The standard length of the badminton court is 44 feet long and 20 feet wide.  In the middle of the court is a net that stands 5 feet high. This is applicable to all games, whether it is men’s singles, women’s singles or doubles games.

Before playing a badminton game, it is necessary for a player to understand the rules and regulations in badminton to play fairly and get the most fun out of the games. There are two badminton scoring formats in the new system: rally and service. For a rally game, players must have a score of 21 in order to win the game.   For the service play, the badminton game is won by scoring 15 points in doubles and men’s singles and 11 points in women’s singles. The match is won by the best two out of three games that are played.  At the end of each badminton game, player or teams must exchange sides.  If it is a tie and a third game is needed to win the match, exchanging of sides is done during that game when a player or team scores 8 points in doubles or men’s singles, 6 points in women’s singles or a score of 11 points in rally play.

To begin a badminton game,   a coin toss is done.  The winner of the toss has the right to decide to either serve first or not and can choose on which side of the court to begin the game. The players stay on opposite sides of the court, diagonally opposite. The game starts with a server on the right side.  This is always the case when the score is even and when it is odd, the server serves from the left court. A badminton service is done diagonally – that is, if the server is in the right service court, he has to hit or struck the shuttlecock going to the opponent’s left service court and vice versa. In service, each player should stand in their own service courts.  For doubles, the receiving player is the only one allowed to return or hit the shuttlecock once the service player serves or hits the shuttlecock.  He/She should not move his/her feet until the shuttlecock have been hit by the service player.  The highest part of the serving player’s badminton racquet must not exceed below his/her hand and waistline during service. Once the shuttlecock has been hit by the serving player, the game begins.  The opponent does his best to hit the shuttlecock and be able to return it back over the net as many times as possible.  If the shuttlecock no longer gets over the net or goes out of the marked boundaries, it is already a fault and the point is lost.  Then the next serve goes to the opponent. When the nonserving player/team makes a fault, the serving player/team scores a point. When the serving player/team makes a fault, no point is scored, but the opponent gets the right to serve and the opportunity to score points. Some common faults that should be avoided by players include hitting the shuttlecock out of bounds, touching the shuttlecock with any part of your body, reaching over the net to hit the shuttlecock on the opponent’s side of the net or hitting the shuttlecock twice in a row by the same player.  Another fault is if you interfere with an opponent trying to hit the shuttlecock. So, never disturb the concentration of your opponent so as not to be disqualified and lose the game.

CULTURE

Peru is a country situated in the continent of South America. It harbors a rich culture probably because the country was governed by the Europeans and under the colony of Spain for a long time. However, before the Europeans arrived, they were already natives who had mastered the art of Pottery, which was considered more advanced than the European culture. The Mestizo styles of monasteries, churches as well as their palaces were influenced by the Spanish. There is a total of 70 spoken languages in Peru but Spanish is the main language used although the natives both speak Spanish and Quecha as their vernacular. 90% of Peruvians are Catholics, but it has been blended with their own ancient traditional beliefs. During the early times, weaving, horticulture or fishing is the primary occupations of the Peruvians. The first culture that became known in Peru was the Chavin civilization which paved way for the first monumental temple to be built by them.

WEATHER

The weather in Peru is very unpredictable. In the morning, it could be roasting hot then rainy in the mid-day. However, generally, it only has to adjust to two main seasons, wet and dry season. Peruvian weather varies in three distinct geographical regions: the mountain highland which comprises Cusco and Lake Titicaca, the coastal region which consists of Lima, Nasca, and Arequipa, and the Amazon jungle.

In the mountain highlands, during the morning, the sun shines all year round, but it gets colder at night from mid-April to October while the wet season occurs from November to mid-April. In the Coast, winter runs from June to September whereas summertime lands on the months of December to April. In the Amazon jungle, dry season is from April to October and the wet season from November to March.

CURRENCY

Peruvian currency is nuevo sol. Bank notes are 200, 100, 50, 20, and 10 nuevo sols. Coin denominations are 1, 2, and 5, and centimos are 50, 20, 10, and 5.

MUSIC

Peru offers a rich and diverse type of music to all the music lovers around the world. Folk music with local lyrics on independence is common. Traditional instruments of Peru that are still used in various musical creations include an Andean flute called Quena, Zampoña, and a tiny guitar with a unique sound called the mestizo Charango. Popular in the southern Andean region is Huayno, a mestizo happy chant. “El Cóndor Pasa” is a traditional Peruvian song made popular in the United States by Simon and Garfunkel. Modern Peruvian music and Amazon-influenced music are also well-loved.

