HOLIDAYS – TRAVEL - CULTURES
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USEFUL EXPRESSION:
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Traveling teaches you to be tolerant
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Reading: TRAVEL CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Summary
Travel can help you:
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Experience many things new
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Get out of your comfort zone
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Meet so many people
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Create memory for life
10 reasons why you should travel
either solo or as a couple
1.
Make new friends –
because you are more opened to meet new people. People may think that solo
travel will end up being on one’s own.
2.
Break the routine –
daily 9 to 5 routine can get you emotionally and spiritually stuck in a place
of intense boredom. Break the routine before it breaks you. Human are not meant
to live a robotic live. Thus the level of depression, anxiety and panic attacks
are truly overwhelming. Doing something totally different will broaden your
horizons to new realities.
3. Growth – happens when you leave your
comfort zone. You’ll be surprised by how well you’ll be able to deal with the
most unexpected situations, how trying new things will make you feel alive.
4.
Fall in love –
You’ll be exposed to so many people who may be share passions and dreams in
life.
5.
Learn a new skill –
traveling gives you such a great platform if you want to learn a new language,
new culture or learn about history.
6.
Nurture yourself –
pamper yourself by eating rich organic foods, taking yoga classes, serve your
needs only
7.
Share amazing moments
together – traveling together raises the
levels of camaraderie. You’ll be sharing lots of amazing moments and building
great memories that will last forever. Enjoy each other’s company to the
fullest.
8.
Rediscover each other –
Relationships are always striving to expand and grow, and nothing’s better to
provide space for that growth as traveling, getting out of the routine and
boredom of the everyday life.
9.
Get to know parts of
each other – you’ll have a glimpse on how
the counterpart behaves on an everyday basis because traveling will let many
good and bad behaviors resurface. Using this time wisely to see if you can
really deal with each other 24 hour a day.
Question: Can you think of
other benefits of travel?
Travel broadens the
minds. It does make you a more open-minded person, as you see different ways of
living, eating, drinking, interacting with others, and it allows you to see
your own culture more objectively. It also leads to you having a wider range of
experiences and makes you more interesting to talk to.
Traveling the world, can be one of the
most rewarding and fulfilling activities. You’ll get to experience so many
things, get out of your comfort zone, meet so many people and create memories
for life. Here are the 10 reasons why you should travel either solo or as a couple.
If you’re traveling solo:
MAKE
NEW FRIENDS
When you’re traveling solo, you’re more
opened to meet new people and find someone to hang out with. A lot of people
think that if they venture in the world as a solo travel, they will end up
being on their own, but my experience suggests the extreme opposite. Lot’s of
people actually, Love to travel solo as a way to meet more people and make new
friendships, since traveling as a couple or a group of friends we’re not as
opened to mix with new people.
BREAK
THE ROUTINE
The everyday routing of the 9 to 5 work
schedule, the traffic jams, the same old -same old can get you emotionally and
spiritually stuck in a place of intense boredom. Break the routine before it
breaks you. Humans are not meant to live a robotic live, thus the level of
depressions and anxiety and panic attacks we have in our society are truly
overwhelming. Doing something totally different will broaden your horizons to
new realities.
GROWTH
Growth happens when you leave your
comfort zone, when you break new grounds and put yourself into different
environments, situations and new tests. You’ll be surprised by how well, you’ll
be able to deal with the most unexpected situations, how trying new things will
make you feel alive.
FALL
IN LOVE
A lot is said about summer love and how
these relationships never really last. Well, this is not entirely true. When
you’re traveling, you’ll be exposed t so many people from all kinds of
backgrounds, many of them sharing your passions and dreams in life.
You’ll be amazed by the quantity of
people you’ll meet, most of them you wouldn’t meet back home in a normal
situation, so take advantage of this amazing possibility to meet folks form all
nationalities and walks of live. You might meet your soul mate during one of
your adventures. Trust me, I know a lot of couples who actually met while
traveling.
LEARN
A NEW SKILL
If you always wanted to learn a new
language, history, a new culture or explore a new gastronomy, nothing will give
you such a great platform to do it as traveling. Why not taking an intensive
Spanish course, while exploring the ancient Mayan ruins or sunbathing in
Mexico? If you love art and architecture, take a gateway to the amazing city of
Florence in Italy where you can explore the best of renascence architecture,
while digging into the most delicious pizzas, pastas and Mediterranean food.
Love intense flavors? Head on to India or Thailand for a cooking course while
taking full advantage of snorkeling the turquoise waters of the Andaman cosat or
some powerful yoga classes in Goa.
