Travelguide Las Vegas

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by Laura Elinger – Germany

The city of sin is located in Nevada’s desert and it is known for its 24-hour casinos, shopping, and endless entertainment options. The main street is the Strip, just over 4 miles long and filled with luxurious themed hotels.Las vegas strip 2 It’s the only place you can have dinner in Rome, spend the night partying in New York, wake up in Paris in order to brunch under the Eiffel Tower.
Las Vegas has become one of the best shopping destinations from all over world. Malls provide both designer labels but also conventional and affordable brands.
Furthermore, there are several restaurants and dining possibilities. From fabulous ice-cream you eat while standing to six-course meals cooked by celebrity chefs, Vegas offers something for every taste.
The saying goes that Las Vegas comes alive at nighttime; no other city can compete with the concerts, shows and events in the so-called Entertainment Capital of the World.
Nowhere else are so many talented artists performing currently in residence, including Celine Dion. blue man groupThe famous Blue Man Group is having their spectacular show. You can choose from one of the seven different Cirque du Soleil shows. What would Vegas be without magic? Magicians like David Copperfield are bewitching their audience every single time.
Las Vegas has many deals for families or minors. It is a city worth visiting to have a stag party. And don’t forget “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!”

Travel Now

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By Julia Konttila,  Finland

Every time I step on an airplane, a ship or sit on the car I get this feeling of enthusiasm. It doesn’t matter whether I travel far or near, to the other side of the world, or just to a small city near me, experiencing something new always feels amazing. When I travel I can choose to live the life I have always wanted to live, without worries.

Many times when people travel they tend to focus too much on taking enough pictures or buying the perfect souvenirs. These things are great mementos from our journeys but the most important things that we take with us are not objects. Traveling teaches us more about the world and about ourselves than we could ever imagine. Traveling opens up our eyes and makes us think differently. It gives us life lessons which we can’t learn in school. Being in a new place gives us an opportunity to go outside our comfort zone, experience things for the first time and to meet new people. When we look back we often notice that the best moments were the ones which we didn’t plan. Finally, we have a chance to be spontaneous and not to follow our daily routines.

traveling-alone-tips-700x400 (1)

We all have probably had moments when life just feels too overwhelming and we feel like we need a break from everything and everyone. In other words, it is time to travel. When people hear the word traveling, they often think about something life-changing, something expensive, something that takes place in a different country or continent, but it doesn’t have to be like that. You can travel to a national park in your own city  or to a lake which is 20 minutes away from your house. You can explore and experience something new everyday, just by using your imagination. Go to a city which you have never visited before, take a different route to school, or go on a spontaneous bike ride or visit a museum in your own city.  Don’t wait for the next holiday or the next weekend, do it now. Someone once said to me “Never stop traveling.” I say “You don’t ever have to stop traveling.”

Binche Carnival Belgian Tradition

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By Fantine Henry – Belgium

The Binche Carnival is an event in Belgium which started approximately in the 14th century. It is a tradition in a town called Binche. It is a real big deal in Belgium, the festive preparation begin up to seven weeks before the special date, “Fat Tuesday.”

binche kid

The main character of this event is the “Gilles,” they are people, specifically males, between three to sixty years old. Their performance is based on a musical act, dancing and marching. Dressed in a vibrant costume, wax masks and wooden footwear, “des sabots” in FreGilles de binchench. It is a real honour for the local people to participate in the show. The main characteristic of their costumes is their big hats adorned with ostrich plumes, which can cost more than 300$ to rent.

 

The last day of carnival, the Gilles assembled together in the center of Binche. They are dancing in the streets with rhythmic drums and ward off evil spirits with sticks. While they are walking in the streets with baskets of oranges, they thrown them to the public. You cannot return it back because it would be an insult; oranges are considered good-luck gift from the Gilles.

binche

Consequences of the Phenomenon El Niño in South America

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Maria Ines Villarejo from Paraguay

              As everybody knows El Niño is a phenomenon that causes intense rains. Since last year some countries of South America are facing this. When I say some countries I’m talking about Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. I am from Paraguay and my country at this moment is having a lot of problems because of this phenomenon.

                Since last year the rain has not stopped. At the minimum it rains two or three times a week. In the beginning, I thought that this would have a positive impact, meaning that the agriculture will increase and yes that happened but problems happened, too.

