Category: FOREIGN LANDS

The Silk Road great adventure: past and present

Photo by UNESCO
When Nicole Anna got married, she probably thought she would have a family life beside her husband. Maybe things went wrong with the marriage, maybe her husband did not love her enough, or maybe he just loved adventure too much. We do not know. The fact is that, as soon as she got pregnant, Niccolò left her and their unborn child and departed (ran away?) to Constantinople with his brother and business partner Maffeo. When the child was born in 1254, they were already establishing themselves in the new city, where they stayed for three years.

At that time, Venice was an independent republic and an international trade hub, intermediating commercial exchanges between the East and the West. Most (or maybe all) of its population was living from international trade, directly or indirectly. Nicole Anna had married a wealthy merchant from Venice and moved to his palazzo, where she ended up living alone, taking care of their child. If she hoped Niccolò would come home after setting up his trading post in Constantinople, she would be disappointed.

At some point, the situation in Constantinople went badly, but Niccolò and Maffeo did not return to Venice. They closed their business there and moved further and further East, exploring precious routes in the pursuit of many riches and new endeavours. By the time Niccolò finally came home, his wife had died and his son was already a teenager, with a good education that had been provided by his uncle and aunt. For some reason, Niccolò decided to depart again, but this time he took his son Marco with him. During the next twenty years, they travelled extensively all the way to China, India, and Indonesia. Besides setting up trading posts and doing business, they ran away from wars and served as diplomats to kings.

The return to Venice was not pacific. A war was being waged and Marco ended up in prison. There, he met Rustichello to whom he told his adventures in far away and exotic lands. Rustichello decided to write them down and the first and probably most famous book about the Silk Road was published. It was a bestseller at the time and made Marco Polo world and timelessly famous.

The Silk Road was, in reality, a network of different routes by land and by sea (these also known as spice routes) used by travelling merchants. The name was coined only in the 19th century and it referred to the most precious merchandise traded. However, many other goods were exchanged, some coming from the West and others coming from the East. For centuries, these trading paths were privileged ways not only to exchange merchandise, but also to exchange knowledge: linguistic, scientific, cultural, artistic, and even religious. Cities along these roads were full of life… and money. Beautiful and magnificent buildings were constructed, many of them are still standing, marking and remembering a golden period in time.

With so much happening in the East, it is no wonder that the Polo family was fascinated and drawn to this adventurous and diversified world. In comparison, life in Venice was quite monotonous, despite this city being at the time a very much cosmopolitan city. Rustichello’s book, nowadays named as “Marco Polo – The Travels”, reflects the image Europeans had about the East: strange, but seductive, full of exotic animals, of people with bizarre habits and beliefs, of rulers always at war with their neighbours. Yet, it also shows us respect for other cultures.

After 1,500 years, the Silk Routes were closed in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire. Europeans immediately started to look for another way to continue the trade with the East. Hence, the Age of Discovery and the many maritime routes to India, China, and Japan. In the meantime, they also found the Americas and a whole “new” world of opportunities was opened. This led to colonialism and the division of the world between the “developed” countries and the “poor” countries (the now ex-colonies).

Yet, the Silk Road is still a reference, especially due to its multiculturalism. The trade was made between merchants of different countries and different cultures with the only aim of getting the best deal possible. They did not have any political intentions or desire to dominate other folks. They did not have any power either. In fact, the routes were built by the travelling merchants, according to the conditions they would find.

Inspired by this, the government of China decided to revive the old network in a modern way 560 years later. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to reconstruct some of the old routes by land (through Central Asia to Europe) and by sea (towards India and Africa) and build new ones, for example to Chancay, in Peru (America). The investment in infrastructures, namely ports and train lines/stations, in different countries is part of this strategy. Like in the Roman Empire, where all roads would lead to Rome, these connections aim to be linked to one major hub: China.

Contrary to the original Silk Routes, these paths are designed by a single country with national strategic plans in sight. Besides trade, China is looking to gain other advantages. Security is one of them, building military bases alongside the civil infrastructures. For example, the Djibouti port, strategically located at one end of the Suez Canal, serves both goals. Extending diplomatic relations is another objective. As China is willing to pay for the bills, it expects countries to be loyal to them. However, it is not just about infrastructures. China also provides other services, like healthcare. For instance, the Chinese Navy has a hospital ship (called “Silk Road Ark”) that travels through the BRI routes providing healthcare services for free. China gives back as much as it takes, in a win-win mentality.

When Marco Polo returned to Venice after twenty years, he had turned into a man of almost forty years-old. Contrary to his father, he got married and stayed in his hometown, becoming a wealthy merchant and raising three kids. If he lived nowadays, he probably wouldn’t leave his country for so long. There are airplanes and online conference services that make travel and communication much easier. He probably wouldn’t be an individual merchant, would probably have a company and sign contracts with other Chinese companies… and companies from other parts of the world. And he probably wouldn’t live in Venice, but maybe in Rotterdam. The way to do business and connect with other countries would be different, but the respect to multiculturalism would remain the same.

 
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In January this year, the island Santorini in Greece was shaken for a month by multiple earthquakes. Panic took over, especially because no one knew what was going on. Finally, scientists came up with the explanation.

 
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The amazing Amazon rainforest

Photo by Cesar Aguilar – Retrieved from Pexels
A rainforest almost as big as Australia, evergreen and full of life, the Amazon is as mythical as it is disputed. For natives, the trees, the rivers, and all the beautiful and abundant biodiversity are an extension of themselves; they are like family members. For foreigners, it is full of precious resources waiting to be exploited (whether legally or illegally); and land that can be transformed into agricultural fields or mines. For scientists, the Amazon is a fundamental component of the huge and complex system of Planet Earth’s operation.

Contrary to what is believed, the Amazon is not the lung of the world, the ocean is. In fact, the oxygen produced by the forest is totally consumed by the forest. Yet, if it were to disappear, the Planet would be unbalanced and it would probably collapse. Knowing this, the Amazon’s Indigenous peoples fight to defend their home and their family. They protect the rivers and the trees such as Westerners protect their children and their parents. Therefore, when Amazon is hurting, each member of each Indigenous tribe is also hurting. And they send the warning to those who are inflicting the wounds: sooner or later, nature will seek revenge.

Troubles started when Europeans first navigated the second longest river in the world (right after the Nile, in Egypt), back in the 16th century. Completely unaware of what they were going to find, they glimpsed a tribe of warriors that looked like women to them. If those Europeans actually saw a tribe of warriors or not, and whether they were women or not, it is not certain. However, rumours have it that this episode gave rise to its name: the Amazons were female warriors in Greek mythology, that may or may not be inspired by real women. Several stories were written, glorifying this women-only society, skilled in horse riding and arrow throwing, both fierce and feared. Both the river and the rainforest were named after them.

Forests know no borders and, although the majority of its area belongs to Brazil, Amazon spreads across eight other countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. This is a perfect ground for criminal activities, trafficking all sorts of illegal goods from one country to another, as it is not possible to keep watch at such an extensive border. The National Foundation of the Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI – Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas) was created in 1967 with the aim to protect the native tribes, especially those who have little or no contact with the “external world”… and protect them from these criminals.

Bruno Pereira was a Brazilian national that worked with the FUNAI. He was collaborating with Dom Phillips, a British journalist, who had given up of everything to dedicate himself in the writing of the book “How to Save Amazon”. On June 5th, 2022 they both disappeared. The news hit the world and a search was carried out. Finally, it was revealed they had been killed by a poaching leader, exposing to the world the dramatic situation unfolding in some parts of the Amazon. This was exactly the reality Dom Phillips wanted to reveal in his book. He paid that effort with his life. Luckily, the book was almost finished when he was killed and it was later published. You can hear the whole story through the podcast “Missing in the Amazon” (check the link below), recorded by Dom’s colleague and friend Tom Philips. It’s a chilling story.

The destruction of Amazon is devastating at many levels and all the warnings seem to fall on deaf ears. Indigenous peoples have been shouting about it for decades and, despite few people in power actually listen to them, they do not give up. They shout a little louder, they manifest, they talk to people in power as many times as necessary. The interview of Wajã Xipai, an Indigenous journalist, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres during the COP30 was one of those opportunities. Published in The Guardian, the article and the video is worth reading and watching (check the link below). At some point, the Secretary-General stated that “If I’ve learned anything from the Indigenous peoples I contact in so many parts of the world, it’s this concept (…) Of Mother Earth. Indeed, between nature and humanity there is a single family.”

It was not by chance that Belém was chosen to host the COP30 in Brazil. The Amazon is a symbol of the importance and the urgency of fighting climate change and respecting nature and the environment. It is ironic though that when a group of Indigenous people broke in to protest and demand to be heard, security had been reinforced after they were expelled (not in a nice way). It reflects reality as it is: people in power lock themselves in fancy rooms to discuss matters that concern the world population, but block the very people who know how to solve those problems.

We often take nature for granted. Just as the sun raises every morning, we believe the Amazon forest will always be there, unblemished. Yet, people from the so-called developed world often forget that we need to take care of what we cherish and if we fail to do that, everything comes tumbling down…

 
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World Toilet Day seems like a laughing matter… but it is not! Sanitation is hugely important to keep our society clean and healthy. Where there is no toilet, there are diseases and other types of dangers. Fight for the right to everyone have a safe toilet everywhere.

 
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World Globalization

Every year, Heads of State and/or their representatives (for example, Foreign Affairs Ministers) travel to the headquarters of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) for the opening of its annual session. Besides high-level meetings and events, the week includes the General Debate, where all 193 countries integrating the UN have the opportunity to make a speech to the General Assembly.

In the UN General Assembly all countries are equal and each represents one vote. Of the 193 countries, 130 (67%) were colonized by European countries. Of these 130 countries, 45% (58 countries) were colonized by the United Kingdom (UK) and 18% (24 countries) by France. The other 48 countries were colonized by both, by other countries, or by more than one other country. To be noted that the UK and France are 2 of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council and have the right of veto.

The General Debate speeches this year clearly shows a division between the countries:

      Group 1: Those justifying some kind of war and stating that the UN is going through an existential crisis.

      Group 2: Those defending peace (ending all conflicts through diplomacy) and thankful for the work of the UN, which have been helping their countries overcome their struggles and challenges (mainly related to climate change and the improvement of their population’s living conditions). They are fierce defenders of the UN, stating, however, that the seats at the table are unevenly distributed.

Colonization is still an open wound. Ex-colonies have many complaints regarding ex-colonizers, of interference in their sovereignty and financial aid that keeps them in poverty. However, these countries, that fought and successfully achieved their independence, are not giving up. They are finding ways (most of them as alternatives to those provided by the Western countries) to solve their problems. Organizations aiming at international collaboration are being established between them and funding in alternating channels is being sought for their innovative projects.

The United States of America (USA) is leading Group 1. In his speech, which lasted for 56 minutes, the President of the USA stressed the need for protectionism, threats, and war (both domestically and internationally). No country was spared: all of them were on a wrong path, according to him, especially in what climate change was concerned. He also stated that the UN was useless.

China, leading Group 2, made a point to contradict the USA’s statement. In 20 minutes, the Premier of the State Council of China advocated for peace, international cooperation, and the need to fight climate change. Although recognizing that the UN is in need of a reform, especially to distribute more seats to non-Western countries at the table, he reinforced how important the role of the UN is to the world. He also showed that alternatives to the Western rules and initiatives are being developed. In sheer contrast to the USA’s statement, China summarized their achievements on the path to peace, international cooperation, and fight against climate change. The Premier of the State Council said:

As a founding member of the UN, China has all along taken an active part in Global Affairs and worked for the betterment of humanity. Over the years, President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity: the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilizacional Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative.

The fact that Heads of State from 193 countries can make a speech at the same podium shows that the UN is a place where everyone can have a voice. Whether that voice is heard or not by the other countries is another matter. Countries from Group 1 do not listen to anything but their own voices whereas countries from Group 2 pay attention to everything everyone is saying… and they learn. Interestingly, the UN principles were set by the countries of Group 1, but they are followed and advocated by the countries of Group 2. Countries from Group 1 vowed never again to go down the very same path they are walking on now. And countries from Group 2 are warning them to leave that path and go back.

