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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Social "International Interview" Thread--All Are Welcome!

Discussion in 'FanForce Community' started by Pensivia, Jun 20, 2016.

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  1. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Yay, I love to see this thread growing =D= :D

    Welcome Obi Anne! What a lovely pic, thanks so much for sharing that...those traditional traditional outfits are :cool:

    ^great question...I'm interested in this as well. I guess I tend to think of Western Europe, and perhaps especially Scandinavia in particular, as places where social/political life is significantly more secularized thanin the US (though in the US, the extent to which religion plays a larger/more "visible" role varies widely, with some areas tending to be much more highly secularized than others).
     
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  2. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    I don't know, I have just recently found out about buksvåger myself, it is possible people use it for women also.

    Same-sex marriage has been legal over here since 2009. I don't know if there is a significant divide between the cities and the countryside, even if i know that the countryside is usually more conservative then the cities.

    I am not certain, the Muppets are not as big here as they are in USA or some other countries. I would say that he is relatively well known but I can be wrong.

    I would say that it depend on the festival/holyday and the place. The festivals where I have seen traditional costumes* take place during the summer and are usually either traditional holydays, like midsummer, or festivals with a traditional-theme, like traditional-music festivals. I have never seen traditional costumes during our National day, unlike Norway where you can see many people in traditional costumes during their National day, even when they are in Sweden
    * On TV and similar, I usually spend my holydays with my near family in the countryside and have never been good at going on festivals.

    Oh, this is a hard one. I need to think a bit about this, will return later


    And to continue with the Most popular artists? question, this time some female artists:

    Laleh - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laleh_(singer)


    Loreen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loreen_(singer)


    Miriam Bryant - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_Bryant


    Robyn - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn
     
  3. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Just now hearing about the (possible) vehicle terror attack in Stockholm today :(
     
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  4. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Same here, listening to the live feed right now.

    As of jet don't we know if it really was a terror attack but the comments are leaning that way.

    Latest update is that three people are dead and eighth wounded.
     
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  5. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Very sad, whatever the cause ("terror attack" or not). :(
     
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  6. Obi Anne

    Obi Anne Celebration Mistress of Ceremonies star 8 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 4, 1998
    The police is labelling it as a terrorist attack, as of now there has been an arrest, but the police does not say that the arrested is suspected to also be the terrorist.

    So far four dead and 15 wounded, a few of them seriously. I think the important thing to remember is to stay calm though. It's impossible to protect us from this mode of operation (a lone person driving a lorry into a crowd). They don't need neither a support cell around them, or getting hold of weapons or chemicals. It can be a spur of the moment thing. Giving in to fear and hate is the worst thing to do. And as a resident of Falun, this attack doesn't reach the 7 dead in the only mass shooting incident we have had in Sweden, and we managed to move on from that.

    Also to connect with the earlier question about public religiousness. You will not see or hear anyone offering prayers for the victims as another way of offering condolences. Most Swedes are very secular, and if they are religious it's mostly a very private thing. There are a few religious groups that take inspiration from American evangelism, but they are considered very fringe and quite crazy. If a Swedish person goes to church it's usually just around Christmas and for some family event, like a baptism/wedding/funeral. The Swedish church used to be a state church so a lot of family traditions are centered around doing things in the church, but very few are religious. The Swedish church is Lutheran, but also considered very liberal compared to most churches. They have blessed gay partnerships since the 1990's and performed gay marriages for quite a few years by now for example.

    And I disagree with Gamiel about the use of traditional costumes, around here nobody bats an eye if people are wearing it and you see it for most festivities. Swedes in general don't really celebrate our national holiday though, in contrast to Norway where it is one of the biggest festivities of the year.
     
  7. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Thread host update:


    We'll move into our "last call" phase for questions for Gamiel now. Our next interviewee in the queue was Snokers (Scotland), but I messaged him almost a week ago just to check in and he doesn't appear to be active on the forums right now. I'll give it a full week to see if he responds or not, but if not, we'll move on to the next interviewee in the queue: onqun from Turkey.
     
  8. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    2. Can you tell us about the role of religion in public life in Sweden?

    I agree with what Obi Anne said regarding religion but I would like to ad that we do have our own bible belt where people are more religious and during time of crises the church is one of the gathering places. Public broadcast also notice all the Christina holydays with talk about why we celebrate it and church hymns; they also send worship from a church every Sunday morning.


    Any more questions?
     
  9. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Thread host update:

    I have now heard from onqun (Turkey) and he is currently active on the forums and interested to participate in his round, so we'll aim to start his round within a week or so! In the meantime, I'd like to thank all the posters in Gamiel's round and most of all, Gamiel for all of his thoughtful responses.=D=:)

    While we're waiting for the new round to began, anyone is welcome to just generally socialize and/or post something you think might be relevant to the general focus of this thread. Thanks!
     
  10. Violent Violet Menace

    Violent Violet Menace Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2004
    On that note:



    and

     
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  11. Dagobahsystem

    Dagobahsystem Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2015
    I regret that I never visited Bulgaria.

