All posts by Katja Alexandra Davidoff

Culture Window – Interview with Dauren Aubakirov

April 2015,

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Culture Interview with Dauren Aubakirov
by Katja Davidoff

What was your first impression of the U.S.?

When I came to the USA I was amazed that if you need help many people will help you. For instance, if you fall on the street, people come to you and try to help you. Also I saw that the sphere of education is perfectly developed. For students there are a lot of facilities and opportunities such as abundant libraries, gyms, sport clubs, and interesting activities.

What was something that really surprised you about the U.S.?
I really surprised about online payments for services and the large infrastructure of roads. I was often amazed that I could make online payments for many services like buying bus tickets or for some events.

I really like that people from different countries in the USA try to show their culture to other people. They create interesting and amazing events, celebrations, and invite others to these celebrations.

What is something you learned about other cultures while staying in the U.S.?
I have seen how the students of Harvard celebrate Holi – The Indian spring festival of colors. They threw loose paint on each other .In the future I want to participate in this event. (photos in application -pic.- Holi 1)

What’s something that you want others to know about your culture and your country?
We often changed our home location for new pastures, so in the past the Kazakh people were nomads. Also the Kazakh nation is very peaceful. In Kazakhstan there are more than 100 different nations living together. According to tradition, each Kazakh person should know his or her last 7 ancestors. This tradition helps them to remember and learn to respect and know their ancestors.

Kazakhstan is also a country where the first man flew into space, and today the Baikonur Cosmodrome still works. Many tourists make space spaceflight from this сosmodrome..

Anything else you would like to mention?
I like that in the USA a lot of people come from various countries to study and work. Here you can meet with people of different cultures and make a friends from all over the world. Also for me it is interesting that in the USA many great projects in technology and business are being implemented. I’m really interested in entrepreneurship, technology studies and education.

Holi Photo Credit: Dauren Aubakirov

Window Photo Credit:

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Alumna Interview with Grace Huang

March 2015

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Photo of Grace; Grace Huang
Photo of Boston Terrier: bucultureshock.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/welcome.jpg
Interview of Grace Huang by Katja Davidoff
My experience at CELOP was very great and I would never forgot the time I spent there. Studying at CELOP helped me improve my English and get to know more about American culture and people.  I also really like the lecturers at CELOP. They are all nice, kind and friendly. Definitely YES. CELOP provided useful courses for learning English. Through morning core course I had a chance to improve my listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. From my afternoon elective courses I could choose the topics I was interested in studying. I chose Readings in the Social Sciences because that gave me some general ideas about global social issues. My favorite activity at CELOP was the field trip to Rhode Island. It was an excellent experience and I got to hang out with classmates outside of class. There were different activities every week that students could join. It was very fun learning English at CELOP. In my class, my instructors led us to learn English through playing. It was a simple way to learn, but it was effective. Another memorable event was the Salem project trip. I went to Salem with my group during Halloween season and researched the stories and the history of Salem. Then, we gave a presentation about Salem and our experience. At CELOP there are so many people from different corners of the world. I did not know a lot about the Middle East. There I met a lot of students from that part of the world and became friends with them. Through them I learned more about their culture. The advice I want to give current students is: "Don’t be afraid to speak!" The best way of learning a language is by using it and the easiest way to use a language is by speaking it. Feel free to have a conversation with someone you don’t know, then you will learn more. Learning a language is interesting! Enjoy it!
Photo Credits
Photo of Grace Huang from Grace Huang
Boston Terrier - bucultureshock.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/welcome.jpg

Chinese New Year from the Outside In…

February 2015
Chinese-New-Year-Parade
China's Spring Festival
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Chinese New Year/ Lunar New Year is a huge holiday in some parts of the world, including New York. Growing up in New York provided a great variety of culture from various parts of China. I was raised on very spicy Sichuan and Hunan food, and for many people in my community, it was tradition to go out for Chinese food for some holidays. Christmas day is a popular day for people to reunite with family at one of the many great restaurants. Every winter we also waited excitedly for Lunar New Year specials. One of my favorite things to do was to visit Chinatown and be dazzled by the resplendent colors of the decorations and fans. On one visit when I was seven, we went into an old run down shop and I bought a tiny bean shell with a piece of ivory or something like it, thinner than my nail, carved into the shape of an elephant. I saved it for years because the store clerk told me it was magic. For me all of Chinatown was magic with the dragons, the fireworks, and the vibrant energy on every street corner.

