✈Global Pen-Pal Exchange!

Long time no Update!

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:27:40 -0700

I am very, very, very, very!! Sorry!! For not keeping the site up to date or contacting you guys. When this class project was over, everyone basically dropped the blog and I was left to run it alone.

I know there is no excuse to the lack of maintenance for this awesome blog so please forgive me. I am actually currently in South Korea! It’s been 2 years but I’m finally back. I arrived here last Friday and have been extra busy since. Even before that, I was in California for 2 weeks. It seems the blog will be on a 3-4 weeks hiatus due to my schedule here in Korea. I will be leaving for the Yeosu to take part as one of the leaders for the International Youth Festival in conjunction with the Yeosu Expo this thursday and will not be back until August. Also, August will be another busy month for me since I will also be making a trip down to Vietnam.

Here is my schedule this summer:

Korea: July 12-Aug 22
Vietnam: Aug 22-Sept 16

Please forgive me again for this late notice and not getting back to any of you guys on your pen-pals and submissions.

I hope everyone is having a great summer and that those of you who already have a pen-pal are continuing to keep in touch with them.

-Global Pen-pal Founder, Subin

P.S. Please, please feel free to submit your experiences with your pen-pals to Global Pen-pal Exchange! It would be wonderful to share your stories and experience with others who are interested in this!

Dear followers,

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:40:00 -0700

The end of the quarter has come and we’ve all received our final grade for this class and project! I would like to thank everyone who made this blog and exchange successful and possible. Our group could have not done this without you guys!

From now on, there will be major changes to the blog since our project is basically finished and members will be resigning. I am also still waiting for a reply from my fellow teammates on this matter to see if they’re still interested in running this blog or not even though our class has already ended. As of now, I will be the only one running this blog until further notice.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time exchanging e-mails/snail mails with their pen-pals! Global Pen-pal Exchange would love to receive submissions of your current progress through this exchange as well as your feedback and experience so far!

Thank you again for all the support and submissions!

-Subin, Global Pen-pal

Feijoada

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:19:58 -0700

Hi guys! It’s Monalisa, and I’m back to talk a little more about feijoada that is a typical Brazilian dish. It is a stew of black beans and a variety of salted pork products (like ears, tail, feet, nose, bacon, ribs, and so on). It’s origin is not all clear since some people say that it was brought to Brazil by the Portugueses and some say that it was brought by the African slaves. You have the option to cook it without the trimmings, but old people says that that’s where you take the best taste of.

It is a really heavy meal, so we just eat it at lunch time and usually when the weather is not that warm. It is usually served with white rice, chopped fried collard greens (couve refogada), and lightly roasted and seasoned yuca flour (farofa). Most of the tradicional restaurants in Brazil serves it every Wednesday and Saturday. If by any chance somebody want to give a try on it here in Seattle, they serve it in the restaurant “Tempero do Brasil” located in U. District. Hope you guys like it!

Global Team member Subin's Pen-pals.

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 21:01:00 -0700

Meet Seong Hoon aka Tra! He’s currently living in Korea but will be studying at University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign next fall.

Name:Sunghoon Hong
Age: 18
Born in: Seoul, South Korea
School: Currently a visitor student at Yonsei University
Hobby: games, music, blogging
Interesting Fact: Lived in Korea for 10 years and 10 years in U.S., speaks fluent Korean and English, working on Chinese.

-Subin, Global Pen-pal Exchange Team

Notice!

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:50:23 -0700

Thank you for all the new followers and submissions!

I would like to remind everyone old and new that in order for us to match you up with your respected pen-pal, you will need to answer all of the questions we asked for. There are clear guidelines telling you how to submit your info for a pen-pal exchange. You can easily find these guidelines/questions on the front page of our blog or when clicking the “Submission” tab.

I want to make sure that everyone is clear on this because we are not accountable for your submission mistakes. If you do not know if you submitted your application right or not, feel free to message us for more info and we will get back to you guys asap.

Thank you for your time!

-Subin, Global Pen-pal Exchange Team

Pen-pals Update!

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:51:00 -0700

Hey everyone!

As some of you already know, we are sending out e-mails regarding your matched pen-pals. Right now we’re currently half way through e-mailing everyone who have applied for a pen-pal exchange and we hope the rest of you guys will continue to be patient with us as we continue to work on matching everyone with their specific pen-pal.

