REPORT IDEAS FROM EUROPE
We still don't have information about all the European countries so if you live in one, please e-mail us telling us what life on your country is like.
FINLAND
Martin
What's the best part about living in Finland... I don't know, hard to say since I've lived here all my life... maybe the way life is here? Because it's great. The worst part then... maybe that though this is a bilingual country, Swedish is hardly spoken in big stores and malls and such, because people don't know the language. Favorite landmark - well, that would be the Turku cathedral, which is Finland's oldest and the most prominent sanctuary in the country. If you were visiting... hmmm, let me see... remember not to believe that everybody speaks a very fluent English, most do, but not everybody.
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FRANCE
Eric
Hello! The hardest thing to get used to is, at first, the fact that not much is available and that prices are steep.There is never any snow. What I like about living in France:-nice weather and good food. I am interested in:-video games and biology. Is it hard to learn the language? That depends. If you come here when you are about three years old (like I did), it is very easy : I did not have a French teacher. Just by being with other students in Kindergarten, I became a fluent French speaker in about a year and a half.If you come here as a teenager or an adult, it is harder and may take up to four or five years.
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Daniel
There are many things I like about France. The food, the more easy-going (less hectic than New York) life-style, the school system, the social services (health-care system, etc.), the beauty of the particular area we are in (Southeast of France; Riviera), and so on and so forth. The French don't live to work; they work to live. There's nothing I truly dislike, though I miss being able to shop for anything I want or need at all hours of the day and all days of the week. Mostly, we don't vacation in France, we just live here and tend to travel when taking a vacation. We do spend a bit of time in Paris, though. Coming from New York, I suppose we do miss the big city..."
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ITALY
Daniel Gotti
Although I am Italian (born in Milan) I live in London. However, I can, as an Italian Londoner, answer your questions:
1) I used to like living in Italy
i. for the weather - it's mostly warm and mild - sometimes hot - and the people reflect this in their personalities.
ii. for the food - McDonalds is in comparison - I'm sorry, but we have the best cuisine in the world - OK I'm biased!! (The French are good, but they spoil everything with cream and butter.
iii. I'm not sure this is only an Italian value, but friendship and loyalty is extremely strong. Even strangers are friendly - without being creepy - you can talk to anyone.
2) Bad side of Italy is the bureaucracy - long - exasperating - inefficient.
3) So many landmarks to choose from, very difficult question. Every city has a special site - unique and beautiful. Depends what mood you're in and where you are. A childhood memory recalls the vision of the castello di Urbino - in Marche - only because we stopped and stood in awe for ages marvelling at its beauty.
4) Favourite vacation spot is Liguria or Sardinia - can't choose between the two. Again, depends what mood you're in.
5) I'm not there right now, but my family tell me its too hot - wish I was there - here in London it's still cool & rainy - well, what do you expect for England!
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UNITED KINGDOM
Adam
What he likes about living in England is the house where he lives (quite old, built around 1570), lunch at the pub and picking strawberries and making jam. He hates the rain and short days in winter. His major interests these days are pokemons and diggemons (I don't even know what they are) and tennis. On the weekends it depends what we are doing (Adam is not yet 6 so he can't go off on his own) but he likes movies when there is one on for him, he has tennis lessons and wants to take up karate in the fall. He also likes to go to one of the several play areas around.
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Kerry
What do you like about living in England? I was born in Wales & i moved to London when i was very young and i haven't been abroad yet. But what i do like about living in England is the nice country sides we have and shops and all the old buildings. What i don't like about living in England is, all the cold weather & because it always changes. Where is your favorite vacation spot in England? Devon in Cornwall. What are your intrests? Cycling, reading, writing, school, brownies, dance class, church, kick boxing, computers, art club & netball.
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GERMANY
Raul
My favourite Memory: There are many, but perhaps the revolution in 1989 was the most important incident in my life. At that time I was really happy to be allowed to say everything and of course it was beuatiful that you could buy everthing (from bananas to computers).
