Stranger

JANUARY 2011

STRANGER#1

Understand Me Japanese

DO THAT!

Spy chronicles

MADAGASCAR: not just a cartoon

QUEST: friends

on request

CONTENT 6 16 20 26 36 48

FACTS AND “FACTS“ WHAT DO FOREIGNERS KNOW ABOUT UKRAINE? WHAT DO UKRAINIANS KNOW ABOUT JAPAN?

STRANGE LAND

MADAGASCAR SEEMS TO BE NOT ONLY A FUNNY CARTOON

PHOTOGALLERY

THEY & US - STORIES OF ANIMALS ALL OVER THE WORLD

INTERVIEW

WHO ARE 2W4H & HOW TRAVELLING CHANGES PEOPLE

EXPERIENCE

QUEST: FRIENDS ON REQUEST FINDING FRIENDS VIA INTERNET

SPY CHRONICLES

THEY “SPY“ FOR YOU THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU

EDITORIAL

Everything has changed.

A hundred years ago there was a huge distinction between people who travel a lot and the majority – those who could spend their whole lives without leaving their place of birth. Today we are surrounded by Strangers, everybody is travelling in this or that way: someone uses plane or bicycle, someone – mobile phone or Internet.

Also for many centuries there was a segregation based on language and skin colour. No, I wouldn’t say that this distinction has disappeared totally, but today no one will be surprised that your friend’s native language or skin colour differs from yours.

It is only understanding that matters: understanding of your place in this world, understanding of the fact that you are surrounded by billions of people with their own lifestyles, cultures, languages, religions, but same hearts and feelings.

“Stranger” is an example of such understanding. This magazine was created using social networks and English language, which is neither native for me nor for the majority of my interlocutors. Nonetheless, all the misunderstandings in the process of communication, all the obstacles in the Internet usage didn’t disturb us because there was something more significant: the process of understanding a Stranger.

I hope that reading this magazine will give you at least half of the pleasure I felt while creating it together with all of you.

Don’t be afraid of Strangers.

They come into our lives to be understood.

Alyona Pavlenko, Editor

These countries are mentioned Is your country You can change the

PROFILE

in our January issue not among them? situation next month!

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Facts and ‘facts‘ about Ukraine Very often we think that we know a lot about other countries, but in fact we are wrong too often, especially in the simplest things. In order to eliminate such mistakes and just to have fun, read what people said they think they know about Ukraine.

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arlier I knew about Ukraine only that it is situated near Russia, it is mostly orthodox and it is very cold in there. Now I have a Ukrainian friend and could tell for sure that Ukrainian language is very close to Russian, but they are different; you eat pepper same as Mexicans do, your capital is Kyiv and you celebrate Christmas on January, 7th, and there are such good people as my Ukrainian friend Olya!

I

know that Ukraine was in the USSR until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Also I know that Ukraine is a member of the European Union.

I

Fay Mencott, Mexico

Amandine Cabrio, Switzerland

don’t know anything special about Ukraine except the fact that it is an Eastern country which is a member of the European Union

Natasha, Côte d’Ivoire

Natasha and Amandina, we wish your words about our membership in the EU became the truth! Unfortunately, Ukraine is still not a member of the EU. Also, Ukraine remained a part of the USSR until it proclaimed Independence in 1991.

I

know that Ukraine is a socialist or communist country, isn’t it?

Tejendra Thapalaya, Nepal

Next year in August, 24th we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, and also it will be the 20th year of the end of communism era in our country.

FACTS & “FACTS“

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kraine is situated in Europe close to Russia. An Orange revolution was there not so long ago. Also there are some good footballers.

Joe Dalton, Guinea

By the way, Joe, do you know that the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro-2012 will take place in Ukraine?

I

know nothing about Ukraine. I know that there are some mountains. The end.

Nicole Schmitt, Brazil

At least you know something, Nicole. You are right about the mountains, they make up 5% of Ukraine’s land. These are the Carpathian Mountains in the East and the Crimean Mountains in the South. The first place is great to visit in winter, and the second – in summer. Foreign tourists are fond of our mountains because they are really beautiful, and it is very cheap to stay in there.

I

know that Ukraine is a big country in Eastern Europe, it is not in the European Union yet, but it will happen in the future. The Orange Revolution took place there several years ago. I know about Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukrainian woman-politician. She is very elegant and has a braid. Also I have heard about Chornobyl, which is very sad.

Pauline Segouin, France

Really, our ex-premier-minister Yulia Tymoshenko is said to be one of the most elegant woman-politicians ever. She was a candidate for a presidency in the last election but lost it and now she remains in opposition.

I

don’t know a lot about Ukraine. But I remember that when I watched a World beauty show, it was said about Ukraine that women are very beautiful there!

Alberto, Madagascar

Alberto, that is the truth. Just look at the cover of the “Stranger“ – Ukrainian women are really beautiful. And clever :)

JAPANESE

DO THAT!

Reading the previous article, Ukrainians could have smiled at some of the commentaries about Ukraine. It is always a bit strange to find out that other people don’t understand main things about your country. But it would be not enough to show only the one side of the coin, and we decided to perform an experiment. Several Ukrainians were asked about their understanding of another country – Japan. Then we have chosen the commentaries, that were repeated several times, and showed them to a native Japanese – Hitoshi Nakamura, who has commented on the most common misunderstandings. Let’s see what we have in the result.

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Our Japanese and Ukrainian experts

HITOSHI NAKAMURA

LEONID MATVEETS

OLGA SNYADANKO

NATALYA KROT

TARAS VIRNIY

Japanese people are…

Stayers, stable, emotional, responsible, they know how to relax. Very respectful of traditions – they do everything according to the emperor’s will.

I

think Japanese people are enthusiasts. Their dedication improves quality of Japanese products. Strong feeling of morality in public such as punctuality is seen as a form of respect. According to a British historian Arnold J. Toynbee (author of “A Study

Philosophers, reserved , non-emotional, very respectful of traditions, patriotic.

of History”) and an American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington (author of “Clash of Civilizations”), Japan is lone, however one of the major civilization in the world. Japan is a unique mix of East & West; it has a harmony of traditions and technology.

FACTS & “FACTS“

Drinking traditions in Japan Comparing with Ukrainians, I think Japanese drink less beer: maybe, their beer consumption is around 10% of ours

I think they don’t drink at all. Maybe, just a little bit of wine, but no beer or spirits.

I

don’t drink any alcohol. Though Japanese people enjoy a variety of alcohol. They drink sake, whisky, brandy, champagne, vodka, etc. The most popular alcohol in Japan is beer. There are 5 beer companies in Japan: Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo, Suntory, Orion. The most popular beer in Japan is “Asahi SuperDry”, which you can buy here in Kyiv. Wine and cocktail are also very popular.

Actually, the idea that Japanese drink much less beer than Ukrainians is not correct. According to statistics*, one Japanese drinks 55 litres beer a year. At the same time, Ukrainians drink 5070 litres a year , which means that there is no such a big difference in our preferences. ____________________ * www.nationmaster.com/graph/foo_bee_con-food-beer-consumption

Money in a family I don’t think they have a shared budget. Probably, all the money in a family is under the man’s control.

He gives some money to his wife for household concerning goods, but all the main expenses are totally dependent on his decision.

Husbands and wives have their own budgets, while men pay everyday expenses

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n Japan questions concerning money are at women’s control. Usually a husband gives his wife all his salary and relies on her wisdom in spending money. There is no division in bud-

gets, money is common. Men sometimes even have to explain their wives why they want to buy something because they have to ask women’s permission to take money for that.

English language Considering that their technologies are so welldeveloped, they have to know English very well.

J

They travel a lot, so they need English – not so many people in the world know Japanese. I think their knowledge of English is better than in Ukraine

apanese are not good at foreign language. Most of Japanese speak only Japanese.

English-speaking Japanese newspaper The Daily Yomiuri surveyed the reasons of a poor level of English in Japan. Also they wanted to find out if English in the country is really as bad as it is said by newspapers, TV and politicians.

The newspaper held series of English mini-tests at schools, universities, offices and even in streets. The results proved to be cheerless. The Daily Yomiuri came to the conclusion: not only don’t Japanese like English language, but also they “fight a war” against it. The researchers mentioned some culturological reasons of such behaviour: • Geographic farness and psychological independence from English language.

