Advice for Speaking Languages in Other Countries

Dear Scotious,

I’m in Brasilia, Brazil for the next three months and I have been learning Portuguese for this trip so that way I can talk with the locals but it seems that it doesn’t really matter because everywhere I go people talk to me in English which isn’t a big problem to most people but I have been learning Portuguese for this trip so that way people don’t have to talk to me in English and struggle with it. I would like to talk in Portuguese but I don’t know how to tell the people that I want to talk to them in Portuguese.

From your truly,

Mr. Brazil

 

 

 

Dear Mr. Brazil,

Don’t worry about it. Several people who travel to different countries talk to people in English as English is one of the universal languages. So don’t worry about it if someone talks to you in English, it is fine as most countries teach that language in the schools. I understand that you probably put a lot into learning Portuguese and I do understand if you would want to use it so just talk to them in Portuguese and since you have a long vacation there, people, like ones who work in restaurants and other service businesses will know that you speak Portuguese and they’ll know that you want them to  

Sincerely,

Scotious

Advice for Summer Travel

Dear Scotious,

I’m having a lot of trouble finding out where to go for our summer vacation later this year, I’ve discussed it with my children and husband but we just can’t decide where to go. Everyone is throwing out ideas that I come up with and come up with their own, and these are usually more expensive so I’m having trouble founding out where to go.

We live near the east coast so we don’t  go to the west coast very often so one of my sons always brings up the idea of going there but the other two children don’t want to go there. I just want everyone to have fun this summer and right now it just doesn’t seem like that right now. I need your advice on where to go so that way everyone can enjoy themselves.

Sincerely,

Madame Wants to travel

 

 

Dear Madame Wants to travel,

Your situation isn’t very bad. Not finding a place to go for summer vacation is common among families as the children and even the parents want always agree. Everyone has a different idea for where the want to go for their travels but you do have to come to an agreement. Since you always go to places near the east coast and since one of your children wants to go to the west coast but the other two don’t then go half-way. Go to Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, or South Dakota (which is a great place for outdoor activities).

All of these locations are most likely different than what you usually decide on. You can find great cities to visit such as Colorado Springs or St. Louis. You should be able to find some cheap places to stay at and still have a great time on your vacation. Try mentioning these options at the dinner table and see what your children think about them.

Hope I helped you,

Scotious.

Of note, this is made up.

  

An Interview With Dr. Schwartz

            Today I have Dr. Schwartz, the head history professor at Yale University. He’s been a historian for several years, nearly three decades now, and I have him here for an interview.

SB: Me

DS: Dr. Schwartz

 

SB: Doctor, when was your first experience with history?

DS: Well when I was a child I found an atlas in the family room of my house and I opened it.

SB: Tell me, what was in there that made you want to be a historian?

DS: Well, It was the while book, I was just fascinated by the immense detail that was in the book and also all the events that happened before me.

SB: Did you have any special jobs that involved history before you became the professor at Yale?

DS: Yes, I was an archeologist when I first graduated from college.

SB: And did you keep anything that you found during your time as an archeologist?

DS: Oh yes, several things, but I think the one I like the most is a spear head that I found in South Africa. We think it could date back several thousand years.

SB: What other interesting artifacts did you find?

DS: Oh well nothing else too special, just mostly pots, spears, and ancient plates.

SB: Have you had time to talk or visit with other famous historians?

DS: No not on a very often occasion for I’m far too busy, but I did meet up with Professor Andersohn of Germany when he visited Yale.

SB: Now you’ve been the Head Professor of History at Yale for twenty-eight years, tell me how did you get a position like that?

DS: Oh well one day I applied for the job, at that time I was a teacher at a high school in New York, and I showed them my application and it showed that I was an archeologist and that I had great experience with history and so they gave me the job as the World History Professor and since then I have made my way up to the top.

SB: And how did you make your way up to the top?

DS: Just being a good teacher and staying motivated.

SB: Lately have you been to any Historical places?

DS: Now so much lately, but I did go to China and visit the Great Wall of China about ten months ago.

SB: And of all of the historical places you’ve been to, and you have been to a lot, which one is your favorite?

DS: Probably Egypt, just because of the atmosphere there and you feel that you are in a historical place.

SB: One last question, do you plan to make any more archeology trips for you said that haven’t made any in nearly.

DS: Yes, I do plan to make an archeology trip in Israel later this summer.

SB: Thank you for this interview Doctor.  
 
Of note, this is made up.

 

 

My Escape From Almost Going to Jail in Yokohama

Once when I was traveling in Japan I was taking a trip around the Far East I was walking around downtown Yokohama and I saw a sushi restaurant down the street from where I was. It was around 2:00 P.M. and I still hadn’t eaten lunch, so I walked down the street and walked into the bar and ordered some lunch. I had udon with a side of king crab sushi and then when I finished the meal a check was brought to me, I looked into my wallet, I only had 200¥ left in my wallet, not nearly enough to pay my meal which cost 700¥. I didn’t know what I would do, but then I realized I had my credit card with me, but I didn’t know if it would work in different countries. I asked the waitress to see if my credit card would work, she took and rung it at a cash register, but it didn’t work. I told her that I didn’t have any money for the meal so she called for her boss to see what I would have to do. He told me that I would still have to pay for the meal, I asked to make a phone call and he let me do so I called my sister back at the hotel to come and get me at the restaurant. She came and brought enough money to pay for the meal. I thanked her for coming and from that day forward I always made sure that I would bring enough money for a meal whenever I was in a foreign country. 

