kevin wrote:

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10 cultural aspects of Japan.  Japan is the land of the rising sun.  It has about 3,000 islands inside of there province.  The capital of Japan is Tokyo.  Life in Japan first started in 10,000 B.C.  In the yayoi period 3rd centrury B.C. introduces rice plantations Iron and Bronze.  Kefin period started the imperial lineage.  1185 shogun was a base of power and the ruling class was warriors called samurai.  16th century first trade with outside world.  Boshin war lead the way for Japan modernization.  Japan is now a leading nation in the scientific research technology machinery and medicle reaserch with the worlds third largest budget.

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Kevin, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Japan and http://www.chinatownconnection.com/japanese-culture.htm for more information about the culture of Japan and not just information on its history.  History IS an important part of cultural identity for all people, but there is so much more. 

Diego wrote:

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International House - Spain  Profile name:International HouseCreated by:Andrea HasapiLanguage(s):EnglishAge range:15-17Number of participants:6City/town:BarcelonaCountry:Spain

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Diego, I got this response from Spain this morning:

Hi! Thank you for your email.  I'm sure my students would love to write to yours.  I've got six post-FCE level students (upper intermediate), 3 boys, 3 girls.  I've set them up with their own epals account, and your students can write to them directly.  Below I attach my students' profiles.  If you'd like you could pass these on to yours, and yours could choose who to write to:

Hi, my name’s Guillem.  I’ll be 17 in four months.  I live in Barcelona.  I’m in the second to last year of high school.  I play basketball, and I also play tennis, windsurf, and play football.  I love pop & rock & roll music (Police, Robbie Williams, Simple Plan, Green Day).  Every summer I go to the Costa Brava, one of the best places in the Mediterranean.  In fact, I’ve got a house there.
I’m about 1.85m tall, I’ve got blond hair, blue eyes, and I’m slim and strong.

Guillem:

barcelona1@epals.com

Jamie D, I got this message yesterday from China:

Hello. I'm glad to hear from you. Yes, I can arrange my students to write to your students, but the problem is that my students are having a one-month winter break, and they'll come back to school on  Mar. the 1st. I don't know where it is too late for you.
Looking forward to your reply.
Sherry

10 Aspects of my culture

  

v     I live in a diverse area

v     I am Catholic

v     I am Cape Verdean

v     I listen to hip-hop and R&B music

v     My favorite food is seafood

v     I play a lot of sports, but the main sports I play are soccer and basketball

v     I am really interested in the government and law

v     I have a lot of friends with different ethnicities and backgrounds

v     My favorite designer is Baby Phat

v     I try to be respectful and friendly to everyone I meet

10 facts about my culture:

Italy:
1- Itlay is highly noted for its art.  Most noted is the Italian Renaissance, which involved artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci.
2- The music of Italy really shows their culture.  Some of there most known styles are opera and classical.
3- Roman-Catholicism is the main religion in Italy.
4- The Italian schools include a six-year primary school and an eight-year secondary school.
5- Italy's popular authors include Dante Alighieri, Machiavelli, and Petrarch.
6- Petrarca came up the the idea of the sonnet in Italy.
7- Italy is also very well known for its different foods.
8- The piano and the violin were invented in Italy.
9- The Italian people are also very fond of their sports. They include football, various winter sports, cycling and auto racing.
10- Galileo Galilei made his advancements toward the scientific revolution in Italy.

1.the most important aspects of the transformations that Portuguese literature has experienced over the last 25 years are the decline of the idea of a vanguard and the disappea­rance of the literary groups and movements which had marked the 20th century up until the 1960/70’s.
2.the most far-reaching renewal occurred from the 1970’s onwards, when a number of poets returned to a style of lyrical outpouring that came close to being an experience which could be shared with the reader.
3.Portuguese musical traditions and contemporary popular music reflect multifarious historical, cultural, and political processes to which they also contributed.
4.Some traditional song and dance genres are pan-Hispanic and pan-European. 
5.The major Portuguese cities have been important centres for the production and dissemination of a rich array of forms of urban music.
6.Fado is the best-known Portuguese musical genre outside Portugal.
7.The fado or canção de Coimbra is a lyrical performance tradition integrated within the academic life of the medieval university of Coimbra.
8.From the 1980’s onwards the dynamism which resulted from the democratic revolution in 1974 and the subsequent opening up of the country to the outside world and its integration into Europe have all favoured a notable renewal of the Portuguese artistic panorama.
9.When it comes to financing, Portuguese cinema survives solely thanks to the massive presence of state grants and the input of television stations
10.The Foundation of Portugal dates back to the year 1143.

catherine wrote:

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my school is  Mabogopedi - South Africa

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Catherine, during lunch I just received an email from a teacher in South Africa.  He left his email to use.  It's kayel65@epals.com  Here's the copy:

Welcome to epals.

