“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star!” said W. Clement Stone, an American businessman and philanthropist. Aptly and inspiring as we refine priorities and create a roadmap for what we want to accomplish for the second half of 2023!
While pondering over our goals for the remainder of the year, here are some fun-facts quizzes to add to our social “small talk” library to build international friendships:
Q1. What is in the name of “Canada”? While various theories have been postulated for the name of Canada, its origin is now accepted as coming from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word kanata, meaning ‘village’ or ‘settlement’, or ‘kampung’ for my ASEAN friends. (source: Wikipedia)
Q2. How many hotdogs are eaten by Americans every Forth of July? According to the U.S.A. National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, a whopping 150 million! Enough to make a line from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles more than five times over. (source: Nat. Hot Dog & Sausage Council)
Q3. What is the national sport of “Argentina”? Juego del pato, more commonly referred to as Pato. It is a game played on horseback that combines elements of polo and basketball. The game was invented in the 17th century by gauchos whose playing field would stretch from one farm to the next! A kind of Harry Potter’s Quidditch game on the ground. (source: https://www.globetrotting.com.au)
Q4. Which is the most visited country in the world? According to the World Tourism Organization’s publication “World Tourism Barometer“, a total of 917 million international tourists travelled the world in 2022; France topped the list with 48.4 million visitors, followed by Mexico (32 million), Spain (31 million), Turkey (30 million), Italy (27 million), United States (22 million), Greece (15 million), etc. Time to pack up and revisit the city of light? (source: https://travelness.com.)
Q5. What is the origin of the word SPA? Most experts agree that the term is derived from the name of the Belgium town of SPA, a city and municipality of Wallobia in the province of Liège. The town name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative properties. Along with great chocolate and comic books like Smurfs and Tintin, one can also enjoy the thermal waters in Belgium. (source: Wikipedia)
For more fun facts about July’s events, please watch the following Youtube clips:
- Canada Day (1’09”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=DDxqxWmEUk0 - US Independence Day (0’56”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=dGZflMCZyMM - Argentina National Day (2’04”) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=RMHsdkTWA9c&t=1s - La Fête Nationale – France (1’17”) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=usbdUD_GGHEAl - Al Hijra, the Islamic New Year (1’17”) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QhTG1ttnOrg - Belgium Independence Day (1’26”) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HGAlACZPQi8
July is a month to embrace change, whether to take on new opportunities, explore different paths, or let go of things past. A fresh start can bring a sense of purpose and determination as we look ahead to what we want to accomplish.
