Teachable Moments from Around the Globe Via Postcard

Today after a short dry spell most likely due to the Volcano disrupting postal service around the globe we received a postcard from our friend in Malaysia. She writes: Today I have purchased 40 postcards and have began mailing them to my postcard swap friends like yourselves. The picture displayed on the card shows a typical Malaysian village home. I reside in Kuala Lumpur but was born in Pahang.my parents home looked much like this till recently. In my village many of the kitchens and living rooms have been renovated. I am living in a quiet village. When I lived at home I used to fish, it is a hobby of mine. I have many hobbies which include writing, photography, postcard collecting, poetry, and riding my scooter. I work on my own now selling jewelery in Kuala Lumpur. I am taking German lessons twice a week also. In Malaysia we speak Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Many of the locals in my town speak perfect English I am still perfecting mine. When I can gather the funding I would like to visit the United States someday. I have traveled on several occasions to Europe but sadly have not yet made it to America. Till next time


Many Thanks to Shana S for this wonderful postcard we have learned so much! We hope you enjoy our postcards, and we wish you the best on your future travels.

Well yesterday nothing in the mail but today a big surprise! Thanks to uncle Luis we have not one, or two, but many wonderful postcards from all around the Big Apple, New York City! There are 17 postcards total in this collagee. We love this so much we had to create a collage just to fit them all on the blog. The postcards display well known sites like Central Park, Times Square, The Statues of Liberty, The Manhattan Bridge, The Brooklyn Bridge, New York Harbor, The Empire State Building, and Rockefeller Center. There are also many cityscape views which I love, being a native myself of New York City I want to teach our child all about where her mommy and daddy grew up. Not all cities are the same but this is why we are enjoying this project. To teach our daughter that there are many wonderful places to see and various things to do and that exploration is apart of life. Thanks again tio Luis for your tremendous contribution to this project!

Today we received 4 postcards and 3 are from our friend Stephanie in Canada. Thank you so very much Stephanie for the wonderful postcards from Toronto, Niagara, and Marine Land Canada (Its is somewhat like USA's Sea World Park). This is so amazing. I myself have only been as far as just within the Canadian Boarder for part of the Niagara Falls tour. I would have loved to travel further into Canada. That was a great family trip and we can now create one with our daughter. I had never heard of the Marine Land Canada until this postcard we will be sure to add that as a place to visit when we travel to Canada. The Toronto postcard is a wonderfully pristine cityscape view how amazing. The Niagara postcard is bursting with rushing wasters from an elevated aerial view. We hope you enjoy our latest postcard additions from around the globe.

PS I recall on my family trip that the buses are referred to as people movers we loved that interesting fact so much I remembered it! We learned more interesting facts at: http://www.toronto.ca/visitors/

Today we received 4 postcards this is the first I pulled out of the mailbox. I jumped for joy because growing up in New York City the Guggenheim Museum is a staple in the rich art history of New York's high end art museums. The building itself has attracted architects from around the world for 51 years. This is yet another great learning artifact for our global project. It is also our very first postcard from New York City, thanks to an old friend and her sister! As usual we looked it up on Google Earth to give the visual a more concrete feel. Someday we will visit many of the museums on Museum mile in New York city. Also I have gathered a picture of The Guggenheim Museum direct from its main website: http://www.guggenheim.org/guggenheim-foundation/architecture/new-york. I also learned on this website that there are several Guggenheim Museums around the world (this was a surprise to me) but I am glad to discover and share this with our little girl!

Yesterday we didn't receive any postcards and today we lucked out with a total of 3. I am enjoying the hard work I have put out more and more because it is paying off. The smile on our little girls face when she gets her postcards from around the world is PRICELESS. The other two postcards we received today where from Alabama. One displays USA on a hot air balloon and the second card reads "Greetings from Alabama The Heart of Dixie."

We dug up some facts online about Alabama and discovered...


The State's Name

The etymology of the word or name, Alabama, has evoked much discussion among philological researchers. It was the name of a noted southern Indian tribe whose habitat when first known to Europeans was in what is now central Alabama. One of the major waterways in the state was named for this group and from this river, in turn, the name of the state was derived. The tribal name of Alabama was spelled in various ways by the early Spanish, French, and British chroniclers: Alabama, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alibamon, Alabamu, and Allibamou. The appellation first occurs in three of the accounts of the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1540: written Alibamo by Garcillasso de la Vega, Alibamu by the Knight of Elvas, and Limamu by Rodrigo Ranjel (in the last form, the initial vowel is dropped and the first m is used for b, the interchange of these two consonants being common in Indian languages). The name as recorded by these chroniclers was the name of a subdivision of the Chickasaws, not the historic Alabamas of later times.



