Issue 38 - Festive Edition

Dec 2020 issue 38 Sustainable christmas ideas Почему я люблю Москву!

HOw to travel from home

冬⾄， 是⻤节吗?

Marchés de Noël d'Aïx a Celtic new year

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The UoB Linguist Magazine

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Our 2020 Team Committee: Chair - Holly Hunt Secretary- emily mercer treasurer- Roberta Wright publicity- Harvey JOnes Creative designerEleanor Smith proofreaders: Rachael Jones Camille stevenson editors team: french- camille stevenson German- harvey jones spanish- megan lacey Portuguese- emily petrie catalan- emma velho italian- franca filipik mandarin- becca snoad life and styleGeorgia boote current affairselsie haldane culture- emma velho food and drinkemma walker travel- chloe brown

04 French section: "Marchés de Noël d'Aïx" by Zoe Willis, "Critique littéraire: une seconde avant Noël" by Tiffany Williams 05 Spanish section: "Las tradiciones navideñas de Argentina" by Emma Gardner 06 Catalan section: "Menjar català: per on comencem?" by Emma Velho 07 Portuguese section: "É possível achar um paraíso tropical...na Europa?"

by Cameron Smith 08 Italian section: "Il Raduno della Mongolfiera" by Ella Powell, "La mia vacanza a Cervinia - sciare a Pasqua?" by Matthew Cassidy 09 German section: "Kein Weihnachtsmarkt? Kein Problem!" by Keeley Beeston, "Langsame Auswirkungen der Wiedervereinigung" by Robbie Sweeten 10 Russian section: "Почему я люблю Москву!" by Sasha Edwards, "Транссибирская магистраль" by Marisa Palko 11 Mandarin section: " ?" by Becca Snoad 12 Current Affairs section: "A very sustainable Christmas" by Elsie Haldane 13 Life and Style section: "Quintessentially Christmas: my festive German experience" by Victoria Jackson, "Sustainable Gift Giving" by Georgia Boote 14 Culture section: "How the UN inspired change in Dutch festivities" by Julia van Egmond 15 Travel section: "How to travel from home; a Summer in quarantine" by Freya Richold 16 Food and Drink section: "Lisbon's Best Brunch Spots" by Rachael Jones 17 Featured Language - Welsh: "Blwyddyn Newydd Dda gyda’r Fari Lwyd" Harvey Jones

冬⾄，是⻤节吗

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a Message

Dec from the Chair.. 2020

Hello! Olá! Здравствуйте!

Welcome to another issue of the UoB Linguist Magazine. Life in Birmingham has been very different this year for students at UoB: with Covid-19 restrictions in place and a lot of university taking place virtually, it has been a challenging time for many and an unprecedented university experience. However, the UoB Linguist Magazine is here to provide you with an escape from studying into the world of travel and culture.

This issue is our festive winter edition so it is jam-packed full of snowy-, festive-, and holiday-themed articles to keep you going through the winter months!

Personally, I love this time of year as I am always in England where I enjoy wrapping up warm in winter coats, having hot drinks, going on frosty walks and celebrating the New Year with loved ones! My fondness of the winter season made this issue’s articles all the more enjoyable! If you too love all things winter and festive, check out Rebecca Snoad’s article on the Winter Solstice Festival (Dongzhi Festival) in our Chinese Section; Victoria Jackson’s article on a quintessentially German Christmas in our Life and Style Section; and Keeley Beeston’s German article on how to have your very own German Christmas at home. Also in this issue you can find a fascinating article on Dutch Christmas festivities by Julia Van Egmond; a deep dive into the stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway by Marisa Palko in our Russian Section; and a very special Welsh article on the Mari Lwyd New Year celebrations by Harvey Jones in our Featured Language Section!

We also have some brilliant festive photos from our readers and members to get you in the holiday spirit! We hope you enjoy reading Issue 38 as much as we have enjoyed writing it. I would like to finish by saying a big thank you to all the writers, editors and proofreaders for working hard to get another fabulous issue together. It is a testing time and it is a great feeling to know that like-minded language learners and travel lovers are staying positive by writing, reading and staying connected to the world around them through the sharing of language and culture!

A bientôt! Tot ziens! A presto!

Holly

Cover Image: Christmas in Lisbon by Megan Lacey

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Marchés de Noël d'Aix

Il existe beaucoup de grands marchés de Noël en Europe, cependant certaines petites villes offrent des perles de marchés. Aix-en-Provence est connue pour être « la ville de mille fontaines », mais elle a aussi des milliers de marchés – surtout à Noël. Chaque weekend de décembre apporte un nouveau marché.

Le grand marché de Noël à Aix se trouve dans le Cours Mirabeau : une énorme étendue de petits chalets. Il y a des produits provençaux et aixois tels que le calisson – une confiserie faite de fruits confits et d’amandes broyées – des vêtements d’hiver, des bijoux artisanaux, des peintures du paysage aixois, des marrons au four.

Autour de la fontaine de la Rotonde il y a la Foire des santons pour que chaque famille puisse créer leur propre crèche chez eux. Les week-ends, les enfants peuvent accéder à la fête foraine et profiter des petites attractions. Ce marché arrive à Aix à la fin de novembre et y reste tout au long du décembre.

Aix-en-Provence a beaucoup de villes jumelées autour du monde. Le premier week-end du décembre accueille un marché dans la place François Villon constitué d’étals de ces villes. Des produits fabriqués de bois olivier marocain, du thé anglais, du fromage végan japonais, des tapisseries italiennes : c’est un petit tour du monde. Un nouveau marché commence le deuxième week-end : le marché des 13 desserts. C’est une célébration de la cuisine provençale, où on trouve le calisson aixois, des confitures, des biscottes, du chocolat, du miel. Le week-end suivant vient la fête de l’huile nouvelle. L’huile d’olive d’Aix-en-Provence est l’une des appellations d’origine protégée et chaque année il y a une cérémonie pour l’huile nouvelle. Beaucoup de producteurs d’huile viennent au marché pour vendre leur huile et on peut faire de multiples dégustations de toutes les huiles pendant ce marché. Il existe tant de producteurs et d’huiles différents que le matin de la fête, il n’y a plus de pain dans les boulangeries !