    My GF during all 4 of my college years is from Sofia, and she invited me to visit every summer and for one reason or another, it never happened.

    I studied Cyrillic and learned enough Bulgarian to converse with her parents on the phone and she and I often prepared Bulgarian food and listened to Bulgarian music.

    One must seize the day, as it were!

    Anyhow, just sharing of self.

    Nazdrave everyone!
     
  12. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Thanks for sharing, Dagobahsystem. I know well about such regrets for missed opportunities... when I was an undergraduate, my faculty advisor tried his best to get me do a semester abroad (in France, since I had a minor in French). It would have been difficult for me financially (I came from a family of very limited means and it wasn't clear at the time that my school scholarships would cover the extra expense of a semester abroad), and that was certainly one big reason I didn't do it...but two other reasons were really stupid. I had a "serious" boyfriend at the time and thought "Oh, I can't leave him for a whole semester!" and then also...even though I LOVED my French studies and had the same fascination with other cultures that I do now, I was also very scared at the thought of going to a foreign country by myself (especially knowing that while my reading and writing skills in French were very good, my speaking skills lagged behind--I feared those initial few weeks of being suddenly "immersed" and having to "fend for myself" in a different language--which of course, is the only way to really learn!)

    Luckily, I found the opportunity to start traveling at a later period in my life...but the fact that I didn't have the special experience of studying abroad for a whole semester (which is a very different experience than just traveling to places as a tourist, of course) is really one of the biggest regrets of my life so far.

    The "boyfriend factor" particularly annoys me now...I ended up totally "outgrowing" that guy and several years later met the man I would later marry, who is _such_ a better fit for me than the college boyfriend I thought I "just couldn't leave"! :oops:Ah, youth!



    ****************************************
    Edit: Thread host update: I sent onqun from Turkey the questions Gamiel submitted for him, so we should be hearing from him before too long and will be underway with our next interview round.

    Just as a look further ahead--I have a slower work period coming up in few weeks (around mid-May), and I'm still thinking of soliciting ideas for any changes that could be made to this thread (possibly changing the format in some way, etc.). I may ask Skiara about setting up a separate thread (with a poll) so that discussion can take place there while interview rounds for currently signed up volunteers continue here. So "stay tuned" for that discussion...
     
  13. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Meant to include in my post above, Dagobahsystem that's cool that you studied Cyrillic! I imagine studying a different alphabet would be quite challenging. I've only studied French and German myself, so I never had to try to tackle that.
     
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  14. Dagobahsystem

    Dagobahsystem Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Pensivia
    I love languages, but I have yet to master even one, including English!

    I studied French for 3 years and have picked up a bit of Spanish and German over time, but due to lack of maintenance practice, I've forgotten most of my skills.

    Learning a new alphabet is very challenging, but I found Cyrillic to be quite intuitive and fun. The pronunciation came naturally to me. I never progressed beyond a beginner level, however, and have subsequently forgotten most of my teachings due to lack of regular, consistent, practice.

    I tried studying Arabic a few years ago, as I wanted to read ancient poetry in the original Arabic. English translations do not preserve the meaning, beauty, rhythm and rhyme of the original Arabic cadence. Perhaps it is akin to translating music into comic book panels!

    My attempt at learning to write, read and speak Arabic did not go too well! It is an incredibly difficult language to learn, imho.
    Cyrillic is a piece of cake compared to Arabic, for the English speaker. French is a walk in the park, as it were.

    Sorry, too many cliches there.

    I've also tried learning Japanese, but I've found I do not devote the time necessary to make sufficient progress.

    I have great respect for anyone who is bilingual or who learns multiple languages. That is a wonderful and admirable quality.
     
  15. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    Yes, to me, achieving true fluency in another language (bilingualism, trilingualism...and beyond!) is an amazing ability. I always joke that I see it as like a "superpower":p (one that so many great international posters around here have, what with their impressive command of written English!) And I think children raised in a bilingual household receive an incredible gift from their parents since the initial foundations of both languages are achieved so naturally and effortlessly that way!

    A couple of years ago, I tried to work on my German using DuoLingo (do you know that site, Dagobahsystem?) and a few other language learning sites, but I found it too difficult to keep up regular practice on top of my work hours (which can be quite long at times) and other necessary tasks of life. It's really frustrating to me because I have German relatives (only some of whom can speak any English) with whom I would love be able to speak German. I also would love to study Italian someday, just because it's always struck me as one of the most beautiful-sounding languages (and I love Italian art, architecture, and food...). At this rate, though it's looking like I might not be able to work on my language learning goals until retirement:p
     
  16. Violent Violet Menace

    Violent Violet Menace Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2004
    hinative.com/ is a social network for language learners. I don't use it myself, because I'm too non-committal to commit to learn a new language, but I saw a promotion for it, and the way it was described seemed very accessible and useful. Look into it.