The popular belief that Alabama signifies "Here We Rest" stems from an etymology given wide currency in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beauford Meek. However, the first known use of this derivation appeared earlier in an unsigned article in a July 27, 1842, issue of the Jacksonville Republican. Experts in the Muskogee dialect have been unable to find any word or phrase similar to Alabama with the meaning "Here We Rest."



According to some investigations, the tribal name Alabama must be sought in the Choctaw tongue, as it is not uncommon for tribes to accept a name given them by a neighboring tribe. Inquiry among the early Indians themselves appears to have yielded no information about the meaning of the word. The Rev. Allen Wright, a Choctaw scholar, translated the name as thicket clearers, compounded of Alba meaning "a thick or mass vegetation," and amo meaning "to clear, to collect, to gather up."

Updated: April 14, 2010

http://www.archives.alabama.gov/statenam.html

Today we received our very first postcard from Finland (and in record time from what other postcard swappers tell me.) The card as you can see displays some of Finland's rich architecture along with its lush greenery. The card was sent by Tarja, it reads: "Hello There! Greetings from Finland. We Have an old castle her in Hameenlinna, "Linaa" means castle in Finnish and "Hame" is our region. The pics in the middle show hotel Aulanko with it's huge and beautiful park. Verkatehdas is an old clothing factory, and Nowadays it is our popular culture & congress center including cinemas, concerts, theater, etc. Thank you Tarja again for this fantastic piece of Finland information of things not often read in books but heard only by people like yourself who enjoy these facts of their homeland everyday.

My daughter and I also went to Google Earth to look at the latest visual of Finland. Loved it!

This card literally came from the airport, lol but thanks still and all grandpa. The postcard has a great night view of the Georgia Aquarium which opened on November 23, 2005. With 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and more than 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe. Georgia Aquarium is the worlds largest Aquarium. Wow these are interesting facts that the postcard itself has printed on it, we were not aware. Next time we go for a drive to Georgia we will be sure to visit this the worlds largest aquarium!

The card reads: This is from the great state of Georgia. The airport is big & beautiful. Love grandma and grandpa

Thank you

MCO is the airport code for Orlando and today we got a postcard from Grandma & Grandpa. It reads: Hello from sunny Orlando, FL. Not far from Disney World (Mickey Mouse Kingdom.) Happy Geography! They are very supportive of this project we are doing and have sent along a world map with this postcard and on the reverse there is a large map of just these United States of America (North America).

The postcard has photos of The Old Train Depot (top left), which was once a major stop on the South Florida Railroad and now houses and great shopping. The Exchange offering unique shops and dinning is the pic on the top right. Bottom left - "Old Duke", a 140 tonne steam engine.

Today was our little angels birthday and as always we check the mail for our postcards and to our surprise there was one from Hawaii. Special thanks to our friends Brent Roberto on their vacation. The postcard reads: Aloha from Hawaii!
Facts on the postcard:

Highlights of Hawai'i, The Hawaiian islands feature special offerings - a spectacular active volcano,majestic humpback whales, delicious shave ice and Kona coffee, and countless, enchanting beaches. Each island has its own unique personality and provides a landscape full of adventure and sightseeing opportunities.

Today was our daughter's 4th birthday. Complete with a new bicycle, Disney DVD, and other great toys. We went somewhere new today and where able to obtain a postcard at the gift shop. We visited the Lazy 5 Ranch today and saw many new animals live and up close. We spent the day within the elements and had a blast we love you little one.

After today's field trip, my daughter and I went home to check the mail. Low and behold two more postcards from Debi & Joe! We received one from Paris, France! This card displays the magnificent work of a stain glass window from La Sainte-Chapelle. The postcard reads: These beautiful windows in La Sainte-Chapellein Paris, France. There is an entire floor with windows like these. You could sit for hours just staring at the magical light that shines through.

The second postcard which is also from Debi & Joe is from Madrid, Spain. The card reads: saying hello from Madrid, Spain. The magnificent building on the card is the main post office and city hall. The fountain is named after Cibeles, the Goddess of Fertility. it is one of the many beautiful plazas in Spain.

As of now with three postcards and counting Debi & Joe you hold the award for the most postcards received by one(two) sender(s). Thank you again for all your help thus far keep them coming if you can and we will continue to post what we learn.