Zoe Willis

Critique littéraire: Une seconde avant Noël

Les contes sont l’essence de Noël. Ici au RoyaumeUni aucun auteur n’incarne cette essence mieux que Charles Dickens, et son héritage survive dans ce roman de Romain Sardou, qui se déroule à Lancashire au 18 e siècle. Diplômée de français et de littérature anglaise, je connais très bien la tendance anglaise à idéaliser la France, et la chance de voir à l’inverse, un portrait fantastique de mon pays en français, m’intriguait.

Il est clair que l’auteur a été inspiré par Dickens et il y a beaucoup d’éléments dickensiens dans le livre, surtout l’intrigue. Un orphelin de neuf ans, Harold, s’est échappé de l’orphelinat cruel de Miss Parrott (encore autre signe caractéristique de Dickens, les noms ludiques) et essaie de devenir ramoneur, bien que, à cause de malnutrition, il est trop petit. Chaque jour avec son meilleur ami, Honnêt’Joe, il regarde la fabrique de jouets de sa

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cité et rêve du jour où il aura son propre jouet à lui. C’est bien que Harold connaisse les cheminées et la manufacture de jouets, parce que, bien qu’il ne le sache, il va devenir Père Noël.

Sardou, dont la majorité des livres sont des thrillers, a écrit l’histoire pour ses enfants. Néanmoins, comme adulte j’ai apprécié le déroulement de l’intrigue, et comment tous les éléments de la légende de Père Noël sont rassemblés. Les aspects de fantaisie, comme les lutins et les rennes volants sont aussi charmants, et la passion pour l’innocence et le bonheur des enfants se révèle dans chaque page. Finalement, parce que c’est un roman pour enfants, le vocabulaire est assez facile à comprendre pour les étudiants de la langue.

Alors, si tu cherches un roman français à lire pendant Noël…et si tu veux encore croire à notre ami dans le costume rouge…Une seconde avant Noël est le choix idéal.

Tiffany Williams

Las tradiciones navideñas de Argentina No cabe duda de que Argentina tiene una cultura muy rica, dinámica y fascinante. El año pasado, pasé tres meses allí y por eso quise escribir sobre las tradiciones navideñas que los argentinos realizan cada año.

Cuando se celebra la Navidad en Argentina, es verano.

Normalmente, olvidamos que Argentina experimenta las estaciones al revés (todo el hemisferio sur en realidad).

La mayoría de la población es católica, y por eso, es una celebración muy importante. Mientras que los religiosos critican que la Navidad se ha vuelto demasiado comercial y materialista, no cabe duda de que la Navidad tiene el poder para juntar a la familia.

Argentina es famosa por su “asado” en el que se cocina todo en la parrilla. Los platos populares de Navidad son asado de carne de vaca o cerdo y pavo al horno.

Asimismo, incluyen platos típicos en Argentina, como pan de atún, Vitel toné son un tipo muy especial de entradas. Lo que le gusta a muchos, es la torre de panqueques: un plato que consiste en alternar entre capas de queso, jamón y lechuga entre panqueques.

Turrón y panettone son los postres más preferidos de la festividad (gustos heredados de los ancestros europeos).

Las decoraciones en casa son muy lujosas, con coronas de flores de colores muy vivos (rojo, verde y dorado) colgadas de la puerta principal. Es más, el pesebre ocupa un lugar prioritario al lado del árbol de navidad. Como se esperaba, el árbol de Navidad gravita considerablemente en una casa argentina.

Una tradición muy bonita era lanzar todo tipo de fuegos artificiales y bombas de estruendo al cielo. Era hermoso ver como se iluminaba el cielo al sonido estruendoso de tanto artificio, pero también aprendieron que era muy dañino para las aves, las mascotas y los niños con discapacidad. Esta tradición era similar a "Las Fallas" en Valencia, España. Es más, es muy común que un adulto se disfrace de Papá Noel para encantar a los niños.

La diversión comienza la víspera de Navidad o Nochebuena. Se cena muy tarde en Argentina, a las 10 o 11 de la noche porque a las 12 en punto se lanzan al cielo los fuegos artificiales sin sonido y globos. La comida normalmente durante la Nochebuena es como un banquete. Si no conoces mucho sobre Argentina y su cultura, a los argentinos nada les gusta más que una fiesta y juntadas con los amigos. La comida forma una parte importante de la vida y la socialización. Eso se manifiesta más durante las vacaciones de Navidad.

Cuando se despiden fuegos artificiales a medianoche, es un fin muy agradable del día. Toda la gente brinda con sidra o champagne y se reúne para disfrutar toda la noche bailando. Los argentinos suelen ir a una fiesta o al boliche para celebrar con sus amigos y la familia. Se acuestan muy tarde y hay más celebraciones el día de Navidad. Eso consiste en reunirse con todos los parientes, y la parte más memorable es la de los dulces.

Turrón, budín, panettone o "Pan de Navidad" y ensalada de frutas son los postres más preferidos de la festividad.

El Turrón es una mezcla de miel, azúcar y almendras.

Sin duda, la celebración navideña en Argentina es una noche para recordar.

Emma Gardner

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Menjar català: per on comencem?

És impossible anar a Catalunya i tornar sense engreixar-se. Cada vegada que vaig a Catalunya, sempre torno amb uns quilos més.

El meu menjar preferit Català és el pa amb tomàquet. És un plat simple però deliciós. De fet, és molt fàcil fer-lo a casa també. Consisteix en cinc ingredients principals: pa, tomàquets, all, oli i sal.

M’agrada molt menjar-ne per sopar.

Què més? Els calçots. Els calçots estan disponibles normalment durant el mes de febrer. Són unes cebes tendres fetes a la planxa. Mai he menjat calçots però m’agradaria menjar-ne perquè m’agraden molt cebes tendres.

També hi ha l’escudella i la carn d’olla. És un plat famós que normalment es menja durant l’hivern i, en particular, per Nadal. És una sopa feta amb llegums i carn, per exemple pilota i botifarra.

