What makes me miss Korea

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What makes me miss Korea

Bijin Park, South Korea

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Have you ever missed your country while you were traveling? Maybe almost all people have felt it once. I am living in Santa Barbara and I am from South Korea. I can experience a lot of any other foreign cultures in Korea, so I have never felt difficulty while living in USA. However, I feel nostalgic for my country sometimes. What makes me feel this about Korea is because of Norea Bang and PC Bang. This is also one of what I love in Korean culture, and from now on I am going to tell you about this culture.

 

1.Norae Bang

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Normal Norae Bang

If you like singing and dancing, I really recommend ‘Norae Bang’ to you. It is Korean Karaoke, and we call it ‘Norae Bang’. ‘Norae’ literally means singing, and ‘Bang’ means a “room” in Korean. In South Korea, there are a lot of Norea Bangs everywhere because almost of Korean people from kids to adults love to enjoy their time here, and going Norea Bang after drinking is taken for granted nowadays.

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Coin Norae Bang

There are two types of Norae Bang. One is normal Norae Bang. You pay money for 1 or more hours, and you can sing any songs whatever you want in a room. The time is limited. The other is coin-Norae Bang. You pay money for the number of songs. One song is 500￦(about 50 cents), and 2 songs are 1000￦(about $1). I usually go to coin Norae Bang because the room is usually smaller than normal, so I go there by myself and enjoy! Moreover, most of them open 24 hours. So anywhere and anytime you can have a good time!

In the video below, people went to one where they take off their shoes in a Norae Bang in South Korea, but we usually don’t take our shoes inside. How the Noreabong looks, how  we play inside and how much we pay is all different from each other.

 

 

2.PC Bang

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South Korea is famous for amazing game players. I guess PC Bang is one of the factors contributing to it. PC Bang is a Korean Internet cafe. It is also everywhere and is open 24 hours. So many Koreans go to PC Bang, even though they have their own computers in their houses because PC Bang has a lot of benefits. They have SUPER nice computers, headphones, keyboards, chairs that you can even sleep comfortably and if you want, you can order some snacks and food through computers. Also, playing games for 1 hour is usually $1, and if you stay more, the price goes down like 2 hours for $1.5, but they vary in different locations.

As of 2017, South Korea had the fastest average internet connection in the world at 28.6 Mbit/s, according to the report State of the Internet published by Akamai Technologies, and PC Bangs are the best. So some people use PC Bang when they book tickets that are on a first come, first served, but most people go because they want to enjoy games without disconnection and slow Internet speed.

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To be honest, I wasn’t interested in PC Bang before because I really didn’t play any games on the computer. However, when I found myself in trouble, It helped me. One day my phone was dead while I was traveling to some places in Korea by myself. I could not do anything, stuck in strange world, I didn’t know well, and the time was about 2 or 3 am. Nobody was around me. Walking down the streets with panic, I found PC Bang and I got an idea to use the Internet and found my way to get out. Thanks to PC Bang, I was able to find where the house I was supposed to go was, the way to get there and contact with people there who were so relieved. Also, in other cases, it helped me a lot like when I needed to register for courses in university. And now, I sometimes enjoy doing ‘Overwatch’ game. This is what I came to like PC Bang. However, the one thing that you have to know is people under 18 can only use it until 10 PM, but if you are not, you can use it for 24 hours. Someday, if you have the opportunity to come to South Korea, I hope you enjoy this culture and have a great time. Thank you!

 

 

Continue reading What makes me miss Korea

Losing Weight Without Exercise?

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The success of ‘Brown adipose tissue’ transplantation of fat

Bijin Park, South Korea

  To lose weight, we have to decrease the amount of food eaten or use more calories than before. Doing a restricted diet and exercise at the same time is the most ideal way, but also the most difficult way. So some people try to lessen food consumption too much or stop eating, but these approaches cause side-effects, such as yo-yo weight loss. In many markets, there are thousands of products that say “I can make you slim,” but there is no scientifically supporting evidence ,or the products have a little effect.

So scientists are studying new ideas to develop more effective and convenient ways to lose weight. Kevin Tharp and his colleagues at California University insisted ‘Brown fat tissue’ can be the way in a thesis about diabetes. This can sound weird, but it is fully supported. In animal fat tissue, there is ‘brown adipose tissue’ that can be changed into heat when consumed and normal ‘white adipose tissue’ that preserves energy in a form of fat that we commonly know.

