Friday Activities: Sports in Wash Park and the Zombie Crawl

The week before last we went to Washington Park and played sports. Here are pictures from the day! Thank you Merlina for providing the pictures!

Last week we went to the Zombie Crawl! I only have one picture right now, but I will post more shortly!

Next Friday: Haunted House! GET SCARED!!!!!

Student Work- Articles

Our students are amazing writers. Here are four articles from four different incredible students. Enjoy!

A RESTLESS TRAVELER

Living in another country is probably one of the most rewarding decisions you can make in life. Regardless of the reason, studying or working, it is such a rich experience that a person’s life will never be the same again.

To spend a part of your life in another country makes you grow. You become independent and gain maturity. But getting involved in a different culture changes you forever. You reach a point where you stop comparing both cultures and just live. Live and enjoy. So when you go back home you have opposing emotions. You used to think life in your country was better, but you are not sure anymore. Some time ago I read an article that made me think about this idea, “Returning home after living abroad”¹, by Corey Heller. She talks about what experts call the Reverse Culture Shock as a consequence of living in another country. It is, in a few words, the feeling of always missing something. You miss your own culture while you are living abroad, but when you go back home, you start missing the foreign country, and it takes a while to readjust to your old life. 

In some cases, you start having that feeling all the time; even when you move to a different city in your own country. You become a lonely traveler, who spends their life missing people, places and situations. However, what you really miss is a place in a concrete period of your life. In fact, if you had the opportunity of going back there, it would not be the same, and it would probably disappoint you. It does not look as you knew it. It is not the same anymore.

The only thing I find the same is my hometown. Every time I go back there and stay at my parents’, I feel I am at home. There you feel comfortable and safe. So you wish you could stop the clock and stay. But after a while, you need to leave again, even if you do not have to. You do not live there anymore, either. And start over all the process. 

Maybe you think I am exaggerating. Perhaps I am just a nomad and I did not know that. Perhaps I noticed it when I went overseas for the first time. But of one thing I am sure. I am thankful for being a traveler, and if I had the opportunity, I would do the same again.

                                                                                                                             By: Ines Pascual                      

America, Country Supersize?

There are lots of stereotypes about the US back in Switzerland. One of the most common is that everything is a dimension larger. The big American dream got a new meaning, because many Swiss have the impression that America is the country where the definition of big is regenerated. But what is the reality?

What's obvious is the size of the country. America has a population of more than 315 million people 1), Switzerland on the other hand, has around eight million- less than 2.5% of the US population. Not only is the country way bigger, but also the cities are much larger. The largest city in the US is New York 1) with more than eight million residents. In fact the number of people living in “Big Apple” is just as many inhabitants as the whole of Switzerland. The largest city in Switzerland, with 380,000 citizens is Zurich and by US standards that's just a little tiny town. For sure you know that the area of the US is enormous, it's the fourth largest country in the world depending on the area 1). No wonder that the Americans take the car for everything. Yes, maybe there are a few lazy people, but the big distances between the cities is a huge problem for public transportation and travelers. The Swiss think that the Americans are just super lazy and that's why they take the car everywhere, but especially in Colorado, one of the healthiest states of the US, it's not like that. In Switzerland the distances are a piece of cake, in three hours you're across the whole country by car or by train. Some people in the US have to drive more than two hours just to go to work.

Small, Medium, Large is not enough for our friends in the west, they always have a bigger size. In the fast-food restaurants they call it “supersize”, “giant size”, “double the portion” or “all you can eat”. A few places even let you take home a second meal for just a couple of bucks more. That’s awesome! You don’t have to cook the day after, and you can enjoy the good food from the restaurant twice, what more do you want? In Switzerland you pay for everything; there are even places where they charge you for tab water or bread. It’s rare but it shows the big difference between the food prices. Thanks to international companies like Mc Donald’s, we are able to compare the prices pretty well. A Big Mac in the US is $4.2, in Switzerland the same piece of bread and the same piece of meat is $6.8. It’s more than one and a half times the US-price. In the US you can have a good dinner for two for $30 in a fancy restaurant. In Switzerland? Forget that! It’s at least $60 per person. Still there is a small thing that I don’t like about the US prices in the restaurants and that’s gratuity and sales tax. Of course not in the cheap fast food restaurants, but if it’s a bit a better place, they put a price on their menu and you have to add 10-20% more depending on your satisfaction. For me it’s still a mystery why they don’t put the final price including gratuity and taxes on their bill. In Switzerland you have the right not to pay one cent more than the advertised price; gratuity and taxes are included, so Swiss people who are for the first time in the US think it’s crazy cheap until they see the final bill!

 Some Americans take the slogan “the bigger the better” a bit too serious. They adapt this sentence to their weight and their calorie intake per day. So far not so good, because that leads to a very high obesity rate at all ages. More than one third of the US population is obese. 2) More shocking is that this number is growing quickly. The connection between education and shape is huge, people with smaller income are fatter than people with big salaries. Besides the reason that educated people often care more about their eating behaviors, the cheap fast food is also a big problem. In the US unhealthy food is cheaper than healthy food. You can get a Big Mac for $4.2 but a salad is around $6. Even if you cook for yourself it’s sometimes cheaper to go to Mc Donald’s and eat a meal there. Now back to the comparison with Switzerland, we are not the top sports nation on the planet, but there are fewer fat people in Switzerland. Why? It’s hard to say because eating behaviors are also a part of the culture. In general fast food is as expensive as if you cooked for yourself, so there is no financial reason to go to Mc Donald’s. Further, the average education in Switzerland is better than in the US. Poor people have the same possibilities as rich people have, because in Switzerland almost everybody goes to a public school. A part of the public school curriculum is culinary school. We learn how to prepare cheap, but healthy and tasty meals.

