Q&A About Where we Live

[Eight]

I've always found it really cool how wide-spread Wonderland is. I've never traveled outside of North America, so I really appreciate the oppurtunity of getting to meet people on an international scale.

So, for this thread, I was thinking that we could have a Q&A; Ask and answer eachothers' questions about where we live, like customs, weather, etc.

Info about me: If anyone doesn't know, I live in the eastern U.S., specifically New Jersey, so feel free to ask any questions about customs here and what not.

My questions for others:

• What's the climate like where you live? Do you have all four seasons or is it organized differently?
• What are norms for food?
• What are the big cities in your area? Have you traveled to one, and if so how was it?

 

[GrayCipher]

I like how this conversation migrated here from VIP chat.
I'm from Singapore, and yes I can still see when I laugh.

For the weather, We have 3 seasons:
-Summer, literally everywhere outside.
-Winter, when it rains and you're in an air-conditioned area because we love our air-cons
-Haze, because goddammit Indonesia

The average temperature at noon hits up to 34 degrees Celcius, and our low is around 27.

Food, we have pretty much whatever, since theres almost everything here, but it's costlier because of import taxes.

As for Cities.. *cries in city-state*

 

[floot_guy]

I live on an island, in the Indian ocean
Climate's dry and cool in winter, warm and humid in summer
(Tropical climate, only 2 seasons. Summer: November-April, Winter: May-October)

Food and Cuisine: Chinese, Indian, Creole and Turkish (Creole cuisine is the fusion of different cuisines to create a unique dish.. I(n this case here, It's a combination of native african, indian, asian/arabian and a bit of french twists)
Food we eat:
Seafood, anything deep fried, coconut/coconut water or tropical fruits and veggies. We consume a lot of bread and long-grain rice.
For breakfast, people generally eat bread or faratas which a type of flatbread, similar to flour tortillas.

Street food: Not always good looking or healthy, but it's tasty. Vegetable fritters, bread fritters, samosas, dumplings, fried noodles , chili bites, peanuts and chickpeas (Fried, roasted or boiled), stuffed flatbread called Dhall Puri, Kebab, Wraps, Doner Kebab in a french baguette, viennoiseries (Croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish pastry...) Most snacks are accompanied with a tomato/coriander or a coconut chutney
Drinks: Alouda (Cold milk drink, similar to the Indian Falooda), Tea, coconut water
Sweets: Anything Indian or South-African and Coconuts.

Cities are not 'that' big here, and the are always crowded, even on Sundays but the best place to be in Mauritius is at Grand-Baie, with it's superb night-life, beaches, beach-houses, clubs, malls, boutiques, stalls with super fresh seafood, tropical salads or coconut and lots of tourists and activity. It's like the 'sin-city' of the island (It's a village tho)
The island most focused topics are Tourism and Education. Education and travelling are free for students but sometimes I feel youngsters abuses this system. The current project of the island is the construction of the Light Rail Metro.

I want to get the hell out of here tho, idk why...
also, I love coconuts

 

[Eight]

-Haze, because goddammit Indonesia

What is this haze like? I believe I saw a video of Indonesia where they had red skies due to forest fires, is it something such as that?

Food and Cuisine: Chinese, Indian, Creole and Turkish (Creole cuisine is the fusion of different cuisines to create a unique dish.. I(n this case here, It's a combination of native african, indian, asian/arabian and a bit of french twists)
Food we eat:
Seafood, anything deep fried, coconut/coconut water or tropical fruits and veggies. We consume a lot of bread and long-grain rice.
For breakfast, people generally eat bread or faratas which a type of flatbread, similar to flour tortillas.

Street food: Not always good looking or healthy, but it's tasty. Vegetable fritters, bread fritters, samosas, dumplings, fried noodles , chili bites, peanuts and chickpeas (Fried, roasted or boiled), stuffed flatbread called Dhall Puri, Kebab, Wraps, Doner Kebab in a french baguette, viennoiseries (Croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish pastry...) Most snacks are accompanied with a tomato/coriander or a coconut chutney
Drinks: Alouda (Cold milk drink, similar to the Indian Falooda), Tea, coconut water
Sweets: Anything Indian or South-African and Coconuts.

