Culture in Norway-Emily

Culture in Norway

Norway has a lot of cultural aspects that we would consider different than what we have in the US or in other countries. One of these aspects is how women are treated. In business, women receive equal pay and promotions to men. Another large aspect of culture in Norway is the food. There is the Norwegian Food Festival held in Alesund every August, and there are specific things that Norway is famous for such as seafood, including salmon and whale, and Fiskepudding. Norwegian folklore is also a very large part of the culture in Norway. There are many folk stories that are famous for their Norwegian forest setting. There is also the folk dress in Norway, which includes the Bunad, a traditional costume dating back to the 1800’s. All of this affects the culture in Norway in a large way, but the one thing that affects it the most in my opinion is the folk music. Folk music traditions have been passed down through each generation for hundreds of years. One thing that has been passed down through generations is the Hardingfele, which translates to ‘Hardanger fiddle’. It is considered the official instrument of Norway. It is also famous for it’s use on the Lord of the Rings soundtracks. Another popular instrument in Norway is the Langeleik, a harp-like instrument from the Middle Ages. The oldest langeleik was found in Norway just a few years ago, and was from 1524. These are the different aspects of culture that you might see while in Norway, thanks for reading!

When we where in Ireland, I went crazy on the food. I wanted to try so many different foods. The very first restaurant we went to is Annie’s Restaurant. We got to try three different foods, and say I wanted to have two plates of something I would only have to pay for one plate of it. I wanted to eat was Irish Stew. Irish stew is a traditional food. There is potatoes, carrots, beef, onions and you and you add salt and pepper. Oh my gosh, I fell in love with the beef stew. I had 2 bowls of it, it was just that good. Then the next meal I ate was Champ. Champ is creamy mash potatoes with a lot of butter and some seasonings. All I can say it that I’ve never had mash potatoes that good before. The next day for lunch we went to a restaurant called “Wimpy’s”, it was very similar to “Friendly's”. I got a steak, egg, with fish n’ chips. It was very good and different. I liked how it was breakfast with dinner. tonight is our last night, we met some people here and they are making us a big dinner for us because it was our last night. When we arrived there was a ton of appetizers. I tried a lot of the appetizers. I tried; Irish egg rolls, Irish nachos which was terrific, and guinness batter onion rings. For the main course meal we had pig, they just put the cooked pig in the middle of the table and we just grab what we want. We also had; potato cabbage soup, coddle, boxty,and mac ‘n’ cheese with pesto. for dessert we had butter bread pudding, Irish cheese cake and homemade ice cream!

Food In Spain

Well hello there everybody. My name is Katie Sinclair and welcome to my blog! Currently, I’m in Spain. The thing that interests me the most in Spain is definitely the food! There are so many dishes in Spain that it was very hard to choose.

My personal favorite so far is Paella. Paella is wicked delicious and everyone should try it atleast once in their life. Paella, is a popular rice dish prepared with seafood. (Common Foods In Spain). Its sweet, tangy flavor and crunchy texture is to die for. When I was at a restaurant ordering, an old man seated at the table next to me suggested Paella, and I wasn’t going to be rude, so I ordered it. I thought it was going to be nasty because seafood is not my ideal food. When the waiter delivered my meal to me, I took a little bite and was shocked. My taste buds were going nuts! It was so good.

My Top 5 Foods In Spain!

#1 Paella- Rice dish prepared with seafood. Really popular in Spain.

#2 Gazpacho- Cold tomato soup or liquid salad.

#3 Patatas Bravas- Fried potatoes in spicy sauce.

#4 Tapas- Collection of appetizers.

#5 Jamon- Strips of ham. (Almost like bacon.)

German Culture - Music (Eric Osgood)

September 15th, 2013
Day 5478
Star Log 5242

It has been about 15 years since departure from my homeland, and I have still not made it back. I have found myself into a strange land of odd architecture and sounds. I believe the natives of this land call it “Germany.” Here, the music is rather pleasant. I have found a recording device - called a CD - with some of the music contained inside. Inscribed upon the device is a name - supposedly the musician. The name was Johann Strauss II, apparently a famous classical composer, with expertise in the classical, orchestral, and opera types of music.
I hope to discover more about this strange disc and its owner. I shall have a report hopefully by tomorrow.

September 19th, 2013
Day 5482
Star Log 5243

This disc is fascinating! The music on it is amazingly capacitive and appears to tell a story. Since my last log, I have conducted a bit of research on the artist using some of the native’s primitive technology - believe me, it is far behind our technological advancement. As I have learned more and more, I have become more intrigued about this music, the musician, and others like him. As for my research, here is what I have gotten at the moment of writing this:

Born on October 25th, 1825 in Vienna, Austria, Johann Strauss II is known to be the “Waltz King,” for his popular waltz pieces and performances. Although his father hoped for him to become a banker, he secretly studied the violin on his own. Throughout his career, he wrote more than 400 Waltzes and changed the Waltz from a Folk informal dance to a proper “rich man’s “ dance. He died on June 3rd, 1899, in the city of his birth.

I have also acquired an old photograph of himself that I have included within my research. I hope it will paint a picture for what he looked like.

September 21st, 2013
Day 5484
Star Log 5244

I am truly thankful for being stranded here! The music is amazing, and the people are just the same! Why, just yesterday, I attended a concert in the Dortmund Concert Hall that played music from almost every time period. I wish it could have lasted longer, but alas, it could only go on for 6 hours. I noticed that there were some pieces played from Johann Strauss II, Beethoven (a musician I stumbled upon while researching Strauss), Mozart, and more that I could not name! I am glad I attended.
Sadly, I must depart from this place, as I am starting to get strange looks from those around - and some glances from the local authorities (maybe it’s the suit?). I will be heading towards the west, into a Land I have heard be called France. I can’t wait to find what’s in store!

