Tag: Europe

Pequod meets AEGEE: Croatia VS Italy

Last week we went to Spain with Marta. This week is all about Croatia. It’s ridiculously close to Italy, but we don’t know a lot about it, about its culture and about its people. That’s why Pequod had a chat with Rina and Martina, two Croatian students who have just finished their Erasmus semester in Bergamo, Italy.

1. What’s your name? How old are you? Where do you study? What do you study?

– Rina Legović, 23, Rijeka, Law

– Martina Grdović, 24, Zagreb, Law

2. Describe your country in three words (or phrases, or ideas, or places, or people…).

Rina: nature, cuisine, history – it’s a country that needs to be discovered!

Martina: historical heritage, natural beauty, pleasant climate.

11004867_10153139479587840_1203239820_n — Martina sent us this picture of Zadar, Croatia

10994752_10204031587490869_1440081849_n — This is Rina’s picture of Rijeka, Croatia

3. Why did you choose Italy? Use one word to describe what Italy represents for you.

Rina: I chose Italy because of the language and the culture. For me, Italy is a SECOND-HOME.

Martina: I wanted to improve my Italian and also enjoy Italian lifestyle. For me, Italy means FRIENDLINESS.

4. First three things that come up to your mind when you think about Europe. Do you consider yourself European?

Rina: Diversity, culture, travel. Yes, I consider myself European.

Martina: Home, certainty, beauty. I consider myself European.

5. Say something about Erasmus.

Rina: It has been an overwhelming experience, sometimes even surreal (heh)

Martina: Once you go Erasmus, it’s always Erasmus:) It’s a possibility to study abroad, but also to become friend with people from all over the world, to travel and to change your way of thinking.

6. Croatia, Italy, Europe: similarities and differences.

Rina: Our mentality is rather like the Italians’ one. The similarities are related to the cultural heritage, cuisine, people’s temperament. Certainly there are differences, sometimes concerning the little everyday things, other times are bigger, even crucial. However Erasmus taught me how to overcome these differences and free the mind from any prejudice.

Martina: We have similar humor, food and climate, but Italians are more relaxed, open and easy- going.

Pequod meets Aegee: Germany VS Italy

Last Thursday at APErasmus Pequod started its collaboration with Aegee Bergamo. Taking part to Aegee Erasmus events, Pequod will interview Erasmus students, every week from a different country, who are now living and studying in Bergamo, Italy. We’ll ask our questions to more than one person, so it’ll be interesting to compare the answers… Here’s the first “Pequod meets Aegee” publication, enjoy!

1. What’s your name? How old are you? Where do you study? What do you study?

– Hanne, 21, Heilbronn, IT and Economics

– Miriam, 23, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Building Engeneering

2. Describe your country in three words (or phrases, or ideas, or places, or people…).

Hanne: punctuality, ‘sauerkraut’, not too emotional.

Miriam: good workers, ‘Ruhrpott’ – the biggest urban agglomeration in Germany, friendly and nice people (challenging the stereotyps).

3. Why did you choose Italy? Use one word to describe what Italy represents for you.

Hanne: I chose Italy because I like its way of living. Also, Italian language to me sounds like a melody! For me Italy is LA DOLCE VITA.

Miriam: I chose Italy because Italian culture is not too far from German culture and because it’s a very nice place to visit. If I were to describe Italy in one expression, I’d say GOOD FOOD.

4. First three things that come up to your mind when you think about Europe. Do you consider yourself European?

Hanne: mobility, freedom, different people but together. Yes, I do consider myself European.

Miriam: community, freedom, a place of travel and living. Yes, I’m a European.

5. Say something about Erasmus.

Hanne: party, nice people.

Miriam: fun, many people to meet, good connection.

6. Germany, Italy, Europe: similarities and differences.

Hanne: Germans are less emotional than Italians. In Italy everything is closer. Italian mentality is different: they consider family the most important thing, they’re very close to their relatives.

Miriam: Germany, Italy, Europe – different lifestyles but one community.

Mammone-annullamento-del-matrimonio-legittimo-se-lui-anaffettivo-con-la-moglie — Italians to Hanne’s eyes: MAMMONI!