I am sure I could have a few interested in your topic. You can use my email and I will get them to respond. I could not manage to create epals email addresses for my learners because I am about to leave the school and move to another one. I will however introduce another teacher to epals should the move succeeds.

I hope you will find this in order.

Regards
Louis

10 aspects of my culture are:

     I'm full blooded acorean which is also portuguese. Acores is the islands that are owned by portugal. My Dad was born in a city called Ponta Delgada and my mom is from Ribeiro Funda.
Portuguese music reflects its culture. Our music culture is not only big in portugal but over here to. Such as we celebrate our culture during festivals. such as "Dia de Portugal" or "as Festas da Madeiras, the madeira feast  focuses mainly on portugal's main religion which is Roman Catholicism. Portugese dancing tells us a little about its culture as well. Also, Portuguese food is big not just in Portugal or America but all over. Like the italian culture Portugal is known for its delicious food and desserts. In Portugal there are many buildings that stand for many different things.Like the gates of Portugal.
.

Albury High School - Australia

mr .e i would like to comunicate with someone from this school please. i have alwatys wanted to go to australia and learn more about how they live downthere.thank you

Kenya Culture  

1. Kenya’s education systems have early childhood education, primary, secondary and tertiary.
2. Kenya is a very diverse country, with many different cultures that are represented. For example, Swahili (also the official language) that’s on the coast, pastoralist communities that are in the north, and many different communities in the central and western regions.
3. The most well known culture today is the Maasai and they speak Maa.
4. The Maasai’s usually wears a dark red garment to symbolize their love for the earth and their dependence on it. The Garments also stand for the blood that is given to them by nature.
5. Kenyan’s love to party so music is a huge part of there culture. They have a very diverse range in music styles from afro-fusion, benga and traditional folk songs.
6. As for sports they are know to do well in cross country & road running but the also have football (soccer), rallying, boxing, rugby and cricket.
7. For the flag, it’s based on the Kenya African National Union. The colors of the flag symbolize black majority, red for the blood shed during the struggle for freedom, green for natural wealth, as for the white it symbolizes peace. The spears are the Maasai traditional shield that symbolize defense.
8. People living in Kenya tend to eat a lot of beef and seafood dishes and also tropical fruits and vegetables.
9. Kenyan families tend to be very large, and households often include several members of the extended family.
10. The main disease in Kenya is Malaria.

Colégio Nossa Senhora das Neves - Brazil

Girls’ Catholic Secondary School - Australia

Ten Aspects of my own culture would be:

1. It is what is it today from over 5000 years of artistic, philosophical, political, and scientific advancements.

2. Early Chinese thrived on poetry and art. During the Tang Dynasty, paintings were mainly of landscapes that grasped great emotion and atmosphere to become 'attuned to nature'.

3. Twentieth-century poetry was heavily influenced by the Cultural Revolution. Some poets had wanted to hold on to old ways though so they incorporated pro-democratic themes.

4. Clothes are varied throughout the region. Depending on the people's economic situations and background, their style of wear differs. The same thing can be siad for the U.S and everywhere else too. The rich prefer their name-brand clothes such while the more average family would buy the brands more suitable to price-range. In Shanghai and other places in China, western looks are more preferred nowadays.

5. Education which was once forsaken is most definitely valued and needed. National examinations were held and although education was important to them, they also valued healthy people as well. So even if the person had passed the written portion of the exam, if they were in poor health, they did not pass the physical portion of it.

6. Many rural areas in China still follow traditional elements of marriage. Back in the day, the elite people in society followed polygamy. Ordinary marriages were usually arranged by the parents of the person being married off. The married couple is usually stable compared to many other societies. It is most likely that way due to the thought of 'dsihonoring' the family or for the sake of the children like many others who had these same thoughts.