• Confidence in the idea that there are only two sociocultural objects: Japan and the rest of the world.

• Real Japanese speak Japanese language both at home and at work (they have interpreters).

• If everybody speaks the Japanese language, then there is no need to speak English.

• The Japanese can find all the needed information (in books, newspapers Internet and so on) in the Japanese language. It means that there is no need to study other language because of hunger for information.

• The Japanese think that perfection is the absence of mistakes. That is why is there a need to make mistakes while writing and speaking English?

FACTS & “FACTS“

Japanese in Ukraine I think, there are not so many Japanese in Ukraine. Probably, here are up to 20-30 thousands, but no more than 50.

T

aras is right, there are not so many Japanese in Ukraine. But he was wrong in the numbers.

There are only nearly two hundred Japanese in Ukraine – all other people with Asian appearance are the representatives of other cultures.

Japanese way of greeting They make hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest if they greet a very respectful person. If their social statuses are similar they just make a bow and shake hands.

I

I know about the gesture of Japanese greeting – it is when you press your hands together and make a slight bow. I’m assured this is a Japanese way of greeting. Maybe, it also could mean “thank you”.

have already lived in Ukraine for several years. And I was surprised to realize that Ukrainians don’t know the right way we greet each other. While greeting each other, Japanese make a bow.

It is as natural for us as shaking hands for people in the West. That is why people sometimes even make a bow during the telephone conversation. Also Japanese make a bow if they want to thank somebody or want to make

They press their hands together and make a bow.

It is called “namaste“, right? I saw it in films about Japanese.

excuses. But we don’t press our hands together in front of the chest, as many Ukrainians think. Actually, in Japan this gesture is used only while praying at Buddhist or Shintoistic temple or near the body of the dead. This way of greeting is common in Nepal and India (there it is called “namaste”), not in Japan! You will never see such a thing in our everyday life. Why do Ukrainians think that it is our way of greeting? It is a great mystery for me.

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wHAT THEY REALLY D

In addition to our misunderstandings of common things in Japan, we also overpass less known but still remarkable aspects of this sophisticated east culture. Meanwhile, Japanese have significant tendencies – both positive and negative – that now are spreading at home and abroad.

MOTTAINAI

“What a waste!” – may exclaim a thrifty housewife when she sees something good is spoiled instead of being used properly. In Japan similar exclamation will be “Mottainai!”, and it has much broader meaning that the previous one.

Mottainai is a Japanese term meaning “a sense of regret concerning waste when the considerable value of an object or resource is not properly utilized”. In ancient Japanese, “Mottainai” had various meanings, including a sense of gratitude mixed with shame for receiving greater favour from a superior than is properly merited by one’s station in life. Buddhists traditionally used the term “Mottainai” to indicate regret at the waste or misuse of something sacred or highly respected, such as religious objects or teaching. Today, the word is widely used in everyday life to indicate the waste of any material object, time, or other resource.

The conception of “Mottainai” was recently popularized all over the world thanks to the Kenyan Wangari Maathai – the first African women and the first environmentalist, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. Wangari considered this term as the equivalent of the 3R waste management strategy: reduce + reuse + recycle.

From the Japanese point of view we could add one more “R” to this conception: respect, which means respect to the environment.

The idea of “Mottainai” is widely known and used in Japan. In 2004 there even was published a picture children’s book “Mottainai

HIKIKOMORI Can you imagine a situation that leads a usual person to stay at home

(usually in only one room) for more than 6 months without any contacts with the outside world, friends and relatives except rare communications via Internet or even without them? Such people exchange their social activity for the world of Internet, anime, books or other substitutes of real life without any visible reasons to behave in this way. There are many people like that in Japan. They are a growing problem of the modern Japanese society. And their name is Hikikomori.

The term “Hikikomori” literally means “pulling away, being confined”.

Coined by Tokyo Psychologist Saito Tamaki, this label describes an increasing trend of acute social withdrawal amongst youths in Japanese society.

Hikikomori emerged into public awareness as a social problem in Japan between the years 1999 and 2000.

The research group in Japan that in 2003 conducted a survey of 14069 cases of people that could be named “hikikomori”, provided us with such statistics. 76.4% of the respondents were males, their average age was 26.7 years old, and 50% had been suffering as hikikomori for over five years.

grandma” with the slogan “Are you sure you are not doing anything mottainai?”

Despite the fact that the “Mottainai” conception is originated from Japan, the need for using this conception is still the urgent problem there, too.

According to Japan’s agricultural ministry, 23 million tons of food was discarded in 2007, about ¥11 trillion worth, which is the monetary equivalent of Japan’s annual agricultural output.

Moreover, it cost ¥2 trillion to process that waste. We could only wonder how much food and other resources are being wasted in countries where people haven’t heard of “Mottainai” conception.

How often are you doing something Mottainai?

Still, the exact amount of such people is not known (for sure it isn’t easy to count people that want to live in isolation). The western countries have drawned attention to this issue after the series of reports of a BBC-correspondent Pheel Rees about hikikomori. They were under the high-sounding titles “Japan: the missing million” and “Hikikomori violence”.

Hikikomori tend to be financially supported by their parents, or by receiving social assistance. They seldom work since job usually requires socialization. The process of their isolation is gradual, it starts from becoming shy and insecure, losing friends, which increases the burden of social pressure on such people and results in the solitude chosen for many months or even years.

Although “hikikomori” is seen as a new Japanese phenomenon, the idea that Hikikomori exist only in Japan is a subject to criticism of many researchers. The main idea of their statements is that the same behaviour is common in other countries, too, while it could be described using other terms such as “agoraphobia”. Still it is hard to understand the connivance of those Japan families that allow their children to have such a way of life and provide them with all the supplies without trying to interfere into the condition of isolation chosen by their child.

This topic is a good idea for researching in a scientific journal, while we will stop on this point in order to avoid incorrect conclusions on such an unsteady ground.

If you want to know more about Hikikomori – there are plenty of materials about these people in Internet. You could even find such anime as «Welcome to NHK!», «Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge» and others about Hikikomori. Among films we could mention the horror-movie “Haunted room” (The main hero, which is a Hikikomori, finally becomes a creepy monster), or a French fantastic film “Thomas in love”. The last mentioned film was shot in 2000 and shows the life of an agoraphobic man, while many displays of Hikikomori life are presented, too.

Authors: Hitoshi Nakamura, Alyona Pavlenko

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Madagascar: not just a cartoon

Great Red Island

M

Say “Madagascar” out loud. What is your first association with this word? Let me guess: if you can see and if you like cartoons, your first association will be the “Madagascar” cartoon! But even if you don’t like cartoons, this association still may be in your head – pictures of the main characters of this famous animation are everywhere, so one can ignore them only if one is blind.

Ok, let’s forget about the cartoon and think of a real place called Madagascar. What? You don’t know anything? More than twenty million people and terrific variety of animals live in Madagascar, and you still can’t say anything about this amazing place? We should immediately improve the situation and read astonishing facts about Madagascar, because it is much more than just a cartoon.

adagascar is often described as the Great Red Island. It is easy to understand, why the island is called “Great” – after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo it is the 4th largest island in the world. But what about the red colour? The 587,041 km2 of land were once covered with green rainforest, but the slash-and-burn techniques of the Malagasy farmers, later aggravated by commercial exploitation of the rainforest caused heavy erosion. The erosion caused the explosion of the laterite soil all over the island. Because of iron oxides contained in this kind of soil, it has a rusty-red colour.

Madagascar as it is seen from the space That is why Madagascar is now called the photo: www.redorbit.com “Red Island”. National Geographic reports that “from space, astronauts could see Madagascar’s red earth bleeding into the sea. The remaining rainforest is to be found in the northern part of the island and on the east coast.

STRANGE LAND When you arrive to Madagascar, immediately ask locals about

F

FADY

ady is a complex of taboos that regulate everyday life in Madagascar and vary from one region to another. So if you want to be well-treated by locals, ask them from the very beginning of your communication which prohibitions work in their place.

