By Kayla Allen
I'm sure everyone knows by now that the always beautifully illustrated and happily ever after bedtime stories that we've come to know and love came from much more grim origins. The Brothers Grimm are a mainstay of children's literature worldwide and it strikes me as funny that the stories that we know to inspire hope and a sense of magic, in their original form might instead inspire terror, nightmares and possible bedwetting.
Not that it was the Grimm's intention to be frightening but the stories were intended to teach a lesson and most likely to be strong enough that it would not be forgotten. Not to mention that the world was just a tougher place back then and their stories were likely never intended to be children's stories.
The Grimm brothers were linguists and traveled extensively through Germany and other countries to do field work.. To get the information they needed for their field work it was imperitive to find ways of convincing people in small villages to feel comfortable enough to talk at length. To accomplish this they asked the people they met to tell them their favorite stories. In the end the brothers not only attained the data necessary to do their linguistic work, they also took along with them stories from various regions which they compiled and would eventually make them a household name.
If you would like to see what a difference decades can make, follow these links to the original versions:
* Cinderella
* Hansel & Gretel
* Snow White

By Kayla Allen
Hand gestures can mean completely different things depending on where you are in the world. A peace sign in the U.S. turned around in Britain could start a fight. The easily recognizable sign for O.K. in the U.S. means zero in France, in Japan it means money or coins and in Brazil, Germany, and the former USSR, it is obscene gesture.
Head movements are the same; what means yes in one country might mean no in another and while handshakes are generally looked upon favorably, how you do it and what exactly the handshake means can also be up for interpretation. While the handshakes origins are speculation, it is widely thought that it was developed to show that neither party was armed and therefore friendly. Now its used as a greeting, as a goodbye, in business deals as well as a sign of mutal respect.
A kiss hello has none of that confusion. The Romans distinguished three types of kisses naming the hello kiss osculum. While the kiss hello can vary by how many kisses you give or receive, whether it be on the cheek or the mouth the general sentiment remains the same, "Hello, nice to meet/see you!"
Americans don't tend to be big kiss hello-ers but in some areas the practice is gaining popularity. Given the amount of things people touch with their hands in a day compared to how many things people kiss in a day I think I'd actually be happier kissing someone hello than shaking their hand and most importantly less likely to get sick. Maybe the fear of sickness is what's driving some to adopt the "air kiss", all sound and movement, no exchange of germs.
Whether you shake, bow, press together or kiss hello, non-verbal gestures have an evolution all their own, who knows how we'll greet each other in 2206.

By Robin Fillner – SALUD Program Guest blogger traveling in Quito.
Yesterday, I went with some people from the school to the women's prison in Quito. Patty, the main administrator at the school, is very compassionate and wanted us to experience this. She is trying to start a school for the young children that grow up there. When women are put in the jail, their children must go with them if there is no one else to care for them. Some of the women get pregnant in the jail, as a way to reduce their sentences. Unfortunately, this does not always happen and the children must spend their childhoods in jail.
Patty is trying to explain to these women that this is not fair to these kids. Some of the children are unable to read, count, draw, anything. They have never seen anything farther than the walls of the jail. Pregnant women do not get incarcerated, they are set free.
Going inside we had to show our actual passports and get searched. We brought things that they could use: food, cleaning and hygienic supplies, books, etc; those had to be searched as well. Then we got two stamps on our arms. If these were missing for some reason we would not be able to get out..
We entered into a big hall (past a couple highly guarded courtyards) where hanging above was lots of laundry. The hall was covered on top and three stories high with rooms on either side. There were small children running around and tugging on us for money, supplies, and just to say hello. The women were so happy we were there and gave us a welcome speech. They introduced themselves and told us how long they had been there. They had just had a party for a missionary who had been with them for 16 years and was now retiring.
It was amazing what they could do with so little. There were about 10 foreigners there whom we talked with in groups. Indonesia, Thailand, Ireland, USA, Brazil… I spoke with a woman from California. She had met up with a guy who completely lied about himself: His name, nationality, job, everything. She was with him for 2 years and he eventually lured her on vacation to Ecuador with him. When she was leaving he switched her luggage which had had 3 kilos of coke sewn into it, she was nabbed at the airport.
She told the police where he was and when they went to get him, his place had absolutely nothing in it – like he didn't exist. It turned out he was actually from Colombia. There is a lot more to the story of course, and I wonder how much of her perception agrees with what happened. She said that she was in jail for 2 years before even having a sentence! In Ecuador, it is illegal to hold people longer than one year without a sentence. But, they imposed a harsher allegation for the same crime on her. Double jeopardy?? She ended up getting a lawyer from California who worked pro bono on her case. He was able to speed things up but, at the same time, I think it was in 2004 when Ecuador was going through political turmoil and the judges didn't want to pass any judgments so everything was working very slow.
I asked her about any human rights groups she may have had contact with and she said she was able to get a documentary film out, something like: packed, wrapped, and stuck. She also has an article in Glamour Magazine 2004 May or June. She is amazing; just her spirit after all she has been through. She said when you get to the prison you have to make your own bed, you have to buy the materials, and of course you have to somehow earn money to buy the materials. They make all kinds of little things and sell them to the visitors. Also family members bring them money and material, or food too. But being a foreigner you would have no one. So the missionaries help them out a lot. They also email for them to get messages out to their families. I brought her toothpaste and toothbrushes and pads. She was so thankful!!! I hope to go again and see her before I leave.