‘Brown adipose tissue’ is usually abundant shortly after new-born animals because it has to maintain the body temperature of the young animals. The animals that hibernate during winter also hold a large amount of brown adipose tissue in their bodies to protect themselves against freezing to death. It is adipose tissue, but it makes your body consume energy so it brings out weight loss after all.

The researchers made stem cells of experimental rats into cells similar to brown adipose tissue and injected them to the other rats. These cells multiplied and made a lot of brown adipose tissue. The part of the body that has a lot of brown adipose tissue was 0.5C higher in temperature than other parts of the body. As a result, rats in the scientific control group (have more brown adipose tissue) consumed more calories than normal rats.

 

A is the part injected, B is normal part

(Thermal camera photo by Kevin Tharp and Andreas Stahl)

 

So, the researchers are expecting that this new study will allow people with diabetes or obesity to control their blood sugar and weight, but it is still a long way off to realize because there can be side effects in inserting stem cells or increasing body temperature over time.

 

sourse : http://nownews.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20150822601009

 

 

Photography, a Breakthrough Technology In Art

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Angele Dubos, France.

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.”

 

Photography is one of the most incredible breakthroughs in technology, in society and in art movements. As a mirror to the world, photography explores human emotions. It captures or marks a passage of time. Developed over the past 200 years, it enhances faster than any other visual art, plainly because it’s a blend between technology and art,  science and abstraction, reality and imagination, techniques and inspiration. Generally speaking, photography aims to capture the reality of everyday life, in parallel, it’s a fine art which requires time and attention.

This discipline, which has helped us to understand of our world, is widespread, omnipresent, everywhere: in our smartphones, advertising, social media, streets… Then how did photography become so renowned and appreciated by everyone?

Photography took shape when a Chinese photographer created the Camera Obscura, the first camera.  The main principle occurs when the image is projected through a screen which is a kind of mirror where the image is upside down.

Camera-obscura

Then, a lot of cameras, which I’m not going to list for the reason that it’ll be so long, have risen in popularity in our societies. Cameras have been examined through scientists’ hands and professionals in order to become more effective and obtain higher performance. Some well-known brands are Nikon and Canon.

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Regarding photography as an art, this discipline navigates around genres, artists, themes, works and techniques. Sometimes similar to the art of painting, photography has followed mostly the art movement: avant-garde, propaganda, contemporary art,  modernism, pointillism… On one hand, works are really carefully thought through by the artists focusing on lighting, the subject, the background, the meaning. On the other hand, some artist’s photographs are snapshots and have been captured in the right amazing moment.

However, some works are misleading, such as the The Kiss by the Hotel de Ville. Photographed by Robert Doisneau in Paris, this work is one of the most iconic of the 20th century. It reveals the love and romantic aspect that photography may have. Whereas, this photograph was actually all planned, all organized and everything you see was set up, even the extras behind, the cars, and included the blurred background.

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Photography also addresses fashion, photojournalism, war, advertising, death, nature, nudes, paparazzi and even more. That’s why I strongly suggest that you buy and read this book: The short story of Photography, which reviews in an enjoyable and pleasant way, the history of photography from the first movement until today.

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What You Can Do When You Visit Amsterdam

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Floortje Klein Schiphorst, the Netherlands

History
Amsterdam is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands. Amsterdam has a population of 851,373 within the city. Amsterdam’s name comes from ‘Amstelredamme’,  of the city’s origin around a dam in the river Amstel.

Facts
– There are 17,620,000 visitors per year
– More then 100km canals
– Daily use public transport: 747,000
– There are 881,000 bikes
– 63% of the people who live in Amsterdam travel everyday with the bike

Things to do
There are a lot of things that you can do if you visit Amsterdam.

Canals of Amsterdam
There are 165 canals that combine for a length of over 100km (about 60 miles). There are 2,500 houseboats in the canals. You can book a boat tour through the canals. There are many different canal cruise companies. You can choose many different types of tours, like hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tours or night time cruises with food and wine.

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Shopping
Amsterdam is a excellent city for shopping. Most of the brands are on Kalverstraat and Leidsestraat. Kalverstraat is close to the ‘Dam of Amsterdam’, also a part that you need to visit. Another nice shopping area is ‘The Nine Streets’ (De Negen Straatjes). It called that because this area, located in the heart, has nine narrow streets. There are a lot of great restaurants, cafés, art galleries, jewelers, boutiques and vintage stores.

In heart of Amsterdam you have also a lot of typically Dutch souvenir shops.

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Parks
If you want to enjoy the sun, you can buy some food at the supermarket and go to a nice park. The most famous park in Amsterdam is ‘Vondelpark’. In the summer, there are also a lot of people from Amsterdam and it is close to the heart of the city.

