Life in Other Countries
Ashley Galindo Lara 2/20
Have you ever wondered what life is like in other countries? I consulted a number of sources to see how life is both similar and different to life in the U.S.
Switzerland
A life in Switzerland goes something like this.
I’ve taken about an hour and a half reading comments on Quora about different experiences; people who have lived there and moved out, traveled and visited, and people who are currently living there. Like any other country, Switzerland has its pros and cons, but I do think that the cons outweigh the pros; here’s why. Swiss people are relatively quiet people and that’s just how their lifestyle is, on weekdays shops and restaurants are usually empty. The majority of shops and restaurants usually close at 5pm. If you are thirsty and want a drink, say bottled water or a soft drink, it can cost up to $3.80. Meanwhile, over here in the U.S. (this is an estimate and average,) a drink costs $1.50. Adding on to the fact that food is expensive, it's expensive to rent an apartment or house. When it’s winter in Switzerland it’s usually cold, cloudy and windy; some people say that sometimes it gets so bad that it makes you want to move from the country itself.
An opinion that is based off of what I read from people living there for their whole lives to people who have lived there for 5 years, From comments on Quora it seems that the Swiss are pretty racist. People that visited Switzerland and have stayed there for some time say that the Swiss can usually tell if you are from Switzerland or not; when they know you aren't from Switzerland they will usually look you up and down and just stare, and non-natives get used to it because it’s become normal for them. But that's the worst that it can get; people have commented that it doesn't usually go farther than citizens staring at you.
Now, enough of the cons. Let’s go to some pros. People have mentioned that Switzerland is incredibly safe, to the point where it's okay to walk at 2 in the morning. The area is so clean that whenever there's a gum wrapper on the ground, people “get offended” and feel attacked because they take being a clean country seriously. While having a good portion of racist Swiss, there's always the friendly and kind person who WILL greet you with a handshake, a hug, or a kiss on the cheek. If you take the bus or train to work or to go shopping you will not wait because the drivers are always punctual and will be on time every time. If a problem occurs, people will be notified right away.
If you ever want to go on vacation you can easily go to Austria, France, Germany, Italy or Liechtenstein on a plane and it can take about 2 hours to get there. The wildlife is incredible with multiple activities to do such as hang gliding, skiing, hiking and biking trails, going on tours of mountains in a cable car, kayaking, skydiving, ziplining, bungee jumping, etc…
If you ever decide to live in Switzerland and you happen to disagree with a certain law that the parliament has passed, you can ultimately change the law. This is only if the majority of people disagree and you can get a certain amount of signatures within a certain time period, then a national vote is held.
Let’s talk about how many and which languages the Swiss speak and their beliefs on religion. The Swiss speak four languages, Swiss-German, French, Italian and Romansh (Old Swiss). The Swiss’s traditional religions are Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, though in recent years, Switzerland has adapted to many other religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Many people are not as traditional, though they do stand by their religion.
Thailand
If you love the cold and enjoy being curled up in a warm blanket drinking hot cocoa while looking out the window as snow falls, Thailand is not for you. The weather in Thailand right now currently ranges from 70 degrees to 90 degrees. Thailand is very hot and humid and, depending on your preferences, this can definitely be seen as a con. The amount of pollution in Thailand is really bad; the air quality in Thailand, according to the Air Quality Index is 198 which is very unhealthy. Connecticut’s air quality, in comparison, is below 50, which is pretty good.
Now, let's talk about the not-so-obvious. The corruption in Thailand is crazy; from landlords taking advantage of the people that don't speak Thai, to police arresting people who have a lot of money and wanting money in order for them to be set free, to the government coups that happen from time to time. It’s a lot to take in.
The animals that can appear in your house or apartment can be a stressful thing, considering that the most common animals that are found in houses are snakes and cockroaches. People say that they usually have to check the walls, the ceiling, and toilet bowls just in case there are snakes or big cockroaches roaming around. Speaking of the outdoors, daily life can have its disadvantages, such as small sidewalks, which can be a pain, especially since Thailand is a busy country. When there are wide sidewalks, some of them can be taken up by different electrical wires. Either that or the sidewalks are completely busted. (Source, Canary Travel Thailand.)
There’s a lot of poverty in Thailand. You’ll most likely see women with children begging for money or hear someone else's situation that can be something you’d rather be uninformed about. For example, some families offer their children as prostitutes just so they can have something for dinner. Something that I didn’t expect while doing research is that in order to retire in Thailand you need a minimum amount of money in your bank account; you need at least 65,000 bahts ($2,146 dollars) in order to retire and that’s just for a normal life style. If you want to live lavishly, it’s going to be way more than 65,000 bahts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that if you visit or plan on staying for a period of time you should get vaccinated in order to keep others safe and, of course, for yourself as well. When I read the list of vaccinations that are recommended to get, let’s just say that you wouldn’t be able to feel both of your arms. Some vaccinations consist of Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Yellow Fever, Malaria, Measles, and Japanese Encephalitis.