Despite being a picky eater and not eating a lot of fruits/vegetables, I can't help but find this all sound tasty.

Education and travelling are free for students but sometimes I feel youngsters abuses this system.

"Education" like college/university? That's very costly in the U.S., in fact student debt is a whole topic in U.S. politics. Also, how do you feel young people abuse this system?

 

[Snoop.]

I live where you do Eight lol *Stalker ahievement unlocked*
I am partly Welsh tho and I visit there every 2 summers and its amazing there. Its so quiet and peaceful and when I visit in June the weather is great and warm always sunny outside. The people are very nice and the pubs there have the greatest food. There is a lot of castles you can visit there too I recommend it to anyone who has the money to go and visit for a few days. (Try the fish n chips there and the bacon its sooooo good)

 

[GrayCipher]

What is this haze like? I believe I saw a video of Indonesia where they had red skies due to forest fires, is it something such as that?

The skies aren't red here since the red light was an effect of the actual fires, but think of it as waking up one day to find that everything is covered in fog, and it smells like hell decided to poke a few ventilation holes from down beneath. In fact, it's so hazardous to those unaccustomed to it that it was next to impossible to get an N95 mask since it was sold out everywhere. Even the most stubborn and resilient of us were susceptible to falling ill due to the levels of the haze the first time around. subsequent years have seen people growing used to it since this is almost like a really dumb annual festival in which Indonesia keeps producing haze. Of course, just because we are growing used to it, it doesn't mean that we're going to stop bitching about it anytime soon.



The statements given by Indonesia don't really help either. One moment they're blaming some major corporation, the next it's because a volcano erupted. But at the end of the day, since we have been bitten before, every time the haze appears we automatically turn to look at Indonesia, assuming they're trying to fertilize the land. One cannot say for sure what the endgame here is, but all we can really do is sit here and twiddle our thumbs, hoping that the haze dissipates.

 

[Snoop.]

The skies aren't red here since the red light was an effect of the actual fires, but think of it as waking up one day to find that everything is covered in fog, and it smells like hell decided to poke a few ventilation holes from down beneath. In fact, it's so hazardous to those unaccustomed to it that it was next to impossible to get an N95 mask since it was sold out everywhere. Even the most stubborn and resilient of us were susceptible to falling ill due to the levels of the haze the first time around. subsequent years have seen people growing used to it since this is almost like a really dumb annual festival in which Indonesia keeps producing haze. Of course, just because we are growing used to it, it doesn't mean that we're going to stop bitching about it anytime soon.

View attachment 4586

The statements given by Indonesia don't really help either. One moment they're blaming some major corporation, the next it's because a volcano erupted. But at the end of the day, since we have been bitten before, every time the haze appears we automatically turn to look at Indonesia, assuming they're trying to fertilize the land. One cannot say for sure what the endgame here is, but all we can really do is sit here and twiddle our thumbs, hoping that the haze dissipates.

dude i think you all need to take a vacuum and turn it on and suck the haze out

 

[GrayCipher]

 

[Ray]

I live in Canada, specifically south ontario in a town touching lake ontario so though you may think it must be cold for us some science stuff being by the lake actually makes us have unique weather (a 15 minute drive north can drop down 5 degrees). So it is four seasons, about 3 months for each season but some years it can be different, we can tend to have longer winters but some years we may not. summer in may-august, winter december-february.

norm for food can be pretty much anything but yeah I'd say the more popular stuff would be meat places like burgers or pizza places but that could just be my town.

Big cities would be Toronto just a 45 minute drive or Ottawa 4 hour drive. I've been to both but I'm not a city person I'd much rather be in the country. I might try to get into hunting.