                The Paraguay River has been increasing since El Niño started. In my country, poor people live on the shore of the river in small and poor houses the majority of them made by straw. So now all this area is flooded and almost one hundred thousand people have been evicted from their houses and they are living in the streets and parks.

                The people in my country that are not affected by the flooding try to help to the poor people by giving food, clothing and a place to live temporally. However, there is not much to do because the rain does not stop and the floods either.

ipy

Top 5 Restaurants in Santa Barbara

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by Jennifer Spielmann, Switzerland

  1. South Coast Deli
  2. California Pasta
  3. Eureka!
  4. Sandbar
  5. California Pizza Kitchen

South Coast Delisouth-coast-deli-chapala-1 (1)

South Coast Deli is our number 1 because it is right on the other side of the school. The food is really delicious and worth the prices they charge. If you are in a rush, you can call them to pre-order your food. Also all the employees are very kind and friendly. Worth trying it.

Calilsfornia Pasta

You will find California Pasta right on the left side when you are entering Paseo Nuevo on State Street. The cool part at CP is that you get a 10% discount as an EF student. California Pasta has some of the best pasta in Santa Barbara. If you are a pasta lover, you definitely have to check this place out!

Eureka!eureka

The location of Eureka is easy to find. Just walk down Chapala Street and there it is on the left side. This restaurant also has a bar, which is awesome for those who like to drink and watch a game on the screen. Eureka has different kinds of food, which should definitely match your taste.


sandbarSandbar

As the name itself says, it is a bar, but also a restaurant. They do offer special deals at different times of the day. If you are sitting outside they have heaters, which are shaped like a pyramid with flames in the center. Sandbar is a nice place with an amazing atmosphere. This place is on the left side on State Street, toward the beach.

California Pizza KitchenCPK

California Pizza Kitchen is right next to Eureka in the Paseo Nuevo Mall. This place is awesome if you really like pizza. Sometimes you have to wait to get seated, but the restaurant has a waiting area with benches in front of it. You also can order something for take out. Even when you are eating in there you can ask to take the leftovers with you. You should definitely check it out.

How a Body Moves

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The Sao Paulo Museum of Modern Art gives their space to the visual arts exhibition “Dancing Museum”

Arthur Henrique Ribeiro da Costa – Brazil

 

The São Paulo Museum of Modern Art is getting ready to show the “Dancing Museum”. The exhibition brings 38 works in the collection that is integrated in the choreographic world, exploring aspects of our bodies as movement elements. Also, the masterpieces are exploiting all the space in the room, as if they were “dancing” to the appreciation of the observers.

For their selection, the meeting between Felipe Chaimovich, curator of MAM and Inês Bogéa, director of the São Paulo Dance Company, resulted in a new experience to try other ways to be physically in a museum. The connection with dance and how the body is present in the space is the great attraction of the set. According to Geise Reis, 26, a team member of the museum, “we don’t want you to be stopped. In all the museums, you have to follow a certain sequence of screens on the wall, but not here. The works are all around the space, making the visitor to move like in a dance” says Geise, who guides the public all around the area all week.

MOM Photo 6

The arrangement of parts in the Great Room of MAM is distributed according to dance fundamentals. In three areas, choreographic principles as gravity, balance and fluctuation, respectively, are shown through studies that, depending on the situation, require the participation of viewers, making them stepping barefoot in green and yellow scales or flipping giant book pages. The interactivity that the exposition provides is a differential which made the Argentine Mariana Iriberne, 25, come to Brazil: “I love modern art and (interactivity) is curious, if not funny. These masterpieces make us feel comfortable as they enter in our feelings, making us become relaxed as we move from one space and another”, said the web designer in his first time in Brazil.

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To give a final touch to the work, the São Paulo Dance Company performs in some presentations throughout the month, offering some worskhops to the visitor and interacting with the works of the museum. Coordinated by choreographer Clébio Oliveira and the dancer Rafael Gomes, the performances leave all perplexed, from adults to children. The art teacher Luciana Amaral God, 43, took her class to appreciate the work, making her student perplex by the art demonstrated in the museum: “It is important stimulate the culture”, said the teacher of Pueri Domus school.