 

Of note this is made up.       

Why to Go to New Zealand

A lot of people have seen the Lord of The Rings trilogy and a lot of people liked the scenery that New Zealand born director Peter Jackson put into those movies. He filmed the movies in New Zeland so if you liked what you saw there then you would like what you would see if you ever visited the two islands. Even though the movies sparked alot of tourism in the country alot of people haven't seen these two beutiful islands. From the hustle and bustle of Wellington and to the top of Mt. Egmont, I'm going to give you three reasons, animals scenery, and traveling, as to why you should visit New Zealand.

 

Let's be honest, New Zealand has some crazy animals. For several hundred years being iscolated from the world had given this island nation to grow some great habitats for animals, namely birds as New Zealand has some crazy differant ones. The most reconizable bird is the Kiwi bird. This flightless bird has made its way onto the dollar coin that that New Zealanders  use for currecny, infact the people who live on these islands love kiwis so much that they even named themselves that as whenever people refer to people who live there they refer to them as kiwis. The crazy birds don't stop there as the Kakapo is a flightless parrot, the only surviving one in the world. They can use their wings to glide from trees and to escape predators they can run really fast. Speaking of another flightless bird there was once another flightless parrot that lived huundreds of years ago when nobody lived in New Zealand. This bird was twelve feet tall and dominated the bird eco-system, but it went exticnt in the 1400s when Maori settlers arrived. Being twelve feet tall makes you an easy lunch. Incase you don't like birds New Zeland has one reptile that is related to dinosaurs. The Tuatara males peak up thier backs, which have prickly scales, and scare of predators. Tuataras can live to be 120 years old.

 

Scenery is one thing that people like when they go places for the summer. New Zealand has many places that you will surely not forget. The two islands are green and plentiful with nature. As I mentioned before, Peter Jackson filmed the Lord of The Rings in New Zealand so if you liked all the nature scenes in Middle-Earth then you should go to New Zealand. From the white sand beaches to the top of the volcano Mt. Egmont, New Zealand has places for all of our out of doors activities with many water activities and great hiking area through out the two islands.

 

Traveling isn't too important to some people when they travel but if you are one of those people then you. If you are interested intouring a country of even a continent then New Zeland will work for you. New Zeland has two islands so touring them won't be too hard the islands are small so you can probably take a boat tour around the country that only takes one day. If you are interested in touring a continent as some people are then you can do that in New Zealand as it is just right off the coast of Australia so you can spend a couple of days in Wellington and then go to Sydney for some fun. Now only is it close to Australia it is close to the Oceanic Islands so if you score a cruise around the South Pacific Islands then you are in for a treat, but if you didn't and if you want to go other places don't worry as the Cook Islands and Tonga and the Chatham Islands aren't to far away from New Zealand.

 

So one day in the future when you are planning a vacation, I hope that you are considering New Zealand as an option for where you want to go as it really is a great place to visit.

 

   

  

Why to Go to the Caribbean

Now you probably don't really need an convincing to to the Caribbean Islands, as it is one of the most highly thought of destnation spots for summer travels, but incase you need any convincing at all then I'm here to give you all the convincing that you will need (if any). I will give you two reasons, weather and destinations, as to why you should go to the Caribbean.

Weather is one thing that always effects people when they travel suring the summer. For some destinations it is either too hot or too cold if you are visiting the southern hempishpere. The average tempaerature in July in the Bahamas is 82 degrees Farenhiet where as In Rome, a more popular destination, it reaches 88 degrees Farenhiet. The temperature in the Bahamas is in a good position as it isn't too warm or too cold for those do get too cold in the summer.

 

Destinations are another thing that make people want to go places whiile traveling in the summer, and well the Caribbean has alot of them too. Jamacia has quite alot of places to see and visit when you are on your free time there or are planning a trip to there. The Shaw Parks are one beutiful destination that has 25 acres of troplical nature and paradise with many garderns that will surly give you great views and moments that you won't forget. The Half- Moon for us who like to sample exotic foods that we don't get in the states is a resort that has an array of dining pleasures with four resturants and eight bars. For those who like deep-sea diving and also scuba diving the Carribean had many of those types of places as well of course it is a group of islands. Costa Rica, Bahamas, and Trinidad & Tobago are all great places for us who like water activities.

 

So in conclusion if you needed any reasons why to go to the Caribbean then here are a couple. There are many other reasons to go there and someday I hope you.     

How to Make a Timeline

 

            Step 1: Pick out point of history you want to make timeline for.

            Step 2: Get paper, pencils and colored pencils (optional). I don’t really have any brand to recommend so just use whatever you have available. 

            Step 3: Start by a making a line on the top of the piece of paper and divide the line into separate parts. Depending on how detailed you want it to be then the more parts of the timeline you will have.

            Step 4: Label the parts of history that you want to include. You can make little pictures with something relevant from the time period that you are referring to in your section that you are labeling, such as aqueducts for Roman times or an American flag for the Revolutionary War. This is what the colored pencils are for.

Step 5: Go over your timeline and make sure you’ve added years for the timeline and make sure that every part of history is in the right place and is correct. Remember, you can’t rewrite history.