 

[Scorch]

I live in Malaysia (and if you think Singapore had bad haze it doesn't come close to Malaysia). Specifically Kuala Lumpur in Bukit Tunku which is an upper-class residential area. Fun fact: It was named after Tunku Abdul Rahman's (Former Prime Minister) house which is here. No real seasons just hot and wet.

Food here is mainly cheap and plentiful. The best will usually be found being sold roadside at stalls. An example of the food here would be nasi lemak - rice cooked in coconut milk served with a spicy chilli sauce called sambal. Usually with fried anchovies, peanuts, fried egg, cucumbers and fried chicken. Generally priced at 1 - 5 ringgit (about 0.25 - 1.2 USD)

Big cities are - Kuala Lumpur, George Town, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Ipoh, Johor Bahru and Kuala Terengganu.

Places of interest:

Taman Negara - one of the worlds oldest rainforests (Around 130 million years old)
Petronas Twin Towers - were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 - 2004 and are still the tallest twin towers in the world
Batu Caves
Mount Kinabalu
Kek Lok Si Temple
Redang
Christ Church
Sipadan
Cameron highlands
Pulau Tioman
Langkawi
Perhentian Islands
Mulu Caves - Largest cave chamber in the world (said that it could accommodate about 40 Boeing 747s, without overlapping their wings!)


I was going to explain all of them but I got bored

Anyway, that's all from me for now. Feel free to ask me anything!

 

[GrayCipher]

@Scorch We have something in common:
That Indonesia is trying to give us cancer

One thing I forgot to mention, Singapore is a very fine place. And I don't mean that in a good way, it's that everything in Singapore is about fines and taxes. Even bringing in a pack of chewing gum (commonly from Malaysia) can get you an SGD$10,000, or up to 1 year in jail.
I'm a smoker- In Malaysia, I can get a pack for just RM17, which is pretty much just below SGD$8. Singaporean cigarettes can cost up to SGD$14.20. it's even more ridiculous in Indonesia, as they have packs going for IDR22,000, which is just SGD$2. For comparison, 1 Singaporean dollar is about 0.57 European Pounds or USD0.73.

Post automatically merged: Oct 24, 2019

 

[floot_guy]

"Education" like college/university? That's very costly in the U.S., in fact student debt is a whole topic in U.S. politics. Also, how do you feel young people abuse this system?

well, Mid and High school students do not have to pay for fees (Just administration and PTA fees, which is not that costly)

All kind of exams in registered institutions are practically free (idk much about unversities, I've never been to one) .
The only condition is that you should have min 90% of recorded presence in any institution for both the public and private sector (except for some private schools where students are over 21)

Nowadays youngsters go to school just to have fun, compared to earlier times. Year by year, the failure rates are significantly rising for the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. (Mid, High, University). There are a lots of adult teens who wastes their time in schools instead of going to work or follow other courses. Drugs, alcohol, smoking and teenage-sex are getting very common in schools today.

Traveling is free, buses are provided for some schools and if you travel in a regular bus, you don't pay (You have to show your student bus pass, when going to your institute or when coming back) You get a ~25-35% discount when you show your student pass while paying, when going elsewhere, or when traveling on week-ends/public holidays/school holidays.

 

[sowon]

I live in the United Kingdom, and specifically Southern Scotland on the border of Northern England. My father's side is from England which I guess is why I'm geographically close to dad's side of the family.
The memes about Scotland - and buy extension United Kingdom - are true, the seasons don't really exist here. Every day it's a gamble between pouring shine or blistering shine. It's very hard to plan clothing in advance because of this!
Christmas is a gamble between no snow or snowed-in as well, Scotland is just a place where Mother Nature just doesn't give a damn about abiding by the seasonal changes.

Typical food here in Scotland is mainly derived from England, so classic fish & chips, bangers & mash (aka sausages & mashed potatoes), haggis, roast chicken, English breakfast which consists of bacon, eggs, beans, and toast, and sometimes tomato and black pudding, it's a great selection of pub classics.
Of course like any other country, there is a choice of Chinese, Indian, and other oriental restaurants for those who want a more diverse taste.

