Saint Petersburg, Russia. By Ieva Žemkauskaitė, Greta Lukoševičiūtė and Augustė Vaičiūnaitė 8ac*

Saint Petersburg  is Russia’s second-largest city after Moscow and one of the world’s most beautiful cities. St. Petersburg has all the ingredients for an unforgettable travel experience: high art, lavish architecture, wild nightlife, an extraordinary history and rich cultural traditions that have inspired and nurtured some of the modern world’s greatest literature, music, and visual art.

Every year the choir “Liepaitės” is traveling to different countries and this year we traveled to Saint Petersburg to compete in a song contest to which a choir „Altus“ invited us.

So when we arrived, we had to make a decision if we wanted to live in a family or in a “hotel”.

Most of the girls were put in  families, but me and some of the other girls went to the “hotel”. When we arrived at the “hotel” (it was more like a dorm) we were kind of guessing how would the rooms look like. So in one dorm there could live about 5 people. It wasn‘t that bad, actually. 🙄 

My friend Greta lived in a family and her „mom“ was very friendly. When she arrived she couldn‘t contact her family in Lithuania because there wasn‘t any Wi-Fi so she asked her „mom“ if they had free internet, but sadly they didn’t. The “mom” was kind of upset so she rented Wi-Fi for Greta to contact her parents.

After three days our trip was getting to an end, but one night I was lying on a sofa because I had a flu and my roommate sat across from me, suddenly she yelled “RAT! THERE’S A RAT UNDER THE SOFA”. At first I didn’t react but then I ran to her and we were just standing on a chair. Then the other girls came to ask what happened. They “saw the rat” and jumped on a bed near us. After some time passed me and my other roommates went to our teachers’ room to tell what happened. So one teacher came to see if the “rat” is really there. She moved the sofa multiple times and a little mouse ran out. My roommates were screaming. I don’t know why but we named that mouse “Nina Birutė  the 3rd”.

And there was one day when all girls had a day off, so they could spend some time with their families. So I got put in a really good family and we went to some other girl’s house to eat breakfast and to know each other better. They were really nice and bought us tickets to St. Isaac’s Cathedral, bought us coffee, food and some other stuff.

Greta went to the Winter Palace, metro, Starbucks, shopping places and just explored the city.

So me and Greta really liked it there, because there are many great places, beautiful buildings, luxurious city. We definitely recommend this city. 😆 




Differences between Lithuania and Japan. By Ignas Naruševičius 8C

Have you ever thought what kind of differences are between these two countries? Let’s take a look at two European and Asian countries, Lithuania and Japan. Both countries have their traditional food, music, and traditions. Also there is different weather in each region.

The food of Lithuania is mostly made of potatoes. Meanwhile, Japanese eat mostly seafood and rice, for example sushi is their traditional food. On the contrary Lithuanians (or many of them) hate fish and eat “Cepelinai” and “Šaltibarščiai”.

The weather in our country changes from -30 Celsius to +30 Celsius. In Japan there is similar weather like in Lithuania, but in some regions the weather can be much warmer.

Educational systems are very different between these two countries. Usually students in Lithuania have summer holidays for about three months. Meanwhile, Japanese children have only one month of holidays in summer.

The music in both countries mostly differs in instruments and rhythms. But some similarities can be found, for example Lithuanian “Kanklės” and Japanese “Koto”.

And the last but not least: traditions. Japanese have their tea ceremonies. Meanwhile Lithuanians bake black bread according to their own traditions. On the contrary to Lithuanians, Japanese  don’t eat black bread at all. Our main feast is Christmas. Meanwhile Japanese do not celebrate this holiday, on the other hand, they celebrate New Year’s Eve like us.

Comprehension check:

  1. What kind of food do Japanese eat the most?
  2. How long are summer holidays for Japanese kids?
  3. What kind of ceremonies do Japanese have?
  4. What is the traditional food of Lithuania?
  5. What feast is not celebrated in Japan?
  6. What is the traditional food of Japan?
  7. What Chinese New Year Promoting Event In Kobekind of food many Lithuanians hate?
  8. On which instruments some similarities can be found?
  9. Where does temperature change from -30 to +30 Celsius?
  10. What feast do  Japanese celebrate like us?



