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The people of Turkey speak turkish.

Turkish: Turp Gibiyim
English: I'm strong like radish

Turkey is literally where the east meets the west. It has a mixed culture of muslim and christianity ideals and two of the seven continents meet here, Europe and Asia.

It was once part of the Roman Empire and you can still see castles and forts all across the country especially along the coastline and in the city of Istanbul. Turkey's capital is in the City of Ankara, and the city of Cappadocia one of the top two places in the world for hot air balloon rides.

One of Turkeys favorite holiday's is their Republic Day, recognizing the foundation of their republic and celebrating their founder, Ataturk (similar to our 4th of July). Founded in 1923, the republic of turkey is less than 100 years old! and is one of the most modernized countries in the world. How do you do that in less than 100 years?  Ask Mrs. Habs for another history lesson!

Turkeys currency is the Lira, and currently 1 dollar equals 13 Lira, not good for Turkey, but that's good for everyone that gets paid in dollars.

The food of Turkey is traditionally mediterranean style food, full of olives, grapes, hummus and kebabs. And again because it is where the east meets the west, you can pretty much find and try everything here.

Lastly, the people are friendly, if you visit you will be asked to sit and drink tea, or Turkish coffee and just talk. Add it to your bucket list and tell them Brett sent you :)

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View from up in the Mountains where my Grandfather lives "Vivian Vizcaya"

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My parents grew up in Monterrey, Mexico where they speak Spanish. Many of their customs are very similar to those in the United States due to its close proximity. One notable custom that is different is celebrating Dia de los Muertos as opposed to Halloween. Monterrey is famous for its "Cabrito", which stands for "baby goat"; that is the food for which Monterrey is known. In this picture Vivian is at her Granpa's Chemin house up in the mountains. Monterrey is a big industrial city surrounded by Mountains.

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Both English and Gaelic are spoken in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is its own separate country from Southern Ireland and is part of the UK. In the north they use British Pounds for money, in the south they use Euros.

One custom celebrated is First Foot. On New Year's Eve the first person to walk through your door will determine if you get good or bad luck in the coming year.

A holiday unique to the UK is Boxing Day which is celebrated on Dec. 26th. This day began as a tradition of wealthier people boxing up leftovers and gifts for the poor.

Some of the more traditional dishes here are: fish n chips (french fries), soda bread, back bacon, and potatoes!

Typical clothing in N. Ireland is very similar to the US. The one thing that might be slightly different are kilts worn by men for celebrations in modern times.

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We celebrate Eid two times a year !
After Ramadan, a month of fasting, and after the Hajj pilgrimage. We wear traditional Pakistani clothes, give and receive presents and money, and perform a special prayer at the mosque. We perform prayers in Arabic, the language of our Holy book, the Quran, and speak Urdu, the Pakistani national language. We love to eat Biryani,  a spicy chicken and rice dish and eat samosas - a savory potato turnover.
Armaan Gadit and Family

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Singapore, where the sights and sounds excite!

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Guam is a beautiful tropical paradise I called home. Right now we’re in the rainy season so it rains about every day. But that’s why we have a lush, green tropical island
Guam is surrounded by a reef line that’s about 300ft from shore to deep sea. Inside the reef the water is waist high. The water is warm as your bathtub so local and tourists sometimes spend all day soaking up the fresh salt water
People here is friendly and generous. Families often get together for BBQ and tasty local dishes
Red rice, bread fruit and Spam are some of the favorite foods here in Guam
To get here to Guam you’ll have to fly 6000 miles from California coast but once you’re here you will know that’s worth the trip

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Karen Klein

Frankie

Hello everyone!

We are located in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Which is on the west side of the country on the prairies. Canada has two official languages, English and French. Most people here where we live speak English. There are plenty of other languages spoken here though just not as common.

We celebrate many of the same holidays as you do. Like Christmas, Halloween and Easter. We also celebrate Thanksgiving but in October. We celebrate Canada day on July 1st with lots of fireworks and music and parties. We also have family day in February that gives most people the day off to spend with their families. Lots of activities are put on in the community for families to attend. In September we also celebrate reconciliation day to remember and honor the children and survivors of residential school system.

