Steve's sandbox

Author: Steve Evans

  • 2015年二月：Harbin & Spring Festival – Struan Rutherford, February 2015

     

    一月二十七日，我从北京去哈尔滨，中国北方黑龙江省的省城。由于黑龙 江从俄罗斯很近, 哈尔滨还有很独特混合两国家的文化。我去看 聖索菲亞教堂，亚洲最大东正教教堂。教堂的架构非常漂亮。 虽然聖索菲亞教堂现在不是在服务的教堂，但是里面有摄影馆。摄影馆给我很有意思关于城市历史的一瞥。还有，我去哈尔滨国际冰雪节。我以前看到很多照片可是我还没明白真的规模。

                                     

    整个村庄被修建了冰，包括酒吧，饭馆，教堂和邮局。我最终决定加入很长的排队。我不知道为什么我们都排队但是这个地方明显很流行。过了一会独自在寒冷站，我跟我的中国排队邻居开始谈话，我问他们为什么我们排队。答案是三百米的冰滑。这个冰滑听起来有点吓人但是我全神贯注于谈话所以我不担心太多。排队是非常好为了有效地花时间练习汉语的机会。滑冰实际上很痛苦因为滑冰结束的时候，人民被扔到雪墙上。

    虽然大部分我的同学们回国，我跟有些朋友住在北京来过春节。二月十八日以前，我觉得春节庆典大概跟西方除夕庆典有相似。最大的区别是城市成为非常安静。北京成为鬼城因为大家回家来跟家人过春节。焰火的使用也比较有声有色。从晚上八点到早晨三点，北京不断有焰火。从我窗户的风景很漂亮，城市非常丰富多彩。十九日，我们去看地坛的庙会。庙会的气氛很激动：大量人群，很吵音乐和很多食品。而且，我们观看了舞狮表演。我们那天经历很多中国文化！我们的假期很快结束但是我盼望不久再上课。

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    On the 27th January, I set out from Beijing for Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province in Northern China.　Due to its proximity to Russia, Harbin retains a distinct character that blends two different countries’ cultures. I visited St Sophia’s Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Asia. The church’s architecture was fantastic. Although St Sofia’s is no longer an active church, it houses a photography museum which provided an interesting insight into the city’s history.　I also went to the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival. I had seen a number of photos but I did not truly appreciate the scale of it until I entered.

     

    An entire village including bars, restaurants, a mock church and even a post office had been constructed entirely out of ice. I eventually chose to join a queue for an attraction that was evidently extremely popular although I did not know exactly what it was. After a while standing alone in the cold, I decided to strike up conversation with my Chinese neighbours about what we were queueing for. The answer was a 300m long ice slide which sounded quite worrying but I was too engrossed in conversation with my Chinese neighbours to think too much about it. The queue was a great opportunity to make productive use of my time by practising my Mandarin. The ice slide in the end ended up being rather painful, especially as the slide came to a rapid end in the form of a wall of snow that riders were flung into.

    Although most of my classmates had returned home, I stayed in Beijing with a few friends to celebrate Spring Festival. Before February 18th, I thought that Spring Festival celebrations would be similar to Western New Year celebrations. The biggest difference was how quiet the city became:　Beijing became a ghost town as people returned home to celebrate Spring Festival with their families. The use of fireworks was also more impressive. From about 8pm until 3am, there were constant fireworks. The view from my window was wonderful; the city was extremely colourful. The next day, we went to the Temple of Earth to explore the temple fair. The temple atmosphere was very exciting: large crowds, loud music and lots of food. We also saw a lion dancing performance.We experienced a lot of Chinese culture that day! Holidays are now coming to an end but I look forward to starting class again before long.

  • Segovia – Ashton Lily Woolley, February 2015

     

    Cualquier persona en Erasmus te dirá lo mismo. Nunca estamos sólo satisfechos con el destino que hemos elegido estar. Erasmus te dan ganas de viajar más, a diferentes ciudades y también a diferentes países.

    Hace un par de semanas, me fui en un viaje a Segovia. El viaje fue con una compañía que se llama City Life. Incluido en el billete tuvimos el transporte ida y vuelta, un tour por la ciudad y un pequeño viaje en un pueblo cerca de Segovia, Pedraza.

    Los fines de semana son mis únicas oportunidades de levantar más tarde durante las prácticas, entonces no era muy impresionada para levantar a las ocho de la mañana en un sábado, pero como mi tiempo aquí casi esta terminado, yo alegremente levanté de la cama y empecé a poner mucha ropa para el viaje. He estado mirando el tiempo toda la semana y vi que la temperatura era terrible por allí y que había estado nevando por toda la semana.

