A specific custom my friends and
I have is to have a monthly get-together. The first thing we do is that we each
put a certain amount of money into a common pot. Each month, a different friend
gets to keep all of that money. Each friend has his month to keep the money. We
have done this for the past two years. Every year we increase the amount of
money we put in.
Apart from this,
we also watch movies, go out to eat, cook meat on a grill, buy some drinks,
etc. We do all we can so that on a holiday, we can, in the end, get together.
These types of situations unite us more as friends who now feel more like
brothers. Whenever one needs help, there is always another one to support him.
For example, lately one of us moved out of his house, and we all went to help
move his things and then went out to eat (which is something we always do when
we get together). Well, that is a little bit of what we do in my closest group
of friends.
“This is our last picture on the Green Coast in Miraflores, a district of Lima. I am the person on the far left.” Photo credit: My friend Antony Estrella Baldeon.
I was born in Huancayo,
which is a city in the Peruvian Andes located in Junin within the Mantaro
Valley.
One of the things I like
most about being from Huancayo, Peru is that our food is one of the most
interesting pleasures there is. I grew up in a family where food was the most
important thing. Now, in my adulthood, I’ve made it just as important. When Peruvians
invites people into their homes to share food, it is from the heart, so that
the pleasure of eating it is more enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, some
relatives came to my home for my sister’s birthday celebration. The main event
was the meal, which was prepared that day to enjoy all together. We served
large portions, and many of us had seconds. I have been able to observe throughout
all these years that the dish that is most commonly prepared for important
celebrations is carapulcra, which is a stew made from freeze-dried potato and
pork. If the pork is roasted, the flavor obtained is more than delicious.
I think somehow enjoying food at home is the most
important thing, because that’s where parents and children ask one another how
their day was, and family connections are strengthened with a rich plate of
food that gives strength and love. There’s a saying I’ve always heard from my
mom and grandmother: “Where five people can eat, six or seven can eat.” That’s
why I think it’s important to interact at lunch and at all kinds of meals.
“My sister’s birthday celebration, which included
family and close friends. My cousin, Leslie Malpica Chavez,
took the picture.”
“The dish prepared was carapulcra, and I
took this photo.”
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.
“A traditional seafood dish, ceviche.” Photo credit: Andrea Bravo“A traditional seafood dish, jalea mixta.” Photo credit: Andrea Bravo
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.”
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.
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.
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.
For
many Peruvians Christmas represents a beautiful occasion in which all family
members meet and share happy moments remembering the birth of Jesus, our
Savior.
Peru,
as a Catholic country, has many different religious holidays, but I think
Christmas is the most prominent of all. Peru is a multicultural country, and
each geographical area has different customs and traditions. I would like to
show how Christmas is celebrated in the three geographical regions: the jungle,
the mountains, and the coast.
Christmas
in the Jungle
In
the jungle, children have an important role in Christmas. Many of them
participate in different nativity plays dressed as shepherds at the time of
Jesus. The best performing group receives sweets as a prize. In addition, there
are also performances by the locals as characters from the Bible who are guided
by the Star of Bethlehem.
Christmas
in the Mountains
In
this part of Peru, the image of the child “Manuelito” is revered. “Manuelito”
was the name the first Catholics in the mountains of South America gave to Baby
Jesus to distinguish him from adult Jesus. Each part of the mountains has its
own traditional Christmas celebrations, but most of them include special dances
and celebrations leading up to Christmas.
The
local “Santuranrikuy” Christmas Market takes place on December 24 in Cusco.
Different handmade souvenirs are offered by different artisans, peasants and
shepherds of the region who come together to offer their best products to
tourists. In this market, we can find crafts made of wood, metal, cloth, etc.
Especially popular are figurines of Baby Jesus, the “Manuelito
Child.”
Christmas
on the Coast
In
this part of the country the celebrations for Christmas date back to the
arrival of the first Spanish conquerors, and therefore different European
cultural aspects are preserved. Despite this, in Afro-Peruvian areas such as
Ica or Chincha, the “Niño Negrito,” or Black Baby Jesus, is celebrated, and he
is honored with numerous dances of African origin. The Virgin of Carmen is also
celebrated at this time.
However,
in Lima, Peru’s capital, most of the excitement centers around the purchases of
gifts for children, of the decoration of the house with Western-style Christmas
trees, lights and Christmas ornaments.
