TOPICS: Could you tell us about the custom of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day? John Davis: In Georgia, it’s a tradition to eat black-eyed peas and turnip greens. The peas represent copper and the greens are dollars. We say each pea you eat equals one dollar’s worth of earning, and each portion of turnip … Read more
“Mom. How can I protect myself from ghosts when I meet them?” my four-year-old daughter asked me. These days she is interested in ghosts because she enjoyed watching horror films on TV during the Halloween season. Even though she is scared of them, she still watched from under a blanket. I could see only her … Read more
We all played simple games when we were very young. Here are three games that international students from Germany, Switzerland, and Korea played as toddlers (very young children). Toddlers like to play with pots and pans. A pot on the head of one foot in the pot s a lot of fun! 1. Topfschlagen (Hit the Pot) Carolyn Behne … Read more
A crazy project, a terrible idea to film a guy as soon as he was born and to build around him a huge studio set that looks like a town. Director: Peter Weir Type: Drama, Fantasy Actors: Jim Carrey (Truman Burbank) Laura Linney (Meryl) Noah Emmerich (Marlon) Natascha McElhone (Lauren/Sylvia) Holland Taylor (Truman’s mother) Brian Delate (Truman’s Father) … Read more
Ngoc Dinh-Quang Pham from Vietnam Organizing a wedding is very important for a couple because it’s an event that happens once in their life. So, the prepare carefully for the marriage ceremony. One day before the ceremony, both families build a frame made from coconut leaves in front of their houses. On the top of … Read more
This is the story of a beautiful moon princess, but it is also a story about bamboo, a plant which was once believed to be sacred. Once upon a time there was an old man and his wife. One day he went to a bamboo grove to collect bamboo shoots, where he found a bamboo … Read more
Maricira Marcano from Venezuela There is also a special tradition of decorating with a Pecebre, or manger. The most important part of the Pecebre is the baby Jesus with his mother and father. We put the baby in the Pecebre at 12:00 midnight. In Venezuela, we celebrate Christmas on December 24th. Our tradition is to … Read more
A Traditional Turkish Folktale This traditional Turkish folktale tells the story of a greedy man who is never satisfied with what he has. The more he gets, the more he wants. There was a farmer in a village. He was very ambitious. He wanted to make more and more money. In the spring time, when … Read more
Halloween in Mexico (called Los Dias de los Muertos in Spanish) is a different celebration from Halloween in all the other countries. Even though, it’s the day of death in Mexico, death brings laughter, and in that celebration, the Mexican people play with death, making people laugh. The celebration includes jokes, parties, dancing, music, and … Read more
Vivien Yoshikawa from Brazil says it is common for teenagers to work in her country In my country, Brazil, teenagers usually work. The poorer they are, the more they have to work. One of the most important reasons why they work is to earn money. They spend money on different things. It depends on if … Read more