Foods are very similar here to what you eat. We are a melting pot of many cultures and have a diverse food landscape. One thing we are known for in Canada is our maple syrup that is put on or in many things. Maple bacon is amazing! I can't forget poutine that is coveted nationally. It is made with fries, cheese curds and a special gravy. Lots of different cultures have taken poutine and added their own spin on it in Canada now.

Depends on the season. We dress like you do in the USA. However, winters are very frigid here and require a toque (I think you call them beanies), mittens, long john's, snow boots that can include mukluks, snow pants and a heavy coat. We are fairly rural so jeans, cowboy boots, a button down shirt and cowboy hat aren't uncommon. Plaid shirts are a staple in Canadian clothing

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Celebrating Christmas dinner by the pool in 2020

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Cousins of Sutter Franke

We live in Adelaide, Australia.

We wake up on Christmas Day and share presents from around the tree and from Santa.

Christmas Day for us is usually very warm. On Christmas Day we are dressed in warm summer clothing and will quite often have our bathers ready for a pool or beach swim at some point in the day.

The tradition Christmas meal will be a big lunch or dinner. We start with Seafood, fish or prawns. We then have the full turkey roast dinner with pudding and pavlova for dessert.

The holiday that is celebrated is Christmas Day on the 25th then Boxing Day or proclamation Day on the 26th. On the 26th December was when Captain John Hindmarsh stood by the old gum tree and read the official proclamation of the new colony’s existence in South Australia.

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Heidelberg is a famous city in western Germany with a beautiful oldtown and a medieval castle.
Here people mainly speak german.
The majority of people living in germany are christians. They celebrate christmas, easter and pentecost. Also germans celebrate reunification day on october 3rd. In the summertime and harvest -time there a wine festivals, fairs, and Octoberfest.
Typically food in Germany is cabbage, kale, asparagus, bratwurst and knuckle. As well the Germans love their bread, made with sourdough.
Talking about special clothes in our country there is a famous yellow raincoat called Friesennerz, rubberboats and Bavarian style dresses and lederhosen.

Germany - Claudia- friend of Caroline Lai

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Nick Verhaeghe stayed in Stilwell for Thanksgiving.

However, we have family from and some still live in Sicily.

People speak Italian in Sicily.

They kiss each other on the cheeks instead of shaking hands.

Most people are catholic and celebrate Christmas.

People eat pastas and breads like pizza. Wine is served at lunch and dinner.

The clothes are similar to clothes in the USA, BUT most people always look nice when in the city.

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Hallo, wij wonen in Amsterdam, hoofdstad van Nederland. Hello, we live in Amsterdam, capital city of the Netherlands. (We are friends of the family of Caroline Lai.) Netherlands means "lowlands". Most of the Netherlands is below sea level and Nederlanders are considered world experts at water management.

Nederlanders speak Dutch, or Nederlands, as it is called here. Most everyone speaks perfect English too, but it is not an official language. Most Nederlanders also speak German and French and maybe even a 5th or 6th language as well.

Nederlanders celebrate King's Day on the King's birthday in April. It is one big party in the streets and everyone wears orange. (The royal family's last name is Orange.) On King's Day, kids have their own special markets where they can sell their old toys or perform for money.

Memorial Day and Liberation Day are celebrated in May. The Netherlands was very affected by World War II, and always remembers it. Anne Frank lived in Amsterdam, and wrote her diary in her hiding place next to the West Church.

Nederlanders celebrate a version of the fall harvest, like Halloween in American, but in the Netherlands it is celebrated on Saint Martin's Day, November 11, and instead of wearing costumes and saying trick or treat, Nederlandse kids go door to door with handmade paper lanterns and sing songs for treats.

