Tag Archives: #SaveJ1

Around the World in 80 Days – Norway

NORWAY

Europe
Capital: Oslo
Languages: Bokmal Norwegian, Nynorsk Norwegian, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Diet

  • Most young people in Norway eat meat.
  • Vegetarianism is not common.
  • The typical diet in Norway includes seafood, meat, dairy and fruits.

Religion

  • The most common religion in Norway is Lutheran.
  • Most young people in Norway do not practice their religion regularly.

Education

  • Approximately 50% of young women continue their studies at university.
  • Those who do not attend university study in professional schools, or work in offices or retail stores.
  • The academic year in Norway starts in August and ends in June.
  • University is free is Norway. The most important educational opportunity is to improve their English.

Famous Things:

Norway is famous for it’s fjords and the northern lights! No where else can match Norway on the fjord front – there are more than a thousand of them dotting the country’s coastline. Most people visit at least one, but it’s worth trying to visit classics like Lysefjord and Hardangerfjord (home to the Trolltunga rock formation). No trip to northern Norway would be complete without spotting the northern lights. You can see the aurora pretty much anywhere in the central or northern parts of the country, as long as the weather is good.

Photos by: Patrick Nouhailler {flickr}; Gunnar Hildonen {flicker}

Around the World in 80 Days – New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND 

Oceania
Capital: Wellington
Languages: English, Māori

Au Pairs in General

  • The idea of being an au pair is not well-known in New Zealand.
  • Applicants from New Zealand are motivated by cultural curiosity.
  • The job potential of an au pair improves upon her return to New Zealand.
  • Applicants do not have difficulty affording the program fees.
  • Young people in New Zealand have the freedom of their family to socialize and date.
  • Curfews are not common.
  • Young women are accustomed to sharing in household chores.
  • The people of New Zealand describe themselves as reserved, friendly, and hard working.
  • Others may consider New Zealanders’ style of communication confrontational. This stylistic  cultural difference should be taken into consideration when they are encouraged to speak their mind.
  • The academic year in New Zealand starts in February and ends in November.

Photos by: Pedro Szekely {flickr}, John Fowler {flickr}, Bernard Spragg NZ {flickr}

Around the World in 80 Days – Netherlands

NETHERLANDS

Western Europe
Capital: Amsterdam
Languages: Dutch, regional languages
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Dutch applicants are open and down to earth.
  • They are hard workers.
  • They are polite, friendly and social.

FUN FACTS:

  • The colors of the Dutch flag are red, white, and blue. Red stands for the people, white for  the church, and blue for nobility.
  • Dutch people are on average the tallest people in the world. (Women 5 ft 7 and men 6 ft).
  • The total length of all roads together in the Netherlands is 132,397 km. That’s about four times around the world!

USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?             Hoe gaat het?
  • Fine, thanks.               Goed, dank je wel.
  • My name is…              Mijn naam is…
  • Nice to meet you.        Leuk je te ontmoeten.
  • Thank you.                  Dank je wel.

“It’s a life changing experience. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about everything I’ve learned, all the amazing times I spent with friends and family and all the people I met. Being an Au Pair in America is my story of success so far – more are to come!” – Jodie – au pair from the Netherlands

Photo by Crash71100 {flickr}

Around the World in 80 Days – Brazilian Lemonade

Let’s get cooled off with some Brazilian Lemonade!

Brazilian Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients: 

  • 4 juicy limes
  • 4 cups cold water 
  • 1 can sweet condensed milk 
  • Ice 

Instructions: 

  1. Wash your limes and peel two of them. Cut them into 8 wedges and remove the white pith.
  2. Combine the lime wedges and water in your blender and pulse for a few seconds (10  seconds maximum). 
  3. Strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the pulp to extract all the juice.
  4. Return the liquid to the blender and add the sweet condensed milk. Blend until creamy and frothy. 
  5. Serve immediately with ice!

And there you have it — Brazilian lemonade!

Around the World in 80 Days – Germany

GERMANY

Western Europe
Capital: Berlin
Languages: German
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity
(Roman Catholic/Protestant)

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Germans are often seen as open-minded, ambitious, polite, responsible and reliable.
  • Germans are interested in world affairs and/or cultural exchange.

