Category Archives: 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.
Get those escargots out of my lawnmower
You know Fall has arrived when the leafblowers start blasting through the open window. But....
Sep
Quit the tomfoolery – I’m sure I don’t know you
The pandemic is over, but its effects continue - sometimes in strange ways. I got....
Jun
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....
2 Comments
May
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....
May
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
Apr
9 things you didn’t know about Chicago
Chicago was named by French fur traders who founded the city, which was destroyed by....
Apr
Home sweet home – only better
I fantasize about taking my kids back to where I grew up to show them....
Mar
The nightmare of motherhood in Germany
Germany has the reputation of having generous social programs, with vivid descriptions such as "cradle-to-grave"....
1 Comment
Feb
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....
Dec
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....
Oct
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....
Oct
The French girl who wouldn’t talk
Language class is where you learn to speak a language, but just memorizing vocabulary and....
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....
Jan
Get those escargots out of my lawnmower
French culture impacted many countries' languages and cuisine - and even the front yard.....
1 Comment
Aug
Italiano – no problemo for meo
I walked into Italian class and saw a room full of pensioners. But I didn't....
6 Comments
Oct
Spectators turned spectacle
Corona’s surprising effect on an evening at the theater My favorite small theater has reopened....
7 Comments
Oct
Rammed in the tram
The Munich public transport system may be lousy, but when you’re stuck on a tram....
Jan
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