St. Nicholas "Sinterklaas" arrives in the Netherlands mid-November and leaves small gifts and pepernoten (tiny spiced cookies) in the boots of kids who sing songs to him at night. On the evening before his birthday December 6, he leaves a larger sack of gifts. Dutch Sinterklaas was the inspiration for American Santa Claus.

Christmas "Kerst" is an entirely separate holiday celebrated with family dinners. Nederlanders set off lots of fireworks in the streets on "Oud en Nieuw" (Old and New or New Year's Eve). It is tradition to eat oliebollen (dough balls friend in oil) on New Year's Eve. Nederlanders invented these, the world's first doughnuts.

In addition to oliebollen, Nederlanders are known for their cheese, bitterballen, and lots of fresh vegetables. The Netherlands is the 2nd largest agricultural exporter in the world after the United States, even though the country is only about the size of Maryland. Tulips are also one of the most famous exports. The Netherlands got tulips from Turkey, and they are now one of its biggest crops.

Two hundred years ago, wooden shoes were popular in the Netherlands. They kept the farmers' feet dry in the fields. Now, The Netherlands is famous for being the country with the most blue jeans per capita. In Nederlands, jeans are called "spijkerbroeken" or "nails pants". Most people wear sneakers here, too, even to important job meetings. Casual clothes are important when you ride a bicycle everywhere instead of a car!

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View over the Rhine river. Oestrich Winkel is located in a wine region called Rheingau where the Riesling wine originated from.

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Belgium is one of the countries in our family history. It is a rather small country but known for its beautiful landscape. It’s also known for chocolate. Some of the more popular food dishes from Belgium that many of you may recognize are fries, beef stew and Belgium waffles.

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Melbourne VIC - Sutter Frankie’s 2nd Cousin

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Melbourne VIC - Sutter Frankie’s 2nd Cousin

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Melbourne VIC - Sutter Frankie’s 2nd Cousin

My name is Isabel and I am Sutter Frankies 2nd cousin. I live in Melbourne Australia.
Here in Australia we speak English mainly, but there are a lot of people from other countries who live here and speak many other language.

Australian customs include a lot of time spent outdoors, going to the beach, playing cricket, having a barbecue. Watching the footy, AFL, which is Aussie Rules football, it’s a game that we love and get together to watch a lot. https://youtu.be/XMZYZcoAcU0

Here in Australia, we wear similar clothes to you, but maybe we are able to wear clothes suitable for warmer weather more often. As it doesn’t get as cold here in Melbourne.

We celebrate Christmas and Easter, New Year, a big difference from you would be that Christmas is in Summer, so on Christmas Day it is tradition in my family to go to the beach and have a swim in the morning. We also have holidays for major sporting events, like the AFL Grand Final is a big day of parties and celebrations, similar to the Super Bowl.

In Australia we have a few delicacies like Vegemite is a spread we eat on toast or in sandwiches, Pavlova is a dessert made of meringue, whipped cream and fresh fruit, we often have that on Christmas! We also eat a lot of Seafood, prawns, salmon, oysters and calamari.

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Haruru is a nice little township in the beautiful Bay of Islands in the Far North of New Zealand‘s North island. We have our own big waterfall and are close to Paihia with its nice beaches.

In New Zealand they have two official languages: English and Te Reo Māori  (the language of the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand)

The most important holiday is “Waitangi Day” to celebrate the signing of the “Treaty of Waitangi” between the English and Maori people on  the 6th of February 1840.

Most famous around the world is the “Haka”, the traditional war dance of the Maori. It is performed at special occasions to acknowledge the importance of a moment or event.

Christmas is in summer as we are in the Southern Hemisphere. For that reason a lot of “Kiwis” (that’s how the New Zealanders call themselves) celebrate Christmas Day with a BBQ at the beach.

The most popular footwear in New Zealand are jandals, gumboots or just walking around barefoot.

We have only 5.5 Mio people living in New Zealand but almost everyone has family members living overseas.

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Haruru is a nice little township close to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. It‘s in the Far North of New Zealand‘s North Island. We have our own big waterfall and are close to some very nice beaches.

