Tag: culture

A Day in Foumban, a Cameroon Culture Center

November 28, 2017

My first visit to an African country was a month-long trip in Cameroon a couple years ago. I had no idea what to expect nor any solid plan for my time. I was visiting a friend, serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, and left everything up to her. By a twist of fate, she contracted typhoid while I was there. She went to the hospital and I joined two other volunteers on their trip to Foumban. That experience was a highlight of my trip; Foumban is a place that is just teeming with culture.

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5 Fascinating Things About Scotland’s Bagpipes

November 21, 2017

At the end of my first day hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland, I ended up in the small village of Drymen. On Thursdays throughout the summer, the Strathendrick Pipe Band plays on the village green and as luck would have it, I was there on a Thursday evening. It was my second day in the country and I was delighted to have a chance at this little cultural treat.

You’ve probably heard bagpipes before; maybe even a moving performance of “Amazing Grace.” But I bet there’s some things about this little oddball instrument you didn’t know.

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Theravada & Mahayana Buddhism: Safe Diff?

November 7, 2017

When people think of Asia and religion, Buddhism is usually what comes to the forefront of most people’s minds. What many don’t always realize is that there are a different schools of thought within Buddhism. Zen Buddhism is pretty widely known, but the two sects that I’ve become familiar with through my travels are a bit less widely known. So, I’d like to explore some of the similarities and differences between Theraveda and Mahayana Buddhism.

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A woman smiling down at a baby dressed in white in her arms

Welcoming and Naming New Babies in Ghana

September 15, 2017

A few weeks ago, my friend and co-worker gave birth to her first child – a baby girl. This was pretty exciting, as it is culturally a good sign for her to have a baby so soon after her wedding, and I was excited because it meant I had a chance to take part in some of the cultural practices around welcoming a new baby. These traditions are commonly called naming ceremonies.

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A picnic table on a beach with the pastel colors of a sunset in the background with mountains on the other side of the Red Sea

Enjoying Bedouin Tea of Egypt

September 12, 2017

The heat of the Sinai bears down from the cloudless sky all around me while the Red Sea glitters. I drop my bag on the ground and sink into the low cushions underneath a palm frond canopy. “Would you like some tea?” a man in a white jelabaya offers me. Normally, the heat would put me off from a hot drink, however I take him up on his offer. It’s the first of many cups I will drink over the coming days.

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A mural of a woman with blue hands held in front of her face under the words "Wata Mata"

Chale Wote: Accra’s Street Art Extravaganza

September 8, 2017

High Street is filled with rivers of people, shoulder to shoulder, flowing in competing directions. From Usher Fort at one end to the Jamestown Lighthouse at the other, the road has been blocked off and foot traffic has taken over, supplemented by street performers, muralists, artists, vendors and the ubiquitous women and children selling water from atop their heads. It’s Chale Wote, Accra’s annual street art festival breaking down the conceptions of West African art.

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