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Maria Peixoto, Portugal

Fado… “Fado” is a Portuguese word which means “destiny” or “fate”, but is representative of the traditional music genre of Portugal. People say that Fado emerged in the 19th century in Lisbon, but it actually has much history before that.

Fado is a type of music that has deep and very meaningful lyrics, usually connected to melancholic thoughts. The person who sings the song puts a lot of feeling and expression into the words, which turns the moment into something magical. Loss, sadness, lack of something or somebody are the most common topics in Fado. The singer always has a Portuguese guitar in the background, which adds a beautiful melody that goes along with the singers voice and is only used in Fado

 

 

There are, in Portugal, tipical places where fado was probably born such as Mouraria, Bairro Alto and Alfama. All of this places are located in Lisbon and represent pretty much all of the Fado’s culture. Portugal has a lot of fado houses where people can enjoy fado and have a good time.

 

There are some well known fado singers, called “fadistas”, such as Mariza, Dulce Pontes, Carlos do Carmo, Ana Moura, Camané. Amália Rodrigues, also know as the “Rainha do Fado” (“Queen of Fado”) was the most influential in popularizing Fado worldwide. One of the most beautiful fados is “Canção do Mar” by Dulce Pontes, but it was first performed by Amália Rodrigues. https://youtu.be/v_2fyB4dj4U

Fado does not only belong to Portugal, but it also belongs to the world since it was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, on 27th November 2011.

In conclusion, people should give Fado a try, even though they might not understand what is being said, because the melody speaks for itself.

Michaela Kopecna, Czech Republic

For someone who wasn’t born in Santa Barbara some things can be completely new and strange. Every country has its own customs or traditions. Some of them could be normal, but some of them could seem little bit weird.

I am a girl from a small city in Europe and I have never traveled across the ocean before. So the words like “jet lag” or “culture shock” were, for me, completely new. I never understood the meaning of them because in Europe we all go to sleep at same time. That means that we have different traditions, but close and similar to each other.

What time is it?

When you land at the airport your first thing you must check is the time, because in Europe it is 12 pm. What time is the right one? That’s the question. Here in Santa Barbara it’s 12 am , so should I go to sleep? No! And that is what jet lag is.

 

 

How to use the toilets?

It could be strange, but the toilets are also different. And for someone from Europe it’s a shock. Are there really gaps when you close the doors? So everybody can see me through the gaps, right?

Are people here my friends now?

It could happen that you are standing at a bus stop and some stranger starts to talk with you. Just in Santa Barbara. The people here are so kind and helpful. They just talk with you and at the end of the conversation you are friends. How easy. That’s why I feel so welcome in this country.

How to say hi?

Hearing Spanish in Santa Barbara is really common. All the names of the streets are in Spanish and also in some public buildings you can hear this language. That is because Santa Barbara used to be a Spanish colony. However, for every day use, just learn how to say hi in Spanish. That will be enough. So “Hola” and “Gracias, senora”!

I’m freezing!

Sometimes you can feel cold here because of the air-conditioning or cold weather. Don’t underestimate it and take a  warm sweater into your classes. Even if Santa Barbara has the ocean it isn’t warm all the time. Surprisingly.

Goal!

You can say you are citizen when you help tourists get to the beach. You won! Santa Barbara is not so hard to orient oneself. So after a short time you will feel here like you are at home. Culture shock is gone and jet lag is your very old friend. WELCOME TO SANTA BARBARA!

The girls volleyball teams of Santa 
Barbara are more succesful than in any 
other city in California!

The universities here in California are 
very famous for their succesfull students, 
and their different sports Leagues. 

Now we are going to talk about volleyball, but girl's teams.

The Santa Barbara Dons Girl’s Volleyball team has a rich history 
of tradition and championships. Follow all the action, including 
Channel League and CIF action, right here as the Lady Dons embark on 
another championship run.

Moreover, Santa Barbara High Girls Beach Volleyball Wins All-Channel League.
The Santa Barbara High Dons, who has lost only one match all season,
took the All-Channel League championship in May in girls beach 
volleyball.
The team was coached by incoming indoor varsity coach Ariana Garner,
and Anthony Medel as assistant coach who chose the best players through 
numerous physical tests every summer. Because of this, this team has many 
successes in all the leagues where they have played.