NURTURE
YOURSELF
Take this time to turn off your mobile
and your computer. If you’re traveling solo, you’ll be able to pamper yourself
by eating rich organic foods, taking yoga classes, rest a lot and do nothing .
Be selfish during this time, take your time and nurture your body, mind and
soul. So many people, specially mothers, spend the whole year serving others
and forgetting about their needs. This is your time, serve your needs only!
If you’re traveling with your significant
other:
SHARE
AMAZING MOMENTS TOGETHER
Relationships are all about growth and
selfless interaction. When you’re traveling together, the levels of camaraderie
will be on the high. You’ll be sharing lots of amazing moments and building
great memories that will last forever. There are no responsibilities and no
things to do, so you’re left with lots of fun time together. Use this time as
if it was a honey moon, enjoy each other’s company to the fullest.
REDISCOVER
EACH OTHER
Routine can bring many relationships and
marriages down. When you feel there’s nothing more you can get from a
relationship means you’ve been stuck in an unfulfilling environment. Many times
it has nothing to do with the fact you don’t love each other anymore, but
you’re not giving space for the two of you to experience new emotions and
challenges as a couple. Relationships are always striving to expand and grow,
and nothing’s better to provide space for that growth as traveling, living new
adventures, getting out of the routine and boredom of the everyday life.
GET
TO KNOW PARTS OF EACH OTHER
you wouldn’t at home. If you’re entering
a brand new relationship, try to take a trip together before you move in. This
way, you’ll have a glimpse on how he or she behave on an everyday basis and how
he/she deal with stress, frustration, happiness and any other type of feelings.
Traveling will let many of the good and bad behaviors resurface, so use this
time wisely to see if you really can deal with each other 24 hour a day.
Reading: THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLIDAYS
Summary
1.
Article 1
It will give more fun, enjoyment, relaxation, refreshment, get
rest from routine. It’s good for health, reduces stress and body strain, gives
new energy
2.
Article 2
It is a necessity for physical and mental wellbeing. No
commitments, no feeling of obligations. Able to focus on each moment of each
day and really be present, enjoy time with family. It gives a break from
routine, a chance to unwind mentally and physically and reconnect with family
and friends.
Questions:
1.
What's your most favorite holiday?
My most favorite
holiday is undoubtedly Tet holiday. Tet has become so familiar, so sacred that
when spring arrives, the Vietnamese, wherever they maybe, are all thrilled and
excited with the advent of Tet. They feel an immense nostalgia, wishing to come
back for a family reunion and taste the particular flavors of their home land
2. Should people in
your country have more holidays?
Article 1: Importance of Holidays
We all love holidays. It will give more
fun and enjoyment to us. Starting from school going kids to working employees
all are liking holidays and awaiting for it. No one hate holidays, because we
can take rest in holidays as well as enjoy a lot with our friends and family
members during holidays. A single holiday have the ability to change our
routine and give more relaxation to us.
During our school days we like summer
vacation and go to our relatives house at that time and enjoy a lot with our
grand parents, cousins and other relatives in our native place during summer
holidays. While working, we are looking for week end to change our routine, as
we are tired with our day
to day hard work and regular routine and look for a change. Week end
holidays will give some change from this normal routine and we plan for various
outing trip and
enjoyment during the week end with our friends or family members.
Holidays are necessary to every one to
get rest and refreshment from our routine. We all get tired and bored with
normal routine and wish to have a change from it, holidays have the ability to
give more comfort to us and most of us are expecting holiday from the week
beginning, i.e we are waiting for the week end to enjoy.
Without holidays, we don't have any
changes and doing the same work throughout the month without any relaxing
activities. It may affect our health, since holidays are good for our health
too. During holidays most of us take some rest and have a sound sleep in the
noon time
It will reduce our stress and give refreshment to us. Holidays help us to give
rest to our physical work and we reduce our body strain on holidays. Some of us
will plan for a family outing or going outing with friends during the holiday
time to have fun and pleasure and forget about our worries.
Holidays will give a great relaxation
and refreshment to us and give a new energy to do our work in the upcoming
week. Most of us will do our work with full enthusiasm in the week beginning
due to the holiday rest. Surely holiday is a need and necessary thing to every
one whoever want rest from their routine.
(Source: http://vidyaprakash.expertscolumn.com/article/importance-holidays)
Article 2: The Importance of Holidays
We all look forward to a holiday. What’s
better than a bit of time
away from the office, a break from routine and a few cocktails by the pool? But
I think we often overlook the importance of a holiday to our physical and
mental wellbeing.