SPORTS

Football is the major sport of the country. Peru has attended various World Cups and has created soccer legends like Hugo Sotil, Cesar Cueto and Roberto Challe. The best-ever striker of Peru, Teofilo Cubillas scored ten goals during the World Cup Finals. Some of the famous players are Nolberto Solano, Jose Paolo Guerrero, Claudio Pizarro, and Jefferson Farfán while Universitario de Deportes, Sporting Cristal, Alianza Lima, and Cienciano are some of the famous teams in Peru.

Chess, an indoor game is also popular. Julio Granda is a legend to this sport. Volleyball and surfing are also well-liked. Shooting and tennis are some other sports being enjoyed in the country.

RECIPES

Pachamanca, which means food that is cooked underground, is the oldest dish that is still cooked in Peru up to this date. This dish consists of meat, roots, and herbs (commonly cinnamon and cloves used to flavor these dishes) that are covered with leaves and cooked in a pit for almost 12 hours.

VACATION TOURS

Some of the impressive destinations of Peru are Cusco, Machu Picchu, Arequipa and its white buildings made with volcanic ash, Paracas and its wildlife preserve and the mysterious Nazca lines in the Nazca desert.

Other location worth touring is Lima, the capital city. This is an entertaining old city with magnificent architecture, awesome churches and cathedrals. The city offers some good restaurants and a great nightlife for you to enjoy. The peru Amazon region is yet another great destination to visit because there are numerous places to go and activities to do like canopy walk up in the trees.

Taking a trip to Peru is a great way to learn several new things about a foreign culture.

1. Know yourself to be able to select a good partner.

It is very important to know what you want for yourself, and what you are looking for to be able to select your partner. If you cannot connect with yourself, it is impossible to find a partner you can get along with. Without knowing what you really want, we might end up wasting our time with the wrong person. Although sometimes, we already know what we want yet we were in a hurry in choosing them. During the early part of our relationship, we may have thought that we shared a lot of things, the same values and goals, but in the long run we fail to realize that we actually didn’t have something in common. It failed and it was too late when we discovered that we were two different people with very distinct convictions that don’t go along well.

2. Get to know your partner.

You have to find out the true nature of your partner to be able to connect well. Bear in mind that we are unique individuals that have different personalities. Know which qualities that you like and hate in him/her. Review which are those you want him to modify and which ones you are willing to live with.

3. Respect and support each other.

Respect is a basic form of building relationships. However, respect for oneself must first be established before respect for your partner can take place. Before we met our partner, we already have our values and principles so do not accuse nor judge but respect. As your relationship gets deeper, you may discover hidden talents or traits you and your partner possess that was unknown before. Supporting each other in unveiling those mysteries can help make a relationship work.

4. Keep communication open and talk to each other always.

It cannot be avoided that disagreements and fights occur during our relationship. However, not all misunderstandings lead to an end. That’s why communication plays a vital role. It is totally impossible that you and your partner agree at all times. We all have our flaws and imperfections so both of you should learn how to listen to each other’s sentiments and compromise. It is not a valid reason to avoid talks due to fear of conflict. It just suppresses feelings, which would later  contribute to bigger issues. Speak your mind and express yourself. Good communication is learning how to say things the right way, knowing when and how to say it and accepting that some things are better left unspoken.

5. Be honest to build trust.

Honesty is still the best policy. Although at times telling the truth can be very hard and may take a lot of risks, it is much better to tell the truth and your partner gets hurt than not telling the truth right away but later  finding out about the truth from somebody. It would be much more painful. If possible, anchor your relationship on trust to avoid doubts, insecurities and suspicions. If you don’t trust your partner you will have a difficult time and, even if trust takes time to develop, it always pays to be open about your concerns. Try not to break your partner’s trust too.

6. Never lose faith and stay positive.

There will always be people who tend to negate things maybe because of their negative experiences. Don’t listen to them and have faith in your relationship. Never assume something if you haven’t clarified it with your partner. However, if you feel there is nothing to worry about, keep your love alive and maintain a positive attitude.

7. Exert an effort, be patient and expect less.

Patience is a virtue. Keep in mind that a successful relationship does not take place overnight and sustaining them is never easy. It takes a lot of effort but all worth it in the end. Do not expect too much also. High expectations are one of the reasons why a lot of relationships fail. Many of us expect too much and if our expectations fail, we blame the relationship.

8. Give each other free day to enjoy themselves or with others.

Surprisingly, giving each other free day to enjoy is healthy to your relationship. Free day meaning, no communication at all. This way, you give your partner freedom, whether a boy’s night out or a girl’s social gathering. You don’t want to be possessive. Nobody wants to be tied too tight you can hardly breathe either.  Besides, you are giving them a time to miss you.

9. Accept and don’t compare with others.

Accept that everybody commits mistakes and your partner is of no exemption. If your relationship deserves another try, be willing to forgive and give your partner another chance to prove himself/herself. Most importantly, never compare your relationship with your friends or to anybody. There is no reason to ask how their relationship worked because you and your partner went through different struggles than others did.