Sweet Francaise, introduction

Many of my own personal stories about making cross-cultural connections come from the two years I spent in France: 1987-1989. My first year was spent as a "Rotary Ambassador." In other words, I was the very lucky recipient of a one-year scholarship granted by Rotary International. You can find a link for more information about this service provided by Rotary on the right. I will be thankful for the rest of my days for the opportunity given to me through this scholarship. Rotary's international interests and activities are exemplary. Institutions like Rotary provide the bricks and mortar for the few "cultural bridges" that maintain positive interactions between people from different parts of the globe.

Anyway, winning this scholarship marked the beginning of two wonderful years I spent in France.

What I learned after buying an All Blacks shirt

I bought a cool looking jersey of the New Zealand national rugby team. I checked out their web site and saw that they incorporated a native dance into their national matches. That blew my mind. Here's what I learned about it in Wikipedia:

The All Blacks, the international rugby union team of New Zealand, perform a haka (Māori traditional dance) immediately prior to international matches. The Haka is also performed by some other New Zealand national teams, such as the Kiwis (rugby league) and the Tall Blacks (men's basketball). Over the years they have most commonly performed the haka "Ka Mate". In the early decades of international rugby, they sometimes performed other haka,some of which were composed for specific tours. Since 2005 they have occasionally performed a new haka, "Kapa o Pango."

I must admit I don't know if this has caused controversy in New Zealand, Australia, or anywhere else. If it has, I'd like to hear about it. But as an intriguing cross-cultural artifact, this can't be beat.

Musical Connections

Many musicians enjoy borrowing from and collaborating with musicians from other cultures. What they create, sometimes, is a very new kind of music. The same thing can happen with food, or painting, or architecture. In recent years, Paul Simon has done some really interesting musical experiments, especially with musicians from South Africa.

Look for pleasure in the differences

When I think of inspiring writings about cross cultural interactions, Henry James's novella "An International Episode" always comes to mind. It's light, for Henry James, and includes some encouragement for those who may be intimidated by encountering a foreign land. In this passage, the American Mrs. Westwood tries to change an Englishman's discomfort in visiting Newport, Rhode Island. (How rough could that be, really?) Here's the passage:

"But I must confess
I think Newport is an ideal place. I don't know anything like it
anywhere. Captain Littledale told me he didn't know anything like it
anywhere. It's entirely different from most watering places; it's a
most charming life. I must say I think that when one goes to a foreign
country one ought to enjoy the differences. Of course there are
differences, otherwise what did one come abroad for? Look for your
pleasure in the differences, Lord Lambeth; that's the way to do it;
and then I am sure you will find American society--at least Newport
society--most charming and most interesting."

Some early comments

Some friends of mine posted the following comments on my Facebook page. Some good ideas to think about.

1) People tend to marginalize and devalue what they don't understand (e.g. foreign culture). The problem is, with a world this big and connected, you can only marginalize so many things before you're the one being pushed into the corner.

2)I often wonder though if "understanding and connecting" should focus more on the 'general' vs specifics of diff't cultures. It seems to me we all have problems with this that transcend cultural differences. Though, i do think the "cultural lens" is an interesting and necessary angle.

Why I'm here

I'm seeking stories about people from different regions of the world and cultural backgrounds who are making attempts to understand each other. There are a lot of stories about cultures in conflict. We've seen enough of that. What we need now is more examples of people finding ways to get along across cultural divides. It's not easy, but it's important. Please send your stories of positive cross-cultural contacts to share with others on this blog. Thanks!