Great Britain vs Lithuania. By Vakarė Kuklytė 8C

Great Britain vs Lithuania  😯 

After growing up, quite a lot of people in Lithuania go to an another country to find a better place. One of the most popular countries is England. But what’s so different about Britain, what makes a lot of people leave our country every year?

 To be honest, these countries aren’t all that different, but on the contrary there are some things that may be appealing for some people. The weather in Lithuania is mostly balanced, but still leaning more towards the colder temperature. It’s cold when it’s winter, it’s warm when there’s summer. In UK, it rains. A lot. And the weather isn’t that warm, really. Probably the biggest difference these two countries have is their level in the educational system. Britain is known for it’s great universities and schools, conversely, Lithuania is not famous for being a home for many, many smart people, because we’re not that good to be honest, really. While it may be surprising, Lithuania and England share more similar things that different. The food we eat is meat, fish, and other stuff. While it is not totally the same, but it’s not like they’re eatinglithuania-vilnius worms and we eat plastic. Correspondingly, our architecture is just as old as theirs, they have quite a lot of beautiful, senior buildings, like we do! The nowadays music that these countries listen to is pretty much the same – pop! But, if we would have to talk about traditional music, then ours would be much, much more “traditional” and old.

So, which country would you chose to live in? The tea sipping monarchy kingdom, or a small country which isn’t half bad either?

Comprehension Check:

1. Are these two countries really that different from each other? Explain your answer.
2. Does it rain a lot in the UK? What are the reasons?
3. Can You describe the weather in Lithuania?
4. Which country is higher when it comes to educational level? Examples?
5. Do we share more different, or similar things? What kind?
6. Do you know which drink in really popular in Great Britain?
7. Do the two countries have some similar old buildings? Name some.
8. What is the main music genre that we and UK listen to?
9. The form of government that England possesses?
10. Which of the two countries do you like more? Why? Stat your reasons 😎



Japan and South Korea: The Differences and Similarities. By Julija Minauskaitė 8B

Japan and South Korea: The Differences and Similarities

What are the differences and similarities between Japan and South Korea? That is a question I asked myself too many times. Now, since I know everything better about these two amazing countries, I am going to tell you plenty of similarities and some very big differences between South Korea and Japan!

 Both Japan and South Korea have many traits in common.

Firstly, their food culture is very similar. They both use chopsticks during breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eat their staple food: rice and soup, and most importantly they eat quietly. It is their part of traditional food culture.

Typically, Koreans and Japanese people are very kebudayaan_darangee_village_korea_selatanhardworking. It is normal for them to work 6 days a week, without getting paid extra! But after work, they instantly become party animals. Now about rush hours. Big cities like Tokyo or Seoul are basically very crowded, so during rush hours be prepared to be sandwiched between people and be bumped or hit without apologies. They simply don’t have the energy to apologize.

However, there are plenty of differences between these two countries.

Both countries have very strong work ethics, however Koreans are slightly different. They are more “American Style” on how they think and speak. They are quicker to offer their opinions and are more likely to tell you something directly and forwardly and be less concerned with what everyone thinks about them. But people in Japan are fairer. If you lose your wallet in Japan, people would pass it to the police officer and you’ll get it back, but in Korea… Maybe you’ll get your wallet back, but not money.

About sense of style. People in Korea seem to fall in love with the same thing every time. When there’s something in style, everyone follows it. But in Japan everyone seem to have their own style. They tend to like and wear “kawaii” or cute related things.

Japan and South Korea are wonderful countries, full of entertainment and energy. Their culture is interesting and engaging for people all around the globe.

Personally I like Japan for their entertainment and South Korea for their fashion style. And as I said, both, South Korea and Japan are amazing countries to visit and travel around!

😉Are you able to answer these questions? 😈 

1. Why people don’t apologize to you, if they hit or bump into you?

2. Are “kawaii” and cute related things big in South Korea?

3. Does Japan have a luck in music industry?

4. If you lose something in one of these countries, would you get it back?

5. Why people in Japan and South Korea use chopsticks and eat quietly?

6.During what time of day do people use chopsticks?