Located in Amsterdam West is ‘Westerpark’. It’s is a nice place to walk, skate, relax or have a picnic with friends.

Also ‘Amstelpark’, located in the south, or ‘Rembrandtpark’, located in west, are both good parks to go to.

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Museums
There are several museums you can visit in Amsterdam.
– Amsterdam Rijksmuseum is one of the most popular museums. They have historic art by Vermeer, Frans Hals, and the most famous one of Rembrandt ‘ The Night Watch’.
– Stedelijk Museum is at the Museumplein. It presents the best of modern art in Amsterdam.
– Van Gogh Museum is one of the most popular museums in the world and presents all the work from Vincent van Gogh.
– The Anne Frank House is at the Prinsengracht 263 where she lived in hiding with her family for more than two years during World War Two.
– Hermitage Amsterdam is rotating their collection of art from the Hermitage in Russia.

In addition to these museums, there are a lot of other ones like, Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Nemo Science Museum, EYE film, etc.

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In the Night
If you want to go out at night you can go to Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein in the heart of the city. There are a lot of bars and clubs. In Amsterdam South you have also a lot of nice bars, in the neighborhood ‘de pijp’. If you want to know what kind of parties there are, you can go to: https://www.djguide.nl/events.p?city=amsterdam&language=en

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Other things
You can go to ‘Olympic Stadium Amsterdam’, which was built for the Olympic games in 1928. You can also go to the zoo in Amsterdam ‘Artis’. If you go in April, you need to go to King’s Day, on the 27th of April. We celebrate the birthday of the king and wearing all orange clothes, and there are parties everywhere on the street.

Nice places and restaurants 
There are a lot of nice places in Amsterdam that you can visit. We have a lot of festivals in the summer, but you can also relax on a terrace. The best spots in Amsterdam are Hannekes Boom, Waterkant, Cafe de Jaren, pllek, Café de Ceuvel, Tolhuistuin, Canibal Royal, Westergasterras, Foodhallen, Sumo Sushi, etc.

I AMSTERDAM City Card
A good website you can use for research: http://www.iamsterdam.com
There are a lot of good tips and they tell you where you need to go if you want to know more things that you can do in Amsterdam. They also sell a lot of tickets for places to visit. There is a special card you can buy when you are staying in Amsterdam. You can choose a card for 24, 48, 72 or 96 ours. It includes free entrance to over 50 museums and attractions, free unlimited public transport in Amsterdam with tram, metro or bus, free canal cruises, free giveaways and discounts and a lot more things. So you can check the website for more information and prices.

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Women’s Soccer

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Amelie Plenk, Switzerland

 

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA Women’s World Cup has been in existence since 1991 and takes place every four years. In 2019, the next Women’s World Cup will take place in France. Then the World Cup will be held for the eighth time and 24 teams will compete against each other.

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Marta Vieira da Silva

Marta Vieira da Silva was born on the 19 February 1986. Marta has been a Swedish citizen since 14 March 2017, but she will also retain her Brazilian citizenship. Marta Vieira da Silva, commonly known as Marta, is a Brazilian 

Image result for marta vieira da silvafootballer who plays for the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League and the Brazil National Team as a forward. With 15 goals, she holds the record for the most goals in FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments.

 

My experience

I have been playing soccer for four years on a women’s team in a small village. Four years ago, we were still the only girls team in our club and now there are 4 teams – women’s football is becoming more popular! But, of the 265 million football players worldwide, only 10 percent are women. 

 

 

Visit Extraordinary Belgium

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By Andreas Top

Belgium is one of the favorite countries of tourists and students. Every year we receive more than 1 billion tourists. I would love to tell you guys something more about the places you must see. We have an abundant culture, from the beers to the French fries,…

Bruges

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The spirit and history emits strongly in this lovely city of canals. Burges has beautiful architecture, particularly on the southern side of the city, for example The Grote Market Square.  If you are interested in visiting musuems, then you should go to the chocolate museum or the Belfort.

Brussels

Brussels

Brussels is the capital city of Belgium and is likely where visitors will begin their sightseeing. As the headquarters of many European institutions, Brussels might also be considered the capital for the European Union. The Grand Place is the city’s center and was established in the 13th century. There are terrace cafes and pubs around this central square, and other sites of interest such as the Gothic style Town Hall. The shopping is fun there, too.

