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Work Abroad
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Heart of Gold
by Sezgi Yalin :: 11/08/2007
[China] - Teaching English at a Tibetan monastery seems innocent enough, but officially speaking, Sezgi Yalin is committing a crime. She just has to hope that she doesn't run into the Chinese police.
Read: Buddhist Monks in Tibet (3 photos)
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Newest Articles
A Day's Work
by Eron Sandler :: 01/14/2002
[India] - Eron Sandler describes the daily routines of her host family in the small town of Shigehalli (North Karnataka, India). While city-dwelling, espresso-guzzling U.S. residents tend to romanticize small town life as "slow-paced" and "lazy," Sandler shows us that from cooking to cleaning to farming to selling, there is almost always work to be done.
Read: Daily Chores in India
Show Me the Way
by Edwin Almanza :: 01/07/2005
[United States] - "What am I doing here?" Edwin Alamanza asks himself this question many times after leaving his home country of Bolivia to carve a life for himself in the United States.
Read: Culture Shock in the United States
Desert Horizons
by Safia Hussain :: 01/21/2002
[Afghanistan,Pakistan] - Moved by bleak portrayals of Afghan refugee camps in the news, Glimpse contributor, Safia Hussain, sets out to offer her assistance and to gauge the situation for herself. Despite the stark landscape and minimal living conditions of the camps, Hussain sees hope within the communities and a strong faith in a better future.
Read: Afghan Refugee Camps in Pakistan
Tread Lightly
by Flora Lindsay-Herrera :: 03/06/2008
[Argentina] - Flora Lindsay-Herrera enjoys eating vegan burgers and mixing mud in an Argentinean eco-village, but she is not about to give up her life for a trowel and a pair of gardening gloves. So what is she supposed to take away?
Read: Green Living in Argentina
Fairy Dust
by Dania Maxwell :: 10/11/2007
[China] - In Shanghai, China, historical buildings now bask in a neon glow. Traversing the streets with her camera, Dania Maxwell explores progress and its perils.
Read: Economic Progress in China
Tensions at Turtle Cove
by Sarah Fogarty :: 10/04/2007
[Turks & Caicos Islands] - Sarah Fogarty's new coworker insists that sometimes it's a husband's responsibility to show his wife "who's boss." And what, Sarah asks, exactly does that mean?
Read: Views on Gender Roles in the Caribbean
The Controversial Teacher
by Josiah Johnston :: 08/16/2007
[China] - Controlling a class full of rowdy children is one thing. A class full of rowdy lawyers is quite another.
Read: Challenging China's Party Line
Out of Context
by Margaret MacDonald :: 04/26/2007
[China] - If you ask an average Beijing resident whether you’re headed in the right direction for a local Peking duck restaurant, he will simply say “yes”—but he won’t tell you that it closed six months ago. Margaret MacDonald comes to understand what it means to live in a "high-context" culture.
Read: Teaching English in China
On the River Cam
by Tom Thumb :: 04/12/2007
[United Kingdom] - Being a punter sounds romantic: getting paid to tell stories while drifting up and down a scenic river. But as Tom Thumb quickly learns, it's hard work, and sometimes downright miserable.
Read: Punting in Cambridge
Down by the River
by Amanda Spector :: 03/22/2007
[Madagascar] - In Ampanihy-Ouest, Madagascar there are no trash cans, but rather trash piles. It makes Amanda Spector realize that trash still exists, whether or not it's in a can, and whether or not a truck comes by once a week to whisk it away.
Read: Customs and Traditions of Madagascar
Yellow Journalism
by Vanni Thach :: 03/21/2007
[China] - As an Asian American, racism is nothing new to Vanni Thach. But in China she finds it in forms she never could have imagined.
Read: On Being Asian American in China
Red Tape Blues
by Hauquan Chau :: 02/28/2007
[Japan] - When Hauquan Chau fails to get his visa renewed on time, he views it as a minor oversight. But the Japanese bureaucrats view the matter quite differently.
Read: Getting a Work Visa in Japan
Finding a Face
by Theresa Chalhoub :: 02/22/2007
[China] - More and more Chinese parents are sending their children away from home in an attempt to make them more independent, worldly and wise. But for the kids, sometimes it's just too much to handle.
