 If you’ve never been, then making a trip to visit my hometown, Ottawa, is a must! Ottawa is the Capital of Canada and is located in the province of Ontario, right near the Quebec border. Ottawa has a long history.
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As a first generation Polish American and a child of immigrants, I spent a few summers with family and friends in my parents' childhood hometown, Szydlowiec. This is a little town that sits about an hour and half south of Warsaw in the flatlands that were historically used for farming. Growing up, I learned a lot about Poland both from personal experience and the stories my family would tell. But here is the readers' digest version:
Poland sits at the heart of Europe. It is a country with a variety of landscapes including seaside, flatland and mountainous views. From Baltic Amber, to Europe's most ancient forest, the salt mine Wieliczka, and of course pierogi, Poland has a lot to offer when it comes to uniqueness. Poland's history is a rich one, that includes the country disappearing from the map for 123 years (alongside Lithuania during the Russian, Austrian and Prussian partitions from the late 1700's until 1918) and it's specific religious and cultural traditions in Catholicism that blend its strong pagan roots with the medieval introduction of an organized religion. The name Poland comes from the migrant people that eventually settled the plains of Poland around 800 C.E., the "Polanie" or people of the plain. These plains, in other words flatlands, were the reason for the numerous times Poland was ultimately invaded, conquered and occupied. Throughout history the "heart of Europe" was a blessing and a curse that offered a fertile land to grow food, but also a very susceptible area to be attacked and invaded. All in all, between the Tatra mountains and the Baltic Sea, Poland is a country that has seen the best and the worst times, and has made a comeback. If you have the opportunity to stop in, I'd highly recommend checking out Krakow, Zakopane, Poznan, Torun, Gdansk and Katowice. But be warned, Polish food and hospitality are not to be rivaled with, so prepare to arrive hungry and curious only to leave well-fed and highly entertained. Jamaica has a lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of itsall-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay, with its British-colonial architecture, and
Negril, known for its diving and snorkeling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer. My family is from here. During the summer I would stay in Jamaica and see my grandparents. We would also go down some years around christmas time. The culture , the music, and the people are just amazing. Every time I go down I feel at home. Jamaica is known for so many amazing foods like curry goat, oxtails , ackee, breadfruit, curry chicken and so many more. Everytime i go to Jamaica I always go to an ice cream parlor called Devon house. It's a very popular tourist spot. They have many locations along jamaica. The first location is actually in the area of the actual Devon house which is the former residence of George Stiebel, Jamaica’s first black millionaire, in St. Andrew. Most people come to tour. Itne of the most popular landmarks due to its rich history and cultural diversity. The ice cream shop was so amazing I went in. They had over a hundred different flavors and the lines wass out the door. It was so busy every time I went there and I went to multiple locations. The ice cream was rich and creamy and it was huge. The vibe in the parlor was so surreal. My grandma shared a story to me and my sister that this ice cream parlor was where my grandpa took my grandma on their first date. She told us it was amazing and she could never forget it. I could never forget that because I loved that I could see how my grandma and grandpa met and stuff. What I like the most about the city of Ibadan, which is in Oyo State, Nigeria, is the atmosphere during any festivities, such as “ileya,” when Nigerian-muslims honor Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, or Christmas, when Nigerian-christians commemorate the birth of Jesus. My family serves as a microcosm of how other families in Ibadan celebrate, wearing uniform tailored clothes and eating lots of finger food such as Amala with ewedu. My mother’s family sold traditional clothes in Ibadan so they usually provide the traditional fabric (known as Ankara and/or Lace) to local tailors to create a family uniform for special occasions. My father’s family sold goats so they usually butcher some to feed the family for the celebration. Although Ibadan does not have high-rises because it is dominated by small businesses, the city has Gbagi Market, which is well-known within Nigeria and neighboring countries. The Market is dominated by fabric merchants but you will also see spice traders/sellers, canteen, and much more. I honed my negotiating skills at Gbagi because most of the goods do not have sticker prices. Ibadan is the 19th most populous city in Africa, which means that it tends not to have enough real estate for everyone to afford due to demand. Those who have the financial means can expect to have a bungalow design house, enveloped by gates and walls that are typically bigger than the house; Those who do not can expect to own a room or apartment within a large housing complex. Also, almost every neighborhood in Ibadan has a record store that blasts music really loudly. You may even hear young islamic boys perform Adhan (i.e. a call to prayer) if you live near a mosque like my family does. It may seem like there is a lot that goes on in the city of Ibadan, which is true, but it gets fairly peaceful on the weekends due to the emphasis on family time in our Nigerian culture. One can't get a knish in Copenhagen.
