Introducing myself

Jobs and professions

I am going to tell you about my future profession. Choosing a career and getting a job are two things, any person passes through in his life.

When millions of young people leave school, they begin an independent life. Some of them start working, go into business; some of them keep upgrading their schooling to receive higher education.

Young people can learn about professions in magazines and advertisements. Magazines for teenagers often offer questionnaires, quizzes to help young people to find out their interests and abilities more clearly and to make a decision concerning their future occupation.

While choosing a career one should take into consideration all main possibilities that his future profession might provide: the profession must be interesting, one have to be sure of his future (that means that one will be able to find a job after his graduation from the university or institute), a profession must be well-paid, otherwise you won't be able to support yourself and your future family.

During our school life, we begin to think about our future life, our job. There are many professions in the world, so it is quite difficult to choose and make a decision. Some follow their own choice; some follow parent's advice, because they can help concerning future plans

My future career

When you leave school you understand that the time to choose your future profession, your future life has become. It's not easy to make the right choice of a job. I have known for long time that leaving school is the beginning of my independent life, the beginning of a far more serious examination of my abilities and character.

What do I want to be when I leave school? It's very important question for me. A few years ago it was difficult for me to give a definite answer. As the years passed I changed my mind a lot of times about what science or field of industry to specialize in. It's difficult to make up my mind and choose one of the hundreds jobs to which I might be better suited. A coupe of years ago I wanted to become a doctor, you know I wanted to help people who had problems with health. Then I wanted to become a policeman, then a spaceman, I even wanted to become a professional football player. But all of them now are in the past; they were like children's dreams and nothing more. Now I have already decided what to do. I'd like to be an aviator. I know that it's very difficult. I should know perfectly everything about the planes, airports, weather and other things. You know that the weather is very important thing for the flights too. I must be well educated and well informed. So that's why at first I am going to go to the Aviation University in Moscow, then when I finish studding I'll go to my country to try to get a job in the air companies. You know may be something will be not OK, because I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I know that I'll do everything to realize my plane and my 

dreams.
Holiday

Holidays hold immense importance in a person’s life. Be it a student, a working professional or a businessman – everyone wants a break from their work. Holidays provide this much awaited break. They are also important for many other reasons.

Importance of Holidays for Students

Holidays are a time when we can finally take a break from our otherwise hectic routine and follow our hobbies and interests. I always make it a point to join a hobby course during holidays. I love art and craft and thus join different art and craft classes to hone my skills in the same. Last year, I joined glass painting classes, prior to that I joined pottery classes and this year I am planning to learn the art of candle making. My friends also join different classes as per their interest. Some of them join dance classes, others join vocal/ instrumental music while yet others join sports such as skating, swimming and basket ball.

Holidays are also a time when we can socialise with friends and relatives and spend time with our family. I love family outings. We plan at least one family trip during summer vacations. I am also allowed to go over to my friends place to spend the day every once in a while. I also love the time when my cousins come over to stay at my place. Those days are particularly the best part of the summer vacations.

Traveling

Travelling plays an important part in making us feel relaxed and rejuvenated. It also brings positive changes in our life and keeps us alive and active. Travelling gives us practical experience of things we have studied in the books and surfed on the internet. So a person who does not travel at all does not find any meaning in the name of India Gate or Ganga River. However, if he has travelled to these places, he can truly relate everything he has studied and will always remember each and every detail of that place.

Nowadays, many people like travelling as they want to explore the world and watch everything they have read about. And this seems to be quite justified as practical knowledge is way more essential and effective than the theoretical one. People like to visit historical places present in different parts of the world and gather information on the same to write books and stories.

Travelling has become easier due to advancement in technology and transportation. Earlier people use to travel by road or sea and it takes many days to reach from one place to another, however, now the scenario has changed and people travel to far off places within hours and minutes-thanks to well-built roads and aeroplanes.
People travel for different purposes, some travel for the sake of education while others travel to relax and enjoy. Many people take a break from their hectic schedule and go for a vacation, this makes them feel delightful and also help them to invigorate.

