Ideas On Living In A Foreign Country

Thousands of people emigrate annually. For many, living and working abroad for extended periods of time becomes the adventure of a lifetime. Many set off to unknown lands to fill a gap of time in their lives, improve their fluency in a foreign language, meet new and interesting people, and build self-reliance. The reasons for emigration are quite different: political or religious persecution, poverty, awful living conditions, climate and many more. But the fact is that people take the plunge in search of better life. Decent conditions and the opportunity to spend more time together as a family attract them in spite of the threat of being frustrated very soon. However, I'm sure that living in a foreign country can be rather interesting, and yet has its disadvantages also.

The experience can be so powerful, and alter the traveller's way of thinking so greatly, that he can lose his cultural identity. If one integrates into a new society, he or she will almost certainly meet difficulties when they try to readjust later to their own culture. Another potential problem is that one may become a victim of discrimination, and lose their confidence as a result. Since the behaviour and customs of the guests may be very different from those of the inhabitants of the host culture, they may encounter negative reactions - unfriendliness, or even hostility, for example. However, no matter what the reasons are for working or living abroad, you are bound to meet many interesting characters, collect a wealth of tales to bring back home (well, if you are happy to return, of course!) and learn a lot more about yourself.

Any way, I don't approve of living in a foreign country. As I see it, you should work for the country that you were born in, that has brought you up, educated you. That's why I see emigration as somehow unfair. Being homesick can also be a reason. As for me, I wouldn't feel at home. So I guess that saying "Home Sweet Home" has a stronger meaning than meets the eye!

Baikal In the midth of a thinly populated wildness lies the foremost natural wonder - lake Baikal. It’s the oldest lake in the world - its age is about 25-30 million years. Scientists estimated that more than 1500 life forms live in and around this lake, which can be found nowhere else on Earth. It’s the world's largest reservoir of drinking water. It occupies the territory of 12000 m2 and 400 km long. It contains 1/6 of fresh water found on the planet and in spite of the vast pollution by the nearby industry the most of it still remains unspoilt. About 30 uninhabited isles are scattered throughout the lake. Most of the coastline lies in an environmentally protected area.

The most numerous of the indigenous people are Buryats. They has been living here from untold centuries, even before Yanguis Khan swept through during the early XIII century.

A feeling of tranquillity settles over the coastal village in long summer afternoons. A vehicle driving along the village’s mainstreet is a rare sight. A motorcycle with a sidecar is the most popular civil transport; and a passenger car still remains an object of curiosity for children. The area’s largest city is Ulan-Ude which was first established by the Russians as an outpost for tzar’s tax collectors during Russia’s Eastward expansion in the XVI and XVII centuries. It lies in the border area between the Siberian forests and the grassy steppes.

It’s an average Siberian town without much distinction, except for a strange fancy relict in the main square. The world’s biggest head of Vladimir Lenin has more than 25 feet tall and it is ironically said by rumour that it was inspired by the head of Buddha that was located in Ulan-Ude before the Soviet takeover. And now although most of Soviet monuments have been dismantled this one is going to stay because the locals became quite fond of it.

British Isles

The British Isles haven't always been a separate part of Europe. Long time ago Britain was a part of the European continent. Then about ten thousand years ago during the end of the last Ice Age, when the climate grew warmer, new rivers and sees were formed and Europe slowly moved into its present shape. The ancient people of Britain were simple hunters and ate flesh of animals, fruits, nuts, honey. They fished and gathered oysters. They didn't have a permanent place of living and travelled from place to place, sheltering in caves. Then the British men have become the farmers. The Stone Age farmer had the patches in the forests that covered most of Britain. He kept half-wild cattle and pigs in a forest. In Northern Scotland, free from forests, people kept sheep. By the end of the Stone Age (2000 BC) metal was already being used. It was time of the Invasion of Beaker people. They came from the Northern Europe. They used bronze and it was them, who started the building of stone monuments at Stonehenge. Mining and trade were growing during the Bronze Age (ab. 2000-500 BC). About 500 BC British people were learning how to smelt iron. Iron tools had an advantage over bronze ones: they were much cheaper. In the beginning of the Iron Age (ab. 400 BC) British Isles were invaded by Celts armed with weapons of iron. They conquered Kent and much of Southern England. They imposed their language on the natives, its Gaelic form was used in Ireland and Scotland, the Brythonic form - in England and Wales. It was the Brythonic tribe that gave its name to the whole country. The first chronicle of Britain was written by an educated merchant from Morsel. He also wrote the first description of the people, called Celts. He said they were a gentlefolk, skilled craftsmen, who welcomed visitors. The most educated visitor of Britain described the British as a fierce race. His name was Julius Caesar. Present English dates back to the 5th-6th centuries, when Germanic tribes of Jutes, Saxons & Angles overran all England except Cornwall & Cumberland. Some religious terms were borrowed from Latin in connection with converting England to Christianity by St. Augustin. Some parts of England were invaded by Danes & Norwegians, that's why the languages of the Anglo-Saxons & Danes formed the basis of English. Normans contributed greatly to the developing of English language during their invasion. Next point of this was the 15th-16th centuries when written language was stabilized with help of spreading of printing. In 19th century the growth of British colonial power led to the spread of English as world language. But still it was only the 1930 when the British Foreign Office stopped using French for all its official memoranda. So It was the long way of coming-to-be the language of international communication from old Anglo-Saxon dialects to the "world language" in 20th century.