FUN FACTS:

  • Germans generally have a strong passion for soccer and are very proud of being the World Champions in 2014!
  • Even though the country is not that large (357,168.94 square km), you will find many different accents and dialects by traveling from north to south, and from east to west.
  • One of the best known quotes that shows the closeness of the United States and Germany is the one by John F. Kennedy: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (1963), with which he expressed U.S. support in the reconstruction of Germany.

 USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?:    Wie gehts dir?
  • Fine, thanks.:     Gut, danke!
  • My name is…:     Ich heiße…
  • Nice to meet you.:    Schön, dich kennen zu lernen!
  • Thank you:      Danke!

Photo by: Stewart {flickr}

 

 

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 – Finland

FINLAND

Northern Europe
Capital: Helsinki
Language(s): Finnish, Swedish, Sami (regional)
Predominant Religion(s): Christianity (predominantly Lutheran)

Family

  • A typical Finnish family is a nuclear family where both parents are equal.
  • It is common for both parents to work and be away from home during the day – municipal day care centers allow mothers to work full time.
  • Young people in Finland have a lot of freedom from their family to socialize and date.

Education

  • In Finland children start school at age 7 and follow 9 years of basic education. At 16 they may choose to continue their secondary education in either an academic track or a vocational track. The academic year starts in September and ends in May.
  • Education in Finland is free with no tuition fees and with fully subsidized meals served to full-time students until secondary school.
  • Tertiary education is divided into university and polytechnic. Universities and polytechnics have entrance exams and not all applicants are accepted.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS:

  • Finns describe themselves as honest, hardworking, reliable and independent but also shy and quiet when first meeting people.
  • Finns love sports. Many Finnish children play football, ice-hockey or floorball after school.
  • Nature is really important to Finnish people. Nature is the place where Finns go to spend time with their friends and families and just to enjoy the views and the silence.

FUN FACTS:

  • It is a normal to have a sauna in your house, even in apartments. There are about 2.2 million saunas in Finland, 1 for every 2.5 people.
  • Finland is a country with thousands of lakes (about 188,000 lakes).
  • In the summer there are days when the sun never sets and Finland is known as “the land of the midnight sun.”

USEFUL PHRASES:

  • How are you?       Mitä kuuluu?
  • Fine, thanks.       Hyvää, kiitos.
  • My name is…    Minun nimeni on…
  • Nice to meet you.       Mukava tavata.
  • Thank you.       Kiitos.

Photos by: Michael Ranzau {flickr}, Dave Grubb {flickr}, Greenland Travel {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 – Ecuador

Ecuador

South America
Capital: Quito
Languages: Spanish (official), Amerindian languages

Au Pairs in General:

  • The idea of being an au pair is becoming common in Ecuador.
  • Applicants from Ecuador are motivated by the opportunity to improve their English and study in the U.S.
  • The job potential of an au pair improves upon her return to Ecuador.
  • Applicants sometimes have difficulty affording the program fees.
  • Young people in Ecuador have the freedom of their family to socialize and date.
  • Curfews are common.
  • In general, young women are accustomed to sharing in household chores; however, middle class applicants will have maids to perform household tasks.
  • Nudity is not acceptable in public, nor is topless sunbathing.
  • Ecuadorians are family-oriented, warm and conservative.

Diet:

  • Most young people in Ecuador eat meat.
  • Vegetarianism is becoming popular, but is not yet widespread.
  • A typical Ecuadorian diet includes rice, potatoes, and meat. Ecuador is known for its exotic fruits, fish and seafood, tasty soups, and the countless varieties of Andean potatoes.

Religion:

  • The most common religions in Ecuador are Catholicism and Protestantism.
  • Most young people in Ecuador do not practice their religion regularly.

Photo by: Rinaldo Wurglitsch {flickr}

Around the World in 80 Days – Kite Day in Singapore

Kite Day falls on January 19. Everyone who enters the kite competitions in the Singapore Kite Festival must make his or her own kite. Some kites are huge dragons or ships with 19 sails. Judges score competitors’ kites on both artistic design and flying performance. There are team competitions too. The team has to design the kite and they are timed on how long it takes to make it fly. They also have to try to touch a target up in the air.

What do you suppose the weather is like in Singapore in January? Would you fly a kite in January where you live? Here is a link to pictures of kite festivals all over the world.

Try making a kite of your own and trying to fly it!