Beethoven                    Mozart

          

Albania And language

“Gjuha është Shqipëria është shumë e ndryshme se tonat. Shqiptarët janë krijuesit dhe përdoruesit e një prej gjuhëve më themelore të njerëzimit, një gjuhë që e ka vendin e vet të përhershme me një duzinë apo më shumë nga gjuhët kryesore të botës.”  

That is how you say “The language in Albania is very different than our own. The Albanians are the creators and users of one of humankind’s most fundamental languages, a language that has its permanent place with a dozen or so of the main languages of the world,” Language is a very important part in their culture. They have a lot of countries near by the speak a lot of different languages but because of the popularity of the Albanian language it helps out everyone stay in touch, even if they are in different countries. The language is very hard to learn. Mostly if you are American, because the American language is filled with weird spellings and nouns and such. My dad’s family started in Albania so i have always wanted to travel there. When we went on our Euro trip I stayed in Europe while everyone else left. I took what money i had left and took a fishing boat to Albania. I had to learn the language there because i was out of money and had no way home. So i had a great idea. I learned their language and became a Translator. They get payed very well. After a while i was very fluent in Albanian and i was forgetting American English. Once i had enough i got back stateside.

The Language of England

Being the klutzy person I am, I just about managed to bump into everyone on the streets of London. The expressions they gave me were just about as weird as what they said. On Tuesday as I was just getting off the bus, a relatively elderly woman stepped in my way. Of course at that time I had chosen to check Facebook and update my Status. Gravity seemed to be against me as the poor woman and I collided, falling onto the zebra crossing (crosswalk). With anger in her eyes the woman shouted, “Oi! Are you arsehold?” Just to make the woman angrier, because it wasn't my fault that we just so happened to bump into each other, I looked up the word on my phone. I’m not ashamed to admit that I laughed in the ladies face. Of course I wasn't a drunk, I’m only 15.

The following day Katie and I went to the London Eye. It was the biggest Ferris wheel that I've ever seen in my life!

The London Eye at twilight

Besides the pretty lights and beautiful scenery, some of the people behind us weren't as kind or pretty. The long line just to get on the Eye took forever and Katie and I weren't the only ones getting antsy.  We heard numerous amount of shouting behind us like, “Oi I’m so cheesed off!” or “ I've got to Jimmy Riddle!” We didn't understand most of it, but after some research we found out what they meant.

Top 10 Favorite British Slang Phrases/Words

10. Quid -Idiot

9. Pants- Blows, as in “that blows”.

8. Prat- A stupid or foolish person
7. Pukka- Genuine, authentic; first-class

6. Boffin- Scientific expert

5. Gormless- Lacking intelligence,

4. Chunter- To mutter

3. Jiggery- pokery- Dishonest or suspicious

2. Wanker- Idiot

1. Twee- Dainty, delicate, cute

Even though we were only in London for two days I found myself talking with a British accent and using their unusual slang. I did some research on their dialect and found out that it’s the most obsessed dialect in the world. Their pronunciation is the closest to a “standard accent” that has ever existed in the UK. It emerged from the 18th and 19th century and has stayed the same since then. That may not be a long time, but with English our generation has twisted it into our own language and I’m surprised the teens in their country haven’t done the same.

Stay tuned because next week I’ll be flying to Japan. And they speak a WHOLE different language there!

Food In Italy

Oh mio Dio, il cibo qui è assolutamente delizioso. (Oh my god, the food here is absolutely delicious). In Italy they grow Oranges, Apples, Peaches, Tomatoes, Garlic, Rice and Wheat. They use the food they grow for their awesome dishes. Tomatoes are grown all over Italy in various places. “They turn the tomatoes into a paste or pasta sauce. They turn the wheat into pasta and biscuits/ cookies”("ITALY FOOD”). I guess in Italy  biscuits and cookies are the same thing. Now the Garlic is used in many and I mean MANY dishes. They especially like to crush it up and put it pasta sauce and salads, They also use garlic to add a little kick to the meats. “For breakfast they drink hot chocolate, tea, coffee and or other fruit juices. They eat fresh rolls with butter or they can just eat cheese” if that is what they prefer("ITALY FOOD”).

On the morning of 1/14/13 I woke up and drank a cup of some delicious tea and ate a roll with butter on it. In Italy lunch is at a specific time, Kind of like back in the U.S its noontime only in Italy is at 12:30. “They eat pizza or sandwiches for lunch. Sometimes it can be a meal at a restaurant” ("ITALY FOOD"). I ended up eating some pizza for lunch, Their pizza is not as greasy as back in the U.S. It’s much healthier and tastes a lot better. “Dinner time is around 7:30 but many Italians eat after eight”(ITALY FOOD). For dinner I ordered antipasto, (“Which is a plate of Olives, Cheese, Salami, egg and tomato”)(“ITALY FOOD”). Fettuccine Alfredo and some Pork. I know it sounds gross but it was absolutely delicious.

I noticed that they have “different courses, like after the pasta course it would be followed by a kind of meat or fish” ("Food"). While I was walking down the street I “asked ten people for pasta sauce recipes. I ended up with ten different recipes, That’s how traditional their pasta sauce is” (“Interesting Facts & Information”). My advice? Go to Italy and try it yourself. You won't regret it!