Read: Education in China
This is Andalucia
by Patrick Collins :: 01/04/2007
[Spain] - On the first day of La Feria de Malaga, a 10-day celebration in Malaga Spain, Patrick Collins finds himself crammed in the middle of a jumping-screaming-pissing-puking human mass. So why the dreamy smile?
Read: Meeting Strangers in Spain
Skeletons in the Closet
by Amir Fouad :: 12/28/2006
[Switzerland] - Switzerland is more than chocolate, cheese and army knives. As Amir Fouad discovers when he takes on a summer construction gig, beneath the country's quaint exterior lurk broad challenges and deep-seated prejudices. His two Muslim immigrant coworkers would know.
Read: Immigration Pros and Cons in Switzerland
Atheists in the Holy Land
by Sarah Stuteville :: 09/16/2006
[Israel,Palestinian Territories] - "What are you looking for anyway?" No one can understand what Sarah Stuteville and her fellow journalists are doing in Israel. Soon they begin to wonder themselves.
Read: Religious Identity in Israel
Counting Sheep
by Amy Waterman :: 05/15/2006
[Australia] - When Amy arrives at the sheep station of Boonoke, it looks nothing like the photographs in her coffee table book. Then it dawns on her that she never checked the copyright date.
Read: Sheep farming in Australia
As American As Apple Pie
by Hannah Morris :: 05/10/2006
[South Africa] - When Hannah Morris started selling apple pie at a local South African farmers’ market, she found that the hot pies also invited some heated conversation about the United States.
Read: Views of America in South Africa
Colorblind
by Melanie Capiccioni :: 05/10/2006
[South Africa] - When Melanie Capiccioni spends a summer in South Africa working in a lion sanctuary, she learns that lions are colorblind. South Africa, on the other hand, is not.
Read: A Reflection on Apartheid in Modern South Africa
The Common Good
by Judith Shevelev :: 11/29/2005
[Mexico] - Mexican activists aren't content to watch traditional communal practices dissolve in the face of external influences. Their course of action? To reclaim their roots.
Read: Community Activism in Mexico
A Small World
by Jaz Azari :: 11/12/2005
[China] - The strange stares that Jaz Azari elicits on the streets of Tianjin constantly remind her of her foreigner status. But maybe the differences that separate her from the locals are not as large as she thought.
Read: Working with Culture Shock in China
Yoda and the Sky Train
by Molly Angstman :: 09/15/2005
[Thailand] - Smiling commuters? On Bangkok’s sky train, Molly Angstman just might be only one who’s stressing out about getting to work on time.
Read: Commuting in Thailand
Brown Water, Blue Sky
by Allison Grappone :: 06/08/2005
[El Salvador] - Heaps of trash line the path to a serene meadow. Stories of unimaginable hardship lurk behind bright smiles. Allison Grappone tries to sort out El Salvador’s perplexing contradictions.
Read: Village Life in El Salvador
Patrolling with Crocodiles
by Antasia Azure :: 06/02/2005
[Australia] - On the indigenous-owned Tiwi Islands off the north coast of Australia, Aboriginal marine rangers track endangered turtles by combining local expertise with modern technology.
Read: Indigenous Rangers in Australia
Canines Underfoot
by Michelle Neyland :: 05/31/2005
[Ecuador] - Michelle Neyland’s memories of the summer she spent in rural Ecuador all have one thing in common: a lurking canine presence.
Read: Teaching in Rural Ecuador
Border Town
by Kara Melissa Riley :: 05/31/2005
[Thailand] - When Kara Melissa Rily ventures to Mae Sot as part of her quest to save Thailand’s primate population, she finds herself fascinated by the blend of cultures in this remote border town.
Read: Cultural Mingling in Thailand
Piggy Lives in an Island
by Molly Beer :: 01/18/2005
[El Salvador] - In her classroom of Salvadoran tenth graders, Molly Beers is on a crusade to put an end to plagiarism. But is she the one who needs to reexamine her values?
Read: Plagiarism in El Salvador
My Camera Did the Talking
by Julia Connors :: 01/17/2005
[Madagascar] - The images that Julia Connors captures on film challenge her carefully constructed expectations of Madagascar's economic despair.
