists race through France over the span of a few weeks. Many spectators go to see these athletes compete live.

Most of the time, during the summer, young people participate in some of the numerous music festivals that are organized all over France. Since we were 16 years old, my friends and I usually go each summer to one or more music festivals. On average, they last three to four days each, and there are a lot of different ones which play all kinds of music. Normally, they take place near campsites where festival-goers can sleep or, for some of them, party all night long.

Finally, a big sporting event will take place in 2024, as Paris will host the Summer Olympic Games.

Photo from: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/b5857b69-b077-4d76-be1f-b2034f1b5c09

Maggots

By Mariko Eguchi

When I was a high school student, I lived in an old house. One night, I studied at night. It was a hot and humid night. I stood up to go to bathroom and walked to the door, when I stepped on something. I looked at the sole of my bare foot and found a maggot stuck on it. The maggot was still alive. I threw it away and shouted, “Mom!”

My mother came to me out of the kitchen. She asked, “What’s the matter?” I said, “There was a maggot on the floor!”

Then I felt something fall on my hair. I stroked my hair. I found a shiny white maggot between my fingers. Horrified, I shook it off madly, shouting “Oh, no!”

Then my mother said, “Look!”

I looked up and I saw a patch of maggots wiggling on the ceiling, just about to fall down. They were extremely disgusting.

She said, “there is something up there.”

Bravely, she opened the closet door and climbed on the upper board. She pushed up the ceiling board, stuck her head in the attic. I followed her. She shone the attic floor with a flashlight. The musty and dusty smell came to my nose.

On the other side of the ceiling, there was a mound of maggots eating a dead rat.

 A Centipede

By Riku Nagata

When I was a junior high school student, I came home always tired from my club activities. I used to stay up to midnight, but on that day I slept earlier than usual, because I was really tired.

I went to the bathroom before going to bed. Then I noticed the window was open. So I closed it. Then I went into my bed, plugged my ears with earphones, then tried to sleep listening to music.

After a short time, I was getting sleepy. Then I felt something on my right arm. I thought the earphone cord, and I swung it off. Soon I fell asleep.

After that, I felt something on my neck. I thought the earphone cord hit me again, so I shook it off. However, that think moved from the neck to the mouth. I tried to remove it, but it moved from the mouth to the ear, and then to the nose.

I got annoyed and caught it with my right hand. I turned on the light and was alarmed at the identity of it. It was a big centipede!

I got panicked and tried to throw it out of the window. I tried to open the window near my bed. That centipede is moving to my shoulder!

I shook my arm madly and it was thrown to the wall. As a result, I lost sight of the centipede. It hid itself somewhere in my bedroom. But I heard it moving around.

I was so scared that I ran out of the room. On that night, I slept on the living room sofa.

The next morning, I looked around inside of my bedroom for the centipede. I found a dead centipede. The body was broken into pieces. At first, I was relived. But it was different from the one I saw the previous night. The dead one was smaller. The one I saw was at least 10 centimeter long.

A Spider

By Kazuya Miyashita

In one cold and silent night, I didn’t feel good. So I finished my work earlier and came home. It was two o’clock midnight. My apartment was very old. I went upstairs.

I opened the door. My room was dark and silent. I heard some spooky sounds. It sounded like a rustle of old paper. I was scared, so I immediately turn on the light.

My room was quiet. Nothing was moving. But I certainly heard something. Then I heard the same noise again! Something was there! I got panicked. I said “What was it? What was it?” Fearfully I looked around.

At the corner of the room I saw an enormous spider. It had long legs. It ran toward me!

I really hate spiders! I rushed out of my room.

I must kill the spider, I thought. I took a long broom and got into the room again, trying to kill the spider.

When I tried to poke the spider, it suddenly jumped at me. I madly swung the broom!

The broom that I shook somehow hit the spider. The spider stopped moving. I thought the spider was dead.

Then using the broom, I tried to throw it into a trash box. Suddenly the spider started to move! The spider was pretending to be dead!

In a hurry I knocked it many times… many times… all over the place. The spider was dead. I threw it away in the trush box in a hurry.

When I took a deep breath, I heard another sound from behind.

“Ruffles, ruffles…”

Alone in a Dormitory

By Sayuri Kakuta

I live in a dormitory where a lot of international students live. One summer night I was unable to sleep. It was a quiet night, because all residents went back to their home countries. I was the only person in the building.