They can forbid foods (pork, lemur, turtle), wearing clothes of a particular colour, bathing in a river or a lake and many other specific moments. For example, it is fady in some towns to hand an egg directly to a person. The proper protocol is to put it on the ground first.

Another important fady concerns treating animals. The panther chameleons, which are prominent there, are protected by folklore and fady. If a man “touches” a chameleon, he is not allowed to touch his wife for three days.

Nonetheless, even if you didn’t follow one of the fadys by accident, you may hope that locals will not be too offended – their philosophy Ubuntu should help you in such a situation.

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ubuntu

buntu, which is a traditional African concept, could be roughly translated as “humanity towards others”. In Madagascar most of the people follow the principles of Ubuntu, which are concentrated on the importance of agreement or consensus, and give priority to the well-being of the community as a whole. The unifying worldview of Ubuntu is expressed in the Zulu maxim “umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu,” (“a person is a person through other persons”)

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If a man “touches” a chameleon, he is not allowed to touch his wife for three days.

This conception isn’t so easy to understand for western people, but my adviser from Madagascar told me: “For me Ubuntu means that I love all people around me”. So let’s hope that followers of this philosophy will spread their ideas all over the world and we will live in a paradise of understanding and support one day. But despite the fact it hasn’t happened yet, we could go to Madagascar and hope that Malagasy will use their philosophy towards strangers, too.

lemur land

f to remember cartoon of the same name, the most important fact that we can say about the fauna of Madagascar is that there are a lot of lemurs (which impress strangers with wild dances and a song “I like to move it”). Forget about the song, but take it for granted: Madagascar is really an Island of lemurs of all shapes and sizes. The smallest of them can be located on a palm; the biggest is as tall as a 4-year-old child. Lemurs are a key component in Madagascar’s biodiversity. It is only because of Madagascar’s isolation that lemurs have managed to survive and flourish. And now they make people wonder at their amazing features.

18 For instance, the indri lemur sings like a whale, and the lemur called “the aye-aye” extracts insects from tree bark using a long twig-shaped finger. But the most famous for its behaviour is Sifaka lemur.

that attracts many travelers by its impressive culture called “Savika” or “Rodeo” in Madagascar.

The population is called “Betsileo” or “many and invincible”, a right name that can sums up the “Savika” or “Rodeo” men’s personalities: strong, brave and impressive. The capital of the region is Ambositra where arenas were especially built for Savika and makes it very famous there. Savika or Betsileo’s traditional rodeo is such a daring culture that shows its player’s strength, speed, and courage; then, acclamation and suspense for its spectators.

Sifaka lemur looks like a professional ballet dancer

H

aving found out more about this amusing animal, you will not think that the creators of the “Madagascar” exaggerated a lot when made lemurs in the story fond of dancing. Sifakas are generally found on the trees as they are capable jumpers, eating fruit, flowers, wood, bark and leaves, but they are best known for their “dancing.” Since trees in their habitat are often dispersed, sifakas cross open ground by sashaying on their hind legs with arms aloft. There are few animal sights more entertaining than witnessing a group of sifakas crossing a road.

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Savika

nother animal that plays an important role in the life of locals is zebu – a kind of a humped cow, which is not native for Madagascar fauna, but was brought from the outside. The man that doesn’t possess at least one zebu (which constitutes the wealth of the owner) won’t be seen as an eligible bachelor; many young men dare to rustle zebus in spite the fact that cattle rustling has become a dangerous and sometimes deadly criminal enterprise.

Amoron’I Mania is a region in Fianarantsoa Province of central Madagascar which is a destination

it is said the Savika event is an opportunity for single men to charm women as it shows their manhood photo: boogiepilgrim-madagascar.com

The main idea of this competition consists of grabbing hold of the humps of zebu bulls when they are at their angriest. Spectators enjoy raising the beasts’ ire by poking them with sticks; then, brave young men jump into the ring to face this dangerous play with the huffing and snorting zebu bulls. Impressive and dangerous as it seems to be, this risky game still attracts many players, not only villagers but some travellers, too. Indeed, it is said the Savika event is an opportunity for single men to charm women as it shows their manhood.

STRANGE LAND

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Famadihana

here is a tradition in Madagascar which is often hardly understood by the foreigners. It is Famadihana – the ceremony of exhumation and reburial of the predecessors. Every year Famadihana takes place during the dry season, between June and September, to make a feast with the dead.

The “Zanadrazana” (descendant of the person exhumed at the time of the Famadihana) take their ancestors from the family’s tomb, and dresses them in fresh silk shrouds known as lamba before being put back to the tomb. And, as the dead are believed to be alive on the day of Famadihana, everybody speaks to them, asking them for blessing. When the alive are finished wrapping the bodies of the dead, the Malagasy dance with them before burying them again. The “Famadihana” is not only a way to show respect to the dead, it is also viewed as the unique opportunity to unite all descendants of one family in joy and good mood.

Malagasy always maintain some relations with their ancestors. For them, the dead aren’t dead; they live in the shadow of life. In the Malagasy’s cosmogony, the ancestors protect and bless their descendants. The Malagasy are engrossed in the belief that “it is the dead who are the sole and inexhaustible source of all good things: life, happiness, peace, and, above all, fertility. Many Malagasy would spend a great majority of their income on their burial site and its decorations, they have to provide guests of the celebration with food and entertainment (the amount of guests often reaches several hundred of people), special musicians for the Famadihana should be also paid.

Moreover, they should pay a tax to gain permission for exhumation from the local authority. These days Famadihana is held once in 5-7 years, dependent on the welfare of family that organizes it.

Authors: Alyona Pavlenko, Alberto Ravomanana

Hiragasy

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pecific musicians should perform on the ceremony of Famadihana. On such an event a hiragasy troupes are often present. The hiragasy is a famous musical tradition in Madagascar. It takes its name after two words: “hira” means song and “gasy” stands for Malagasy.

The hiragasy is a day-long spectacle of music, dance, and kabary oratory (a traditional type of formalized and poetic speech incorporating proverbs), performed by a troupe. Typically troup members are related by blood or marriage and share the same rural origin. Competitions between two troupes often take place during the hiragasy. The event has a specific structure and is held by the troupe leader who is often its oldest member. Hiragasy is not just singing songs, it plays an important educational and moralistic function in the Malagasy society.

They & Us

Not only people all over the world have various life experiences. Same animals in different corners of our planet have different stories of their lives. Despite the fact that we cannot understand the animal language yet, we may discover their unusual stories by observing them in their wildness and in their intersection with humans.

PHOTOGALLERY

Brazil|Hummingbird PHOTOGRAPH BY RICARDO BARBIERI

Hummingbirds are very common in Brazil, especially in the Southern part of the country. There you can see these bright tiny birds everywhere, no matter whether you live in a village or in a big city. Brazilians call hummingbirds “Beija Flor”, which means “Someone who kisses a flower”. In Brazil there is a belief that it is a great luck to see a totally blue hummingbird, while a green bird means getting a big amount of money soon.

Proteins and sugar always should be in the ration of hummingbirds. Birds receive proteins eating small flying insects. Speaking of sugar, hummingbirds are able to assess the sugar for their bodies from the nectar, and they prefer flowers with about 25% sugar content, rejecting those with less than 15%.That is why when making the hummingbird food, it’s typically a sugar water substance.

In Brazil many people hang bird feeders around their homes, providing Beija Flors with additional source of energy. Meanwhile, some vets express concerns about such a way of feeding – they call attention to the fact that dirty feeders could cause hummingbird’s disease and even death. That is why they recommend replacing sugar water in the feeder at least each 3 days.

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Switzerland|Horses

PHOTOGRAPH BY NOLTRANE (NOLTRANE.WORDPRESS.COM)

In Switzerland horses are no longer used for work: they are mostly leisure and sports animals.

Horses are well-treated: during the drizzle, for example, one will find them covered with horse cloth.

Picturesque sceneries with these animals grazing on a meadow are very common in here.

On the other hand, don’t be surprised to see horse meat in a supermarket: Swiss people like this low-fat, slightly sweet and tender meat. It costs more than pork or beef and is especially popular in the French-speaking western part of Switzerland. On the contrary, in many countries horse meat is seen as a cheap substitute for other kinds of meat.

