Real Reporter Online – Page 11 – We have the courage to make mistakes.

Gastronomy in Peru

March 5, 2020

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.

“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!

“Les crêpes” in France

“Les crêpes” in France

March 5, 2020

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.

Peruvian Independence Day

Peruvian Independence Day

March 5, 2020

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.

Weihnachten: Christmas in Germany

Weihnachten: Christmas in Germany

March 5, 2020

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

Fun events in France

Fun events in France

March 5, 2020

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

Regional differences of Christmas in Peru

March 5, 2020

By Jhanpierre Adriano Cárdenas (ESAN University)

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.

Children Waiting for me at Donparape Library

Children Waiting for me at Donparape Library

February 17, 2020

By Taichi Urabe

The University of Shimane

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.

Life Saving Summer Memory

Life Saving Summer Memory

February 17, 2020

By Shin Takebe

The University of Shimane

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!!

Archery Changes My Life

Archery Changes My Life

February 17, 2020

By Chihiro Morihara

The University of Shimane

This August, my life of Japanese archery was changed. I participated in preliminary contest of the National Sports Festival in the Chugoku region, held in Izumo, Shimane. Meeting great teachers, teammates and other participants from other prefectures affected me very much. I could learn many things and I grew as a player of Japanese archery.

Before writing about my special experience, I will explain to you about Japanese archery. Japanese archery is one of Japan’s traditional sports. We use a bow and four arrows. We can get a point when we hit a row on the target. The length from the center of the target is not related to the score. All we have to do is hit the target. Players compete by adding up the total number of hit arrows.

The meet gave me three opportunities. First, it gave me a chance to meet many players of Japanese archery. I could see many players in Shimane; 10 teammates, 3 coaches and their friends and teachers. We could get to know each other through this meet. They told me not only how to play Japanese archery better but also how to repair and maintain my equipment.

Second, it gave me a chance to learn about the way to control my nervousness before a large competition. The meet was held in Izumo Dome in Shimane. Domes are larger than places where I usually practice and play. I have participated in a large meet held in a big dome like this, but I didn’t play well because I was too nervous to do my best. So, I didn’t want to make the same mistake again this time. To do my best, I did two things. First, I talked with my teammates to prevent me from thinking too much about possible mistakes I might meet. Second, I wrote out why I was so nervous. Before writing out about it, I didn’t know what made me nervous, so I wrote out what I feel anxious to visualize my worries. For example, I wrote “It’s important to calm myself down because I can’t hit my arrows when I feel heat.” These two things worked well.

Finally, the meet gave me a chance to improve my skill of Japanese archery. Through not only the day of the meet but also self-practicing for it, I certainly could make progress. The environment around me was great because people around us cheered me and gave me advice. I was very pleased when my teammates and coaches noticed my effort and praised about it and my progress. That helped improve my skill and motivate me. In addition, it helped me even more mentally. People around me gave me the power to practice more and more. I had practiced harder than ever for the meet and improved my skill because players around me were much better than me. However, they were not students and didn’t have time to practice hard, but I was a student and had much more free time than them, so I thought the only thing I could win over them was quantity of practice, and I practiced about 4 hours per day. As a result, I could hit 3 of 4 arrows on the target on the day of the meet. However, I noticed the quantity of the practice is as important as quality of it to prepare for the day of the meet, because our team couldn’t win the meet. I think I should have practiced with my teammates together more. I always practiced alone but it was important to practice like the real part.

Through the meet, I learned that the more I practice, the better I can do. Also, knowing each other with players of Japanese archery is important because they help me when I fall in a slump. Also, I noticed the environment around me is very important for upgrading my skill. I think the three opportunities I got through the meet held this August and practicing for it changed my life of Japanese archery, and I believe this experience will help me in the future.

Be Prepared, Secret of Success

Be Prepared, Secret of Success

February 17, 2020

By Takumi Oto

The University of Shimane

On October 1^st, I found again that getting ready is essential for success. I got a job offer from the company I will enter after graduation from university this April. The company held a “newbie ceremony” at its building called the Comprehensive Center in Osaka on October 1^stfor new recruits.

One day, I was given a mission by the human resources employee before the ceremony was held. The mission was to read an address replying beck to the president’s encouragement one for the new recruits. When I got the call, I felt honored, but at the same time, a little nervous, too. Referring to two previous addresses sent to me, I wrote an original one, and sent it to the company to check. After making sure my address was suitable for the ceremony twice, the time when I would have to read it got closer. Not to read it out loud with a shaking voice, I decided to practice reading and to give myself confidence. I went to a karaoke booth alone with my address paper and read it again and again through a microphone. That was the first preparation I did by myself for success.

My second form of preparation happened on the day, October 1^st. I arrived at the center two hours earlier than the opening of the ceremony since I planned to practice the actions in the ceremony and read out loud the address. One HR employee and I did it together, and that was helpful because I could imagine how to behave during the ceremony. After having lunch with him, at 1:00 pm, the ceremony finally started. It’s held in a medium-sized hall, 23 new recruits including me were in the hall and 10 board members sat in front of us. After the introduction of each board member, the receiving of the offer confirmation, and then the president’s address, my turn came. I was not nervous but confident because I knew how to walk in the front of the president, read out loud the address, and fold the paper to give him, so I carried out the mission. Practicing those steps was the factor for my success. Without this practice, I would have felt more nervous and would have not been that confident when I was in front of all the participants.

Therefore, I was able to realize again that to keep practicing is the huge factor for succeeding. Those two steps -reading out loud alone in the karaoke box and practicing with a partner in the real situation- gave me confidence and better understanding of what to do in the ceremony. Getting ready for the actual performance is necessary for the success.