archives: Culture
Korean Beauty
8 Comments
John Francis Power learns what it means to be beautiful in South Korea. More »
Expat Life in Japan: Baby Shower Lost in Translation
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I wondered if the guests approached it as a novel, if not slightly wacky event, in the same way that many Japanese are attracted to prison and church More »
Notes on Personal Space: A Canadian Expat in Turkey
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All that kissing! One cheek and then the other, the two faces weaving dangerously close, the noses almost touching. You could study your friends' pore More »
How To Study Xhosa
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Unfortunately, the nature of South Africa’s past, and the diversity of its population has prevented linguistic assimilation to a large degree. Even More »
Authenticity And The Banana Pancake Trail In India
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What and where is this pure, pious embodiment of Indianness that we are searching for? More »
How I Learned Bahasa Indonesia
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Things went fine for a while, but pre-planned conversations can only go so far. Indonesians have no qualms bursting out in laughter when a foreigner m More »
Peru’s Incan Celebration of Inti Raymi: Cultural Preservation or Capitalistic Exploitation?
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It is an evocation of a long-dead past, but a past that defines the Peruvian national identity to an almost unimaginable extent. More »
A Kashmiri Wedding, Part 2
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Even if Sayma was the intermediary between me and this world, I still wanted to try to absorb it on its own terms. More »
A Kashmiri Wedding, Part 1
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It is not a place I would have ventured as a young woman traveling alone, but Sayma had invited me to attend her brother’s wedding, where I would be More »
What Ikebana Taught Me About Japanese Culture
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Mary Richardson finds integrating into Japanese culture surprisingly easy - until her Ikebana show. More »
The Perils And Possibilities Of Revolutionary Tourism: A Visit With The Zapatistas
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Reflecting on the meaning of revolutionary tourism after a visit to a Zapatista community in Chiapas, Mexico. More »
Qoyllur Rit’i: Beating Drums and Freezing Feet
Thousands of people thronged the immediate surrounds of the church, haggling over dream-replicas in the symbolic market, competing drum beats and twir More »
How to Make and Eat Indian Phuchkas Like a Local
4 Comments
Find out what a phuchka is, where to find them, how to eat them like a local and how you can make them at home. More »
My Cultural Noise Threshold is Being Violated
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Cement grinders and jackhammers run from sunset to sunrise. The construction workers also like to blast Punjabi pop on crackling radios during their More »
How To Score Cheap Theatre Tickets In London
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The British government has long recognized that young adulthood does not come with deep resources, and so many cultural institutions offer discounts f More »
Haka: Cultural Dance in New Zealand
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Expat Marie Szamborski sets the record straight about the haka, a traditional dance of the Maori. More »
5 Things NOT To Do After Returning From Abroad
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Think twice before you: Say something like, “Going to Denmark was the greatest experience of my life. You really need to get out of the country, Col More »
4 Wildly Popular TV Soap Operas From Around the World
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From 'house slaves' in China to mother-in-laws in India, Alex Sehmer looks at some of the most popular international TV dramas. More »
Dating Tips From Around The World
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Be careful buying someone a drink in Norway; watch out for thrown punches in Mongolia. More »
Street Performance Artists in Santiago, Chile
While Willy threw the juggling knives into the air, focused yet seemingly unconcerned about the blades, Luis juggled with fire. More »
Over Before It Starts: Life And Death In Mongolia
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Medical facilities aside, the families of Bayan Ulgii face another obstacle to fighting infant and maternal mortality: poverty. More »
Finding Art In Tanzanian Tingatinga
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I go back outside and look up and down the impossibly colorful street. I’d been very close to losing interest in Tingatinga - purposefully plagiari More »
Body Image and Culture: My Watermelon Butt
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Different cultures have different ideas of what constitutes feminine beauty. I’m trying to learn how to appreciate the cultural norm while still man More »
Learn Or Perish : Graduation In Uganda
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A Glimpse Correspondent in Uganda explores the meaning of graduation. More »
Breaking Down The Staredown
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As an avid traveler I often get asked how I deal with, you know, stares, when I travel in regions where not a lot of black people travel. More »
10 Things To Know About Turkey
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Turkey doesn’t have a desert, and it doesn’t have any (native) camels either. More »
Tales From the Frontier of Expat Life: On Being An American Woman In Thailand
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More often than not, I feel like nothing I’m doing is right. More »
Bring Your Own Food: Eating Out In The Philippines
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“I know a place,” he said, and then stepped on the gas. More »
The Stigma Of Foreignness: Traveling Back To The Motherland
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Motherland travel can sometimes be more challenging than visiting a country in which you are an obvious foreigner. More »
Coming To Grips (Or Not?) With Violence As Communication In Bangladesh
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Alarmingly, what I found myself doing was adapting to another way that Bangladeshis communicate: through force. More »
One Frenzied Weekend In Fes
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Stunned silence, and some obvious disbelief, hung in the air. As if it proved anything, Denny reassured us, “It’s true. Just heard it.” More »
Studying In South Korea: An English Teacher Asks How Much Is Too Much
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The way I see it, studying in South Korea is out of control. More »
Tourism And The “Preservation” Of Culture: A Rebuttal
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I find the loss of traditional cultures distressing, but I don’t think that allowing traditional cultural practices to be commercialized and purchas More »
Cooking in Lahore: An American Woman In A Pakistani Kitchen
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An American expat in Lahore gets a glimpse into the lives of Pakistani women. More »
On Blogs Of The World, Intercultural Marriage, and Travel Writing: An Interview With Liz Chatburn of Pocket Cultures
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Liz Chatburn, managing editor of Pocket Cultures, shares her perspective on being part of a cross-cultural couple, how blogs could change travel in th More »
The Origin of The Ugly American
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Exploring the history of the ugly American abroad. More »
Group and Ceremony: One Expat’s Experience With Japanese Culture
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Group and ceremony. They have been the hardest part of adjusting to life in Japan. More »
Burakku: Black Culture In Japan
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“Kokujin kakkoii!” is what I was often told whenever I asked what was behind the admiration of black people. Basically, I was cool, simply for bei More »
Tales From The Frontier Of Expat Life: A Memsahib In Pakistan
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It is in Pakistan that I have had to come to grips with the inherent advantages and disadvantages of historical and cultural white privilege. More »
Traveling As A Mixed-Race Couple In Asia: No, Sir, I Did Not Buy My Wife
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There is a lot of subtext crammed into the nine-word question “Where in the Orient did you meet your wife?” More »
Gringos In Mexico And That Elusive Quest for Authenticity
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We got out of the bus in Mitla, blinking, stumbling, little swirls of dust rising around our feet, plunk, plunk, plunk, one gringo after another plunk More »
How To Express Your Emotions (Or Not) In Other Cultures
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How emotional expression varies across cultures, and why it's a good idea to keep your anger to yourself in Thailand. More »
Does Travel Abroad = Less Conspicuous Consumption At Home?