As it was repeated abundantly in the General Debate, this year marks the 80th year of the end of World War II and the establishment of the UN Charter. German Nazism and Italian fascism were defeated by France, Russia (then Soviet Union), the UK, and the USA in Europe (with repercussions to the rest of the world due to the colonies) and Japanese fascism was defeated by China in Asia (with repercussions to neighbouring countries). These victorious countries are the permanent members of the UN Security Council with the right to veto and the ones that created the UN Charter and defined the rules for its implementation and operation.

Since then, many countries were divided into more countries and many colonies gained their independence. In 1945, of the 193 current UN countries, 91 countries (47%) were still under the sovereignty of one or more founding members as colonies, protectorates or under a UN trusteeship. These countries have a total of 30,556,569 km2 of surface area, which correspond to 23% of the total surface area of all 193 UN countries (which is 133,663,404 km2).

Of these 91 countries, 67 countries (74%) were under the direct administration of the UK (45 countries, 49%) and France (22 countries, 24%). The other 24 countries (26%) were under the administration of the UK together with France and/or other countries, the USA (3 countries), or the direct administration of other countries. On the other hand, when the Soviet Union collapsed, 12 countries (6% of the total of the current UN countries) gained their independence. As the Russian Federation was the “heir” of what was left from the Soviet Union, in a way these 12 countries were under Russian administration. This means that 82 countries out of the current 193 countries were, in 1945, integrated in 4 (out of 5) of the permanent members of the UN Security Council. It corresponds to a total of 22,671,758 km2 of surface area, 17% of the total surface area of the 193 current UN countries

As we can see, the world has changed. Or, better yet, the political world has changed. Nature is still the same, resources are still in the same place. Yet, those precious resources have changed hands. Until 1945, the world was divided between those that would provide the resources (the colonies) and those that would transform the resources and get wealthier and wealthier. Now that the ex-colonies are independent, they are looking to learn how to transform their own resources and create wealth. And the wealthier countries are losing ground.

Of the 49 remaining UN founding countries (Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia gave rise to new countries), 22 countries are from America (45%), 12 countries are from Europe (25%), 9 countries are from Asia (18%), 4 countries are from Africa (8%), and 2 countries are from Oceania (4%). Now, in 2025, 54 countries are from Africa (28%), 47 countries are from Asia (24%), 43 countries are from Europe (22%), 35 countries are from America (18%), and 14 countries (7%) are from Oceania. It is obvious that the weight of African countries has shifted. Actually, the weight of African countries in the UN grew from 4 countries to 54 countries, which corresponds to a 1150% increase in representation. Oceania is the second continent with the greatest increase: from only 2 countries to 14 countries, it had a 600% increase in representation. Asia increased 422% and Europe increased 258%. America was the continent with the smallest increase: 59%.

Due to the loss of their colonies, the UK and France have considerably shrunk their territory and influence in the world. Their surface area is 242,495 km2 (UK) and 551,500 (France), which corresponds to 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively, of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries. On the other hand, Russian Federation is still the largest country in the world (17,098,246 km2 of surface area, which corresponds to 13% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries), even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and it remains an important player in world politics. The USA is the third largest country in the world (with 9,833,517 km2, which corresponds to 7% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries) while China is the fourth (with 9,600,000 km2, which corresponds to 7% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries).

Therefore, the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (those with the right to veto) have together a surface area of 37,325,758 km2, corresponding to 28% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries. African countries have a total of 30,023,968 km2 (22%). If the surface areas of Oceania countries (a sum of 8,488,032km2, corresponding to 6% of the total) are added, then these two continents surpass the 5 permanent members of the Security Council because they have 29% of the total.

Europe includes the Russian Federation in its statistics. However, and considering that most of Russian territory is in fact located in Asia (Siberia), if we take out Russian surface area from Europe’s, the sum of the surface area of all other countries is 5,886,912 km2, corresponding to 4% of the total surface areas of all 193 UN countries. European countries, especially the UK and France, which used to rule the world, are now facing their real dimension. It is scary and it is no wonder they are trying their best to remain relevant. Unfortunately, their continued arrogance is not doing them any favors. In the meanwhile, the USA is relying on their wealth and military power to keep its hegemony, but the Russian Federation and, especially, China have already understood the figures. And the figures are saying that African countries, together with the islands in the Pacific, all the countries south of the USA, and China’s Asian neighbours are rising. Independence was just the first step. Now, they are climbing the other steps, regardless of having the support or the opposition of their former masters.

 
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The finalists of the Earthshot Prize 2025 have been announced. Founded in 2020, the Earthshot Prize aims to finance every year the best initiatives that effectively help tackle climate change and environment issues. It’s truly remarkable how many people are working to make the planet a better place for all of us to live in.

 
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The Foreign Lands’ Explorers go to Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is known for its special cakes and colourful districts. Looking at its peaceful, village-like streets, it is easy to forget that this city was once a centre of world trade and an important place during the Second World War. The best approach to get to know Amsterdam is to keep all types of preconceptions out of one’s mind and pretend one has never heard anything about the city, which was what the members of The Foreign Land’s Explorers tried to do. It was an intense week, full of fun and cultural knowledge. They didn’t change the idea they had about the city, but they expanded it. Amsterdam proved to be much more than they thought it would be.

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The religion, la religion, die Religion, la religión

“So, ‘religion’ comes from the Latin (what a surprise!), meaning ‘scrupulous, conscience, honour and loyalty’. This means that it was a kind of moral conduct that people would follow by worshipping God”, said Jack. “During prehistoric times, there were many deities, God and Goddesses, each one representing a natural phenomenon, a quality, or an activity. For example, there was a God for thunder, a Goddess for beauty, a God for war, and a Goddess for hunting. Later, it emerged other religions that focused on only one God. Religions tend to personify the gods, representing them as if they were human beings, so people can identify with them and better understand the message being conveyed”.

“Whatever the religion you choose, you need to have faith, which basically is a belief in something for which there is no proof”, said Sophia. “Latin-related languages distinguish between ‘faith’ and ‘belief’, but German and Nordic languages don’t.”

“That’s interesting. Why is that?”, asked Elizabeth.

“I don’t know, but this reminds me of the war between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestants. Protestant countries were the ones where there is no distinction. Maybe they are not very keen on believing in things without some kind of rationale”, said Sophie, shrugging her shoulders.

“Did you know that ‘Carnival’ was a big feast that Catholics would hold before the 40 days of penitence and fasting until Easter? They took the opportunity of that day to eat and drink as much as they could (especially meat) to endure the sacrifice that was coming”, said Jack.

“Fasting was only mandatory for those who couldn’t pay the fee to skip those duties…”, noted Elizabeth.

“Speaking of Christianity, when Jesus was alive, ‘bible’ designated a set of books that were bound together. I guess the other ‘bibles’ were lost or the term was glued to the importance of the book we now call the Bible”, said Michael. “It is interesting that the term has evolved to another meaning in slang language. When we want to say that one specific book is the foundation of a specific field of study, we call it the ‘bible’ of that field. For example, some say that the bible of economics is the famous book ‘The Wealth of Nations”, by Adam Smith”.

“Speaking of evolution of terms”, said Leo, smiling to Michael, “temple, as we all know, is the physical place where religious people worship God. Muslims worship Allah (that’s how they call God) in Mosques. Well, ‘mosque’ comes from the Arabic word masjid, which means ‘temple’. Minaret is the tall tower, which is part of the Mosque. The purpose of the tower is to call the congregation to pray. Catholic Churches have bells. The Muslim call for prayer is made by the Muezzin, who is the person who ‘sings’ at the top of the Minaret. They now have loudspeakers, so the Muezzin doesn’t need to go up there anymore. However, the Muezzin is not just anyone, he is chosen especially for that task due to its ‘singing’ qualities. Yet, he undergoes specific training after being chosen”.

“All Mosques are oriented towards Mecca because that’s where the Kaaba is located. Every Muslim is obliged to make a pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime to walk around the Kaaba. This pilgrimage is called Hajj. The Kaaba is a huge black cube with nothing inside. It is a symbol”, added Elizabeth.

“When Muslims and Catholics were engaged in war centuries ago, Muslims called ‘infidel’ to Catholics, and to all who didn’t share their faith. Catholics called ‘heretics’ to everyone who didn’t believe in their God“, added Jack.

“According to Statista, in 2022, Christians represented 31.6% of the world population and Muslims 25.8%. The third biggest religion is Hinduism, representing 15.1%. Hinduism is the oldest religion still in existence and it is practised mainly in India. At the beginning, there were no formal rituals or organization, just a set of written documents, now dated thousands of years”, said Sophia.

“A kind of ‘bible’, then”, commented Elizabeth.

“The religious teachings were called ‘doctrine’, especially those from the Catholic Church”, said Jack. “Nowadays, ‘doctrine’ can be used in other domains such as politics, the law, or military”.

“Anything to do with ‘doctor’?”, asked Elizabeth, laughing.

“Well, actually, yes. ‘Doctrines’ were taught by ‘doctors’”, replied Michael, looking at his computer. “This word comes from Latin and it then meant ‘teacher’. At the time, a ‘doctor’ was an eminent scholar specialized in a field of study. Nowadays, a doctor is someone who has a PhD, which, in a way, meets its original meaning.”

“Ok, this is interesting”, said Leo, looking at his computer. “The word ‘sin’ comes from Old English, which is similar to another word that comes from Old German. Probably, it is a similar word in German and in Nordic languages. However, the English language has a word that comes from Latin and it is similar to the word for ‘sin’ in Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese. You may have never heard of it, but you have surely heard the word ‘impeccable’, which means ‘flawless’. If ‘sin’ is something that goes against the laws of God, ‘impeccable’ is following the laws of God to the letter”.

“We could be here for a week talking about words related to religion and everyday words that come from a religious background. Unfortunately, it is time to go”, said Jack and everyone prepared to leave.

 

** YOUR WORDS AND IDEAS **

By Isabella Muir | On 26 May 2025 at 14:45
It’s fascinating to see the way so many of the topics you choose for your articles seem to mirror the topics of my studies. Just last week we were exploring the way that ‘religion’ is dealt with in historical research, and the difficulties with bias and subjectivity. Your article highlights the complexity of meaning – which is in itself full of subjectivity, as well as historical implications! What fun!

By Words in Ideas | On 27 May 2025 at 16:44
Yes, I think they are two fascinating and complementary perspectives: history and language! Combining the two gives new leads on what the future may be?

 

The Intrepid Book Society goes to Oslo, Norway

The Intrepid Book Society decided to organize a trip to Oslo, Norway, to get to know the hometown of the writer Jo Nesbø. Contrary to what was customary, the idea was not to visit the places where action took place in his books, but to capture the essence of the city that inspired him. The capital of Norway is a pragmatic city, made for people to live there. Yet, it has a few surprises in store for less well-informed tourists. Looking like a simple village, Oslo is peaceful and quiet. Yet, it is also full of life and activities. It preserves its history, yet it is modernizing.

 

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The family, la famille, die Familie, la familia

Family is a classic topic of every language learning syllabus. The members of “The Foreign Land’s Explorers” approached it the usual way initially, but they wanted to go further. So, they made a new table with terms related to family, but which were not learned in regular language classes. They built a table, knowing it was just a reference. Each word should not be taken as exact equivalents to the other languages. Once they had the table, they constructed the same sentences in every language, for example: “the spouses become parents and constitute a household with their offspring”.

[click to enlarge]

“Ah, ‘offspring’ in Italian is ‘prole’”, noted Leo. “Did you know that ‘proletariat’ comes from the Latin word ‘proletarius’, which means someone belonging to the lowest (and poorest) class that would only be considered as ‘citizen’ if they had children? I guess ‘children’ here would mean labour force or soldiers. Therefore, ‘prole’ in Italian comes directly from the Latin word meaning ‘children’”.

