Nathan S Taylor T PortugalPortugal Portugal is a country in southwestern Europe. We have been...
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EPAL PROJECT Nathan S Taylor T
Nathan S Taylor T PortugalPortugal Portugal is a country in southwestern Europe. We have been emailing two students from Camilo Castelo Branco, Famalicão
PortugalPortugal Portugal is a country in southwestern Europe.
We have been emailing two students from Camilo Castelo Branco,
Famalico for the past few months. They are Rafael, a humorous and
outgoing sixteen year old boy, and Carolina, a funny but sometimes
shy fifteen year old girl. We have gathered much information from
them and learned how different and similar our two countries are.
We got a look into their everyday life and learned things
specifically about them and things about most Portuguese people. We
also learned about their geography, government, schooling, family,
customs/traditions, and current events happening there.
Slide 4
Schooling Portugal United States Classes start and end at
different times during the week Portuguese students seem to have
more classes than most American students Most 10 th graders take
Philosophy 10 th grade there is part of the secondary school Public
classrooms are smaller than for private schools Classes start and
end at the same time every day We go to school for a longer time
each day 9 th -12 th grade is high school In the United States, the
typical public primary school classroom has 23.6 students, but
Portugal has about 19 students per classroom
Slide 5
Schooling Cont. Many subjects are the same (Math, English,
Chemistry, P.E., and a foreign language) Classes are taught in a
similar way Both have teachers and students Both have classes that
require taking an exam Both
Slide 6
Family Family life is much like it is here, they have an
average of four to five people in their family and the families
usually have some pets The family is the foundation of the social
structure and forms the basis of stability. Extended family is
quite close. The individual derives a social network and assistance
from the family. Loyalty to the family comes before other social
relationships, even business.
Slide 7
Family cont. Favoritism is considered a good thing, since it
implies that employing people one knows and trusts is of primary
importance. They are a people who retain a sense of formality when
dealing with each other, which is displayed in the form of extreme
politeness The children respect their elders The parents take very
good care of the children and expect them to be polite
Slide 8
Customs/Traditions Carnival Carnival in Portugal is celebrated
throughout the country, most famously in Ovar, Madeira, Loul,
Nazar, and Torres Vedras. The carnivals in Podence and Lazarim
incorporate pagan traditions such as the careto, while the Torres
Vedras celebration is probably the most typical Portuguese
carnival. Other Central Portugal towns, such as Fatima and Leiria,
offer colorful, family-friendly takes on Carnival. In these towns
everyone dresses up as if it were Halloween. Children and adults
wear masks and enjoy the towns enthusiastic parades.Besides the
themed floats and cars, the Carnival festivities include samba
groups, bands, dances and plenty of music and liveliness. In the
city of Loul, the Carnival parade annually attracts thousands of
national and foreign tourists to the region. -Rafael S.
Slide 9
Carnival Cont.
Slide 10
Customs/Traditions cont. Traditional Foods Holidays Porto wine
is an tradition too, produced for centuries in the Douro region, is
typically Portuguese. Portuguese stew and grilled sardines are the
most traditional Portuguese dishes -Carolina My Christmas holidays
was very nice, I passed them with my cousins, uncles and
grandparents at my home. On Christmas Eve I ate fish with potatoes
and eggs. -Rafael Carolina also spent her holidays with family,
especially with her cousins. She also ate fish and potatoes. The
most important events are Christmas, Easter Sunday, S. Martins day
that it's celebrated with chestnuts and wine. -Carolina Other
Traditions Fado here is an tradition, is a typically Portuguese
musical style -Carolina
Slide 11
Geography Portugal has awesome landscapes some rural others
urban. The best zone of Portugal is the Algarve and Viana do
Castelo. In 2010 the European city of culture is Guimares. This
city has one of the principal castles of Portugal. -Rafael This
country has many castles. Im in Famalico, its small, but is a
beautiful town. -Carolina Portugal is in southwestern Europe,
bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain It has mountains
north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
Slide 12
Geography cont. Portugal is bounded on the west and south by
the Atlantic Ocean and on the north and east by Spain. The physical
environment varies enormously, creating several distinct geographic
regions that, in turn, have shaped the culture of the people and
their economy and society. The extreme south of Portugal is known
as the Algarve. It is a dry region of smallholdings, grazing,
fishing, and coastal towns. Portugal has ten major rivers: Rio
Minho, Rio Douro, Rio Tejo, Rio Guadiana, Rio Tmega, Rio Mondego,
Rio Sado, Rio Chana, Rio Sabor, and Rio Vouga. The soil systems of
Portugal are usually sandy, arid, and acid, reflecting the soils of
the Iberian Peninsula generally. Soil in the north can be rocky.