So, I started to watch YouTube videos. I found myself watching make-up videos for about 2 hours, but I was so awake that I couldn’t sleep at all. So, I decided to watch something else. Then I was attracted to a war movie, remembering that the end of the World War II came on a hot summer day. I thought I should watch a war movie to learn how people lived during the war. I started to watch the movie in my silent room. I heard only movie sounds.

In the movie, people were killed by guns. I was watching some people without arms or legs or other parts of the body. I was listening to roars of airplanes and shots. Then, suddenly I heard noise. I felt something was moving outside of my room. But I didn’t know what was moving. The noise became bigger and bigger. I couldn’t help remembering a scary scene in the war movie. I couldn’t move and held my stuffed bear. But my stuffed bear couldn’t help me, because it couldn’t move too. I froze on my bed with my teddy bear.

After a while, the sound stopped. I was a little relieved and I went out of my room in order to check the cause of noise. I walked through the dark hallway alone.

In the kitchen water was dropping slowly. Then something moved again with big sounds. I was upset and went back to my room, but I couldn’t open the door of my room, because my hands were so wet with sweat.

At that time, the door of the room next to mine opened slowly with dull sounds. It should not open, because the student in the room was not here. I knew she went back to her country during summer vacation. I cried out for help. Then the student who standing in front of me cried out too.

After that, I learned she came back to Japan earlier and used the washing machine at night.

The Door of my Apartment

By Himeka Fuchi

One day, I went home after my part-time job. It was already dark, so I ran home.

I was panting when I arrived at my apartment. I inserted the key and I tried to open the door.

However, when I grasped the doorknob, the door opened. I was surprised, because I didn’t turn the key, yet. I felt a spine-tingling chill. I thought that someone was in my home.

So, I called my friend who lived next door and entered the room together, but there was no one. I called my mother on the phone and talked about this thing. My mother was afraid.

Two hours later, the bell of my home rang. I thought of a man who wanted to open my house standing with a knife in his hand. I didn’t open the door. The dell rang many times. My heartbeat was faster, but it didn’t stop ringing. So, I reluctantly peek at the peephole and I could see two policemen there. I got quite relieved to discover so and opened the door.

The policeman said it might be a case, but I wanted to believe that I had forgotten closing the door. So, I told the policeman that I thought I just had forgotten locking the door and asked him not to worry about it.

The next day, when I went to university, I double checked the lock with my friend. I thought that everything would be okay.

I went to my part-time job, and came back as usual at night. I said to myself that that day everything would be okay, and I told it to myself again and again.

However, when I grasped the door, the door was not locked. The door was not locked. It was the second time that the door was not locked. I felt a spine-chilling fear. This time I didn’t forget locking the door because I had my friend check the door closed. I thought that my house was in danger and I couldn’t live in this house. So, I stayed at my friend’s house for a while.

Phone calls at Night

By Shusuke Toda

It was a humid and spooky night. I was exhausted in my apartment. On that night at about half past eleven, I got a phone call from the number I didn’t know. I did not answer. Then I just left it and went to bed since I had class the next day, but my phone started to ring again in the mid-night. It made me little scared so I tried to pretend I could not hear.

The phone stopped ringing but after a while I heard the noise of something knocking outside. I listened to the sound since I could not sleep because of the mysterious phone call. I noticed that the sound was the noise of someone or something knocking on my window. I could not believe it because my room had a porch and the porch was about three meters high from the ground! It made me more scared, but the terrible night would not finish.

The phone call came again from the same unknown number. I was freaking out by the phone call and the knocking of the window. I wanted to try to ask my friend for help, but my phone was ringing at the moment and I was afraid my phone was hacked.

I tried to run away out of my house. Just I was about to to get out of my house, I heard another knocking sound knocking on the next door. It came closer and closer to my door. I was locked in my room without a way to get out of the house or to call someone for the help. I was so scared in the house alone.

I went to the bed and crawled inside the bed trying to pass this horrible night and wait for the light of the shining morning, but I heard another sound in the knocking of the window, door, and the phone.

I thought I was going mad because of the noise. Then I found the origin of the sound. It was my alarm. I was just having a horrible nightmare.