I have recently discovered a way to buy postcards in bulk after making many new postcard swap friends online it was something I had to do. Thanks to a social networking site I have discovered how to go about expanding our reach far beyond our already wonderful friends and family who have been a wonderful help with this project so far. So one of the postcards I obtained from the local visitors center I just flipped it over and it turns out the distribution company is here in Charlotte, NC. So this morning I call the number provided to Ariel Photography Services Inc. and they were so wonderful and welcoming! I couldn't wait to go buy the postcards in bulk. After looking at their vast array of choices online I figure why not turn this into a field trip for our daughter to show her how the process works from our end. I asked the company if it was okay to bring my daughter along while I shopped and they were pleased as punch! This companies and they Charlotte, NC staff were outstanding! We were greeted with smiles and where given many choices of items and postcards to choose from. Thank you for being so kind, and providing such wonderful service to my daughter and I today Ariel Photography Services Inc. Staff in Charlotte, NC. We look forward to doing business with you in the near future. You have made this a lasting memory and a learning experience that was most refreshing.

We woke up this morning to a surprising early morning delivery by the postman which included a post card from Alicante, Spain. We are so excited to have another postcard from another country! My daughter and I jumped around like happy little bunnies when we received the postcard (this is our new thing every time we get one!). Here is what is says: We went to this castle which is on the top of the highest mountain in Alicante, Spain. The mountain is called cabeza del Moro because it is shaped like the head of the moorish one, who lived in Spain for 800 years until their banishment. What we learned from an extensive search :
Language in Alicante: Two official languages are spoken. Spanish and Valencian, but you will get almost everywhere with English and/or German.
With many historical buildings around the entire city, Alicante offers countless sightseeing attractions, from cathedrals to churches and of course a wonderful harbor area.

Thank you Debi and Joe ;-)

Just when we thought the project was not reaching people... a burst of sunshine came our way from familiar faces (Titi Payal & Family) in the Sunshine state of Florida. Auntie Payal came to the rescue and mailed us not one but TWO postcards from the sunny state of Florida with some interesting facts about the area each postcard originates from.

Daytona Beach, FL : This city was founded in 1870 and is also known as one of the worlds most famous beaches. The first car race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1936. In fact people can still drive on the beach today! Daytona is also home to NASCAR headquarters... <<<<<<>>>> We hope you enjoy the postcard and can visit each location you receive them from someday.

St. Augustine, FL: This is the oldest established city in the United States. It was founded in 1565, explored in 1513 by Ponce De Leon who at the time was Governor of Puerto Rico. We can't wait for you to visit us in FL so we can explore a few of these wonderful and historic places.

After reaching out to some new and old friends on other social networking sites we now officially have our very first International Postcard direct from Dublin (Grafton Street) to be exact. Special thanks to Nelson C for this wonderful tribute to our project. It arrived while some family members where visiting so they got to see the excitement on our faces when we received the postcard in the mail.

Our very generous PMer was also kind enough to write a few facts about Dublin on the postcard for us to enjoy. He writes: 22.03.2010 Greetings from Dublin, it is beautiful over here...lots of little bridges and small streets... it is cold and rains a lot though. Best to bring am umbrella! Check out the Spire of Dublin, Ha' Penny Bridge and Christ Church online for great pictures!

Thank you again good friend for being the very first person to grant us a wish by simply mailing us a postcard from what we consider a wonderful and far away land! We can't wait to receive more, there is so much to learn about our surrounding states as well as far away lands.

Post Card # 3 Arrived also from PMer Sarah M. This time it is from Florida. Not a particular place in Florida but still a new place to show our little girl on her globe. Florida as we all lovingly know to be America's sunshine state. The postcard reminds us of the many perfect sunsets that can be seen there. We will soon be seeing more post cards from that area because we have family members there. Thanks again Sarah M ;-)

Special thanks to our very first PMer (Postcard Mailer) Sarah who mailed the very first three postcards 2 from Tybee Island, GA. I pointed out as best as I could on the mini globe (LOL we are working on buying her a larger one soon) and here is what we learned about Tybee Island, GA.
Lights Out! May 1 - Oct 31
Light glowing softly on the horizon guides baby sea turtles toward the ocean. Artificial light leads them landward where they're vulnerable to predators, dehydration and tires. If you CAN see your lights from the Beach, they CAN too. So please Turn off or shade your house, porch, or car and other portable lights at 9pm.
Special thanks for any consideration by the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
TybeeMarineScience.org

We also learned that many Gorgeians like to frequent Tybee Island Drive 20 minutes east of Savannah, Georgia, through a few miles of wide sky and salt marshes. This is where you’ll find Tybee Island — perhaps the most laid-back location on the southeastern coast according to http://tybeevisit.com. Tybee Island is the beautiful barrier island on the Georgia Coast that ancient Indians named “salt” (“duh bee” in the old Euchee tongue).

Kyra, Daddy and I hope to visit Tybee Island, GA someday soon. Thank you Sarah M for opening our eyes to such a charming not so distant place!