cultural differences: value bias
Yesterday I mentioned that interacting with different cultures may involve dealing with differences that are so fundamental that we find the other's view to be offensive (such as our convictions about,...
View Articlecultural differences: values, perceptions, acceptable risks
We know that, among other things, cultures differ from each other in what they value, and how they perceive the world. In actual intercultural situations, however, it is not always clear if we're...
View ArticleCultural Differences: what goes under the radar?
One of the things that fascinates me when I travel is that there are things that seem to go "under the radar" of a culture.One of the first things I notice about an average South American city is...
View ArticleLeaving Paraguay
What happens a lot is that when I sit down to blog, I feel like the first thing I should do is apologize for being such a lousy blogger. But of course, blogging habit apologies make for dire blog...
View ArticleBack in Europe
As of April 1st I have a room I'll be renting in the Dutch city of Ede. Until then, I'm sort of crashing with friends. Currently in Budapest. Now that I know I'll be leaving Europe this year, I...
View ArticleEde
So, after a good nine months of traveling around, I'm now renting two rooms in the Dutch town of Ede (pronounced "AY-duh", roughly). Most people who received the news made something of an incredulous...
View ArticleMiddle Age and Music
I turn 40 this year. If you've been around me lately, you've probably heard me say that. I've never been one to forget my latest birthday -- you know, like "I'm 26. Oh no, wait, I'm 27 now." And...
View Articleproducts lost in product diversity
Back when Communism ruled a large chunk of the world, we heard stories about how people came out of Communist countries to an average western supermarket and were overwhelmed and paralyzed by the...
View ArticleThe less efficient way
I've currently got some cardboard boxes in various states of destruction littering my room.They are part of a project to create some furniture out of carboard. I already have some shelves for books...
View ArticleMARCO'S QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS
I wasn't gonna blog about the World Cup, and game predictions age particularly badly, but anyway, here goes:MATCH: France vs. GermanySTORY: For the last decade or so, the current German generation has...
View ArticleMiddle Age and Friendship
I'm turning 40 this year.When I was young, it always seemed to me that "grownups have no friends", probably because I didn't see the adults in my life doing the sorts of things that I'd be doing with...
View ArticleMiddle Age and Failure and Quarterlife Crises
I turn 40 this year. I've been saying this in several of my entries this year (and will probably say it a few more times). I'm sort of trying to look back and look forward. 40 is the nice round...
View ArticleI'm gonna miss this place.
I've got just over a month left in Amsterdam before I move to Paraguay. Someone I know from high school wrote a very good blog entry about the lifestyle of leaving and arriving that many of us have....
View ArticleTourists
As I prepare to move to Paraguay, there are many things I'll miss about Amsterdam. I'll probably list them at some point. But one thing I won't miss are tourists.When I tell people I'm moving to...
View ArticleNew beginnings in Asunción: the expected and the unexpected
I've now been in Paraguay for several days. I'm officially here as a tourist, but my intention is to get a permit and stay for a few years.Obviously, there are transitions, and obviously some will be...
View ArticleThe distance difference
So I've been in Asunción for almost a month now. I mentioned last time how the first unexpected thing that happened was how distant and exotic Europe had suddenly become. That remains the most...
View ArticleCultural differences: disclaimers
I like talking about cultural differences, since that is one of the most interesting things around me. But there are obvious difficulties with such a topic.For example, let's say I say something like:...
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Asunción is not, strictly speaking, a tropical city. The Tropic of Capricorn passes about 200 Km north of here. But it feels very much like a tropical city. It is hot most of the year, and the life...
View ArticleMore on Paraguay's economy
I think my last blog entry depressed some people, as I stated how it seems that the residents of Asunción have few options of getting ahead financially. The fact is that, I don't know exactly how, but...
View ArticleAnd now 2014 is ending, like we all knew it would...
Also, I just turned 40. I started this year in Paraguay, as part of my sabbatical year of traveling around. I'm finishing it in Paraguay as well, as I decided to move here and be closer to family....
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Saltos del Guairá, or Sete Quedas
One of the side effects of the Itaipú Dam between Paraguay and Brazil are the flooded waterfalls of Saltos del Guairá (or Salto de Sete Quedas, as they were known in Brazil). These falls on the Paraná...
View ArticleCultural differences and the threshold of discomfort
[In this entry I talk about cultural differences. Since I have my own biases and preferences, it is easy to come across as aloof, condemnatory, generalizing, etc. Please understand that I'm aware...
View ArticleCultural differences and the spectrum of tolerance for ambiguity
[This is another entry in which I talk about adapting to Paraguayan culture. I'll confess that the process is not easy, but I do hope that no one mistakes my observations for a lack of respect. It is...
View ArticleCultural differences and the perception of time
Probably the biggest difference between German and Paraguayan culture is the perception of time.The most clichéed manifestation of this difference is the idea of "punctuality." But even though this is...
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