Eating horsemeat is a taboo in such countries as United Kingdom, Ireland, the US, Australia, India, Brazil and others. Meanwhile, in South America, China, Japan, and in many European countries including France, Italy, and Switzerland, horsemeat is just as common on the dinner table as other meats. 5 million horses – this is an approximate number of horses killed and consumed each year by the eight most populous countries in the world in total.

PHOTOGALLERY

Australia|Parrots

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDER RADCHENKO

Early naturalists called Australia the Land of Parrots, and there is no single place in this country where you will not be able to find Australian parrots. The majority of the world’s 350 species of parrots and cockatoos are found in Australia and South America, and in Australia alone there are 39 species of parrots. Today the export of Australian native birds (of course, parrots are among them), is banned under the Wildlife Protection Act, and penalties for smuggling is heavy.

The Rainbow Lorikeet is one of the most beautiful Australian parrots, but is so common that locals often take it for granted. This parrot species is common in Australia along the Eastern coastline, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania. Many fruit orchard owners consider them as a pest, as they often fly in groups and strip trees containing fresh fruit. The situations when parrots interfere in human’s meal are also very common. Locals say that even wild parrots let themselves eat off people’s hands. Though one should be careful with these beautiful impudent birds: at any moment they can peck a finger or steal anything from the dining table.

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Japan|Monkeys

PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIZUKO MISHIMA

Do you like taking a hot bath? The Snow Monkeys of Japan like that for sure. They are the most north-living species of primates, able to survive temperatures of -15 °C. In spite of thick fur, these monkeys are not protected well enough from the severe frost. Therefore the animals found a brilliant decision – they spend nights in the mountains, while in the mornings they go down to the Jigokudani Yaen-koen (which means Hell Valley) and for the whole day relax in the hot springs.

Because of the monkeys, this valley became a famous tourist attraction. Tourists and cameramen from all over the world take photos of the most Northern monkeys in the world, some people even take bath together with these animals - they believe that hot springs ease headaches and nervous tiredness.

Author: Alyona Pavlenko

THE BEST THINGS HAPPEN

BY ACCIDENT 2W4C. Whaaaat? What a strange abbreviation? Ok, I’ll decode it for you, this combination means “Two wheels for change”, and still… it means nothing to you. Until you read the interview with Anja – the girl from Germany who has been a member of the mysterious group called “2 Wheels for Change” for 5 months. Now she can tell a lot about street music, living in the open air and travelling without borders and schedules.

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Do you know about the fact that travelling changes people?

Anja knows that for sure.

Now she is studying Environmental System Sciences and Chemistry in Austria. Her demanding specialization is dealing with such global problems as climate change or economic crises. Could anyone believe that in April, 2010 she had begun her craziest and most amazing 5-month journey from Germany to Mongolia simply on a bicycle?

Yes, that’s the truth. Anja was a member of a How the journey started for you? team called “2 Wheels for Change” – a group of Actually, we met each other by chance. I heard my friends were talking about the project where people want to go by young people from different countries who decided to travel using only bicycles and trains and bike to Mongolia, and I was also planning to make a long getting money for their journey on street per- trip during this year because I had a year gap between my school and studying at the University and I thought: “Wow! formances. Moreover, during It’s great! I want to go to this area, I Most of the time we the journey these guys did not want to go East”. So I tried to find out only perform on a street, but think that problems are more about the group, if I have to be also spent lot of time with chil- much more terrific than able to play music, and they told me that it’s an open group and anybody they really are dren from orphanages, teachcould join them. ing them acrobatics, playing music instruments and clownery. You decided to travel with total strangers by bicycles from Germany Moving from one place to another despite bor- to Mongolia. It sounds terrific… but ders between countries, borders between dif- what did you parents and friends say ferent languages and cultures, 2wheels4change about such a decision? succeeded in their aim and reached MongoIn the beginning, of course, it was a very crazy idea, my lia in September. Moreover, they’ve contin- parents couldn’t understand why I want to do this, but then ued their journey to Japan and far ahead, we talked a lot, really A LOT! I’ve explained why it was imporwhile Anja left the group because of studying. tant for me, and in the end they said: “Ok, if you think that it’s

A performance in Russia. You can find me playing the yellow and black accordion

important for you – do it.” Speaking of my friends, they just wished me the best.

Some of them told me that they would be afraid to do a journey like this. Actually, I also was afraid about quite a lot of things. I thought what if I lost my passport in one of these countries, or something else. I didn’t know what exactly might have happened, but after this journey I can just tell that most of the time we think that problems are much more terrific than they really are. Of course, we should be realistic and know where the dangerous situations are likely to happen, but I would like to tell people who are thinking about travelling somewhere that most of the problems which occur on the trip can be solved. Of course, it is not always that easy, but a little bit of creativity, spontaneity help a lot.

INTERVIEW Which things were the most important for you during the trip?

For sure, everything was important.

But I can mention some most worthy points for me.

Living in a group When you live in a group you have to deal with everything together. We didn’t have anyone who decided for us. We had to discuss every problem and every decision. We wanted to be as equal as possible. It was not always easy to make decisions, but this group process was something really interesting, and in the end it was much better than in the beginning. It took us a lot of time to make decisions on the most important points.

For example, the question going to Tur key or to Mongolia...this was the hardest discussion; it took us around three days. But all in all, for me, equal group decisions are in general the better way than one person deciding over the will of others.

Doing street music on a street It was very important for me to learn doing music together with other people. These spontaneous shows were very significant for me. You have to go and perform, even if your mood is not so good. And also I was so surprised to see people’s reaction! They really liked us, although in my opinion our music wasn’t very professional.

Experiencing kindness

The happy moment of reaching Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia Ecological aspect of the journey With this trip, we also wanted to show an example of living in a more sustainable and ecological way. Anyway, during the trip, for me personally it was nothing special, it was just normal that we were going by bike instead of a plane or something. Also it was normal that we tried to buy food from the farmers instead of buying it in big stores, when it was possible.

Have you changed a lot after the journey?

I think that I’ve become much more open-minded than beI was always interested in other cultures, but in the end fore, I got to know many new people and I was also forced to I realized that people are not so different. Of course, there are lots of differences, starting from the way people greet each other, but with time you see that there are much more things that people have in common everywhere! There were some situations when people just came to us and said: “Do you want to have tea at my place? Do you have a place to stay? If no, you could come and make camp in my garden, or you could sleep at my place”. This was a really great experience because in the beginning I didn’t really know why people are so helpful, why people are so kind with us! Now I know better. After a long period of travelling I’m also happy to help someone who is travelling, no matter these people are my friends or someone I don’t know. I think it’s just the Kyiv. We are teaching children from the “Father’s house“ orphanage acrobatics. Later we had several performances together thing about travelling.

30 talk to lots of different people in different languages, even when we met lots of people and especially worked with children I didn’t know the language good enough. for two weeks. There it was a very special moment when I can’t say how all these things changed me, but they we had to say goodbye to all these people who became influenced me for sure. I learned not to plan so much. I so close for us. At the same time, we always had a wish to learned that if you just let the things come, then unexpect- see other places, and this exact tension made me not to be sad all the time we left for some new edly interesting things often come. place. Each time I knew that I would Now I know that the best things hapWhat I miss is a not be staying in this place any longer. pen by accident. When your life flows calmness of unstressful Maybe, that is the reason why I didn’t in an unordered way during the travel have big problems with leaving some there are much more chances for such travelling place and going somewhere else. happy occasions.

Also I learned how to behave in difficult situations. I learned to search for creative solutions instead of looking back or thinking that I could have done something better.

Another thing that I took from the journey (and I used it while looking for a flat to rent) was having much more energy in difficult situations. We had quite a lot of obstructions during the trip. For example, we had to build up the tents even if we were hungry, and cook maybe for an hour in the rain. I think after all these obstacles I have much more energy than before.

Was it hard for you to be in one place and then go to another? Were there some places that you didn’t want to leave?

Good question. Very often we stayed in one place for only one day, and even if it was so nice, we still had the spirit of going on and on all the time. Actually, I don’t remember now if there were places that I didn’t want to leave. Of course, there were some places that we stayed at longer.