I recently took a break from work, and
was lucky enough to be able to head overseas for a week of that time with my
little family. I was so looking forward to our trip – it was going to be our
first family holiday since having our little boy, and my first holiday in over
2 and a half years (aside from maternity leave – which I’ve decided should
never, ever be referred to as a ‘holiday’!).
But it wasn’t until I was lying in a
hammock in Vanuatu (I know – it sounds horrible doesn’t it?) that I realised
how much I had needed this break. It’s amazing how much stress we can
carry with us day to day without noticing.
All
of a sudden I didn’t have
to be anywhere, or do anything. I didn’t have any commitments, and didn’t feel
any obligations. I lost that horrible feeling that I needed to
be trying to do 15 things at once- rushing from one thing to another.
And it took with it a whole lot of stress, and it
even took some physical tension that I had through my shoulders, neck and chest
that I hadn’t even realised was there. As a result I felt like I could breathe
a bit easier.
While we were away we didn’t
have internet access, and we had turned our mobile phones off (except for
the daily ‘emergency’ text message check), and those thoughts that I normally
have constantly through the day like “I’d better just quickly send that email”
or ‘I’ll just look at that ‘thing’ online while I think of it” all stopped as
well.
The constant inner chatter, and never
ending mental ‘to do’ list quietened
down. I was able to focus on each moment of each day & really be present, and enjoy my time
with my family.
It
has made me realise that as
much as I may have thought that a holiday is a luxury, it really is a necessity - for both
physical and mental wellbeing. It gives you a break from your routine, a chance
to unwind (mentally
& physically) and reconnect with family and friends. I’m already starting
to plan my next holiday!
Questions
1. What do you think is interesting about your
culture?
It’s Ao dai. It is distinctly Vietnamese and can be seen frequently
around the country. The concept of “covering everything, but hiding nothing” is
essence of Ao Dai. It was designed to accentuate the beauty of women in
VietNam. It is comfortable to wear and it is very stylish.
2. Do you know much about your own culture?
It can be said that there were three layers of culture overlapping
each other during the history of Vietnam: local culture, the culture that mixed
with those of China and other countries in the region and the culture that interacted
with Western culture.
3. When people from other countries think about
your culture, what do they usually think of? They may think of Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese food is tasty,
healthy and flavorful with massive use of herbs and spices. Among all, Pho
usually becomes an instant favorite for anyone visiting Vietnam.
4. In your culture is it polite to be
straightforward and direct when you talk to someone?
5. What has surprised you when you've met people
from other countries?
6. What do you like about your culture?
Vietnam was formed early in the history and often had to carry out
wars of resistance against foreign invaders, which created a prominent cultural
feature: a patriotism that infiltrated and encompassed every aspect of life.
7. What don't you like about your culture?
8. How do young people in your culture behave
differently from older people?
9. Why do you think culture is important?
10. If you could change one thing about your
culture, what would it be?
11. Would you ever consider marrying or dating
someone from another culture?
12. Would you ever consider living permanently in
a country other than your home country? Why or why not?
13. What does it mean to be polite in your
culture?
14. What is considered rude in your culture?
Vietnamese culture is concerned more with status (obtained with age
and education) than with wealth
15. If a group of people just came to your country
from overseas, what advice would you give them?
Going dutch with a Vietnamese is not appreciated. If you run into
someone at a restaurant and you join his table, let him pay the whole bill or
pay it yourself. The senior person usually pays
16. What do you think is important when visiting
another culture?
Learning about customs and taboos.
17. Do you think "when in Rome, do as the
Romans do" is always good advice? Why or why not?
18. What culture besides your own do you admire
and why?
19. What is the best/most important thing your
culture/country has adopted from another culture?
20. If you could choose three aspects of your
culture to put in a "time box" for the future, what would you put in
it?
21. What is culture shock?
I suppose culture shock means a psychological condition which a
person experiences when exposed to a completely different places, different
people and different customs.
22. Have you ever experienced culture shock?
As a matter of fact I think I have. It was about 2 years ago when I
had a chance to visit Ha Noi.
23. On what occasions do you exchange flowers in
your country?
24. What customs do you practice?
Traditionally, children lived with their parents until marriage,
then couple moved to the husband’s parents house.
25. What are your favorite customs?
26. What customs do you think should be revised?
27. What customs do you think should no longer be
practice?
28. What customs (from elsewhere) do you think
should be included in our culture?
