Bicultural Birthday Party Ideas

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Patricia Thao

There are fun ways to make parties multicultural. It allows adults and kids to share experiences from different aspects of other kinds of cultures. Also, it is one of the best ways to introduce others to new kinds of things. Here are a few how-to:

Cater different kinds of food. Whether it is American, Asian, French, Indian, or Spanish food, everyone will enjoy it. The best part is that everyone will get a taste of something that is not usually from their own culture. Variety is the key to allow other to discover what they may or may not like.
Incorporate different fun activities! For example, a piñata is very popular in the U.S. for birthday parties. This type of activity can be found among many Hispanic cultures and has been adopted into other cultures as well. Other games and activities are pin the donkey tail, musical chairs, charades, bingo, thumbs up, and more, etc.
Dress up parties are another way for people to physically experience a culture. Whether it is formal, traditional, or a theme color, it can allow creativity and participation from all the guests.
Music is a big part of all cultures and usually, parties have a playlist, a dj, a live band, or some form of music to entertain the guests. Some of them is to allow just for hearing, entertainment, and group dances.

There are many other ways to make parties fun and innovative. The more ideas and activities that a party can have, it will encourage more participation and entertainment for the host(s) and the guests. The main part is to make sure everyone have a great time!

Daily Health Tips

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Patricia Thao

The start to a healthier lifestyle is starting out with small steps. These are the steps that can help gradually help you reach your goal. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, maintain your body weight, trying to eat healthier, or what you may want to achieve, it is better to set a plan with realistic approaches.

Switch out unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives. For example, do you have a sweet tooth for sugary drinks, snacks, deserts, and candies? It is better for you to switch it out with sweet fruits, organic juices, and have fruits become your snack.
Drinking too little of water? Maybe you don’t realize that you are not drinking enough water. Although there are tastier options out there, water is the best source of hydration for your body. After all, your body is made up about 65% of water! The recommended amount of water to drink is up to 2 liters a day.
An active lifestyle is always a plus and beneficial to your body, physically and emotionally. It helps reduce stress, burn extra calories, and maintain your body. It doesn’t mean that you have to work out according to a schedule. But trying to incorporate work out sessions (even if it it’s short or long) into your daily life is a great start.
Dieting isn’t always the answer to an healthier lifestyle. Everyone’s body are different biologically and sometimes, you lose or gain weight with a diet plan. Make sure to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Getting enough sleep is a very important part of the body regulation and recovery. If you find yourself being hunger many times, having mood swings, gaining weight, stressing out, and more, then maybe you need a break. Putting stress on your body by not getting enough sleep results in more stress. So make sure to sleep on a time schedule (if possible) and take naps whenever you are exhausted.

Remember, it’s not our external appearances that defines us, but what we think about ourselves internally. Don’t value yourself based upon what you see, it’s about how you respect and know that you’re worth. It is important to maintain one’s lifestyle physically and emotionally.

Planning for Bicultural

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Patricia Thao

Bicultural awareness has come a long way to spread correct and informative information of all kinds of people. It involved in many active programs, campaigns, community involvements, and organizations to spread positive cultural awareness messages. There are still many goals to reach and many of them involves planning. Here are some ways that bicultural awareness has changed society:

Language is a huge part of any culture. Schools used to offer limited language programs for students and the two most typical languages are Spanish and French. Although both of the languages are spoken by many people, it is great to see schools adapting with time and are offering a wide variety of language classes. There are even classes available to native speakers who needs more of a writing or speaking focus.
Food is another major part of cultures. All kinds of ethnic ingredients has been available for a long time, but it took a while for other people to explore them. Through new ways of technologies such as social media, all kinds of food are being promoted, consume, and are more accepted than to be seen as ‘weird’.
Any art form is a major opportunity for people to participate in a culture. Popular dances such as salsa, tap dance, hip hop, and more, has allowed all kinds of people to enjoy and share experiences and similar interests. And other artistic forms such as singing, painting, and
Exchange, study abroad, and international schools have become more prevalence compared to the past. Students are able to learn in another country or attend classes with international students. This is a great way for encouraging diversity among peers, bilingualism, active bicultural living, and hearing from different perspectives.

These are just a few great changes that bicultural awareness and influences has helped shaped society to become more accepting and adaptable to other kinds of people. Although there are still many improvements and goals to achieve, it has come a long way to help people realize that our differences should be embraced and celebrated tother.

Fun Facts About Bicultural Dances

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Patricia Thao

An important part of many cultures is dancing. Dancing allows self expression, it offers entertainment and knowledge, it helps with connecting with other people, and while exercising the body. Dances come in many forms and gives information about its culture, history, and influences.

