Performing Arts Trips! There’s a whole world out there with so much variety in the performing arts. For a student in the subject, a trip to experience how things are done outside of their immediate world is invaluable. New skills, new confidence and new ideas are all out there, waiting to be experienced. Behind the … Continue reading »
Russia: Searching for the golden mean between forgetting and remembering There is hardly a single country on earth that doesn’t have a couple of shameful pages in its history book. We keep telling ourselves “we should remember our history to avoid messing things up again”. But let’s consider a fact that the darkest period in … Continue reading »
The horse meat scandal burst into the public consciousness in January of this year when food inspectors discovered the meat in a selection of burgers. An investigation was launched and several ranges of meat products were found to be 100% horse. This was most prevalent in Britain, France and Sweden. Since the revelation was made … Continue reading »
If you travel to a country that is foreign from your own, you may often come across things on the way that are upsetting or distressing to you. Adventuring to regions where the cultural norm is different to what you have experienced growing up can often seem quite odd. What is the best way to … Continue reading »
Big deal. One less bigoted, misogynistic man to deal with. But still – what a surprise! One day the Pope is tweeting in a hundred languages, the next he’s retiring to whatever German or Italian monastery/village he has in mind. The “Panzer Cardinal” as they call him, sparked enormous international anger over the extensive amount … Continue reading »
A pat on the bottom, a grope in the street; if you’re female and travelling alone, it doesn’t matter whether you walk ten paces to your local corner shop or voyage across the world, the likelihood is you’re going to receive some pretty frequent unwanted advances. For some women, the thought of being marginalized because … Continue reading »
As a Russian saying goes, ‘kids are the flowers of life’, they should be taken care of to grow and bloom on their native land. If you pull the flower out of the land and try to plant it some-place else it will die or will it? I bet you have heard about the Dima Yakovlev law … Continue reading »
My Dad is addicted to anything French. I’m not sure when this addiction started exactly, it was perhaps 12 years ago, when I started noticing the increasing presence of brie in the house. He started putting cheese boards on the dining table, and serving baguettes with everything. His former years serving quiche every evening may … Continue reading »
There are many weird and wonderful customs from around the world that make some Christmases just for locals. Take a look at these fun Christmas facts for a list of cultural creations to incorporate this festive season. England The mince pies traditionally eaten around Christmas time with a glass of mulled wine, were traditionally filled … Continue reading »
When I was talking with my friends from different European countries about Christmas traditions, I learned that some traditions are universal (at least all across Europe), while others are only known in a specific country. When we were talking about what we do during the Christmas season, they were all surprised to hear about Saint … Continue reading »
Istanbul had always been a dream. I remember humming along to ‘it’s Istanbul not Constantinople’ a hundred times before boarding the coach in Varna, Bulgaria. The coach was probably the best way to get to Istanbul from the Black Sea at the time, though I had been told it would have been better to hitch … Continue reading »
Home to about four million people, Yangzhou is a small city by Chinese standards. Legend has it Marco Polo once served as a municipal officer to the city, however not a shred of evidence exists to confirm this – except for some questionable notes in a supposed diary which he allegedly wrote in prison. It … Continue reading »
Travelling to Iran! Tehran, the pounding heart of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is not a top travelling destination due to many circumstances. Some of those are totally political but there are some that have to do with stereotypes. Whenever I mention being in Iran I get agitated questions: You went where, Iraq? Is it safe? Is … Continue reading »
So many people assume that others travel to ‘escape reality’, and recently I have been questioning this concept. Exactly what is reality? The expectation that once you leave school, you will (if you’re lucky), find a job you like or at least pays the bills, buy a house, settle down and have a few kids? … Continue reading »
Candidates Continue to Clash as Crunch-Time Comes The 18 month slog that is the United States Presidential race is about to see ballots off to a premature start, as voters in key states are being encouraged to vote early. Up to 70% of the electorate could potentially vote in advance as Election Day becomes Election Month. … Continue reading »