For example, we stayed in Kyiv, Ukraine for almost a month,

How was it to travel with many different people, who continually joined and leaved the group?

When two people from Ukraine joined us,they couldn’t understand everything in English or German, and in the beginning communication was a bit complicated. But this was just the beginning, later we learned the other’s language better and also got used to translations. In the group you don’t choose which people there are, of course, there were people that I had better connection with, and also there were people that I didn’t talk so much to. It was not equal.

But during the trip I never hated any person. If there would have been people I couldn’t get along with, I think I would have thought just about not going further.

But I believe that all the people who travel this way are at least open-minded and that’s why they are easy to communicate with.

During this trip we had many difficult situations. And we were helping each other, solving all the group problems.

We just had to do this, because in a travel group you are dependent on each other. This rule works even if you’ve just joined the group, and you are not friends with everybody. Each time this decision to help other people was so natural and necessary. It was a normal behavior in the group.

Which thing from the trip do you miss the best?

Workers in Mongolia invited us for tea, we stayed with them and played music all the evening together. For such a communication you don’t need a common language for understanding

What I miss is a calmness of unstressful travelling. We didn’t have any time pressure during those days.

Of course, our visas could have expired, but still there were no rush, no schedules – nothing that we usually have during working, during studying at University. In the end of the travel for me I thought: “Ok, when I go home I will take this calmness with me”. I decided that even if I have to go later somewhere at the fixed time I would like to do it in a calm way

INTERVIEW

During a concert next to a market in a Mongolian town.

People were so curious that we had difficulties to get enough space to perform

We have found a peace in the shade and eat lunch

32 with no hurry. I decided not to be busy all the day, if to be specific, not to be feeling busy, because very often we just pretend that we have lots of things to do. Right now I’m not running almost anywhere. Now if I’m late, I think: “Ok, it’s too late to run, so despite everything I should be calm”.

journey has lots of small difficulties that make you more experienced, and it’s worth it.

What about the best surprise the journey gave you?

Speaking of the most beautiful situation, it is the one that happened with me in Russia. Actually, this one also happened by accident. I just was playing near the house of these people, and a man came to me and said: “Ok, it’s way Well, there were lots of situations where people told too loud”. And he said that I was annoying and not playing me about this project: “Oh, I would also like to do some- good and it was better for me to to leave… Then I started to thing like this”. In this situation I think that people just make excuses because I wanted to be friendly. Later we talked more and he told me a lot about can travel on their way, how they What I know for sure is history of former times, and I was want to. People don’t need to go exactly by bike somewhere. If you that any kind of travelling really interested in his stories. After this talking he said that I could want to know yourself, to know opens your mind take his accordion (at that moment your limits, how far you can go, I was playing a small accordion of a how lasting your energy is, you don’t need to do everything that we did, you just need friend). He said that he has an old accordion which is much to have your own aim. Speaking of our journey, actually, bigger, and it wasn’t used for nearly thirty years. Firstly I there were also quite a lot relaxing periods of this travel. didn’t believe my ears, I thought that it was a kind of misWhat I know for sure is that any kind of travelling opens understanding - we were speaking in Russian, and I thought your mind; no matter you travel on bicycles or no, any that I didn’t get the right meaning. Then he showed me the accordion and I still couldn’t believe that he would give me such a present. I didn’t know if I should take it without money, but the man insisted that it was a gift. This moment was so precious for me. Now this accordion is still with me. I’ve got to know people who are also street musicians and we played on a street together today. It was so nice.

Do you think that other way people should repeat your journey and travel the way you did?

Some people of your group are

still travelling. Why did you decide to leave?

Yes, I know that some people from 2wheels4change are in Tokyo now. When you travel in such kind of the groups you always think: “Ok, I could go ahead, I could go to Canada, to Japan”. But it’s not that easy. You just have to know what to do in your life. So I left the group when my study has started, because I’m also interested in the university life. When I left the project in September I felt that it’s time to try a new lifestyle again.

I am confident that one day I will do a project like this again. I think I will travel for a long distance by bike again, but it will be something new for me. You will never find a project that is absolutely the same.

Author: Alyona Pavlenko

Anja is speaking with the wife of a man who presented her the accordion

Photos: 2Wheels4Change

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THE FACE OF THE MONTH

35

When I will have my own plane I will not need Internet, but now...

I

nternet is my second world. I am not living there, but certainly I spend my time there. No, I think it never will be more important than live communication. But several days ago I found a friend from Malaysia - in fact, in real life to get to Malaysia is more expensive than to enter Facebook.

W

ith Skype I connect with people almost everywhere and even see or hear them almost for free! This is awesome! Wikipedia is my chance to know more without big books with numerous pages. I use Gmail for work and for fun. Letters and chatting are both available – I find it very useful. Finally, Flickr takes me to the world of talented people and their fabulous shots. Flickr helps me every time I need some specific picture or I need to show my photos or simply I want to look and enjoy.

B

ut Facebook is the most important for me. With this social network I got a lot of experience – I found a boyfriend there, lost him, found friend with whom we become very close, in spite he lived on another continent, lost him… and found again! I used Facebook against other people and they used it against me – you know, it is easy to get information from Facebook about somebody - where he was, what meetings he arranged, with whom he communicates. It was like Internet spy – stupid but interesting.

N

ow I take this network not so seriously, but still it is important for me, because in some cases it is the only way to communicate with people from different corners of the world without travelling. Maybe, when I will have my own plane I will not need Internet, but now I am fond of such opportunities.

Ninel Omelyanenko, Ukraine

QUEST:

friends on REQUEST When we grew older we could only sigh and recall those sweet days of our childhood when you could come to an unknown boy or girl and say: “Hi! My name is ***, let’s be friends!”

Yes, it was much easier to find friends when we were small, but later such a possibility became something unrealistic… until the Internet services made it possible once again. I have a feeling that now everybody is looking for friends: we are adding them on Facebook, Twitter, different forums and blogs. No need to wonder at that – people always wanted someone to speak with and share their thoughts.

Turn the page – there are stories of three girls, each of whom is using her own way of looking for friends or friendly conversations among people all over the world. What if their experience will be worthy for you too?

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The story #1:

Learning language and something more

takes and inaccuracies in German language.

Sometimes it was unpleasant and offensive to hear about my mistakes, but I tried to be patient and thanked him each time he showed me a new mistake.

We had sent each other postcards via usual mail, shared our photos and other small things. In summer I won a month-long educational trip to Germany and met Clemens.

Both we made gifts for each other and were worried about our meeting. Later it turned out that there was no need to worry – in real life everything was easier. A cozy evening together only helped us in our communication. This summer I went to Germany again and met Clemens the second time.

Our third meeting we agreed to arrange in Minsk – the place where I live.

I

Yanina and her German pen friend Clemens

was carried away with the idea of learning German language.

I used all the possible ways for its perfection. Conversations with Germans were one of the possible options. I live in the capital of Byelorussia, where there is no such a possibility to find Germans for regular communication. That is why I’ve decided to use online services. I went to one of the sites for finding pen friends, registered there and wrote basic information about me.

After all, I started to look for people from Germany, who wanted to become pen friends with others.

In the list of found users Clemens was one of the last, but I wrote him “Hello” too. He didn’t answer immediately, we wrote each other some general phrases: I said that I’m studying in Byelorussia, he answered that he’s a student, too, and he’s studying Informatics. On that point our conversation stopped. In a month we suddenly decide to speak again, and since that time long letters to each other became a part of our lives.

We started a conversation about Ayn Rand’s book “Atlas Shrugged”, which Clemens advised me to read. That was his famous author, and when I coped with two thousand pages of electronic text, we started to speak each evening.

Every day I returned home after University and started my German language practice. In some months I’ve told Clemens the real purpose of my correspondence with him, and this noble student of Informatics decided to help me through correcting my mis-

This person lives two thousand kilometers away from me, but I’m absolutely assured that he is my faithful companion. We have a lot in common and he always helps me despite the distance between us. Not only did Clemens help me with German language, but also he told me a lot about Germans, their traditions and customs. And I have told him a lot about my country. Once Clemens confessed that before we met each other he wasn’t interested in Byelorussia at all, while now he thinks my country is very beautiful and interesting.