Big cities in my country are:

• Edinburgh - The capital of Scotland, has the Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, Princes Street, the classic Hibernian & Hearts football rivalry, and fun fact, is one of the founding 5G cities from the mobile network EE!
• Glasgow - Cathedral, Science Centre, Kelvingrove, George Square, and the Botanic Gardens
• Aberdeen - Aberdeen FC's stadium (new and old now), Codonas amusement park, and the Maritime Museum

I love my country despite the political situations Scotland and England go through, it's the people and the places that make the country what it is and it's beautiful.

 

[floot_guy]

Typical food

I love sausage rolls and haggis...

 

[Scorch]

The current project of the island is the construction of the Light Rail Metro.

I'm actually interested in this. What is it and how is it going to do to improve your country overall.

Also if you don't mind me asking. What is the government like and how does the general public feel about them?

 

[sowon]

I love sausage rolls and haggis...

Honestly, I've never tried haggis in my life, but a good sausage roll on a frosty morning is always the best.

 

[floot_guy]

I'm actually interested in this. What is it and how is it going to do to improve your country overall.

Also if you don't mind me asking. What is the government like and how does the general public feel about them?

Idk what to say, here's a wiki link

Metro Express (Mauritius) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Well, i'm a bread-man and idk if it will be a benefit for me, but many people, including myself like to travel comfortably and reach our destination as quickly as possible. Traffic is also an issue when traveling by coaches or buses. Also, traveling by this train is environmentally friendly, so no pollution and less fuel consumption, according to some.

 

[Niki]

I live in Czech Republic, its a smaller state in europe (10mil ppl in whole country). We have as normal 4 seasons. But what we have diferent is our language (Its Czech or Čeština). The weather here is nothing special. Hot summer. Cold winter. But the food here, oh man, its the best thing. Yes you may not like it a first, but once you get used to it, you cant eat anything else.
Ok now to our biggest city. Its Praha (1mil ppl). Othere are Brno, Plzeň, Ostrava.... We have a lot of them. And also we have a lot of castles, a magnificent nature and (not proud of it) our president. (He looks like a 90yr drunk man).
And yea this is Czech Republic. I think you should visit it a least once.

 

[Eight]

I think you should visit it a least once.

I'd love to visit Praha/Prague sometime. (Is "Praha" the Czech form of spelling it, like with Venice vs. Venezia?)

Nowadays youngsters go to school just to have fun, compared to earlier times. Year by year, the failure rates are significantly rising for the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. (Mid, High, University). There are a lots of adult teens who wastes their time in schools instead of going to work or follow other courses. Drugs, alcohol, smoking and teenage-sex are getting very common in schools today.

Interesting, I see what you mean. Over here in the U.S., we have the "War on Drugs." I won't go into the whole history behind that though; my point is, we have a lot of anti-drug PSAs in school usually. For example, in elementary school I had regular presentations from D.A.R.E., or "Drug Abuse Resistance Education." Is something equivalent not in Mauritius, or are the laws just very relaxed (or both)?

 

[Niki]

I live in Czech Republic, its a smaller state in europe (10mil ppl in whole country). We have as normal 4 seasons. But what we have diferent is our language (Its Czech or Čeština). The weather here is nothing special. Hot summer. Cold winter. But the food here, oh man, its the best thing. Yes you may not like it a first, but once you get used to it, you cant eat anything else.
Ok now to our biggest city. Its Praha (1mil ppl). Othere are Brno, Plzeň, Ostrava.... We have a lot of them. And also we have a lot of castles, a magnificent nature and (not proud of it) our president. (He looks like a 90yr drunk man).
And yea this is Czech Republic. I think you should visit it a least once.

If you want to learn more about Czech, the try this video (5min). It should help you out with our history.

There are also prety neet facts.