Tag Archives: cultural exchange

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is is the most important holiday in China. Tied to the Chinese lunar calendar, the holiday began as a time for feasting and honoring ancestors as well as deities. Lunar New Year celebrations begin on February 1st.  The year 2022 is slated to be the year of the tiger. The tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China and the zodiac is associated with strength and bravery.

Chinese people celebrate Lunar New Year with the traditional greeting, “Kung hei fat choi”  Sounds like (gung – hay – fah – choy) in Cantonese!

Lunar New Year covers a long span, not just one day. Two weeks is the typical time frame. Traditionally this time is used to celebrate with family and friends. It’s important to start the new year with a clean home. Red envelopes are handed out to others, typically children or young people, containing Lucky Money. Foods are important in the celebration and have meaning. Long noodle dishes, for instance, represent longevity or long life, while dumplings represent wealth. Interestingly, fortune cookies are not authentic Chinese treats, though enjoyable and fun, you can read more about their unique history here.

You can read more about Lunar New Year here.

Crafts, recipes, activities, and games related to Lunar New Year can be found on the APIA Winter Pinterest board. Try some of these great ideas!

Arts & Crafts:

Kids in the Kitchen:

Virtual Field Trips can be a great way for kids to learn and have new experiences. Here are a couple of virtual field trips that fit this theme:

Videos – Online you can find many examples of celebrations. Please review the content for appropriateness for your own host kids before watching with the children.

Webcams – You can do a google search for Lunar New Year celebrations with webcams. Here is a popular one for the upcoming season:

Books – Check out your local library or bookseller for books to order / reserve and pick up /read online:

 

Camp Au Pair – Global Awareness

Let’s focus on global awareness and share some cultural experiences! Most importantly, share you culture with your host family. Incorporate games, books, songs, language, foods, etc. into your host family’s lives. Cooking a dish from your family is a great way to share. Discuss similar traditions and ones unique to your family or culture.

Resources:

  • Use the APIA Global Awareness website for an amazing collection of resources!
  • Learn about various countries by visiting the APIA Culture Corner!
  • Listen to a story in English or Spanish (preschool and lower elementary level)
  • While COVID has changed the footprint of schools and the opportunity to do presentations, lets think outside the box about how to still give informative glimpses of our various cultures! How about creating a display that we can capture clear pictures of? Making a short video? Possibilities abound!

Let’s Create & Learn:  

Check out:

 

Books:

  • This Is How I Do It: One Day in the Life… This fun and engaging workbook will get kids writing, drawing, and sharing while also learning about cultures and countries other than their own.
    • Includes drawing activities, postcards, sticker sheets, and a fold-out map
    • A die-cut cover for kids to draw their portrait and write their name on makes this activity book a keepsake to treasure
    • Encourages self-reflection while also teaching kids about different traditions and customs.
  • What We Wear.  A celebration of clothing in bright, beautiful photographs of exuberant and diverse children from around the world, WHAT WE WEAR: DRESSING UP AROUND THE WORLD inspires young readers to explore the way clothing makes them feel and how it tells the world who they are. What we wear can identify who we are: what team we play for or what team we root for, where we go to school, how we worship, or how we represent our heritage. What we wear expresses our individuality, and clothes can make us happy, confident, and proud.
  • The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World. Take a world tour through  200 countries with this brand new edition of the bestselling kids’ version of Lonely Planet’s popular The Travel Book, loaded with thousands of amazing facts on wildlife, how people live, sports, hideous and mouthwatering food, festivals and a wide range of other quirky insights on every page. Every single country gets its own dedicated page, and a mix of photography and beautiful illustrations brings each land to life.

Photo by {Rona Proudfoot}; hiritomo t {flickr}

 

Around the World in 80 Days Kielbasa Penne Dish – Poland

Kielbasa Penne Dish – Poland

Ingredients:

2 pounds of Polska kielbasa 

1 white onion

1 tbsp of white sugar

1 1/2 cups of sour cream

1 box of penne pasta

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Little bit of oil of your liking (olive oil, canola oil)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit

Make penne pasta (remember to salt water slightly) in the big pot, strain, put back in a the same, big pot.

Prepare big pan with olive oil or canola oil

Cut up Polska kielbasa and cut again to make half moons, put in a pan with cut up onion and cook until goldenish brownish color.

Lower the temperature and add sugar to caramelize a bit, stir and add sour cream, stir again until well blended.

Add salt and pepper as preferred.

Put everything in the big pot with pasta and stir well.

Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir well.

Put everything in oven dish, add the rest of shredded cheese on top.

Put in the oven for around 10 minutes for the cheddar to melt.

Done!

Around the World in 80 Days – Bolivia

BOLIVIA

Western Central South America 
Capital: Sucre
Languages: Spanish
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity
(Roman Catholic)

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

 

  • Bolivian people describe themselves as friendly and hard working.
  • Bolivia people have strong family ties.
  • Traditions and culture are very important values for young people.

FUN FACTS:

  • The amazing “Cristo de la Concordia” statue in Cochabamba city is the biggest in the world; it was built in memory of Papa Juan Pablo II.
  • The green lake located in Potosi city at the foot of Licancabur, one of the largest active volcanoes, is one of the most wonderful lakes in the world. The green color is due to high levels of magnesium in the water.
  • The slowest flowering plant in the world comes from Bolivia. The “Puya Raimundi” is a very strange and unusual plant. Discovered in 1870, the flower only appears when the plant is 80 to 150 years old. Check out this video to see the Puya Raimundi plants.

USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?             Como estás?
  • Fine, thanks.               Bien, gracias.
  • My name is…             Mi nombre es…
  • Nice to meet you!        Mucho gusto!
  • Thank you.                  Gracias.

For more info on Bolivia, check out the APIA Culture Quest site.

Photo by: MollySVH {flickr} Cristo de la Concordia overlooking Luguna Alalay in Cochabamba

Around the World in 80 Days – A Cultural Exploration!

Around the World in 80 Days!!

Summer break has officially arrived in Southern Maryland. Over the next 80 days (ending on Labor Day), we’ll discuss different cultural things each day! From general country info to cultural norms to recipes and more!!

Let’s focus on global awareness and share some cultural experiences! Most importantly, share your culture with your host family. Incorporate games, books, songs, language, foods, etc into your host family’s lives. Cooking a dish from your home country is a great way to share. Discuss similar traditions and ones unique to your family or culture.

First up, let’s learn about Argentina!

ARGENTINA

South America
Capital: Buenos Aires
Languages: Spanish
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity
(Roman Catholic)

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Independent, mature, responsible, trustworthy.
  • Open to share their ideas or thoughts.
  • Open minded, flexible, ready to have a good experience abroad.

FUN FACTS:

  • Young people in Argentina love technology – they can’t understand how their grandparents survived without cell phones!
  • Argentine beef is famous around the world, so naturally Argentineans love barbeques!
  • The Argentine city of Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world!

USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?      Como estas?
  • Fine, thanks.       Bien, gracias.
  • My name is…       Mi nombre es…
  • Nice to meet you.     Encantada de conocerte.
  • Thank you.           Gracias.

There are twenty languages spoken in Argentina, most of them by small groups of indigenous people. The primary language in the country is Spanish.

Try some Spanish language activities. This site includes an on-line English-Spanish picture dictionary and an on-line Spanish-English dictionary, as well as information, quizzes and pictures to color.

This website is available in both English and Spanish. There are activities to download, stories to listen to, and much more!

Do you know any words in English that came from Spanish words? You can find the answer to this question and many other facts about our world at Infoplease.

Recipe:

Argentine Mashed Potato Pie

Ingredients –

  • 6-8 potatoes
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 2-3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup green pitted olives
  • shredded cheese
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • paprika, salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Peel and boil the potatoes until done.
  2. Boil eggs for 15 min.
  3. Halve, peel and chop onion and pepper.
  4. Sauté onion and pepper until tender.Add beef to onion and brown well.
  5. Add paprika, salt and pepper.
  6. Add tomato sauce to beef, stir, and remove from heat.
  7. Add eggs, olives to beef mixture.
  8. Mash potatoes, add butter, milk and salt.
  9. Use half mashed potatoes to line a lasagna pan or other large baking pan.
  10. Pour in beef mixture.
  11. Top with remaining mashed potatoes.
  12. Sprinkle with shredded cheese on top.
  13. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes.

Submitted by Betiana Turteltaub, au pair in Villanova, Pennsylvania, 2004-2005

Photo: Jesus Dehesa {flickr}

Christmas Pierogies

A favorite Christmas experience from last year! In preparation for Christmas, Patrycja, from Poland, currently residing in Southern Maryland, and her host dad spent all day making traditional Polish pierogi!

She said, “I wasn’t sure if we can actually do it since I’ve never made pierogi by myself before, but we did it!

