Category: Cross-Cultural
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Unique Czech Christmas Traditions
The Czech Republic is recognized worldwide as Europe’s most castle-rich country, for its beautiful medieval landscapes, and also for its highest consumption of beer per capita. In addition, notable Czech-born people include Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl (tennis pros), Milos Forman (film director), Sigmund Freud (psychologist), and Oskar Schindler (Schindler’s List). My maternal grandmother’s homeland…
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Hanukkah or Chanukah Explained 2020
The holiday season is upon us and we are quickly approaching the first day of Hanukkah/Chanukah, to be celebrated by Jewish people around the world. The beloved and joyous holiday of Hanukkah/Chanukah, or Festival of Rededication, begins the evening of Thursday, December 10th this year. The eight-day celebration of the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem is…
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Holiday Card Etiquette 2020
Sending and addressing holiday cards during the pandemic may be a delicate balancing act this year – spreading holiday cheer while simultaneously acknowledging that 2020 has been a challenging year for many people. Typical joyful seasonal greetings may hit an exposed nerve during this nearly year-long Covid-19 experience as people have lost employment, financial stability,…
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Christian Advent Traditions Explained
Advent, in the Christian church calendar, is the preparation period for two things: the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas, and the second coming of Christ. Christian Advent: Advent translates to ‘coming’ in Latin. It is a Christian countdown to the days until Christmas to symbolically honor the coming of Jesus Christ and his birth into the…
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Tips for National Handwashing Awareness Week
December has arrived and so has National Handwashing Awareness Week! December is typically the season for festivities, family, and fun. Even with muted celebrations during the pandemic, the last thing we want to partake in is sniffles, colds, the flu, or Covid-19. Sneezes, after all, are like mini hurricanes. A typical human sneeze exits the body…
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3 Tips for Observing Universal Human Rights Month
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” ~Universal Declaration…
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Madres, Mums and Mommies: Your Global Guide to Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days, and completely different seasons, depending on which part of the globe you call home. Regardless of the country or culture, the love of mothers’ crosses international borders. As Mother’s Day approaches, on May 10, 2020, for the U.S. and a few other countries, remember to share your appreciation…
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Global Etiquette Tips for Successful Interactions
To enjoy pleasure travel or success on a business trip, it’s important to be culturally in-tune with your counterparts. So how do you accomplish this when you are trying to pack, handle last-minute items at the office, coordinate with the spouse, house-sitter, kids and the pet? As a traveler who has worked on more than…
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Tips On How To Pick This Year’s Halloween Costume
Painted Pumpkins by publicdomainpictures Guest blog by Sunny Kim Halloween can be an exciting time to celebrate our love for funky costumes, such as the Twilight series, Dracula, or a ghoul. However, one careless mistake can also cause serious damage to your professional reputation. Whether that’s selecting an inappropriate costume, making an insensitive statement or…
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3 Tips for Hurdling the Language Barrier without Technology
Recently I spent 3 weeks in France, where we spent 7 nights on an Abercrombie & Kent canal barge cruise. Our travels started in Paris and continued to Champagne. We then boarded a cruise to Beaune with dear ones celebrating a friend’s milestone birthday. One morning, toward the end of the trip, one of my…