Ancient Cities of the world

Ancient Cities and Their Environment Ancient communities and urban centers have shaped the way that we as human beings have lived for thousands of years. These cities helped guide us in a direction that we have grown accustomed to by creating big urban centers that thousands of people live and work. In ancient times these cities were strategically placed in places that would give them an environmental advantage over other rival cities. Both the city and the environment that they were built in had many relationships that helped them thrive and grow into huge urban centers that could support thousands of citizens. Water ways, metallurgy, and trade were the three most important factors for these ancient urban centers to thrive. Water is the most important resource that any city or town can have. It gives us life, we can use it as transportation, and it helps grow food. All of these ancient urban centers are built on a major water ways that helped them to survive and thrive in whatever type of climate they were built in. Cities like Thebes in Egypt were built along the Nile River and they used it for many things other than drinking water. Ancient Egypt is located in the Sahara desert and is a very hot and dry climate where plants don’t normally thrive. The area around the Nile is very fertile land that can grow crops and support thousands of people. However, there plants would not get water and die. The Egyptians to combat this used irrigation or strategically dug ditches or banks to bring water to their crops. “They constructed a network of earthen banks, some parallel to the river and some perpendicular to it that formed basins of various sizes. Regulated sluices would direct floodwater into a basin, where it would sit for a month or so until the soil was saturated. Then the remaining water would be drained off to a basin down-gradient or to a nearby canal, and the farmers of the drained plot would plant their crops.” (Postel). By building on a waterway it created a relationship between the ancient cities and waterways that helped the Egyptians thrive for more than 5,000 years. Metal in ancient times was used for tools to help make everyday tasks easier, for weapons for warfare, and for prestige statues in their cities. Resources in ancient times helped cities thrive because of the trade value that each type of resource has. West Africa is rich in many different types of metals and is what their economy was built aound.

Historical places of our country

Samarkand

Historical Samarkand is often the first stop for visitors to Uzbekistan – with the exception of capital Tashkent which serves as a transport hub. The high-speed train from Tashkent to Samarkand takes two hours, halving the time it takes to drive between the two cities.

Samarkand was the capital of Amir Timur, a 14th-century master general who built an empire spanning Central Asia and Persia, killing 17 million people in the process. He was also a patron of the arts, capturing artists along the way to build him a legacy in stone. The pitiful dead have been forgotten, but the magnificent city still stands.

Exploring Samarkand's Registan and its madrasahs

The Registan complex of mosque and madrasahs (Islamic schools), decorated with ceramic tiles and presided over by an obviously un-Islamic lion, are at the heart of Samarkand. From here, you can branch out to the enormous Bibi Khanum mosque, or instead visit the striking Gur Emir mausoleum of Timur himself, which would inspire the Taj Mahal, built by Timur’s descendants of the Mughal dynasty.

The Registan was medieval Samarkand’s commercial centre. In the 15th century, under the auspices of Ulugh Beg, the astronomer-king and Timur’s grandson, it became Samarkand’s educational centre as well, when he built a splendid madrasah (from the viewing platform, it’s the building to your left) where he taught astronomy. At the time, the Ulugh Beg madrasah was known as one of the best universities of the Muslim world.

Ulugh Beg’s size is balanced by the sheer elegance of its design and ceramic tile coating. A yellow-brown background highlights glazed green, turquoise, yellow and blue. Mosaic and majolica panels shine with floral motifs and Kufic calligraphy. The highlight is a muqarnas (a vaulted form of Islamic architecture) honeycomb decoration that dazzles with its mathematical complexity.

Capital city of Uzbekistan

After a devastating earthquake in 1966, Tashkent was rebuilt by authorities to become the “beacon of Soviet power in the East” that would “light the socialist path to prosperity for neighbouring peoples of Asia.” A city built on a monumental scale, Tashkent offers a fascinating blend of 20th-century Oriental Brutalist architecture, medieval mausoleums and a fast-paced modern metropolis.

Besides monumental structures, Tashkent is also the place to indulge in some fine food – for instance, the capital’s 100 000-strong Korean community ensures delicious Korean-Uzbek food is not hard to find.

Few museums in Uzbekistan are worth your time; Tashkent is the exception. The Fine Arts Museum is stunning from the outside, but inside the visual feast continues, with an exquisite assembly of the best silk, woodcarving, suzani weaving, ceramics and jewellery.

Tashkent’s State Museum of History is another must-visit, if only for the spectacular shape of the former Lenin museum. It’s the place to really get a grasp on the long and diverse history of this land (but take a guide along, the museum’s English-language explainers are not very helpful). If possible, visit the museum at the end of your trip: you’ll get so much more out of the exhibits when you have been to the places they came from and understand the historical context, not just academically, but emotionally.

The place where I was born.

I was born in Uzbekistan. The seasons greatly influence the composition of national foods. In summer, fruits, vegetables and nuts are widely used in cooking. Fruits grow in abundance in Uzbekistan such as grapes, melons, apricots, pears, apples, cherries, pomegranates, lemons, figs and dates. Vegetables are also plentiful, such as eggplants, peppers, turnips, cucumbers and luscious tomatoes. There are also some lesser-known species of vegetables such as green radishes, yellow carrots, and dozens of pumpkin and squash varieties.