Yanina Sedelnik, Belarus If you are looking for pen friends, there are loads of services available for finding them today.

http://www.ipfeurope.com http://www.penpalworld.com http://www.penpalplanet.com http://www.epals.com

These are some of the most popular sites for finding pen pals.

And don’t be upset if you don’t find the right person on your first try – speaking from my own experience, there are always interesting people on such sites, just make more than one try and you will find them.

EXPERIENCE

The story #2:

How couchsurfing burst into my life

A

re there still people who haven’t heard about Couchsurfing - a hospitality exchange network and website, founded in 2003 in San-Francisco and since then spread all over the world? With over 2.4 million members in 245 countries and territories, CouchSurfing is the largest and most visited hospitality service on the Internet. Natalia Marianchyk uses it quite often and can tell something about the way she knew about it and started using it.

Once I was abroad on a conference. There I’ve met a boy, with whom we spent some time and he told me that I should register in a social network for people who travel – Couchsurfing.org. He said that there I could find people where I may stay while travelling. Then I said that I’m afraid of such services and not so sure if really need it. But this guy took my photographs from Facebook and made a profile for me without my permission. Later he explained me all the features of this network. Actually, this guy is a professional couchsurfer – for several years he’s using this service more than five hundred people stayed at his home, isn’t it awesome?

First I was really surprised but thanks to this site I’ve travelled to Brazil and many other places. In total, I will say that most of the people who hosted me were very nice and friendly. I was positively surprised to discover that.

They’ve met me with a car, organized a guide tour and hosted in their house. Of course, there are some other examples of not so friendly people, but I was lucky then.

When I’ve returned home I recalled those friendly people and decided to allow travellers to stay at my home too. I had guests from Canada, the US, different parts of Europe.

I don’t have any bad experience, but I’ve heard that there are examples when men who are travelling this way take advantage of women*. But I think that very often such situation depend on women’s behaviour, too.

According to the rules of this site any kind of harassment in the address of your hosts or guests are prohibited. If a person does any-

Natalia organised a guide-tour for Jilber, her guest from France

thing bad even at once, they will gain negative references and will be banned from using the site.

Actually, I don’t rely on this service as the source of habitation while I’m abroad. I’m more interested in using it as the source of communication. Using this site, I could always find people, who want to show me around, tell more about the city and spend some time with me. It is an invaluable service when you are in an unknown place for the first time.

If you are going to use the CouchSurfing in order to save money while travelling, I won’t advice you to do that. I think it’s the worse way of using such an opportunity. When you come with such a purpose – people feel that. But if you need cultural exchange, communication with foreigners – I advise it with a great pleasure.

Natalia Marianchyk, Ukraine *There is a precedent in the history of CouchSurfing, when on March 5th 2009 in Leeds, UK, a man named Abdelali Nachet raped a woman from Hong Kong who stayed at his place through the CouchSurfing project. Nachet was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Today the CouchSurfing service has 99,844 percent positive member experiences.

More detailed information about CouchSurfing you can read on

Couchsurfing.org

40

The story #3:

For those who like postcards

Olga and her recent postcards all over the world

O

lga likes to send and receive postcards. She means real, paper-based postcards which you can collect and look through, those which have their own post stamps, their own smell and travel story. Also Olga knows for sure that she doesn’t have to send postcards only to people she is in acquaintance with because there is a service postcrossing.com that allows people to communicate with people all over the world via sending them postcards.

The idea of this service is simple. You create an account, write detailed information about your preferences and hobbies, mention which kind of postcards and people you like, and then you receive 5 addresses of people who are also on this site. This is a kind of a lottery – you never know the addresses of which countries you will receive, so there are no preferences or superstitions on this site. When you receive the addresses you have to write 5 postcards and send them via usual mail. When you choose postcards it is not a bad idea to read more about the people who will receive them. For example, in my profile I ask people to write on a postcard their

favorite quotations and names of the books/music they are impressed by. After sending postcards, the recipients fill the specific application on the website and mention that the exact person has sent them a card. When the amount of sent postcards is equal to the amount of received and registered postcards, a new list of addresses comes to you again, the number of addresses increases all the time.

This idea is good not only for sharing postcards, but also for those who like lucky chances – you can always start more detailed correspondence with the person whose postcard you enjoyed most. Still, you have no obligations except sending postcards to all the addresses, and could only collect postcards that came all over the world.

For me this service is a source is a kind of guaranteed surprise. On the one hand, I send someone such a surprise, on the other – I win too. For example, I have a bad day but unexpectedly receive from a person of a distant country!

I read the words written on the postcard and always become happier, no matter which picture this postcard has or which words are written on it. Very often people ask me to write something in my native language, for example, how people say “I love you” in Ukrainian and how it sounds, too. So I write a transcription and I know that someone in a far country will say nice Ukrainian words out loud soon.

Right today I’m sending postcards to the US, Germany, Russia, Poland and Indonesia. The Christmas holidays are coming, so these people will receive my warmest greetings from Ukraine.

Olga Snyadanko, Ukraine Are you also keen to start sharing postcards with strangers? Then find out more about such a possibility on

www.postcrossing.com

and let the usual mail again work as hard as in the good old times.

Author: Alyona Pavlenko

Travel Journal: Indonesia This summer Iryna Nabytovych has got a master’s degree in Journalism. She was supposed to get a job in some metropolitan media, but the girl chose a different way: she went to Indonesia.

Since August she has lived in Yogyakarta, one of the main cultural centres of the country.

Iryna (also known online as Stroberynka) notes down all the interesting things that happen to her into her blog. You can read some of weird and beautiful things she saw in the remote world in the following extracts from her travel journal.

44

sted e r e t n i d been wanted to a h I e s ia becaung time, and I break from s e n o d lo ea o In I went tan culture for aage and to tak niver- s u in Asi foreign langu real life. l a n o i a nat usual storie n i learn a m s i l ourna eople with un by scooter j h c a e t p ly ,I Insteadet hundreds of food, travel onort; I’m writ- . I sity, me day, taste newchaos of transpg around Java in every ell-ordered nd travellin ly dream of in w ng a book a I could on i way Ukraine. live the

in colour In this culture sk is the second mosretligimiopnor. tant thing afterr skin is, the The whiter youood is. That’s nobler your bl ying to get why the girls tr ht foundation married put lig, making their over their skinrgetting of their faces white, foand legs which necks, hands them. usually betray

brought from home.

I’m finishing the Starbucks Ithe best thing you can There’s no grinded coffee here,They all nk it; they get is the instant 3-in-1 stuff. warm or dri d. People even order it in restaurants, caffeine.colI hav t seen a seem not to have the need foris dissoluble heren’ e, too. It is coffee shop yet, and the tea bags. This happen s here, the garbage-like stuff in tea most of the best tea and on Java and Sumatra, where coffee is grown. the expensive shop ...I have found coffee only inVIP s and foreigners. with pathos name “Plaza” fors made in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, all the coffee wa

TRAVEL JOURNAL I chose a room on the ground floor, 4 by 5 meters, with a high ceiling and a window almost reaching the floor. A Greek, who was a batik craftsman, used to live here,. The room used to be a studio, so there was hardly any furniture left. The boys (the neighbours. - Ed.) helped with buying a thick mattress and two pillows.

There are no beds at all here. They brought a bamboo carpet, a table and a mockery of a cupboard.

I was told I can do anything, paint the walls, make or fix the furniture, paint it any colour I wish, and the boys would help me. I decided that there’s nothing to regret about the walls, so I painted them.

It’s a bit too pink, but it’s cosy and girly now.

The first time I’d been at the ocean, I didn’t taste it, I didn’t even touch it, actually. It appeared to be much saltier, and much mightier, and much warmer than the sea, even the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.

I learned to dive under the waves. It’s impossible to describe the feeling when a wave rolls over you with noise, bringing the sand and the shells, and you lie on the back waiting till it lies down.

There’s a gap in the wall of my water closet, just between the ceiling and the window of thick glass tiles, one may call it an airing. Sorry for the details, but imagine me getting up over the lavatory, turning to the window and seeing a huge grey and brown, red-spotted snake. It stared at me, obviously trying to enter. I started screaming, and the boys came to save me. The snake appeared to have legs and ran away before they came.

