Albania

Three Interesting Facts about Albania

1. Mother Teresa is from Albania

2. The local name of Albania is ‘Shqiperia’, which can be translated to ‘Land of the Eagles’.

3. In Albania, nodding the head means no, and shaking the head means yes.

Money

The Albanian currency is called Lek (ALL).  Right now the exchange rate is $1.00 = 103 lek. So let’s see if you can figure out how much each of these items are in USD.

1L of Milk – 115.00 lek

Bottle of Shampoo – 309.00 lek

Can of Coke-a-Cola – 60.00 lek

Deodorant Stick – 450.00 lek

Kruja Castle

The Kruja castle is a castle in the city of Kruja, Albania and the center of Skanderbeg's resistance against the Ottoman Turks.

Butrint

I was able to visit this now archeological site which was an ancient Greek and later Roman city.

Romania

Three Interesting Facts about Romania

- It is about the size of Oregon.

- They have the largest population of brown bears in Europe.

- The most expensive building in the world is in Bucharest, Romania.

Palace of Parliament

I spent the month of June in Draganesti – Olt a town in southern Romania.  While I was there I worked in two villages near by, Maruntei and Coteana.  My team and I spent time visiting families and playing with kids.

Weather

The weather in Romania is similar to the northeastern United States.  They have four distinct seasons.  So while in Draganesti it was a lot like home, but with less humidity.  We had very warm days, a few cool nights, and many rainy afternoons.

Transportation

Many people living in villages get around on foot, bike, or horse and carriage.  You can take a train or minibus into the larger cities.

Money

The Romanian currency is also called Leu (RON).  Right now the exchange rate is $1.00 = 3.22 lei.  Leu is the singular form, lei is the plural form.  So let’s see if you can figure out how much each of these items are in USD.

Snickers – 1.59 lei

Coke 16oz. – 3.00 lei

Subway 6in. sandwich – 8.90 lei

The Black Sea

I was able to visit the Black Sea in Constanta, Romania.  An interesting fact about the Black Sea is that it was originally a fresh-water lake.  It did not become salty until 7000 BC, when glaciers melted after the last Ice Age and the sea levels rose causing the Mediterranean Sea to spill over some land that separated it from the Black Sea.

My feet in the Black Sea.  The water was clear, cool, and there were only tiny waves.

Bran Castle

I was also able to visit the Bran Castle in Bran, Romania in the Carpathian Mountains.  This castle is also known as Dracula’s Castle.  Though it is not the true Count Dracula’s castle, because Count Dracula is a fictional character. It is said that the author’s, Bram Stoker, imaginary Dracula’s Castle was based on a description of Bran Castle.

               

   

The Carpathian Mountains

Moldova

Moldova

Moldova is a landlocked country.  This means that the country is completely surrounded by land.  The country is boarded by Ukraine on the north, east, and south and Romania on the west.  The country is also sandwiched between two rivers, the Dniester and Prut.

I stayed in Ungheni, Moldova that is on the border of Moldova and Romania.  I was near the Prut River, that runs along the boarder of Romania and Moldova.  An interesting fact is there is a bridge across the Prut River and on the other side the Romania border town has the same name.

Flag

Moldova has one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse (front) and reverse sides.  Can you find out which two other national flags are like Moldova?

 

Obverse (front)

Reverse

Weather

The first few days of the month were cool, but spring sprung in Moldova.  Most days it was sunny with a later afternoon storm, which cooled the nighttime.  It was a nice change from the winter like temperatures of Ireland.  See if you can convert these temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

Coldest Day of the Month – May 14^th  

            High - 14°C             Low -10°C

Warmest Day of the Month – May 26^th  

            High - 31°C             Low - 19°C

Money

The Moldovan currency is called Leu (MDL).  Right now the exchange rate is $1.00 = 14.00 MDL.  So let’s see if you can figure out how much each of these items are in USD.

Can of Coke – 15.20 L

Twix – 11.00 L

Can of Pringles chips – 41.00 L

Answers to Ireland Questions

Great Job 3rd Grade Eagle Enrichment!  

Ireland

Ireland

This month I learned a lot about the island of Ireland, and I am going to share with you some of the history and cool things I learned.

This month I spent most of my time in Coleraine, Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom.  I also spent time in Dublin, Ireland that is part of the Republic of Ireland.  So even though I spent my month on the island of Ireland I was actually able to spend time in two different countries!

  

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Flags

The Union Flag, also know as the Union Jack, is the official flag of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.  On this flag are the St. George’s Cross, St. Andrew’s Saltire, and St. Patrick’s Saltire.

Northern Ireland does not have it’s own flag like England, Scotland, and Wales.  They do have two former flags that are used by many to represent Northern Ireland.  These flags just cannot be flown above any government buildings.

The Ulster Banner was used by the Northern Ireland Government 

from 1953 - 1972.  

St. Patrick's Saltire is sometimes use by the British Government to represent Northern Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland flag, frequently referred to as the Irish tricolor, is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and orange. The Irish government has said the symbolism behind each color as being that of green representing the Gaelic tradition of Ireland, orange representing the followers of William of Orange in Ireland, and white representing the desire for peace between them.

Weather

This month was very cold, which was a big shock after being in the heat for the last seven months.  In Northern Ireland, like in Asia and Africa, they use Celsius when telling temperature. See if you can convert these temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

Coldest Day of the Month – April 11^th

            High - 11°C             Low - 2°C

Warmest Day of the Month – April 29^th

            High - 19°C             Low - 10°C

Money

In the United Kingdom the currency is called the British Pound (GBP). The symbol used to represent the British Pound is £. Right now the exchange rate is 1 GBP = $1.68. 

In the Republic of Ireland the currency is called the Euro (EUR).  The symbol used to represent the Euro is €. Right now the exchange rate is 1 EUR = $1.38.

So let’s see if you can figure out how much each of these items are in USD.

A sweater to wear in the cold weather - £14.99

A pair of gloves - £4.00

A toothbrush - £7.49

500ml bottle of Dr. Pepper - € 1.39

Cheeseburger Happy Meal at McDonald’s - €3.75

A sweatshirt - €19.99

Giants Causeway

The Giants Causeway is in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.  It is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that were formed after an ancient volcanic eruption. It is named the fourth greatest natural wonder of the United Kingdom. 

The columns form stepping-stones and most are hexagonal in shape.  The tallest columns are about 12 meters high.  How many feet are in 12 meters?

Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are located in County Clare, Ireland. They rise 120 meters above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters just north of O'Brien's Tower.

O'Brien's Tower

I know that the school year is coming to an end and I am sure that you all are very excited.  I just want to say that I have loved being able to share my experiences over the past eight months with you.  But I am not done!  I will still be traveling to Moldova, Romania, and Albania.  So, if you feel like learning some more over the summer I will continue to post about my travels to this blog.