    Tardó un poco más de una hora en llegar desde la estación del autobus. Fuimos a través de las montañas que estaban completamente llenas de nieve y hemos visito un poco de la cruz que esta encima de la tumba de Franco en nuestro camino.

    Segovia es una ciudad muy bonita. Pintoresca cuando esta llena de nieve. Aunque estoy segura que es tan bonita cuando hace sol también.

    Nuestra primera parada fue El Alcázar. Nos bajamos del autobús y hicimos las fotos que pudimos y rápidamente volvimos a coger el autobús para tener un poco de calor de nuevo. Visitamos al Alcázar otra vez más tarde en el día y nos entramos dentro del Castillo. Era tan bonito que cualquier otro castillo, pero todavía hacía mucho frío!! Dicen que el castillo de Cinderella fue diseñado con referencia al Alcazar.

    Hicimos un pequeño paseo por la ciudad, para ver a la ciudad y para visitar a todas las tiendas y luego tuvimos ‘tiempo libre’ para elegir dónde queremos ir a comer. Eligimos un restaurante donde comimos menú del día. Me hubiería gustado haber probado el conchinillo, pero me sentí un poco culpable. Tal vez voy a volver cuando me siento un poco más valiente.

    Sobre las cuatro nos montamos en el autobús y fuimos a la segunda parte de nuestro viaje, Pedraza, una pequeña ciudad situada en las montañas. Estaba llena de nieve y todo cuesta arriba, así que estaba muy contenta que había traído mis botas de lluvía. Sólo estabamos allí durante una hora, pero definitivamente valió la pena.

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Anybody on Erasmus will tell you the same thing. You are never just satisfied with the destination that you have chosen. Erasmus makes you want to travel even more, to different cities and even to different countries.

    A couple of weeks ago, I went on a trip to Segovia. The trip was with a company called City Life. We got transport there and back, a tour of the city and a little trip into a nearby town called Pedraza.

    Weekends are my only time for a lie in whilst doing my internship so I wasn’t exactly impressed about the eight o’clock get up on the Saturday morning but as my time here is rapidly ticking way, I cheerfully got out of bed and began to pile on warm clothes for the trip. I had being looking at the weather forecast all week and I saw that the temperature was dreadful there and it had been snowing all week.

    It took just over an hour to get there from the bus station. We went through mountains that were completely covered in snow and we even got a little view of Franco’s grave on our way there.

    Segovia is a beautiful city. Picturesque when covered in snow. Though I’m sure it looks just as nice when it is sunny.

    Our first stop was to view The Alcazar. We got off the bus and took as many snaps as we could and quickly got back on the bus to get some warmth again. We visited The Alcazar again later on in the day and went inside. It was just as beautiful as any other castle but was still extremely cold!! They say that Cinderella’s castle was based on El Alcazar.

    We had a little wander round the city, seeing the city and visiting all the little shops and then we were able to split up and choose where to go for lunch. We picked a small restaurant where we ate menu of the day. I wish I had tried the baby pig but at the time I felt a little mean. Maybe I’ll return when I’m feeling a little braver.

    At around four we hopped back onto the bus and went to the second part of our trip, Pedraza, a small city in the mountains. It was covered in snow and all uphill so I was glad that I had brought my wellington boots. We only got to stay for an hour but it was definitely worth it.

     

  • 快樂中國新年 Happy Chinese New Year

    綿羊或山羊的一年 Year of the sheep (ram or goat)

    Ranking the eighth position of all the animals in Chinese zodiac, Sheep (Ram or Goat) represents solidarity, harmony and calmness. People born in the year of the Sheep are polite, mild mannered, shy, imaginative, determined and have good taste. On the negative side, they are sometimes pessimistic, unrealistic, short-sighted and slow in behavior.

    Chinese new year 2015

    Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.  The Chinese year 4713 begins on Feb. 19, 2015.

    Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.

    A Charming New Year

    Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal’s year would have some of that animal’s personality. Those born in sheep years are often artistic, charming, sensitive, and sweet. It is known as the most creative sign in the Chinese zodiac.

    Fireworks and Family Feasts

    At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children “lucky money” in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

    The Lantern Festival

    In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other’s homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year’s Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

    The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

    In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

    New Year Markets

    In the course of the New Year’s days, a temporary market will be setup to mainly selling New Year goods, such as clothing, fireworks, decorations, food, and small arts. The market is usually decorated with a large amount of lanterns.

