We had another great World Tour this year! We travelled 93,412.3 miles and visited every continent! Check out our map below!
Thank you to our sponsors in Lewisville, who kept us fed!! We needed the fuel to make it through!
When: March 7th, 2025 9:00am
Where: Fredericksburg, Texas
Who: WWII Museum - https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/
Landing craft vehicle personnel, or a “Higgins Boat,” was used to carry soldiers to the beach during WWII. Jeeps were used to shoot people, and they had machine guns strapped to them. DUKW is an amphibian truck that turns into a boat. If they got shot, they used the DUKW as a shield, basically to help prevent worse injuries. A jeep painted yellow, named “Aircraft Guide,” was bright colored so pilots could see it and follow them. The coolest vehicle was a tank. It’s small compared to most tanks. The machine gun on the bottom is the assistant gunner. Then there's a main gunner, which is super hot inside, and it was hot climate wise in their area, so they would get super hot super quick.
The battlefield in the World War 2 Museum was artificial but replicated to show the real movements of soldiers. A bunker is for shelter, which US soldiers had to use because the Japanese liked to attack. It can also be called a pillbox. The holes in the bunker were used for shooting outside forces. The Japanese specialized in attacking at night and carrying-out stealthily secured attacks on the US. The Pacific War was the war that Japan and the United Powers were at war, starting with the event of Pearl Harbor and its bombing by the US.
When: March 7th, 2025 8:00am (March 8th 3:00am at the South Pole - Instead of days based on daylight, work hours are based on satellite locations)
Where: South Pole, Antarctica
Who: IceCube Neutrino Observatory - https://icecube.wisc.edu/
IceCube Lab (ICL) ICL houses the IceCube data center which processes ~2,800 events per second, after filtering to remove background interference, ~6 events per second. 100GB a day are uploaded over satellite. 1TB a day is saved to hard drives. After analysis, they find ~20 astrophysical neutrinos per year. They’ve had 99.84% uptime over the last 10 years. 5410/5484 DOMs collecting data. The area where the lab is based is very snowy and has lots of track marks from supposedly moving objects or boxes of some sort. McMurdo is the largest research station in Antarctica that has up to 1500 people in summer and ~150 people in the winter. It’s home to Captain Scott's Hut (1912). They wear puffy red coats, black overalls and black and brown heavy set boots. There is a greenhouse with the only available fresh food. There are rest areas like lounges and a music room along with gyms. There are costumes and traditions where they wear costumes for fun. Everyone is on the emergency team, and everyone goes to all emergencies. One of the challenges is the isolation. The closest people are over 800 miles away, and at certain times planes don’t even fly through. There are about 5 different languages in Antarctica including English! Antarctica is around 19 hours ahead of us, making it 3:00 am on a Saturday, I think. :D
When: March 7th, 2025 7:00am (8:00am in Peru)
Where: MYSTERY - Ariquipa, Peru
Who: Jeremy Daggett
We Interviewed Jeremy Daggett, all the way from Peru. He’s lived in Italy, Arkansas, and now Peru. He’s lived in Peru for about 10 years, and he taught us about his experience. He told us about the contrast in school years between Peru and America. He explained that in South America they are in school from March to December, while in America they are in school from August to May. One of the biggest and most high paying jobs in Peru is mining, especially copper mining. In Peru, their national animal is mainly an alpaca, but they also have different frogs and birds, so they are very diverse when it comes to biodiversity. When moving from the US to Peru, the biggest adjustment was learning Spanish. A common mannerism that’s really important to learn in Peru, but less cared for in the United States, is greetings. In Peru, most would become offended if the first thing you say to them isn’t, “Hello, how are you?” and instead “Can I have ____”. In American culture, while greetings are still appreciated and a great sign of respect, it's unfortunately a lot less common. In Peru, when needing to get around, it's not as needed to have a car and drive around everywhere like how it's needed in the U.S. A very important tradition that Peruvians do is that they always eat together, like it's just a very important thing for them. He concluded this interview by talking about the difference in holidays between Peru and the U.S.
When: March 7th, 2025 5:00am (12:00pm in Italy)
Where: Florence, Italy
Who: Edwards Family
Jonathan moved to Italy when he was 3 for his dads job and grew up there. Meals are different for them, like pizza or alfredo noodles. Alfredo noodles are uncommon for them, and people dont really eat it there. The average Italian consumes 60 pounds of pasta in a year! People in Italy usually stay with their family and live with them, and they usually don't marry until they are older. Groceries are 30% less in Italy than they are in the states. Housing prices are cheaper than they are in Dallas, but compared to other countries they may be considered fairly high. It usually gets hot later in the year in Italy, and the cold stays for a little bit longer, but in Dallas it starts to warm up in the beginning of the year. Incomes in the US are higher than they are in italy. They own a hotel and host a Christian college study abroad program that teaches people to be kind, and to stay out of clubs, and do dangerous stuff like that. The main language in Italy is Italian but some people speak German, Sicilian, and English.
