Or is this just a Western thing?

For example this is Estonia's landscape which perfectly resembles it's flag, pretty clever

I have a personal favorite weird story in the historical sense:

In Constitución, one of the first ships to reach Chile was wrecked in 1544. Among the survivors of the crew was a Black man—the first to arrive in the country and the first ever seen by the Indigenous people of Chile. His skin color seemed so implausible to them that they could not believe it was natural. They washed him with boiling water and scrubbed his skin with corn cobs and sponge like threads; when his color did not change, they cut him open to see what he had inside.

Things you read to 2-6 year olds, not children's books in general.

American here. I'm a childless millennial so maybe some of these books aren't as popular as they used to be, but they were evergreen when I was growing up in the 90s and 2000s.

Some of the most iconic picture books in America are:

- "Corduroy" by Don Freeman

- "The Little Engine That Could" by Watty Piper

- "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett

- "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak

- "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown

- The "Arthur" series by Marc Brown

- "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney

- "I Will Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch

- "The Snow Day" by Ezra Jack Keats

- "Blueberries For Sal" by Robert McCloskey

- "The Poky Little Puppy" by Janette Sebring Lowrey

- "Harry the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion

- "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle

- "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle

- "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown

- "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt

- "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin, Jr

- "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst

Could have been a personal, or used at another location (work, school, friends house, etc)

Mine was an Apple IIe, at home.

Im Sakha, and we don't get many representation in media. In genshin impact with release of Snezhnaya region there a character that represents siberian native cultures called Alyosha. Even though cultural references are not all from Sakha culture (cuz genshn known from mixing cultures) but that still nice. Hes my boy and I even have Keychain of him (don't look at the red one)

This could be anything that’s widespread and out of the ordinary, like the Killer Clown Epidemic back in 2016.

imho its canada and estonia
the canadian flag is very recognisable and memorable,
while the estonian one has the most great color combination.

Chelyabinsk is stereotyped to be the most proletarian and tough city of Russia.

Translations:

Image 3: “Chelyabinsk men are so tough!”

Image 4: “Chelyabinsk curtains are so tough.”

Image 5: “Chelyabinsk men resting on lounge chairs.”

Image 6: “Chelyabinsk sandbox.”

There are several, but I have chosen Laval.

Laval (France) is the prefecture (administrative center) of the Mayenne department (53). It was founded around 1020 by Guy I of Laval. Under the Ancien Régime (before 1789), the town was part of the province of Maine. Located not far from the Breton border, it was equipped with a fortified castle. Notable figures associated with the town include Alfred Jarry (author of Ubu Roi), Henri Rousseau known as "Le Douanier Rousseau" (a naive painter from the early 20th century) and Ambroise Paré (a 16th-century figure considered the father of modern surgery). The name "Laval" comes from the French "la vallée" ("the valley"), as the town is situated in the valley of the Mayenne (the river that also gives its name to the department).

Laval (Quebec) is the third most populous city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It has a larger population than Laval, France. It's a suburb of Montreal. The city owes its name to the first bishop of Quebec, François de Montmorency-Laval (1623–1708), whose family originated from Laval, France. It was founded on the 6th of August, 1965, through the merger of 14 municipalities. It is, therefore, a relatively recent city, even by Canadian standards.

Yesterday was national election in Brazil, as is the case since at least 2014, people from the right wing have unfortunately come out all over social media to make xenophobic posts against people from Northeastern Brazil for voting Lula/PT. In Brazil xenophobia is a crime and every time an election happens the number of reported cases explode against northeasterners. Does your country have anything like that?

Translations:

Image 1: “Bringing back flight missions to Washington is a guarantee of our safety. Sarmatmobile.”

Image 2: “Bring back flight missions to Washington. Sarmatmobile. For sovereignty of Russia.”

Image 3: “Bring back flight missions to Washington.”

This is Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy. Absolute legends in the horror scene. They don't give a damn where or when the film was made, and neither do I.

Edit: Spare the politics. We all know the world is eating itself. Give us some genuine recommendations to enjoy.

I'm creating a playlist with the best songs from some countries for me to listen to and would like suggestions from people in their own country

I made Baghali Polo ba Morgh (fava bean rice and chicken) it's an Iranian dish

Am I nuts for using chopsticks to eat Cheetos? I hate having a dirty keyboard and mouse.

I can confirm my grandfather(who is not this guy, this is Alex Trebek) looked like this in the 70's back in Malta lol

Growing up in Italy, everybody had one. Today, with online school register, they're slowly being phased out

Here in Brazil, we have a national university entrance exam called ENEM, which stands for Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (National High School Examination). With the exam coming up, I've been wondering whether other countries have similar systems for university admission!

The ENEM is open to people who have completed high school, as well as students who are still finishing it. Many young adults also take it, so it's not just for teenagers fresh out of high school.

The exam consists of 180 multiple-choice questions divided into four major areas: Languages and Communication, Human Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Mathematics. It also includes an essay, which is a whole challenge on its own. 😮‍💨

The essay topic is usually something related to a social issue in Brazil, and you have to write a well-structured argumentative essay following strict evaluation criteria. You need to demonstrate a good command of written Portuguese, organize your arguments, use relevant examples, and propose a solution to the problem presented. There are also plenty of tricky questions throughout the exam, so knowing the subject isn't always enough!

Your score can range from 0 to 1,000 on the essay, while the multiple-choice sections use a scoring system called TRI, which takes into account not only how many questions you get right but also the consistency of your answers. So, getting a high score isn't quite as straightforward as simply counting your correct answers.

A score around 700 or higher can open some doors, depending on the university and the degree you're applying for, although some competitive programs require considerably higher scores. Students can use their ENEM results to apply to public universities through SISU, compete for scholarships at private universities through ProUni, or access student financing programs such as FIES, provided they meet the relevant requirements. Some universities also use ENEM scores through their own admission processes.

For example, Medicine is one of the most competitive and expensive degrees to pursue in Brazil, especially at private universities. Getting into a public medical school can be incredibly difficult because competition is fierce and the required scores are often very high.

So, yeah, the ENEM can be a pretty stressful experience! 😂

I'm curious: Does your country have a similar university entrance exam? Is there one major test that students take to apply to different universities, or does each university have its own admission process? And how difficult is it to get into competitive degrees like Medicine in your country?

Mental health is a crisis so many of us face and it seems no one truly takes it seriously.

In India, the most common hobby based profession is a trek leader.

Well in Germany… I don’t have much idea as I only moved here in late 2023, but I guess a researcher?

What’s the most common hobby based profession from your country ?

This is SCBD, which stands for Sudirman Central Business District. Houses lots of tall buildings and financial offices.

If someone was to make an exaggeration or use an example of a really far away place, what would they use?
In the US I feel like it’s mostly China.

“It’s only a 2 hour drive. It’s not like I’m moving to China!” For example.

That and the city of Timbuktu in Mali for whatever reason.

What do you say where you’re from?