Elizabeth+&+John

__ My cultural profile __ Culture means a lot to me. In addition to Finnish culture, the culture that I have adopted, I’m also interested in other cultures such as Japanese culture. Despite the fact that culture as a concept covers a lot of things, I’ll try to give you the overall image of my cultural interests and habits.

I listen to many kinds of music. I don’t pick music by its genre, but the way it sounds. I have at least rock, pop and techno in my mp3-player. Usually I try to avoid main-stream music, because I often find it too usual or annoying.

I haven’t actually read many books lately, but I do like reading them, especially science fiction and fantasy. About a year ago I found these two things that I find interesting: Manga and Anime. Since then, I’ve read and watched them quite a lot. I can’t even remember how many of them I have followed. I don’t watch TV much nowadays, but when I do, I mainly watch comedy shows or documents. When it comes to movies, I definitely prefer action and adventure. There isn’t a shortage of those films.

Food is a tricky subject. If I had to choose, I’d say that I like spicy soups the most. There are many foods that I would like to try out. For me, food could be a reason to travel around the globe! I wonder what sushi tastes like. To end it simply, I’d say that my cultural profile varies by the subject and that I’m open to new experiences.

-John- = = = = =__Going solo__=

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Why do we travel? Do we want to experience different culture, discover new places and satisfy our need to explore the unknown? I believe those are one of the most important reasons. But what is the best possible way to travel to fulfill those desires? Because we all have our own personalitys, we have individual opinions on this subject. If someone asked me, I would say that sometimes it could be a better idea to travel alone.======

I like to take my time and relax when traveling. It would certainly be a nuisance to spend my holiday with someone who couldn't stay still for a couple of seconds.
It would really ruin my holiday trip if had to go for a shopping spree with some over-energized hassler having problems what souvenirs to buy! Imagine how terrible it is to be forced to do something what you really want to avoid. And how troublesome it would be if your friend suddenly disappeared in some huge place? You could forget all these problems by just traveling alone.

On the other hand, it's nice to have someone taking care of you. It also brings a certain feel of safety if you had someone you know walking with you in a strange place. And I have to admit that the most unforgetable memories I have are the ones related to friends who were by my side. Sharing experiences is important and it makes relationships stronger. When you are in trouble and panicing, isn't it good to have someone close to help get through it?

I think it would be the best option to try traveling alone at least once. That way it is possible to experience things differently and it brings also a feel of freedom, because you have to worry only for yourself. Trying it once in a while shouldn't be impossible. But I do like to have friends coming along traveling with me to face new challenges. Even though there are problems with traveling alongside another people, it has so many good points in it that it doesn't matter!

Written by John

Virtually yours I don’t think that the quotation “Anyone who spends a lot of their free time online doesn’t have a real life” is completely true, even though it does give every one of us something to think about. You see it’s just a fact that nowadays everything is online and I don’t wonder why people spend so much time in front of the computer. Why leave when there are just so many things you can do online! For example you can watch TV shows or movies, listen to music, read news and stay in touch with your friends! So no wonder why Internet is so addictive. I think we all know that feeling how sometimes you just get stuck online. Suddenly you notice how much time you have spent without actually doing anything useful. After all Internet is a good invention but it’s so important for everyone to also do things in real life. Maybe next time, instead of switching on your computer, watch TV with your family, go to the movies or to a concert with your friends. Read a real newspaper or write a letter to someone. So you can spend time online and have a real life too!

Written by Elizabeth