Catholic tradition is common around the area, and there’s a huge Catholic church. There are a few artists, but most of the stuff they listen to, music wise, is American style music. Most of the younger kids in the country listen to American music to help practice their English. Most of Europe is built on top of each other, so when you build something you stack it on top of old artifacts that are very hard to reach. Also, prices there are very cheap, so you can pay $125 for a round trip to get around Europe. Italy is a very chill lifestyle.
When: March 7th, 2025 4:00am (11:00am in the Netherlands)
Where: Utrecht, Netherlands
Who: Fish Doorbell - https://visdeurbel.nl/en/
In this call, we got to learn about the Fish Doorbell. As of now, it is 11:00 am in the Netherlands! The Fish Doorbell is a camera in the canal in Utrecht to help monitor how the fish swim during the many seasons! People can watch the camera online and “ring the doorbell” for the fish when they are waiting to be let through the door. They then notify the man who manually operates the door to let the fish through. There are not a lot of fish in March. But between late March and May you will see many more because of the warm air that allows them to swim a little better in the sun. They make news reports every week to see all of the different kinds of fish. They closely monitor the fish to make sure everything is alright. When the fish are in the sea, they look for their playground. In spring and fall the fish just go with the flow of the ocean. They created a story talking about the fish from the doorbell. They use all facts. He tries to work together with artists and musicians to help him make the stories.
When: March 7th, 2025 3:00am (9:00am in England)
Where: London, England, United Kingdom
Who: Daniel Martin
Next up in our blog, we will be learning about London, England, and the United Kingdom. Daniel even took us on a tour of several landmarks in London! There's a ferris wheel in London called the London Eye. Beautiful and sunny weather is not a normal day in London, but rainy is definitely the norm. It is a big city, but it’s less hectic than New York. London is a very old city and has a lot more history. Another tourist attraction they have is Big Ben. Queen Elizabeth and King Charles are popular in the United Kingdom.
The most popular sport in England is Football (Soccer). There is a statue of Winston Churchill, who was the prime minister of England during WW2. The next stop is the Westminster Abbey, where Queen Elizabith’s funeral was held. People waited in line for a really long time to see her when she died. Some of the most popular foods are fish and chips. There are about 8 million people in England. The housing prices are more expensive in London than they are here. Next stop is the residence of the Prime Minister, then Buckingham Palace, where the king and queen live. The monarchy no longer has absolute power.
When: March 7th, 2025 2:00am (10:00am in South Africa)
Where: MYSTERY - Johannesburg, South Africa
Who: Matt Dalton
What’s up everyone! Welcome back to the blog! Today we have a mystery country, so we’ll be trying to figure it out. Our guess is somewhere in Europe. So far we know he’s in the southern hemisphere and has 12 different national languages. The flag has 6 colors.The country was South Africa! Now on to the city. It’s not near water and is a popular city, it is also a business city. It is Johannesburg! BBQ is really popular around South Africa. There are a whole bunch of different people who live there. The most popular sports are cricket, soccer, and rugby. The weather is typically sunny. Most of the jobs are the same as the U.S., but tourism is a big part, too. The people from the south are very welcoming, and the people from the north are usually to themselves.The music is very different. They listen to traditional music , Amapiano. Housing for them is pretty expensive, but not all houses. There are many different tours that you can do. You can bike or go to the mines. They use bills and coins, called Rands. They have a high unemployment rate, which causes lots of crime. They have public schools and private schools just like the U.S. If you have an idea, back yourself and try it!
When: March 6th, 2025 11:00pm (March 7th 10:00am in Kazakhstan)
Where: MYSTERY - Almaty, Kazakhstan
Who: Virginia Treasure
Hey guys! It's us and we have a MYSTERY COUNTRY! So far, we think she’s from the U.S., Poland, or Germany, etc. So far, we know she's on the Asian continent. SOOO we just found out she is from Kazakhstan! A common food in this country is horse. They say they are the first people to domesticate horses. They also have a connection with Native Americans in the U.S. A landmark near this city is the Tenshen Mountains. Kazakhstan used to be part of the Soviet Union, therefore they speak Russian in this country. Many people come to this country to profit off of the oil and gas sources. The city she lives in is Almaty, Kazakhstan. She describes Almaty as a beautiful place full of mountains and scenic places. Yurts are used as housing in Kazakhstan. They are portable houses made of wool. Kazakhstan is a Muslim country. The locals don’t send their kids to school until kids ask about their education, which is usually when they are 7-8 years old. Kazakhstan is 11 hours ahead. Their government is very intense, and it got to a point where they couldn’t come out of their house, and if they did, they would get shot. Phones get monitored. It is not a democracy. They have no right to protest, and if they did, they would go to jail. Kazakhstan believes that consuming anything cold like cold water or ice cream will make them sick and give them a sore throat. They also believe that if you sit on bare floors instead of sitting on the carpet it’ll make them unable to make babies.