7. How many days a week does Koreans Japanese people work?

8. Why it is easy for Koreans to learn Japanese language?

9. Where animation industry anime was found?

10. Who are more open-minded?

 

 




Lithuania&Italy. By Povilas Jasvilis 8C

 Today in comparison of these two countries I’m going to compare: terrain, weather, sports, food, islands, volcanoes, capitals, faith, traditions, seas and of course – people.

A little about the weather :In Lithuania It’s mostly very cold, barely warm. And it’s very rainy. Italy: Very hot, sunny rarely any storms or rain. Sports In these two countries are very different . In Lithuania they play basketball. Mainly because Lithuanians are very tall. On the other hand, in Italy they are short and they play soccer.

About food: In Lithuania people eat italian-cuisine“heavier” food for example meat. In Italy they like to eat something more light like pasta or pizza.

Italy gets washed by these Seas: the Adriatic sea , Ionian sea and Tyrrhenian sea. Lithuania gets washed only by the Baltic sea.

A little about Islands: Italy has 3 islands they are: Corsica, Sardinia and of course Sicily. Lithuania obviously doesn’t have any islands. Now about Volcanoes: Italy is a volcanically active country, containing the only active volcanoes in mainland EuropeActive and non active volcanoes: Ischia , Larderello , Linosa , Lipari , Panarea , Pantelleria , Roccamonfina , Sabatini complex , Salina  , Montecristo , Mount Vesuviusmount-etna-eruption, Vulsini , Monte Vulture etc. Lithuania has 0 volcanoes and that’s because were not in the seismic zone.

Faith is the biggest thing that these countries have in common. They are both Catholic.

Traditions: Lithuania and Italy share mostly the same Traditional festivals because they are both Catholic.

As I already mentioned People in Italy are a lot shorter than Comprehension Check:

  1. Which of the two countries is more mountainous? Lithuania or Italy?
  2. What’s the weather in Italy? How often does it storm in Italy?
  3. Why don’t Italians play basketball?
  4. By how many seas does Italy get washed? What are the names of those seas?
  5. How many Islands does Italy have? What are the names of those Islands?
  6. Is Lithuania a volcanically active country? Why?
  7. How many people does Lithuania’s capital have? Does Italy’s capital have less people or more?
  8. Are the traditions of Lithuania and Italy similar? Why?
  9. What county has the only active volcanoes in mainland Europe? Name several.
  10. Can an earthquake hit Lithuania? Why?

 

 




About China and India. By Augustė Stravinskaitė 8C

This Chinese character “Fu” means Blessing Good Fortune Good Luck. Fu is one of the most popular Chinese characters used in Chinese New Year.

Countries differ  from each other  in many aspects, however, they  all  have some similarities that can be compared. Every country in the world has own festivals that are celebrated in different ways and at different times. China and India also have festivals that differ greatly.

China and India being culturally diverse societies celebrate  festivals in their own peculiar ways. Although most Indians festivals cost very little because people are quite poor. they are extremely colorful  and joyful. People love Holy festival of colour during which they cover each other with paint and enjoy this very much. Chinese on the other hand, have expensive and luxurious festivals with do not bring much joy because they are less colorful and more serious. However a lot of Chinese do not even understand the importance and value of festivals.

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To sum up it does not matter what festivals people celebrate they are all different, but at the same time important roles in various cultures.

Comprehension Check:

1.Why does India have so many festivals which cost very little?

2.How do locals celebrate The Holy festival ?

3.Why are Chinese festivals so serious?

4.What is the importance of Indian festivals?

5.What is the importance of Chinese festivals?

6. How do people celebrate The Holy festival?

7. Why are festivals in India better than the ones in  China?

8. How do people in different countries celebrate festivals?

10. How are the 2 festivals different?




Australia and Lithuania. The similarities and differences. By Audrė Baublytė 8D

Australia and Lithuania. The similarities and differences

How similar are Australia and Lithuania? That is an unusual question. Just like all countries they are different, but the better question is how similar are they?

At the roots Australia and Lithuania can seem similar, but when you look closer you notice some major differences. Lithuania is in the Eastern Europe, however Australia is a country and a continent. Lithuania has a cold climate, unlike Australia which has an insanely hot climate. Lithuanian food is more calorie dense, has more fat, but Australian food is less calorie dense and has less fat.

Now let’s look at the bigger picture. Both Lithuania and Australia are democratic countries. Similarly to Australia, Lithuania has a very beautiful landscape.

