Shivani's Blog

2010-03-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

Teaching English to my students is very fun. While I'm teaching them, I am also learning about their culture. The Japanese culture is very interesting.
Last week, I decided to do a little tourism around Shiga. I took a cruise on Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, which is right in the middle of Shiga. Some of the views can be very scenic, especially towards the north of the lake.

Below is a picture of Lake Biwa.

I also got a taste of Japanese food.

Arrival in Shiga

2010-03-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

I have just arrived at Otsu, the capital of the prefecture of Shiga. Shiga seems like a very interesting place, so I can't wait to look around. I'm very excited to be here, because I will be teaching English to some Japanese students. Hopefully they can teach me about their culture too.

Disappearance of Mayans

2009-11-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

The Mayans probably disappeared because of malnutrition. Archaeologists found Mayan skulls which had spongy areas in the back of their heads. This important clue was found in 80% of all the Mayan skulls discovered. These spongy areas suggest anemia, which was probably caused by lack of iron in their diet. Studies found that crops were not growing as much as the years went by. Each year, the corn crop got smaller and smaller in the Copan valley. This probably caused the lack of nourishment for many of the Mayans, because the Mayans had a large population (about 25,000 people). Also, a drought could have happened, just like in Heart of the Jaguar. There could not have been a war because many of the monuments in the Copan Valley are still standing there. If there had been a war, there would have been some damage to the monuments or the monuments could have been destroyed. Also, the conquerors would have probably written something down saying they conquered the Mayans because the Mayans were such a vast and important civilization. Because of this evidence, my theory has a high probability of being correct.

Paracas, Chancay and Chavin Tribes

2009-10-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

A picture of Chavin pottery. Many, like this one, came in different and interesting shapes.

This is a picture of a Paracas textile. The Paracas used many colors, as seen in this picture.

The Chavin tribe was located off the coast of Peru.

This is a picture of a piece of Chancay pottery. It is the aryballos of a deer hunter.

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A picture of a Paracas mantle. (right). They used many designs on their mantles.

The Paracas lived in a small area in Peru a little on the coastal line.