My Life As A Minority
Saturday, June 6th, 2020 |
"He's not a Chinese. What could he possibly know about medicine - let alone about history or politics?" Like most language learners, my listening ability was greater than my speaking ability. As a newcomer to living in Shanghai, China, my ...
Epidemics Multiplied by Racism
Friday, February 21st, 2020 |
Until just days ago, when the WHO officially sanctioned the name COVID-19, today's epidemic was best known as the China Coronavirus. This popular nomenclature was understandable: the disease originated in China and almost exclusively infected and affected Chinese. The response ...
Are You Culturally Sensitive?
Friday, November 29th, 2019 |
Of course you are. Like most readers of this blog, in your heart you feel informed, concerned, and compassionate. But demonstrating these virtues in day-to-day life can be very challenging. Unfamiliar cultural dilemmas can cause people to appear insensitive ...
Reentry Shock: An Occupational Hazard of International Healthcare Volunteers
Friday, August 10th, 2018 |
Most persons returning home from a significant cross-cultural journey go through a very unique experience termed cross-cultural reentry, reverse culture shock, or reentry shock. I experience this each time I return from Angola or China, and it consists of disorientation ...
Chinese In Africa? – Angola Day 30
Thursday, August 2nd, 2018 |
"你们为什么在非洲？"是因为我们在这里工作！Twice this month I enjoyed caring for patients from China here at CEML Hospital. It's an understatement that they express surprise to hear their native language spoken by a North American on location in southern Africa. The even greater surprise ...
Theirs Is the Kingdom of Heaven – Angola Day 18
Sunday, July 22nd, 2018 |
Even after thirty years of communist indoctrination, today's Angolan people remain inherently spiritual. They readily assure that there is indeed a God and exist powerful spiritual forces. To say otherwise, in this country, is folly. What's more, even ...
Music Therapy – Angola Day 12
Monday, July 16th, 2018 |
Angolans love to sing in harmony, with vibrant gestures and expressive smiles. Last night, when I brought my travel guitar to the CEML Hospital ward and began to softly play Latin and classical tunes, I was immediately accompanied by their ...
What Is The Most Useful Second Language?
Friday, June 15th, 2018 |
"I'm enrolling for classes and I have to take a foreign language. Which one shall I choose?" This dilemma is familiar to most. One challenge is that at the time we decide - usually in high school - we have ...
Should You Learn A New Language?
Friday, March 23rd, 2018 |
Success with a long-term commitment in a new culture is highly associated with the ability to verbally communicate. People who are fluent in the common language are at a great advantage. By contrast, inability to communicate most always results in ...
What Is Your Level Of Cultural Competence?
Friday, March 16th, 2018 |
The Cultural Competence Continuum, drawn from the work of Arthur Kleinman, suggests that there are definable levels in individual and organizational responses to cross-cultural interaction. What is your level? Cultural Destructiveness is the most negative stage, characterized by intentional responses to ...