Now that we have compared the two countries I can explain why I chose to write about these two countries. I wanted to find two countries that at first sight seem to have no similarities, because that’s what makes it fun for me to write and hopefully for others to read.

Australian food has less fat. Lithuanian food has more fat and is more calorie dense.

Comprehension Check:

  1. Name 2 differences between Australia and Lithuania.
  2. In what continents are both countries?
  3. Why did I choose to write about these two countries?
  4. What are the differences between the foods of these countries?
  5. Name 2 differences between these two countries.
  6. Describe Australia’s flag.
  7. Witch country is bigger? More economically powerful?
  8. Why do you think Australia’s and Lithuania’s foods are different fat and calorie wise?
  9. What animal is Australia known for?
  10. Over all are these two countries more similar or different?

 




UK vs USA. By Kotryna Liutkutė 8C

Most of people don’t know any differences and similarities between England and America. Some people even think that UK and USA is the same country!

Here’s the list of similarities and differences between these countries. Correspondingly, UK and USA have various of music genres, and most of this countries popular music and songs  are known in all over the world. Compared to this fact, we know that UK and USA speaks the same language. This is why most of popular songs are English, because:  1) We can understand words 2) This music is just for fun. However, UK and USA has some differences. Even though, UK  is a strong country, but USA’s economy is one of the best in the world. Economy shows how powerful and populated the country is. Conversely, UK’s population is about 40 million, while USA’s population is more 10 times bigger. It’s difficult to say, which country is better. Everyone wants to visit USA to see the White house, while other visits UK, because it’s cheaper, quicker and everyone wants to meet the queen and other family members.

Still , we‘re happy that these 2 countries are not identical. Traditions, music, clothes, religion and history is everything that makes these countries and their cities unique 😳 

Comprehension check:

  1. What is the capital of the USA?
  2. In which state of America is Buckingham Palace???
  3. Who is the president of UK?
  4. Is it cheaper to visit UK than USA, explain?
  5. How many people live in the US?
  6. Which similarity between these countries is the most important in your opinion?
  7. Do Americans speak the same language as British people, what’s the difference?
  8. Which country has a monarchy?
  9. Which country celebrates „Thanksgiving Day“?
  10. How people say the word cookie in England?



United States vs United Kingdom. By Juta Kvederaitė 8B

location in the world (United States is in North America, while United Kingdom is in Europe), are they more diverse or not? Let‘s find out.

languageAmerican EnglishBritish EnglishourourourourourorororororBritish and American English have far more similarities than differences. If you can understand one style, you should be able to understand the other style.

economy$17.9 trillion$2.85 trillion%.

demographics324M people 65M people.

ethnic groups differ in these countries as well. Most common races in US are – 72% white, 13%lack, 5% Asian, 10% other. The most common races in UK are – 87% white, 7% Asian, 3% black, 2% mixed and 1% other.

distinguished too.

. This dish is not usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings but instead as part of the main course or at a starter. Made from flour, eggs and milk, is a sort of batter baked in the oven and usually moistened with gravy.

.

Visiting the United States or the United Kingdom would be super fun and tasting their food would be delicious, however, if you are planning to stay there for a while, depending on your financial state, choosing whichever of these two won‘t make a big difference.

 Comprehension Check:

1. What is the GPD of the United States?

C) $17.9 trillion.

2.How many people are currently living in United Kingdom?

C) 66 million people.

3. Is apple pie the traditional thanksgiving dinner‘s dessert?

4. Which country uses the letter „o“ in their language a lot?

5. Which country has a higherasian ethnicity‘spercentage?

B) United Kingdom.

6. Is American English different than British English?

7. Which country has a higher unemployment rate (6,3%)?

8. Where are the United Kingdom and the United States located?

9. What does the word ‚bonnet‘ mean in the United Kingdom?

10. Is Yorkshire pudding in the UK served as a dessert?

11. Is the US the most populated country in the world?




South Korea v.s Lithuania. Are we really so different? By Gintarė Butkytė 8C

Everyone knows that Europe and Asia are very different. But they are actually alike, since Asia is slowly taking over Europe. 😉

Also, Asian food is getting popular in Lithuania really fast. There’s loads of Sushi stops, Chinese restaurants. The only Korean restaurant in Lithuania opened two months ago in Vokiečių street, Vilnius. Similarly, in Korea there are lots of shops where you can buy traditional European food. and drinks. Both countries like spreading their cultures.