In Thailand, Khon is dance that has a mixture of drama, art, stories, acting, music, martial arts, and singing. It is known to have portray many stories such as folktales, legends, and such. The dancers wear decorative masks, make up, and use precise dance forms to perform for the audience.
During the Joseon dynasty in Korea, the fan dance was created, which encompasses group dance, traditional music and Hanbok clothing, and beautiful decorative fans. The fan dance is usually perform by a group of females and it is focused on graceful movements.
India is big country with many outside and neighboring influences, which has helped developed many forms of dancing from different regions. One of them is called Bharata Natyam and it is considered to be the oldest surviving classical dance style. It came from Tamil Nadu (a South India state) and was created from temple dancers. It is a mixture of colorful traditional clothes, dance, music, and expressive movements.
In Japan, there is a dance called Bon Dori and it is to welcome and show appreciation to their ancestors. It is a simple dance that anyoen can learn and is often perform by a group of people (anyone can join along). This type of dance usually occurs during Bon week (in August) where it is a festive and celebration week.

Introduction to Japanese Lifestyle

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Patricia Thao

Have you ever wonder how other kinds of people live their life on a daily basis? It is a great way to explore and learn a bit more of what life is like from different perspectives. Today’s focus will be on the Japanese lifestyle.

Bowing is a prevalant custom in many Asian cultures that shows respect towards others. It is ingrain in people to do so for strangers, elderly, friends, families, and respected people.
Slurping while eating noodle dishes is a good sign and it is not considered rude like in other cultures. It shows that you are enjoying your meal.
Eating alone at home or at restaurants in Japan is very normal. Although some other people may see as odd, Japanese people see it as having alone time with yourself.
There are many Japanese holidays, but some of the most famous ones are Valentine’s Day, Children’s Day, Coming of Age, and Christmas. The Japanese culture has incorporated many influences into their cultures from other Asian and Western cultures.
Ever wonder why so much people in Japan wear masks while doing daily tasks? Due to health concerns such as allergy, people wear them to prevent them from getting sick.
Karaoke is a fun way to let people’s wall down, have food and drinks, and sing without trying to be a pro. The karaoke entertainment is widely available in many Asian countries because of it’s popularity. It is not uncommon that group of co-workers or friends go out together to karaoke together.
In Japan, it is very important to properly address someone based on their position as it is another custom of respect. It can also tell how superior or elderly someone is and how close they are to each other. This type of custom also exsist in other cultures.

These are just a few glimpse into the Japanese lifestyle. There are more customs, traditions, and holidays that the Japanese culture has. The more interested you are about another culture, the more you will learn from them.

Postcard of the Week: Bicultural Healthy Living

Posted on March 16, 2015 by Patricia Thao

The spread of cultural awareness, acceptance, and knowledge has continue to rise as society become more open towards different kinds of people. Today we celebrate all kinds of things; such as holidays, ethnic identities, and more. Embracing our differences is what brings people together. Here are some ways you can experience different cultures:

Eat ethnic food! It’s fun, fast,y and will allow you to really test your palate. Also, it’s easy to access (global markets, groceries, restaurants) or make on your own.
Research about or attend a museum dedicated to the group. It’ll help give you historical, cultural, and facts about the culture you’re interested in.
Interact with people from those cultures! Best experience for you to understand another culture on a deeper level is talk to the people from that culture. They can give you more information that you wouldn’t find by yourself.
Listen to their music! Most likely that another culture may speak a different language or the same, but with a bit of difference. Listening to their music can give you an understanding what they like, value, and how they celebrate.
Understand their native environment! It has a lot to do with how the group developed and use their environment in terms of their food, clothes, housing, hunting, traditions, and more.

Active Dancing

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Patricia Thao

Dancing is a great way to exercise, maintain one’s weight, lose weight, and learn new ways to move the body. You can do it alone or with your friends or in a group. There are many varieties of dance forms that you can try. Also, there are many ways to access them today through online, programs, classes, friends, and more. Here are some dance forms to try:

Hip hop dancing is a great way to lose body weight because it involves moving all the muscles in your body. It has a lot of jumping, leg and arm movements, and body strength. Many moves are improvise and can be self taught or taught by others.
Traditional dancing differs from culture to culture. Some are focused on graceful movements, others focus on precision, but all of them requires the body to exercise. Traditional dancing combines knowledge, history, culture, and exercise, which is another great way to part of something and is healthy for the body.
Jazz dancing is a classical dance form, but nowadays, there are modern versions of it as well. Jazz is often includes groups of people more than individuals, but one person can dance to it too. Jazz dance even has their own music to dance to, jazz music.
Tap dance involves using using the feet to tap the metal part of the shoes to make percussion like noises. This dance is put into two categories: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Rhythm tap is focus on the music and Broadway tap is focused on the dance. Either way, this dance form is fun to try and a great way to move your legs.

