Saturday, October 6, 2012

Cross-Cultural Love For All


If you ever want to bring a bit of "that home" back to "this home," here are some good tips that will help both you and others experience that "foreign land" feeling:

1. Whenever you drive up behind someone, just give your horn a friendly honk to let them know you're there and may be going to pass.

2.  Kiss people on the cheek whenever you meet them, see them, or bid them farewell.

3.  Throw your trash on the floor - no matter where you are. Church. People's homes. Riding the bus.

4.  When the light turns yellow, go right through and honk your horn in a friendly manner to let people know you're there.

5.  Throw your used toilet paper in the trash can. This brings cultural awareness like nothing else.

6. Use your shirt, or a child's shirt to clean their runny nose. If the shirt doesn't work (too tight? not soft enough?) use your fingers (pinch hard and then give your hand a good shake after) to get any extra snot off.

7.  Stand extra close to people.

8.  Laugh at inappropriate moments in conversation - humor almost never translates, so you don't even have to explain yourself.

9.  Got a river/ lake/ stream near your home? Just take your soap and shampoo right down there, along with your tub of dirty laundry, your dirty dishes and anything else you want to get clean.

10. Bring a radio to your neighbor's lawn and play any foreign music as loud as you can at 4:30am. This is a great way to get your morning started.

11. Got one? I'd love to hear it?

(Pictured: The cultural experience of having your moto license plate made right before your eyes. Cost: $6.25)










2 comments:

  1. I loved learning a little bit about what life is like in Peru. Sounds like it might be kind of loud sometimes! :-) And was amazed that you can get your license plate made right on the street while you wait.

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  2. Guatemalan ones. I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting and anyway you covered a lot of them.
    1. When you're driving and you approach an intersection don't bother to look both ways and stop for pedestrians, just go on through they'll move on their own, right...???
    2. Turn signals, pah what're those for people will figure out where you're going soon enough
    3. Keep a 5 gallon bucket of water and some bowls of water in or near the bathroom and remind guests to use them to flush toilets

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