    Small Year

    Small year is the 23th or 24th of the last month of the year. It is said that this is the day the food god will leave the family in order to go to heaven and report the activity of family to the Emperor of the heaven. People will follow religious ceremony to say farewell to the food god, including taking down and burning the paint of the food god. After the New Year’s Day, people will buy new paint of the food god and display it in the kitchen.

    Cleaning

    A few days before the Chinese New Year, people will do a complete cleaning of the house and house wares which signifies to remove the old and welcome the new. Historically, when bathing did not occur often, people would normally take one to welcome the New Year.

    Decoration

    After the cleaning, people will decorate the house to welcome the New Year. Most of the decorations are red in color. The most popular New Year decorations are upside down fu, dui lian, lanterns, year paint, papercutting, door gods, etc.

    Chinese door god

  • Carnaval in Madrid!! Ashton Lily Woolley, February 2015

    Ashton Lily Woolley – Madrid Carnaval 2015

    Celebrated annually in the week before Lent in the Spanish capital of Madrid, Carnaval brings the city to life with parades, processions and parties – all the things the Spanish do best. Centred around the Paseo de la Florida in the city centre, Carnaval is an explosion of colour and sound as Spanish citizens from across the country take to the streets to celebrate the national tradition of pulling their collective tongue out at the prevailing social order. Enjoy a range of activities from fancy dress competitions to an evening concert in the Plaza Mayor. Don’t miss the grand finale of the Carnaval festival, as the traditional ‘burial of the sardine’ ceremony takes place – a symbolic burial of fun times, in preparation for the solemn (and meat-free) time of lent.

  • Sian Summerton, Barcelona, Spain – February 2015

    Sian Summerton, Barcelona, Spain – February 2015
     ¡Mis primeras semanas en Barcelona!

    Llegué en Barcelona al principio de enero. Acabé de pasar seis meses en Francia, así que estaba un poco preocupada por el choque cultural y el cambio de idioma.

    Durante las vacaciones de Navidad, entre mis periodos de prácticas distintos, pasé un par de semanas en casa, leyendo tanto como sea posible sobre Barcelona, organizando mi alojamiento y ordenando mi seguridad social.

    En cuanto llegué, primero estaba golpeada por el tamaño de la ciudad y segundo por el uso amplio de catalán dentro de la ciudad que es, fundamentalmente, bilingüe. Afortunadamente, había finalizado un curso corto de catalán antes de mudarme a Francia, lo que significa que, junto con mi conocimiento de francés y español, podía entender el significado de muchas palabras catalanas.
    Elegí vivir con una estudiante española de doctorado que es de Barcelona, y no habla nada inglés.
    Para mí, éste era perfecto como sabía que el apartamento sería tranquilo y acogedor, pero también tendría un montón de oportunidades de hablar en español, ¡y de vez en cuando en catalán básico!

    Actualmente trabajo 40 horas cada semana para una empresa española de vinos y destilados que se llama Decántalo, principalmente en marketing, comunicación y traducción. Me tomó varios días para conseguir mi cabeza del vocabulario español relevante y la gama de programas de software y bases de datos complejas, pero la verdad es que ahora puedo decir que confío en este trabajo y estoy disfrutando mucho esta oportunidad.

    La mayoría del día dedico a atender las consultas de clientes y la generación de pedidos de todo tamaño, desde pequeños envíos privados hasta los por mayor. Tengo mucho trabajo a hacer en los impuestos, sobretodo porque a menudo trabajo con los clientes suizos que, por lo tanto no pagan impuestos europeos. El idioma común en la oficina es español, con un interno cada uno responsable de la gestión del mercado anglófono, el mercado francófono y el mercado alemán.
    Las añadas de los vinos también se actualizan a diario y recibimos una serie de nuevos vinos y licores cada semana, así que también trabajo en la traducción de estas descripciones del español al inglés.

    Mis colegas son todos muy atentos y me han dado un montón de consejos sobre la ciudad incluyendo lugares para visitar, el mejor banco para unirme, planes de teléfonos, restaurantes… ¡Estoy muy agradecida por su experiencia! También he tenido la suerte de hacerme buenos amigos con los otros internos, y a menudo cenamos o tomamos algo juntos después del trabajo.