Last week in the university where I teach English and learn Indonesian I was offered a job I couldn’t refuse. Since tomorrow I will be teaching Journalism in English eight hours a week. I make a plan of the course by myself, because even though the course was in the plans of study of the university for many years, it wasn’t held, because there was no-one to teach it. Two groups, sixty students, and plan maximum: to teach my students to write reports, essays, articles, editorial columns, take interviews, find experts. Plan minimum: to teach them to write (in media style. - Ed.).

46 For many Indonesian girls it is a question of honour to make out with a white man at least once. The longer she stays with him, the more experienced she is considered to be. The girl tries to stay with a white man until she’s able to move out of the country and get some other country’s citizenship. They call the white men “bule”; it was once a disrespectful name of Dutch colonizers, which became a name for all the foreigners. The girls, specialized in white men, are called “bule hunters”.

It wasn’t the best idea to take a shower that day. Indonesian shower is a square bowl built into the wall. The attempt to turn the water on ended in breaking the faucet and a jet of water aiming for the wardrobe through the open door. Water flooded the apartment. I was made to wrap up with a towel and run downstairs. A girl running around half-naked in a Muslim country, trying to explain something in English which no-one understands…

I went to sleep in another, yet identical room, listening to the cacophony of cicadas and muezzin. All night long I dreamt of something creeping over me. When I woke up I realized it wasn’t a dream. An ant colony decided to eat up the mango I left on my bed before I went to sleep.

So you live nonchalantly for long and then once you find out that the mountain next to your house is not a mountain, but one of the most active volcano in the country. And that volcano is situated just 20-25 km from your house. Yogyakarta is covered with hot volcanic ashes. Now I know how sulphur tastes, smells and feels… The city looks like after a nuclear winter. Wind gusts swirl and sway ashes around.

It’s impossible to move around without a facial mask and glasses. And even those are not very helpful. People are in panic, especially foreigners. And when it comes to me… I promised my mom not to do anything stupid, and now heading to volunteer at the refugee camp.

On Friday midday there were two earthquakes, so in Yogyakarta the lighting was totally disconnected. Then there was a huge eruption, people say it was the biggest for last 200 years (actually, who would have counted that before?) The camps of earthquake victims were replaced into 20-kilometer zone, to the borders of the city. Meanwhile, the state of emergency was proclaimed in the city. My friends informed me that all the bus tickets (not saying about trains) were sold for many days in advance. The closest island is Bali. There still were some airline tickets to Bali, so I calmed down that I will be in a safe place in an hour and fifteen minutes of flight the next morning.

TRAVEL JOURNAL In exploreUsbud (Bali) I wen The Saintome tourist att t out to of the mo Monkey fore ractions. there firs st famous pla st was one was imag tly. While goin ces so I went animals j ining cute an g there, I From thuemping on liadnacurious s. word that I realitzheedy are not so“gcou” I understood made an it when a nimte – actually, from my attempt to ste ble monkey to anothe ear. It jumped al an earring same nim r and then di from one bra Neighbobuleness. sappeared withntch he r boys catch thing –a imonkey andatrhe always here. T tourists t t is a good bu en take away hey try to of greedy rying to defensiness here. T the stolen to their b monkeys, cla d themselves hen I saw there is a odies. Monke sping their be from the pack need to lolways hidden ys are firmly c longings clos tisements ok for it bette food in any b onfident that er monkeys everywhere, r. Also there aag, you just with rabi – they could such as ‘Do n re adveres’. Such o kind cbrietae you and intfetcease t you tures!

always being I’m , ia es on d In in e lik st In India, ju o hearty friendship between men. amazed at way toconsidered totally gay in our country What would besince early childhood here: hugging, is encouraged around each other’s waists, holding putting arms hands. ey don’t do witwhall, th at h w , te la p e on of t ou They eat d piss on the saasmsaege an er th ge to p ee sl ey th ; women playfully. Also,actht,eythm ough.:) winking to eachI uotnhder e last th d an st er . er h ot each Text, photos: Iryna Nabytovych

48

Spy

Ch ronicles

We are strangers in these lands. We came to observe… and tell others about the worst and the best things we have faced with in other countries. Find out what we, foreigners, think about your native land!

I like German’s nation attitude towards health. They don’t spend their spare time sitting on a bench drinking beer (as it often happens in Ukraine). They joggle, play Frisbee, and in winter attend gym. It is a healthy nation. They have a very healthy nutrition; I can even say that there is a kind of healthy food cult. And you know, living in Germany I realized that this way of nutrition provides you with a great portion of vital energy and good mood for the whole day. Of course, there are some people who don’t care of their health that much, but those are rather exception rather than a rule. Moreover, I figured that Macdonald’s in Germany is for the most part for foreigners, while Germans use them mostly as public conveniences.

Alexander Radchenko, Ukrainian ABOUT AUSTRALIA: What I can hardly stand in Australia is the extreme heat. There is no winter at all. Even in winter you can get sunstroke easily. You may get burned or even become ill with skin cancer here.

Sometimes I miss Ukrainian climate here.

Julia Gorodyska, Ukrainian ABOUT GERMANY: What upset me is the hardness for me as a foreigner to find friends in Germany. The process of studying is very individual – you attend the seminars you want and not so often cross the same people. Local students usually have friends already and are not interested in making friends among foreigners. Sometimes it puts out a lot.

In Australia people always help each other. It turned out to be a surprise for me when I just came here. In our country there is a feeling that we have two groups of people: 1) those for who are ignorant 2) those who are angry. Here helping other people is a really common thing, complete strangers can spend a lot of their time helping you. For example, when we just came to the city, we couldn’t find a certain place we were looking for. So we asked a waiter from one of the cafes to show us the right direction. This guy didn’t just show the direction, he went out of the café and explained where to go, when we still couldn’t understand, he draw a map on a sheet of paper. Then my wife and I thought “what a kind man!”. Later we realized that most Australians behave the same way.

SPY CHRONICLES Bogdan Penkovskyj, Ukrainian ABOUT INDIA:

I was positively surprised to see the way Indian men spend their leisure time. In India alcohol is not widespread, so instead of drinking beer after work Indians go to local cafes and eat sweets.

The most popular sweet is gulab jamun, and I could say that I have never tasted anything tastier before! This delicious ball-shaped dessert is made of cottage cheese, flour and sugar syrup and is flavored with cardamom seeds and rosewater. One ball of gulab jamun costs 6 rupee (nearly 15 cents only!), so it is easy to buy it as much as you want… or as much as your stomach allows you.

I hate banks and stores here – nobody English at all! I found out that people here don’t like to speak English, they just say “No”. The older people are, the harder it is to communicate with them. I hope this problem will be less significant when I go to the capital of Russia – Moscow. At least there people should know English better.

Olga Kurovets, Ukrainian ABOUT SWITZERLAND:

Thaisa Leite, Brazilian ABOUT RUSSIA:

I am studying in a medical university here, and this education system seems to be better than the one we have in Brazil. Just compare 10-15 people in a group now to nearly two hundred of group mates in Brazil. There a professor wasn’t able to pay attention to each one of us, we had only lections, while here we have seminars and practice, we can even ask questions, professors remember us and the process of studying is thus more personal. Of course, I was surprised to find out that here blackboards are still being used (in Brazil we have touch screens and projectors), but the system of education is really good and cheap. Compare: in Brazil you have to pay for medical education $ 24000 while in Russia it costs only $4500 per year.

Swiss people know where work ends and where holiday starts.

When they work they work really hard and run like clockwork. But if they have a rest… they are totally involved in it. When there is a holiday – everything looks like a Brazilian Carnival show. In the end of September there was a holiday of vineyards in the city where I am studying (Neufchâtel). This holiday was celebrated for three days (and nights), and in the daytime it looked very cheerful: bright colours, sweets, children in costumes…But you know, they celebrated with too much wine and other alcohol. On the fourth day the city was left in a terrible mess, dirty and puked.

Meanwhile, very soon everything was clean again and everything ran like clockwork again. All in all I realized: yes, actually I like Swiss distinction between work time and leisure time.