There are myriad reasons why I love Chinese New Year /Lunar New Year and celebrate it every year. I also think that for many New Yorkers, Chinese New Year was a holiday unfettered by a feeling of religious allegiance. It is one of those holidays that after years of assimilation became part of New York culture, allowing for all to partake in it. With so many constraints of political correctness, it is nice to have a celebration that provides a sense of joy and unity.

My heart fills with joy every year at the festivities and learning what each year under that animal sign has in store for everyone. In truth I am not really sure how people who have the Lunar New Year celebration as an integral part of their culture feel to have outsiders celebrate it. However, I have always been made to feel welcome during the celebration. In New York, there are certain holidays in which people come together and celebrate together as New Yorkers. This is one of the best things about living in a large multicultural city. I believe that Boston, if not already, is heading in the same direction. I have spent the last few Lunar New Years in Chinatown in Boston. There is a parade, fireworks, restaurant specials, and many events to see.  I hope that this is one holiday I will never miss!

The next parade in Boston's Chinatown will be on Sunday, March 1st. Click here for more details.

Photo credits

Valentine’s Day

February 2015,

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As Americans, we celebrate diversity and multiculturalism. However we have such an abundance of holidays that we have sometimes become accustomed to celebrating them without fully understanding their origins or purpose.  Our basic knowledge of holidays outside of our home culture often started in elementary school.  Each holiday came with a theme and all the ensuing projects, complete with construction paper and glue. Often our feeble understanding of many holidays was based upon TV versions of history, advertising, and stores, displaying clever marketing to increase sales. Sometimes we were blissfully unaware that the true origins and purpose of certain holidays may have been to represent a harsh reality or occurrence in history. In any case, our modern version of holidays gives us an excuse to celebrate and do something special with loved ones and companions.

Valentine's day is a day for celebrating love and eating sweets.  This is the simplified version of the holiday that many of us were taught In elementary school.  We also had a vague idea of an angel named cupid, who shot people with an invisible arrow, thereby causing those who were struck by his arrow to fall in love.  During most of our formative years we made colorful cards and paper hearts to give to classmates on this holiday.  Sometimes those cards were also accompanied with some candy or chocolate. During adolescence, if we were brave enough, we would give a card or a small gift to someone we liked romantically. Adults usually went out for a romantic evening complete with flowers and a gift or chocolates.

Although we have consistently celebrated Valentine's day every year with good cheer and enthusiasm, there are few people who could tell you where the holiday originated. Apparently the holiday is quite a conglomeration of  different periods in history and varying purposes. According to the video below, the history of the holiday started with a Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia and was later renamed and given an official date by the Church in honor of a crucified Saint. Towards the end of the middle ages the holiday represented people in love, and birds in mating season. In the 1700's the focus of the holiday was on giving greeting cards. Around 100 years later, the focus changed to exchanging cards with a romantic focus.  After that the manufacture and consumer demand of cards and chocolate blossomed.  People today generally view this as a romantic day and an opportunity to show a loved one that he/she is special. I don't know where the chocolate came into it, but that is my favorite part.

History video: Bet You Didn't Know: Valentine's Day. 14 February 2015.