Read: Transcending Hardship in Madagascar
The Pineapple Queen
by Rebecca Chasnovitz :: 01/13/2005
[Nicaragua] - Cookies for breakfast? As a preschool teacher in Nicaragua, Rebecca Chasnovitz tries to share with her students the nuts and bolts of good nutrition.
Read: Nutrition in Nicaragua
The Kindness of Strangers
by Cindy Louise Patten :: 01/04/2005
[China] - "What a stupid thing for a single woman to do." Before leaving to teach English in China, Cindy Louise Patten is bombarded by warnings about traveling alone as a woman. Yet she soon learns that fear can preclude true growth.
Read: Exploring Ke Qiao, China
Pablo's Gift
by Lee Fischer :: 07/28/2004
[Venezuela] - Lee Fischer returns to the tiny village of Campo Verde, Venezuela to visit his former student. Hoping to see that his previous work there had amounted to something, Fischer realizes that you don't have to save lives to make an impact.
Read: Teaching in Venezuela
My Day as a Teacher
by Seth Leighton :: 07/27/2004
[Thailand] - Both within and beyond the classroom, Seth Leighton does his best to adhere to Thai cultural standards and norms, unlike most of his Western, "flower-child"-shirt-wearing counterparts.
Read: The Intricacies of Thai Education
No Milk-and-Honey Situation
by Kira Neel :: 06/28/2004
[Spain] - In Madrid, Spain, Kira Neel experiences firsthand the dangers and insecurities of life as a street artist.
Read: Street Artists in Spain
Whirlwind in Shanghai
by Thomas Glenn :: 06/15/2004
[China] - Thomas Glenn planned on spending his first days in Shanghai learning how to teach English. Eating frogs and crashing into rickshaws were not on his agenda.
Read: Getting Settled in China
Sink or Swim
by John Weaver :: 06/08/2004
[China] - When he finishes instructing his first English class, John Weaver suddenly finds himself transformed from amateur teacher to celebrity.
Read: Teaching in China
A Dark, Cold Night
by Taylor Chase :: 06/03/2004
[Russia] - Russian orphans comprise one of the most undernourished and undereducated segments of the population. Why, Taylor Chase wonders, aren't there more people doing something about this?
Read: Orphans in Russia
A Homecoming, Of Sorts
by Todd Guren :: 05/31/2004
[Argentina,Paraguay] - As a traveling rugby player, Todd Guren familiarizes himself with a South America vastly different from the subsistence farming community where he used to live.
Read: Rugby in Argentina
Will Work for Food
by Leona Baldwin :: 04/15/2004
[New Zealand] - Leona Baldwin trades in her designer Levis and morning lattés for pitchforks and potatoes during a New Zealand farm-stay.
Read: Organic Farming in New Zealand
The Gambia's First Fishpond
by Daniel Theisen :: 03/31/2004
[Gambia] - Upon arriving in The Gambia, Daniel Theisen is christened "the European." As he works with fellow villagers to build The Gambia's first fishpond, they begin to refer to him by a more intimate name.
Read: Agriculture in West Africa
Behind the Smiles
by Shaan Khan :: 03/31/2004
[China] - Friends forever? Feeling betrayed by people he used to trust, Shaan Khan wonders what exactly 'friendship" means in China.
Read: Friendship in China
Five Years Later
by Tze Yong Ng :: 03/01/2004
[Serbia & Montenegro] - "Peace" might mean an absence of violence, but it doesn't necesssarily mean peace of mind. Tze Yong explores the stark realities of a fractured post-war Kosovo.
Read: Kosovo In Recovery
Map-making on a Motorcycle
by Deborah Kuiken :: 02/26/2004
[Dominican Republic] - Months after being told it would be more appropriate to perform the role of housewife than worker, Deborah Kuiken is invited to serve as the town cartographer.
Read: Gender Roles in the Dominican Republic
Prisoners in Their Own Land
by Tze Yong Ng :: 02/13/2004
[Serbia & Montenegro] - When fighting broke out between Kosovo's Albanian and Serb populations, the Roma (Gypsy) minority found themselves caught in the middle. Tze Yong Ng explores a present-day Roma refugee camp, likened by many residents to a jail.
