tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23867365825938338112024-02-19T01:47:40.094-08:00Let's Talk LanguagesIn today's globalized and diversified world, language and cultural awareness play a crucial role.Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-28764866951825396032010-09-16T13:37:00.000-07:002010-09-16T13:37:24.194-07:00Happy Anniversary Mexico!I was just reading in Facebook all the comments from my Mexican friends about Mexico's 200th birthday celebration. I couldn't help feeling nostalgic. This is the one day every year when I really miss my country… however, this year especially, it feels like I missed a very important event that will become part of its history.
Before yesterday, I never felt the urge to travel to Mexico to Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-6670549438576200092010-08-25T10:15:00.000-07:002010-08-25T10:15:47.635-07:00Cultural Behavior When AbroadI just finished watching a documentary about how year after year girls from different countries in Europe and North America go to a beach in Mexico during their winter to have fun and end up having romantic relationships with the locals.
It is funny how these girls feel totally liberated in a place where no one knows them. They seem to forget their customs, religion and education because Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-80364749062874215832010-05-19T08:21:00.000-07:002010-05-19T08:21:12.925-07:00"Mil", "Dos Mil"... How Can That Be Motivating?The other day I was talking to my cousin and she was telling me she was taking French in shcool. I started asking her questions about the things she had learned and I was shocked with what she told me. Before expanding on why I think it was shocking, it is important to say she is studying to become a chef. So, I was very surprised when she said she now knows the parts of the body, the numbers, Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-79462392017417654042010-04-30T08:03:00.000-07:002010-04-30T08:03:48.398-07:00The Culture of Driving in CanadaYesterday I had to drive to Midland, Ontario, a small town 2 hours north of Toronto. This is not the first time I drive Canadian highways to the country, but yesterday I more consciously reflected on how different it is from driving in Mexico. The geography is so different, that it forces there to be a culture for drivers.
Ontario is a very flat place, so when you drive, you get a very weird Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-83695077939157203912010-04-28T11:57:00.000-07:002010-04-28T11:57:16.723-07:00Language Learning and American ExpatsFor a long time Americans have been tagged as a culture who refuses to learn a second or third language because they think everyone else in the world should speak English.
In an article I was reading today they say that the amount of Americans immigrating to other countries is growing and there are now 5.25 million living abroad.
I was happy to see that there are a lot of Americans living in Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-65106345361669782822010-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:002010-04-20T09:09:36.417-07:00Dual Citizenship, When Is It Your Right And When Are You Taking Advantage Of It?I have heard many times about people with two nationalities who go back to their country of origin, get into trouble and then ask their second country for help. Just this morning I was reading an article about that.
For some reason, every time I hear a story like this it bothers me, I don’t know if I am right or wrong, but it seems to me that these people are taking advantage of their dual Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-54352811744611819322010-04-06T09:07:00.000-07:002010-04-06T09:07:28.999-07:00Diversity vs UnityI had always thought that if you were to choose a country to move to, one of the things to consider was their openness to multiculturalism and how tolerant they were to foreign customs and traditions.
That is one of the reasons why I chose Canada over the United States. Canadians have always been known as open and culturally sensitive. One of the things I have enjoyed the most about living here Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-50798670560388607802010-03-31T06:04:00.000-07:002010-03-31T06:04:54.657-07:00What Is My Responsibility As A Mexican Living Abroad?Last week I posted a discussion on whether or not Mexicans living abroad had the responsibility to go back and apply what they had learned in a specific field in Mexico to help it grow. This came from an article I read and I have to say that my initial reaction was totally against it. My opinion is that for a lot of the people who have left the country, the reason has been the search for better Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-71474549065209433412010-03-30T06:37:00.000-07:002010-03-30T06:37:53.084-07:00What Color Is Your World?I was reading a very interesting article that talks about a study they have done about how our own culture affects how our brains are shaped. Depending on where we live and the cultural information (formation) we receive our brain takes a different shape than that of people who live in a different country (culture).
What is really interesting of this article is that it helps us realize how Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-23243525783539583572009-12-30T09:36:00.000-08:002009-12-30T09:36:49.005-08:00What Type of Foreigner Are You?Moving to a different country can be a decision originated by many different reasons. They can go all the way from people who have to leave their country for political reasons to people who just do it for the fun of traveling and getting to know other cultures and other customs.
Many of us expats are just looking for a place that offers better opportunities and a better future, once we find it,&Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-90905637169341989492009-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-18T08:00:02.571-08:00If the Flame Could Talk...
Yesterday and Today, the Olympic Flame is travelling through different areas of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and the event has drawn lots of people. A coworker is even taking her daughter out of school to take her to see the torch. Undoubtedly, the Olympic Games and everything around them is one of the international happenings that brings the whole world together and breaks any kind of Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-49595842954697506372009-12-15T06:30:00.000-08:002009-12-15T06:31:20.201-08:00A Mexican in Australia
As promised, I am sharing in this blog Jorge Loredo's experience when he moved to Australia:
Apparently there are not many Mexicans who dare taking the chance to settle “down”. Perhaps that explains why people raise the eyebrows as soon as they know where I’m from, and ask right after, why I decided to move to Melbourne?!!?... I’m still trying to get the right answer to that difficult question.Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-51415493677197220322009-12-14T07:05:00.000-08:002009-12-14T07:05:41.171-08:00Have We Become Braver?In Mexico, the idea of living abroad has changed a lot in the last few years. I remember when I was younger, it was not common to hear about someone moving to another country, and when you did, it was something people spoke of a lot, just like a hero's prowess or something like that.