These girls train very hard every day, but they have fun too. They

are really good friends.The most important aspect for them is to spend a good time 
time together in their favourite sport. 

Therefore, their coaches teach them to have good discipline and consistency
in their training. "Teamwork is very important in this sport," says 
one of its coaches.

Thanks to the different leagues, they can travel to different cities every
weekend. So, it's a big opportunity for them to meet new people.

Juan Aylwin – Chile

Alex J. Honnold is an American rock climber best known for his free solo ascents of big walls. He was born in Sacramento, California. Hannold started climbing when he was 11 years old.

He is the only person to have free-solo climbed “El Capitan” (3,000-foot)  in Yosemite National park and has broken a number of speed records. He likes tall, long routes and he tries to climb them in the fastest way possible. He is the author of Alone on the Wall, a book that shows his climbing experiences.

 

 

Nicolas Brandenburger, Germany

This is my 4th week in Santa Barbara and I enjoyed my time very much. I’m living in a homeshare together with 25 people from all over the world and every week new people come and leave. We are centrally located near the beach and downtown, which is very good. I like the ocean, beach and weather very much because, in my country, it rains a lot. The people are relaxed and don’t rush you if you ask for something. I like the mountains in the background of the downtown. From there you have a very good view over Santa Barbara. Restaurants are very expensive here. Even fast food is not that cheap, like in my country.

Heloise Hassan, France

Hi guys! Welcome to my personal blog!

As you already know for the most of you, I used to talk about my lifestyle, my trips, my friends, my advice about shopping and cosmetics… But today, I would like to talk about something I did in the past so you will know more about me.

One thing that I didn’t tell you is that my favorite thing ever is the theater. Indeed, this is my hobbie, and I discovered that when I was 5 years old!

At a first sight, I wanted to take theater lessons because I wanted to be like my mother who practiced that too in the past. But then, I realized very fast that I really loved that and I wanted to continue even if I was a little child.

I stopped the class at the conservatory at 10 and when I was 13 years old I started to attend one of the best school of theater in France : les Cours Florent.

After 4 years of this class I realized how much the theater has helped me for my life… Here we are, I am talking about that because I wanted to share a good experience and something that you need to try in your life.

Firstly, the benefits of the theater are several. It has been like a therapy for me. When, in the school, the life wasn’t really like I wanted them to do, I remembered that I had to wait until the Saturday to see people who shared the same hobbies as me and to practice what I really love to do. This day of theater was MY day, an escape from the school and a break.

It helped me to open my mind, but also to be more confident in my life. I learned how to speak, how to answer and how to put away my shyness.

Sometimes, guys, you don’t need a therapy when you don’t feel good. Just find something that you really love to do and who makes you happy, share your hobbies with people who really understand you so you can blossomed in your life.

I recommend you so much to try theater. When I acted, I felt like I could do whatever I wanted and it was true. The purpose is to feel totally free when you are on stage and to make a total omission of the reaction of the others.

If I have to talk in all honesty, I can say that without the theater I would have never been brave and self-confident enough to leave France to take a trip alone at the age of 18 and live my own adventure that I share with you every day…

Thank you so much guys for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed the edition of today.

Enjoy your life. Live your life and don’t be afraid to try new things and to move on when you have to.

XOXO, Heloise Hassan

 

 

 

 

 

Nao Takeyama Japan

The country courthouse was designed by William Mooser in 1929.

 

 

Aoi Mieno, Japan

Santa Barbara is a beautiful place, for example beaches, buildings and many shops. This place the Spanish culture is penetrating. Here is a celebrity villa. Many people are relaxing on holidays.

Mainly you can see dolphins on the beach. This ocean is very big, so there are many sea animals. People enjoying surfing, BBQ, and kayaking…

Santa Barbara is publicized by media. Attention has been paid by many people.

You must visit here!

 

Karen Yokoo from Japan

~the view at the bus station~

Beautiful views are seen in Santa Barbara.

This place is enjoyed by many people.

You can enjoy the city at any times because it is good weather in Santa Barbara every day.

 

~the view from the ship~

The nice sunset is seen from the ship.

The sunset cruise is enjoyed by many people in Santa Barbara.

You can see this wonderful scenery about from 7 to 8 p.m.