“Sometimes people don’t realize how much Latin language has influenced European languages, all of them”, said Elizbeth. “For example, ‘adoption’ is similar in these languages and comes from the Latin word ‘adopto’, which is the combination of ‘ad’ and ‘opto’. ‘Ad’ means ‘to’ and ‘opto’ means ‘choose’. So, basically ‘adoption’ is ‘to choose’”.

“I may be wrong, but it seems that word is the only word here in the table to come from Latin in what German, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are concerned”, noted Sophia. “Interesting that ‘offspring’ in Nordic languages is ‘of coming’. Well, in English it has a similar meaning: getting out of where they were made. Like the rivers that leave the place where they were ‘born’ and run until they reach the sea. They ‘come’ from somewhere.”

“Knowing where you come from has always been very important. Look at Royal families. Being part of a Royal family can determine if you will lead the country or not, whether you want it to or not”, said Elizabeth.

“Some Kings have renounced the post, so it’s not inevitable. But, yes, for them, it is something that is always there, since childhood. And they are also pressured to have a ‘prole’, a male heir to the throne and some ‘spare’ male children, just in case something happens to the oldest. It’s not exclusive for poor people, although it is different, of course”, added Michael.

“Poor people provide the labour force in sequence. Rich people build dynasties to rule the poor people. It is the system of castes. Once you are born in one, you have to play your role regardless of your wishes”, said Elizabeth.

“That is not entirely true nowadays”, said Sophia. “Royals can now marry commoners and commoners can aspire to climb the social ladder”.

“Dynasties still have weight in society. Being a son or a daughter of an important family is always a mark, even if that person follows a different path”, said Michael.

“Ok, remember I told you that we use more Latin-based words than we realize? Well, I checked the word ‘dynasty’ and it is actually a Greek word, although it was stolen by the Latin language’”, said Elizabeth.

“Let me see”, said Michael, looking at her computer and starting to read. “It says that a dynasty is ‘a succession of rulers of the same line of descent’ and it gives China as an example. Then, it says it can also be ‘a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time’. It meets what we were saying, I think”.

“Royal families are a reference. They are a symbol of continuity, tradition, and identity”, said Sophia. “That’s why they are so important for people. People see them as the leaders of the nation. It’s no coincidence that the countries’ history timeline is told through dynasties, especially in China. They say ‘this was done during this Dynasty’. For example, the Great Wall of China was constructed during the Ming Dynasty. You need to know when they ruled to know the respective period of time. In Europe, you talk about epochs, like Ancient Times, Medieval Times, Renaissance.”

“Well, in Europe, history is also made of dynasties, although they are named ‘Houses’, like in ‘The Game of Thrones’”, said Elizabeth and laughed. “For example, the House of Habsburg was one of the most influential families in European history. In the UK, the House of Tudor is one of the most famous Royal families due to King Henry VIII and his six wives. The current UK’s Royal family is the House of Windsor. And, of course, there were prominent families that didn’t belong to any Royal family, like the Medici, who ruled Florence for many years”, said Elizabeth.

“In the USA, they also categorize their history periods according to presidential administrations: the President Obama’s administration, the President Biden’s administration…”, noted Michael. “Actually, the story of the name ‘President’ is curious. When the USA became independent, they had to choose a name for their Head of the State. ‘King’ was suggested, but they didn’t want to give ideas of grandeur to a man who should be feeling humble. So, they decided to give him the name of ‘someone who chaired meetings’. They thought it was humble enough. Not any more”.

“Well, they also have dynasties of some sort there, like the Bushes and the Kennedys…”, said Leo. “Like the Medici, these families became powerful after they had become very rich.”

“In the end, money rules the world. And, sometimes, the families who have it”, concluded Jack.

 

** YOUR WORDS AND IDEAS **

By Isabella Muir | On 30 April 2025 at 12:08
Some very interesting insights into the meanings of ‘family’ – a term that has changed significantly over the centuries. Nuclear families (often blood relatives) contrasts with ‘blended’ families, where a wide range of relationships come together. It would be interesting to explore how ‘family’ contrasts with ‘community’ – both can be supportive networks, but both can be just the opposite!

By Words in Ideas | On 01 May 2025 at 21:19
That would be very interesting, yes. “Blended” families is a good term – maybe in future “blended” will replace “nuclear”?…

 

Ms Clara Smartest in Morocco

In 1917, during the First World War, the writer Edith Wharton was invited to visit Morocco by the French Governor of the then French protectorate. She travelled around the country for a month, witnessing traditional events, admiring historical landmarks and meeting women who were part of the Vizier’s harem. Back home, she wrote a book, which was intended to be the first tour guide book of the country. It is a Westerner’s view of what was then considered the “Near East” (meaning North Africa). Edith Wharton fiercely and openly defended French governance and implicitly criticized some Arab practices. For example, she described the women of the Vizier’s harem as prisoners and unhappy and the ceremonies she witnessed were deemed primitive.

After reading the book, Ms Clara Smartest decided to travel to Morocco to get to know the country a century later. What she found was a surprising country, rooted in its traditions and accepting modernity on its own terms.

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Time changes in different languages

“Hi, guys!”, said Michael, taking his place at the table. “I read an article about how time is different in each language. Actually, the article is about a book that is based on research. Did you know that Chinese people set a timeline from up to down?”

“What do you mean?”, asked Sophia.

“So, in some crime stories we see on television, detectives draw a timeline on the board to understand what the victim did before he/she died, right?”

Michael waited to make sure everyone was on the same page. Then, he continued.

“They usually draw horizontally the line from left to right and write the events chronologically considering that the event on the left is the earliest and the one on the right is the latest. Those are Western TV shows. Well, if those TV shows were Chinese, that timeline would be drawn vertically in which the event on the top would be the earliest and the one at the bottom would be the latest.”

They all looked at Michael without saying a word.

“That doesn’t make any sense”, said Sophia at last.

“Indeed, it does. Western languages’ writing is from left to right. Therefore, we see time coming from the left to the right. Chinese people, at least traditionally, write from top to bottom, thus, they see time as coming from top to down”, replied Michael.

“So, languages whose writing is from right to left also consider time coming for right to left?”, asked Elizabeth.

“Yes. At least that is true for Hebrew, according to the study”, answered Michael. “In the article, they also say that for Aymara people, from the Andes in South America, and Mandarin speakers, the future is behind them because they can’t see it. What they can see is the past, which is in front of them”.

“It seems like they are walking backwards…”, noted Sophia.

“It kind of makes sense, if you think about it. We have memories of the past, photos, objects, experiences… It is as life opens up, as if it gets wider and wider as time goes by. Every step backwards reveals a little more of what we can’t see”, said Elizabeth.

“But we leave the past behind us and are walking towards the future! We move forward, not backwards!”, said Sophia, looking very confused.

“I guess that’s just how Western learn to see things. There are tribal languages that have no past nor future”, said Jack.

“So, how can they refer to the past and future?”, asked Sophia.

“Maybe they don’t need to. They live in the present”, said Michael.

“That sounds like one of those mindfulness things…”, remarked Leo, laughing.

“We all live in the present!”, said Sophia, who was getting really disturbed with the conversation. “But we have a past and plan for the future!”

“Ok. The article also states that Australian Aboriginal refers to objects as being in north, south, east, west, and all in between. For example, Sophia is north of the table. Actually, I have no idea if north is in that direction, but you understand what I mean”, said Michael as a way to change the subject a little bit.

“That’s more precise than saying on the right-hand side or left-hand side”, noted Leo.

“Yes. Maybe that’s why in London underground the lines are presented with the eastbound and westbound direction”, said Jack.

“It is very confusing for someone who can’t tell which way is east and which way is west…”, said Sophia.

“But it’s more precise, as Leo said”. Michael looked at Leo and nodded to agree with him. “There’s an example in the article that is: ‘the ball is on the left of the dog’ versus ‘the ball is on the dog’s left’. It seems the same, but the truth is that the ball is in the opposite direction. In Spanish there is no confusion. Spaniards don’t refer to the ball from the dog’s point of view.”

“It’s like the right bank of the river and the left bank of the river. I always ask myself ‘from whose point of view?’ If we say the north bank of the river and the south bank of the river is much simpler”, said Elizabeth.

“True, but, again, you have to know where north and south. I never do”, said Sophia.

“Australian Aboriginal have learned the cardinal points since they are children. We trust on GPS”, said Jack. “Maybe we are wrong and they are right.”

“Another curiosity mentioned in the article is that some languages see time as a volume and others as a line. For example, English people say ‘it’s been a long day’ and Spanish people say ‘it’s been a full day’. As in: ‘the day was longer than it usually is’ versus ‘the day had more events than it usually has’. Something like that”, continued Michael.

They stopped talking and wondered about it.

“Both are right, isn’t it?”, said Elizabeth finally. “If you end the day later than usual, it will inevitably have more events.”

“Not necessarily”, replied Leo. “During the same number of hours, you can have more events than usual. Or you can have fewer events during more hours…”

“That is all very confusing”, said Sophia.

“Imagine if you were bilingual… They switch from one way of seeing things to the other in a second!”, said Michael.

Sophia looked at him with a very desperate expression.

“Each country sees things in different ways. Australia is huge and it’s mostly a desert, so knowing the cardinal directions was essential for surviving. Spanish people focus on events while English people perceive the day as a sequence of events, and that sequence can be longer or shorter. Some languages state that we are walking towards the future, others see the past ahead”, concluded Jack.

“Some tribes don’t see a past nor a future. They only see the present”, added Michael. “Maybe they are right. The past is only in our head and the future hasn’t happened yet… There is only the present.”

“Not exactly. We walk forward towards the future. We plan the future, we visualise it. The past is behind us because we have already lived it. There is evidence about it all around us. Events happen in order, one after the other”, contradicted Sophia.

“Einstein was right: it’s all relative”, said Elizabeth.

 

** YOUR WORDS AND IDEAS **

By Isabella Muir | On 26 March 2025 at 10:02
Another fascinating article! Past, present and future – all determined by individual perspectives, affected by nationality, language and culture. I suppose it proves that nothing is static – almost that there are very few ‘facts’ just someone’s opinion (one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom-fighter). It also emphasises the wonder of language – which is just what your articles are all about!

By Words in Ideas | On 26 March 2025 at 14:56
Thank you so much! Indeed, we are not aware that our mother tongue, which shapes our culture, determines how we see the world. The words we use have weight and are highly revealing. Learning foreign languages is truly opening the door to see the world under another perspective! 🙂

 

Elizabeth in Vietnam

The decision to visit Vietnam was made on an impulse after months of looking for possible travel destinations. The descriptions of how beautiful the country was, the fact that the country was located in an exotic geographical location, or just because Elizabeth knew nothing about it, could have influenced her choice. She was aware that a fierce war had taken place there, which the USA had lost. After booking the trip, she found out that Vietnam had been a French colony and this sparked her curiosity even more, as she was a student of the French language. What would have been the legacy left by the French, she wondered.

Once there, she realized that the French influence was elusive, but the country turned out to be surprising, with a fascinating culture. The war with the USA was present, yet gone. It was like it was something that had happened and which had shaped the country, but, although the people were still overcoming it, it was a closed matter. Interestingly enough, Elizabeth didn’t see any burgers or pizzas franchises. The Western influence was like the Chinese influence: had been assimilated and transformed into something typically Vietnamese.

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The sport, le sport, der Sport, el deporte

“Is there any major sporting event in 2025?”, asked Jack when they were sitting down for the 5th gathering of The Foreign Land’s Explorers.

“What do you mean by ‘major’? All sports have major events annually”, replied Leo.

“Like the Olympics and the Football World Cup”, specified Jack.

“You mean, MEN’s Football World Cup? Because, you know, there’s the WOMEN’s Football World Cup too. It’s high time we all make the distinction for both events”, said Sophia.

Everyone stared at Sophia in awe.