I ara, la millor part: les postres! A Catalunya, podeu provar unes postres fantàstiques. La crema catalana és com la creme brulée, però millor, en la meva opinió. Per fer la crema catalana s’utilitza llet en comptes de de crema, i s’utilitza farina de blat de moro també. A més, no es fa al bany maria, com la creme brulée. La crema catalana és una de les meves postres preferides!

Per acabar, volia dir-vos que la gastronomia catalana és una delícia, i que hi ha molts mes plats famosos per descobrir, per exemple els torrons, els canelons, la fideuada valenciana, les faves a la catalana, i més!

Si aneu als Països Catalans no patiu que no passareu fam!

Emma Velho

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É possível achar um paraíso tropical...na Europa?

Descubra esta ilha muito subestimada no Oceano Atlântico!

Todo o mundo conhece as Ilhas Canárias que constituem uma parte da Espanha, mas um pouco a norte daquelas ilhas há a Ilha da Madeira, que é uma região autônoma de Portugal muito pouco conhecida. Ela foi ‘descoberta’ e reivindicada pelo Navegador Infante Henrique em 1419, e é talvez conhecida pelo vinho fortificado, mas há tantas outras coisas a encontrar.

Quando chegares à Ilha da Madeira, poderás ver imediatamente a paisagem maravilhosa: a Ilha fica localizada no topo de um antigo vulcão e tem um clima subtropical que favorece as temperaturas amenas durante o ano inteiro. No centro da ilha, onde está o seu ponto mais alto, é possível ver a neve no inverno, enquanto durante o verão em Funchal, a capital, estará mais quente.

Além disso, há fluxos de lava endurecidos e muitas falésias impressionantes.

O que fazer na ilha? Para descansar, há muitas praias no lado sul, mas também há piscinas naturais numas grandes rochas ao norte que propiciam as vistas magníficas, rodeadas pelo verde da natureza. Se quiseres aproveitar os miradouros mais impressionantes, podes fazer as caminhadas nas montanhas no centro da ilha e subir o Pico Ruivo (1862 m) para chegar ao miradouro com uma visão de 360 graus da ilha.

Porto da Cruz

A estátua do Cristo Rei

O miradouro do Cabo Girão Skywalk

Depois de todo o exercício é necessário comer as especialidades da ilha: é claro, muitos pratos incluem bacalhau e outros peixes, mas há também a espetada madeirense e o bolo de caco que tem origem na ilha e é preparado com farinha de trigo e batata doce assada.

Se, como eu, quiseres visitar o Cristo Redentor no Rio de Janeiro, mas não tens dinheiro suficiente, a Ilha da Madeira tem uma estátua, o Cristo Rei, que é semelhante ao Cristo Redentor em Rio de Janeiro (apesar de ter menos de metade da sua altura). A combinação da natureza, a cor do mar e o litoral deslumbrante faz-me pensar no Brasil, ou ao menos demonstra que a Ilha da Madeira é uma parte da Europa única e completamente alheia ao Portugal.

Cameron Smith

As Piscinas Naturais do Seixal no lado norte

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Il Raduno della Mongolfiera

Ogni anno a Mondovì, ‘la Capitale italiana del volo in mongolfiera’, ha luogo il raduno nazionale della Mongolfiera.

Pur essendo sulle Alpi italiane, per più di trenta anni ogni gennaio i piloti vengono da tutto il mondo al piccolo paese piemontese per gareggiare durante tre giorni.

Sapevate che le mongolfiere si chiamano così perché gli inventori della mongolfiera erano i fratelli francesi Michel e Jacques Etienne Montgolfier che sono riusciti nel 1783 a far volare una pecora, un’anatra e un gallo con la prima mongolfiera?

Le squadre arrivarono al campo di lancio e cominciarono a gonfiare le mongolfiere, guardate dalla più grande folla di gente che avevo mai visto nella così piccola città tranquilla di Mondovì! C’erano delle mongolfiere di ogni forma in tanti colori! Si dice che i koala, rinoceronti e pinguini non si trovano in Italia, ma quel giorno li ho visti, e volavano!

L’anno scorso passavo il mio anno all’estero a Mondovì e dopo Natale ci sono ritornata di corsa per non mancare all’evento, e non sono stata delusa! Dal primo giorno mi avevano informato di questo incontro e ogni tanto durante l’anno intravedevo delle mongolfiere che si esercitavano, quindi con grande attesa ho aspettato il trentaduesimo raduno della Mongolfiera di Mondovì.

La mongolfiera più attesa era quella nella forma di Van Gogh! Era un po’ strano vedere la sua testa fluttuando nel cielo! Ma il mio ricordo preferito è della seconda mattina della festa quando una volta sveglia potei ammirare tutte le mongolfiere intorno alla torre belvedere della parte storica di Mondovì.

Ella Powell

L’anno scorso sono andato a Cervinia per sciare, per il quale sono stato molto fortunato! Abbiamo preso l’aereo per Milano, e poi abbiamo preso un autobus verso la località sciistica. Appena arrivati abbiamo ricevuto bevande e spuntini italiani gratuiti: la vacanza era ufficialmente iniziata!

La sera, c’era ancora più cibo gratuito (ora si può dedurre che mi piace tanto la cucina italiana). Pasta fatta in casa, pizza (senza ananas, grazie a Dio) e formaggio aostana, la sola cosa che mi mancava per quella stagione era la Colomba; sono morto e andato in cielo! Per tutto quello che ho scritto della cucina italiana, penseresti che sono andato a Cervinia solo per mangiare, ma di fatto, il giorno dopo mi sono ritrovato con degli sci, un casco, e le bacchette che avevo ottenuto il giorno prima. Tante cose sono successe il primo giorno di sciate. Sono dovuto salire sulla montagna senza mia sorella, che aveva perso i guanti, ho quasi perso il mio cellulare sul fondo della funivia, e ho avuto un pranzo fantastico con i miei nuovi compagni che avevo conosciuto durante la nostra lezione, con cui sono ancora in contatto.

C’era perfino una discoteca, che decisi di provare per la prima volta nonostante il rumore, ma credo che quello fosse un po’ meglio che un’altra puntata di ‘Grande Fratello.’

