Cultural Differences
Travel, Soul Mates and a Book about Mormons
I just finished reading Elna Baker‘s memoir, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance. In it, she recounts the struggles she faced as a 26-year-old Mormon virgin looking for true love in New York city. She’s a funny writer and her insight into the Mormon faith was interesting and informative. Now 30, Elna is no longer … Continue reading
Foreign Accents: A Help or a Hindrance?
When it comes to dating, many foreign accents (like French, for instance) are considered sexy. In fact, CNNGO compiled a list of the world’s sexiest accents and placed the Italian accent in first place (lesser known accents like Nigerian, Czech and Thai were also on the list). But when it comes to employment in the US, a foreign … Continue reading
The World According to Hollywood
I was researching cultural stereotypes for one of the ESL classes I teach when I came across a video clip from the 80′s film Sixteen Candles. The clip shows a Chinese exchange student, Long Duck Dong, drunk and making a fool of himself in heavily-accented, incoherent English. Ironically enough, the actor who played Dong isn’t … Continue reading
The 999th Reason Why I Hate Kanji
I woke up this morning at seven, stepped into the shower, and sleepily pushed the button that turns on the hot water heater. Or so I thought. Suddenly the bathroom erupted into chaos. Sirens blared, an automated computer voice started shouting instructions at me through the vent over the bathtub and I screamed in terror. … Continue reading
Flower Girl
There’s a new celebrity in town and her name is Sakura. She’s tiny, delicate, a pale shade of pink and every one’s clamoring for a chance to be photographed with her. She’s the new Paris Hilton and she’s got this country so love-struck, one could say it’s bordering on obsessive. People travel thousands of miles … Continue reading
