Blogs of the world

Take another look at Kazakhstan

liz — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:47:32 +0000

Kazakh Nomad shows ‘A Westerner’s view of Kazakhstan’. It’s written by American teacher who would like to help other Westerners understand more about Kazakhstan and its history, traditions and culture.

There’s a lot of reading here for anyone who wants to get to know Kazakhstan. You could start with these photo posts: Kazakh faces, Kazakh costumes and yurts.

Next, discover the meanings behind some Kazakh names and proverbs. By now you might be planning your trip. Make your mind up with these recommendations from Kazakh students on why you should visit Almaty. And if you can’t make it, console yourself with the abundance of other facts and opinions you’ll find on Kazakh Nomad.

Thanks to KZ Blog for recommending this site.

Eat Malaysian

liz — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:24:15 +0000

Have your cake and eat it too is about food, and Malaysia, in that order. Posts are beautifully presented, photos are gorgeous, and the theme is a perfect way to learn something about Malaysia through its cuisine.

You could start by reading about the various holidays and festivals celebrated in Malaysia:

The seasons sure do fly, and although we theoretically only have one season in my country, ie, summer, we do have the entire year dotted with festivals that make this country the united colors of benetton as it were. In my country, in January & February, it’s usually Chinese New Year-ish, then we have the Hindu celebration of Thaipusam, where devotees fast and pierce themselves with hooks and such, and carry the portable deities called Kavadis. In the March - April months, we have a mixture of Qing Ming, Lent, Easter, etc… more minor, those, and don’t warrant a public holiday. At some point, the Chinese have their dumpling festival, and then we have the Mooncake festival, Deepavali, and Christmas.

Phew! If that’s whetted your appetite, delve more into some Malaysian celebrations with Buka Puasa, about breaking the Ramadan fast, and Moony Moony Moony about innovative kinds of Moon cakes already on sale in preparation for the Chinese new year.

How to Overcome your Shyness

carmen — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:02:16 +0000

Getutza lives in Campulung Moldovenesc, a small, calm town in a mountain region of Romania. She is a timid person who has discovered that blogging can help her overcome her shyness. Here is her story:

Hello Getutza, thank you for accepting to give this interview to Pocket Cultures. What can you tell our readers about you?

I‘m 48 years old. Some time ago I was pensioned for medical reasons, after I had been working as a chemical operator in the lab of a geological prospecting plant. At present, I live alone in Campulung Moldovenesc. My parents passed away and my brother is living in another town.

Have you been living in this town, Campulung Moldovenesc since you were a child? Please tell us a little about your hometown and the touristic attractions of the region.

I was born in Campulung Moldovenesc and have always lived there. The town is located at the root of Rarau Mountains. It is an important link point for many touristic itineraries in Bucovina and especially for visiting the painted monasteries of Voronet, Humor, Vatra Moldovitei, Sucevita, Dragomirna and Putna, famous mediaeval architecture monuments. We have touristic attractions in Campulung too. For example the Wood Art Museum (Muzeul “Arta Lemnului”); “Ion Tugui” Wood Spoons Collection (Colectia de linguri de lemn “Ion Tugui”) unique in Europe due to its diversity; and the “Ioan Gramada” Ethnografic Museum (Muzeul Etnografic “Ioan Gramada”).

How do people spend an ordinary day in Campulung Moldovenesc?

For other people an ordinary day in a small town like Campulung Moldovenesc could look boring. Certainly not! The people here have plenty to do in a workday. In summer they usually wake up at around 5 a.m. and in winter at around 6 a.m. They feed the animals, then clean the stables and milk the sheep and the cows. Then follows the milk distribution and other seasonal work in their households. In summer, making and shocking the hay. In winter, spinning the wool, knitting and weaving.

Do you like to travel and meet new people ? What other hobbies do you have?

Travelling is my pleasure. Last year I took part in all six excursions organized within “Travelling outside the barriers” programme, developed by Orizonturi Foundation. I’ve enjoyed being with my colleagues and friends from the foundation, but also to meet new people in the places we visited. At the same extent, I am interested in listening to music and reading. I’m listening especially to music of the 80’s and I read with great pleasure both Marin Preda, my favourite Romanian writer and foreign writers like Louis Bromfield (with “The Rains Came”).

Where did you find out about Orizonturi Foundation and how have you decided to start a blog?