The least favourite Memory: Some day (I think I was 6 or 7 years old), when I saw my aunt in a town near my birth town, I was bitten by her dog. He jumped at me and bit my mouth and nose. He did not want to let go of me, so he just hung there. My little brother stood beside me and as he was 4 years younger than me he was more shocked than I was. I'm still wondering why he bit me, because he was a nice dog and I had played with him several times before. On that day we wanted to go swimming in a river, and I was looking forward to it because an elephant from a circus nearby would also take a bath in that river. But I could not go there anymore, because of the bite.
Living in Germany: I like Germany because you get the chance to prepare for a good life. The school system is quite good. You can study where you want to and what you want to. If you really want to make something in your life you will get enough chances to do your plans. And if you are one of those who did not do anything (they were unlucky or unable to find a job etc.) you don't have to end your life living for ever without money, because you are "sozial versichert". But then I don't understand why there are still many homeless people who have to freez in the winter.
The best thing that has happen to me is the A-Level I took this year. It was quite good so I will have no trouble getting a place to study architecture. I still don't know in which city I will study but with my result I will be able to choose.
I have no real favorite food, but I always look forward to the meal on sundays. We eat potatoes with meat. But chips and coke, pizza and cold milk, icy water melons are food that I like very much.
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Christine
Well, I am a refugee from East Germany. The river Oder was the dividing line where Eisenhower, Churchill etc. agreed to split Germany in 1945. There was NEVER an official peace treaty and Russia never took my home, Silisia which was one of the richest (soil, natural sources) spots of Germany and made it Polish because they, Russia, had taken some of Poland's land. When the wall in Berlin came down, Germany was united and Communism was out, but my home was on the other side of the River and remained Polish. My family fled in January 1945, below freezing all the time, on foot and I walked as a barely 9 year-old with my mother and brother and 1000 other people for 13 weeks every day. My father was mayor and in charge of the 1000 to find a stable, a garage or sometimes a room to spend the night and get out of the cold. Some babies froze in mothers' arms and the oxen from the few carts pulling the sick, collapsed or were run over by the carts because the breaks wouldn't work on the ice.
When we arrived in the Sudentenland, this was the goal given to my dad to take the people up north, he was drafted and some idiot on the radio said a couple weeks later, every refugee has to go back. We did and found our home of 3 generations burnt out to the ground. Polish and Russian soldiers invaded and took over and beat many people to death. My brother, 15, was left "for dead" but a priest heard him moan and pulled him out from the pile of bodies. Later we where evacuated on trains in totally enclosed wagons - 100 or more in one, no food, no water, no light - and shipped to the West.
I went from 1st grad ( 2 mo. of 2nd grade) into 4th grade and did homework kneeling on the floor and writing on brown wrapping paper. My dad was released from POW camp and through a miracle, I say, we found each other. --- I was so miserable and had so many complexes that I quit school in about mid-college (our system is different) and came to the States. I went to work immediately as nurse maid and cried a lot between working 6:30 am to 9:30 pm. Everyone should learn language and customs of the guest country they pick. Just like I (had to)! We, in AMERICA, need to leard the sence of accomplishment - we need to learn that there is pride and fulfillment in doing a hard job well, we need to learn that sweat and blisters are PART of life. I learned English in school and spoke "brittish-english" quite well. My first office job - I was sooo proud- they asked me, the foreigner, how to spell!!!
That's easy:
Best part about living in Germany: I spent my childhood here. It was my home and I go back often to visit.
What didn't I like: It is a small country with rather restricitve laws and lots of bureaucracy.
My favorite place to go to as a child: I remember a field trip by bus to go to the zoo in Frankfurt. I liked it a lot. I remember that I
always liked to watch the monkeys because they were so playful. My favorite landmark in Germany: The city of Berlin. It has
a lot of history and is (now again) the capitol of Germany. And I met my wife in
Berlin!