Ghent

ghent

Ghent is a city of history. The impact of its past can be clearly seen when viewing the impressive architecture of churches and the houses of rich traders. The entire center of the city is restored in this style. Ghent is also one of the biggest student cities in our country, with more than 74,000 students.

Antwerp

antwerp

Antwerp is a city with many faces. While it may not be as historically preserved as Bruges or Ghent, it is a very dynamic city, offering a perfect mix of history and present-day modern life. Lovers of great food, great beer, and good times, this city is most well-known for the Diamond District, where more than 70 percent of the world’s diamonds are traded.

Leuven

leuven

Leuven has the oldest Catholic university.  It has 100,000 residents,  35,000 are students. Two long streets have interesting shops and galleries. You must visit the Belfry on St. Peter’s Church and the Grand Beguinage.

 

Why Should We Travel Alone?

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Beatrice Esposito, Italy

Going on a trip with your friends or with your family can be really awesome because you can share your experience with someone else who is close to you.

But have you ever thought about traveling alone? 

Here are 4 reasons why you should travel alone.

Focus on your destination

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You can totally choose the destinations that you like the most; you are not influenced by anyone, so you don’t have to go somewhere that you are not interested in. In addition, when you go on a solo trip you can concentrate on what you would want to visit without being influenced by other’s opinions.

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Meet locals

Since you are alone, you can’t talk with your friends or family when you have nothing to do, so you have to interact with people who live in that country. That can be a good thing because they can show you what are the best things to do in that place or you could even become friends with these people in order to experience the locals’ life.

Build confidence

At first it is absolutely scary and I can tell that it is true! I came to Los Angeles to study English and I flew from Rome to Istanbul and from Istanbul to Los

Résultats de recherche d'images pour « build confidence traveling »Angeles all the way alone. That scared me a little bit because I was scared I would take the wrong flight or I thought that something bad could happen. But at the end, everything was fine and I became more confident!

Learn about yourself

Last but not least, during your solo travel, you have to face who you are and you will better understand what you are interested in.Résultats de recherche d'images pour « Learn about yourself traveling »

 

So traveling with others you will find great friendship and you will have fun, but traveling alone you might find yourself.

Carnival of Sion

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Baptiste Ostertag, Switzerland

What is it ?

The carnival of Sion is a big celebration which is every year during the first week of February.Carnaval de Sion

A lot a people are going there, most of the time in costume, just to enjoy, watch the parade, party and meet people.

A lots of groups come to Sion, to play music, as you can see in the picture below !!carna_sion24.jpg

Then in the evening, people, specially the young adult, are going under a big pavillion to do party all the night.carna_sion25

Here you meet a lot of people you know, you can dance and drink all the night, even if you’re not 21 (Not like in the USA), and you can enjoy the particular music which is being played by the brass band.

Here is an example :

The most important thing there is to enjoy yourself, and the fact that almost everybody is disguised makes the carnival really fun, because sometimes you can’t recognize people.

Appenzell

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Raphaela Vogel, Switzerland

Appenzell is a region in the northeast of Switzerland. I will show you some of the places you have to see:

Mountains: Alpstein

In Appenzell, there are a lot of mountains. Altogether they are called Alpstein. The biggest mountain in Alpstein is called Saentis, which is 8,216 feet (2,504 m).  In the summer, there are a lot of hiking trails. In the winter you can go skiing and go for a winter walk in the snow.

Appenzellerland   Appenzellerland

One of the most popular mountains in Appenzell is called Ebenalp. It became very popular because of a restaurant on the way up. The restaurant is called Aescher and it was built precariously into the face of the rock.

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Cheese factory

Another typical thing for Appenzell is the cheese. We have our own cheese called “Appenzeller cheese”. In a little village called Stein, we have our cheese factory. Overthere you can look over the shoulders of the cheesemaker and you will see how they produce their cheese. And if you like, you have the possibility to make your own cheese. Of course, there is also a restaurant and a shop where you can eat something or buy some cheese or a souvenir.

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Appenzell (City)

The capital of Appenzell has the same name as the region. In this city, you can see some typical houses for this area. And, of course, you can spend some time in this cute city. If you would like to learn something about the culture of this region you can go to the museum. There they will show you all about their lifestyle and their culture.

Appenzell

Silversterchlausen

There is something that only exists in Appenzell. It is called Silversterchlausen. Each year at New Year’s Eve, some groups of six men (Silversterchlauese) go from house to house. First, they will sing together. After that, they will wish you a lucky New Year!

There are two different kinds of Silversterchlaeuse. We called them “The Beautiful Ones” (picture on the left) and “The Ugly Ones” (picture on the right).

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