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Daniel Charles, American ABOUT UKRAINE: One thing that made a big impression on us was the huge division between the rich and the poor in Ukraine. We were certainly rich, compared to most Ukrainians, and it made us a little uncomfortable and embarrassed. We never quite got used to that.

Brigit McCarthy, American ABOUT UKRAINE:

Things I didn’t like: all the spit on the sidewalks, men blowing their nose on the street, public drinking, grumpy cashiers demanding exact change. The huge gap between the super rich and everyone else. Corruption and the absence of rule of law.

I did like overnight train rides, the Kiev subway, marshrutkas (the name for local buses here) (especialhow people pass money up by a human chain from back seats to the driver: that would NEVER happen the US), babushkas selling fresh fruit and vegetables on street corners (the best fruits and vegetables we’ve ever had), and the good humor and stoicism of Ukrainians. And also the Ukrainian ice-cream and sweets – they are much tastier than ones in the US.

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Albert Kozinin, Ukrainian ABOUT ITALY:

I think that Italian’s attitude towards the importance of family is something that should be adopted by all other nations. Italians take family very seriously, carefully and tenderly. If they only have such a possibility – they get together at table and have a dinner together. Even if everybody is busy they still meet at the family dinner table at least once in a week, on the weekend. This tradition really unites a family, I suppose.

Sofija Sagir, Ukrainian ABOUT CANADA:

There are two main points that I am fond of in the Canadian society.

Firstly, democracy is not a mere name in here. If Canadians don’t like something – they get together and fight against it, and finally score success! For sure, the protesters express the opinion of the whole society not all the time, but it is a good indicator that common people here have authority.

Secondly, I respect the position of volunteers in here. Many people are ready to work and help others free of charge. The volunteer activity starts from cleaning the streets (or even bays – they get out tons of garbage) and ends with organizing cultural events. We often complain about our state that ignores our needs, while here people don’t wait until somebody helps them. They organize everything by themselves. I am a member of Salvation Army in Canada, and I think that it is a right thing to help someone especially if you have willingness and spare time for that.

Author: Alyona Pavlenko

Blue are the hills that are far from us

Better job or education, a decision to change everything in your life or something else - there are many reasons to leave for another country. No matter where people go, most travellers face the basic difficulties of immersion in another culture. What are these obstacles and how do othersdeal with them? If you are planning a long journey for the first time - read this article and know what to be prepared to.

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Language

Culture

The first and the most obvious difficulty is the inability to speak the local language. What will help is the command of English—you will always have a possibility to speak with young people, not only in difficult situations, but also in everyday talk. English as an international language will help you to feel less lonely and will be your the bridge for creating new friends abroad.

But be prepared for the sad but true situation: very often older people are not so good in foreign languages, or even may take you negatively if you don’t speak the language of the country you came to. That is why knowing at least several phrases in native language can play an important role in your communication with locals who speak only their own language.

This point is especially important for those travellers, who arrive in a country with a totally different culture. When Russians come to Ukraine or, for example, Canadians—to the US, they don’t see such a big difference in their traditions and mentality. But when you mix East and West, be ready for a huge gap in your understanding of local way of life. In this situation the best decision is getting to know more about the culture of the country you are going to visit before actually going there.

Basic information about customs and traditions, as well as attitude towards global issues (family relations, religion, treating of foreigners etc.) will help you avoid possible stupid situations in the future. And also don’t forget to be patient, try to take every display of local culture as something absolutely acceptable.

Brazilian Thaisa Leite, studies in Russia I’m studying medicine in the Russian university, and despite the fact that education is in English, there are some teachers whose English is very poor. So when there is a lection, they are well-prepared even in English, but when I come to them with additional questions… Oh, these moments I regret that I don’t know Russian language so that we could understand each other better.

Ukrainian Albert Kozinin, lives in Italy The main thing that I have understood living here is that you have to accept the circumstances you are in.

You have to understand new people because it is not them who decided to interfere with your life, it is you who came to their country instead of staying at yours.

Try not to deny everything that happens around you, and then it will be easier for you to live in a new place.

Ukrainian Olga Kurovets, Nepalese Tejendra Thapalaya, studies in Switzerland studies in Switzerland In our country if you are invited to someone’s party When I went here I knew you don’t need to bring anything with you. But here if that my French wasn’t per- you come empty-handed, it would be an awkward situfect. Now I’m progressing, ation.

Also I don’t understand this European tradition to but there has been so many stressful situations when I hug or kiss each other while greeting. In our culture we couldn’t name elementary could just say hello or use welcoming gestures, while things in the supermarket. physical contact is acceptable only between the closest I had to say “Pardon?” too people. So I was embarrassed with such a tradition here often, and I felt really bad and didn’t adopt it in spite some people may think that I am rude. That’s the difference in cultures! then.

STRANGE PSYCHOLOGY

Climate Don’t forget about the climate differences and well in advance prepare yourself for other temperatures. Read more about the climate of the country you want to go to, ask people who were there about clothes that will be needed, and don’t try to save your dressing habits if they are not appropriate in the place you are in. First of all – think of your health!

Ukrainian Alexander Radchenko, moved to Australia from Ukraine

you couldn’t change anything, so take it as it comes.

Actually, haven’t you ever stared at some exotic apWhen I just came in here, I didn’t wear shorts at all pearances without being noticed? because I didn’t like them. But in some time I realized that all the men around me are in shorts and flip-flops Vietnamese Tran Si Bui Trung, studied in Ukraine for 5 years are not because they want to show others their legs, but There were some problems when I first arrived to because it is too hot to be in trousers and shoes there.

Now both shorts and flip-flops are a part of my every- Ukraine. This is a European country, and people here are significantly taller than we are. Firstly, I got staggered day clothes, and it is really convenient. because of that a little bit, but later I acclimatized and I felt absolutely alright. The only problem left is that it is Nepalese Tejendra Thapalaya, studies in Switzerland not that easy to play football with my Ukrainian friends.

Now I could say for sure: before going to another country, especially for a long time, you have to know minimum and maximum temperature there. In our country 32°C is a normal temperature, so I absolutely Finally, be ready to the feeling of loneliness that will wasn’t prepared for cold winter in Switzerland. You start after first days of your arrival, when first emotions should be aware of that, especially now, when all the connected to changing of your life fade. It is an absoinformation is so easy to get. lutely normal situation, which is described by many travellers.

You will overcome this feeling of being out of place as soon as you start communicating with people around If you come to a country where people’s appearance you, start meeting interesting people and understand is significantly different from yours, be ready that peo- the main principles of living in this exact place. Then ple will stare at you just because you are different. In be ready for another, the most interesting period: the the countries where there are many foreigners, people time when you will gain amazing experience of diving are used to another nationalities, but still there are some into another culture and becoming more open-minded countries where you could become an “artifact of the through understanding life’s rich tapestry.

Loneliness… at the beginning

Difference in appearance

day” only because you looks different. In this situation

Author: Alyona Pavlenko

WHAT WOULD “STRANGER“ DO WITOUT YOU? Yes, we did it! And we did it together. You may be proud of the first “Stranger“ - our first-born seems to be not so bad.

Special thanks:

Olga Snyadanko Leonid Matveets Olga Kurovets Sergey Pavlenko Mykola Kovalchuk Iurii Panin Ninel Omelyanenko Olga Novak

Hitoshi Nakamura Alberto Ravomanana Roksolana Mashkova Anja Iryna Nabytovych Albert Kozinin Yanina Sedelnik Alexander Radchenko

Also big thanks: Amandine Cabrio Nguyen Duc Lan Anh Bogdan Penkovskyj Nicole Schmitt Brett Kelly Pauline Segouin Brigit McCarthy Sofija Sagir Daniel Charles Svetlana Archarova Fay Mencott Taras Virniy Joe Dalton Tejendra Thapalaya Julia Gorodyska Thaisa Leite Kocherzhinskaya Lyudmila Thuy Anh Natalia Marianchyk Tran Si Bui Trung Natasha http://www.maximidiavintageads.com/ for original vintage posters “Facebook“, “Twitter“, “Skype“

Alyona Pavlenko, Editor

ntare m m o have c t issues? u o y o D r nex o f s y a e ies, id ill be so happ !

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