By Alexa Boyce
One theory on the origin of the name Seine has it coming from the Latin Sanctus, or sacred. Today when walking along the Seine in Paris, France, you can still feel the tranquility that may have precipitated this name, even among the hustle and bustle of this capital city. The beauty of this river has inspired many painters over the years, including Claude Monet, Charles François Daubigny and Emile Othon Friesz.
From the popular Bateaux Mouches tourist boats, one can travel the waterway located between the famed Rive Gauche (Left Bank) and Rive Droite (Right Bank). Many of the most famous sights in Paris can be seen from these boats, which could explain why they are so popular among tourists. These sights include: among other sites, the Eiffel Tower, "Notre-Dame" Cathedral, the Alexander III Bridge, Arc du Triomphe, the Orsay Museum, the Louvre Museum and the "Les Invalides" where Napoleon's tomb is located.
You can also travel under the Pont Neuf, whose name means "new bridge". Actually, the Pont Neuf was built in the early 17th century, and is the oldest standing bridge in Paris. This bridge is west of the Ile de la Cité, and connects the Left and Right Banks. The bridge also holds the famous equestrian statue of Henry IV.
The Rive Gauche is the romantic district of Paris past: Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald are among the artists of the Montpamasse. Besides being just a neighborhood, Rive Gauche can also refer to a certain type of fashion or way of life. This bohemian attitude was captured most recently in the film Moulin Rouge. The famous university district the Quartier Latin is also found on the Rive Gauche.
The Rive Droite is less artsy then its sister to the south, but it has attained a level of elegance due to the fact that it houses the Place Vendôme plaza built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. In this plaza, you can find the Column built by Napoleon in order to commemorate the victory at Austerlitz. It was supposedly built by the captured cannons of the combined armies of Euroope. The Rive Droite is also home to the stylish shopping streets of the Champs Elysées, and Rue de Rivoli.
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seine, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bateaux_Mouches

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Neuf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rive_Gauche

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rive_Droite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_Vend%C3%B4me

By Jeremy Carter – Guest blogger traveling in Merida, Mexico.
On our 4th day in Mexico, a classmate and I took our first ride on a city bus, traveling from the school to the main square downtown to attend a traditional dance performance. The trip to the theater was easy, and you can't beat a bus fare of 4.50 pesos, or about 45 cents in US currency. The show was spectacular, covering styles of dance from the past 2,000 years. (My favorite: the ancient Mayan tribal dances.)
The bus trip back to the north of the city was an adventure. We missed our stop, and since we were on the last bus of the night, we had to get off the bus and take a cab. Lucky for us there was a cab at the convenience store where we stopped, and the cabbie was glad to take us home. However, he was on break and having a coffee, so in typical Mexican "maniana" fashion, he wasn't in too much of a rush, and we sat at the convenience store talking for 15 minutes or more. There and on the way home we chatted about Mexico, and he gave us pointers on using the bus system, plus gave us insight into the places we passed on the way back. Just one of many examples of the incredible warmth and friendliness I've been met with in such a short period of time.
Here, store clerks greet you when you enter and ask if you're sure there's nothing else you want when you check out. It's almost like having your grandmother ringing you up. "Are you sure that's going to be enough to hold you over until dinner…maybe a soda to go with your chips?"
While looking for the bus stop on our way downtown yesterday evening, a very nice young man walking his dogs took us along with him since the bus stop was on his way. In addition, three people in our class have commented how here in Merida women aren't met with catcalls like they are in many Latin American cities. (however good-natured and innocent those catcalls may be, they can catch travelers from other cultures off-guard). The folks here in the Yucatan definitely take hospitality to an entirely new level.