Sedona and its Magic

January 2015

Sedona, Arizona is a place that is fabled to be full of magical energy.  I have heard for many years of people who venture to Sedona for various reasons.  It is a place that attracts those who believe in the invisible realm and the powers of positive energy.  Some visit for healing, some for guidance, and others for pure curiosity.  Sedona is known as a place that has many energy vortexes, allegedly because of high concentration of Iron ore and sandstone in the rocks.  This is said to create both positive and negative magnetic energy and alleged to be helpful for both healing and spiritual development.   I was given an opportunity to see  Sedona by a generous friend who invited me to Arizona and who was willing to drive there from Mesa for the day.

I was both elated and curious.  The drive yielded a full open horizon and various rock formations on the way. During a travel stop on the way, my IPHONE5 fell in the toilet.  I was unable to save it and although I am normally attached at the hip to my phone, I was actually quite relaxed to not have to check email continually.

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My first view of Sedona was a scenic stop.  I was astounded by the rich deep red tones of the rocks and the sheer size of the formations set against open blue sky. On instinct I looked and then thought about taking photos but I could not stop myself from glancing a few more times as if the formations would go away and I should get my last chance to commit them to memory. After viewing a few more scenic spots and taking more photos, we stopped for a short hike.

One of the things that really struck me about Sedona and Arizona in general was the juxtaposition of wilderness and society. Just outside the outskirts of towns lie mountains and wildlife straight out of an old time Western with scenes one would expect to see in a movie.  After gawking over and over at the sky, mountains, cacti, abundant orange and lemon trees, and the never ending horizon, I had to remind myself that the postcard scenes I witnessed were in fact real as opposed to a Hollywood set.  The sheer physical beauty of the land was a feast for the eyes.

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In the town of Sedona were many restaurants, curio shops, coffee joints, and quaint stores with expensive and sparkling silver and native jewelry, replete with prices dedicated to rich tourists.  There were also various seers, psychics, and healers ready to offer services. Of amusing note was the noticeable "Enjoy your journey" upon leaving places of business. Yet just outside of the town are many hiking spots containing signs with warnings about potential dangers upon the trails in addition to polite requests about trying not to disturb animal life in its natural habitat. To see such wilderness just outside one's doorstep is a reminder that there are still places left in the world that are not completely touched and overrun by the amenities of society. It was also a reminder that there are still places where one can truly be alone; both an exciting and a dangerous proposition.

I absolutely loved Sedona.  Was it magic? Magnetic energy? The company of a good friend?  The first vacation or more than two days off in five years?  No phone? The great Mexican food? The unbelievable view from every point in town and on the road?  Who knows, but I am looking forward eagerly to my next visit.

Here is a helpful website for more information about Sedona:
http://www.sedonaretreats.com/vortex.html

Photos by Katja Davidoff

Unique Culture: Christmas in Denmark

December 2014, ,

Christmas Tree

By Katja Davidoff
Elves
Christmas in Denmark is an interesting mixture of old and new traditions. Some traditions were incorporated from nearby countries, such as Sweden.  I experienced many of them during the holidays with my Danish mother. Many Danes spend the month before Christmas attending holiday parties. Denmark is full of Christmas lights and greenery.  Tivoli gardens are lit up as well and hold a market with vendors and goods to sell. Children expect to receive presents from a man similar to Santa Claus, called Juleman, which is translated into Christmas man. Delicious dishes are prepared along with traditional cakes. A special rice pudding called ris á la mande with almonds is one traditional dessert. Some Danes attend midnight mass on the evening of the 24th and then celebrate by having a feast with family the following day. A Christmas tree is also tradition and it is often decorated with small Danish flags and Danish Christmas hearts.
Heart Ornament
My mother taught us to make these classic hearts when we were little.  One takes very stiff foil paper and creates a mold of two halves of a heart. The two halves are then woven together to create a basket that one can hang on the tree. Those baskets are then filled with small candies or chocolates. Places are also decorated with Julenisse, which are Christmas pixies and Julebok, which are Christmas goats. The Julebok is usually made of straw and decorated with red bows, while the Julenisse often wear red hats. Some people also celebrate Santa Lucia on December 13th. This is originally a Swedish ceremony later adopted by the Danes.  A procession of young girls dressed in white gowns visit door to door.  The leader of the procession wears a wreath on her head embedded with lit candles.  The visitors bring hot cross buns to the homes they visit. A few typical food items at the feast are red cabbage, open-faced sandwiches, almond pastry, and glögg; originally a Swedish hot apple cider with spices and fermented into alcohol.