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Mumbai, Maharashtra, India - Kaleb Haden

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Mumbai, Maharashtra, India - Kaleb Haden

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Kaleb talked to his friend Aksheet (Cheeki) who lives in Mumbai, India.  Here were his answers:

My location is Mumbai Suburban which is a district of Mumbai. Mumbai is situated on the west side of the country and is a small peninsula. It is one of the main business hub of India. It is situated in the south Asia with other countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. I live in Thakur Village which comes under the area Kandivali.

There is a rich culture of language that are spoken in India. The language which are spoken in my location is mainly Hindi. But there are other language that are spoken in our location like English, Marathi and Gujrati. Each state of India has a unique language for example in Bengal the language spoken is Bengali. In Rajasthan the language spoken is maravedi.

The custom that is most common in our location is believe in God. The god which we believe are Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva. Other gods in our custom are lord Ganesh, Lordess Sarasvati, Lordess Durga, Lordess Lakshmi. We also greet people with Namaste which is one of the oldest tradition and one of the most popular. Other Tradition are two help the elders and Respect them. To touch the feet of the elders as it is believed that our ego is removed if we do so.

We celebrate National as well as religious Holidays
National Holidays: Independence Day (15th August): We celebrate Independence day because we got our freedom from British on that day
Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti
Some of the major holidays in our Indian culture are Diwali, Holi, Dusshera, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Eid, Christmas, Janmashtami and a lot more
Other holiday that we celebrate in school are Guru Nanak Jayanti, Eid, Christmas, Janmashtami and a lot more.

The foods that are typically eaten in our region are bread along with a nutritious vegetable. Other foods that are eaten are Idli ,Dosa, Pav Bhaji, Naan and cottage cheese.

The clothing that is typical in my location is T- shirt and Pants for men and Salwar suit for women. There are many cultural clothing that are worn like Kurta Pyjama, Saari, Lehenga. Also Pandit  Dhoti which is an unstitched piece of cloth.

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Hello WSE 3rd Graders! I am an American living in Townsville, Australia and a friend of Marin Clark. In answer to your questions:
Townsville is in the state of Queensland and very large (about 2.5 times the size of Texas). It has lots of different environments and Townsville is in the Tropical North of Queensland. Since it is in the Southern Hemisphere it is getting hotter now. In Townsville it is warm all year with basically two seasons - the wet and the dry.
English is spoken here and the official language of Australia. Most of the same holidays are celebrated here as in the states as it is based on the English tradition. There is no thanksgiving but Halloween is getting more popular. There are similar holidays to Memorial Day and also some unique ones such as Melbourne Cup day which is an unofficial holiday for a horse race! The foods that are eaten are the same with some English influence but the most Australia food would be Vegemite which is a very strong spread made of yeast. It is an acquired taste! Also because it is hot around Christmas time there are often seafood as part of the menu. A popular kids treat at birthdays (besides cake) is fairy bread, which is white bread with butter and sprinkles on top! The other famous Australian food is a Tim Tam which is a type of cookie (which Australians call biscuits). Finally, normal clothes in this area are shorts, flip flops or sandals and anything that is light and cool!

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Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

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Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

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Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

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-Jayee

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Christmasmarket in front of the cathedral of Erfurt

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Hello,

my name is Daniela and I come from Germany.
The city I live in is called Erfurt in the state Thuringia.
Our spoken language is german. Thuringia ist famous for it's sausages and potato dumplings. I'd say that our clothing and celebrated holidays are similar to yours in the USA. In the wintertime you can find beautiful Christmasmarkets all over the country.

(Sutter Franke)

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This is what fiesta's look like in the Philippines

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Philippines - Ate Fel

(We call our older sister "ate' and our older brother
'Kuya)

Hi Ben!

