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National Anti-Boredom Month

July 2nd, 2021

Did you know that the month of July is National Anti-Boredom Month? The goal of this month-long observation is for people to be able to identify what causes them to be bored, and then to find ways through which they can fight off that boredom. This month was chosen as a result of it being during summer break and during what tends to be the hottest part of summer, meanwhile, nothing fun is really going on after the 4th of July passes. As such, it is the perfect month to educate people and get their boredom squared away. It is interesting to note that being bored does not necessarily mean that we have nothing to do, it means that our tasks are not stimulating to our minds. Think of it this way, oftentimes kids are bored when they are doing homework even though they are working on a task. Boredom comes with its side effects though. When we are bored we tend to become irritable, groggy, and careless and oftentimes seek some sort of stimulation to counteract the boredom. This can also lead to its own effects and form either good or bad habits depending on how we stimulate ourselves. It is crucial to be able to pinpoint what causes your boredom so that you can find a fitting way to get out of it. For example, if you need physical stimulation you can achieve that by exercising, if your brain needs to be stimulated you can do so by learning something new, if you need a social stimulus you can call a friend and talk to them, and so forth. That being said, we want to provide you with some interesting facts about countries whose cultures are present here in the Pacific Northwest and hopefully serve as an educational stimulus to get you out of your boredom! 

 

Sweden

Sweden boasts some of the most progressive LGBT+ rights worldwide.
Stockholm’s metro doubles as an art gallery.

Hmong

Larb is a staple in terms of meals for the Hmong.
There are 18 Hmong clans (known as surnames here) .

Bulgaria

Bulgaria is the second richest country in Europe in natural mineral springs.
Yoghurt is a major part of Bulgarian cuisine.

Norway

The world’s longest road tunnel is in Norway.
There are two ways of writing the Norwegian language – bokmål and nynorsk.

Pacific Islands

The Pacific Islands are made up of three subregions: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
These islands tend to be made by volcanoes or on coral reefs.

India

Cows are considered sacred in India.
The game Snakes and Ladders originated in India.

Ireland

More Irish live outside of Ireland than in it.
Halloween as we know it originated in Ireland.

Philippines

There are about 175 languages spoken in the Philippines.
The country is made up of 7,641 islands.

Finland

All Finns learn Swedish at secondary school.
There are 187,888 lakes in Finland.

Scotland

Scotland’s national animal is a unicorn.
The shortest commercial flight in the world is in Scotland being just 47 seconds.

Mexico

Interestingly, Mexico is home to the largest pyramid in the world.
Mexico has the world’s smallest volcano.

Pakistan

Sugarcane juice is the national drink of Pakistan.
The only fertile desert in the world is in Pakistan.

South Korea

In South Korea red ink is considered bad luck.
Children born in South Korea are considered “one year old” when they are born.

Vietnam

Motorbikes are the most common form of transportation in Vietnam.
Vietnam has a literacy level of 97.3%

Cuba

Cuba is the only country in the world that has a double currency system.
The largest flamingo colonies in the western hemisphere are in Cuba.

Italy

Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy.
Italians have over 2,500 types of cheese .

China

Fortune cookies did not originate in China, they were invented in San Francisco.
The Bailong Elevator in China is on a cliff’s edge, and it is the world’s heaviest and highest outdoor elevator.

Guam

It is the biggest consumer of Spam.
Tips are usually included in the bills in Guam

Germany

In Germany university is free for everyone.
There are over 1,000 kinds of sausages in Germany.

Thailand

Thailand is home to the world’s smallest mammal.
In Thailand during the month of November there is an annual festival dedicated fully to monkeys

Africa

It is home to the Sahara – the largest desert in the world.
In Senegal, Africa there is a pink lake.