TRACK 45

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In El Salvador.
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A girl's 15th birthday is very important.
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It's the day she celebrates becoming a woman.
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When I turned 15,
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my family had a big party for me.
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We call this party la Fiesta Rosa.
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Everything you wear to the party is pink,
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a pink dress,
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pink shoes,
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pink flowers.
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Anyway,
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the celebration lasts all day in the morning.
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You go to church,
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then later,
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there's a big party,
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either at your family's house or some people rent a place.
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Lots of friends and family members are invited.
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So you need a big space.
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Anyway,
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at the party,
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there's lots of food and dancing and people give you presents
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like jewelry and clothes.
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I'll never forget my party.
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It lasted until four in the morning.
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I had such a great time.
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The second Monday in January is an important day in Japan.
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We call it coming of age day when you turn 20.
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You are officially an adult in Japan.
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Anyone who turned 20 in the last year celebrates on coming of age day.
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So what happens?
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Well,
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most people get dressed up,
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girls wear traditional kimonos and guys wear dark suits though some also
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wear traditional clothes then in the morning,
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you and your parents go to City Hall.
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There's a big ceremony for you and all the other 20 year olds in your
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city,
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important leaders give speeches after the ceremony.
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You get a small present and take a lot of pictures.
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Then later you get together with your friends.
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Most people go to parties or nightclubs.
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I remember when I celebrated coming of Age Day,
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I had a lot of fun.
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TRACK 50
And now for our final story of the evening,

we turn to Stuart Kaplan reporting live from the West African country of Cameroon where
every year usually in February, the race of Hope takes place. Yes.

Hello,
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Rosa.
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I'm standing here in the town of Boa Cameroon where the race of
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hope is about to begin this year.
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550 people are competing in the race.
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And what's the distance?
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It's a 38 kilometer race.
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The competitors run to the top of Mount Cameroon,
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which is the highest mountain in western Africa and an
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active volcano.
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When they reach the top,
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they run all the way back down again.
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I'm standing here with one of the participants in today's race.
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So,
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what's your name?
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And where are you from?
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I'm Esther and I'm from Nairobi Kenya.
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Is this your first time at the race?
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Oh,
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no,
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I've attended the race many times before.
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It's a tradition for me and my family,
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but this year for the first time I'm running in it.
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That's great.
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Do you think you'll win?
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I'm going to try,
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but it's a difficult race.
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A lot of people start but can't finish it Well,
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good luck.
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First prize is over $16,000.
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Yes,
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it's a fantastic price.
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I'm going to do my best.
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The good news is that after the race is over,
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all the competitors can enjoy the rest of the weekend with their family and
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friends.
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Every year,
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the town of Boa has a festival during the weekend of the race with
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music,
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dancing,
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sports,
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and local food.
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The whole town is getting ready to throw a big party.
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