All applicants will be matched with their pen-pal by the end of this week! Be on the look out for an e-mail from us!

Also, for those of you who have received an e-mail from us, our e-mail is travelgroup2012@gmail.com so please do not mark us as spam!!

Thank you for your patient and understanding!!

Subin, Global Pen-pal Exchange Team

Korean sports : Taekwondo

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:32:00 -0700

Hi, This is Korean traditional sports : Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea.The meaning of Taekwondo is the way of the hand and the foot. Physically, taekwondo develops strength, speed, balance, flexibility, and stamina. A taekwondo student typically wears a uniform, often white but sometimes black, with a belt tied around the waist. Also, Taekwondo ranks are typically separated into “junior” and “senior,” or “student” and “instructor,” sections. InTaekwondo, we can learn :

Both anaerobic and aerobic workout, including stretching
Self-defense techniques
Sparring
Relaxation and meditation exercises;breathing control
Throwing and/or falling techniques
A focus on mental and ethical etiquetee, discipline, justice, respect, and self - confidence

- Global penpal Team : Sophia

Japanese traditional clothing: Kimono

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:16:36 -0700

Hi, This is Japanese traditional clothing - Kimono

The various traditional ethnic garments worn in Japan are still in use, they are mainly worn for ceremonies and special occasions like wedding,s funerals, coming of age ceremonies and festival. Here are some pictures of Kimono !

-Global penpanl Team : Sophia

Vietnamese Water Puppet Show

Thu, 31 May 2012 23:30:00 -0700

In Vietnam, water puppet show is an Art form. Since the 11th Century, Vietnamese people have celebrated, glorify, and entertained the spirits who they believe guided them in their daily lives. By doing so, they hoped to be blessed with good harvests and health.

If you are ever in Vietnam, you can catch a water puppet show in Hanoi at the Thang Long Puppet Theater. Tickets usually get sold out really fast since it’s also a very popular tourist attraction place. I hope to be able to catch a show this summer! The last time I seen a Vietnamese water puppet show was back when I was in elementary school when they had a special performance opened in Downtown. I can’t wait see an actual one from the motherland (:

-Subin, Global Pen-pal Team Member

Brazilian Culture: Capoeira

Thu, 31 May 2012 17:53:53 -0700

Hi guys! As I said before, I’ll keep posting about Brazilian culture. Today we’re going to talk about Capoeira, which is a martial art combined with music and dance. On the 16th century Brazil was a Portugal colony; and because of the lack of hard workers to explore the land, they opted for using slaves to fulfill this need. Without any rights or ways to protect themselves (obviously no guns as well) the slaves started to develop capoeira as a way to protect their lives and to create a possibility of escaping of slavery. Because the slaves were not allowed to practice any kind of fight (they would suffer physical punishment for any misbehaviour), they added dance elements to the fight to “confuse” their “owners”.

Nowadays it is a very popular item of our culture, and you can find places that teach it everywhere (including Seattle!). The slavery was a very sad event, but it left some of most important and affirmative aspects of our culture. I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about Brazil! Tchau! Monalisa

Pen-pals Update!

Sat, 26 May 2012 23:52:00 -0700

Hey guys!

Sorry for the update delay on our Pen-Pal exchange!!!!!

Starting next week we will be sending out e-mails to those who have signed up for a pen-pal exchange (: Here are the details for how everything will work:

Everyone will be matched up with their country of preference. If you want to do an exchange with more than one country, please submit a new submission form for that other specific country.
Though you are able to pick what country you want to do an exchange with, you are not able to decide if your pen-pal will be a male or female. Until we get things running more smoothly, we will disable this option until further notice.
Please understand that some of your pen-pals may not be fluent in English while others may be perfect at it.
Respect others cultures. The point of doing a pen-pal exchange is to get to know someone from a different culture and perspective. This will help you become more open minded and knowledgeable of people around the world.
Be role models. We want to be global ambassadors. So let’s work hard on introducing our culture and country the right way.
HAVE FUN!

If you guys have any further questions, feel free to leave us a message in our Ask box!!!!! Thank you once again for your patients and understanding!

