Cross-Cultural
Language and Culture Learning—in Kindergarten
Education is a major issue for cross-cultural workers who serve overseas with their families. Most families choose to put their kids in an international school, a local school, or to homeschool full-time at home. All of these have their pros and cons.
What Color Are You?
There are numerous models of cultural differences out there. The good folks at Global Mapping International (GMI) have put together a helpful infographic highlighting three primarily cultural orientations as depicted by the three primary colors.
The Wrong Approach to Living in China
I love living in China and have immersed myself in Chinese culture. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go since I arrived here in 1991—many who approach China with negative attitudes and misconceptions.
I’d like to share my thoughts about how to enjoy this culture that God loves. Specifically, I want to note some wrong approaches to China that I hope will instruct us in a better way.
Scarves, Powdered Milk, and a Thesis
Gift giving is tricky in any culture—even our own.
5 Resources on Honor and Shame
In many ways our worldview can be thought of as our operating system—the way in which we process and organize information and make sense of the world. For westerners, our worldview is built on legal frameworks such as guilt and innocence; however, most non-western cultures process the world based on honor and shame.
Twinkling With Inheriting and Development Achievement
A Translation Tale
On Thursday night my landlady called and asked if she could come over to see me because she had some translation questions for me. Anyone who's been in China for a while knows the fear and dread that well up inside at the sound of someone asking for help with translation work. "Just read it over. It won't take long." Those words always precede hours of painful and laborious mental gymnastics trying to translate phrases, like the one in the title of this post, from what we call "Chinglish" to English.
Navigating the Complexities of Giving and Receiving Gifts
“Fresh off the boat,” an old phrase referring to new arrivals, described me well in 1983 as I began my new life as an overseas worker in Hong Kong. Being quite naïve about Chinese culture, I was excited to hear from my colleagues that I would receive a beautiful silk jacket from our Chinese co-workers as they had in years past. And during Chinese festivals I would receive other special gifts and be invited to delicious banquets—it all sounded wonderful to me!
A Non-Cook Reviews 3 Chinese Cookbooks
Three cookbooks everyone who is interested in China—cooks and non-cooks alike—should know about.