Crazy cultural confrontations

Traveling around, you can’t help but take your cultural baggage with you whether you like it or not. This can lead to strange, challenging but nearly always funny encounters – at least after you’ve recovered from the experience.

Munching my way to Munich, one chaotic airport at a time

There’s a lot to be said for approaching challenging situations with the right attitude, which....

21
May
Shark swimming towards you in black water
Don’t look now, but there’s a shark at your feet

Everybody has their idea of a perfect vacation. I enjoy the ocean, but I don’t....

07
May
Green and orange socks with sloths on them
How to get a stranger to voluntarily show you their socks

Eyeglasses and watches used to be mundane utilitarian accessories until designers were invited to the....

2 Comments

16
Apr
St. Regis building, Chicago
9 things you didn’t know about Chicago

Chicago was named by French fur traders who founded the city, which was destroyed by....

02
Apr
Condiments on a diner table
Home sweet home – only better

I fantasize about taking my kids back to where I grew up to show them....

25
Mar
Photo by Simran Sood on Unsplash - woman with her fce down holding her head in agony
The nightmare of motherhood in Germany

Germany has the reputation of having generous social programs, with vivid descriptions such as "cradle-to-grave"....

19
Feb
Camel close-up photo by Mads Severinsen on Unsplash
The best show the World Cup has to offer is outside the stadiums

The news is all abuzz about the World Cup games in Qatar, but the coolest....

11
Dec
Woman covering her ears
Noise in the modern world—from cacophonous to carefully controlled

23 October 2022 It’s that time of year again: The leaf blowers are back. They....

23
Oct
Lemon tree with lemons
When life gives you lemons, it helps to recognize them

I thought my French was good enough to get me around southern France. But language....

02
Oct
Teenage girl looking at camera with chin resting on her hands
The French girl who wouldn’t talk

Language class is where you learn to speak a language, but just memorizing vocabulary and....

27
Aug
800 years of history found their way into my bike lock

I thought I had a foolproof way to remember my bike lock combination. But I....

22
Jan
Get those escargots out of my lawnmower

French culture impacted many countries' languages and cuisine - and even the front yard.....

1 Comment

11
Aug
Italiano – no problemo for meo

I walked into Italian class and saw a room full of pensioners. But I didn't....

6 Comments

30
Oct
Spectators turned spectacle

Corona’s surprising effect on an evening at the theater My favorite small theater has reopened....

7 Comments

21
Oct
A tram in Munich
Rammed in the tram

The Munich public transport system may be lousy, but when you’re stuck on a tram....

10
Jan
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