‘Pierogi z kapustą kiszoną i pieczarkami’ one of the things Poland is most known for! (Sauerkraut and mushrooms)

My mom offered us her help (from Poland), so we had the greatest pierogi maker on our side 😁 We ended up with almost 100 pierogi

I am really really proud of us and I’m glad I could contribute to this Christmas with a little bit of my own culture!”

To learn how to make pierogies, follow this recipe.

Around the World in 80 Days – France

FRANCE

Western Europe
Capital: Paris
Language(s): French
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity
(Roman Catholic)

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Applicants from France are motivated by the opportunity to enhance their career and improve their English.
  • The French are known for being friendly, polite, proud and healthy.
  • The French love their language and culture and are very proud of their heritage.

FUN FACTS:

  • France is the most visited country in the world with approximately 75 million tourists each year.
  • France produces over 400 types of cheese.
  • In France, it’s illegal to name a pig “Napoleon”.

 

USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?       Ça va?
  • Fine, thanks:        Oui, ça va, merci.
  • My name is…:        Je m’appelle….
  • Nice to meet you:        Enchanté/é
  • Thank you:        Merci

Photo by: Greg Walters {flickr}

 

Around the World in 80 Days – Estonia

ESTONIA

Eastern Europe
Capital: Tallinn
Languages: Estonian (official), Russian (regional)
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Independent, mature, dependable, trustworthy.
  • Estonians are very attentive, and they are good at communicating.
  • Patriotic (after decades of Russian occupation, they are proud to be Estonian!)

FUN FACTS:

  • Estonians love technology and are very knowledgeable when it comes to technology. Wireless Internet is available almost everywhere and Skype was invented in Estonia.
  • Estonia is one of the Baltic countries together with Latvia and Lithuania. However, the Estonian language is not related to Latvian and Lithuanian but it is actually more related to Finnish.
  • Estonia only has an area of 45,227 sq km. Texas is more than 15 times larger.

Education

  • Compulsory education finishes at 9th grade (age 15/16) and students can continue with high school, go on to a technical college, take up an apprenticeship or seek employment. High school finishes at 12th grade (age 18/19) and students can then go on to study at university.
  • Parents put a lot of focus on their children’s education from a young age and parents like their children to have varied hobbies and interests.
  • The option of being an au pair is now common in Estonia. They like the idea of discovering new cultures and improving their English skills. Work & travel programs, volunteering and traveling abroad are also common options for a gap year.

USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?       Kuidas läheb?
  • Fine, thanks.       Suurepäraselt, tänan.
  • My name is…       Minu nimi on…
  • Nice to meet you!       Meeldib sinuga tutvuda!
  • Thank you.       Tänan.

Photos by: Dennis Sylvester Hurd {flickr}, Young Shanahan {flickr}

Around the World in 80 Days – Germans and Bread

Day five of our Around the World in 80 Days series bring us to Germany and their love for bread!

Did you know that Germany has more bakeries and Germany eat more varieties of bread than most other countries (probably even with France for number of bakeries though)?
Many au pairs struggle initially with American bread as it is quite different for them. For example, American breads are sweet in comparison. For more discussion on the variety of favorite breads in Germany, visit  German Foods
“According to the bread register of the German Institute for Bread (of course there is such a thing), there are now more than 3,200 officially recognized types of bread in the country. And German bread culture was officially added by UNESCO to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2015.”
For the history of bread in Germany and its cultural relevance visit CNN Travel’s link for the full article.
Photo by Jim Rhodes {flickr}

Around the World in 80 Days – Melktert from South Africa

Melktert – South Africa

Melktert(or Milk Tart) is a Afrikaner dessert consisting of a sweet pastry crust containing a custard filling made from milk, flour, sugar and eggs. The ratio of milk to eggs is higher than in a traditional Portuguese custard tart or Chinese egg tart, resulting in a lighter texture and a stronger milk flavor.

Crust

1 Egg

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 pound butter

1 teaspoon of baking powder

5 drops of vanilla

Beat egg and sugar until the sugar is not visible.

Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.

Add butter and lastly the vanilla.

Mix everything together

Press it into a tart pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min.

Rest of dough can be frozen for later.

 

Filling

2 tablespoons butter and 2 cups milk

Boil it with a pinch of salt.

In separate bowl, mix

2 tablespoons Corn Starch

4 tablespoons of sugar

1 beaten egg

Add it to the milk mixture

Cook it (for a little while) until a little stiff and toss in the crust.

Recipe by Danielle, an au pair from South Africa