7. Taoist philosophy and their thoughts on health issues and exercise are a fundamental part of Chinese martial arts.

8. Chinese martial arts at one point were considered to promote national pride and improved the health of the nation of China by the country's citizens.

9. Dominant Chinese ideologies such as Confucianism and Taoism never promote the equivalent of a god but rather explains life and a person's surroundings through observations and principles.

10. After the People's Republic of China was established, traditional Chinese culture was tolerated to an extent and then after the Cultural Revolution, the culture was supressed all together.

Finding out about the creation of my culture is pretty interesting. Although my family doesn't really follow some of the traditional things that are done in the actual country, they still do some things like celebrating Chinese New Year's and passing off the red envelopes and stuff. They still have celebrations and eat the food that they had had back in China. Most thankfully due to Chinatown. xD Anyways, traditions are still held and practiced within my family but some aren't like almost all other families within the U.S who have held onto their native tradtions but are somewhat more 'Americanized' to an extent.

1. Brazil is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the world.
2. Brazil is very famous for Carnival, the most known holiday in Brazil.
3.  In Brazil there are many different ethnicity and race like white, light-skinned, asian, amerindian.
4. Although Brazil is rich in its beauty and people, Brazil has a big percentage of poverty.
5. People that are poor in Brazil live in FAVELAS, meaning slums are mostly located in the metropolitan areas and remote upcountry regions that have problems with ecomonic.
6. Most of the citizens in Brazil are Roman Cathotlic.
7.  Brazil has great food and also great music that people can dance to it all night long.
8. About 73.9% of citizens are Roman Catholic, 15.4% are Protestants, 7.4% consider themselfs as agnostics, atheists or without a religion, 1.3% are followers of Spiritism and 1.7% are member of other religion like Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhism, Latterday Saints , Judaism, or islam.
9. Brazil also have many different sports that the citizens love to play but the most famous one is soccer. With the hot weather all year round its the most played in Brazil.
10. Brazil has a population of about 135 million habitants.

Amanda wrote:

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New Zealand

10 Facts:
1.) New Zealand has the highest proportion population of people born in a foreign country as compared with U.S.A., Brazil, South Africa, Canada, and Australia, with 25%, many were born in England.
2.) Sports and outdoor activities are very important to the people of New Zealand. They enjoy sports such as rugby and horse racing.
3.) New Zealand is known for putting a lot of significance on ‘masculine’ qualities such as physical labor and less on discussion and the intellectual.
4.) New Zealanders consider politicians to be least trustworthy of any other profession and many are apathetic to political elections.
5.) The country’s most major export enterprise is the film industry; many Hollywood movies are filmed in New Zealand.
6.) The food most commonly associated with New Zealand is chocolate fish (marshmallow covered in chocolate and shaped like a fish); buzz bars, Lemon & Paeroa (a soft drink), pavlova (meringue dessert named after the ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova).
7.) New Zealand art is known as Kiwiana and it is made up of kitsch 1950s-style artifacts.
8.) More importance is placed on the popular culture than on the high culture of New Zealand.
9.) Maori culture is also a big part of New Zealand; New Zealand’s own culture is a combination of Maori and British cultures.
10.) The people of New Zealand refer to themselves as ‘kiwis’ and the image of the kiwi bird is on everything from shoe polish to their currency.

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 Wow, I think it's really funny that the people from New Zealand refer to themselves as kiwis. :]

Winnie Z. wrote:

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Ten Aspects of my own culture would be:

1. It is what is it today from over 5000 years of artistic, philosophical, political, and scientific advancements.

2. Early Chinese thrived on poetry and art. During the Tang Dynasty, paintings were mainly of landscapes that grasped great emotion and atmosphere to become 'attuned to nature'.

3. Twentieth-century poetry was heavily influenced by the Cultural Revolution. Some poets had wanted to hold on to old ways though so they incorporated pro-democratic themes.

4. Clothes are varied throughout the region. Depending on the people's economic situations and background, their style of wear differs. The same thing can be siad for the U.S and everywhere else too. The rich prefer their name-brand clothes such while the more average family would buy the brands more suitable to price-range. In Shanghai and other places in China, western looks are more preferred nowadays.