Tuttavia io avrei preferito passare del tempo fuori, con una bevanda, apprezzando l’aria montanara. Anche se le mie vacanze erano in aprile, mi sembrava un’esperienza invernale per via della neve abbondante, il tempo passato con le persone simpatiche e la cucina deliziosa condivisa con loro. Era come se fosse di nuovo Natale, un’esperienza indimenticabile che non vedo l’ora di fare ancora!

Matthew Cassidy

La mia vacanza a Cervinia-sciare a Pasqua?

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Kein Weihnachtsmarkt?

Kein Problem!

2020 werden die meisten Weihnachtsmärkte wahrscheinlich Geschenke normalerweise eine Überraschung sind! Fragen Sie geschlossen. Was kann man jetzt tun? Wurde Weihnachten Ihre Familie dieses Jahr nicht danach. Vergessen Sie also nicht abgesagt? Nein! Man muss ein deutsches Weihnachten nach die Überraschung, und lassen Sie ihre Familie etwas für sich Hause bringen. Ich weiß ja, was Sie denken. Wie machen wir einkaufen! das? Wir können beginnen, indem man Einkaufen geht. Hier Letztlich, das Essen! Das Essen ist sehr wichtig und ganz anders werde ich Ihnen helfen, ein perfektes deutsches Weihnachten als bei einem britischen Weihnachtsfest. Es gibt kein Huhn, zu schaffen. keinen Truthahn und keine Pastinaken! In Deutschland sind Erstens braucht man einen deutschen Adventskalender. Der Rouladen sehr beliebt. Was sind Rouladen, fragen Sie? Adventskalender hat in Deutschland seinen Ursprung, als die Rouladen sind Rindfleisch mit Senf überzogen und gefüllt mit deutschen Protestanten jeden Tag bis Weihnachten Kerzen Speck, Zwiebeln und Gurken (nicht Britisches „Gurkin“, aber verbrannt haben. Gerhard Lang (1881-1974) hat zuerst einen Britisches pickle). Dann kocht man es in Soße. Vielleicht ist es Adventskalender im Jahr 1903 gedruckt. Der berühmte nichts für Vegetarier, aber es gibt nur acht Millionen Vegetarier Illustrator Ernst Kepler hat das Adventskalenderbilder „Im in Deutschland, bei einer Bevölkerung von zwei-und-achtzig Lande des Christkinds“ gezeichnet. Die Kinder konnten die Millionen. Man kann Rouladen mit Knödel oder Spätzle essen.

Zeichnungen ausschneiden und die Bilder auf eine Pappseite Außerdem sollte man am Heiligabend zuerst essen und dann kleben. Wo kann man einen bekommen? Man bekommt einen kann man die Geschenke öffnen. aus dem Internet, oder Sie können auch einen Bonbon- Das ist Ihre Einsteigeranleitung für ein großartiges deutsches Kalender aus TK Maxx kaufen, der £10- £20 kostet.

Weihnachten!

Zweitens sollte man keine Liste der Geschenke machen. In Keeley Beeston Deutschland ist mein Lieblingswort „die Überraschung“, da die

Langfristige Auswirkungen der Wiedervereinigung

30 Jahre nach der Wiedervereinigung sind die Unterschiede Diskriminierung gegen die Ostdeutschen. Laut manchen zwischen dem ehemaligen Ost- und Westdeutschland noch Westdeutschen sind Ostdeutsche bei ihren alten klar. Es gibt heute die zwei gleichen großen Unterschiede kommunistischen Denkweisen geblieben, und wegen der zwischen Ost (auch DDR genannt) und West (kurz auch BRD), umfassenden Armut des Ostens denken Westdeutsche, die wie damals, nämlich die gegensätzliche Wirtschaftsmacht der Ostdeutschen seien faul. Hinzu kommt, dass unter dem beiden Teile und die Vorurteile gegenüber den kommunistischen Regime Religion im Osten vernachlässigt Ostdeutschen.Nach der Spaltung Deutschlands am Ende des II. wurde, sie mittlerweile aber immer noch ein wichtiger Teil der Weltkrieges wurde Westdeutschland reicher als Ostdeutschland westlichen Gesellschaft (z.B. die deutsche Verfassung) ist. Was – dies gilt auch heute. In der kapitalistischen Gesellschaft gibt es auch als sozialer Unterschied erwähnt werden muss, sind einfach mehr Möglichkeiten für Bürger, eine höhere Einstellungen zur Rasse im Osten, die direkt zu der Beliebtheit Lebensqualität und bessere Arbeitsmöglichkeiten zu genießen. der AfD geführt haben sollen. Als Folge des mangelnden Die DDR wurde auch immer von Armut und Depression Kontakts mit Ausländern im Osten – genauer gesagt, dass die gekennzeichnet, und trotz massiver staatlicher Interventionen demographische Gruppe des Ostens hauptsächlich aus Weißen im Laufe der Jahre, gab es keinen wirtschaftlichen Erfolg. Die bestand – sollen Ostdeutsche heutzutage allgemein ehemalige DDR bleibt ärmer als Westdeutschland, tatsächlich rassistischer sein als Westdeutsche. Zudem haben so viele ist das wirtschaftlich mächtigste ostdeutsche Bundesland Ostdeutsche vielleicht für die AfD gewählt, weil sie sich von der immer noch ärmer als das ärmste Westdeutschbundesland, westlich vorherrschenden Gesellschaft ausgegrenzt fühlen.

Saarland.Es gibt jedoch nicht nur ökonomische Barrieren zur Deshalb könnte die AfD in der nächsten Wahl an die Macht Integration, sondern auch Soziale in der Form von gewählt werden – ein Ergebnis, welches Deutschland auf ewig verändern würde.