APErasmus – PEQUOD meets AEGEE Bergamo

Do you know AEGEE? Probably, those of you who have been Erasmus students know it pretty well, as in the 1980s AEGEE promoted the placement of the Erasmus project – so THANK YOU GUYS! Since then, AEGEE, whose name is related to the Aegean Sea, the birthplace of democracy – how cool is that?! – has been promoting European events creating a huge network of young people all over Europe and beyond.

As you can imagine, AEGEE Bergamo is one of the local branches of AEGEE. Born in the nineties, for all these years it has helped young people cheap-travelling all over Europe, learning foreign languages, making international friends, taking part to international events and parties and becoming real European citizens.

Last night Pequod met the incredibile staff of AEGEE Bergamo at the first APErasmus of the year. What is that? Well, take two of the smartest inventions ever (aperitivo and Erasmus), and put them together: what you get is APErasmus, an event where you can have some appetizers, have a drink and meet new people. The coolest thing is that every week the party is dedicated to a different country – last night was German night – this means that the food, the cocktails and the decorations are related to that country, so that you get to know it better by having loads of fun!

We collected some comments of the people there, both Erasmus students and Italians.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — **Claire** and **Juliette** from **France** seem to be having fun. They are in Italy **to learn Italian** and for them Erasmus is “party” and “fun”.

**Alice** and **Anna** are **Chinese** and study in Italy. Alice told us that she wanted to go to America in the first place, but it was too expensive. However, she says Italy is beautiful, so she doesn’t seem too disappointed. Anna is more enthusiastic – for her **“Italy is the most beautiful country”** – she laughs – and she’s **passionate about Italian culture and films**.

As everyone looks happy and has a glass in his hands, we go to the bar, also known as the place where the magic happens, and steal a minute from the busy bartender. He says Erasmus events are fun, and according to his esperience, **Erasmus students all share bad taste in drinking!**

While inside the atmosphere is burning, thanks to the deejays and the barmen, outside it’s snowing a lot, but people don’t mind it at all and stand in the street. Everybody’s busy chatting – English, Italian, German, Spanish and French languages are the soundtrack of this cold white night.

While Pequod is freezing, Conrad seems comfortable even without a coat. He’s from Sheffield (UK) and speaks some Italian because he was studying it in England. He’s been in Italy for a couple of weeks, though he already thinks a lot of good things about Erasmus – good trips (he’s been in Venice and somewhere in the mountains), helpful and very nice people.

The streets are completely white and Pequod needs to get home. But don’t worry: every week we’ll be at APErasmus to meet new people from all over Europe. Read our International interview each Tuesday!

For further information about AEGEE Europe, AEGEE Bergamo and APErasmus, visit the following pages:

http://www.aegee.org/

http://www.aegeebergamo.eu/

https://www.facebook.com/aperasmus.bg

Like Pequod magazine on Facebook and get the updates about the next International interview:

https://www.facebook.com/PequodRivista

A Turkish in Romania

Name and Surname: Reha YILMAZLAR

Age: 24

Country: Turkey

Nationality: Turkish

City: Ankara (The capital)

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

Which is the form of government ruling in your country?

The government of Turkey takes place in the framework of a secular parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Turkey is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The President of Turkey is the head of state who holds a largely ceremonial role but with substantial reserve power.

Turkey’s political system is based on the separation of powers. Executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers. Legislative power is vested in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent. Changes to the Constitution are not expected.

Seğmenler Parkı is a good choice for me. We usually take our guitars and beers, go there and play, get drunk and chill.

Do you believe corruption exists in your country? How much do you think it influences political life and your private life?

Yes, several months ago it was all on news. There were voice records all over the internet where the prime minister and his son were talking on the phone about a huge amount of money that has been stolen. It is claimed that they were keeping the money in shoeboxes and everyone was making fun of it… It remained on the agenda for quite a while.

Also, last year we had a local election. But during the voting session in some regions electricity was cut off. Most of the people think that it happened because they wanted to rig the election results. However, the funny thing was that our minister of energy showed up on television and said there were some cats near the power centers and they caused all that trouble. We made fun of it on social media for days.

This is one of my favourite places to get a drink, or two, or five in my case! The pub is called “Roxanne Pub” as the song from the band “The Police”.

