Tag Archives: Global Awareness

Around the World in 80 Days – Russki Salat

Russki Salat

Russian salads contain cooked vegetables and often include cooked meat, poultry, or fish. The salad dressing is simply oil and vinegar.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup diced cooked meat (ham, beef, turkey, or your favorite)
  • 2 cups cooked, peeled and diced beets
  • 2 cups cooked, peeled and diced potatoes
  • 1 cup cooked beans (your favorite)
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
  • 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
  • 6 small sweet pickles, chopped
  • Oil and Vinegar for dressing

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients in a large salad bowl.
  2. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let each guest prepare his or her own dressing.

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 – Austria

AUSTRIA

Western Europe
Capital: Vienna
Languages: German
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Austrians are open-minded, independent and polite.
  • They are motivated and hard-working.
  • Austrians are cheerful.

FUN FACTS:

  • “The Sound of Music” is a lot more popular around the world than in Austria!
  • Austria only has about 8 million inhabitants – that’s roughly the same population as Virginia!
  • German is the official language in Austria but there are a lot of different dialects in Austria’s different regions.

USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?      Wie geht es dir?
  • Fine, thanks.       Gut, danke.
  • My name is…       Mein Name ist…
  • Nice to meet you.     Freut mich dich kennenzulernen.
  • Thank you.           Danke.

For more info on Austria, check out the APIA Culture Quest site!

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

 

Around the World in 80 Days – Australia

AUSTRALIA

Between the Indian Ocean and 
South Pacific Ocean
Capital: Canberra
Languages: English
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Australians are quite direct and will freely discuss a range of subjects.
  • Most Australians grow up believing that everyone should have equal rights and be treated the same. Australia was the second country in the world to allow women the vote.
  • About 26% of the population was born overseas and 40% have a parent born overseas, so there is a lot of diversity. Many Australians feel that Australia has a culture and identity based on friendship, honesty, sports, and multiculturalism.

FUN FACTS:

  • The largest Greek population in the world other than in Athens is in Melbourne, Australia.
  • Australia was settled by convicts (criminals) sent over from the UK. The first police force was made up of the 12 most well-behaved convicts.
  • The black box, wine cask, bionic ear, ultrasound and pacemakers were all invented in Australia.
 

One style of Australian aboriginal art has an x-ray appearance to it. Learn more about this style and try making some x-ray art of your own.

Captain James Cook claimed Australia as part of the British Empire while he was looking for a southern continent. Learn more about James Cook and others who explored Australia.

In 1935, the chef of the Hotel Esplanade in Perth, Western Australia, Herbert Sachse,  created the pavlova to celebrate the visit of the great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Whilst it has been suggested this dessert was created in New Zealand, it has become recognized as a popular Australian dish. Pavlova Recipe

As Australia is an English-speaking country, the children there sing many of the same songs that we sing in the United States, but sometimes they sing a different version. Visit this site to compare the Australian version of familiar songs with the one you know.

Click on the link to learn more about Australia!

Photos by: Angela Thomas {flickr}, Martin Hipp {flickr}

Around the World in 80 Days: Kartoffelsalat German Potato Salad Recipe

Day Two of our Around the World in 80 Days series bring us to Germany to learn a recipe for German Potato Salad. There are several different versions of German Potato Salad, just like there are in America. This recipe calls for apples!

Potato Salad (‘Kartoffelsalat’)  

  • 800g (28 oz.) cooked potatos
  • 2 onions
  • 100g (3.5 oz.) pickled cucumbers
  • 3 hard boiled eggs
  • 6 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp. liquid of the pickled cucumbers
  • 1 tbsp. mustard
  • Salt, Pepper
  • Optional: 1 apple

Wash potatoes, peel and cook them for about 20-25 minutes until they are fully cooked. Drain them, let them cool and cut them into slices or cubes (whatever you prefer).

Then, peel the onions and also cut them into cubes. Cut the pickled cucumbers, the hard boiled eggs (and the apple) in slices.

Mix the mayonnaise, the liquid of the pickled cucumbers and the mustard and mix it carefully with all the other ingredients. Salt and pepper and wait for at least 30 minutes until you serve it.

Recipe provided by German au pairs in Southern Maryland

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}

Around the World in 80 Days – United Kingdom

UNITED KINGDOM

Western Europe
Capitals: England – London; Scotland – Edinburgh; Wales – Cardiff; Northern Ireland – Belfast
Languages: English
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity (Church of England, Roman Catholic) – most other religions are represented

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • British people often describe themselves as reserved, but in fact they are quite funny and have a witty sense of humor!
  • The UK  is a very multi-cultural society and subsequently Brits are open minded to all beliefs and traditions.
  • It’s true that people from the UK love talking about the weather, preferably whilst drinking tea!

FUN FACTS:

  • In the UK, if you reach your 100th birthday, you get a personalized card from Her Majesty  the Queen!
  • The estimated population of the UK is over 64 million; 84% of this population live in England.
  • The UK is slightly smaller than the U.S. State of Oregon.  It is just under half the size of France and 30 times smaller than Australia.

Photo by: Sophia Baik {flickr}

 

Around the World in 80 Days – Ukraine

UKRAINE

Eastern Europe
Capital: Kyiv
Languages: Ukrainian (official), Russian, Other

General

  • The idea of being an au pair in the U.S. is becoming common in the Ukraine. It has been an option in other countries for several years.
  • Applicants from Ukraine are motivated by a desire to improve their English and to experiencing living in America.
  • An au pair’s job potential is improved upon her return to Ukraine. Her experience will help to maintain good international relationships in the future.
  • Applicants generally do not have difficulty finding the program fees.
  • Young people in Ukraine have the freedom of their family to socialize and date.
  • Curfews are common until age 18.
  • Ukrainians are cheerful, enthusiastic, and optimistic.

Diet

  • Most young people in Ukraine eat meat.
  • Vegetarianism is not common.
  • A typical Ukrainian diet includes milk products, soups, fruits and vegetables.

Religion

  • The most common religion in Ukraine is Christian Orthodox.
  • Most young people in Ukraine do not practice their religion regularly.
  • A young person would rarely choose to practice a religion that is different than her family’s religion.

Telephone & Internet

  • Most Ukrainian homes have a telephone.
  • Access to the Internet is readily available.

Photos by: Vasenkaphotography {flickr}; Doktor Katze {flickr}