“Yes”, she added, “women’s competitions are as good or even better than men’s competitions. Besides, men’s competitions are now more about money than sport. Anyway, answering your question: not really. Some sports have their World Cups or Worlds Championships, which will be major for their fans. But, in case you’re interested, this year the Women’s Football European Championship will be held in Switzerland, between 2 and 27 July.”

“Well, after I’ve been put in my place in terms of sport ignorance, how about we talk about sports around the world? For starters, how do you say ‘sport’ in different languages?”, said Jack, with a slightly hurt voice.

“Hey, no hurt feelings, I didn’t mean to offend, ok?”, said Sophia. “So, sport in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish is the same as English, but with a slightly different pronunciation.

“I think Sophia is right in distinguishing which competition we are talking about (men’s or women’s). About the French word for sport, it is ‘sport’ too, with a different pronunciation. Same situation as Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish”, said Elizabeth.

“Same in German. And, yes, I also agree with Sophia”, said Michael.

“Aye, aye, Sophia! And in Italian it is also the same. However, it is slightly different in Spanish (‘deporte’) and in Portuguese (‘desporto’). Nevertheless, they probably have the same root”, concluded Leo.

“Right, thank you everyone. And I also agree with Sophia, no offence taken. I’ve just never thought about it until now. We are used to refer to a certain sport event as it is only a men’s event and make the distinction only in women’s events. It’s wrong, indeed, we should all correct it. Now, the origins of sports! Obviously, many sports had their origin in war, or rather, in preparation for war, for example: archery, fencing, wrestling…”, said Jack.

“Martial arts, like judo, karate, kung fu, taekwondo, were also preparation for fighting, whereas to defend and attack or just to defend. Later, it became a path to personal development”, said Michael. “Actually, Judo is mandatory in Japanese schools”.

“Different ways to fight and make war gave birth to different sports. By the way, biathlon came about when the military border patrollers of Norway and Sweden decided to compete between themselves. They patrolled the border on skis and had their rifles at hand in case of need”, said Sophia. “One day, they thought it would be fun to make a competition between countries”.

“All skiing events come from daily life in Nordic countries. Telemark skiing is a style that was ‘invented’ in a Norwegian region called… Telemark!”, said Elizabeth.

“However, Alpine skiing was developed as a sport in Switzerland”, added Sophia.

“Other winter sports also came from daily life in countries where it snows. For example, it was usual for people in the Netherlands to skate the canals as a way of travelling between villages, hence speed skating. Figure skating was probably a variant”, said Elizabeth.

“Hunting was also a fertile ground for sporting activities, like shooting and equestrian. Archery also, I suppose”, said Leo. “Running is as old as human beings, probably. First, they run away from predators, then they run after their prey. Competition to see who would run faster among themselves was a question of time.”

“Football is an interesting phenomenon. Its origins are controversial, but an undeniable fact is that it became incredibly popular. You only need a ball that you can make with some rags or other material and the goalposts can be drawn on the ground or identified by using some objects. Then, you just need to run after the ball and try to cross it between the “posts”. On the streets, there aren’t many rules. So, it can be played anywhere and everyone knows instinctively how to play,” said Leo and paused for a moment.

“Ok”, said Michael, “why is that so interesting?”

“Like I said, on the streets, there aren’t many rules… so, you can make them up. And that’s how you ended up with different types of football around the world. In England, there’s rugby. In the USA, there’s American football. In Australia, there’s Australian football. In Ireland, there’s Gaelic football. In Scotland, there’s Scottish football. Even in Canada you have a specific type of football. All with different rules. You also have beach football and futsal. Table football is a variant where you play with wood figures attached to a table. In a nutshell, there are many ways of playing football”, concluded Leo.

“Gymnastics is a global sport as well. It dates back to Ancient Greece, where athletes would ‘exercise naked’ (which is the meaning of the word). Only men would exercise. At that time, athletics and wrestling were included. Over the centuries, many forms of gymnastics were born, not only in Europe, but also in China, sometimes linked to the circus: tumbling, acrobatics, jugglers, trampolines. In the 19th century, other forms of exercising the body were developed in Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Artistic gymnastics, aerobics, and calisthenics were born during this time. Afterwards, gymnastics kept on evolving and it is still evolving today”, said Elizabeth.

“So, circus is related to gymnastics, at least some part of it. Interesting”, commented Leo.

“I did a quick search here on my computer while you were talking”, said Michael, “and there are at least two very local sports which became worldwide. One is cricket. It’s huge in England; you see it being played everywhere during summer. It is also very popular in old British colonies like Australia and India. The other is curling, which was developed in Scotland and it is now important in places like Canada. Apparently, British people like to take their sports with them wherever they emigrate (or colonize, more likely)”.

As everyone had their own computer, they searched for other sports and discussed their findings. Then, they built a table with sports’ names in different languages and wrote sentences as “Curling is a winter sport while cricket is a summer sport” also in different languages.

 

Miss Honeypraise and Mr Williams in Egypt

The pyramids! Miss Honeypraise was looking forward to seeing them. However, when searching about the country, she realized there was much more to see and visit. She was going on a tour with a travel agency for logistics and safety reasons. Considering that there was a “Tourism Police” in the country to make sure tourists were safe at all times, Miss Honeypraise thought it would be better not to risk going by themselves. Mr Theodore Williams, who was going with her, was her best-friend-turned-boyfriend and this was going to be their first trip together.

Miss Honeypraise had been prepared to be marvelled and to enjoy her new relationship. She wasn’t disappointed, quite the contrary. It was a wonderful vacation. Sitting back home on her balcony, drinking a cup of tea and watching the sunset, she recalled her grand adventure…

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The beauty, la beauté, die Schönheit, la belleza

“Did anyone research beauty?”, asked Jack as soon as everyone sat down. “I’ll start. The English word ‘beauty’ comes from the French word ‘beau’. Therefore, I give you the floor, Elizabeth”.

“Thank you, Jack. I thought you were going to start… Well, the French word ‘beauté’ also comes from the word ‘beau’, which in turn comes from the Latin word bellus. The meaning is the same, there was no great change over the centuries”, said Elizabeth.

“In Spanish it is ‘belleza’, in Italian it is ‘bellezza’, and in Portuguese it is ‘beleza’. All these words also come from Latin. No surprises there”, said Leo.

“The German word is ‘Schönheit‘, which comes from ‘Schön’, an old German word”, said Michael.

“The Nordic languages follow the same logic and are not that different from the German word. However, the sound seems much different than the writing: ‘skönhet’, in Swedish, ‘skønhed’, in Danish, and ‘skjønnhet‘, in Norwegian. Nothing very exciting”, said Sophia.

“Yeah, very boring. I don’t know if you looked up the opposite word. In English it is ‘ugliness’, which comes from ‘ugly’. Now, ‘beauty’ comes from Latin, but ‘ugly’ comes from Old Norse, which, back in the day, meant ‘dreadful, fearful’”, said Jack. “So, I guess someone ugly was someone who was feared. In today’s Nordic languages, the word should be similar to this one, no?”

“Well, actually I did that exercise too. Interestingly, the words are different in Norwegian (‘stygg’), Danish (‘grim’), and Swedish (‘ful’). None of them is closer to ‘ugly’. Maybe it is closer to the German word?…”, asked Sophia, looking at Michael.

“No”, replied Michael, looking at his computer. “I didn’t look for ‘ugly’ before, but I did it now. In German it is ‘hässlich’. What about Latin languages?”, said Michael.

“The Spanish word (‘feo’) and the Portuguese word (‘feio’) are similar, but in Italian it is ‘brutto’. This is curious because, in Roman times, ‘Brutus’ was a name. Remember Cesar’s son who stabbed him? It also meant ‘stupid’ in Latin. In Portuguese and in Spanish there is also ‘bruto’, which means someone who is not very bright, but very aggressive”, clarified Leo.

“In French it is also different from everything you said: ‘laid’. It can also be ‘moche’, in a more informal way”, said Elizabeth.

“I guess ‘beauty’ is pretty much the same in every language whereas ‘ugly’ depends on the culture”, comment Jack.

“Ok, this is great”, said Elizabeth, “but I have a presentation to give you all. Ah, yes, I got carried away when doing this research. At first, I thought of a presentation about art and beauty, but that could become a bit technical and you could all get bored. Then, I thought that beauty is usually related to well-being. Therefore, I gathered information about famous beauty rituals around the world”.

Everyone was delighted and sat comfortably in front of her in expectation. Elizabeth stood up, prepared her notes, and started her presentation.

“So, Leo mentioned the Roman Empire. At that time, there was no plumbing providing water to private houses. As Romans liked to imitate the Greeks, and the Greeks liked to bathe, they developed the habit to bathe in public spaces, which were built for that purpose. The Greek public baths were small and Romans, as was their nature, wanted to make them big. They built these luxurious public baths where people would socialize and participate in numerous activities. They called it ‘thermae’ and, besides having a bath, Romans could do physical exercise, enjoy hot rooms, use the swimming pool, and stroll through the gardens for relaxation. A true health centre of Ancient Times.”

“I guess that’s where the concept of gyms with saunas and SPAs came from. By the way, SPA is the abbreviation of Sanus Per Aquam in Latin (healthy through water). That’s how the thermal springs were known in the Roman Empire, right?”, commented Leo, very proud of himself.

“Wrong”, said Elizabeth. “Spa is the name of a town in Belgium where a very famous thermal spring was built. Throughout their Empire, the Romans had discovered the places where the water had special mineral characteristics, hence the term ‘thermae’. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Roman concept of luxurious healthy centres was revived. New buildings were constructed, with new social activities, like balls. They also built houses and hotels to lodge (rich) people from all over Europe. True towns emerged around those thermal springs. Spa was one of the most famous, but there were many others, like Bath, in England, where the Roman Baths are still a tourist attraction and are still operating. UNESCO now has a heritage category called ‘Great Spa Towns of Europe’ to help preserve these historical landmarks.”

“Spa has also a famous car racing circuit”, said Michael suddenly.

Elizabeth nodded and continued.

“The Roman thermae were built everywhere in the Empire, including in North Africa and in what is now Turkey. There, ‘hot baths’ evolved into what are known nowadays as ‘hammam’, or ‘Turkish baths’. Some people may confuse these with Sauna. Basically, while in Turkish baths we are in a room full of very hot steam, in the Sauna we are in a heated room where you sweat. Both aimed to expel the toxins from our skin. Like I said, Turkish bath is an evolution from the Roman thermae. Sauna is a Scandinavian tradition. While you are sweating from the heat, you can also hit yourself (gently) with birch twigs to help the process. Afterwards, you get out of the wood panelled room and jump to the very cold waters of the nearest lake or sea. The extreme difference in temperature does wonders for the skin, if you can handle it.”

Elizabeth stopped talking while everyone was shivering.

“Public baths were not an exclusive idea of Europeans. Japanese people made good use of the natural hot water that emerged to the surface everywhere throughout the country. They built Onsen (meaning ‘hot spring’) of different types. In other parts of the world, beauty rituals were not about going to public baths, but using special ingredients from Nature. In Africa, it’s tradition to use Shea butter to take care of skin and hair, in Polynesia it’s coconut oil. Traditions are linked to what nature provides in each land. In other countries, it’s not about the ingredients, but the process. For example, in Korea, a 10-step skincare routine was developed to maintain the skin healthy, which is now considered a world reference. And that’s all I had for you today.”

“Brilliant! Thank you so much, Elizabeth. Anyone has anything to add, have any questions?…”

Jack waited for someone to say something, but as everyone kept silent, he ended the meeting.

 

The happiness, le bonheur, das Glück, la felicidad

“Welcome to the 3rd Gathering of The Foreign Lands’ Explorers!”, said Jack. “Today’s topic is happiness. So, I did a little research and I found that ‘happiness’ comes from the Middle English word ‘hap’, which means ‘to happen’ and ‘chance or fortune’. Therefore, from the old days to these days, ‘hap’ turned into ‘good fortune’, ‘something that occurs by chance’. Nowadays, ‘happiness’ also means ‘joy’ and ‘a good experience’”.

