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Alex says that shaving lotion and cologne are typical Father's Day gifts in Moldova. as Jorge (Spain), Fatima (Brazil), and Rei (Japan) look on.
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Now comfortably ensconced in the Georgetown Safeway Starbuck's, the
Georgetown Library's English Conversation Club is a place to make new friends while sharing traditions from Eastern Europe, Spain, Peru, Brazil, and Japan, and learning about the American political system. Today, Rei described the day-long picnics that celebrate "starting a new life" in Japan, with kegs of beer and rice balls called onigiri. Groups of picnickers share food and fun. With the flowering of the cherry trees, Spring is a hopeful time, when students graduate, and the academic and fiscal year begins.
Further West, Spring Day, which comes on March 1st in Moldova, is a celebration of mothers. In Albania, the Spring holiday, which does not come until two weeks later, is celebrated with sweet pastry. Father's Day in Spain, coinciding with the Feast of Saint Joseph, is not universal but at the discretion of individual provinces, while in Albania, there is no Father's Day at all!
From Spring holidays, the conversation moved to the traditional topic in Washington -- politics. Everyone was familiar with House of Cards, a regrettably accurate depiction of how the game is played in the USA. Jorge asked a provocative question: how long does it take to learn how to play the game? Despite being from different cultures, the psychologists present, Tringa (Albania), Cristel (Peru), and Estrella (Spain, Jorge's wife) all agreed that it depends on the person.
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