    ¡En conclusión, estoy disfrutando completamente de Barcelona! Es una ciudad absolutamente maravillosa, con mucho a ofrecer. Espero que pueda explorar más durante los próximos meses. El ritmo de mi trabajo es rápido e intenso y estoy disfrutando de ser desafiada y trabajar en varias tareas al mismo tiempo. Acaban de pedirme escribir un artículo sobre el Scotch Whisky para el sitio web, le informaré de mi progreso en el próximo reportaje.

     

    Barcelona, Spain

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    I arrived in Barcelona at the beginning of January. I had just spent six months in France and was therefore quite worried about the culture and language shock!

    Over Christmas I had a couple of weeks at home between internships, spending as much time as possible reading about Barcelona, sorting out accommodation and national security.

    Upon arriving, I was firstly struck by the size of Barcelona and secondly by just how widely spoken Catalan is in the city, Barcelona is essentially a bilingual city. Thankfully, I had taken a short course of Catalan before I moved to France, meaning that, together with my knowledge of French and Spanish, I could grasp the meaning of many Catalan words.

    I chose to live with a Spanish PHD student from Barcelona, who does not speak any English. For me, this was the perfect arrangement as I knew that the apartment would be quiet and welcoming, but I would also have plenty of opportunities to speak in Spanish, and occasionally in basic Catalan!

    I currently work 40 hours a week for a Spanish wine and spirits company called Decantalo, primarily in marketing, communication and translation. It took me several days to get my head around the relevant Spanish vocabulary and a variety of rather complex software programs and databases, but I can honestly now say that I am confident in this post and very much enjoying this opportunity.

    The majority of my day is spent dealing with customer queries and generating orders of all sizes, from small private shipments right up to wholesale. I have a lot of work to do on tax, especially as I often work with Swiss clients who therefore do not pay European taxes. The common language within the office is Spanish, with an intern each responsible for managing the Anglophone market, the Francophone market and the German-speaking market. Wine vintages are also updated on a daily basis and we receive a number of new wines and spirits each week, so I work on translating these descriptions from Spanish into English.

    My colleagues are all incredibly helpful and have given me a lot of advice about the city- places to visit, the best bank to join, phone plans, restaurants to eat in…I am incredibly grateful for their expertise! I have also been fortunate to become good friends with the other interns, and we have dinner or drinks together regularly after work.

    In conclusion, I am thoroughly enjoying Barcelona! It is an absolutely wonderful city with so much to offer, I hope to explore it more over the coming months. My job is fast-paced and I enjoy being challenged and working on several tasks simultaneously. I have just been asked to write an article on Scotch Whisky for the website, so I shall update you of my progress in the next report!

  • Sitges – Sian Summerton, Feb 2015

    Sitges, Spain

    Last weekend I travelled out of Barcelona to the beautiful town of Sitges, which takes around 40 minutes on the local train.

    Sitges is incredibly busy over the summer, but is calm and quiet over the months of November- February. Despite this, the weather was still lovely, with blue skies and plenty of sunshine!

    I was fortunate to try Xató, which is Sitges’ traditional dish. The main ingredients are endives, cod, tuna, anchovies, aubergine and black olives. I have noticed since I arrived just how wonderful the sea food is here! The dish is also made with a delicious sauce containing chillies, almonds, garlic, olive oil, salt, vinegar and peppers.

    Xató

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    I recommend visiting Sitges and sampling the local delicacies!

  • Samuel Franklin, Beijing, China – January 2015

    我终于找到了，它比我想象的要好吃。我讲的就是那个非常著名的中国菜—biangbiang面。我的电脑甚至写不出来biang这个字。bb面是山西省的一种面，但它不是因其味道而著名。正相反，是因为它的字—biang是中文最复杂的一个字，一共有58笔画。我已经几次记住并忘却了怎么写这个字。一般说这个字的形象反映面的形象，但我觉得这一汉子与bb面没有那么密切的关系。而且我其实认为不能辩解为一个面而创造如此复杂麻烦的汉子。话虽如此，我还喜欢它的味道。

    biang biang noodles – Samuel Franklin, January 2015

     

    过去一个月，在一个方面，我的生活比较安静认真。三个星期前我考了期末考试。不幸的是，考试的那一周我感冒了，第一天我上不了课，所以要在两天之内考所有大约10个小时的试。说实话，在一定的程度上，这些考试的成绩并不那么重要，因为它不会影响我最后学位的成绩，但在另一方面中国考试的内容和问题的类型颇有意思。比如，服从那个文化模式，在我的文学考试我需要背诵木兰诗和6首诗并重写原文以便考好试。不过，在别的科目有幸的是我不用勤奋努力背诵很多事。例如，在我的口语考试中，我和教授花了10分钟讨论是否建筑师要多重视建筑的作用或者外面。