“Well, in German, it’s ‘das Glück’, which is the word for ‘happiness’ and ‘luck’”, said Michael.

“In Spanish it’s ‘felicidad’, in Italian it’s ‘felicità’, and in Portuguese it’s ‘felicidade’. It comes from the Latin word ‘felicitas’, which means ‘good luck’… and also ‘fertility’. I guess that for Latins fertility was connected to good fortune somehow”, said Leo.

“The word for happiness in French is a little different: ‘le bonheur’. It brings together the words ‘bon’ and ‘heur’. ‘Heur’ means ‘chance’. So, it’s literally ‘good chance’”, said Elizabeth.

“It’s the same in Nordic languages. For example, in Norwegian, the word for happiness is ‘lykke’, which also means ‘luck’ and it has the same root as the German word ‘Glück’ and the English word ‘luck’. In Danish is ‘lykke’ and in Swedish is ‘lycka’”, said Sophia.

“It seems that happiness is in fact good luck. It’s when things are going well, when everything is in our favour”, concluded Jack.

“Speaking about Nordic countries, there is a book about happiness in Denmark. It’s called ‘The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well’ and it was written by Meik Wiking. I haven’t read it yet, but I think it is about the little things, being with the people we love, and cosy homes. Denmark was considered the happiest country in the world for some years, but not anymore. I think it’s Finland now”, added Sophia. “However, he gave a TED talk about the ‘dark side of happiness’. Through their studies about happiness, they found that comparing ourselves to others is very important to determine our own satisfaction with life. So, if you are surrounded by people who are more successful than you, even if you are successful, you will feel like crap.”

“Success is relative, isn’t it? What is success anyway?”, asked Elizabeth.

“Ok, let’s look at the dictionary. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, success is ‘the achieving of desired results, or someone or something that achieves positive results’”, said Jack.

“So, if ‘happiness’ is when things are going well and ‘success’ is achieving results, then successful people are happy because they are getting the results they were looking for, whichever they are”, concluded Michael.

“It’s all about standards, right? In Western countries, there is a model of the happy family and how a successful life should be, which may be different from other regions in the world. In any case, you want to be part of it, to fit in, to show that you comply with the norm. It’s hard if you are different. You may feel like a pariah”, said Elizabeth.

“And no one wants to be a pariah. By the way, pariah comes from the name of a lower caste. People belonging to this caste would be avoided by everyone else”, said Jack.

“Well, that fits. Whether you are part of the happy ‘caste’ of society or you are avoided until you get promoted”, laughed Leo.

“Do you think there are happier countries than others?”, asked Michael.

“There are definitely countries where you have a higher possibility to be happy than in others. In poorer countries you are so worried about surviving that happiness is not even an issue. On the other hand, in wealthier countries, surviving is, in principle, guaranteed. Thus, you can afford (literally) to think about it”, commented Jack.

“But you also have poor people in wealthier countries and what you said also applies to them”, added Michael.

“That’s all true. However, people in poorer countries sometimes seem happier than people in wealthier countries. Maybe because in wealthier countries people compare themselves more to others and are more pressured to be happy? I mean, if you don’t earn a lot of money, go on luxury vacations, or have a beautiful family, you may be considered a failure even if you don’t actually want a family, earn enough money to live the life you love, and don’t care about luxury”, said Leo.

“People in different countries have different values. Are you familiar with the expression ‘first world problems’?”, asked Sophie, but she didn’t wait for an answer. “This means problems that are not real problems compared with problems faced by people in underdeveloped countries. For example, getting annoyed because you don’t get an internet signal in certain parts of the house. Some countries struggle to have internet signals at all.”

“That’s not different values, that’s just a different dimension of problems”, said Leo. “In terms of values, in some countries people value life at home, like in Denmark, but in other countries happiness is to go out and meet friends somewhere, like in Ireland, where people like to meet at the pub. Happiness is different in these countries because of this.”

“Yes. In some countries, people love to go camping in nature, like in Scandinavia”, said Sophie. “There, being in contact with nature is extremely important for one’s happiness.”

“People in Latin countries go mad if they have to stay inside the house all the time. So, maybe Denmark’s definition of happiness can’t be applied there”, laughed Leo.

“Perhaps, but, in reality, what makes people happy it’s up to each individual. Some Latin people can be perfectly happy at home, watching TV while drinking hot chocolate”, said Sophie.

“Yes, there’s no rules, no models, although culture does play a part in it, I think”, said Jack. “Cultural shock can happen when you move to a country completely different from your own. Some people struggle to find a way to fit in and become miserable when failing. If they have moved for professional reasons, they can move back to their original country. If they had moved because they married someone from that country, then the marriage may not hold due to cultural differences.”

“Thus, fitting in is important to be happy”, concluded Elizabeth. “Some people adapt so well to another culture that are no longer able to return to their original culture.”

“It’s like they were born in the wrong country”, commented Michael.

 

The war, la guerre, der Krieg, la guerra

While in Europe nations were busy with wars like the Greco-Persian Wars (including the Battle of Thermopylae, when King Leonidas from Esparta, with his 300 soldiers, faced the troops of King Xerxes from Persia), in China people were living under the Zhou Dynasty. Sun Tzu, the author of “The Art of War”, and Confucius lived and developed their work at this time. The latter deeply influenced China and his philosophy is still at the root of today’s society. He based his teachings on family devotion, rituals, and a sense of community, refusing the idea that wealth and power were paramount. Complementarily, Sun Tzu stated in his book that “supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting” (chapter III, #2). Chinese culture was based on the belief that diplomacy and trade was more effective than war and war should only be considered as a last resort, only when it was absolutely unavoidable. When finally going to war, according to Sun Tzu, five factors would be taken into account: the moral influence, time, terrain, commander, and doctrine. In other words, they would carefully study the enemy, the terrain and its conditions before they would attack.

Nearby, Feudal Japan was permanently in war because warlords were always fighting for power. Samurai were a group of warriors (called bushi) that were allowed to carry swords everywhere and had a licence to kill. The word means “to serve”, as in serving their master, their daimyo. The onna-musha, meaning “female warriors”, were women-samurai, who fought alongside men-samurai. Over time, samurai became more powerful, rising to an aristocratic level and being even more important than warlords.

However, at that time, there were other groups of warriors. Ninjas, meaning a “person (ja) that perseveres, conceals, moves stealthily (nin)”, were trained very secretly in different martial art techniques, especially ninjutsu, to become spies and assassins. The ashigaru, meaning “light foot”, were former peasants turned into foot soldiers that were under the orders of samurai. The ikkō-ikki were rebels that stood against samurai. Then there were the “monk soldiers”, the sōhei, who had their own agenda. A final mention to the rōnin, who were samurai that had lost their master and were roaming the country. Often, they would become trouble makers.

If Robin Hood and his gang were Japanese, they would belong to the ikkō-ikki class. In Feudal Europe, instead of daimyo there were kings, instead of samurai there were knights, instead of ashigaru there were mercenaries. Knights were loyal to their kings or to their religious order (like Templars). If Templars were Japanese, they would belong to the sōhei class. Mercenaries were men hired by the armies to fight for money. Back then, the notion of “nation” or “country” was very different from today’s concept and men didn’t fight out of patriotism. It was a job, like any other, and men would fight for whoever paid higher. It could happen that they would fight one day for an army and fight for the opposing army the next day. They were loyal only to money. Before their country would become neutral, Swiss mercenaries were considered the most prestigious soldiers. They were regarded as “elite”.

Germany was also a great provider of mercenaries and this had an impact in its culture, namely in some idiomatic expressions that are still used today. For example, in the battlefield, there were men whose job was to hold the flag to serve as reference for the troops. It was not easy, but they would “bei der Stange bleiben” (“stick with it” by standing by the pole). There was also a lot of dust, with horses running up and down and warriors fighting fiercely. Those who would desert during the battle would “aus dem Staub machen” (“make a run for it” by getting out of the dust). If they would desert outside the battlefields, they would only have “die Flinge ins Korn werfen” (“throw in the towel” by tossing their rifle to a corn field). Back in the day, mercenaries didn’t wear a uniform, like military do nowadays, so they would only be recognised by being in the possession of a rifle. If they would get rid of their rifle, they would kind of stop being a soldier. However, they could leave the army without deserting if the army would one “Laufpass geben” (“end the relationship” by giving a pass).

According to the United Nations, peace «not only is the absence of conflict, but also requires a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation». This definition is included in the “Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace”. In a way, this is in line with the Chinese ancient view of war: to avoid it and focus on trade prosperity instead. In fact, peace is much more advantageous, economically and socially. Check the examples of Germany and Japan after the Second World War. However, war fills mythological stories around the world. Warriors are seen as heroes and conflicts are often shown as necessary to defend a nation from aggressive, powerful, and overwhelming armies or to liberate some oppressed nation. The “best” stories are those where a few defeats many. On the other hand, there are also stories about the consequences of the war on civilians during and/or afterwards.

The Second World War is the period with (by far) most “stories”, mainly because of spies. Oh, yes. A spy in this context is someone who is paid to “spill the beans” about the enemy. In Britain they are known as “spooks”. This means that “ghosts” are trying to find and disclose secret information, like “flies on the wall” (someone who hears without being seen).

Wars continue to evolve, even if they are basically the same and are based on similar “justifications”. Nowadays, new concepts are emerging like cyberwar and hybrid warfare. In an increasingly globalized world, where everything and everyone is connected, war is also becoming a global issue and the ways to fight it are getting similar from country to country.

 

The work, le travail, die Arbeit, el trabajo

“I declare the first gathering of The Foreign Lands’ Explorers open,” said Jack and everyone clapped and cheered. “The topic for today is ‘the work’.”

“’El trabajo’, in Spanish; ‘il lavoro’, in Italian; ‘o trabalho’, in Portuguese,” said Leo.

“’Le travail’, in French”, said Elizabeth.

“’Die Arbeit’, in German”, said Michael.

“’Arbejdet’, in Danish; ‘arbeidet’, in Norwegian; ‘arbetet’, in Swedish”, said Sophia.

“’Trabajo’, ‘trabalho’, and ‘travail’ come from Latin. The original word, at the time, was related to a torture instrument with three stakes. I have no idea how it progressed, but we can assume that there was a connection made somewhere by common people between ‘work’ and ‘torture’…”, explained Leo. “The Italian word comes from the Latin word ‘labor’, which was the official and standard word for ‘work’ at the time. In Spanish, French, and Portuguese a similar word also exists with a similar meaning, but usually is used in handcraft work or in the farming context. It makes sense because at the time most of the work was related with agriculture. In English, we can also see this word being used in some contexts, like in ‘labour market’.”

“Actually, there is a similar situation in German. The word ‘Werk’ also means work in a more formal manner, but it is mostly related with factories and the like. Both words ‘Werk’ and ‘work’ have the same origin. In English language the word ‘labour’ can be used, but it’s more commonly used in the farming context”, added Michael.

“Then, there is ‘job’, which can mean a task or an employment”, said Jack.

“In Spanish and in Portuguese the word is the same, but there is also the word ‘empleo’ and ‘emprego’, respectively, for ‘employment’, which is similar to English”, informed Leo.

“Yes, ‘employment’ was adopted to English via French, whose word is ‘emploi’. In French slang you can also say ‘boulot’”, added Elizabeth.

“Ok, what about ‘unemployment’? In Swedish is ‘arbetslöshet’, in Danish is ‘arbejdsløshed’, and in Norwegian is ‘arbeidsledighet’”, said Sophia. “Basically it means ‘without work’”.

“In German is not so different: ‘Arbeitslosigkeit’”, added Michael.

“In French is ‘chômage’”, said Elizabeth.

“’Chômage’?! Where that came from?”, asked Jack.

“It comes from the Latin word ‘caumare’, which means to take a break during the heat”, explained Elizabeth.

“That doesn’t seem to make much sense…”, laughed Sophia.