Birds of a Feather

There are a lot of animals on our planet. They can be wild and domestic. Wild animals are those animals who live in nature without people. Wolves, foxes, giraffes are wild animals. Domestic animals are animals who live with people, who are not really scary. People always call them “pets”. Cats, dogs, sheep are domestic animals.

People divide animals into four groups – reptiles, birds, insects and mammals. Reptiles are animals without wings who lay eggs. Some reptiles are very dangerous. Crocodiles and snakes are reptiles. Birds are animals with feathers, two wings and two legs. Parrots and eagles are birds. Insects are small creatures with six legs and usually two pairs of wings. Butterflies and ladybirds are insects. Mammals are animals who feed their babies on milk. Dogs, kangaroos, dolphins are mammals.

Cats are mammals too. Their short fur can be of different colors – clear white, black, red, grey and so on. Cats have no fins and wings, just legs, a body, a head with whiskers and a long tail. They have 4 long legs, so they run quite fast. Sometimes cats can be friendly and nice to people, sometimes – selfish. It depends on a cat’s temper. Cats are domestic animals, so they live with people – in people’s houses and apartments. They eat fish, meat, milk, sometimes – human food. Cats live for 10 - 15 years, but some of them can live longer.

As for me, I have a pet too – I have got a red fluffy cat. His name is Ryjiy and it was named after his fur. My cat is four years old, he is very funny and sometimes he does crazy things. He likes to sleep with us and to look at the window where colorful birds fly. Ryjiy is rather smart and he knows the time I feed him and he goes to the kitchen before me. I like him very much and I hope he will live a long and happy life.

Come Rain or Shine

There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. December, January and February are winter months. Days are short and nights are long The weather is cold, rivers and lakes are usually frozen. The ground is covered with snow, so a lot of people go skating and skiing. Also it is pleasant to walk when it is not very cold and it snows.

March, April and May are spring months. The weather is getting warmer and warmer, everything changes and reborn. The trees begin to blossom. Sometimes it drizzles, but there are no rough winds; the sun shines brightly. In spring all birds come back from the South and they sing sweetly on the branches of the trees.

The summer months are June, July and August. Summer is the hottest season of the year and days are longer than in winter. Everybody enjoys the cloudless sky and bright sun. Gardens and parks are full of colorful flowers; there are a lot of berries in summer, so some people like to go to a forest to pick them up. Also in summer many people leave their cities and spend much time in the country or at the seaside.

After summer autumn comes. The autumn months are September, October and November. The warm days of early autumn are called the "Indian Summer" and it is really beautiful with its yellow, red and brown trees and golden leaves falling down. Autumn is the season of fruit and vegetables, lots of people pick mushrooms up in the forest and dry them for winter. But days become shorter and nights longer and darker. The weather is not as good as in spring and in summer. The sky is always dull and overcast and it often rains, so there are pools on roads and cars splash the water on the passers-by. People come back from the countryside and do not walk outside enough.

The weather is not the same in different countries. For example, in Britain the weather is often rainy, summer there is quite warm, but windy. In Brazil the climate is warm and citizens wear shorts and T-shirts almost whole year. In Russia the weather is very cold in winter and very warm in summer, people usually wear much clothes in winter – warm sweaters, jeans, tights, winter boots and fur-coats, mittens, scarves, hats and other warm things.

I don’t like to wear a lot of warm clothes, that is why my favorite season is spring. I love it because the nature wakes up – trees are in blossom, the green grass grows up, the sun shines, birds sing…beautiful! It is usually warm, so people go outside more often and enjoy spring blue sky.

One famous man said: "The nature doesn't have bad weather”, so in my opinion we should like all seasons, because every season is beautiful in its own way.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2109