The Uzbeks prefer mutton to other kinds of meat; it is the main source of protein in the Uzbek diet. Beef and horsemeat are also eaten.

The wide choice of bread is a staple for the majority of the population. Round, unleavened break or leplyoshka/non is usually baked in a tandir (round ovens made of mud) and served with tea. The national bread is often sold on street corners. Some varieties are cooked with onion or meat while others are simply sprinkled with sesame seeds.

The most well-known Uzbek dish is plov or osh. It is cooked with fried meat, onions, carrots and rice. Sometimes raisins, barberries, chickpeas or other fruits are added.  Uzbeks are very proud of their skills to cook plov. A master plov chef cooks plov on an open flame, sometimes serving up to 1,000 people from a single cauldron on holidays or special occasions like weddings.

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the north­ern part of Ireland.

The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244,000 square kilometres, it takes the 75th place among other countries in the world. The population is more than 57 million. About 80% of the population is urban. The capi­tal of the country is London. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel which is 34 km wide in its narrowest point. The country is also washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The surface of Great Britain varies greatly. The north­ern and western part of the country is mountainous and is called the Highlands. All the rest (south, east and cen­tre) is a vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not long. The most important of them are the Severn, the Thames, the Trent . There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country.
Big cities of Great Britain

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is also a great city of more than half a million inhabitants. The city is built of stone, not brick. The houses look hard and solid. Some people would call them grim, especially on a wet day, but when the sun shines beautifully in the city the city looks fine. Its many bookshops, taverns, and clubs some of world-famous people visited at different times. Among them were Dr. Johnson and Robert Burns. One of the famous avenues in the world is the Prince's Street in Edinburgh. It is the finest street and a shopping area of the city.

Glasgow is the third largest city of Great Britain. You may feel its industrial energy everywhere in the city. The city extends along both banks of the river Clyde. With each phase of its development it has stretched, until its outskirts now lie several miles from the city centre. It is, by far, the largest and most populous city in the whole of Scotland. Glasgow is known the world over for its ship-building. Glasgow-built locomotives run in every part of the world. Today Glasgow is of such a size that it extends far over both banks of the river Clyde and bridges are as essential for the conduct of activities as are the people themselves. Within a distance of a mile there are 7 bridges. They carry road and rail traffic in and out of the city. No other city of Scotland has or needs as many river crossings as Glasgow.

The USA

The United States of America is one of the greatest countries in the world.

It is situated on the North American continent and is washed by three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic.

The USA  borders only on two countries — Canada and Mexico.

This great country has a lot of mountains, rivers, lakes. The main mountains are the Appalachians and the Cordilleras. The longest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri.

The climate of the country is varied. In the southern part it is subtropical while the northern part has very cold weather in winter.

America has fifty states and one federal District of Columbia where the capital of the country is situated.

The capital of the USA is Washington. It stands on the Potomac river in the eastern part of the country.

The main cities are located on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. New-York is the largest city of the country. Other large cities are San-Francisco, Los-Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas.

The USA is a country of highly developed industry and agriculture. The main industrial centres are Chicago and Detroit, with their greatest automobile company “General Motors”. There are many farms with various agricultural products. Grain, fruit and vegetables are grown on numerous fields especially in the South.

The USA is a country with great holidays, customs and traditions. It is one of the most beautiful and interesting countries in the world.


Culture

A nation is a group of people who share common history and usually a language and usually, but not always, live in the same area. Culture can be described as our everyday life: how we communicate, what makes us happy and said. It also includes our language, religion, traditions, behavior, way of life – in other words, what we do each day. People that belong to various nations may differ and they always differ from one another.

For example, the Germans are regarded as scientifically-minded and industrious, they're always considered solid, intelligent and mathematical. And, for instance, Israeli are believed to be mercenary, industrious, shrewd, loyal to family, religious. There is a big amount of examples we can list about national character of different people. Proving the difference of the national stereotypes I want to compare Russian and English nations. There are a lot of features that vary. The Russians are industrious, tough, brave, progressive and suspicious. They are always considered to be nationalistic, over  patriotic (because of this reason they're good soldiers), we are willing to respect opinion of other people.