Now, on to the pros of this country. If you ever need to go to the hospital, then on the bright side, you can be eligible to have a huge discount. If you’re a party type of person then you’ll love spending your nights in Thailand. Thailand has a big selection of clubs and bars; with the legal age of drinking at 20 you can drink a year earlier than in the U.S. The legal drinking age used to be 18 but changed in 2006 to 20 due to teenagers being the second largest group to consume alcohol.
The food. The majority of Thai food is home cooked, and it’s considered to be amazingly spicy, healthy, and fresh. Pad Thai is a stir-fried noodle dish, (Image to the right is Pad Thai. Source, America’s Test Kitchen.) Som Tam is a raw papaya salad, Kaeng Khiao Wan is a green curry dish, Nam Prik Nom is a green chili paste. You also don’t need a car in Thailand unless your professional life consists of moving around cities, public transportation in Thailand is fairly cheap and easy access.
With the cheap and easy transportation you can make your way to a lot of festivals, including the most popular besides Chinese New Year, the Festival of Lights or the Lantern Festival. (Image to the left is the Festival of Lights. Source, Chiang Mai Travel Hub.) Continuing on to the different types of festivals there's Chiang Mai Flower festival, King Narai festival, Water festival, Rocket festival, and Wonderfruit Music and Arts festival, etc. There are so many festivals that you can go to you definitely won’t get bored. While going to festivals you’ll definitely see at least one temple on your trip over to Thailand. I’m saying this because there are nearly 30,000 temples in Thailand. The most-visited temple in Bangkok and in Thailand is the Wat Phra Kaew known as,The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. To enter this populated temple you must take off your shoes and have your knees, shoulders, chest or upper back covered completley. 93.4% of Thai’s are Buddhist, 5% of Thai’s are Muslim following by only .5% Thai’s that are Christian.
Having said this, I personally think the pros outweigh the cons by a big portion. Although there may be some bumps throughout the experience, you could definitely make something good out of everything.
Ashley Galindo Lara 2/20
Have you ever wondered what life is like in other countries? I consulted a number of sources to see how life is both similar and different to life in the U.S.
Switzerland
A life in Switzerland goes something like this.
I’ve taken about an hour and a half reading comments on Quora about different experiences; people who have lived there and moved out, traveled and visited, and people who are currently living there. Like any other country, Switzerland has its pros and cons, but I do think that the cons outweigh the pros; here’s why. Swiss people are relatively quiet people and that’s just how their lifestyle is, on weekdays shops and restaurants are usually empty. The majority of shops and restaurants usually close at 5pm. If you are thirsty and want a drink, say bottled water or a soft drink, it can cost up to $3.80. Meanwhile, over here in the U.S. (this is an estimate and average,) a drink costs $1.50. Adding on to the fact that food is expensive, it's expensive to rent an apartment or house. When it’s winter in Switzerland it’s usually cold, cloudy and windy; some people say that sometimes it gets so bad that it makes you want to move from the country itself.
An opinion that is based off of what I read from people living there for their whole lives to people who have lived there for 5 years, From comments on Quora it seems that the Swiss are pretty racist. People that visited Switzerland and have stayed there for some time say that the Swiss can usually tell if you are from Switzerland or not; when they know you aren't from Switzerland they will usually look you up and down and just stare, and non-natives get used to it because it’s become normal for them. But that's the worst that it can get; people have commented that it doesn't usually go farther than citizens staring at you.
Now, enough of the cons. Let’s go to some pros. People have mentioned that Switzerland is incredibly safe, to the point where it's okay to walk at 2 in the morning. The area is so clean that whenever there's a gum wrapper on the ground, people “get offended” and feel attacked because they take being a clean country seriously. While having a good portion of racist Swiss, there's always the friendly and kind person who WILL greet you with a handshake, a hug, or a kiss on the cheek. If you take the bus or train to work or to go shopping you will not wait because the drivers are always punctual and will be on time every time. If a problem occurs, people will be notified right away.
If you ever want to go on vacation you can easily go to Austria, France, Germany, Italy or Liechtenstein on a plane and it can take about 2 hours to get there. The wildlife is incredible with multiple activities to do such as hang gliding, skiing, hiking and biking trails, going on tours of mountains in a cable car, kayaking, skydiving, ziplining, bungee jumping, etc…
If you ever decide to live in Switzerland and you happen to disagree with a certain law that the parliament has passed, you can ultimately change the law. This is only if the majority of people disagree and you can get a certain amount of signatures within a certain time period, then a national vote is held.
Let’s talk about how many and which languages the Swiss speak and their beliefs on religion. The Swiss speak four languages, Swiss-German, French, Italian and Romansh (Old Swiss). The Swiss’s traditional religions are Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, though in recent years, Switzerland has adapted to many other religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Many people are not as traditional, though they do stand by their religion.
