LESOTHO
Declared independence in 1966 from the United Kingdom
Languages: Sesotho, English, Zulu, Xhosa
Adventures: Ancient rock shelter paintings in Malealea
LIBERIA
Settled in 1847 by freed African slaves from the United States of America
Languages: English and about 20 ethnic group languages
Adventures: Firestone Plantation, the world’s largest rubber plantation; and the forest elephants and pygmy hippos at Sapo
LIBYA
Declared independence in 1951 from Italy
Languages: Arabic, Italian, English
Adventures: The ancient Greek architecture of Cyrene
MADAGASCAR
Declared independence in 1960 from France
Languages: Malagasy and French
Adventures: Parc National de Ranomafana and its 12 species of lemur
MALAWI
Declared independence in 1964 from the United Kingdom
Languages: Chichewa, Chinyanja, Chiyao, Chitonga
Adventures: Mt. Mulanje for some of the best hiking in Africa
MALI
Declared independence in 1960 from France
Languages: French, Bambara, numerous African languages
Adventures: The Mosques of Timbuktu
MAURITANIA
Declared independence in 1960 from France
Languages: Arabic, Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof
Adventures: Chinguette is the seventh holiest city of Islam
MAURITIUS
Declared independence in 1968 from the United Kingdom
Languages: Creole, Bhojpuri, French
Adventures: Tamarin Waterfalls
MOROCCO
Declared independence in 1956 from France
Languages: Arabic, Berber dialects, French
Adventures: Fès el-Bari, the largest living medieval city in the world
MOZAMBIQUE
Declared independence in 1975 from Portugal
Languages: Emakhuwa, Xichangana, Portuguese, Elomwe, Cisena, Echuwabo, other Mozambican languages
Adventures: Wimbi beach and its spectacular coral reefs
NAMIBIA
Declared independence in 1989 from South Africa
Languages: English, Afrikaans, German, Oshivambo, Herero, and Nama
Adventures: Bubbling hot springs at Fish River Canyon
NIGER
Declared independence in 1960 from France
Languages: French, Hausa, Djerma
Adventures: Climb the minaret of the Great Mosque for a view of Agadez
NIGERIA
Declared independence in 1960 from United Kingdom
Languages: English, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
Adventures: Visit the Shrine of Oshuno, the River Goddess, in the sacred forest
RWANDA
Declared independence in 1962 from Belgium
Languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English, Kiswahili
Adventures: Rare mountain gorillas at the Parc National des Volcans
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
Declared independence in 1975 from Portugal
Languages: Portuguese
Adventures: Snorkel at Logoa Azul and see the giant baobob trees
SENEGAL
Declared independence in 1960 from France
Languages: French, Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Adventures: Three million birds migrate from Europe to the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj
SEYCHELLES
Declared independence in 1976 from the United Kingdom
Languages: Creole, English
Adventures: At Valée de Mai, the Seychelles black parrot and the rare coco de mer palm trees
SIERRA LEONE
Declared independence in 1961 from the United Kingdom
Languages: English, Mende, Temne, Krio
Adventures: Dive to underwater shipwreck sites and coral in the Banana Islands
SOMALIA
Declared independence in 1960 from the United Kingdom
Languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, English
Adventures: Las Geel has Neolithic rock art paintings in caves and shelters
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Declared independence in 1910 from the United Kingdom, and again in 1994 from minority white rule
Languages: Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga
Adventures: Cable cars to the top of Table Mountain; Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was once imprisoned, now a national monument
SUDAN
Declared independence in 1956 from Egypt and the United Kingdom
Languages: Arabic, Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Nilotic dialects, Nilo-Hamitic, English
Adventures: Ancient hieroglyphics and pyramids in Meroe
SWAZILAND
Declared independence in 1968 from the United Kingdom
Languages: English, SiSwati
Adventures: Safari through the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary to see zebras and giraffes
TANZANIA
Declared independence in 1964, as the merger of Tanganyika and Zanzibar
Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili, English, Arabic
Adventures: Scale mysterious Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa
TOGO
Declared independence in 1960 from France
Languages: French, Ewe and Mina (South), Kabye and Dagomba (North)
Adventures: The Grand Marché market in Lome with its famous female merchants; the fortified villages in the Tamberma Valley, built in the 1600s by people fleeing the slave traders
TUNISIA
Declared independence in 1956 from France
Languages: Arabic, French
Adventures: The ruins of ancient Carthage
UGANDA
Declared independence in 1962 from the United Kingdom
Languages: English, Ganda, Luganda, Swahili, Arabic
Adventures: The bustling city of Kampala, and the mountain gorillas of the Impenetrable Forest
ZAMBIA
Declared independence in 1964 from the United Kingdom
Languages: English, Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, 70 other African languages
Adventures: Victoria Falls
ZIMBABWE
Declared independence in 1980 from the United Kingdom
Languages: English, Shona, Sindebele, numerous dialects
Adventures: The ruins of Great Zimbabwe, near Masvingo
Bandana Tying
THE WORD bandana has a global history. It comes from the Sanskrit bhandhana, which means tying. The word was absorbed first into Portuguese (in the sixteenth century, Portugal had conquered the cities of Goa and Bombay, now called Mumbai, on the western coast of India). From Portuguese, the word entered English. We can thank Indian languages for an assortment of English clothing words, such as cashmere (from the northern region of Kashmir), cummerbund, bangle, khaki, pajama, and dungaree.