    现在我在一所律师事务所实习两个星期工作。我每天从早到晚我尽力避免麻烦我的同事。在工作时，我要处理很多不一样的事，但对我中文能力最有影响力的就是从英文道中文的法律翻译，因为律师经常使用比较复杂的句子机构，而且很多案件概述包括许多生词。这几天我可能翻译了30多个小时。如果读者觉得我最近的经历太激烈，希望他们马上就会告诉我。

    一月的北京有点儿闷，最近的空气污染特别严重，同时每天多么冷。但是还有一些愉快的事情。我曾享受在北大的未名湖上滑冰。这周我还在准备旅游到日本和云南。

    Samuel Franklin – January 2015

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    I finally found it! And it tastes better than I had imagined too! I am of course referring to that well known Chinese dish – biang biang noodles. My computer won’t actually let me type out the character for it. Biang biang is a type of noodle from Shanxi province, but it is not famous for its flavour. Rather it is due to its Chinese character – biang is the single most complicated character in Chinese, with a total of 58 strokes. I have already learnt and forgotten the character several times. It is often said that the form of the character reflects the shape of the noodles, but personally I don’t perceive a particularly close relationship. Moreover, I actually think it is not really justifiable creating such a complex character just for the sake of a noodle. That said, I still enjoy the dish.

    The last month, in some respect, has been quite a quiet and serious one for me. About three weeks ago, I had my end of term exams. Unfortunately, I was ill that week and wasn’t able to get to class on the first day, so had to take all 10 hours or so of exams in two days. Truthfully, the result of these papers does not matter too much, as the grades don’t affect my final degree class. On the other hand it was quite interesting experiencing Chinese-style exams. For example, following that cultural stereotype, in my literature exam I had to memorise the whole of Mulan and six love poems, then rewrite them to pass. Fortunately in other subjects, I did not have to memorise so diligently. In my oral exam, the professor and I discussed whether architects should prioritise form or function in buildings for ten minutes.

    Samuel Franklin – January 2015

    Presently, I am in the middle of two weeks of work experience in a law firm. Every day from early until late, I do my best to avoid overly bothering my colleagues. At work I have been given various assignments, but the ones most useful for my Chinese have been the legal translations from English to Chinese. Lawyers often use complex sentence structures and the deal summaries contain plenty of new vocabulary. In the last few days, I’ve probably translated over 30 hours of texts. Should the reader feel that my experiences here of late are excessively exciting, I hope that he or she will alert me immediately.

    January in Beijing has been somewhat oppressive; the pollution has been particularly severe, whilst every day it is bitingly cold. However, there are some happy things. I have enjoyed ice skating on Peking University’s Weiming Lake and I am currently preparing to start my travels to Japan and then Yunnan next week.

  • Tony Lumb – Case Study, Germany (1959)

    “I would most definitely recommend the John Speak Trust to others. My time spent abroad using a foreign language allowed me to learn a new language and culture in a different environment both physically and spiritually”

     

    In 1959 I was fortunate to receive a six month scholarship from the John Speak Language Trust.  I was eighteen years old when I was released by my English employer (Bradford based) for six months to study and work in Germany. My journey to Germany began by rail and then by ferry. I resided in South Germany and rented a room in a residential property from a German family. I travelled extensively on a daily basis with Sales Representatives from my English employers undertaking light office duties. During my six month scholarship I recall having to write monthly reports in German for the Managing Director of the firm in Bradford for which I worked. I initially worked as a trainee, later taking on the role of a salesman abroad for the two Bradford based textile exporting companies where I stayed for six years.

    My passion for the German language eventually led to a radical change in my career. I became a teacher of foreign languages (mainly German) at three English independent Grammar schools. My language teaching career spanned over thirty years.

    Now retired (age 73), I continue to correspond with my many German acquaintances. I regularly write letters, read fiction and non-fiction and listen to music in German. I continue to use my German regularly as the language has been a part of my being since I was first taught it at the age of 13. Learning foreign languages as a youngster has certainly been beneficial to my career in sales and essential in my teaching.

    The John Speak Trust scholarship was, in retrospect, the third rung on the ladder which made me into a life-long teacher and disciple of German. As a thirteen year old pupil attending Grammar School in the North of England I was taught German by an inspirational teacher from Vienna. At sixteen I spent several weeks on an exchange holiday in South Germany and then came the scholarship when I became fluent in the German language. I subsequently studied German language and literature for one year at the University of Erlangen followed by six months at the University of Vienna and a further three years at an English University.