Robbie Sweeten

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Почему я люблю Москву! Может быть вы ещё не решили где жить в России в течение года. Или просто хотите побольше узнать о загадочной России? В любом случае - это непростой вопрос. После семи месяцев пребывания в этой стране я полностью уверилась в том, что люблю Москву и хочу, чтобы вы тоже знали о "Лучшем городе Земли", как поëт в одноименной песне Муслим Магомаев. Первая и чуть ли не главная причина, по которой я люблю Москву - это бешенный ритм жизни! Каждый может показать себя с лучшей стороны и эффективно работать. Как в любой столице возникает ощущение, что весь город живой. Люди заняты всем, что только можно себе представить и даже Больше! Я могла лететь по улицам , и люди всё равно меня обгоняли! Москва - это город возможностей. Москвичи работают, создают новые бары, организуют выставки и так далее. У

каждого человека есть шанс развивать и улучшать себя. Я выбрала курс в Москве, так как я знала, что здесь не будет скучно, даже если вы одни во время каникул! Центральная Москва - одно из самых красивых мест на Земле, а некоторые люди этого не знают! Я всегда буду вспоминать, как я гуляла по Никольской улице, и пурпурные огни сверкали в холоде, прямо рядом с ГУМом. Это было похоже на прогулку во сне, особенно, когда начал падать снег. Я сижу в своей комнате во время карантина и вспоминаю сколько развлечений было в Москве. В Москве можно найти всё, что Пожелаете, всё, о чём бы вы ни подумали - концерты, фестивали, ночные клубы, бары, рестораны, да что угодно! Для студентов - это как мечта, жить в столице и всё попробовать , но без безумных лондонских цен! Было бы неправильно писать о Москве и не сослаться на её метро. Это на другом уровне - доступно, быстро и станции обалденно красивые! Метро невероятно упрощает жизнь города. Вы даже можете рассчитать время на поездки с точностью до пары минут! Спасибо организаторам метро! Круглосуточный ритм - это ритм моей Москвы! По Sasha Edwards

Транссибирская магистраль

Транссибирская железнодорожная магистраль - железная Екатеринбург - 1816 километров (1128 миль) от дорога через Евразию, соединяющая Москву с Дальним Москвы Востоком России. Длина магистрали 9288,2 км, это самая Расположенный в центре евразийского континента, длинная железная дорога в мире. Транссиб соединяет Екатеринбург находится на азиатской стороне границы Европейскую часть, Урал, Сибирь и Дальний Восток России, между Европой и Азией, к востоку от Уральских гор. Город российские западные, северные и южные порты, а также известен храмом на Крови, который стоит на месте Дома железнодорожные выходы в Европу, с одной стороны, с Ипатьевых, где в 1918 году были казнены Романовы тихоокеанскими портами и железнодорожными выходами в (последняя царская семья России). Азию. Начальный пункт — станция Москва-Пассажирская- Новосибирск - 3303 километров (2052 миль) от Ярославская. Конечный пункт — станция Владивосток. Москвы Время в пути на скором поезде составляет около 6 суток. Новосибирск-третий по численности населения город Продолжается расширение железнодорожной линии, России (после Москвы и Санкт-Петербурга). Это крупный строятся соединения с Монголией, Китаем и Северной транспортный и промышленный центр, самый большой в Кореей. Вот введение к некоторым остановкам на Сибири. В Новосибирске также работают многие научные Транссибирской магистрали: организации. Иркутск - 5153 километров (3202 миль) от Москвы Москва Москва, начало железнодорожной линии, является Большой город в Восточной Сибири, Иркутск является популярной остановкой для туристов из-за его столицей России. Это самый густонаселенный город в непосредственной близости к озеру Байкал. Озеро Байкал Европе, в котором проживает более 12,5 миллионов самое глубокое, древнее и самое большое пресноводное человек. В Москве находится множество известных озеро (по объему) в мире. достопримечательностей, в том числе Красная площадь, Владивосток - 9289 километров (5772 миль) от Москвы Кремль и Большой театр. Владивосток - портовый город на Дальнем Востоке России, Казань - 718 километров (446 миль) от Москвы последняя остановка на Транссибирской магистрали. Его Казань-столица и крупнейший город Республики Татарстан, часто называют "воротами России в Азию", и в последние расположенный на слиянии рек Волги и Казанки. Он годы он переживает огромное развитие. По Marisa Palko славится своим ярким смешением религий и культур. Популярными достопримечательностями Казани являются Казанский Кремль и Храм Всех Религий.

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冬⾄，是⻤节吗？ 冬⾄不但是节⽓，⽽且是中国的传统节⽇，在每年 阳历的 12 ⽉ 21 ⽇或 22 ⽇。今年冬⾄是在 12 ⽉ 21 ⽇。 有⼈说冬⾄是“⻤节”，因为冬⾄⽇是北半球各 地⽩昼时间最短、⿊夜最⻓的⼀天。冬⾄以后，⽩ 天就会⼀天天变⻓，古⼈说“阴极之⾄，阳⽓始⽣”就 是这个意思。很多地区在冬⾄这⼀天有祭天祭祖的 习俗，⼀般当天都会早点回家，因为天⿊的早，阴 极之⾄，所以有⻤节之说。但是，实际上冬⾄并不 是中国真正的三⼤⻤节之⼀。冬⾄起源于汉代，并 在唐宋时期尤为重要。这个节⽇的起源是基于阴阳 哲学。 这种哲学是关于宇宙中的平衡与和谐。⼈们 认为，冬⾄后，随着⽩天的时间变⻓，这将导致正 能量的增加。因此，冬⾄被认为是值得庆贺的⽇ ⼦。如今，冬⾄节⽇已不像以前那么重要了，但是 在中国⼤陆和台湾的某些地区，⼀些家庭仍然聚在 ⼀起，享⽤冬⾄的特别⻝物、并到祖先的坟墓进⾏ 祭拜。在中国的不同地区，冬⾄的传统和习俗有所 不同。在中国南⽅，家⼈们喜欢聚在⼀起制作并吃 汤圆，这象征着团团圆圆。汤圆是⽤糯⽶做成的， 通常⾥⾯包着⾖沙或者芝⿇，外⾯是⽩⾊的。⼈们 将汤圆放在盛有甜汤的碗中，有时还配以酒酿（酒 酿是⽤⽶酒做的）。吃汤圆的时候，不仅可以吃到 ⼩汤圆（没有馅⼉），也可以吃到有馅⼉的⼤汤 圆。在中国南⽅，其他流⾏的冬⾄⻝物还包括红⾖ 糯⽶饭等。有的⼈认为，庆祝冬⾄并吃了汤圆，你 就会⼤⼀岁，⽽不是在农历新年的时候。在中国北 ⽅，冬⾄时⼈们会吃饺⼦、⽺⾁汤等⻝物。根据中 医传统观念，冬季是⼀年中调养⽣息最重要的时 间，是进补的重要时期。冬⾄以后，天⽓会越来越 冷。中国北⽅⼈认为，吃有进补作⽤的⻝物可以帮 助你保暖和抵抗疾病。对于许多台湾⼈来说，冬⾄ 节⽇仍然很重要。家⼈在⼀起除了吃汤圆以外，还 要去祖先的坟墓祭拜，有时候还为逝去的祖先和家 ⼈提供汤圆。台湾⼈有庆祝冬⾄的独特习俗，即⽤ 九层糕来祭祀他们的祖先。冬⾄的九层糕由⽊薯粉 和糯⽶粉做成，形状是象征吉祥的动物，例如鸡、 鸭、乌⻳、猪、⽜和⽺。