For love or money. However there are delicious falafal durhams at one of the 81 sharwarma places along Nørrebrogade. Or delectable samosas from Singh's Kiosk. Wasn't always this way. A few decades back the only street food was the Danish hot dog. A steamed 'red hot' on a soft bun, layer of mustard and toasted onions on top. And no knishes anywhere. Arrived here in the '80s with my buddy (Elmont Memorial HS). We'd been working on a Norwegian farm for a summer, were going to spend three days here. It became three weeks and we were putting together a Thanksgiving dinner for 25. Bought the biggest turkey we could find. Discovered that Eurpean ovens were half the size of American ones. Cut the turkey in half & baked twice. Three months later I met a wonderful girl. A while later we agreed that if we ever had kids we'd raise them in Denmark. Got five grandkids. A lot of orthodontics went into them. All of it covered by the universal health care here. Put into place by factory workers and farmers a hundred years ago. Who understood that resources were limited but that they could be grown well if everyone was healthier. Starting 75 years earlier when a group of noblemen said to the king that the land needed parliamentary democracy. The king said 'okay'. A bloodless revolution was the result. Then a bunch of farmers got together, pooled their resources and bought a milk separator. The coop movement grew roots in many parts of the economy. Sharing led to empowerment and understanding. Alongside teeth, education was also considered important. Today even the most expensive educations, F-16 pilots and film directors, are funded by society. At the other end of the education pipeline, a five minute visit to the doctor 'costs' $15, paid for by pooled resources. Think it's $100-200 in the States. They're many comparisons to be made, up- and downsides, in between sides. Could be great to meet up at the Windsor Deli and talk of them. Couple of knishes, Dr Brown's cream sodas... served by the cheerful Arab guys working the counter. For in Queens Village, as in Copenhagen, diversity has grown. Gracing our lives with strengths & richness. So can you get a samosa in Queens Village, Bayside, Hollis, Floral Park or Elmont?   I grew up in Whanganui in Aotearoa New Zealand. (The Whanganui River has been called the ‘Rhine of New Zealand’!!) I am a Pākehā (white) New Zealander and my family have been in New Zealand for six generations. Like many ‘Kiwis’ I have travelled extensively. I have lived in the UK and am now in Australia.
(I have been to New York but not to MVB. My connection is that I am writing a history of the New York Herald Tribune World Youth Forum, delegates of which attended MVB in 1959 and 1960 – adding to the diversity of the school!) New Zealand is a green and pleasant land, with few people (just over 4 million) and many sheep. When I was growing up there was only one motorway (freeway) – a short stretch just outside Auckland. Even today, the main road through the North Island, connecting our biggest city (Auckland) with the capital (Wellington) is only one lane in each direction for the most part. Never trust google-maps’ travel times in New Zealand… add at least an hour for negotiating the bends in the roads, getting stuck in a line of traffic behind a big truck or tractor, or navigating a mob of sheep crossing from one field to another. Now famous as ‘Middle Earth’ of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, New Zealand is much more than that. British settlers and other immigrants (or invaders) arrived in the nineteenth century to a land populated by Māori iwi. Colonisation wreaked its usual havoc on the indigenous population, in spite of (or sometimes because of) the Treaty of Waitangi, signed between the British government and some Māori chiefs in 1840. Māori are resilient however and, like other indigenous peoples, fought back and survived. Although Māori have always been visible and proactive, there has been a change over the last decade. For example, when I travel home to New Zealand now, I notice the presence of Māori language in public broadcasting and in other arenas. It is not just the ‘haka’ now. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote (in 1893). It has a strong social welfare system. There have been Māori members of parliament since the late 19th century. It has an anti-nuclear policy. It has the phenomenon of Jacinda Ardern, the third female Prime Minister of New Zealand and someone who has stood in stark contrast to some other world leaders for her humanity and empathy. I love going home to New Zealand to have hokey-pokey ice cream (best in the world); to see the ferns, the rimu, rata, kauri and manuka of the New Zealand bush; and to travel from seaside to mountain, via forest, boiling mudpools, lakes and idiosyncratic small towns in a day (sheep trucks notwithstanding). Living outside New Zealand, I do miss the icecream, and I am always arguing with my Australian partner about who invented the pavlova (a dessert claimed by both nations as a symbol). When I was pregnant with my first child and living in the UK, I had a craving for ‘Chocolate Crackles’… a cookie made with rice bubbles, cocoa and ‘kremelta’. Kremelta is copha, a sort of coconut extract, and was (unbelievably!) not available in the UK. There was no proper substitute… I even rang the New Zealand High Commission to ask (such was the desperation of a pregnant Kiwi, 12000 miles from home). Fortunately, before my second pregnancy I moved to Australia, where I could make Chocolate Crackles to my heart’s content. Editor's Note: Go to The Recipe Box for the Chocolate Crackles recipe! Philippines, officially Republic of the Philippines, Island country, western Pacific Ocean, on an archipelago off the southeast coast of Asia.