By Alexa Boyce
For those of you who may not know, a Mosque is an Islamic place of worship. English-speakers use the word as a general term, but Muslims actually differentiate between small, privately owned Mosques (Masjid) and larger community Mosques (Masjid jami). While mosques started as small open-air places of prayer, today they are characterized by the domes, minarets and elaborate prayer halls. The Masjid al- Haram in Mecca, the Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina and Al Asqa in Jerusalem are considered the three holiest sites in Islam.
As with all architecture, Mosques in different areas of the Islamic world have evolved differently. The Arab-plan or hypostyle mosques are square or rectangular with a covered prayer hall and a central courtyard to hold the overflow worshippers during busy Friday services. One of the more famous of these mosques is the Mezquita in Moorish-influenced Cordoba, Spain. The ceiling is supported by over 850 colums. (Authors note: I have been to this mosque-turned-cathedral and it is truly impressive, if a little dim. There are few windows in the massive hall).
With the Ottomans came the advent of the central dome mosque, with the large dome being centered over the prayer hall. This style can be reminiscent of Byzantine architecture which also features a large central dome.
Iwan mosques are almost strictly found in Iran. They are likely converted pre-Islamic Zoroastrian fire temples, where vaulted iwans open into a central courtyard used for prayer. The Zoroastrians may have used this space for their sacred fire.
Ancient mosques did not feature minarets as many mosques today do. These towers are often not only the tallest point of the mosque, but the tallest architectural feature around. Modern Conservative Muslims, or Wahhabis, do not build mosques with Minarets as they consider them ostentatious. They were originally constructed in the 7th century in order to compete with the bell towers in Christian cathedrals. It is intended for the same purpose, where a muezzin calls worshippers to prayer. This call to prayer is referred to as adhan.
Ritual purification that precedes prayer, or ablution, means that most mosques have fountains or other facilities in which to perform this procedure. In order to preserve cleanliness, shoes are also not worn inside the mosques.
SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque

By Robin Fillner – SALUD Program Guest blogger traveling in Quito.
Wow – the bus today was really intense (this is my weekly bus report!) today was Ecuador vs. Costa Rica in the world cup match. And because there is no school and no work, I thought it would be less crowded. But no, it was more crowded because people wanted to get somewhere to watch the games. The game started at 8:00 and I have to be at school at 8:30. The bus stop was packed and people (this is common actually) just hang out the doors because it's too packed to close the door. When you can finally get in the bus you have to shove your way in to get some room and hang on to something (there usually are no seats) or else you'll fall on everyone.
So then everyone pushes their way to the exit door when it's close to their stop. If you aren't right next to the door then you will surely miss your stop because they don't wait. A lot of times people jump off when the bus is moving; that has never been my case fortunately.
So today, everyone was pushing so hard to get off the bus and then at the bus station people were sprinting (I am not joking!) to get on their next bus. So funny! I was just leisurely strolling amongst chaos.
When I was in the next bus, Ecuador scored again Costa Rica and in the back of the bus (someone that had a radio) was completely mad. Yelling, it was so crazy! Then the bus stopped and people started sprinting again. I love it! I have learned to embrace the bus. Vive la Ecuador – they won 3-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Jeremy Carter – Guest blogger traveling in Merida, Mexico.
Greetings from Mérida! Even after being here for 24 hours, that still sounds odd, as it's hard to believe I'm spending a month in one of my favorite cities. Every part of this trip has been perfect so far, from the flight to the homestay to the school itself. Thankfully, my greatest fear — that every bit of Spanish I know would escape me as soon as I set foot on Mexican soil — didn't materialize. In fact, being immersed in the culture has provided exactly the jump-start my language skills have needed. My Spanish is far from perfect, but the people have been incredibly accommodating and are enthusiastic to help out, gladly repeating things and helping me when I'm searching for a word. And the school itself has been fantastic. Everyone — from the directors to the administration to the instructors — has made us all the students feel at home.
One of the most interesting aspects of the trip so far was flying in on the day México was electing a new president. It's been a crash course in Mexican political history, as the election has, of course, been the main topic of many a conversation. Which of the two main candidates, Calderon or Lopez Obrador, won still isn't known and probably won't be until Wednesday due to the closeness of the race, but both men were on TV within minutes of each other last night claiming their victory. And Mexicans are anything but ambivalent about elections, with each person having very passionate opinions about each party and its candidates.