There are many other dance forms not mentioned, but here are a just a few options out there. It is really up to you to decide which one suits you best. It doesn’t mean you have to stick with one dance form, you should always try different things. Have fun exercising and dancing!

Is this a balanced Asian meal?

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Patricia Thao

According to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov., a balanced meal is one that contains appropriate selections from the five major food groups. The five major groups are fruits, vegetables, meat, grain, and dairy. By eating balance meals and snacks, you are able to get the most out of your daily 2500 calories intake. This helps with dieting and healthy eating choices.

By using the picture above as an example will help make this concept easier to understand.

Chicken is a leaner meat than pork and beef. When it’s roasted or fried, the meat tends to be a bit fatty and oily. Removing the skin can help avoid consuming excess fat.
There is a variety of vegetables in this meal such as sweet potatoes, carrots, ginger, and Chinese bok choy. If veggies aren’t a favorite of yours, eat them as side dishes or add in them with other ingredients like a stir fry dish.
The egg tart contains foods such as egg, sugar, milk, and flour. And many other kinds of deserts often contain the same ingredients that comes from the grain and dairy groups.
The sugar coated nuts are another type of desert. Instead of eating this with the meal, it can be eaten as a snack. Not all, but some contain protein, potassium, iron, and much more. Just be aware not to consume too much of them because some can have more saturated fats than good benefits.

So overall, this Asian meal is majorly balance. Instead of consuming the sweets, trading in other healthy alternatives such as rice, yogurt, fruits, wheat based bread, and more can make it more balanced. Deserts and snacking can be treated as time for eating fruit instead of eating salty, oily, and highly saturated fat foods. And remember that drinking many water is the best way to hydrate your body (without the calories) compared to drinking pop, juice, sparking water, or other type of drinks.

NRC Recognizes National Nutrition Month

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Patricia Thao

March is recognized as national nutrition month! This month focuses on healthy eating and living. The goal is encourage people to maintain a balance lifestyle between exercising and eating. Obesity is still a problem in the U.S. as less people are being active and consuming more than they should. Obesity affects many different kinds of people from all sort of age groups.

If you are still keeping your new year’s resolution or looking for simple ways to be healthier, here are some quick tips onto how:

Avoid fast food companies, junk food, and anything that is high in calories. Although the price might be cheaper, but what you are getting in return is more calories than necessary. Look for foods with simple ingredients, low calories, and organic is always a plus!
Eat seasonal fruits and veggies. The best to consume fruits and veggies is when they are in their season. Most likely that fruits and veggies will be cheaper at this time so take advantage of it!
“Replace fats like bacon grease and butter with olive or canola oil” – http://reachcoalition.org/
Cook your own food. It doesn’t get any better than knowing what is and how much is in your food. Whether it’s fried chicken, a burger, or a stir fry dish, it’s a lot healthier to eat compared to eating out or ordering fast food.
Work out as much as you can or maintain a exercise schedule. Even a little exercise can help you lose calories and destress. If you are able to keep up your own schedule, mixing up exercise methods can help you avoid boredom and still be productive.

References and pictures are from: http://reachcoalition.org/

Follow the fight against obesity at CDCObesity and theweightofthenation.

Working Together

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Patricia Thao

There are many ways to work together whether it is at school, at work, or with friends. Being part of group means there will be more ideas and opinions on different projects. Here are some effective tips to work as a team:

Make sure everyone gets to participate. It isn’t a teamwork without everyone’s effort. Whether you are a listener, follower, or a leader, it is best that everyone had a chance to be part of the group.
Be open minded and respectful of others. Chances are that your group mates may not share or like the same idea that you have. That’s okay because everyone has different opinions and ideas. Just don’t take it personally. It’s not about what one person, but what the entire group wants.
Assign roles to your team members. If you’re a leader or just want to help make things progress a little bit smoother, giving everyone a role will help a lot. For example, roles like a recorder, a writer, a speaker, etc. This help the group to not procrastinate and instead, becoming productive.
Make a goal. There must be something the group want to achieve out of working together. Finalizing a goal can help the group members imagine the results they want to see.
Take it on step by step. Working together is about taking steps and progressing as a team together. It can be from working on the deadlines, being organize, meeting a requirement, or more. Don’t rush into anything and make sure that everyone is on the same page.

Remember that working together is doing almost everything as a team. It’s not about following one person’s lead, but a team agreeing on one thing. Although there will be moments where each member has their on individual tasks needed to be done, it is the group work that will count at the end.

Bicultural Healthy Living

A Balanced Approach to a Bicultural Healthy Life

Category Archives: Healthy Youth Development