Area: 115,831 sq mi (300,000 sq km) Population: (2021 est.) 111,109,000. Capital: Manila Government offices and ministries are located in Quezon City and other Manila suburbs. Filipinos are predominantly of Malay descent, frequently with Chinese and sometimes American or Spanish ancestry. Languages: Filipino (Pilipino) and English (both official); the other main groups are Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, and Bicol. Religions: Christianity (predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant, other Christians); also Islam. Currency: Philippine piso (peso). The Philippines consist of about 7,100 islands and islets. The two principal islands are Luzon in the north and Mindanao in the south. The Visayan group is in the central Philippines, Mindoro is directly south of Luzon, and Palawan is isolated in the west. The topography is varied; inactive volcanoes and mountain ranges are the main features of most of the larger islands. The country has a predominantly market economy based largely on agriculture, light industries, and services. The Philippines is a unitary republic with two legislative houses; its head of state and government is the president. First visited by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, the islands were colonized by the Spanish, who retained control until the Philippines were ceded to the U.S. in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. The Commonwealth of the Philippines was established in 1935 to prepare the country for political and economic independence, which was delayed by World War II and the invasion of Japanese troops. The islands were liberated by U.S. forces in 1944–45, and the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed in 1946, with a government patterned on that of the U.S. In 1965 Ferdinand Marcos was elected president. He declared martial law in 1972, which lasted until 1981. After 20 years of dictatorial rule, Marcos was driven from power in 1986. Corazon Aquino became president and instituted a period of democratic rule that continued with the elections of subsequent presidents. The government has tried to come to terms with Muslim independence fighters in the southern islands by establishing the Muslim Mindanao autonomous region in southwestern Mindanao and nearby islands. 10 Best Places to Visit in the country Sources for more information: https://www.gov.ph/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFzkhrqIZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwYg6RVzlGg I was born in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. When you get to Jarabacoa, you can feel the good vibes it gives off. It's the 2nd largest municipality. The food is super good! One of the dishes is sancocho- it's a soup with meats and vegetables. Another dish is mangu- boiled plantains. You could also eat the plantains mashed and top it with a fried cheese, a fried egg and more! I loved the festivals in Jarabacoa. They were so fun, and they had plenty activities for kids, friends, and family. One American dollar here is 56.45 Dominican pesos, so everything is affordable! Jarabacoa is a special place that everyone should visit.
My hometown the United Arab Emirates is a beautiful country in the Arabian Desert. People from my country come from different races: they are Hispanic, Indian French, Italian and Canadian, among many and all have the freedom of religion. Even though many of the shops are luxurious-Gucci, Versace, Prada, etc.-there are places where you can get quality apparel under $10. My favorite cologne named Sultan smells way better than Dior. The people in Dubai are really kind because Arabian culture dictates that we let random people stay with us no matter who they are or where they come from. We believe that everyone should be trustworthy. There are many luxurious restaurants too, but there are also places where you could buy the most delicious chicken over rice for two dollars and burgers for three dollars. Dubai is a land of luxury: we have attractions such as the Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa, a giant sky scraper, and the world's only Seven Star Hotel. One can see Mercedes, Lamborghinis and Ferraris on all the roads, and even the police cars are supercars. The country operates two of the airline companies-Emirates and Etihad-so book your ticket today to visit Dubai, the land of luxury!  What is so great about Cameroon are the four different landscapes because
each borough has different weather and terrain. One is sandy and hot, filled with mosquitos. Another is like a tropical rainforest. The third is a rocky area, and the last is the capitol, which is busy and booming like Times Square. I lived in the capitol, which is very lively. The food here is amazing, or as people say, "Bien!" You can taste the passion and hard work the people put into their food, and you could always drink the finest quality of wine here. Cameroon has a very wide variety of food, snacks, and drinks-the juice is one of my favorites. The parties here are like banquets with 100+ guests. We take dancing seriously. We love to tease each other for the smallest things, but everyone here is kind. You could start the day doing one task, but soon, you'll end the day having done 20 different tasks. Also, kids gather and play or exercise for more than five hours. I ensure you that you won't get bored in my hometown. If you want to visit a place that is awesome for relaxation and awesome for the most fun, you should come to Cameroon. |
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