    Incidentally, about Arabic, here's an informative video on the language's script, history and structure/grammar. I'm sure you already know most of what's in that link, Dagobahsystem, but since it was brought up I thought it would be an interesting apropos to everyone.
     
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  17. onqun

    onqun Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Apr 7, 2016
    Greetings from Turkey!
    I was a bit busy last week so I couldn't write my answers to the questions of Gamiel ,I don't want the folks in line waiting so lets begin!:

    1) Introduce us to three (or more if you want) places that you think is worth visiting in your country.
    My Answer:One of them is certainly Cappadocia,it has a beatiful landscape and it amazes you every time you see it.I go to Cappadocia approximately three times a year since my birth(Well some of my family members still live there[​IMG])It is just a good place to relax.It also contains some of the earliest churches as it used to be a part of the roman empire before and after they accepted the christianity.There are religious groups visiting Cappadocia every year.There are also big underground cities that people used to live for months to escape from an invasion.Maybe there are other places that are more interesting than my hometown but Cappadocia has a different feel to it(You can stay in hotels made inside of rocks[​IMG])and I recommend you to visit Istanbul,I'm not just going to write where to visit in Istanbul because I'm planning a turkish guide to be published in my personal website and maybe in English too.So I will keep informing you when I have the chance.
    [​IMG]
    2) What kind of food would you say is stable food in Turkey and any kind of more unusual food you would recommend or talk about?
    Well,we love meat and soup and but turkish kitchen have all types of food.I have one request before starting please eat Mantı,I beg you:Do It!
    (in the voice of the emperor of the galaxy who also loves power[​IMG])Mantı is a traditional turkish food made of mince meat inside a dough.It is delicious,it's like ravioli but better;).Dried white beans with meat is a staple food in Turkey,one of the most beloved ones.It is made from white beans,meat and a tomato sauce it goes very well with rice[face_alien].It is especially eaten in winter because it keeps you warm.Soup is also very popular in Turkey In winter most of the Turks start dinner with soup.My favorite is lentil soup.It is made of lentil and it is a bit dense but it is really good.Finally I'd like to talk about eggplant.I don't think it is that common outside Turkey but here we can prepare more than 40 types of meals.



    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    3)What example or examples can you share with us of a Turkish word or words which don't really have an equivalent word in English?
    I can't think of any word in turkish that is used in Istanbul or central regions like that but there are other words in other regions that doesn't really have an equivalent in English.The first one that comes to my mind is "ketlek" it means thin in a bad way in the blacksea region and there is the verb of "metlemek" it is used for jumping around in an energetic manner
     
  18. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    stealing Dagobahsystem 's questions:

    A few general questions about Turkish music:

    What are the most popular musical genres in Turkey today?

    Most popular artists?

    Is the art music (classical) scene thriving and/or popular in Turkey?

    Are there any unique musical instruments that are associated with or that were invented in Turkey?
     
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  19. Violent Violet Menace

    Violent Violet Menace Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2004
    Don't ask this, man! It is widely believed that string instruments were invented in Mesopotamia at some point in antiquity, but then there are so many string instruments. Tar, dotar, setar/sitar, kaman, kamanche, santur, qanun, guitar, piano, oud, lyra, cello, viola, violin... And all Middle Eastern people get in arguments about who invented which. Turks say "we invented kamanche, and actually it is kamança!" Iranians say "yeah? What does kaman mean in Turkish, huh? Kaman means bow in Persian and -che is a suffix meaning small or minuscule!" Turks fire back "yeah, whatever, the word might be Persian, but we invented it" In comes the Arab: "shut up, shut up, both of you, this was invented in Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation, you're both morons!" Turks, Iranians, Arabs: "@#¤&$%!!!"
     
  20. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    (just returning again...been away from the boards for about a week!)

    I love that description of the Persian-Turkish-Arab bragging rights argument, Violent Violet Menace...it created a great little visual scene in my head[face_laugh]
     
  21. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    I'm guessing onqun's been busy...just wanted to let everyone know that I'm also going to be away from the boards for about a week (until at least May 22). At that point, we can move on to our next interviewee...Violent Violet Menace!
     
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  22. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Yikes! I have a gazillion questions for onqun, just been very, very busy lately. I'll make sure I squeeze them in before next week.
     
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  23. Violent Violet Menace

    Violent Violet Menace Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 11, 2004
    Just for clarification, am I to answer questions about Norway or Iran? I'm happy to take questions about both for my part, but be aware that the immigrant experience means that I'm not completely immersed in either culture.
     
  24. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    *pokes head into forums briefly*




    That's fine, Chyntuck. If onqun's around and answering them, we can definitely wait a bit longer before starting VVM's round.:D

    Good question...I hadn't thought ahead that far yet:p. I think both would be interesting considered from the angle of getting a window into an immigrant experience!
     
  25. Pensivia

    Pensivia Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2013
    I just realized that onqun wasn't tagged or quoted in Gamiel's post above, so maybe he didn't see those questions if he didn't come back to the thread on his own. Tagging him now in case he's interested in answering more questions:)
     
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