“Well, try working during the heat and you’ll probably start to see some sense…”, commented Jack. “We all have to learn the ropes with those who came before us.”

“Learn the ropes? What do you mean?”, asked Leo.

“It’s an idiomatic expression that means learning to do a job”, answered Jack. “It was used when new sailors had to learn how to tide the ropes in sailing boats.”

“As they say in Germany: ‘die Arbeit, die uns freut, wird zum Vergnügen’. This means ‘the work that we enjoy becomes pleasure’”, said Michael.

“Unless you ‘tombes dans le panneau’”, said Elizabeth. As everyone stared at her, she explained: “You can fall into a trap”. Then everyone went “Ahhhh”.

“You can always take a ‘föräldrapenning’, as the Swedish say. Or ‘foreldrepenger’, in Norwergian. Or ‘forældreorlov’ in Danish”, said Sophia.

“What exactly is that?”, asked Leo.

“Parental leave”, clarified Sophia.

“Oh, ‘congé parental’, in French”, said Elizabeth.

“’Permiso parental’ in Spanish; ‘congedo parentale’, in Italian; and ‘licença parental’, in Portuguese”, said Leo.

“’Elternurlaub’, in German”, said Michael.

“Well, you would have to have a child first…”, commented Elizabeth.

“I declare the first gathering of The Foreign Lands’ Explorers open,” said Jack and everyone clapped and cheered. “The topic for today is ‘the work’.”

“’El trabajo’, in Spanish; ‘il lavoro’, in Italian; ‘o trabalho’, in Portuguese,” said Leo.

“’Le travail’, in French”, said Elizabeth.

“’Die Arbeit’, in German”, said Michael.

“’Arbejdet’, in Danish; ‘arbeidet’, in Norwegian; ‘arbetet’, in Swedish”, said Sophia.

“’Trabajo’, ‘trabalho’, and ‘travail’ come from Latin. The original word, at the time, was related to a torture instrument with three stakes. I have no idea how it progressed, but we can assume that there a connection was made somewhere on the way by common people between ‘work’ and ‘torture’…”, explained Leo. “The Italian word comes from the Latin word ‘labor’, which was the official and standard word for ‘work’ at the time. In Spanish, French, and Portuguese a similar word also exists with a similar meaning, but usually is used in handcraft work or in the farming context. It makes sense because at the time most of the work was related to agriculture. In English, we can also see this word being used in some contexts, like in ‘labour market’.”

“Actually, there is a similar situation in German. The word ‘Werk’ also means work in a more formal manner, but it is mostly related with factories and the like. Both words ‘Werk’ and ‘work’ have the same origin. In the English language, the word ‘labour’ can be used, but it’s more commonly used in the farming context”, added Michael.

“Then, there is ‘job’, which can mean a task or an employment”, said Jack.

“In Spanish and in Portuguese the word is the same, but there is also the word ‘empleo’ and ‘emprego’, respectively, for ‘employment’, which is similar to English”, informed Leo.

“Yes, ‘employment’ was adopted to English via French, whose word is ‘emploi’. In French slang, you can also say ‘boulot’”, added Elizabeth.

“Ok, what about ‘unemployment’? In Swedish is ‘arbetslöshet’, in Danish is ‘arbejdsløshed’, and in Norwegian is ‘arbeidsledighet’”, said Sophia. “Basically, it means ‘without work’”.

“In German is not so different: ‘Arbeitslosigkeit’”, added Michael.

“In French it is ‘chômage’”, said Elizabeth.

“’Chômage’?! Where did that come from?”, asked Jack.

“It comes from the Latin word ‘caumare’, which means to take a break during the heat”, explained Elizabeth.

“That doesn’t seem to make much sense…”, laughed Sophia.

“Well, try working during the heat and you’ll probably start to see some sense…”, commented Jack. “We all have to learn the ropes with those who came before us.”

“Learn the ropes? What do you mean?”, asked Leo.

“It’s an idiomatic expression that means learning to do a job”, answered Jack. “It was used when new sailors had to learn how to tide the ropes in sailing boats.”

“As they say in Germany: ‘die Arbeit, die uns freut, wird zum Vergnügen’. This means ‘the work that we enjoy becomes pleasure’”, said Michael.

“Unless you ‘tombes dans le panneau’”, said Elizabeth. As everyone stared at her, she explained: “You can fall into a trap”. Then everyone went “Ahhhh”.

“You can always take a ‘föräldrapenning’, as the Swedish say. Or ‘foreldrepenger’, in Norwegian. Or ‘forældreorlov’ in Danish”, said Sophia.

“What exactly is that?”, asked Leo.

“Parental leave”, clarified Sophia.

“Oh, ‘congé parental’, in French”, said Elizabeth.

“’Permiso parental’ in Spanish; ‘congedo parentale’, in Italian; and ‘licença parental’, in Portuguese”, said Leo.

“’Elternurlaub’, in German”, said Michael.

“Well, you would have to have a child first…”, commented Elizabeth.

 
After this introduction to the topic, they decided to compare the name of some professions in different languages. They started with the firefighters.

While in the Anglo-Saxon and Nordic languages the focus is on fire (they are the people of the fire / those who fight the fire), in Latin languages the focus is on the pumps that were used at the beginning of firefighting (they are the people of the pumps).

Between ‘assistant’ and ‘host’ / ‘hostess’ or ‘steward’ / ‘stewardess’, there is not much difference.

In this case, except in the Spanish language, the expression is very similar to all other languages. “Journalism” was a term born in the 18th century in France and comes from “jour”, as in “report every day”. In Spanish, “newspaper” is “periódico”, hence the “periodista”.

In German and in the Nordic languages, the word refers to an instructor, someone who provides training for someone to acquire a skill, which has a similar meaning for “teacher”, although the root is different. The perspective is “to show how it’s done”. In Latin languages, the perspective is “someone who dominates an art and transmits its knowledge to their disciples”. In these languages, the teacher is regarded as a kind of “keeper of knowledge”. This is even more emphasised in Spanish, where the teacher is considered a “master”. Actually, in the other Latin countries, a teacher used to be called “master” and in some contexts it is still the case.

 
As it was getting late, they decided to wrap up. They could discuss and compare terms in different languages for hours, but they all had classes the next morning. However, when everyone was preparing to leave, Leo remembered something.

“Do you know the origin of the word ‘salary’?”

Everyone looked at Leo.

“Salt was extremely important during the Roman Empire. So, it was the reference to pay soldiers what was due to them. It was the ‘salt portion’ they could have. They still use that term in English, in Portuguese (‘salário’), in French (‘salaire’), and in Spanish in certain contexts (‘salario’).”

“If it’s a constant pay, for example every month, it’s ‘sueldo’. If it is an irregular pay it’s a ‘salario’”, said Elizabeth.

“Exactly”, confirmed Leo. “It’s similar in Italian: ‘salario’ is an hourly pay whereas ‘stipendio’ is a fixed pay”.

“That’s also similar in German. If it’s fixed it’s ‘Gehalt’ and if it’s variable it’s ‘Lohn’”, said Michael.

“Ah, in Swedish it’s ‘lön’, in Danish it’s ‘løn’, and in Norwegian it’s ‘lønn’”, added Sophia.

And, on that note, they reluctantly went back home.

 

The peaceful Switzerland

Cows gaze lazily at the high mountains surrounding them while taking full advantage of the sunshine. Soon it will be time to go indoors, when the snow starts falling from the sky. For the moment, there is snow only at the mountain summits. Down below, in the valleys, clusters of houses outline several villages and cities along the rivers and by the lakes. One couldn’t imagine that for centuries this region was the stage of fierce battles.

The Helvetians were a Celtic tribe that had settled here when Romans expanded their Empire throughout Europe. They couldn’t escape it, but they were granted enough autonomy to govern the different provinces of this land and manage the most important commercial routes that crossed the territory. This was a great experience for them, from which the Helvetians learned much. After the fall of the Roman Empire, they were invaded by the Germans, from the north, and by the French, from the west. In the meantime, the Helvetians, now converted to Christianity, agreed to fight in the German army in exchange for money and land. Yes, they had really learned how to make business.

Yet, their leanings would continue. Now part of the Holy Roman Empire, the former Helvetians were in charge of different pieces of land and, like in the Roman Empire, they enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy. However, this time, they came to the conclusion that they should work together to keep peace and economically prosper. A confederation began to take shape and Schwyz inspired them to become “die Schweizer” (the Swiss). To the first three “orte” (pieces of land), five more joined them in the 14th century. Ah, but men are greedy and selfish and internal battles for power were waged…

The next centuries were full of wars, inside the “Land of the Swiss” and outside. Fighting each other, fighting the invaders, and also serving as mercenaries in foreign armies were daily business. Finally, in the 17th century, Switzerland became an independent country de facto, kept out from other people’s wars, and dedicated themselves to agriculture, trade, bank activities, and watchmaking… until a French person named Napoleon and his troops invaded the Swiss Land and everything collapsed. The Old Confederation was dead…

… long live the New Confederation (after Napoleon had been expelled, of course). All the learnings were applied then. The “orte” became “canton”, each Canton became almost fully independent, and later the Confederation turned into a Federation. The Swiss people decided to focus on making money and not war, living in peace and harmony. In the meantime, they adopted the direct democracy political system, which means individuals decide by vote (via referendum or initiatives) the rules of the country. Oh, Switzerland looks like a very advanced country… except in what women are concerned.

It took 103 years of fighting, and a fear of “looking bad” internationally, for women to be granted the right to vote. It all started in 1868, when women in Zurich proposed to be granted the right to vote. They failed, of course, but they didn’t give up. An organisation was created and the fight turned national. Due to the direct democracy system, many petitions were presented to the Parliament. They were first ignored and then rejected over and over again by men (those who could actually vote), as men viewed women as not able to understand politics and whose place was at home taking care of the children.

At some point, Swiss men were on the verge of being humiliated internationally as almost all European countries had already allowed women to vote. In the meantime, Swiss women kept pushing and presenting initiatives while peacefully protesting on the streets. After much internal and external pressure, men finally approved the right for women to vote in 1971, even though in some Cantons this would only become official 20 years later…

Ah, the peaceful Switzerland, with the placid lakes and the serene Alpine mountains, perfect for sanatoriums specialised in healing the body and the mind. A land where nothing much happens and people are focused on their farms and their business affairs…

 
Read more about Switzerland:

  • The History of Switzerland
  • Political system
  • Women’s suffrage in Switzerland: 100 years of struggle
  • The long road to women’s suffrage in Switzerland

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    News, actualités, Nachrichten, noticias, notícias

    Reading the news in the language we are learning is a wonderful way to train that language and get to know the culture and the way speakers of that language see the world. News media around the world usually organize themselves in an identical structure. Furthermore, some of the world news is the same, so one can read the same news in newspapers from different countries. This will give you the chance to compare the way each country sees the world, what they value, and the words they use to describe the same things.

    Nowadays, some reference media have versions in different languages. For example, Euronews is available in 17 languages, including Arabic and Persian. However, be aware that it doesn’t necessarily mean that all versions have the same news or, if they have, the article will be exactly the same. Editions are independent from each other. National media may also have news available in different languages. For example, Deutsche Welle (DW) is a German TV channel and its website is available in 29 languages.

    Below, we compare the basic structure of news media in English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

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    Pamplona, beyond the bullfighting

    When walking the streets of Pamplona on a summer’s day, feeling the sun gently burning your skin and the quietude of a countryside town, one can’t imagine that every year the same streets fill with people running from angry bulls that were set free to run through a determined route. The city is then transformed, with thousands of people coming from all over the world, cheering those who are brave enough to run in front of the enraged bulls. Some get injured, a few may die, but all are full of adrenaline and exhilarate everyone around them.

    When a young American journalist, stationed in Paris as a European correspondent, arrived in this city, he got immediately and forever hooked. Ernest Hemingway was so impressed with it that he included it in his book “The Sun Also Rises”, turning the running of the bulls, the main event of the Fiesta de San Fermín, into a world attraction. Pamplona reciprocated his love and it still takes pride in Hemingway’s admiration for the city. Yes, because Hemingway didn’t just enjoy the bullfighting, he enjoyed the food and the people.

