Archive for the ‘how we live’ Category
Christmas markets around the world
Twinkling lights. Christmas trees. Gingerbread houses. Hot chocholate and mulled wine. And, of course, a chilly night spent traipsing through a city square. What could be more festive than a visit to a Christmas market?
East Asian culture in the news
Why is Japanese culture resistant to Facebook? Why do the Chinese lament their high-performing educational system? Here are some interesting cross-cultural snippets from recent news items.
National siesta championships in Spain
The encroachment of modern life has taken its toll on the siesta. But the Spaniards are not taking this decline lightly, as evidenced by the national siesta championship that was recently staged in Madrid.
Creativity and education across cultures
In previous posts about education across cultures, it’s been noted that one of the traditional strengths of the American system is that it promotes creativity and individual initiative. What is interesting now, though, is that other countries are trying to replicate this U.S. model at the very time that Americans are going in the opposite direction.
Chinese education, American education
There are many differences in the educational systems of various countries. One of the largest gaps is between the Western and Asian styles of teaching and learning. Those differences were on display again in a recent story about Chinese guest teachers in the United States.
Unlearning conformity in Egypt
It’s common throughout the Middle East, Asia, and some other regions of the world for a culture to value conformity over individualism, and memorization over creativity in education. This topic is covered in a recent article I came across, which discusses how the educational style at the American University in Cairo differs significantly from the typical Egyptian classroom.
Are Costa Ricans the happiest people in the world?
That’s the opinion of a number of studies, all recently quoted by NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in an interesting piece that explores some of the possible reasons for why Costa Ricans are generally pretty content with their lives. One reason, of course, may be the luck of their geography. Maybe Costa Rican contentment has something to do with the [...]
The spread of Gross National Happiness
You’ve likely heard of the book “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World,” by Eric Weiner. And you may have heard about the Himalayan country of Bhutan and its goal of measuring and improving something called Gross National Happiness. What do these things have in common? Well, apart from [...]
Tango dancing honored by UNESCO
We’re all familiar with the concept of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are natural and man-made destinations that represent the history and heritage of the world. Somewhat less familiar to most people are the newer UNESCO designations of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which honor such traditions as native music, dance, ritual or craftsmanship. This is meant to complement the list of [...]
How Columbus Day is celebrated in the Americas
Happy Columbus Day! That is, if you celebrate it. Columbus Day has been a federal holiday in the United States for several decades now, and the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas is observed in various ways. New York City has a big parade and celebration of Italian-American heritage. Other cities, such as San [...]
Maintaining their culture, from Bhutan to New York
I came across an interesting recent article in the NY Times about the growing number of immigrants from Bhutan who have recently settled in New York City. It’s not the most common of countries from which to draw an immigrant population, and indeed the numbers are still relatively small. But what caught my eye was a [...]
Surviving a Cairo taxi ride
As someone who has survived taxi rides in Cairo, I found this recent Matador Travel article by Nick Rowlands to be hilariously accurate. Taking a taxi in Cairo is the Egyptian equivalent of Russian Roulette. You’re going to need nerves of steel, plus a little bit of luck, if you want to arrive at your destination [...]
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Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
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