culture

Get the authentic cultural experience on your next foreign jaunt. Wander like a local; here, there, and everywhere.

Lost in Germany
I moved to Germany about four years ago, not because I wanted to, but because my parents wanted to relocate. It was actually supposed to be a holiday trip for three weeks, which apparently ended up being permanent. I love Germany. It's a beautiful country and there are many festivals and activities going on somewhere. The country does have some strict laws which I've become quite accustomed to. Due to the fact that our supposed "holiday" turned into a permanent stay, I had to change schools naturally. In Germany, there is a law that says all children MUST go to school (Schulpflicht). I can see the advantages of this, but from my perspective after attending an American school for most of my life, this was a culture shock, hence my engross. Well, first day of school started and I'm already lost, I didn't know where my classes where, due to the fact that I never received a lesson plan, plus on that day I had sports outside of the school, this information was not given to me. So like a lost student on her first day I went to the secretary room to ask about where I need to be and how to get there. Mind you, I've only started learning German and it's been only three weeks. I didn't understand a word. I asked her to show me the way but she didn't understand me. So I decided to call one of my new classmates, no answer. I walked around for 25 minutes until I finally found a gymnasium 10 minutes away from the school and inside were my classmates. Well, to cut the story short I joined the others. Based on my perspective on the last three and a half years I've come to learn some things about Germans, so here is a list of my top three (the one's I've had contact with).
By Sandy7 years ago in Wander
How We Cause Damage by 'Helping'
I am writing to you from the shelter of a veranda in a rural Ugandan village, where the current rainstorms and bellowing thunder are drowning out my thoughts. This is my fourth month living in Uganda, with four remaining. Uganda is incredible, with many of my pre-empted dreams sparked to life with more beauty than I expected. The clay-red roads, I wash it from my feet and sandals every evening. The vast array of plants, I rest in their shade, and smell their lushness after the rains. The wildlife, I listen to its constant chatter night and day.
By Elle White 7 years ago in Wander
Five Places to Visit to Experience New Orleans Voodoo
Many people who visit New Orleans are interested in learning about its rich, vibrant cultural history. And, among those people are those interested in learning about a specific part of their history, New Orleans Voodoo.
By Denise Alvarado7 years ago in Wander
Animism
Animism may be the basis of all religion. This is a world view, and not necessarily a religion. As I have read on Britannica, animism was described by 1800s European conquerors as a "primitive superstition," this tribal belief so differed from the ones of European missionaries.
By SAYHERNAME Morgan Sankofa7 years ago in Wander
Top 10 Biggest Things That Culture Shock Americans
American tourists are often taken off-guard by these. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 things that culture shock Americans.
By WatchMojo7 years ago in Wander
Big Trouble in a Little Town
(Disclaimer: I'm going to avoid naming my town in this piece, as I don't know how many creepy people there are on the internet).
By Kai Sparks7 years ago in Wander
Adolescence Around the World. Top Story - December 2018.
How different is it to be an adolescent or an emerging adult in a different part of the world? Even though the physical changes of puberty are similar among everyone, cultures differ in how they respond to those changes and when they define themselves as an adult and not teenagers anymore. Culture affects different aspects of young people lives, their relationships with parents, schoolmates, and even their sexuality to their media use.
By Di Rocha7 years ago in Wander
Mundane Adventures
I explored so much of the city today, but I still feel like I barely made a dent in all that I know about it. Today, I exercised my "yes man" attitude and went on a spontaneous adventure exploring the city with Adam, an adventuring teacher from Phoenix who is a part of my cohort, and Kevin. Adam and I actually had two independent thoughts of wanting to explore the town today, and we just happened to bump into each other in the hallway at the same time when heading out. Kevin also happened to come out of his apartment hoping to go on a bike ride, so we convinced him to go exploring together as well. It didn’t take too much convincing as Kevin’s the type who seems up for just about anything. So, we stood in the parking lot for a bit, wondering where we should go, and decided to visit the museums near the Himeji castle after two minutes of contemplation.
By An Tran7 years ago in Wander
Transportation on Point
I have raved about the transportation system in Japan many times before, but I feel that it is necessary to dedicate an entire post on just how exquisite it really is. As I mentioned before, the buses are almost never late. They arrive and leave almost within the same minute as the listed time, and it is only in the outskirts of the country side in the middle of nowhere (where my first middle school is) that the buses are late. And even then, the bus is never late more than five minutes. They are always reliable to get you to your desired destination, and I might as well be a walking billboard advertisement convincing people that Japan’s got the transportation system down to a tee.
By An Tran7 years ago in Wander
Learning Japanese
The Japanese language consists of syllabic scripts, hiragana and katakana, and kanji, Japanese-adopted logographic Chinese characters that are used in the Japanese writing system. It is said that if you know roughly 2,000 kanji, you are officially literate. To me, that seems do-able, but at this time, I would definitely need to focus more than I have been on learning Japanese. I would like to not feel like a tourist during the entire time that I am living here, so the motivation to learn Japanese is high. In addition to being able to speak and read in the native language of this country, learning the kanji would allow me to understand Chinese more than I do since 80 percent of kanji is the same, both in appearance and meaning.
By An Tran7 years ago in Wander
Jante Law
Wandering through a Scandinavian city, some pieces will immediately stand out for you. The old brick buildings in greys, whites, dull yellows, and if in Sweden, reds. The clothing of the people as they shuffle to and fro. Black, white, grey with little bits of colours splashed in from time to time. The buildings and clothings contrasting against the bright blue eyes and blonde hair of the majority of the population. They hold themselves in a manner of quiet confidence, friendliness when approached and eager to help when given the opportunity. Some of the happiest people in the world, they function as one and share a history that is as mixed as it is unique. From Denmark to Norway you will find a societal value that has been ingrained for centuries, dating back to when kommunes (communities) were dependent on the group and individuality was not the priority or heavily encouraged. Helping your family, friends, and following expectations was the way to insure success for yourself, family, and society.
By Steven Altman7 years ago in Wander
A Girl in Costa Rica
I’m writing this while the feelings are still fresh. The sole purpose of this trip was decided in a very unexpected manner, and everything about it turned out the same way.
By Mar 🌸7 years ago in Wander