    Another foreigner, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey the Great, passed through this terrain a very long time ago during military campaigns on behalf of the Roman Empire. He thought there was a good place to settle the troops and, in a not very original way, he gave his name to the place he was founding (well, sort of). Over the years, the town evolved, became Christian and turned into the capital of the Kingdom of Navarra. The Fiesta de San Fermín took shape in Medieval Times to honour a Christian Saint and now is part of the city as much as the buildings that were constructed throughout the centuries.

    After many battles and wars, Navarra became a Spanish region in the 16th century and, although not completely independent, it enjoys autonomy. Yet, walking through Pamplona, its capital, you could be foul into thinking that they are in fact independent. Navarra’s flag is hung everywhere and you can feel proud of being from Navarra, rather than being Spanish. However, contrary to Catalonia, people in Navarra seem to enjoy their status and they don’t wish to change it any time soon.

    Bordering France in the Pyrenees, there is an immense French influence in its core. It also borders the current Basque country region and it is influenced by the Basque culture too, especially in the north. Although there are many Basque people living there, and they are considered to be part of the greater cultural Basque region, people from Navarra like to keep themselves apart. The fact they were once a powerful kingdom may have something to do with it.

    In a nutshell, Pamplona is a quiet countryside town with a violent past, a unique cultural mixture, and a lively tradition.

     

    Homeland, patrie, Heimat, patria, pátria

    It is a well-known fact that Europe was devastated many times due to numerous wars throughout the centuries and, consequently, frontiers changed frequently. At that time, kingdoms and empires were really a collection of principalities and counties. The rulers of those territories would pledge their allegiance to the King or the Emperor and they were under their authority from then onwards. Common people didn’t feel they belonged to a country or that they had a nationality. They would feel they would belong to a religion or a region.

    Nationalism is a political ideology that aims to make people believe they have a national identity superior to all others. This means that only a group of people (those who are part of a certain identity and possess certain characteristics) are part of a “nation”. On the other hand, patriotism is the love for one’s country and includes everyone who was born there (or acquired its citizenship) regardless of the characteristics they may have. The difference may be thin, but it does exist.

    Below, we will discuss patriotism in a linguistic (and cultural) perspective.

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    Keyword: PLACES | Exotic food

    Exotic means foreign. So, basically, all food which is not traditional in your own country can be considered exotic food, including the traditional food of the neighbouring country. However, especially for travellers, exotic is usually applied to food so strange we question ourselves if we would be able to eat it.

    Nowadays, the Internet is full of websites, videos, lists, advice and tips about food around the world. The strangest it is, the greatest emphasis it has. In a time when “experience” is more important than “feeling” or “knowledge”, having what may be considered “weird experiences” beats them all. So, people go and film themselves eating insects, insides of animals, and all things considered disgusting.

    Exotic food can be marvelous and delicious. Think, for example, of tropical fruit like banana, coconut, mango, pineapple, papaya, and passion fruit. Or some traditional dishes, that are probably now available everywhere, like curry (originally from India), paella (originally from Spain), fish ‘n’ chips (originally from England), sushi (originally from Japan), pizza (originally from Italy), donuts (originally from USA), Peking duck (originally from China), moambe chicken (originally from Angola), tagine (originally from North Africa).

    All these foods are daily food in their original countries and they give you a cultural insight of the country you may be visiting. For example, in Europe, when going on field trips, people (and especially children) usually take sandwiches with them to eat during the day. In Japan, they serve sushi. In some countries, the traditional Christmas dinner is based on fish, while in others it is based on meat. In the USA the Thanksgiving dinner is traditionally a roasted turkey whereas in China people usually eat dumplings to celebrate New Year.

    Each country also has their typical desserts, for example: tiramisu (in Italy), cinnamon rolls (in Sweden), Apfelstrudel (in Austria), baklava (in Turkey), brownies (in United States), sesame balls (in China), tres leches cake (in Mexico). Besides trying the desserts, you might as well try typical drinks such as: mango lassi (in India), apple cider (in England), bubble tea (in Taiwan), sangria (in Spain), coconut water (in Brazil), sake (in Japan).

    Exotic ideas for your exotic trip.

     

    Places, lieux, Orte, lugares

    When learning a foreign language, it is advisable to use it in context. That is why books and classes have simulations of situations such as “in the airport”, “meeting new people”, “daily routine”. You can do the same in real situations. Imagine you are going to travel. You can recreate the “in the airport” scenes and write and perform them in the language you are learning. All you need is the vocabulary, simple sentences, and a willingness to practice.

    The airport is a good place to start. From there, you can go to different countries and different sceneries. You can make up travels, describe trips you have already made, or journeys you are about to start. You can also talk about your city or your country. The possibilities are endless.

    Below we provide a list of vocabulary that you can use (in a pdf, which you can download) and some examples in English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. You can compare and get inspired.

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    Keyword: MONASTERY | Bread

    One of the most widespread foods, bread is greatly differentiated from region to region. As a base of probably all countries’ diets, it is sometimes a synonym of food or meal. For this reason, bread is metaphorically used on several occasions. It is a token of sharing and socializing, a way of saying that people are earning money, a religious symbol.

    Bread is as old as the Neolithic. Back when humans settled in the same place and began farming and raising livestock, mixing flour (crushed grains) with water seemed a very good idea to make a nutritious food. Since then, it has evolved in terms of the flour used and the ingredients added. Egyptians found out that if the dough would ferment, the bread would be lighter. Romans invented the concept of bakery shops: shops specialised in baking bread to sell to customers. Then, during the industrial revolution, bread began to be mass-produced. Nowadays, it is recognised that artificial ingredients are not healthy and new solutions are being sought. Furthermore, people with allergies can already choose types of bread that take that into consideration.

    Although quite ancient, bread has managed to remain modern. Sandwich, pizza and calzone, bun, toast, crouton are some of the dishes based on bread, but there are also soups, salads, main dishes or even desserts. You can buy bread everywhere and you can also bake it at home. There are even machines to help you with it. If you are imaginative, you can bake your own bread using different types of flour and adding original ingredients.

    A life without bread is unthinkable for the majority of humankind. The truth is, few things make you feel at home like the smell of fresh bread. Therefore, bread has a past, but also a future, definitely. What future that will be, we will have to wait and see.

     

    Lawns, cherries, cows, and chickens

    Proverbs or sayings are one of the best ways to get to know the culture of a country, or a language. A language is developed according to the place where it is born. That is why snowy countries have many words for snow and words and expressions related to the sea are common in coastal countries. Of course, with colonialism and the imposition of European languages in other parts of the world, this got a little distorted. However, European languages are evolving differently in each part of the world where they were introduced. This means that European languages are adapting themselves to other realities. That is why we have British English, American English, and Australian English, for example. It is the same language (English), but with specificities in each region. Even British English is not as harmonious as people might think.

    As people are similar everywhere, some proverbs or sayings have the same meaning although they are presented differently, according to the reality of each language. On the other hand, there are those which are unique and don’t have a direct equivalence. When translating these, chances are they need to be explained rather than translated.

    Let’s analyse a practical example, comparing an English proverb with its equivalent in French, Germany, Spanish, and Portuguese:

    The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

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    Key place: USA’s EAST COAST | Sandwiches

    Everyone knows what a sandwich is and everyone has eaten one. No mystery there. Some people have heard the story of how Earl Sandwich wanted to have something to eat without having to leave the gaming table. Hence, the name. True or not, eating bread with something inside is something that people have been doing probably since bread was invented.

    The most basic sandwich you can do is to spread butter on a slice of bread. From there, you can add ham, cheese, jam… and another slice of bread. Then, you can add another slice of bread, making a kind of a double sandwich. If you fancy vegetables, you can add lettuce, tomato, grated carrot… In order to be more substantial, like a lunch or a dinner, you can put mayonnaise, a boiled egg (or a fried egg), meat or fish.

    Sandwiches can be as different as your imagination. However, there are pre-defined types and some typical sandwiches per country. In The Netherlands, for example, they put the French croquette between two slices of bread and called it broodje kroket (croquette sandwich). As great fish eaters, and directly from their colonial heritage, they also have the broodje bakkeljauw, which is a sandwich with fried cod and is based on Suriname cuisine. In England, the Afternoon Tea usually comes with various sandwiches, namely the famous cucumber sandwich. They look like miniatures and can be displayed in those three-tiered dishes, like the mini-cakes. Then, there is the world-renowned club sandwich, which was invented in New York, USA. And speaking about the USA, they were also the inventors of putting the hamburger between two slices of bread.

    Sandwiches can have different forms: rectangular, triangular, round, squared, baguettes. You can also design animals or other figures with different ingredients, or serve it as an “open sandwich” (the bread is the base and the ingredients seem to be escaping from it). All types of bread are allowed, and you can choose to have a healthier sandwich or one full of calories with lots of sauce or jam.

    Options are endless, enjoyment is granted, fun is a plus.

     

    Key place: LONDON, UK | Ice-cream

    Ice-cream is probably a national food in Italy, where you can find good gelato everywhere. Gelato is a specific ice-cream type. Other types are sorbet, frozen yoghurt, sundae, soft ice-cream, frozen custard… What differentiates each type is how they are made. You can also find national types of ice-cream in some countries. Sorbet, for example, is based on fruit and it is an Italian version of the Persian sherbets. Frozen yoghurt uses yoghurt instead of milk or cream and it is a USA invention.

    Existing since ancient times, ice-cream boomed in the 19th and 20th centuries when new techniques allowed it to be widely commercialized. Before, it was a special dessert for the rich, when its confection was too expensive, but, when the production costs decreased (much due to refrigerators), it became available to anyone. Just imagine 18th century aristocracy eating ice-cream for dessert as it was a distinct delicacy…

    Agnes Marshall (1855-1905) was an English cook who understood the potential of ice-cream. She wrote and published two recipe books about it and invented the first ice-cream machine. She also created a cone from almonds to be eaten together with the ice-cream, what she called “cornets with cream”. This was the first version of the ice-cream cones we all know today. Agnes was a real pioneer and visionary not only in what ice-cream was concerned, but also in terms of cooking in general. Together with her husband, she bought a cooking school in her name shortly after a law was issued allowing women to own property. This school thrived, much due to her travels around the country giving lectures and advertising the books she published. A true entrepreneur, she did not stop innovating and she even founded a human resources company for people who wanted to hire cooks, complementing, thus, her activities in the school.

    Nowadays, ice-cream is part of our daily lives. We can buy them in specialized stores, on the street, and in the supermarket. We can eat them on a plate, on a glass, on a cup, or on an edible cone. Besides the traditional flavours (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry), many new ones are being made (imagination is the limit). In fact, there are people who are paid to discover new mixes, so basically their job is to taste ice-cream. Pretty cool, yeah? There are also ice-cream cakes and baked ice-creams (look for “baked Alaska”).

     

    Key place: ITALY | Wine

    Italy is one of the largest wine producers in the world and Tuscany is one of the largest and most prolific wine regions in Italy. Wine has been produced in this region since before the Roman Empire. Rome was not that far away (from Florence to Rome is about 217 km), and this region was ideal to produce the precious nectar that Romans loved so much. Therefore, wine production in this region boomed and it has never stopped since.

    Despite all technological advances, producing wine is still an art. For starters, it depends on nature: rain, temperature, sunlight, bugs… and the type of soil is also important (which is different from region to region). That is why it is so important to know where and when the wine was produced. Exceptional weather results in exceptional wine whereas bad weather makes bad wine. Tuscany has good soil for growing grapes and also good weather conditions.

    Choosing the right time to reap the grapes is crucial. Grapes transform acid into sugar, which will be later turned into alcohol. If the grapes are reaped too soon, the wine will be too acidic. If they are reaped too late, there will be too much sugar, producing a too alcoholic wine. Therefore, producers start tasting the grapes about a month prior to their harvest to decide the exact date of the big day. Then, people have to cut the grapes in a certain way and prepare them to be transported also in a certain way. All details matter because everything will influence the quality of the wine.