Becca Snoad

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A very sustainable Christmas 2020 has, to say the least, been full of ups and downs. However, one positive to come of 2020 is an increased awareness of how our choices affect our planet. Now, more than ever, consumers are conscious of what they buy, what they eat and where it all comes from - which is an incredible achievement!

Christmas has become a time for generosity and over-indulgence. Of course, we all deserve to be spoiled at least once a year, especially as this year has been particularly hard. However, even for the environmentally conscious among us, celebration through excess and extravagance presents many challenges. If sustainability is on your mind this year you may be left wondering: how can we celebrate Christmas sustainably and end this strange year on a positive note?

Fortunately, there are lots of ways we can make our festivities more sustainable, and they aren’t too difficult. One tactic that has already proved popular recently has been to use brown parcel paper and string to wrap gifts: it contains no plastic, and is still so beautiful! You can add a sprig of holly or create prints to keep them looking wonderfully aesthetic under the tree. Some people have also given past gifts in scarves or pieces of cloth which can be used again or donated to charity. Even if they aren’t reused, they are a lot kinder to the planet when thrown away than plastic wrapping paper.

Now we come to what’s inside the paper! If you want to steer clear of gifts this year that are likely to be thrown away, you have so many options: why not pay to give someone an experience rather than an object? Or give someone something they can keep for a long time such as a plant or reusable coffee cups? If you're crafty, homemade baking or a piece of art can make lovely gifts that really show that you care. To reduce general giftbuying, giving secret Santa gifts instead of buying a gift for everyone you know can also really help.

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For the rest of the day (and festive period) what you can do is perhaps more obvious. We should all try to only buy the food we will eat, or at least make sure we use up all of our leftovers. Choosing a real tree has many benefits and is generally less harmful than plastic ones when it comes to how they are disposed of. The same principle applies to choosing natural ornaments when decorating the house, such as sprigs of holly.

Hopefully, this advice has been helpful and has perhaps inspired your own sustainably festive ideas. It is important to note, however, that while we can do our part to help reduce our personal impact on the planet, this responsibility cannot be ours alone. It is imperative that those who contribute the most to waste (we’re looking at you, big companies with unsustainable practices) cut down on their impact on the planet. Without their help, we can only do so much.

Above all, remember that small efforts add up to a big impact. Don’t think that you should spend Christmas anxiety-ridden that your wrapping paper might be thrown out, or that your family might have to throw food away. The important thing is to have an awareness of our impact on the planet, and to make small changes where we can.

Lots of people making some change has a much bigger impact than a few people practicing perfect sustainability.

So please remember that even just by celebrating consciously, you’re already doing a fantastic job.

Enjoy your holidays!

Elsie Haldane

Quintessentially Christmas: my festive German experience Growing up in England, I’ve spent every Christmas following the same English traditions: Santa stockings, Christmas crackers, carol singing and many others. That was until last December when I had the opportunity to experience Christmas a little differently. I spent the holiday season in perhaps the most quintessentially festive country there is: Germany!

When I think of winter in Germany, images of vibrant Christmas markets, snow-topped houses and quaint German towns come to mind, and the reality isn’t so different. In fact, I spent the afternoon of the 24 th December (the most important date on the German Christmas calendar) wondering through the local Christmas market and enjoying all the sights, smells and tastes it had to offer. We ate Mutzen (a little doughnut-like pastry served warm with a sprinkling of sugar) and drank Glühwein (mulled wine) out of little ceramic mugs.

The Christmas celebrations properly started when we all sat down for dinner in the evening.

What is considered a “traditional” Christmas dinner varies throughout the country, but for us in the north, ours consisted of yellow pepper soup to start, and roast duck, vegetables, red cabbage and potato croquettes for the main course.

After dinner, we moved into the living room to sit by the Christmas tree and exchange gifts. Many British households are drawn to artificial trees and plastic decorations, but in

Germany, families typically opt for real trees over plastic ones and decorate them with lit candles. I couldn’t help but think it a bit of a fire hazard, but it did look wonderful and completely set the mood for a relaxed Christmas evening with the family.

While part of me missed the comforts of home, spending the holiday abroad in one of the most beautiful German cities is one of my favourite Christmas memories yet, and I cannot wait to go there again in years to come.

Victoria Jackson

What should you give your environment and ethics-conscious friend for Christmas this year? Here’s a round-up of brands to shop from this season, all of which you can browse from the comfort of your sofa this lockdown!

best price, whether it’s new or used, and where the book is coming from. Another great site is World Of Books, a one-stop shop for second-hand books, with fast and free shipping!

Sustainable Gift Giving Stocking Fillers: There are lots of things you can fill a stocking with, even for someone who likes minimal waste and packaging… Bamboo toothbrush, anyone? Wearth London sell lots of sustainable gifts, such as the aforementioned toothbrush for only £2.90, but also for example beauty gift sets, zero waste ‘kits’ for lunch, shopping or cutlery, and even stylish dispenser bottles for those who buy bathroom products from zero-waste shops. There are many more reasonably priced gifts to choose from too! And with carbon neutral shipping to top it off. If you’re looking for more regular gifts simply to support smaller independent businesses, Bristol-based site Mon Pote sell homeware, gifts and stationery. My personal favourite brand on their site is Big Metal London, who sell amazing hypoallergenic earrings, with minimal recyclable packaging as a bonus!