     

    Initially, as an eighteen year old living abroad I was emotionally immature. I had to become stronger spiritually and more independent in my new foreign environment. After spending three months in a rural setting in South Germany, I moved to the large industrial city of Essen. It was here that I met many urban people, many from other countries. Even today, as an adult volunteer dealing with teenagers from abroad, I draw upon those early experiences I had as a John Speak Award recipient, when encouraging young, homesick volunteers to persevere, overcome isolation and succeed in an enterprise abroad.

    I would most definitely recommend the John Speak Trust to others. My time spent abroad using a foreign language allowed me to learn a new language and culture in a different environment both physically and spiritually. The broadening of my mind (thanks to the Trust and my experiences) has enabled me to travel to other countries and discover further cultures especially during my retirement years, when I became an adult volunteer for a company dealing with youth global work and travelled to Argentina and Mexico using my second foreign language, Spanish.

    Michael Anthony Lumb

     

    Essen is a city in the central part of the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Located on the River Ruhr, its population of approximately 567,000 (as of 31 December 2012) makes it the 9th-largest city in Germany. For the year 2010, Essen was the European Capital of Culture on behalf of the whole Ruhr area.

  • 2014年一月:Christmas, New Year & Japan

    Struan Rutherford 2015

     

    正如我在上一篇博客上眼，我在北京过圣诞节。寻找传统圣诞午餐的麻烦以后，我们都去西式酒店吃饭 。很多我给打电话的饭馆说他们有传统圣诞午餐可是他们的圣诞午餐跟英国的有很多区别。这并不是抱怨：我认为中国接受，改编圣诞节的办法是非常有意思。我们在酒店享受优秀宴席，包括火鸡，寿司和香槟。由于别致圣诞节的场景，我们想有别致吃饭后的活动所以我们决定去打保龄球。还有，我们在北京过新年。不幸，北京没有焰火。我认为原因是城市的污染，最近的更厉害。当地政府以前说焰火应该被禁止来缩小污染。

    一月十二号，我去日本旅游。我有在东京和京都学习的朋友所以我还想去看他们，我不是单独！除了东京和京都，我去广岛，宫鸟，奈良和日光。日本是非常漂亮培养的国家。虽然日本文化有很多中式地方，日本文化还是独特的。我现在在东京，已经花了差不多一个星期。我去看各种各样名胜古迹，包括东京国家博物馆和常常引起争论的供奉战死者寺庙：靖国神社。回来北京的时候，我盼望在中国庆祝春节。我知道春节大概是我在中国时间的一大亮点！

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION

    As I touched upon in my last monthly report, I spent Christmas in Beijing. After some of stress in trying to find a traditional Christmas lunch, we all went to eat in a Western style Beijing hotel. Many other restaurants that I had called said they had a traditional Christmas lunch but this differed greatly from the Christmas lunches I know in Britain. This is certainly not a complaint, rather I found it interesting to once again see how the Chinese have accepted Christmas and adapted it to create their own version of Christmas. At the Western style hotel, we enjoyed a fantastic feast including turkey, sushi and champagne. As it was an usual Christmas setting, we wanted to have an unusual after lunch activity so we decided to go bowling. We also celebrated New Years in Beijing however there were no fireworks in the city. I suspected this was to do with the pollution which has not been too good recently. The local government has said before that fireworks should be limited in order to lower pollution.

    On the 12th January, I went to Japan for two weeks of travelling. I have friends studying in both Tokyo and Kyoto so I also planned to visit them, I am not completely alone! Besides Tokyo and Kyoto, I went to Hiroshima, Miyajima, Nara and Nikko. Japan is a beautiful country with great culture. Although the culture has many Chinese traits and similarities, it remains as a distinct one. I am currently in Tokyo and have spent almost a week here now. I have had the chance to visit all sorts of tourist sites, from the National Museum of Tokyo to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine which honours Japan’s war dead. Upon my return, I look forward to celebrating Spring Festival in China. I know it will be a highlight of my time in China!

     

    Struan Rutherford 2015

  • Manchester University – Love Languages Careers Panel, 5 March 2015

    Love Languages Careers panel – 5 March 2015

    Manchester University are currently recruiting alumni who use languages in their career to take part in our Love Languages careers panel event. You can find details of our previous events here. If you are interested in getting involved fill in this short survey or email richard.screaton@manchester.ac.uk