5. Education which was once forsaken is most definitely valued and needed. National examinations were held and although education was important to them, they also valued healthy people as well. So even if the person had passed the written portion of the exam, if they were in poor health, they did not pass the physical portion of it.

6. Many rural areas in China still follow traditional elements of marriage. Back in the day, the elite people in society followed polygamy. Ordinary marriages were usually arranged by the parents of the person being married off. The married couple is usually stable compared to many other societies. It is most likely that way due to the thought of 'dsihonoring' the family or for the sake of the children like many others who had these same thoughts.

7. Taoist philosophy and their thoughts on health issues and exercise are a fundamental part of Chinese martial arts.

8. Chinese martial arts at one point were considered to promote national pride and improved the health of the nation of China by the country's citizens.

9. Dominant Chinese ideologies such as Confucianism and Taoism never promote the equivalent of a god but rather explains life and a person's surroundings through observations and principles.

10. After the People's Republic of China was established, traditional Chinese culture was tolerated to an extent and then after the Cultural Revolution, the culture was supressed all together.

Finding out about the creation of my culture is pretty interesting. Although my family doesn't really follow some of the traditional things that are done in the actual country, they still do some things like celebrating Chinese New Year's and passing off the red envelopes and stuff. They still have celebrations and eat the food that they had had back in China. Most thankfully due to Chinatown. xD Anyways, traditions are still held and practiced within my family but some aren't like almost all other families within the U.S who have held onto their native tradtions but are somewhat more 'Americanized' to an extent.

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This is really interesting, Winnie.  I think that it's good that your family still practices some traditions from Chinese culture, my family doesn't do anything to do with the Irish culture and I really don't know anything about it.

10 facts about my own culture:
1.) I like to read
2.) My family and I do not practice any religion.
3.) My family is very close.
4.) My family gets together for birthdays and holidays
5.) I am Irish, English, French Canandian, Italian, German and Scottish
6.) I listen to many types of music
7.) My favorite food is lasagna
8.) I like sew and make my own clothes sometimes
9.) I'm really interested in art and design
10.) I am a vegetarian

Valdir wrote:

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Option 1: Kacyiru Primary School, Rwanda
Option 2: Kigali Islamic Secondary School

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Valdir, I sent out the letter today to both schools.

nessaA wrote:

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ok ... I have more than one school mr.e

1.) SCHOOL:Colegio Nossa Senhora das Neves
     CITY: Ibaiti
     COUNTRY: Brazil

2.) SCHOOL:  Girls' Catholic Secondary School
      City: Sydney
       Country: Australia

3.) SCHOOL: Chaturachinda School- Thailand
      CITY: Bangkok
       Country:  Thailand

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Nessa, I had problems locating the first two, but I sent a letter to the third today.

Donald, I got this yesterday from Latvia:

Hello.

It's great idea. I have douther. She's not my student, but she's interesed of your idea, she would like to give some informations about cultures in our ****ry and receive information from your student about your culture.
It would be better if your syudent can be about 16-18 years old. She's 16 years old teenager.
I will give you my dougther e-mail adress and you: Liene_14@inbox.lv
If you interested in my letter, please look my school homepage: www.zav.lv
Click in the rigt, there will be a photo galery: Foto galerijas - like that it means in Latvian, this page don't have English version.
But very interesting thing is that our school situated in ancient palace. Look in: www.pilis.lv , and in this adress you will find an English version.
I hope that you like my ideas about the communication.

bye :)
Valija

10 aspects of culture in Australia:

1.there were over 300 Australian Aboriginal Languages when european first made contact.
2.australian's history is very big on the "Visual Arts"
3.Australia's 7,686,850 square kilometres
4.like most places the australian animals are threatened by the human activities

right now my mom is home and i have to help her.. so i will be logged on again and finish this project in about a half hour.   srryyyy

Here's the letter I got from a teacher in France:

I'm an English teacher from France in Dijon, and I have a class of 10 students (between 16 and 19) who would love to communicate with students from the US to improve their english and learn many things about another culture!

If you are interested just let me know, it will be with great pleasure! The sooner, the better!
Have a nice week end,

Laetitia CRETE

Grades updated - March 12th

Grades updated - March 26th