Subin, Global Pen-pal Exchange Team

Global Team member Mona’s Pen-pal, and he is also willing to be yours!

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:44:18 -0700

Hi guys! I’m back to introduce to you another penpal, and just like John, he is also up to talk with anybody that wants to know a little more about Morocco! Here are some details about my new friend:

Name: Jossef

Age: 26

Born in: Sefrou, Morocco

Hobbies: Reading , music and traveling .

Language: he speaks Arabic, Spanish, Deutsche, French, and English.

Let us know if you’re interested!

Korean culture

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:18:00 -0700

Hi, This is Seunghee Kang! For now, i want to introduce more about Korean culture.

First, basic information about “KOREA”

Korea is placed between China and Japan. Korea has divided of South and North Korea since 6.25 Korean war. We are on ceasefire for 60years. In the other words, Korean war is not done yet. Most Koreans want the unification of North and South.However, The gap of ideal between north and south Korea is very big. they have so different thoughts and different backgrounds.

Second, Korean traditional clothes. It is ‘Han-bok’.

When bride get married or when it’s new year or Chu-suk (it is Korean thanksgiving day), we put on the ‘han-bok’. Han-bok is not usual clothes, it’s only for special day. At the past, ancestor used to wear the ‘han-bok’ as usual clothes. But now, we don’t usually wear it.

Here are the pictures of ‘Han-bok’. Isn’t it beautiful? ;)

Third, Korean characters which is ‘Han-gul’ was made by King Sejong in1443.

There are 24characters in Han-gul (consonant-14, vowel-10).

There are two kinds way of korean languages.

One is when you talk with people who are underage than you or same age with you

we don’t care of what we are saying to them

Another one is when you talk with people who are older than you.

we should show the respect them in our language.

And i want to teach some Korean words! :)

1. When you say “hi” - (annyeong- haseyo)

2. When you say “thank you”, (gamsa habnida)

3. when you say “i’m sorry”, ( mianhaeyo)

-Sophia, Global penpal members

Global Pen-pal Team member's Profile!

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:28:07 -0700

Hey everyone! The Global Pen-pal exchange team member’s profile are finally up (: You guys can find it in the “About Us” section. Here is also the link to each members profile:

I also would like to apologize on behalf of the Global Pen-pal Exchange team for our delay on the pen-pal exchange. We’re still currently in progress in sorting everyone out and matching everyone to their perfect pen-pals! Please stay alert this week for new updates on your pen-pal exchange!

-Subin, Global Pen-pal Team

Global Pen-pal exchange Member: Johny

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:32:00 -0700

(Intro- Northwest)

Hey everybody,

I’m Johny C. and I was born & raised in the beautiful “Emerald City” otherwise known as Seattle. I love it here, we get every type of weather - sometimes in one day! I am of Cambodian, Thai & Chinese descent but I am pretty “Americanized.” I enjoy the freedom of America and the ability to chase your dreams here! I’ve went back to Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Thailand & Taiwan) and it was a wonderful experience for me. The culture, different environments and most importantly the people make Cambodia an absolute must to visit. Although it is a third world country, everything is cheap and the people are always welcoming. My favorite place there has to be the capitol Phnom Penh. I’ve always been a city boy and visiting there puts me right back at home. The fashion, different styles and many, many mom & pop restaurants always puts a smile to my face! I would love to have more pen-pals!! please email me @ jc.chhim@gmail.com

later.

- Johny, Global Penpal Team

Global Team member Mona's Pen-pal, and he is also willing to be yours!

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:14:32 -0700

Hi guys! I want to introduce to you one of my pen-pals: John!

Name: Zhao Jiahui (John)

Age: 28

Born in: Beijing, China

Hobby: music, cooking, and riding his bike

Language: He speaks Chinese and English.

John is a really nice and friendly guy, who has been teaching me about the Chinese culture; and the good news is that he can be your penpal too! Let us know if you’re interested!

The Vietnamese traditional Ao Dai has become one of the main...

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:59:24 -0700

Miss Earth Vietnam

Miss Earth Bolivia

Miss Earth USA

Miss Earth Nepal

Miss Earth Indonesia

Miss Earth Serbia

Miss Earth Puetro Rico

Miss Earth Guyana

Miss Earth Thailand

Miss Earth Germany

The Vietnamese traditional Ao Dai has become one of the main events/contest during the Miss Earth Pageant and also seen before in the Miss Universe Pageant. I am proud to see it as part of such a well known event and getting the recognition it deserves! Vietnamese Ao Dai can make anyone look beautiful. It’s flattering and show offs a person’s curve while not exposing any or much skin at all.