More or less three years ago when I discovered Facebook and I started looking for old friends from school, I Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-37831847909523983562009-12-10T07:28:00.000-08:002009-12-10T08:12:11.217-08:00International Christmas MenuFood is a very common aspect that identifies different cultures, and even though the preparation and ingredients that make the dishes can be totally different from one culture to another, the fact that people get together around the table to celebrate is common to all.
Here, I put together a menu with dishes from around the world to celebrate Christmas, it would be fun to try something new this Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-12217055944403786702009-12-07T11:16:00.000-08:002009-12-07T11:16:14.655-08:00The 2-Hour-Party CultureNow that I am a mother, I have discovered the world of children's birthday parties in Canada. The custom here is so different than the one in Mexico that I think it is worth giving it a space in my blog.
I will start with a short recap of what parties are like in Mexico, of course there are different factors in place, but normally, they don't last less than 4 hours. If the parents haveGina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-7667816411483245942009-12-02T11:39:00.000-08:002009-12-02T11:43:23.170-08:00Can You Experience Culture Shock When You Get Married?
Someone once told me that when you got married you experienced something very similar to the Curve of Cultural Adaptation.
According to this curve during the first few weeks you find everything very exciting, people treat you nicely, there is a lot to learn and to see... you are in a state of euforia.
After some time, you start to get used to your new routine and you start to notice the Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-51282657619812061822009-11-30T07:52:00.000-08:002009-12-01T13:46:20.826-08:00Vivan Las Mujeres!
This morning I received a video in my e-mail and it inspired me to write about women. It was something I wanted to write about a while ago, but for some reason or another I kept postponing it.
The first thing that made me think about this topic was the visit of the CEO of the company I work for, Ms. Yukako Uchinaga. She was in Toronto two weeks ago and for me, having the opportunity to Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-53159157811170407922009-11-23T07:42:00.000-08:002009-11-23T07:43:45.394-08:00Hola, Hello, Bonjour, Bom Dia...
Unfortunately for a lot of people, moving to another country does not only mean they will have to cope with a different culture, but also a very different language. In many cases, they will have some knowledge of this new language, enough that they are able to at least "survive" in their everyday life. However, these limited skills represent a huge barrier when all you want is to meet people andGina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-75775869982244572092009-11-18T09:16:00.000-08:002009-11-18T09:16:54.662-08:0010 Tips to Have Fun While Interacting with Other Cultures.I have read many documents with recommendations on how to better cope with cultural differences in the workplace. There are some very useful ones, but some that are not that good.
That is why I decided to come up with my own list of tips, let's see what you think of it...
1. Be specific. When you have to explain something or set the rules, make sure you don't take things for granted, there are Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-91592890912771107742009-11-17T08:02:00.000-08:002009-11-18T05:39:57.965-08:0040 Years After, What Have We Done With It!When Aristotle said "man is a social being" he had no clue of the extent of his statement.
More than two thousand years later, we have proved how right he was. We have taken that concept and exploited it to the point where poeple all over the world are being able to share all kinds of ideas, experiences, questions, etc.
Forty years ago, Leonard Kleinrock sent the first message through the Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-4095632073596195182009-11-13T13:46:00.000-08:002009-11-13T13:46:34.539-08:00A Long History of Economical RecessionsI was reading an article today about a survey that KPMG conducted on the way companies accross the world had reacted towards the economical recession and how they were planning for the future years.
This is something that not very long ago I was discussing with a friend in Mexico who had just started his own business. I was asking him if the crisis was not affecting him and he said Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-50971770226171898482009-11-13T10:16:00.000-08:002009-11-13T11:04:53.624-08:00My Sister's ExperienceSo here is the report on my sister's "international Business Meeting" experience. She was ecstatic!!! She loved it, it seems like the opportunity to meet people from all over the world ended up weighing more than the stress of the responsibility.
I remember when I was first invited to participate in an international meeting at work, I was super excited but very nervous at the same time. Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-18956352784757691242009-11-11T07:48:00.000-08:002009-11-13T11:05:41.596-08:00Once You Are There, How Do You Move On?
When you are told by your employer that you have the opportunity to be transfered to another country with an expectation of a better life, you really don't think it twice. Everything seems too good to be true, you pack your things, you say your goodbyes and you start in your new job with this sponge-like feeling of wanting to learn and absorb as much as you can.
For your partner, the feeling isGina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-62616612796449337672009-11-09T06:40:00.000-08:002009-11-13T11:05:59.258-08:00Language Learning, a Personal Responsibility?My sister called me last week because she was going to participate in an international business meeting and she was freaking out.
She works for an airline and when she was hired her English was much better. Even though it was a requirement to get the job, she doesn't really use it on a day-to-day basis, so 16 years (give or take) later she can't get any sleep because she is in charge of a group Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386736582593833811.post-83739961590779257052009-11-05T11:30:00.000-08:002009-11-13T11:06:25.595-08:0010 of My Favourite Cross-Cultural MoviesHere is a list of movies related to cross-cultural issues and languages that I have seen and enjoyed a lot. Do you have any other suggestions?
1. "Love Actually". I love this movie, the way it covers different kind of love stories and the challenges each character faces including cultural diversity and languages.
2. "Lost in Translation". This movie reflects the culture shock you feel when Gina Vazquezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12025265438632979737noreply@blogger.com7