Books: If you want to avoid using Amazon, there are two great websites for finding books. Firstly, Abe Books UK, which gives you lots of alternative sellers for a book, so you can choose the

Clothes: Fashion is notoriously bad for the environment, being responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions (worldbank.org). So where can you buy clothes for your planetconscious friend without breaking the bank?

H&M Conscious and Join Life by Zara might be a good option, as they usually use organic cotton or recycled materials. But these brands still have an ethical question mark against them, and are perhaps no better than any fast fashion website.

For something more sustainable, you can go for a fully transparent ethical brand such as Lucy and Yak, who detail exactly how they make clothes and care for their workers on their website. And if your friend is happy to receive something second hand, why not try Depop, where you can search for that great item you found at Zara, for a lower price and lower impact. Your friend might even be happy with something from a charity shop! While shops are closed, you could check out Oxfam’s online shop, or Blue Cross on Ebay, among other charity shops who sell their stock online.

Georgia Boote

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How the UN Inspired Change in Dutch Festivities The Dutch festival of Sinterklaas is my favourite festive occasion of the year, but in recent years Sinterklaas has received a lot of international criticism for the use of blackfaced characters called ´Zwarte Pieten,’ ´Black Petes´. I will explain how Sinterklaas is celebrated, what the debate surrounding the Zwarte Pieten entails, and what the Netherlands has done to make Sinterklaas more inclusive.

This is how the story goes… Sinterklaas and Zwarte Pieten live in Spain, but every November they travel to the Netherlands by boat. Sinterklaas is an old white man in red bishop attire who, like Santa, decides who has been good or bad, and Zwarte Piet is Sinterklaas’ helper who bakes spicy biscuits and packs presents. From November on, they visit every school, some shops and even some homes to give candy and presents to all children. And on ‘pakjesavond’ or ‘presentnight’ on the 5th of December, they bring presents to your house. To me, the Zwarte Pieten were the best part: they ran and jumped around the classrooms and threw spicy biscuits everywhere and gave presents to everyone!

However, there is more to the story of Zwarte Piet that must be addressed. The story goes that if you set your shoe next to the fireplace and sing Sinterklaas songs really loudly, Zwarte Piet will climb through your chimney and put a present in your shoe. The chimney makes all Zwarte Pieten look ‘as black as soot’. In reality, however, this means that white people paint their faces black to play the Zwarte Pieten.

The UN has been investigating Zwarte Piet for years, but it was only in 2015 that the UN urged the Netherlands to take an active stance against Zwarte Piet. It was only around this time that I, too, realised that a blackface caricature with bright red lipstick and a curly black wig was racist... I wonder how I did not see it before. Unfortunately, it is unclear exactly where this caricature originated from. However, none of the options reveal a happy side of history.

Julia celebrating Sinterklaas as a child

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Sinterklaas A large group of people are still in favour of painting their faces black to play Zwarte Piet. They argue that there is no racist intent, and that suddenly changing the skin colour of a Zwarte Piet is too hard to explain to their children. Or, if Zwarte Piet only has black stripes on his face, their children might recognise the person who is dressed up as Zwarte Piet and lose their belief in Sinterklaas altogether. If the worry is that children will be able to recognise the person in disguise more easily, I personally think that this won’t be an issue, given that, as a six-year-old I didn’t even recognise my dad dressed up as Sinterklaas at school because I was nervous as a child. I found out years later!

Thanks to the UN, many black Dutch people have been comfortable enough to speak up about the racism they face because of Zwarte Piet and as a consequence of the debate over this racism, there have been a number of changes in the portrayal of Zwarte Piet. First of all, they are now often called Pieten, ‘Petes’. Many people, businesses and even city councils only accept rainbow-coloured Pieten or Pieten with only subtle black stripes on their faces. Facebook and Google have banned all Zwarte Pieten content and the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao has replaced Sinterklaas with a national children's day. I personally think these are incredibly positive changes and I hope that soon everyone can enjoy the festivities in December as much as I do.

Julia Van Egmond

How to travel from home; A Summer in quarantine On March 16 th 2020, Universities and schools across the UK announced that they were shutting down for quarantine. By the 21 st of the same month, almost all students had returned to their family homes, many of us with plans to work, study or travel abroad suddenly cancelled. The six months at home stretched out like a long tunnel in front of us, with the hope of returning to university in September the one shining light.

But for us language lovers, one vital thing was missing, the ability to travel. With all current plans cancelled and no foreseeable hope of planning new trips, here is what I did during quarantine to make up for my cancelled travel plans: 1. Films and TV: The main thing which helped me feel like I was travelling from home was watching as many travel shows as I could find! Of course, experiencing it on TV was not nearly as good as the real thing, but it definitely helped. My favourites were Race Across the World, in which teams must race each other around the world on a limited budget; Travels with my Father, where Jack Whitehall takes his Father on many exciting (and hilarious) adventures; and finally all the many David Attenborough series. I watched these shows with my family, which made us feel like we were all enjoying the journey together.

2. Food: Another thing I enjoyed over the summer was cooking with my family. Often, as all families do, we tend to get stuck in a cycle of having the same meals on repeat, but with more time in the day, we could enjoy cooking new meals a lot more often, which made us feel like it was a proper holiday. As well as this we tried to cook meals from around the world, testing out new curries, risottos and stir fries. Food is a wonderful thing which brings cultures together, and so trying many new foods distracted us from being stuck at home.

3. Languages: As language students, we are constantly told to read, listen to, and watch things in our target languages. Whilst this is very good advice, often it can feel like schoolwork, putting us off. But over the Summer I found that watching tv shows, reading books or listening to podcasts in my languages of study helped me feel like I was travelling and not just stuck at home. It was something new and different, and reminded me of previous holidays.

Here were some of my favourites: Fortunately for me, my family are all learning French, so we were quite happy to put the French subtitles on when we watched Netflix! However, we also watched ‘La Dernière Vague’, an innovative French paranormal thriller on BBC iPlayer. As it was set on the beautiful beaches of the Bordeaux area, it really felt like we could be there.