During my first hospitalizations I’ve participated in “Edelweiss” Literary Group meetings within the organization (which, at that time, had a small room inside the hospital). That’s how I met those from Orizonturi Foundation. Later I started to participate in other activities and programmes of the foundation. At first I didn’t have any computer abilities. The invitation to “Blogging the Dream” Programme has been a challenge for me. I’ve learnt Computer Operating Basics, surfing the Internet, using Social Media and how to start a blog. For me, the blog is a way of expressing myself and to show off my feelings more easily than if I were to speak to people directly. Even if writing is not my strong point, I try to share with my readers at least some of my thoughts, worries, but also some of my joys.

Why did you name it “Singuratate” (Loneliness) ?

I’ve named my blog “Singuratate” (Loneliness) because loneliness is my deepest feeling. I strongly believe there are a lot of people in this world who feel the same thing, who live alone, isolated, without friends or close people to visit them and tell them words of encouragement. I’ve wanted to suggest all these through the title of my blog. Maybe those who understand its meaning and share the same feeling, will contact me. And so we could get loneliness out of our lives.

Which is the best thing that has happened to you since you have started blogging? Could you say that blogging has changed your life ?

The idea of starting a blog has attracted me in my attempt to beat my shyness, to fight with my loneliness, to do something new and interesting. I come with great pleasure at Bloggers’ Club, glad to meet my friends and to “discover” the mysteries and the benefits of a virtual world. I’ve succeeded a little to overcome my shyness and I can say that, to a certain extent, blogging has changed my life.

What is your opinion about PocketCultures, site which “aims to provide a guide to world cultures”?

PocketCultures is an interesting and educative initiative. It enables you to find out things you don’t usually read in newspapers or see on TV. Ordinary people speak about their everyday life, customs and traditions, as they know and respect. Information comes straight from the source; that’s why, besides authenticity, they also have a certain “flavour”. On PocketCultures you can find people and things you couldn’t ever find out, maybe.

You have a real passion for cooking. Would you like to share with our readers one of your favourite Romanian recipes?

As any genuine “Bucovina Woman” I have a passion for cooking and especially for preparing cakes. “Sarmalute cu urda” is one of my favourite recipes. Here it is:

½ kg green cheese
2 middle onions, sliced
1 cup of rice
1 bunch of dill, chopped up
salt & pepper
200 g chopped bacon

You saute the sliced onions in a small quantity of oil, then, after 3-4 minutes you add the rice and you cook them together until the rice is soft.

Take the pan off the fire and add the chopped dill and the green cheese, salt and pepper and mix them well. Then add the chopped bacon (previously fried for 3-4 minutes in a pan).

With a spoon you take small quantities of this composition and roll them in boiled patience or beetroot leaves. Bon appetit!

I‘ve noticed you haven‘t been posting lately. Still, will you carry on?

I don’t own a PC and I do my computer work either at the Club or at one of my friends, when it’s possible. Moreover, I spend a lot of time with my hobby, the cakes. Together with one of my neighbours I prepare cakes for special events…

Special thanks for making this interview possible to Lucy Chatburn, David Sasaki, Gabriela Tanasan and Getutza Mindrila. All photos are part of Getutza‘s personal album.

Black thoughts, multicultural perspective

rebecca — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:43:58 +0000

Eugenia Flynn is a 27 year old, Larrakia and Tiwi woman from the Northern Territory, Australia. She now lives in Adelaide, where she works as the General Manager of an Indigenous youth performing arts company, and writes about identity and culture.

She has a background in government policy development, in the areas of young people, Aboriginal health and economic disadvantage. Eugenia says:

“I like to write about the world we live in from the point-of-view of an Aboriginal Australian, Chinese, Muslim Female. I know that’s a lot of labels, but you should know that I refuse to be wholly defined by any of them.”

Eugenia is exploring her Muslim identity after converting to Islam 8 years ago and maintains a strong Chinese identity through the Teo Chew language group.

Her blog, Black Thoughts Live Here, is written in an honest, engaging and conversational style that challenges readers to examine their own views.

One popular post generating discussion is Why yes, I am a woman….. Here Eugenia shares her views on the hijab as “a reflection of my personal modesty…a beautiful expression and adornment of feminine beauty”. These notions of femininity are explored further as she examines the roles of men and women in Muslim culture.