Which is your national language? Do dialects exist in your country? If they do, are they used/known by young people?

Yep. There are certain dialects in some parts of Turkey. So you can identify when someone talks if they are from the Eastern, the Western or the Southern part of Turkey and sometimes you can even guess which city they are from.

Who do you believe to be the cultural icon of your country?

Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK. He is the founder of Turkey. We owe him so much that every Turkish citizen is raised by his heroic stories, quotes and principles. You can see his statues everywhere in Turkey.

Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK.

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

Do you consider yourself European?

Hmm that’s a tricky question. You know Istanbul is a bridge between Asia and Europe. So a little part of Turkey is actually in Europe. That’s why we are both European and Asian at the same time.

Are you able to name a person that you consider symbolic for European culture?
As a European I can’t name a person but when I think of Europe I somehow think of Art. And as a non-European person of course I do perceive its existence.

A Hungarian in Southern France

Name and Surname: Veronika Viranyi

Age: 25

Country: Hungary

Nationality: Hungarian

City: Berettyoujfalu

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

Which is the form of government ruling in your country?

Republic (they say…)

Do you believe corruption exists in your country? How much do you think it influences political life and your private life?

Absolutely. That’s the only thing that actually exists under the name of politics. My private life is not bothered by it, but my family feels the disadvantages of this incorrect attitude.

Veronika

Which is your national language? Do dialects exist in your country? If they do, are they used/known by young people?

Hungarian. Dialects do exist, but there are not many variations. Usually their use depend on where people come from, especially from the country or the villages. But when someone moves to the capital or to other big cities gives it up most of the time. I notice it myself, when I go home to my family, after a couple of days I switch back to my dialect, but there are not too many noticeable differences.

Traditional Hungarian clothes in the countryside

Who do you believe to be the cultural icon of your country?

If I can name only one is Liszt Ferenc, but I have to name more like Kodaly Zoltan Bartok Bela, Jozsef Attila, Ady Endre, Radnoti Miklos, Marai Sandor (but there are more internationally unknown composers, and poets who would be worth to mention).

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

Do you consider yourself European?

I’m from Europe, so I am European. I didn’t have the possibility to compare myself to other cultures yet.

Are you able to name a person that you consider symbolic for European culture?

I think that all the most important artists, all those personalities that we consider to be icons of the world of art, are representative of Europe, as you can perceive the influence of Europe in their work. That’s why I’m not able to name only one person.

A Singaporean from London in Romania

Name and Surname: Jonathon Satrio Wood

Age: 24

Country: Singapore

Nationality: British Citizen

City: London

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

Which is the form of government ruling in your country?

Singapore is a multi-party democracy, however there is one party – People’s Action Party – that has won the elections. The President is the head of the state while the Prime Minister is the head of government, however the President’s role is mainly ceremonial. The first Prime Minister was Lee Kuan Yew, who ruled from 1959 to 1990, followed by Goh Chok Tong, who was in power from 1990 to 2004 and then Lee Kuan Yew’s son Lee Hsien Loong became Prime Minister from 2004 until the present day. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘benevolent dictatorship’.

Here is my favourite place in Singapore, Arab Street. The old Arab quarter. Now it is a trendy part of town with boutique shops. The government is also going to ban shisha tobacco so a lot of traditional shisha bars will have to shut down

Do you believe corruption exists in your country? How much do you think it influences political life and your private life?

Officially there is no corruption in Singapore. But as we can see by two Prime Ministers in the last 50 years being father and son there is some degree of nepotism. There is also censorship employed by the People’s Action Party against any criticism of them as well as civil suits against the opposition for libel and slander towards the success of the party. Singapore was ranked 140th out of 167 countries by Reporters Without Borders in their 2005 Press Freedom Index. The censorship does effect criticism of Singapore’s government but also affects people’s private lives as television shows, music and books are censored for their content.

Which is your national language? Do dialects exist in your country? If they do, are they used/known by young people?

There are four official languages in Singapore, English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil, but English is the one used the most. Malay is officially the national language, but is mostly ceremonial so Singapore won’t cause friction with neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia who speak Malay based languages. The English spoken in Singapore is also known as Singlish, as words from Chinese, Malay and Tamil are also used with English.

Who do you believe to be the cultural icon of your country?