 

 

MOM Photo 2

Art’s pioneers of Brazilian’s kinetic art, Abraham Palatnik and Hélio Oiticica, worldwide recognized artists are in the exhibition. Haruka Kojin, Sergio Camargo and other great talents are also there as well. Dancing Museum extended until January 15. The ticket costs 6 reais and the entrance is free on Sundays.

 

 

My Expectations for the New Year

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By Marcela Cruz – Ecuador

For 2016, my first goal is to get a better job so I can save money to pay to attend the university to become a veterinarian. I really love animals, especially dogs. I also want to repay my parents for this trip to Santa Barbara. After that I want to participate as a volunteer in PAE (Ecuador Animal Protection). Actually I have been rescuing stray dogs and taking them to my house for the past five years.  So I need more money to take care of them. This is why another of my goals is to create an animal shelter.

I want to have my knee repaired so I can return to playing soccer again, but I think it’s going to take more time.

After taking care of these plans, I don’t know what the new year will bring, but I hope my daily life will be like always or maybe better.  I’m happy with the past year because I accomplished my goals which were to complete my degree in hotel management, continuing to rescue animals, and to get a more professional job.  I am looking forward to being with my family in February.

 

Happy New Year

2016 New Year, New Experiences

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By Maria Villarejo – Paraguay

It is difficult to realize that tomorrow is starting another New Year. 365 new days to meet new people and to know new places. However, it is hard for me spend this night here in the United States without my parents but is a new experience and that is always good.

This year I am not sure what my expectations are and neither what I want to do yet. Maybe during these next three months that I will still be here I will take advantage of the opportunities and I will visit new places in California.

When I return to home I have to go back to school, so I suppose this New Year I would do the same things I always do… Go to school, play sports, study English and French, and spend time with family and friends.

But I also think that when I return to home my life is going to be kind of different because of this experience that I am having right now, meaning that being here at my age, 16, without my parents has caused me to be more independent and to see things with a different point of view.

Finally I guess my 2016 will be a year with surprises because of what I have learned here in Santa Barbara.

 

2016 New Year

“Wanderlust”

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By Vanille Pieper, Belgium

Definition: Wanderlust – (n.) a strong desire or urge to wander or travel and explore the world.

wanderlust picture

This German word is not only used in Germany and Austria, but is known around the world because it expresses far more than the simple idea of travelling. It not only describes the act of travelling, but also a strong desire we have when we leave home on a new adventure.

Personally, traveling makes me feel alive. By seeing the world people finally understand that we are part of something, something huge and incredible. When we return home after a long journey, we realize what is really important in life. People change their priorities and their perspectives of life. Isn`t that amazing? Travelling, exploring new places, getting to know new people from all around the world can change our personalities, our way of living, hopefully to something better. The chances that an individual become a better person through travelling are very high. In fact, when learning from other culture and interacting with different people we become more open-minded. This stimulates the understanding of other people’s feelings and behaviors. In addition, it also helps us to reflect on our choices. We become more conscious about ourselves and the responsibility we have towards others.

Vanille article picture 1

This anonymous quote sums up very well the main idea of travelling:

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”                                   

 Vanille article picture 2

Top 5 Coffee Shops in Santa Barbara

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Top 5 Coffee Shops in Santa Barbarahandlebar-coffee-roasters

By Sandra Schoeni, Switzerland

Handlebar – It’s always crowded but it’s very nice there and the coffee is good. You’ll get a real cup not just these usual take-away cups. Handlebar is off of State Street, on 128 E Canon Perdido Street.

Peet’s – It’s similar to Starbucks. The coffee is good but not something special. You can find a Peet’s store on upper State Street 3905 or Downtown, 1131 State Street.

French Press – For coffee with no additional flavors French Press is simply the best. They take their time to decorate your coffee with hearts. The stamp on their take-away cups makes them unique. The French Press is located at 1101 State Street.

Coffee Cat – For take-away Coffee the coffee cat is good. The coffee shop itself is not nicely decorated so it’s not a place to stay for a long time, but the coffee is delicious J you can find the coffee cat next to the court house on 1201 Anacapa Street.

Santa Barbara Roasting Company – The shop isn’t that big but the coffee is really good. There you can find flavors you‘ll never find anywheree else. The cups have the logo of the company, which is very nice. They look lovely J the Santa Barbara Roasting company is at 321 Motor Way.coffecat