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Exploring the potential of travel to alter the way we think about our needs and lifestyles at home. More »
Getting Hassled In Top Travel Spots: Preventable or Inevitable?
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In many popular travel "destinations," travelers are little more than a path to the cash. More »
What Makes Travel Abroad Unique, and Why Should Americans Do It?
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So many travelers seem to assume that traveling abroad in and of itself is a good thing, and the fact that Americans don't do more of it is a bad thin More »
Indulgence in New Orleans: A Guide to 7 Classic Desserts
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In New Orleans, you should leave room for dessert. More »
Ignorance or Bravery? A “Moral Holiday” in Indonesia
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In coming to Indonesia, I had been looking for that thrill of raw experience that only traveling can give you. But here was a sensation I hadn’t qui More »
A Video in Honor of Mexican Independence Day
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Sing along to "Mexico Lindo y Querido" in honor of Mexican independence day. More »
Singing Karaoke in Japan
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On a 17 year stint of bachelorhood, between wives number two and three I found myself doing a lot of bar-hopping... More »
A Traveler’s Guide to Culture in Nepal
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Mix the lentils with your rice; throw the meat on top; mush those juicy flavors together! More »
11 Weird Japanese Foods
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These are the slimiest, hairiest, chewiest and smelliest foods commonly eaten in Japanese households.
More »
Weird Laws from Around the World
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Just when is it legal to wear hot pink pants? More »
The Minority Perspective
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I returned to America with a strong belief in the importance of respect and understanding within the global community. We must all be responsible, com More »
Expressions that Define Cultures
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Think of these expressions as ways to get inside of a particular worldview, and to show the locals that you've got an awareness of their cultural valu More »
8 Fascinating Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Thailand
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Welcome to Year 2552. More »
8 Tips For Successful Foreign Adoption
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Given time and oodles of love, adopting a foreign child will be the most rewarding journey you can imagine. More »
TravelFish Wants YOU To Get Offline
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Switch off your laptop, walk across the room and introduce yourself to another traveler. More »
10 Thai Customs To Know Before Visiting Thailand
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Know when to Wai in the Kingdom of Thailand. More »
5 Asian Food Blogs To Read Before Traveling To Asia
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Consider food blogs as travel guides that give you another angle through which to experience culture.
And prepare to get hungry. More »
10 Indian Customs To Know Before Visiting India
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Please don’t expect snake charmers and wise men to meet you at every street corner. More »
Why Would Anyone Ever Want To Leave America?!?
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I’d love this country if it weren’t populated with total idiots… More »
The Corrupting Influence Of The City!
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The further you get from the cities, the more viciously backwards with respect to medicine, hygiene and hospitality the people get. More »
5 Common American Gestures That Might Insult The Locals
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Do you know what the thumbs-up sign means in Iran? Hint - the answer rhymes with "cup snores". More »
10 Korean Customs To Know Before You Visit Korea
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Visiting Korea? Make sure you know about the culture before you arrive. More »
The Best And Worst Toilets In The World
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Turner Wright searches high and low for superlative crappery. More »
7 Reasons To Take A Cooking Class
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Cooking classes are great ways to learn about local food and make new friends. More »
6 Products That Would Never Sell in the U.S.
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Real Products that could never enjoy success in the U.S. market. More »
Escaping the Expat Trap: How To Live Like a Local When You’re Abroad
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Following these simple rules will make your experience abroad 10x richer. More »
5 Lessons Learned After Studying Abroad
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Everyone has preconceptions about studying in a foreign country. . .Learn how to get past them. More »
Teaching English In Japan Is Awesome and Sometimes Hilarious
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You never know what your students are going to write. More »
10 Customs You Should Know Before Studying Abroad or Traveling in Israel
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From partying in Tel Aviv to walking through the world's most conservative communities. . . More »
10 Japanese Customs You Must Know Before a Trip to Japan
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The following Culture Crash Course will help you ease right into Japan. More »
