Tag: value orientations
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Twenty Years Can’t Shake the American Out of Me
I’ve in Asia for most of the last 20+ years. But an incident last week made me realize that I am still very much an American. It has to do with space. Not outer space. Personal space. I like it. Don’t encroach on me or I might act rudely. Here’s what happened: I was at…
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Another Example of Symbolism Over Substance
I’ve lived in Asian for most of the last twenty years in both Vietnam and Malaysia. And while their cultures and histories are varied to say the least, there are some common themes which are obvious to me in many ways. One of these cultural themes which I have experienced on countless occasions in both…
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East -West Culture: Skin Color & Beauty
Perhaps you’ve seen this graphic spreading around the Internet recently. http://bsix12.com/east-meets-west/ Having lived nearly the last twenty years in Asia, I enjoyed seeing these depictions and understanding clearly the different world views, or better yet, value orientations which these graphics represent. A westerner moving to Asia could learn a lot just by studying and understanding…
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Do the Dirty Deed, Just Don’t Look Them in the Face
Even after living in Asia for the better part of twenty years, there are certain cultural instincts built into me from my American upbringing that have a hard time adjusting to my Asian surroundings, but I am adapting. Let’s talk about concealing vulnerability. Today, I’ll put it in the context of traffic. Traffic in Penang…
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Cross-Cultural Storytelling
(I just did a guest blog for http://www.ritareviews.net, called “Cross-Cultural Storytelling.” It gives some insight into how I used the cultural contexts of Vietnam in my novel “Beauty Rising.” I’ll give you a teaser here and you can read the rest on her site. I hope you enjoy.) I’ve been fascinated for years with cultural…
Author Mark W Sasse 