    Wines are defined by their grape variety and by their type. The most well-known varieties are, for example, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, but many more are available. As for their types, they can be white, red, rose, sparkling, or dessert. The distinction between the different types of wine comes from the process rather than the colour of the grapes. One of the best-known sparkling wines is Champagne, named after the region where it was originally produced. This wine is usually made with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes. Porto wine is a dessert wine, named after a city near the region where it was originally produced (the Douro Valley). It can be made from a great variety of grapes, but the most common are the Touriga Francesa and the Touriga Nacional.

    Lastly, the same wine can produce different styles, which depend on how long the wine ages and where this process occurs. Wine that ages in wooden barrels will taste differently from a wine that ages in other types of barrels. The time they age can also be decisive on the resulting style. After this process is considered finished, the wine is bottled. It is no coincidence that wine is bottled in a certain type of glass and closed with a cork. As mentioned above, all details matter. Finally, the way wine is stored also hugely influences the preservation of quality. Hence, the cellars.

    True wine connoisseurs take all this information into consideration when choosing the right wine. And there is no “one” best of them all. It all depends on the purpose and personal preferences. Well, yes, there are annual awards for those considered “the best”. However, when choosing the right wine for your dinner, for example, there are many factors to consider. For starters, the type of food you are eating. In general, fish match better with white wine and meat with red wine. However, it all depends on the kind of fish/meat and how it is cooked…

    Difficult? Well, yes, but with training and experience comes wisdom.  

    Key place: PARIS, FRANCE | Le croissant

    People can eat croissants at breakfast, in the afternoon, with tea or coffee, at lunch or as a snack, as bread or as a sweet. You can eat it by itself or add cheese, ham, butter, jam, cream, chocolate, spinach…. It is typically made with puff pastry (laminated dough filled with butter), which gives it that crunchy feeling we all love. Nowadays, there are different types of croissants, with different types of dough, but the shape is usually the same: a crescent shape.

    “Croissant” means “crescent” in French. And “croissant” is a very typical French delicacy that has become incredibly popular. Except it was originally Austrian… and it only came to be in the 19th century, when an Austrian man opened a pastry shop to sell Austrian delicacies in Paris. These delicacies were based on a typical Austrian bread, with centuries of existence, which had a crescent shape.

    No matter. “Le croissant” changed enough to become a French product that has been “exported” to the whole world and it is now quite different from that typical Austrian crescent bread. And, because food is always evolving and changing, croissants gave rise to many other similar delicacies, like the pain au chocolat. In truth, nowadays, you may find pastry called “croissants” without the typical crescent shape, but the spirit remains.

    In literature, you can find some books with “croissant” in the title. Usually it is a romance, but it can be a rural crime mystery. However, most likely they are all set in France. There are also some references to croissants in films and TV series. Probably the “coolest” scene in the movies is when Meryl Streep (or rather, her character) bakes croissants from scratch.

     

    Key place: SIBERIA | Solyanka soup

    Like most recipes, the origin of the solyanka soup is controversial (read here more about it here). It is believed it was a main dish back in the 17th century that turned into a soup in the 19th century. At that time, it became very popular, especially in taverns, and the way of cooking it was a hallmark of each cook. During the Soviet period, the soup was spread throughout the countries that were part of the Union, all the way to East Germany. Nowadays, it is still very popular here, with different versions according to the creativity of who cooks it.

    Solyanka is a broth with many different ingredients and the ingredients that are added is what differentiates each version. Usually includes pickled cucumbers, sauerkraut, onions, and other vegetables, maybe potatoes and tomatoes, a lot of salt, fat and spices. Typically, it is a hearty soup with meat, but it can also have fish or mushrooms instead. However, it is mandatory to add sour cream when it is ready, just before it is served. Olives are also traditionally added.

    The reason this broth was so popular in taverns was because it is great to eat together with vodka, and great to cure drunkenness (read here more about it) due to the quantity of fat it includes. Nowadays, you can find good choices in the supermarket, also as frozen food, but you still can find the best option in the restaurant.

     

    Key place: IRELAND | Guinness beer

    Nothing speaks Irish internationally more than Guinness beer. This is no coincidence. Arthur Guinness was a visionary and he wanted to brew such a beer that would be internationally recognized as an Irish product for many years to come. Hence, the choice of a harp as the symbol of the brewery. Yet, this is not just any harp, it is the “Brian Boru” harp, which you can see in the Long Room at the Trinity College Library in Dublin. It’s a medieval harp that stood the test of time and became the true symbol of Ireland. You can find it as the symbol of the Irish Government (adopted after the independence from England in 1922) and on Irish coins.

    Founded in 1759 at St. James’s Gate in Dublin, where it is still being brewed today, Guinness is the most well-known stout beer in the world. Originally, when Arthur Guinness took hold of it, St. James’s Gate was an ale brewery, but he decided to change that and started producing a type of black beer. The final formula obtained in those early days was so unique that it gave rise to the “Irish Stout” style. To this day, “stout” is the only type of beer produced by Guinness. Their diversity is restricted to this condition, and they do not have that much diversity. When it is perfect, you do not need to change anything, right?

    Back in 1945, Sir Hugh Beaver was hired as manager by the Guinness family and he underwent several changes that took the brewery to the next level. One day, while he was hanging out with friends at the pub, he engaged in a fierce argument about which was the fastest bird in the world. A conclusion was not reached, but an idea was born: to compile facts in a book to solve these kinds of questions. As the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature, Toni Morrison, said, “if there is a book you want to read, and it is not yet written, then you must write it yourself”. That was exactly what Sir Hugh Beaver did. Well, he did not write it himself, but commissioned who did. That book was “The Guinness Book of Records”. The idea grew and grew and now is a yearly publication that confirms all kinds of records all over the world.

     

    Keywords: ROMAN EMPIRE | Pasta

    A mother or grandmother cooking pasta on the stove is a childhood image of all Italians. All mothers and grandmothers have their speciality and their unique way of cooking it. A family secret that should never be known to anyone, only passed onto the next generation.

    Pasta is unleavened dough. Once ready, you can do the shape you want, by hand or using a machine. You can also stuff it with meat, vegetables, or any ingredients that you prefer. You can use it fresh or dry. If you don’t want to prepare it at home, there are plenty to choose from in a supermarket. And the receipts? Besides the traditional ones, like spaghetti Bolognesi and lasagne, you can imagine and re-invent all you want. You can boil it or cook it in the oven. In the Roman Empire, people used to fry it.

    There is nothing more Italian and the quantity of pasta consumed per capita is not as high as in Italy. However, apparently, pasta came from Asia and “travelled” with nomads to Europe. Well, a primitive version of it, at least. Once in Italy, it evolved to reach the diversity and importance it has today.

    Yet, as or even more important, is the sauce. Ah, the sauce… Here is really where secrets lie. Even the most basic one, the tomato sauce, can vary enormously depending on the other ingredients you add. And, of course, the source of the ingredients is paramount. The flavour is completely different whether they are fresh or not.

    One day, someone thought that pasta was so good it should be a dessert… Back in the Renaissance, pasta was a food only for rich people and sugar was a luxury item. Therefore, putting the two together was a question of time. Nowadays, with cooking promoted to art, imagination is the limit. You can have ravioli with chocolate, cannoli with cream (remember the “Godfather” film), fried pasta that looks like cookies…

    So, when you go to Italy, be prepared to be amazed … and fatter, probably (remember the main character of “Eat, Pray, Love”…). You can also try it at home and eat it while watching a Western Spaghetti film. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, Western Spaghetti films were cowboy stories produced by Italians and filmed in Italy. They were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s and featured many famous Hollywood stars, like Clint Eastwood.

     

    Key place: BATH, UK | Sally Lynn’s buns

    If the thermal baths, for which Bath is famous, began with the Romans, “buns”, which nowadays are a famous English delicacy, were invented by a French woman. Or so it says the shop where these buns were supposedly invented. In fact, the origins of Sally Lynn’s buns are not proven, but the “official” story makes sense. It says that Solange Luyon was a Huguenot, who fled from France to England in 1680 to escape prosecution. Arriving in Bath, she was employed by a baker and there she invented the bun, which was inspired by the French brioche. And, as English people have enormous difficulty pronouncing foreign names, she became Sally Lynn.

    A bun is something between bread and cake. It is usually eaten with butter or jam, but it can also come with savoury toppings. Whether the story is true or not, the fact is that Sally Lynn’s buns are unique. Many have tried to copy it, with no success. Therefore, you need to go to Bath, UK, to try it. You can find them in one of the oldest houses in Bath, officially dated from 1482, conveniently located 200 meters from the Roman Baths. Actually, excavations have shown that food has been prepared in Sally Lynn’s place since the Romans. A small museum in the basement tells you the story.

    So, when Bath turned into a famous resort in the 18th century, Sally Lynn’s buns were already well established and widely known, fitting very nicely in the new city concept. Everyone would eat there and probably ordered them to be delivered at home, for breakfast, for example. Jane Austen was one of those people and there is evidence that she really enjoyed them.

     

    A glimpse of Bath

    Visiting Bath is immersing yourself in the 18th century. As you walk through the streets, you can almost imagine carriages pulled by horses, people dressed in the latest fashion of that time… and gossip, gossip everywhere. Gossip about who had married who, and why; who had recently died, and who inherited the estate and the fortune; who had eloped with whom, and whose family’s name had been sent to the mud…

    London was still London, of course, and “the season” was not complete without going there. However, Bath was the place to go. At least for those who wanted to be someone, but hadn’t got there yet. The competition with London was fierce, even though it was not even. A lot of investment was made to turn Bath into a great recreational resort. Three centuries later, the buildings are still there, with little changes in the scenery created at the time.

    Why invest so much in Bath from all places? Due to its thermal waters. The Romans, those barbarians who tried to invade England and failed, were right after all. Before they were duly expelled from the country, they had time to build a grand thermal public building in Bath, which is still standing and fully operational nowadays. Hence the name Bath (where Romans would take their bath, publicly). Those barbarians knew what they were doing… The waters were indeed miraculous and everyone wanted to bathe in them and become cured from all diseases, real or fictional.

    However, did people in the 18th century actually bathe in those waters and really became cured? After all, there was so little time for that, with all that gossip to be had, the shops, the afternoon teas, and the balls (oh, my goodness, the balls!) … It would not be surprising if people would forget about the thermal waters…

     

    Keyword: DESERT | Mint Tea

    Tea is drunk everywhere in the world and there are many cultural ceremonies related to it in different countries, like the Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony in Japan, the Afternoon Tea in England, and the Maghrebi Mint Tea, in North Africa. All of these ceremonies aim to welcome guests and be a moment of relaxation and socialization with friends and family.

    The Maghrebi Mint Tea is drunk in cities and also in the desert (everywhere, basically). Like all teas, it is made by pouring boiled water on tea leaves. More precisely, they are green gunpowder loose tea leaves (a type of green tea). Mint leaves are also added, especially spearmint, and a lot of sugar too. When serving, the tea is poured as high as possible and the remaining stays brewing in the pot. Each new cup is stronger than the previous one and each person should drink three cups, according to tradition.

    It’s not clear how this tradition came to be, but clearly it originated from international trading as the tea leaves come from China. North Africans adopted this Chinese drink and made it their own, with some changes. Now, the Maghrebi mint tea is so deeply rooted in their culture that it seems it has always been part of it. Interestingly, this mint tea is prepared by men and men alone (at least, according to tradition). It is usual to see men at cafe tables drinking tea with their friends or even making business. In the desert, they make the tea inside the tents at the end of the day to relax and socialize.

    As all teas, it takes a lot of practice to get it perfect. Furthermore, each tea can be unique as other ingredients can be added. However, everyone can do it at home provided that they have the green gunpowder leaves and the mint leaves.