Thailand
If you love the cold and enjoy being curled up in a warm blanket drinking hot cocoa while looking out the window as snow falls, Thailand is not for you. The weather in Thailand right now currently ranges from 70 degrees to 90 degrees. Thailand is very hot and humid and, depending on your preferences, this can definitely be seen as a con. The amount of pollution in Thailand is really bad; the air quality in Thailand, according to the Air Quality Index is 198 which is very unhealthy. Connecticut’s air quality, in comparison, is below 50, which is pretty good.
Now, let's talk about the not-so-obvious. The corruption in Thailand is crazy; from landlords taking advantage of the people that don't speak Thai, to police arresting people who have a lot of money and wanting money in order for them to be set free, to the government coups that happen from time to time. It’s a lot to take in.
The animals that can appear in your house or apartment can be a stressful thing, considering that the most common animals that are found in houses are snakes and cockroaches. People say that they usually have to check the walls, the ceiling, and toilet bowls just in case there are snakes or big cockroaches roaming around. Speaking of the outdoors, daily life can have its disadvantages, such as small sidewalks, which can be a pain, especially since Thailand is a busy country. When there are wide sidewalks, some of them can be taken up by different electrical wires. Either that or the sidewalks are completely busted. (Source, Canary Travel Thailand.)
There’s a lot of poverty in Thailand. You’ll most likely see women with children begging for money or hear someone else's situation that can be something you’d rather be uninformed about. For example, some families offer their children as prostitutes just so they can have something for dinner. Something that I didn’t expect while doing research is that in order to retire in Thailand you need a minimum amount of money in your bank account; you need at least 65,000 bahts ($2,146 dollars) in order to retire and that’s just for a normal life style. If you want to live lavishly, it’s going to be way more than 65,000 bahts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that if you visit or plan on staying for a period of time you should get vaccinated in order to keep others safe and, of course, for yourself as well. When I read the list of vaccinations that are recommended to get, let’s just say that you wouldn’t be able to feel both of your arms. Some vaccinations consist of Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Yellow Fever, Malaria, Measles, and Japanese Encephalitis.
Now, on to the pros of this country. If you ever need to go to the hospital, then on the bright side, you can be eligible to have a huge discount. If you’re a party type of person then you’ll love spending your nights in Thailand. Thailand has a big selection of clubs and bars; with the legal age of drinking at 20 you can drink a year earlier than in the U.S. The legal drinking age used to be 18 but changed in 2006 to 20 due to teenagers being the second largest group to consume alcohol.
The food. The majority of Thai food is home cooked, and it’s considered to be amazingly spicy, healthy, and fresh. Pad Thai is a stir-fried noodle dish, (Image to the right is Pad Thai. Source, America’s Test Kitchen.) Som Tam is a raw papaya salad, Kaeng Khiao Wan is a green curry dish, Nam Prik Nom is a green chili paste. You also don’t need a car in Thailand unless your professional life consists of moving around cities, public transportation in Thailand is fairly cheap and easy access.
With the cheap and easy transportation you can make your way to a lot of festivals, including the most popular besides Chinese New Year, the Festival of Lights or the Lantern Festival. (Image to the left is the Festival of Lights. Source, Chiang Mai Travel Hub.) Continuing on to the different types of festivals there's Chiang Mai Flower festival, King Narai festival, Water festival, Rocket festival, and Wonderfruit Music and Arts festival, etc. There are so many festivals that you can go to you definitely won’t get bored. While going to festivals you’ll definitely see at least one temple on your trip over to Thailand. I’m saying this because there are nearly 30,000 temples in Thailand. The most-visited temple in Bangkok and in Thailand is the Wat Phra Kaew known as,The Temple of the Emerald Buddha. To enter this populated temple you must take off your shoes and have your knees, shoulders, chest or upper back covered completley. 93.4% of Thai’s are Buddhist, 5% of Thai’s are Muslim following by only .5% Thai’s that are Christian.
Having said this, I personally think the pros outweigh the cons by a big portion. Although there may be some bumps throughout the experience, you could definitely make something good out of everything.
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Mr. and Mrs. Esposito drop Gaby off at Providence College!
Ms. Englart at a glacial lake in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
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Ms. Katz visited Mrs. K. (Sally Kacynski) in Rhode Island. See poem below.
Beavertail Park
The Island of Jamestown, Rhode Island August 1, 2019, 8 am “We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.” ― William James We are rock climbing gently, like the ancient goats we have become. We mince across the slabs of grey slate and white granite. “Watch out for the gravel, it’s slippery,” a stranger tells us. We pay heed and keep on walking gingerly. The rock formations soar jaggedly above the Atlantic. We don’t go Down we go across The uppermost edges stopping to look below at the clear, grey-green foaming water swirling over and around moss covered, natural sculptures in inlets created by eons of erosion. At one point there is A confluence in a tidal pool; the water is coming in and going out simultaneously. We are entranced by the ancient energy. The power to wear away mountains of rock invigorates us. We watch and wonder at how deeply we feel the awe of our connection to the island, the sea, the stone and each other. |