XMas Bows Ornament

All About that Bass by Megan Trainor and Kevin Kadish

December 2014

-Song Review-
By Katja DavidoffMeghan Trainor All About That Bass

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As someone who was raised on music, I never tire of its myriad forms and variations.  From a very young age I was exposed to all genres and I am constantly enchanted by the latest sounds.  One day as I was doing chores I heard a lively upbeat tune with a chorus of harmonic female voices reminiscent of the 50’s Doo-wop harmonies.  As I listened to the words I was struck by the double entendre in the lyrics of the chorus.  Before long I found myself singing along.  As the lyrics progressed, the story of the song became clear. The positive and lighthearted description of the female body was much appreciated.  In today’s hits, there are so many songs that depict women in vulgar descriptions.

The bouncy melody and the message of self-appreciation regardless of one’s size manifest in positive and cheery images. I have quickly added the song to my current list of favorites.  If you haven’t heard it yet and you are in the mood for a new song that is easy on the ears, this is one to try!

Restaurant Review: Garlic ‘N Lemons

December 2014

Written by Katja Davidoff
Click here for the full review (a text only version of the review and a Google Map can be found below)

Garlic N Lemons Cover

On Wednesday December 3rd, three CELOP faculty and six students took the number 57 bus to Garlic and Lemons restaurant. I had not been there in almost a year and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the restaurant had expanded, allowing for lots of room to sit.

Garlic 'N Lemons offers an array of Mediterranean food that one can get in the restaurant or catered. The menu is a simple offering of large roll ups or plates with side dishes. The portions are generous and fresh. The service was very fast and efficient.  If you are not already familiar with this type of cuisine, I suggest you look at the menu first, as the servers expect you to know quickly what you

want.  They politely and efficiently expect customers to order as soon as they get to the server counter in order to keep the line moving.

One of my favorite types of Mediterranean food is a Shawerma.  This is their specialty. It is a type of roll up with chicken and various spices and sauce inside a pita or another type of bread called Saj. One can get the Shawerma with chicken or beef, and spicy or not spicy.  It is a great combination of meat and spices. Another offering is a Shawerma plate, which is the inside meat and sauce served Shawerma style without the bread. There are also meat kebabs and meat kebob roll ups.

The restaurant offers veggie roll ups with vegetables, Falafel, or Halloumi, for anyone who is vegetarian or does not desire to eat meat. Many dishes are sold as a combo where one can get garlic and rice pilaf, Tabouleh Salad, Greek Salad, Falafel Fatoush Salad, Cous Cous Salad Cauliflower, Hummus, Grape leaves, Rice & Lentils, Baba, Mousaka, Green Beans, French Fries, or Spicy Potatoes as a side dishes.  The meat is cooked rotisserie style and cut fresh for each sandwich. In addition to my favorite Shawerma roll up, I love the Fatoush salad.  The combination of the salad with the spices and the lemon juice make this one of the freshest salads I have ever had.  The hummus is also creamy and fragrant. If you have room left for dessert, the Baklava is pure sweetness.

I was pleased that the students and the faculty seemed to really like the food. Maria Palermino ordered stuffed peppers, grape leaves and rice.  When I asked her what she thought, her answer was “OMG, OMG”.  Many of my students planned to come back at a later date.  That was proof enough for me that they were not just being polite when they said the food was really good.  The prices are also very reasonable for the generous portions.  I hope to have lunch there again soon.