Bandanas are often sold under the nondescript name “All Purpose Cloth,” or APC. A bit of a boring moniker, perhaps, but, oh, so true. A bandana can be a belt, or a blindfold for Blind Man’s Bluff. With a needle and thread, two or more can be sewn together to make a shirt or skirt.
You can wrap it loosely around your neck, cowboy style, pull it up over your nose and mouth for a disguise, or use it to dress up your pet. Best of all, you can wrap found treasures or lunch in an APC, then attach it to a long stick and sling it over your shoulder when you head out to see the world.
Bandanas are an excellent way to cover your hair, too, while playing lacrosse or hiking on a hot day, and they make perfect headbands.
To tie a bandana around your head, fold it in half to make a triangle. Place the long edge on your forehead, however low or high you want (you’ll likely experiment with this, and try different possibilities). The cloth will fall lightly over your hair. With your hands, smooth it toward
the back, push the tip of the triangle toward the nape of your neck. Then draw the ends over it, and tie (use your square knot).
You’ll probably want to pull the triangle portion of the bandana into place, so it’s smooth against your head, and so the corners don’t stick out the sides.
If your head is larger, or if your mom or dad wants to wear one, instead of folding the cloth in half, merely fold one corner toward the opposite corner, and go from there.
To turn a bandana into a headband, fold in half to make a triangle. Start folding in, from the tip of the triangle toward the long edge, till you’re left with the size headband you want to wear. Wrap around your head and tie in the back.
Five Karate Moves
KARATE BEGAN in the fifth century BC as a set of mind-strengthening exercises. Legend says that it was brought to a small forest temple in China by a Zen Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma (Bo-dee-darma) who, amazingly, had walked there all the way from India. Below are five basic moves that are fun to do with friends. To learn more and to take karate more seriously, look for a professional instructor in this and other martial arts.
Front Kick
Back Kick
Front Kick
The front kick is Karate’s most powerful kick. Bring your left knee up to waist level, then extend the rest of the leg straight out. Your right leg should be firmly grounded to balance the kick, and your arms should be held close to your chest. Try the quick-surprise front kick, and then try a slower but more forceful variation.
Back Kick
Stand in a comfortable position facing forward. Your right leg is your kicking leg. Bend your left non-kicking leg just a little bit to give your body extra support and balance. Look over your right shoulder. Find your target. Bend your right knee, aim your heel in a straight line toward your target, and kick your foot high behind you. Your eyes are very important in this kick. Keep looking at your target while you kick back, extending your leg. Pull your leg back in the same path you used for your kick. Alternate kicking leg.
Punch and Pull
Punch and Pull
Face forward with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your right leg straight, lunge forward with your left leg, bending at the knee. Push your right arm forward in front of your body, with your hand in a downward-facing fist. Your left arm stays back, at your side, with your left hand in an upward-facing fist. Now, punch forward with the left arm and twist the wrist so that when this arm fully extends forward, your fist faces down. While the left arm punches, the right arm comes to rest at your side, with hand in an upward-facing fist. Alternate punches.
Knife Hand, or Classic Karate Chop
Open your hand and turn it so your thumb faces the ceiling and your pinky faces the floor. Extend your fingers forward and away from you. The fingers should lightly touch. Let your thumb fall into the palm of your hand, and bend the top of the thumb downward. Arch the hand slightly backward. Raise your hand above your shoulder. Swing diagonally downward across to the other side of your body aiming to strike your target with the part of your hand that’s just below your pinky.
Knife Hand
The Lunge Punch
Face forward, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your left leg in front of the right, and bend your knee into a lunge. Keep your right leg straight. This is called front stance. Step forward with your right foot into a powerful lunge, and as your right foot lands forward, punch forward with the right hand. To add power, at the same time you punch the right fist forward, pull your left hand back to your left side in an upward facing fist. Pull your punching hand back to lunge again, alternating sides, or to switch to another move.