When: March 6th, 2025 9:15pm (5:15pm in Hawaii)
Where: Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawaii
Who: Kim Jones
Hi guys, welcome back to another reading! Today we are going to be talking about KANEOHE, O’AHU, HAWAII, USA. I know the name is kind of long, but there are many interesting facts that we are going to learn in today’s reading. Tonight we have learned that… People don't realize that there's a Hawaiian language. Some kids go to school in Hawaii and learn the language all day long, so they know how to communicate with people in their day to day life. They have to make sure that they are connected with land because a lot of their cultural events connect with the land. One of the challenges they have to experience is that it's very expensive to live there, like bread and peanut butter are highly expensive. They celebrate thanksgiving differently. They cook imu. They dig a pit and cook it in an oven. That's how they celebrate their Thanksgiving. May is better, because it has better climate weather. September can be the hottest month they have to experience. Their most common word is “aloha,” which means hello. A good common food in Hawaii is to eat tuna by cutting it into small pieces, then marinating it. They like to eat a hamburger patty and cover it with egg. They love to eat shaved ice and put vanilla on the bottom. Beaches are definitely a good place to visit in Hawaii, especially for your first time. The most commonly visited mountain in Hawaii is Ko’olau. It has beautiful standouts on the mountain. You get paid $50,000 as a teacher for your first salary. There are actually black crabs that have been spotted on the beach. The prettiest native flower she likes is a flower called Ilima, a tiny yellow flower. The flower is used to make lei. It's made using between 500-1,000 small Ilima flowers. The climate in Hawaii is consistently a warm, tropical climate, with mild temperatures year- around . You're not allowed to touch sea turtles. It's illegal to approach dolphins. It's also illegal to dig up native plants. It's also very illegal to touch sea lions. They randomly feel earthquakes. The last tropical storm that caused some damage was about 9 years ago. They grow bananas that are call apple bananas and ice cream bananas. In Hawaii, the red worm cucumber refers to a conspicuous sea cucumber, known as the Opheodesoma Spectabilis, a worm like sea creature that is found in the Kaneohe Bay, and Pearl Harbor. They often can be sprawled on sand or seaweed in shallow water. They have some of the original food markets, like Chick-fil-A, that was recently built, Mcdonalds, and Burger King (sadly not Chipotle). Surprisingly, there is a Dairy Queen in Hawaii located in Honolulu.
When: March 6th, 2025 8:30pm
Where: Ukraine via Texas (Refugee)
Who: Natasha Griboyedova
Hey guys, welcome back to the blog today! We'll be talking about what we’ve learned about Ukraine. In Ukraine they have food similar to dumplings but with different fillings,Crepes, and a lot of foods with flour. We have learned that they prepare food for lots of celebrations like birthdays, weddings, and many other celebrations. In Ukraine they wear lots of costumes, necklaces, headwear, etc. These costumes are worn to represent their food, culture and traditions.
We also learned about the type of instruments. The first one is called a Bandura which is a Ukrainian instrument and there is an older smaller version called the Kobza but its a plucked instrument with multiple strings. Another thing we learned is the mannerisms in Ukraine. For example, if you were close and personal while talking to someone in Ukraine, it would be polite and mannerly but here in the U.S, it would be weird and awkward.
We have learned that Ukraine and Russia get compared and mixed up alot but there are many differences. There are many different holidays, traditions, celebrations and so much more. Ukraine and Russia also have very different cultures/religions. Ukraine's main religion is Eastern Orthodox Christians and Russia’s main religion is Russian Orthodox Christians. Ukraine and Russia also have different cultures. Ukraine’s culture is influenced by Slavic Mythology and Ukrainian is Greek Catholicism. Russian culture is influenced by byzantine, and slavic.
Jobs are mainly the same in Ukraine; there are doctors, police, nurses, firefighters,etc.
They have similar games like Tug of War and Basketball but they also have different games/sports.In Ukraine they have games/sports called Bandy which is Shooting Cricket.