In the Philippines, the main languages we speak are both English and Tagalog! But in most regions of the country have their own native language as well! A fun fact is that, in the Philippines there are over 120 languages spoken by Filipinos. On the other hand, the Philippines has a National Costume called Baro't Saya for females and Barong Tagalog for males, that are worn during special occasions. These costumes
are considered as a elegant hybrid of the Filipino and Spanish styles, since the Philippines used to be colonised by the Spanish for 333 years. The most common celebration we have is celebrating Fiesta's
in each city. A fiesta is when we celebrate a city or province's patron saint or harvest, with that we get to have games, activities and food served and celebrated by everyone in the city. Just like every
other country we take pride in celebrating birthdays, baptismal, Christmas, New Years etc. Food is a very important part of a Filipino person, we love food! But
our meal can't go without eating rice! Rice is a staple in our country, we eat rice with everything! We even have special rice cakes called kakanin that is differently made by each province or region, having
and adding their own unique taste to it. With the Philippines being a tropical country, it is always hot. It is common for us Filipinos to dressing warmly like wearing shorts, dresses etc.

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Language: Norway's official language is Norwegian. Like the U.S., the language has several dialects, each tied to specific parts of the country. Norway also has an indigenous population called the Sami, who speak their own native Sami language. They live in a specific region in the northernmost part of Norway which is very cold, flat, and baren, and known for their very large reindeer herds. Most Samis are caretakers of these herds. The Sami language is very different than Norwegian, and very few Norwegians outside the Sami culture can understand or speak it.

Customs: Since Norway's location is far north on our globe, the winter season is longer and more snowy than in many other countries. Therefore, most Norwegians enjoy winter sports, primarily skiing, both cross-country and alpine. Therefore, very many Norwegian families own cabins in the mountains which they travel to for long week-ends, Christmas, spring break, and Easter during the winter season.

Holidays: Christmas, Easter, Independence Day (May 17), Pentecost. For Christmas, Norwegians celebrate on Christmas Eve the 24th, with the family dinner first, followed by the opening of gifts in the living room in front of the Christmas tree.

Foods Eaten: Norway's North Sea coastline stretches all the way from Norway's southern to northern locations. Therefore, fishing is a big industry in Norway, so Norwegians love eating seafood. The most common are cod, herring, salmon, trout mackerel, shrimp, and lobster.

Clothing: Norwegians generally wear clothing also seen in countries such the U.S. and in Europe, as fashion styles are quite comparable on these two continents. In some rural locations you will find more unique clothing tied to century-long local traditions, used mostly during celebrations.

Mr. Eric A.

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Philippines- Ate Fel
(We call a girl that’s older ‘ate’ and ‘kuya’ for a guy who is older than us)

Hi Ben!

In the Philippines, the main languages we speak are both English and Tagalog! But in most regions of the country have their own native language as well! A fun fact is that, in the Philippines there are over 120 languages spoken by Filipinos. On the other hand, the Philippines has a National Costume called Baro’t Saya for females and Barong Tagalog for males, that are worn during special occasions. These costumes are considered as a elegant hybrid of the Filipino and Spanish styles, since the Philippines used to be colonised by the Spanish for 333 years. The most common celebration we have is celebrating Feasta’s in each city. A feasta is when we celebrate a city or province’s patron saint or harvest, with that we get to have games, activities and food served and celebrated by everyone in the city. Just like every other country we take pride in celebrating birthdays, baptismal, Christmas, New Years etc. Food is a very important part of a Filipino person, we love food! But our meal can’t go without eating rice! Rice is a staple in our country, we eat rice with everything! We even have special rice cakes called kakanin that is differently made by each province or region, having and adding their own unique taste to it. With the Philippines being a tropical country, it is always hot or humid. It is common for us Filipinos to dressing warmly like wearing shorts, dresses etc.

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2836 North Juniper Place, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA

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2836 North Juniper Place, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA

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2836 North Juniper Place, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA

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My mother and I would spend 3 days cooking Christmas candy, cookies, breads and coated nuts and popcorn. We would have containers on the dinning room table along with all the goodies and have guest help there selves to take home with them. It was so much fun.