Read: Roma Refugees in Kosovo
A Town Divided
by Tze Yong Ng :: 02/13/2004
[Serbia & Montenegro] - The only thing friendly about "Friendship Bridge" is its name. Linking the Albanian and Serb populations in the town of Mitrovica, perhaps it's the only bridge between the two groups that hasn't been burnt.
Read: The Two Halves of Mitrovica, Kosovo
Fresh Water for Sale
by Clarissa Lord Brundage :: 02/10/2004
[Mali] - Clarissa Lord Brundage joins her host family's domestiques to help with work traditionally reserved for what Mali considers the "lowliest of beings."
Read: Crossing Class Lines in Mali
An Oasis of Hope
by Jennifer Muchow :: 01/22/2004
[Ethiopia] - Jennifer Muchow discovers a corner of Ethiopia that transcends the squalor and despair.
Read: Hunger in Ethiopia
Joining the Ranks
by W. Dalen Rice :: 01/15/2004
[France] - Though Dalen Rice blanks on the French words for "axial stress" in his job interview, he gradually becomes more proficient at exchanging stories, jokes and concerns with his coworkers.
Read: Office Life in France
The Printing Press
by Clarisse Stouvenot :: 01/14/2004
[Ecuador] - When Clarisse Stouvenot stumbles into an enormous printing press at a stationery shop, she finds herself itching to be the next Gütenberg.
Read: Learning New Skills in Ecuador
One Night Stand
by Ben Krijger :: 01/05/2004
[Spain] - Bartending is hard enough, but upon starting his new gig in Valladolid, Spain, Ben Krijger soon discovers that it's ten times harder when he can't understand what his customers are saying.
Read: Bartending in Spain
For the Dying and Destitute
by Adam Goldstein :: 12/08/2003
[Ethiopia] - Adam Goldstein experiences firsthand the strength and optimism of the "dying and destitute" in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Read: Healthcare in Ethiopia
Seeking Asylum
by Jill Schnoebelen :: 11/17/2003
[Egypt] - "Next to you, I have only God," pleads Tesfai, an illegal immigrant from Eritrea, who is seeking refugee status in Cairo, Egypt. While working at the Refugee Legal Aid Project, Jill Schnoebelen finds that Tesfai's desperation is more the rule than the exception.
Read: Refugees in Cairo, Egypt
It's Just a Game
by Shaan Khan :: 09/02/2003
[China] - Shaan Khan is not sure what to make of his outspoken English student, Green, at the University of Petroleum in Dongying, China. Convinced that Americans believe themselves to be superior to Chinese people, she constantly tries to outdo him.
Read: Dispelling Stereotypes China
Tipping the Scales
by Kim Singletary :: 06/23/2003
[Japan] - Kim Singletary struggles with her job as an assistant English teacher in Japan until her coworker describes to her the Scales of Behavior, which help to define relationships in the Japanese workplace and in Japanese society at large.
Read: Teaching in Japan
People, Without Homes
by Laura Martin :: 06/02/2003
[Spain] - Laura Martin ventures to Atocha, one of the main transportation hubs in Madrid, to build relationships with a portion of the city's sizeable homeless population.
Read: Homelessness in Spain
Faces of Southeast Asia
by Bili Mason :: 03/28/2003
[] - Cultural anthropologist, Bili Mason, aims to capture the intricately patterned faces of the elderly during her various visits to South Asia. She is struck by the wisdom, joy and suffering contained in each.
Read:
A New Life at 61
by Martha Peterson :: 01/10/2003
[Pakistan] - At 61 years old, Martha Peterson ventures to Pakistan to expand her horizons. She encounters many challenges as a Christian woman in a largely Muslim society, but is able to gain a heightened appreciation for Muslim practices while still maintaining her own faith.
Read: Being Christian in Pakistan
Caught in Transition
by Shaan Khan :: 01/10/2003
[China] - Chinese students open up to their foreign English teacher, Shaan Khan, when he asks them to write a letter to the country's President. Mr. Khan is surprised to discover how many are openly critical of their government, leading him to wonder about political openness and modernity in a country that seems to be caught in transition.
Read: Political Views in Modern China
The Rules of the Game
by Eric Schempp :: 11/20/2002
[Russia] - Eric Schempp tries to play a game of baseball with the children he works with at a Russian orphanage. Three strikes and you're out? Easy enough for us to understand, but not so for people who have neither seen nor played the game.
