Saturday, December 7, 2013

Picture and Word of the Day 12/07/13

Picture of the Day 12/07/13
File:The Nelson Mandela House.jpg
Mandela's house in Johannesburg, South Africa 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Nelson_Mandela_House.jpg
Word of the Day 12/07/13

Word: Nahigabea 

Language: Basque 

Meaning: Sorrow 
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Friday, December 6, 2013

Picture and Word of the Day 12/06/13

Picture of the Day 12/06/13
File:Burj Al Arab Dubai.jpg
Burj Al Arab, Dubai, United Arab Emirites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Burj_Al_Arab_Dubai.jpg
Word of the Day 12/06/13

Word: Arkitektura

Language: Filipino 

Meaning: Architecture 
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Thursday, December 5, 2013

Picture and Word of the day 12/05/13

Picture of the Day 12/05/13
Plain of Jars, Laos
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plain_of_Jars_-_Phonsavanh_-_Laos.JPG
Word of the Day 12/05/13

Word: Bátorság

Language: Hungarian 

Meaning: Fortitude 
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

International Sand Sculpting

http://sandingovations.com/

       Sanding Ovations is an international sand sculpting exhibition for the most talented sand sculptors in the world. Fortunately, I traveled to a beach that was hosting the event and I got to see the sculptors making their creations right before my eyes! It was spectacular to see the people, from countries such as the Netherlands and Mexico, making grainy sand come to life while the sun (looking like a fiery, orange ball) dipped below the horizon. Sanding Ovations was founded about 40 years ago by Dan Doubleday and Meredith Corson (both award-winning international sand sculptors as well). Patrons can also commission sculptures from the company for weddings, grand openings, or other promotional events. The actual sculptures are made from a mixture of sand, water, and glue (like Elmer’s glue). This helps the sand particles stick together so they can withstand erosion, high winds, and pelting rain. Last year, the eight or nine sculptures were present on my beach for a few weeks—incredible!



       Every year, there is some sort of theme or motif that the sculptor tries to incorporate into the work; although I am not positive, I think the theme for 2013 was human communications and relationships. I was lucky enough to be on the actual beach while the sculptors were busy at work. They had buckets full of the goopy mixture, a large cement spreader, and chic sunglasses on. Although there has been constant wind, cold weather, and medium rainfall, the figures are still present on the beach after two weeks. It is so neat that artists from all different cultures (i.e. American, Dutch, Mexican, and Canadian) came together in a small town in the USA to make beauty out of sand. Are there any local sand sculptors in your area? Comment below! 

Pictures come from: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sanding-Ovations-Master-Sand-Sculpting-Competition/113061085422214







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Picture and Word of the Day 12/04/13

Picture of the Day 12/04/13
File:Borobudur-Nothwest-view.jpg
Borobudur, Java, Indonesia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Borobudur-Nothwest-view.jpg
Word of the Day 12/04/13

Word: Annaearol 

Language: Welsh 

Meaning: Unearthly 
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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Picture and Word of the day 12/03/13

Picture of the Day 12/03/13
File:Forillon National Park of Canada 2.jpg
Forillon National Park, Canada
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Forillon_National_Park_of_Canada_2.jpg
Word of the Day 12/03/13

Word: ímyndunarafl

Language: Icelandic 

Meaning: Fantasy 
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Monday, December 2, 2013

The School System in France

By : Flavie, France
      Thank-you to my friend, Flavie, who wrote this awesome article for learntravelart!!
Flavie's schedule at lycee (high school) 
       In France, school begins when you are children ; like USA, there are different types of school : for the little children there are ‘école maternelle’-- it’s the preschool for you. After , there is ‘école élémentaire’ or the elementary school and after it’s a little bit different-- we have the ‘ college’. It looks like middle school but the age is not the same ; in France we enter the middle school when we are 11 years old and we finish at 14 years. In United States of America, the middle school length is 3 years. And for the ‘lycée’ or the high school, we have just 3 years. But the French high school is composed by : «la seconde » or the 10th grade. This is a general classroom and after is « première » or 11th grade (we are in speciality). There are 3 specialities : L, ES or S. L is for Literature, ES for Economy and social, S for Sciences. In 10th grade we take our first part of ‘Baccalauréat’ or Bac. The first part is constituted by 4 disciplines :

L
ES
S
Written French
Oral French
Sciences
History and Geography
TPE (Supervised Personal Work)
       And after the 11th grade, we have the last classroom, the ‘Terminal’ or the 12th grade. We pass the 2nd part of Bac with our last disciplines :
L
ES
S
Sport
Philosophy
Litterature
Economy and Social
Physics
History and Geography
Biology
Written and Oral English (or German) LV1*
Written and Oral Spanish (or German, or English) LV2**
Music or Arts
Maths


Summary :

Old
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
USA
 Preschool
Elementary school (1st grade – 5th)
Middle school (6th – 8th)
High school (9th – 12th)

France
Ecole maternelle
Ecole élémentaire (CP au CM2)
Collège (6ieme à la 3ième)
Lycée (2nd à la Terminale)


LV1* : 1st foreign language

LV2** : 2nd foreign language


The French High School :

Typical day in French High School :