However, both countries are very different at the same time. Main difference between Lithuania and South Korea is that people look completely different. Asians have a very limited hair and eye color variety.  All of them are naturally born with black or brown hair. Same with the eyes. So it is really unlikely for Asian to be blonde or have blue eyes. On the other hand, Lithuanians are more mixed with other countries so they have more eye colors “to choose from” like blue, green, grey etc. and they have bigger eyes with double eyelids.

Greetings in Lithuania are often just a handshake or a hug. In Korea, they don’t do such things. Koreans always bow to each other or at least nod (Even if it’s just two friends meeting!) while saying hello. It doesn’t matter if you know the other person or not. It is necessary to give respect to others.

Comprehension check:

  1. Do Koreans call their parents by their names?
  2. Does Korea have European shops in their country?
  3. Why do Koreans bow to each other?
  4. Do Koreans bow to strangers? Why?
  5. Why do Koreans love Lithuania?
  6. Are boy and girl bands more popular than solo artists in Korea?
  7. Are both countries getting similar?
  8. When did the only Korean restaurant open in Lithuania?
  9. How many Mongolian restaurants are there in Lithuania?



Lithuania & Italy: Similarities & differences. By Kristijonas Slavinskas 8C

Have you even thought about similarities and differences between these two countries? Yes they are really far from each other, but they have some things that make them similar to each other and some that differentiate them.

Both countries are beautiful and exclusive. They have their old traditions, food, music, songs and etc. (they have, but not the same). Religion in Italy is just same as in Lithuania – Catholicism. Both languages came from Indo-European. Continent, where the countries are is Europe and they are in The European Union.

There are much more differences between them. They have traditions, food, music, songs and etc. However there are “BIG” differences between these countries. Weather in Lithuania isn’t the same as in Italy. Lithuanian weather is colder and wetter while Italian is hotter, sunnier and drier. Italy is 4 times bigger that Lithuania. People aren’t same. Almost everything in Lithuania is cheaper than in Italy. In Italy are more places to see. Lithuania is greener country.Here you can see more forests, fields and cultivated fields. Population in Lithuania is 20 times smaller.

Similarities don’t make countries the same and differences make countries exclusive. And to live in one is as awesome and beautiful as in the other.

Comprehension Check:

1. Both languages originate from…?

2. Religions of the 2 countries?
3. What’s the weather like in theses countries? Describe.
4. Which country is bigger?
5. Which country is greener and have more fields?
6. Population of Lithuania?
7. Name the continent, which the countries are in?
8. There are more similarities or differences? What are they?
9. Where is it  cheaper to live? How do you think why?
10. Which country do you like more? Explain, give at least 5 reasons.



About Spain. From Mikalojus Plikusas and Gustas Tolvaišas 6C

Spanish traditional dishes

1. Paella

2. Tortilla Española

3. Queso Manchego

4. Jamon Serrano/Iberico

The weather in Spain is very hot there is absolutely no snow in winter, but in the mountains it’s pretty cold.

Spanish words

Hello-hola, thanks-gracias, Spain-ESPAÑA, bye-adios, friend-amigo.

 😳 Mikalojus Plikusas

“Spain, a country in Europe, it’s the Fourth most visited country in the world! It has over 400 million native speakers. Spanish is the second most popular language in the world! Me and my parents stayed at a hotel near the sea. After1 a few days, I visited a city in Spain called “Montserrat”-  it’s a city on a huge mountain. To get to it you can either climb [which takes forever] or you can go by train. In the city there’s a museum, a big church and a school of art. You can also walk around the huge mountains to get an even better view of the forests below. After we visited Montserrat, me and my parents went to a winery called “Torres “. I got to see how wine was made and I got a taste of some amazing1 grape juice. This was just one of many tourist attractions that we saw. I think that Spain is a beautiful country that almost everyone would enjoy!”

 🙄 Gustas Tolvaišas




Idioms of the World!+Sign language at school (ASL)

So, what do you know about the international sign language? Fancy learning some new things? 💡

https://youtu.be/xHYLZRigskE