Read: Baseball in Russia
Wanted: English Speaker
by Lenore Feder :: 11/08/2002
[France] - During her stay in France, Lenore Feder realizes that in order to continue enjoying her new Parisian lifestyle, she needs to improve her finances. She finds Gregory, who has placed a newspaper advertisement indicating that he needs to improve his English. But giving Lenore money for her services is not exactly what he has in mind.
Read: Learning the Ropes in France
Imagining Reality
by Jonathan Bringewatt :: 10/23/2002
[Morocco] - Is "development" necessarily a good thing? Jonathan Bringewatt questions whether or not the volunteer work he's doing in Morocco is contributing to or detracting from the community.
Read: Development in Morocco
A Teacher in China
by Shaan Khan :: 09/16/2002
[China] - As Shaan Khan embarks on his first month as an English teacher there, he realizes that he must figure out ways to dispel common misconceptions about the United States and paint a more accurate portrayal of the "American people."
Read: Walking the Fine Line of Chinese Politics
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Recent Blog Posts
Chinese Limericks | | This week, I am teaching my classes how to write limericks. On the whole, it has not been a hugely successful lesson; however, a few students have produced some good work.
Here is an exceptional example that came out of class 360:
Our teacher's name is Joe.
He is incredibly strong.
He asked us to write a poem.
If we don't respect him,
He will throw us out the window.
I was very pleased with this poem. Though the meter is slightly off, it's relieving to know that students are responding to my methods of classroom management. .... Read more | | Posted by Joe Bookman at 05 May 2008 23:50:27, Country: China | comments |
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Learning Tibet | | I just started reading a book today recommended by Nicholas Kristof, columnist for the New York Times, called The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet and the Dalai Lama by Melvyn C. Goldstein. Of the author Kristof writes,
For those who want a balanced account in English, the best place to look is the work of Melvyn Goldstein, a first-rate scholar of Tibetan history who knows the language and culture intimately.
Less than three chapters in and I've already learned tons about the complex history of the relationship between Tibet and China, and how Western nations, notably Britain and the US, .... Read more | | Posted by Shaan Khan at 03 May 2008 20:21:35, Country: China | comments |
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Speaking of gender issues... | | Allison Quatrini's latest post on gender discrimination in China brought to mind something I found peculiar about my last job at a small Chinese PR firm--the job divisions between men and women were crystal clear.
Our office had eight PR staff, four women, four guys. (I was one of the guys.) All the guys were working on copy writing and PR strategy/communication plan writing, and all the women were in charge of media relations. I guess the presumption is that women are better communicators, therefore they should be responsible for handling the media.
It didn't really bother me, to be honest. In .... Read more | | Posted by Shaan Khan at 30 Apr 2008 07:24:22, Country: China | comments |
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How To Distinguish An Authentic African | | Last Friday, I was invited to be a guest speaker at an English language training school in Changsha. Before I arrived, the teacher told me that the lesson would be about Africa, and she asked me to prepare a few words on the subject.
“What should I say?” I asked.
“Maybe you can talk about the Egyptian sphinx,” she said.
“The Egyptian sphinx? I don’t know anything about the Egyptian sphinx.”
“Oh,” she said. “Maybe you can talk about African dance.”
“African dance?”
Eventually, we agreed that I should forget about Africa and instead say something about American life. .... Read more | | Posted by Joe Bookman at 29 Apr 2008 13:20:58, Country: China | comments |
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How's this for irony | | Everything is made in China these days, even the anti-China stuff:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7370903.stm
Police in southern China have discovered a factory manufacturing Free Tibet flags, media reports say.
Tee hee. .... Read more | | Posted by Shaan Khan at 29 Apr 2008 10:14:27, Country: China | comments |
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Trains collide | | Just read that two trains collided in China, killing somewhere around 70 people and injuring hundreds of others in China's worst train accident since 1997. One of those trains was a Beijing - Qingdao train, which is very possibly one I've taken in the past. Having been somewhere that was later the site of a tragedy is a chilling experience, one that makes you think, 'that could have happened to me.'
Fingers crossed for all those affected by this tragedy. .... Read more | | Posted by Shaan Khan at 28 Apr 2008 09:40:24, Country: China | comments |
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