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FOOD
Portugal is known for its excellent wine, wealth of seafood, spices and olive oil, Portuguese cuisine relies heavily on the Atlantic Ocean and the produce grown throughout the country. A journey through Portugal will bring you the likes of whole octopus slathered in olive oil, soups bobbing with beans and meat and francesinha sandwiches, puffed up with coin-size chorizo rounds (that is a Porto dish), hawking bacalhau (codfish) swimming in olive oil and bite-size egg custards gently dusted with powdered sugar.

CUSTOMS
Regarding customs and traditions Romarias (pilgrimages) are local religious festivals that honour the patron saint of a particular area throughout Portugal. If you happen to be in an area during these celebrations, be sure to check them out! Watch a solemn procession, observe the local religious gowns and absorb the pious atmosphere before taking part in the festivities that follow.

Traditional garments such as the red and the green stocking cap of the Alentejo cattleman still exist and the samarra (a short jacket with a collar of fox fur) still survive.

Regional costumes can also be seen in the northern Minho province at weddings and other festivals. Women dress in extremely colourful and rich costumes, often in red and white, and wear several long ornate gold necklaces, covering their heads with a scarf.

In Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro shepherds wear straw cloaks, while the wearing of black for protracted periods of mourning is common especially in villages in the interior of Portugal.

In Madeira, the regional dresses can often be seen at local markets and flower stalls.

LANGUAGE

Although we all speak Portuguese (there are around 270 million Portuguese speakers around the world), in a small area of northeastern Portugal in Terra de Miranda (made up of the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro and Vimioso) they speak Mirandese.  The Mirandese language as distinct phonology, morphology and syntax. It has its roots in the local Vulgar Latin spoken in the northern Iberian Peninsula. Mirandese is a descendant of the Astur-Leonese variety spoken in the Kingdom of León and has both archaisms and innovations that differentiate it from the modern varieties of Astur-Leonese spoken in Spain. In recognition of these differences, and due to its political isolation from the rest of the Astur-Leonese speaking territory, Mirandese has adopted a different written norm to the one used in Spain for Astur-Leonese.

HOLYDAYS
Portugal is a great place to spend some time. I'll strongly recomend you to visit the Douro region, Alentejo or the Algarve, but Madeira, Azores and the Minho region are also great places to visit.

Portugal - Kevin Holland (Frankie's dad)

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The Secrets Of Portuguese Cuisine - Foods And Traditions

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Portuguese cuisine influenced the gastronomy of many countries, but Portuguese foods also took advantage of the best from abroad. Find out more!

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Portuguese Cuisine: A History Boosted by Food Traveling

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San Juan, Puerto Rico - Frankie Holland

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Hi everyone!
I live in San Sebastián, Spain. It's in the north of Spain in a region called The Basque Country. There are two official languages spoken here: Spanish and Basque. The people are sort of shy, but very hard working.

A traditional food here is called "talo." It's like a thick corn tortilla which people like to eat with ham and cheese or even chocolate!

On the 21st of December, people dress up like farmers and milkmaids and walk around the streets, eating "chorizo" (sort of like pepperoni) and drinking cider. This is a tradition that started many, many years ago when the people from the small villages would come to San Sebastian before Christmas to sell their goods. This day is called Santo Tomás. Then, on the 20th of January, people dress up as cooks and soldiers and they march through the streets playing drums. This is a celebration to remember when the French army was in San Sebastian. This day is called San Sebastian day.

People usually wear normal clothes just like you and me. But sometimes the older men will wear a flat, black hat called a "txapaldune."

A very popular sport in the Basque Country is called "arraun" (rowing). The races are in big whaling boats called "traineras." It takes 13 people to row the boat and one person to steer it. This is a very difficult sport but very popular. People love to watch the races, called "regatas," wearing the colors of their team. The San Sebastian team colors are blue and white.

A very common local custom is to go to bars to have "pintxos," these are like small portions of food on top of bread. Because we are on the coast, the "pintxos" are usually made with seafood.

I love living in San Sebastian. It's a small, friendly city and there are lots of beautiful mountains nearby.

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NEW ZEALAND - Mrs. Habs