Lee Kuan Yew would be the cultural icon of Singapore as he is the founder and architect of modern Singapore.

This is a portrait of Little India, the Indian district. There are really good curry restaurants here. In 2013 there was a riot there after a Chinese bus driver ran over an Indian construction worker. Most construction workers in Singapore are from India and Bangladesh and feel like they are second class citizens, so the riot was a result of their built up anger being released.

Here’s instead picture of Chinatown, no discrimination here because the government is majority Chinese!

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

Why did you choose Europe?

I do not consider myself European as I have more in common with Asian culture but I chose to live in Europe to have more freedom than I would have in Singapore.

This is an Oktoberfest celebration at the Swiss Club in Singapore. There are many different private sports clubs based on nationality such as the American Club, British Club, Dutch Club and Australian and New Zealand Association, and the Japanese Association. These have been there since British colonisation and were a way for Europeans and other colonial powers to separate themselves from locals.

Do you perceive the existence of a “European culture”?

I don’t believe there to be a common European culture as every country has a distinct personality that is different from each other. It would be wrong to generalise an entire continent as one culture.

A German in Romania

Name and Surname: Jenny Berger

Age: 22

Country: Germany

Nationality: German

City: Berlin

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

Which is the form of government ruling in your country?

In the Federal Republic of Germany we have a parliamentarian democracy. That means that the most important political decisions are made by a parliament, which is voted by people. Then this parliament votes for the government. The German government, also called “the Cabinet of Germany”, consists of the chancellor (currently Angela Merkel of the CDU, a really conservative party) and the cabinet ministers.

«This is the “Fernsehturm” – I don’t like it that much, but it’s one of the greatest symbols of Berlin»

Do you believe corruption exists in your country? How much do you think it influences political life and your private life?

I am sure that corruption exists in every country, some people are just easily suborned. Mostly corruption is very well hidden and kept as a secret. There are some articles I read a few years ago about corruption in the early 2000s in Germany and about the people who made it public. They say corruption is definitely increasing and campaigns that work against it are fewer and fewer. A current article I found states that still more and more cases are getting exposed. Those affairs have a huge potential to influence the political life and for sure my private life as well, though this happens indirectly.

Which is your national language? Do dialects exist in your country? If they do, are they used/known by young people?

The national language is German, but there are dialects in every region. I am not sure how many young people are using them, but it might be a lot. Though people who speak in a dialect are sometimes considered less educated and that is why most people, especially those who work in public positions, try to speak in a standard German. Which is kind of sad for me, because dialects are really interesting and make people unique in some points.

Who do you believe to be the cultural icon of your country?

A cultural icon, or probably the most known German band in the world, is Rammstein. But of course Germany has and had a LOT of important writers, thinkers, philosophers and musicians.

«aaaaaaaaaaand I think this one is really typical for summer in Berlin: everyone is sitting on the street, drinking coffee, watch perople passing by»

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

Do you consider yourself European?

Europe, or the European Union, is fiction to me. Fictive borders, fictive nations. But still, yes, I consider myself a European citizen.

Are you able to name a person that you consider symbolic for European culture?

I can’t name a person, but I think most of the European ideas, ideologies and trends are delivered through pop culture. So it is the mainstream that defines (for non-Europeans) who and what we are, or at least what is perceived by the general public.

«This is one of my favorite places in Berlin, called “Klunkerkranich”. It is a garden/bar/cultural center on the roof of a parking house»

A Mexican in Southern France

Name and Surname: Jorge Garcia Escamilla

Age: 30

Country: Mexico

Nationality: Mexican

City: Monterrey

Jorge Garcia Escamilla

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

1. Which is the form of government ruling in your country?

Mexico is a Federal Republic formed by the union of 31 states and a Federal District, and the form of government is democracy.

2. Do you believe corruption exists in your country? How much do you think it influences political life and your private life?

I believe corruption exists in every country but it is of course related to the economical situation of each country. In the case of Mexico, being a developing country and a relatively newly-formed Republic, corruption is present in every field of society, from the political sphere to the professional field, and of course it influences many aspects of our social life. However I do believe corruption isn’t the cause ,or at least the only cause, of the social and economical hard situation we might be living in Mexico, but it’s more of a result of this whole tension in a sort of vice circle.