We also watched Money Heist, a Spanish police drama on Netflix. This we watched with English subtitles, so that we could pick up the language without having to think too much about what was being said.

As the Winter approaches, and we are still living with restrictions, many people are becoming fed up.

No longer can we fritter away the days on sunbeds.

We now have heavy workloads, and harsher weather to contend with. So in Winter 2020, I offer to you my tips and tricks to feel like we’re not still stuck at home, I invite you to try these things, and feel like you too are travelling from home.

Freya Richold

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Lisbon's best brunch spots

Like many millennials, I think of myself as somewhat of a brunch connoisseur and I love to start my day with an aesthetically pleasing table of brightly coloured juices and perfectly cooked eggs. At the beginning of the year I lived in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal and hotspot for cracking brunch culture. In this article, I’ll be sharing my unofficial (but rather extensive) review of the city’s best brunch spots…

Nicolau Lisboa - Despite the 15-minute wait to get a table, I would go back to Nicolau in an instant. This café offered the best menu I came across with the classic egg or pancake options alongside more innovative dishes such as halloumi toast. The décor was very “instagrammable” and unlike lots of the other brunch spots in Lisbon, this one is close to the centre so easy to find even if you don’t know the city.

Our food came impressively soon after we’d ordered and did not disappoint. As you can see, I opted for a classic maple-bacon pancake stack with a perfectly fried egg and a soy caramel latte on the side. It was all absolutely delicious and a good portion size, my only complaint is that there wasn’t enough maple syrup, but is there ever?

Zappi - We came across this place on a busy Sunday morning when half of Lisbon (and Portugal it seemed) was out for brunch.

They seated us really quickly at a lovely little blue table just across the street from the French embassy. The service at this place was excellent, they were super friendly, and our food came quickly too.

Speaking of the food, I ordered the “Daily B” which

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was basically a full English breakfast but Italian style and let me tell you…it did not disappoint. This spot is an Italian restaurant that also does brunch so it’s the perfect place to go if you want something a bit different. Their ingredients were fresh, their flavours impressive and their bread was freshly baked in their stone pizza oven. My only regret was not going back a second time!

Seagull Method Café - This was my least favourite place for Brunch in Lisbon because of its rather limited menu but I put it on the list because of the excellent coffee and overall atmosphere. During the week this is the perfect study spot with big tables and relaxed jazz, but it makes a great place for a cheeky brunch too! If you choose to try this café, make sure to get one of the lovely tables by the window so you can watch the world go by as you tuck into your meal.

As you can see in my picture, the aesthetic of Seagull Method’s food is incredible so if you’re looking for a good Instagram story then this is the place to go. The only reason this café comes last on the list is because their flavours weren’t quite to my taste – still worth a visit though!

Unfortunately, I had to cut my time in Lisbon short in March but some other places I wanted to try were Heim café (sister of Seagull Method café) and the Drag Queen Brunch at LX factory (who knew brunch could get even better?).

Hopefully I’ll get to go back to Lisbon soon but as of now I’m not sure what the future may bring. However, there is one thing I can always be sure of…there will always be brunch.

Rachael Jones

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda gyda’r Fari Lwyd

Ar ddiwrnod olaf mis Rhagfyr, mae pobl ledled y byd yn dathlu dechrau’r flwyddyn newydd. Mae rhai dathliadau yn enwog iawn o gwmpas y byd, fel Hogmanay yn yr Alban, neu'r tân gwyllt yn Llundain ac Awstralia. Ond nid yw un traddodiad yng Nghymru yn adnabyddus y tu allan i dde Cymru nac ardaloedd traddodiadol gyda llawer o siaradwyr Cymraeg.

Mae'r Fari Lwyd wedi bod yn Ddathliad Blwyddyn Newydd traddodiadol am yr ychydig ganrifoedd diwethaf, ac fe'i disgrifir yn aml fel un iasol. Mae wedi ei wneud o benglog ceffyl wedi'i osod ar ffon, sy'n cael ei gario gan ddyn sy'n gwisgo lliain â chwfl arno. Mae hyn yn creu'r ddelwedd o ysbryd ceffyl yn gwisgo clogyn. Yna cymerir y Mari Lwyd o amgylch pentref neu stryd leol, gyda grŵp o bentrefwyr, yn canu caneuon traddodiadol, yn adrodd cerddi, ac yn mynd o ddrws i ddrws, yn curo ac yn gofyn am gael siarad â phobl. Yn draddodiadol, rhaid i berchnogion tai wrthod mynediad i'r Mari Lwyd, ac yna maen nhw'n dadlau - ond mae'r sgwrs gyfan yn cael ei gwneud trwy gân Gymraeg draddodiadol.

Os daw'r sgwrs i ben, a bod yr aelwyd yn caniatáu mynediad i'r Mari Lwyd a'r orymdaith, rhoddir bwyd a diod i'r grŵp fel gwobr.

Tyfodd y traddodiad mewn poblogrwydd ledled de Cymru yn ystod y 19eg Ganrif. Roedd yn arbennig o boblogaidd yn y cymoedd o amgylch tref Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, a ledled gorllewin Cymru, gan gynnwys Sir Gaerfyrddin. Oherwydd pwysau Cristnogol yn dilyn adfywiad mewn Cristnogaeth ar ddechrau'r 20fed ganrif, yn raddol daeth y traddodiad yn llai a llai poblogaidd. Ond arweiniodd cynnydd yn nysgeidiaeth y Gymraeg yn yr 20fed Ganrif at gariad adfywiedig at ddiwylliant Celtaidd, a gellir dod o hyd i'r traddodiad bellach mewn llawer o bentrefi mewn berfeddwlad Gymraeg bob blwyddyn newydd. Ond yn hytrach na mynd o dŷ i dŷ, yn aml mae perfformiadau canolog yn neuaddau neu barciau Eglwys, lle mae grwpiau llai o bobl yn cymryd eu tro i ganu'r caneuon.

Os rydych eisiau darganfod tipyn bach o ddiwylliant Cymreig, dewch i Gymru ar Nos Galan, ac ymunwch â'r hwyl!

Harvey Jones

Mari Lwyd- Celtic New Year

17

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