       In France, we generally start classes at 8am, and our courses last 55 min each. In terms of the schedule, it remains the same throughout the school year and school year lasts 3 quarters. We usually work 5 days out of 7, Monday through Friday and sometimes until Saturday morning for some schools. Our days last approximately 7 hours (of classes) excluding the lunch hour. So our days consist of 2 consecutive hours, 15 min break, then another 2 hours. After one to two hour break for lunch, we start as in the morning.
The lunch break we eat in a "self" (like a cafeteria) and we have access by a card with money in it to pay the meal (about € 3.50 a meal). Our meals consist of a starter, main course, cheese, fruit and yogurt.
The cafeteria at Lycée Descartes, Tours 
        In 2nd (10th) we must take a mandatory option (you have the choice between arts, music, Latin, Ancient Greek, LV3, Literature and Society ...) and for the 1ère (11th) we have the choice of either continuing this option, stop it, or even take another. You should know that these options give us bonus points for our tray (you can get 30 more points with that). In Terminal you must choose a specialty ; in my section I had a choice between math, political science or eco depth (I chose special math, because it is easier). For the Bac, these options are added in our tests. That is to say that for my math test I have one more speciality maths's exercise, which is the same for those who have taken political science(they will have one more exercise--1 hour more).

How does Bac Exams work?

       In the Terminals (12th) we stop school in June because we have a revision period to complete the exam. We review all of our disiplines (all lessons). Then we have to go to different events, each lasts 4 hours except oral language tests (which lasts about 20 minutes), where we present a document and discuss it with juries who evaluate us.
Library at Descartes, Tour 
Music classroom at Descartes 
The School Entrance – Lycée Descartes, Tours 
(generally the High schools are in the heart of the city, or a little further) 
Lycée Descartes (the building in the middle of the pic) 
Questions? Comments? Leave them in the section below!
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Picture and Word of the Day 12/02/13

Picture of the Day 12/02/13
Chateau d Eau in Montpellier, France
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80942291@N00/5057246760/in/photolist-8GTHgE-8eG5zB
Word of the Day 12/02/13

Word: Pasta za zube 

Language: Croatian 

Meaning: Toothpaste 

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Sunday, December 1, 2013

Rotary ShelterBoxes

Rotary ShelterBoxes
ShelterBox
http://shelterboxusa.org/about.php?page=9
         The Rotary Club (founded 1905), which is dedicated to serving people around the world, adopted the Shelterbox project in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan struck the area.  Shelterboxes are large, 120 lb crates that contain supplies and shelter for up to 10 people to live in at one time. They include a tent, packaged food, blankets, mosquito nets, a stove, children’s toys, and tools. They are manufactured in Cornwall, England, and are distributed throughout the world when disasters occur. They cost around $1000 each, and are distributed/set up by trained Shelterbox Response Teams in high-stress areas. When assembled together, a tent city is erected, a symbol of hope and regeneration for many people who have lost everything they own. The foundation was started in 2000, and 13 years later, 90 countries have received aid from the handy boxes. 
Shelter Box City
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShelterBox
        This project has been the largest in Rotary’s History, and the first shipment of boxes was to India in 2001 (after the earthquake in the Gujarat region). Rotary has even started a Youth Exchange Challenge--to earn a pin, students need to raise money for one shelterbox and make a presentation on the initiative! On a local scale, my grandfather’s Rotary Club has managed to send two Shelterboxes to another Rotary Club near Tacloban. By sending the boxes directly from one club (which is not-for-profit) to another, the possibility of stealing and other corruption is avoided. My grandfather’s foundation alone donated $500 for the life-saving cause! Finally, Shelterbox’s goal is to aid 50,000 families in need a year—to help them achieve this, click here: https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/ShelterBoxUSAInc/OnlineGiving.htm
l
ShelterBox Logo
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_ShelterBox_fundraising_collection_box_at_Isles_of_Scilly,_2010.jpg
What we do
A tent city
http://shelterboxusa.org/about.php?page=1

Shelterbox USA: http://shelterboxusa.org/index.php
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What’s your favorite country and why?

On Interpals, I asked a few teenagers (aged 14-18) from all different countries, "What’s your favorite country and why?" Thank-you for everyone who answered--I received some great responses!

Interpals profile: http://www.interpals.net/LearnTravelArt

Paula, Poland
“- Poland, for Warsaw, beautiful landscapes, nature, food, castles, folk clothes, cities, traditions, difficult language and interesting, but sad history.
- the Czech Rep. for Prague and Alphonse Mucha.
- Hungary, for history, friendship between the Hungarians and Poles, folk music and clothes.
- Russia, for language, folklore, bedtime cartoons, Moscow and St. Petersburg.”

Oksana, Ukraine
“My favorite country is USA, because it is a beautiful country and they have the best president.”
Szymon, Poland
“I like my country and France, those countries I like them because they are beautiful countries :)”

Minhae, Italy
“My favourite country is Korea. I fell in love with it because of music ( K-pop ) but I also want to learn more about their culture and my dream is to travel there one day :D”
Enzo, Italy

My favourite country is France. I love french style, french art, french pastry, french everything XD
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Picture and Word of the Day 12/01/13

Picture of the Day 12/01/13
File:St Vitus.jpg
St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Czech Republic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Vitus.jpg
Word of the Day 12/01/13

Word: Niegrzeczny 

Language: Polish 

Meaning: Naughty
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