3. Which is your national language? Do dialects exist in your country? If they do, are they used/known by young people?

My national language is Spanish as for most of Mexicans. I’m not exactly sure about the number of native languages that are spoken and officially recognized, but I do know that there’s a good number of different languages and people who speak them in Mexico. I think these languages are mainly spoken by traditional Native American communities and unfortunately I don’t think the new generations of Spanish speakers would use or learn them anymore, except for the traditional communities.

4. Who do you believe to be the cultural icon of your country?

I think there have been many important artists and intellectuals that have represented Mexican culture internationally through time. I could probably name artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Khalo, famous musicians and actors like Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Pedro Infante and Cantinflas, or world famous writers such as Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes and Juan Rulfo, who have always projected an image of Mexican culture, and have been cultural icons of their time and still are.

Pedro Infante

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

5. Do you perceive the existence of a “European culture”?

I do believe there is a European culture, even if each country in Europe has its own particular folklore and cultural manifestations, I think there is a form of European culture integration that can be perceived outside Europe. I personally think that there are some writers, artists in general and sometimes even some political figures that represent the modern European culture.

6. Could you explain why you chose Europe?

Because I believe Europe is still the centre of western civilization and it has a very rich cultural background, that now expresses itself in new forms of modern cultural manifestations. Also the socio-economic situation in Europe in general allows you to have a higher quality of life.

A Belgian in Romania

Name and Surname: Olga Henrard

Age: 21

Country: Belgium

Nationality: Belgian

City: Bastogne

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

1. Which is the form of government ruling in your country?

Belgium is a federal monarchy. Even if the king doesn’t have a lot of power, he is still the only one who can recognize the laws voted by the federal government.

Belgium’s political institutions are very complex because of the 3 national languages in the country : Dutch, French and German. The country is then divided in 3 regions and in 3 communities and each of them has also its own legislative and executive power. The regions are in charge for most of the territorial tasks and the communities for most of the tasks who concern directly the population (for example education).

A few months ago, we voted for a new federal government (voting is mandatory in Belgium). After the results, the parties had to make a coalition. That means that everybody had to make concessions. A few weeks ago they announced our new government. It’s a right-side government and the main party wants to split the country (the Flemish part is richer than the French part and politicians complain that Flemish people have to pay for the South). A lot of people are really worried about the bills they want to pass. People are striking in the streets because of their draft-bills.

King and Queen of Belgium

2. Do you believe corruption exists in your country? How much do you think it influences political life and your private life?

When I read this question it’s quite difficult for me to answer. Like in every country, there is corruption, but we don’t hear so much about that. I think that corruption is really hidden. After looking for some information about it, I can say that Belgium is quite a good student. It occupies the 20^thposition in matter of corruption among 189 countries (Transparency International Organization’s study). That’s good but when we compare it with other countries, even if corruption is not very present, it’s very hidden, nobody talks about that, nobody reports it.

3. Which is your national language? Do dialects exist in your country? If they do, are they used/known by young people?

There are 3 national languages in Belgium : Dutch, French and German. I speak French, but I studied Dutch at high school and now at the university. It is not mandatory in every high school and university, but depending on where you live and in which field you work, it is important to speak Dutch to find a job.

In the French part we had dialects but now only old people speak them. In the Flemish part also they have dialects and I think that in some regions they’re spoken by the younger generations too.

4.Who do you consider to be the cultural icon of your country?

Stromae of course, Jacques Brel, Hergé (the cartoonist who invented Tintin)…

Tintin

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

5. Do you consider yourself European?

Yes, I am a European citizen. I lived a few months in Italy, now I am in Erasmus in Romania and even if there are differences between Belgium and these two countries, there are also a lot a similitudes. A lot of values are similar. And I realized that even more when I went to Bolivia where culture and values are really different from ours.

6. Are you able to name a person that you consider symbolic for European culture? [For non-European people: do you perceive the existence of a “European culture”?]

I could not answer to this question. According to me, “in varietate concordia” is a good summary of what European culture is. It is a mix of cultures, with quite similar values and way of thinking but also with a lot of differences. Every country has its own celebrities, its own typical food, its own literature, and so on.

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY

WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?

TAGS