Check out the biography section of her blog to read about her contribution to political and racial matters. Black Thoughts Live Here is an insightful blog to visit for a thought provoking read and a multi-cultural perspective of Australia.

Image credit: Neuro74 on Flickr

Hello from Rio!

marta — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:29:03 +0000

Daily Rio Life is a blog written by a Canadian expat woman originally from Calgary who has been living in Rio de Janeiro for two years. She writes about her life in Brazil and covers topics such as preparing a move and choosing a neighbourhood. She also offers a shopping guide, and tips to enjoy the city, for example, restaurants to enjoy… or to avoid!

One of my favourite posts deals with the psychological exam you have to take to get a Brazilian driver’s licence. It’s surreal! Very fun to read, I guess not much fun to actually sit that type of exam! You can read this post here. A useful blog for anyone wanting to move to Rio!

Secrets from Saudi

liz — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:09:11 +0000

Little Pink Strawberries is written by Noor, who is originally from East Tennessee but now lives with her husband and son in Saudi Arabia.

Look behind the cute design and you’ll find lots of information on Saudi and Middle Eastern customs, such as Wasta, Arabian traditions of making and wearing perfume and a guide to different types of face coverings.

Perhaps most intriguing is the weekly post a secret Sunday, where readers post their anonymous secrets.

Thanks to Noor for submitting her blog. Want to pick next week’s Blog of the World? Tell us about it here.

An American expat blogging from Necochea

ana — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:21:04 +0000

Katie Alley is a Philadelphia native who moved to the seaside town of Necochea –Argentina- after maintaining a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend Daniel for over two years. For both personal and work-related reasons, they decided that it would be more feasible for her to make the move to Argentina instead of Daniel moving to the United States.

Katie started her blog Seashells and Sunflowers as a way to chronicle her adventures and experiences in Argentina and as a means of connecting with other expats. It’s also been a great way to keep friends and family back in the United States up to date.

Katie’s passion for photography shows in her photos. She also loves cooking and writing about recipes and ingredients that are unique to Argentina, like cornalitos fritos or locro.

Katie also writes about cultural differences and how she has adapted to life in a new country, like the time she joined a choir or was “rechristened” at the immigrations office.

Not only is Seashells and Sunflowers a treasure trove of information about Argentina; its blogrolls are extensive and cover diverse topics from food to news to links for expats.

Little spots of great beauty

liz — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:14:39 +0000

Paulina describes her blog Santiago Open City as “a digital map of my footsteps and existence”.

Santiago is Paulina’s hometown and she has been blogging about it for almost a year. Posts consist of photos with short descriptions (in English and Spanish) and I enjoy the way you can see the small details of life in the city of Santiago through her blog.

Singing in the rain, by Paulina Millaman

I asked Paulina what she likes best about living in Santiago:

“Santiago is gigantic and cold sometimes, but it has little spots of great beauty and sometimes twilights are marvellous and magic (maybe these phenomena were caused by air pollution, who knows)”

Why not take a look at Paulina’s blog and discover some of Santiago’s little spots of beauty for yourself?

Uruguay’s school bloggers

liz — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:46:53 +0000

Uruguay is one of the pioneering countries in the one laptop per child project. By the end of 2009 every child attending a state primary school had been provided with one of the famous green and white laptops.

Rising Voices wrote about Uruguay’s efforts to educate teachers about the benefits of teaching children to blog, through a project called Blogging since Infancy.

Reading about this project, I learnt that each school in Uruguay has a number. School number 24, in Villa Cardal, started an experimental blog which links individual blogs from each class in the school. If you read Spanish you can take a look here, and if you don’t, have a go at reading it with Google Translate.

School number 153, in Canelones, have been using their colourful blog to give homework, among other things. Spanish version is here, translated version here.

Libyan summer

liz — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:18:00 +0000

KhadijaTeri is an American who has been living in Libya since 1989 with her Libyan husband and their six children.

Her blog, which is also called KhadijaTeri, is about daily life with her family in Tripoli, the capital city of this North African country. Over in Libya the countdown to Ramadan has already started and families are starting to stock up with food and other provisions.

Tripoli’s old city. Credit.

The weather in Tripoli is very hot at this time of year, and KhadijaTeri writes that her children make the most of the cool part of the day by going outside to play between 5:30am and 8am.

I could only give you a taste in this post, but Khadija has been blogging since 2004 so there’s plenty to go at if you want to read more about life in Libya.