Customs and traditions

The main feature of the Uzbek family is traditionally reverential respect for elders. Uzbeks usually lives in large families consisting of several generations, therefore, preference is given to a large houses on the land. Significant place in family life as element of the hospitality is tea ceremony. Moreover, tea making and pouring it to the guests is exclusive prerogative of the host. It is common to receive invitations to a lunch or dinner and be on time. When planning a visit it is advisable to take souvenirs or sweets for children of the owner of the house. Hand shaking is usually only for the menfolk. Women and people sitting in the background, greeted by putting right hand to your heart, and accompanying this gesture with slight tilt of the head. During hand shaking it is common to ask about health, family, and state of affairs at work and at home. In rural areas in case of the guests, women usually do not sit at same table with the men in order not to interfere their conversation. It is not polite to admire the beauty of the women and pay close attention to them. When entering the living quarters shoes are taken off. Must take place indicated by the host. Moreover, the farther it is form the entrance the more honorable this place is.
English meals

There are four meals a day in an English home: breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner.

Breakfast is the first meal of the day. It is at about 8 o'clock in the morning, and consists of porridge with milk and salt or sugar, eggs – boiled or fried, bread and butter with marmalade or jam. Some people like to drink tea, but others prefer coffee. Instead of porridge they may have fruit juice, or they may prefer biscuits.

The usual time for lunch is 1 o'clock. This meal starts with soup or fruit juice. Then follows some meat or poultry with potatoes – boiled or fried, carrots and beans. Then a pudding comes. Instead of the pudding they may prefer cheese and biscuits. Last of all coffee – black or white. Englishmen often drink something at lunch. Water is usually on the table. Some prefer juice or lemonade.

Tea is the third meal of the day. It is between 4 or 5 o'clock, the so-called 5 o'clock tea. On the table there is tea, milk or cream, sugar, bread and butter, cakes and jam. Friends and visitors are often present at tea.

Dinner is the fourth meal of the day. The usual time is about 7 o'clock, and all the members of the family sit down together. Dinner usually consists of soup, fish or meat with vegetables – potatoes, green beans, carrot and cabbage, sweet pudding, fruit salad, ice-cream or cheese and biscuits. Then after a talk they have black or white coffee.

This is the order of meals among English families. But the greater part of the people in the towns, and nearly all country-people, have dinner in the middle of the day instead of lunch. They have tea a little later – between 5 and 6 o'clock, and then in the evening, before going to bed, they have supper.

So the four meals of the day are either breakfast, dinner, tea, supper; or breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner.

Table manners

Good table manners avoid ugliness. All rules of table manners are made to avoid it. To let anyone see what you have in your mouth is offensive. So is to make a noise. To make a mess in the plate is disgusting. So there are some rules how to behave yourself at the table:

Do not attract undue attention to yourself in public.

When eating take as much as you want, but eat as much as you take. Never stretch over the table for something you want, ask. your neighbour to pass it.Take a slice of bread from the bread-plate by hand, don't harpoon your bread with a fork.Never read while eating (at least in company).

When a dish is placed before you do not eye it suspiciously as though it were the first time you had seen it, and do not give the impression that you are about to sniff it.

Chicken requires special handling. First cut as much as you can, and when you can't use knife or fork any longer, use your fingers.The customary way to refuse a dish is by saying, "No, thank you" (or to accept, "Yes, please"). Don't say "I don't eat that stuff, don't make faces or noises to show that you don't like it.

In between courses don't make bread-balls to while the time away and do not play with the silver.

Do not empty your glass too quickly — it will be promptly refilled.Don't put liquid into your mouth if it is already full.Don't eat off the knife.

Vegetables, potatoes, macaroni are placed on your fork with' the help of your knife.If your food is too hot don't blow on it as though you were trying to start a campfire on a damp night.Try to make as little noise as possible when eating.

And, finally, don't forget to say "thank you" for every favour or kindness.

National meals of Uzbekistan

Not for nothing people from all over the world like and honor the Uzbek cuisine. It is one of the most savoury and various in tastes cuisine in Central Asia. Only names of appetizing Uzbek food make one’s mouth water. Plov, manti, shurpa, shashlik, lagman, samsa have such wonderful smell that one can’t resist the temptation to taste all these dishes piping hot.

Many Uzbek recipes have centuries-old history, and the process of preparing food is accompanied with various rituals, which have reached our days. All specific peculiarities of Uzbek food have been forming for centuries.

National Uzbek food is the separate layer of culture of Uzbek people. Unlike their nomadic neighbors, Uzbek people always were a settled nation, which cultivated agriculture and cattle-raising. At their fertile valleys Uzbek people raised vegetables, fruits and cereals; they bred cattle, which were the source of meat, the abundance of which can be seen in most dishes. Undoubtedly, Uzbek food imbibed some culinary traditions of Turkic, Kazakh, Uigur, Tajik, Tatar, Mongolian and other neighboring nations, settled on the territory of Central Asia.