I already talked about the price difference between these countries. You take the Swiss price and you double or triple it and you have the US price. Sure the average salary is higher in Switzerland than in the US, but the purchasing power is still higher in the US. If for example, you live in Zurich more than half of your income can be spent on an apartment, then you have to pay taxes on it, health insurance, and a pension plan. The rest is not that much if you have to buy food at Swiss prices.

Concerning the prices, the most ridiculous thing is that in face Swiss products like watches and chocolate are cheaper in the US. Switzerland is an export orientated country but it just doesn’t make sense to me that the same product is cheaper after a flight of 4,000 miles and US taxes. You even pay less for a chocolate bar from Lindt here in the US even if it was produced in Kilchberg, Switzerland.

In the end we realize on our trips to the US and other countries in the world, that we are a high-priced country. But at the end of the day, it’s also an advantage because for many people Switzerland stands for quality so they are willing to pay more. 

By: 

Fly to America!

The biggest dream of many people is to travel. We want to travel and see the world. America is one of the greatest countries on earth that we all certainly want to visit. Belarus is surrounded with five different countries that have their own culture, language and weather. Why do Belarusians want to visit USA which is miles away and not countries encircling or proximate countries? Let’s find out why!

No matter the time of the year in Belarus, you can always find any season you want in America. If you are a tourist, you can always find all different kinds of entertainments, from alpine or cross skiing, to a warm and relaxing time on the beach. If your goal is to study, than you have made the right choice by going to USA. You will be surprised at the diversity of schools and classes. The best way to learn language is to live with it!

People from many countries have connected in America. In the States every culture is acceptable, every language exists, and every nationality has been adopted! Going to USA we know we won’t be discriminated against. You will never be homesick or feel lonely. There you can find native speakers, ethnic restaurants or markets. 

 How much money should I bring? Depending on where you are staying and your plans, money can mean a lot or nothing. Foodstuffs aren’t more expensive than in our country, but the two-bedroom apartment in the center of the city might bust you. As in a fact some Americans can’t afford to go to the cinema, Entertainment Park or even go out to a fancy restaurant. However the more money you bring the better!

 Everyone is the same! Not like other countries America has many rules that even the visitors will have to comply. For instance, the legal drinking age and drivers licensing laws are completely different. Before entering the States I would recommend learning State laws. You can check these website for more information.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/YouthIssues/Most-States-in-US-Permit-Drinking-Under-the-Age-of-21.html#.UjsT78Y2bnE

http://coloradodriverslicenses.org/index.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=drivers%2B+license&utm_campaign=Colorado&gclid=CPfo78ff17kCFak1Qgod510A9g#welcome

So, should we fly? In large or small, in cold or warm countries, we will always find something exceptional, unique and attractive. However America is one of the places that we all want to visit. Don’t hesitate, Fly to USA! 

 By: Tatsiana Staravoitava

The freedom thinking in the freedom country

           

            I have been living in the USA for a year, but before I came to the United State I had lived what everybody who is not an American can live: the indirect American dream. Free country, no judgment and justice for all.

            First, I would like to point out that I like the United States and I enjoy having the experience of living in a foreign country, but at the same time I can’t omit the most annoying things in the freedom community. If you have ever decided to move to United State be aware of that people can be really judgmental over here, which is surprising. If you are a Muslim, Mexican, Asian, African American or even a Jew be ready to face a stereotype. Muslims are terrorists, Mexicans are drag dealers, All Asians look the same, African Americans are criminals and when we came to Jews they always cheap with a lot of money.

But why we are stereotyping? And why is that more common in The United State? The reason, according to the research at “simplypsychology.org” is because we are more likely to group as humans and when we do that we start to deal with everybody else as an outsider. For example, we can find a neighborhoods where Just Mexicans live in or just African Americans. And not to forget the environment that we grew up in and how our parents and relatives effect our way of thinking about others. However, it’s more important to talk about why is that more common in The USA? And the answer is that because United State is a big country and people who live in the United States are from everywhere. Actually, there is a stereotype even between white Americans themselves. For instance, people from Texas are always dumb and all Coloradans are cowboys.

Stereotyping people can be insulting and it’s basically a racial bias. Also it’s ugly thing especially when children have to face it because of their religion or their skin color. Unfortunately, you can find this kind of attitude in many American schools. It’s not right to judge someone by his background or forget to look at him as an individual person. I’m not saying that stereotyping exists just in United States, it’s almost everywhere, but it shouldn’t be here because it’s against what this country was built on: freedom and justice.

For me, as a native Saudi, people suspect me of being a terrorist because I’m Saudi and a Muslim, which I can’t accept. And they assume immediately that I ride a camel to work and sleep in a tent, which is insulting.  But how about them calling me a princess? At first, I got mad because not every Saudi has a lot of money but then I thought: Well, why not? I can always be a princess.

By: Zahra Al Huriz