The Lunge Punch
The Daring Girls Guide to Danger
FACING YOUR FEARS can be a rewarding experience, and pushing yourself to new heights will inspire you to face challenges throughout life. Here in no particular order is a checklist of danger and daring. Some you should be able to do right away, but a few you might need to work up to:
Ride a roller coaster. The biggest roller coaster drops in America include the Kingdom Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey at 418 feet; the Top Thrill Dragster in Ohio at 400 feet; and Superman: The Escape in California at 328 feet. But the scariest coaster ride in America is still the Cyclone in Coney Island. Built in the 1920s, this comparably small metal and wooden ride packs an unbelievable punch with sudden drops and hairpin turns.
Ride a zip line across the canopy of a rain forest. A trip to Costa Rica offers incredible adventures, including “flying” across the roof of the world 200 feet off the ground with distances between trees of up to 1,200 feet. Many outdoor centers around the country also offer zip line courses.
Go white-water rafting. Most people think looking at the Grand Canyon from the rim down is scary, but a true act of daring is to take a white-water rafting trip down the stretch of Colorado River that cuts through it. Some trips even include a helicopter ride for an extra dose of danger!
Have a scary movie festival in your living room. Some good ones are The Exorcist, Jaws, Alien, The Shining, and Alfred Hitchcock’s classic but still frightening Psycho. But don’t blame us if you can’t go sleep without wondering what’s under the bed.
Wear high heels. This may not sound so dangerous, but without practice you can fall or twist an ankle. For your first time in heels, borrow someone else’s, and make sure to start on a hard surface like wood. Once you’re feeling steady on your feet, give carpeting a try. If you can wear heels on a thick carpet, you can do anything. Eventually, if it’s a skill you want to learn, you’ll be able to run, jump, and do karate in three-inch heels.
Stand up for yourself—or someone else. It’s scary to feel like you’re the only one who doesn’t agree, but when something’s wrong, a daring girl speaks up, for herself or someone who needs an ally. Summon your courage and raise your voice—real bravery is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.
Try sushi or another exotic food. California rolls do not count. For the true daring girl try some natto (fermented soy beans) or escargot (snails).
Dye your hair purple. Sometimes the scariest thing is just being a little bit different, even for a day. There are many hair dyes that wash out after a few weeks—so you can experience what it would be like to have a lime-green ponytail without having to wait for all your hair to grow out to change it again.
French Terms of Endearment, Expressions, and Other Items of Note
FRENCH TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
* * *
Mon petit chou
“My little cabbage.” Can be used romantically to mean
“my darling,” or said to a younger person (“my little one.”)
Bonjour mon petit chou, t’as passé une bonne journée?
“Hello my little cabbage, did you have a good day?”
Ma puce
“My flea”
Bonne nuit, ma puce!
“Goodnight, my flea!”
FUN WORDS TO SAY
* * *
Pamplemousse
(Pom-pel-moose) grapefruit
Aubergine
(Oh-bear-jean) eggplant
Chantilly
(Shan-tee) whipped cream
(or a kind of lace)
Gros
(Grow) big
Dodo
(Doe-doe) a baby’s naptime
Coucou
(Coo-coo) Hello there!
EXPRESSIONS
* * *
Avoir un chat dans la gorge
To have a cat in your throat.
(Like the expression, “I have a frog in my throat.”)
Revenons a nos moutons.
Let’s get back to our sheep.
(Meaning, return to the subject at hand.)
Oui, quand les poules auront des dents.
Yes, when chicken have teeth. (Like the expression, “When pigs fly!”)
WHAT TO ORDER AT A RESTAURANT
* * *
Bonjour, Monsieur. Puis-je avoir un cro
que monsieur avec une salade verte? Et aussi un coca s’il vous plaît?
Hello, sir. May I please have a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a green salad? And a Coke, please.
BOOKS WITH A FRENCH SETTING
* * *
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Eloise in Paris
by Kay Thompson
Hunchback of Notre Dame
by Victor Hugo
The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas
Joan of Arc
One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.—Joan of Arc
JOAN WAS BORN around 1412 in the small town of Domrémy in France, on the border of the provinces of Champagne and Lorraine, to Jacques d’Arc and Isabelle Romée. She grew up helping her father and brothers work the land and helping her mother, a devout woman, tend the house.
The year she turned twelve, she became convinced that there was something special about her—a destiny she alone could fulfill. She began hearing the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret, whom she believed had been sent by God to inform her of her divine mission to save France. So compelled was she by the urgency of these voices that by the time she was fifteen she cut her hair, began dressing in a man’s uniform, and took up arms.
The Daring Book for Girls Page 10