Northern Portugal is better suited for agriculture than the south
because of abundant rainfall, but with proper irrigation the south
could support more intensive agriculture.
Slide 13
Government The government is Ps, is an socialist party.
-Carolina The capital of Portugal is Lisbon. The government has
political, legislative and administrative functions The government
comprises the Prime Minister, other ministers and the state
secretaries (junior ministers). Each minister heads a ministry and
has assigned to him or her one or more state secretaries.
Slide 14
Government cont. Portugal is divided into 18 districts and two
autonomous regions (the Azores and Madeira Islands). The president
of Portugal is Anbal Cavaco Silva The currency of Portugal is the
Euro
Slide 15
Economy 10% of the workforce is employed in agriculture,
producing less than 7% of the gross national product. Wheat, corn,
potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes, and sugar beets are the main
crops; sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and poultry are raised. The
country's fishing fleets bring in vital cargoes of sardines and
tuna; fishing ports extend all the way from Cape St. Vincent in the
south to the mouth of the Minho River on the North Spanish
border.
Slide 16
Entertainment Entertainment there is very similar to the things
we do for fun here. SportsMoviesBooksHangout spots Music In the
summer the hangout spot is the beach too, but in the winter most of
the time we usually go to a caf or bar. -Carolina Rock is my
favorite. I know Play some musics, I started play in this year, so
I dont know play many songs. In the weekend I have lesson of
guitar. Fado here is an tradition, is a typically Portuguese
musical style, I don't like, but people here love. -Carolina I
practice artistic gymnastic when I was 11 but when I come for
Portugal I left. Now I play volleyball in my free time. -Carolina
Portugal has two of most famous celebreties related to the football
world, Jos Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo. Jos Mourinho is the best
football coach in the world and recently he won the gold ball. I
play hockey but isnt on ice. -Rafael My favorites movies is from
Disney too, especially the lion king and spirit, and the movies of
Nicholas sparks -Carolina I read the book of dear john, the
notebook and last song -Carolina
Slide 17
Current Events Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates resigned
on Wednesday and warned of grave consequences for the country after
parliament rejected his government's latest austerity measures
aimed at avoiding a bailout. The events in Portugal prompted the
euro to extend losses against the dollar after trading lower all
Wednesday on wariness before the Portuguese vote and on news of a
delay in increasing a euro zone bailout fund. Portuguese stocks
fell and bond yields shot up.
Slide 18
Current Events cont. Portuguese bank stocks rallied on Thursday
after the caretaker government requested European financial aid and
analysts saying a deal could be negotiated quickly despite a
political vacuum during an election campaign. The Socialist
caretaker government has said it has limited powers and parliament,
which EU officials say would normally have to ratify any agreement
before disbursal, is dissolved until the election.
Slide 19
Current Events cont. Portugal, one of the eurozone's poorest
nations, is immersed in debt, barely has a functioning government
and is widely expected to receive a Greek-style bailout by June.
But travelers willing to jump aboard this economic roller coaster
could find bargains in a country small enough to tour in a week's
time.
Slide 20
Other Facts Portugal has approximately 11,994,156 people as of
April 15, 2011, but the U.S. has about 305,689,000. Initial
greetings are reserved, yet polite and gracious. The handshake
accompanied by direct eye contact and the appropriate greeting for
the time of day. Once a personal relationship has developed,
greetings become more personal: men may greet each other with a hug
and a handshake and women kiss each other twice on the cheek
starting with the right.
Slide 21
Conclusion Our epals have taught us much about their country
and themselves. Although they live on the other side of the world,
they are very similar to us here. They like to play sports, read
books, listen to music, hang out with friends, and watch movies
just like we do. Their schooling, family, and some
customs/traditions and parts of their geography are similar to ours
in many ways, but also differ some. Their government is quite
different from ours, and they are dealing with things there lately
that we do not need to face. It was very interesting learning about
another country and their lifestyles through kids our age; and we
learned that the world isnt as different as it seems.