Around the World with Miss Rebekah

Dear Friends,

In every country, every person is different! No two Americans are the same. No two Ethiopians are the same, either. When we talk about "the American people" or "the Ethiopian people" or "the Canadian people" we are doing something called "making generalizations."

But have to remember that no one person represents ALL of the American people. No one person, living in China is the same as any other person in China!

When we read books about people from a different country, we need to understand that a country is made up of millions of people and they all have different thoughts and feelings and loves and likes.

Miss Rebekah and Miss Ing think that there are some things that ARE true about every person:

Every person is beautifully made!
Every person is important!
Every person has a story!
Every person deserves respect and kindness!

Are there others things that you and your family can say about other people?

Maybe you believe that all other people are interesting? And that is why you are here on this page, reading this and watching Miss Rebekah!

On this page and in the videos, you might read or hear us say, "The people of Ireland are..." but please remember that everyone is unique.

We want to celebrate the things that make us different and celebrate the things that we have in common.

The world will be a much happier place if we do!

Thank you for sharing your precious time with us!

Love,

Miss Rebekah and Miss Ing

Miss Rebekah Visits Jamaica

Watch the show here! Put a hold on the book Jamaica by following this link. You can request the book Manatees here.

Like all countries, Jamaica is complex. It has been misrepresented as being a country with high poverty levels, but this is not true. It is a middle-income country and fewer people live in poverty in Jamaica than in the United States. However, corruption within the government makes it hard for many of the most vulnerable people to get what they need.

Like many countries, quality of life depends largely upon one's status in society. The elderly, women, children, and the LGBTQ community face hardships that they might not have in many other places in the world. Many human rights and social service groups in the country are working hard to make changes.

Jamaica is a beautiful country and many people visit there every year.

Sports is a very big part of Jamaican life and sports stars are very well-loved. It is a small country but great Jamaican athletes are plentiful!

Many species of plants, animals, and birds are found only in Jamaica. The black-billed amazon parrot is one as is the national bird, the red-billed steamertail.

Jamaican music is very popular throughout the whole world. Reggae and ska are just two kinds of music that originated in Jamaica and are loved everywhere.

black-billed amazon parrot

Bob Marley

Usain Bolt, one of the best sprinters
in the world

Jamaican fruit stand

Blue Mountain

red-billed streamertail

Miss Rebekah Visits Italy

Watch Miss Rebekah's trip to Italy! Borrow the book Italy by placing a hold on it here! The book Volcanoes can be reserved here.

Italy is famous for art, architecture, food, shopping, history, and more.

The city of Florence is known as the birthplace of the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a time of great achievements and changes in European culture, science, and religion It occurred from about 1450 to 1520. Artists such as da Vinci and Michaelangelo worked during this time.

If you like pizza or gelato, you can thank the Italians! They invented both of these delicious foods!

The colors of the Italian flag are white, green, and red. They represent three virtues: white = faith, green = hope, and red = charity.

The city of Venice is made of 120 islands. It is famous for its canals and bridges.

The Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters only. The letters j, k, w, x, and y are not part of the Italian alphabet.

There are more than 4,700 species of animals that are ONLY found in Italy!

Mt. Etna

Island of Elba

Rome

Venice

Italian wolf

Dear Friends,

But have to remember that no one person represents ALL of the American people. No one person, living in China is the same as any other person in China!

When we read books about people from a different country, we need to understand that a country is made up of millions of people and they all have different thoughts and feelings and loves and likes.

Miss Rebekah and Miss Ing think that there are some things that ARE true about every person:

Every person is beautifully made!
Every person is important!
Every person has a story!
Every person deserves respect and kindness!

Are there others things that you and your family can say about other people?

Maybe you believe that all other people are interesting? And that is why you are here on this page, reading this and watching Miss Rebekah!

On this page and in the videos, you might read or hear us say, "The people of Ireland are..." but please remember that everyone is unique.

We want to celebrate the things that make us different and celebrate the things that we have in common.

The world will be a much happier place if we do!

Thank you for sharing your precious time with us!

Love,

Miss Rebekah and Miss Ing

Miss Rebekah visits Venezuela

Visit Venezuela here! Put a hold on the book Venezuela at this link. Want to read the book Mountains? Request it here!

El Sistema is a nickname for the National Symphony of Youth and Children's Orchestras in Venezuela. Since 1974 it has been providing free classical music education and much more for children living in at-risk situations in Venezuela. The project has been duplicated around the world. You can learn more about it here. Check out this video to hear a bit of it and see these talented young people.

Yulimar Rojas won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, setting a new world record. She was born in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela and the largest city in the country.

Venezuela is experiencing a very hard time economically. Many people have left the country because of extreme poverty. We hope that things will improve for the good people of Venezuela.

golden sunset @svilardell

Rojas set a new world record for the women's triple
jump at the Olympics this year.

Caracas

woman from Los Andes
carrying her sleeping dog
@fabianapaez

Carnival in El Hatillo, east of Venezuela

children of the Pemon Tribe

Miss Rebekah Visits Cambodia

Watch the show again right here!

Miss Rebekah shared the book Cambodia. Read it at home by putting it on hold!

Read the exciting book CORN, too! There will probably be a big waiting list!

Most people in Cambodia live in rural areas, almost 75% of the people! For this reason and others, life in Cambodia seems very different from life in the United States.

Cambodia has decreased its poverty rate by 30% from 2007 to 2014. There are still many people living in poverty. Also, it is very difficult for children to get an education. There are many Cambodian and international organizations working to improve this. The People Improvement Organization is one very successful local group, started by a Cambodian woman in 2002. Learn more about it here.

Most people in Cambodia are Buddhist. Cambodia is home to the largest religious monument in the world, Angkor Wat! It is a Buddhist temple now but was constructed as a Hindu temple. It is the building on the Cambodian flag. Cambodia's flag is the only flag in the world to feature a building.

woman in a market in Battambang, Cambodia
@IlanitLevy

kids headed to school @jariya6363

East Mebon Temple in Angkor, Siem Reap
@Fancycrave

Angkor Wat Temple

Miss Rebekah Visits Somalia

Watch Miss Rebekah's trip to Somalia here.
The book Somalia can be put on hold here. Here you can put a hold on the book Miss Rebekah read about ostriches.

After more than twenty-five years of brutal civil war, the country of Somalia is rebuilding and there are signs of a brighter future. Just this month, Somalia held its first movie screening in thirty years. Elections will be held in the coming months and a woman is running for president. Somalis still face many challenges in the time ahead. Food insecurity and malnutrition are very prevalent, especially among Somalis in rural areas. The United States is the largest provider of assistance to the country. You can contact your federal legislators and encourage them to keep helping.

Somalia is known as the Nation of Poets. The Somali culture revolves around poetry. Somalis who now live in the US (the largest group of Somali people in the United States live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area) share their poetry and culture through poetry.

Grandparents play a big role in helping to raise and support their grandchildren. The extended family is very important to Somalis.

Right now it is not good to travel to Somalia. There is still much unrest. We hope that progress continues to be made so that all Somali people can be safe and well.

If you ever get to Minneapolis (and Miss Ing counts the Twin Cities as two of her top three cities in the world and highly recommends you should go!) you can visit the Somali Museum of Minnesota.

Check out this project, recognized by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, that the Hennepin Country Library took on to welcome Somalis to their city. Also, check out these videos made this summer at their library!