culture
Get the authentic cultural experience on your next foreign jaunt. Wander like a local; here, there, and everywhere.
Standard American Greetings
The usual way Americans say hello to each other is to ask “How are you?” with the answer being, “Fine, thanks.” To outsiders, this is strange since depending on where you come from, the greeting goes deeper than that, as in, to Thais, as reflected in the book Distant Mirrors: America as a Foreign Culture by Phillip R. Devita and James D. Armstrong, it means “Have you eaten?” (p. 69). In the United States, your personal life and your income are something to avoid talking about — but in other countries, not so much. Curiosity is extended to provide further means of discussion.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Wander
India's Wonder
Not at all what I expected of India and her people. Jaw dropping architecture; warm, friendly people and poverty that is overshadowed by the citizens of this realm. Their happiness to invite you into their humble homes is overwhelming. Families just do what they have to so as to survive a life of extreme poverty and desolation. The opposite of the elite rich in the country.
By Cheryl Singh Seepersad8 years ago in Wander
Rolling The Dice On Vietnam
February, 2017 Phu Quoc, Vietnam Earlier in 2017 I had a three week vacation coming up. I was getting off a ship in Singapore and had to be in Sydney for my next assignment. I was pondering where in Asia to spend my long vacation. Unable to make a decision I took to a strategy I had read about in a book a long time ago. I rolled the dice on it! First I asked my colleagues on the ship to suggest 6 countries in the area and we appointed a number to each country. The dice fell on Vietnam and my decision was made.
By Anna Balog8 years ago in Wander
Grand Canyon & Ancient Mythology
Grand Canyon & Ancient Mythology The Grand Canyon in Arizona has long been a source of beautiful mystery. The age of this stunning site has been a debate for about 140 years among scientists. It is estimated to be around 80 million years old, when the sea was last present there. As recently as 2012, studies of its age have broken down segments of it into five parts. Each segment was then analyzed to see how long ago each took to be carved. Only two segments, Marble Canyon and Western Grand Canyon, are less than 6 million years old. Hurricane Canyon is aged at approximately 70 million years, and the Eastern Grand Canyon is aged about 25 million years. The Colorado River first emerged from the Rocky Mountains about 11 million years ago, according to river sediment found. Where the river flowed before the Grand Canyon, and how exactly it began to flow there, are still mysteries among Geologists. They all agree that 6 million years ago, the Colorado River began carving its path through the segments, linking them together to form the Grand Canyon. Just that portion of its journey is 277 miles long. The Colorado River begins in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and it stretches 1,450 miles, to the Gulf of California. The Grand Canyon is so huge, there is a completely different weather condition at the top, than at the bottom. Canyon rock on the bottom has been dated to 1.8 billion years old.
By Lady Sunday8 years ago in Wander
Are You Experiencing Reverse Culture Shock?
Re-entry. It feels like living on another planet in another time. Truly. Especially when you first get home. Everything is different, everything is weird. Your time is thrown off and you’re not sure what is happening. I know it sounds crazy, but everything really is different: the air, your skin, your bed, your friends and family, hell, even the sunlight feels slightly off. It’s not just jetlag, because you’ve had that before and it was never like this. Unlike jetlag, this feeling lasts for a while, at least. Slowly things start becoming more... ‘normal’ but this could last days, weeks, months or years and it’s hard, it actually is.
By Acasia Tucker8 years ago in Wander
Coffee That Deserves a Ceremony
Any Starbucks fans in the house? What's your favorite drink there? Maybe it's a cappuccino that they whip up, maybe it's a mocha, or a latte. Perhaps you like yours served black without all of the extras. Let's see how well we know our Starbucks history. When did the store first open its doors? According to Starbucks' website, their first store opened just under fifty years ago in Seattle's Pike Place Market. The company grew to fifty-five stores by 1989 and went on to have over twenty-two thousand stores as of 2015. That's a lot of coffee!
By Jamie Wallin8 years ago in Wander
‘You Only Lose What You Cling To’ . Top Story - December 2017.
I was front row in the Shrine Room, eyeball to spectacle lens with the chief nun and her big spongy microphone. The setting could scarcely have been better: a beautiful gold Buddha, scent of the Gods, a lovely warm room full of eager acolytes.
By Michael Scott8 years ago in Wander
Small Town Lessons
People have a strange perception of what it is like to grow up in a small town. Some people believe that it is boring. Some people believe that there is this wonderful sense of community. And some people are just completely put off by the very concept.
By Samantha Reid8 years ago in Wander