The
most important moment of the Christmas holiday for Peruvians is Christmas Eve
night. Most of us eat Christmas turkey, accompanied by panetón, a traditional
Christmas bread filled with sweet fruits and raisins, and hot chocolate. When
midnight finally arrives, families celebrate together the birth of Lord Jesus
and share beautiful moments. They set off fireworks and open presents, and
everyone is happy. Many families celebrate until 2 or 3 in the morning.
Do you know the country called Laos? I went
to Laos last August and this activity became a special experience for me. The
reason why it was a special experience is that I was able to experience something
new. Originally I studied the language of Laos by myself, so I was able to
speak the language of Laos with the people and play with the children of Laos. Also,
I was able to understand the literacy problem facing Laos.
Laos is one of the countries of South East Asia and it is next to Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Because it is a poor country, some people can’t go to school because they don’t have money for school. It has two seasons, the rainy season and the the dry season. In Laos, when summer comes, it became the rainy season. Also, most people speak Lao, the language of Laos. The capital in laos is Vientiane. A lot of building is built, but it is smaller than Tokyo or Bangkok. There are some temple, we can watch religious mendicancy in the morning.
In Laos, I went to two libraries built by
Kiyoko Yasui in Vientiane and Sivirai. Kiyoko Yasui is the leader of the NGO “The
fund of library for the children in Laos”. She lives in Vientiane, Laos. She is
originally interested in work involved in children’s book. And she went to a
refugee camp in Thailand to do puppet show. Then she had interested in children
in the Southeast Asia and came to participate in the project of children’s
library in Laos. Now she do two activities, one is to protect the folk talk of
Hmong tribe, another is to support of
library’s management. I studied about literacy in Laos and the support
from Japan and other countries. In Japan, SVA(Shanti Volunteer Association)
mainly send the children’s book to Laos. When I visited the library, many
children came, so I communicated with them a lot. One day, they waited for me
for three hours this day because they are looking forward to us coming to the
library. I read Japanese book for them in Japanese, played with Japanese toys,
and danced. As Japanese toys, I introduce kendama, darumaotoshi, origami. They
play with them well soon because they are skillful with their fingers. They are
interested in Japanese books and Japanese toys, so I was happy. I was also able
to see their smiles.
In addition, I came to understand that Laotian people don’t read books and there are not a lot of books in Laos through the talk of Kiyoko Yasui and visiting some library such as national library and the library of national university of Laos. There is not custom they read books from young in Laos. In fact, national library, library in university and two library built by Kiyoko Yasui is all small and there are not books a lot.
Through this activity, I was able to enjoy and
gain more interest in Laos and its issues with literacy. I want to try to
continue to study Laos. Also, I want to tell a lot of people about my
experience because I want a lot of people to learn about Laos.
This summer I was working at Iwami Seaside
Park as a lifeguard. It was really fun because during my free time, I could
enjoy some activities with other lifeguards but also there were dangerous days.
It was a really hard job for me but I got a lot of experiences through this
job.
Hamada city, in Shimane prefecture is located
on western side of Japan. This prefecture facing the Japan sea so there are
many beaches. Iwami Seaside Park is the largest beach in Hamada city, the total
length of this beach is 3km! You can see beautiful sky and sea at this beach
but when typhoon is approaching, The waves get higher and nobody can swim. At
the beginning of the August, This beach was always crowded but Around late
August, the sea bathers were less than before.
There are lifeguards who belong to Hamada Lifesaving Club and they are lifeguarding at the beach during the summer season. The members are twenties to fifties. Also they did some activities like stand up paddleboarding, wakeboarding, and snorkeling. They are not professional because they are working at company during the week and if they have a free time like the weekend, they lifeguard at this beach.
The first day, I had free time so I did stand
up paddleboarding with sea bathers and other lifeguards. That was a hot, sunny
day so I got a tan but the sea was a really beautiful. That’s why we really
enjoyed this activity. In the middle of August, a typhoon came to Japan. This
caused big waves, These big waves took some sea bathers out to the sea and I
helped them by using a rescue board. The rescue board is looks like a long
board to surf but it has more buoyancy and thick. We have a lot of rescue board
and we use this like this situation. It was a really dangerous day but no one was
hurt. Around late August, there were less sea bathers than at the beginning of
the month, so we did wakeboarding. I think that wakeboarding is a little bit it
more difficult than the other activities but we really enjoyed this sports.
In
brief, it was really hard job but I learned that how to help people who are taken
away by the big waves, how to work as a lifeguard, and so on. My Lifeguarding
job became a great summer memory that I can not forget!!