Vietnamese Culture!

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:24:00 -0700

Many of you guys may not know, but I am Vietnamese-American. Though I was born in the US, I grew up speaking Vietnamese at home and English at school. I am very immerse in my culture and believe that I should preserve it as much as possible. Growing up in America, many first generation Vietnamese born Americans or any other ethnic race really, tend to lack a sense of cultural background and where our family came from. So, in order to keep my culture and tradition going, let me introduce you to my beautiful country Vietnam!

My mom’s family is from Hue which is located in the middle area of Vietnam. There are 3 main dialect in Vietnam which are Nam, Hue, and Bac. Nam is used in the southern part of Vietnam, Hue is used in the middle part, while Bac is used in the northern part.

There are TWO Vietnamese flag. One that stands for freedom while the other stands for communism. Every Vietnamese house hold in America believes in the Vietnamese flag with the three red stripes in the middle. This photo was taken in O.C., California during a parade in a town called “Little Saigon”. This part of O.C. has a very high population of Vietnamese-American and Vietnamese refugees who fled to American during the Vietnam War.

Vietnamese traditional dress are called “Ao Dai”. They are very beautiful long dresses that are made of silk. Ao dai are usualy worn on Vietnamese New Years, Lunar New Year, weddings, and on certain days of the week/month at school. When wearing Ao Dai to school, all girls will be seen in a white Ao Dai.

Vietnamese traditional food! These are some of my favorites! I also personally took these photos (: The first item is called Banh Xeo which is a Vietnamese crepe. It’s stuffed with lots of bean sprouts, shrimp, and pork. You would eat that with a special nuoc mam which is a fish or crab sauce mixed with chili and some sugar. This second dish is called Banh Beo which is my mom’s hometown of Hue’s specialty. It’s basically steamed rice cakes. You also eat this with nuoc mam.

One of Vietnam’s many natural wonders is Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay translated means “descending dragon bay”. The story was that when Vietnam was starting to develop into a country, the gods sent a family of dragons down to help fight invaders. The dragon spitted out jewels and jade which became islands and the rocks that formed a linked wall against the invaders. Whenever an invader try to pass, rocks would magically appear from the water causing them to crash into it. After winning the battle, the dragon settled for peace in the bay. Another part of this magical place is the thousands of limestone karsts islands and caves!

So this is honestly just a small introduction to my culture. It may seem a lot, but you have seen nothing yet. Vietnam is a very beautiful country that has not been in the spot light much since the Vietnam War. I believe my culture deserve a chance to be recognized, honored, and gazed upon as much as any other countries in the world. I love my culture. I hope you guys enjoyed my short info on Vietnam!

-Subin, Global Pen-pal Team

An Introduction to Brazilian culture.

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:04:00 -0700

I’m Monalisa, and I want to share some Brazilian culture with you! People are really friendly in my home country, and general it is a “touching” culture. We touch people that we are friends with all the time, to say hi, to show our affection for them, or even to get their attention while we’re talking. We love music, and samba is the most popular and traditional rhythm down there. The country was colonized by Portugal, so Portuguese is the language spoken there. Soccer is national passion, and I would say that at least 90% of the companies give a break to their employees watch Brazil when playing on the World Cup. By the way the next one in 2014 is going to be in there, and it’s going to be a great time to visit the country!

We also have a lot of African influence on our culture because of all the sad decades of slavery that we had there. Our typical fight, capoeira,our most typical food, feijoada, and so much more, were created by slaves; and I will write more details about it on my next posts. Wow! I never realized how hard could be to present a country culture; but I’m really excited to show more of it to you, and hope you’re excited as well to learn :)

-Monalisa, Global Pen-pal Team

Global Pen-pal: Japan.

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:40:12 -0700

Lets welcome Japan to the Global Pen-pal country option list! If you would like a pen-pal from Japan, please submit your info into our submissions section! Don’t miss out on this opportunity ^^!

-Subin, Global Pen-Pal Team