Say something nice about another country or culture (cinema, live)
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Although I am very skeptical about the US overall, somehow I have no problem living among the Americans...
( Because really when you think about it, your average Joe is kind and friendly person and I don't live on the Wall Street))))
This made me smile, for we ARE friendly and that is one thing my exchange students have always noticed, especially with teachers and sales clerks!
The Japanese, while sometimes hostile to outside cultures and people, are also overtly welcoming and the people themselves nice and understated. I'm married to a Japanese woman and it's taken some getting used to some of the cultural differences, but I think I'm coming along and she is too. They aren't a bunch of corporate drones.
Canadians are very open minded and I think in general more chill out than Americans. I used to see this one girl in Edmonton and she was half asian, half white, and her dad was the asian. Completely cool how for so long they seem really open minded about different races and in general not giving a crap about who is in who's bedroom, and that it doesn't take a bible thumping anarchist f- your- neighbor world view to have a functioning and efficient government. We could learn a lot from them.
Indian people tend to be very nice and honestly try to understand US culture and values and integrate while holding on to their home country culture and try to blend in theirs to ours. Very much how immigrant groups should behave. Very hardworking too.
The Chinese I met aren't all xenophobic racists ... their embrace of US culture is proof of that (the latest thing is to drink a coke and eat some fried chicken at KFC and have an Apple computer and watch American movies while driving an American car). Heck they even have a McDonald's that doubles as a wedding parlor because of how popular it became with locals wanting to wed there. We should drop some of the rhetoric when it comes to their individual people. Their government is not their people, in many ways like how our government by far and away is NOT us.
Russians are very welcoming in general, when they're in the US anyway. I remember once camping with a good friend of mine and her husband. Some Russians were next door and were up and drinking vodka at 8:30 in the morning. I went over and had some drinks with them, about four Russian sized shots (~5 oz, so in total I drank a grand total of about 20 oz in about two hours). I had to quit. Eventually we left our campsite with a very drunk me, I burped really loudly, and the Russians were like "hey, you make room! time for more vodka!" I think that was the only time in my life that my liver actually hurt, but it just made them stronger it seemed. I don't remember much from that day, only that my girlfriend's bra was missing and she was not very happy with me.
other nations know how to live the way humans are supposed to live compared to how the U.S. people are taught to live. They do know survival better than us. they know how to drink water the natural way, just like in Hot Springs, South Dakota.. they drink water like that.. they survive hunger, they don't need money like we need money. They know they can live without tv, internet and all that unnecessary stuff. I am proud of them. They are our teachers in this bad economy.. Even though we still have expensive cars, and technology like tv.
They know what it takes to be human and how humanity can live on.
It's horrible they only make a dollar or less a day in most of the other countries.. but they use livestock and have things more readily available like having goats run around wild in countries like Afghanistan and Iran, and guinea fowl in africa, and they just know how to get by with what is around them.
The thing is they have to deal with malaria and parasites more than us and without our medicine, but they lived as long as us, Americans in our "better" lives from having tv and internet and big cars with lots of luxeries. They live better, they are better. They are our teachers. And we think we are better than them when we really are not. I was born here and taught like everyone else, but I strive to be less American in terms I don't watch tv much, I used to live without tv, but now it's like I'm bored.. but still I go many days without watching tv.
But reality is what they know. They are the true better beings.
Freedonia: sure an obscure and relatively unimportant country more at ease with licking their neighbors' boot straps than fighting for their rights. But hey, I can't help but think of the dozens of soldiers in their army that were spared the agonizing death of being crushed under the treads of an aggressor's tank and went home instead to have another pint at the local tavern. A Freedonian would more likely give you the shirt off his back than risk insulting a visitor or invader. Passiveness should not be viewed as a character flaw and instead should be exploited...er, I mean applauded.
People from the Philippines are among the best and hardest workers in the world.
Colombia is the most underrated country in the world. It has nearly the same population as Spain with twice the land area, has growing reserves of oil, one of the biggest oil companies in the world (Ecopetrol) and one of the biggest confectionery companies (Grupo Nutresa). Grupo Exito (the hypermarket grocer) also runs stores in other countries. The country is more than just coffee.
I'm in Bali and love the Balinese people! They are just like everyone says - so friendly and nice and helpful and everything. Just lovely, lovely people.
They're also very artistic and industrious. Everybody is always busy doing something for each other, their families, tourists. And most everyone seems to have some sort of artistic talent, whether it be painting (such detail!), stone carving, wood carving, weaving, batik, silver and gold jewelry making, etc., etc.
And they always seem so happy and full of smiles. Given the fact they earn so little and have to work so hard to make what they do, it's pretty inspiring that they manage to be so happy. I've loved talking to various Balinese people about their lives, their family, villages, spirituality and customs.
Even the horrendous traffic doesn't turn them nasty or mean like elsewhere. If there's a slow scooter in front of you, you respect that and go around them. Nicely and efficiently, not abruptly and then cut in front of them while yelling and giving rude gestures like in my country. I've felt so relaxed being here and it's because of the people.
Portugeuse - we spent two weeks driving around central and northern Portugal. Tried to learn very basic language first and used dictionary. Many shops and restaurants didn't have anyone who spoke English (which we planned on). We were amazed at how friendly and helpful people were. And many just sat down to talk to us and even coached us on the language. We are really looking forward to a return trip!
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other countries
