tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89298441284008637952024-03-13T20:33:55.775-07:00Expatriate Observations, Insights and Comparative Culture AnalysesDissertations on International Living and Comparative Culture Analyses by Ladislav, Chief Advisor of HappierAbroad.com and Author of "Expatriate Insights", aka "The Socrates of Expatriate Living". He speaks 10 languages, been to over 30 countries, and has seen the beauty and ugliness of the world while discovering truths too deep for mainstream media.Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-41985662373770454442010-08-08T04:21:00.001-07:002010-08-08T04:21:15.773-07:00Loves from Afar are Loves of FoolsAmores de Lejos, Amores de Pendejos?
This famous Spanish proverb literally translates as “Loves from Afar are Loves of Fools”- that is basically that long distance relationships do not work. I beg to disagree. Of course, relationships with people near you are far better, but sometimes you can’t help but be separated. You can get drafted into the army, or be sent somewhere by a company, or meet Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-81073809955458354802010-08-08T04:19:00.000-07:002010-08-08T04:19:57.314-07:00Labor Laws, Dental Self-Treatment, Financial Free FallGet Out of My Office! You are Fired!
In some countries labor laws are so strict that firing someone is a difficult, lengthy and expensive proposition. However, many expats, both the managers and employees are not aware of those. Hence, western managers brought into the country fire people for the reasons that they would fire them at home for (many of which are trivial). In the US one can fire Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-20748458686180755312010-08-08T04:16:00.001-07:002010-08-08T04:17:37.031-07:00Christian Fundamentalist Propaganda and Public IgnoranceSome two decades ago, I was watching a famous preacher on TV. The topic for that day’s sermon was “India“. According to the preacher, India was poor because it was not Christian, and he was inviting people to go there and teach Christianity. At the end of the speech, he raised his voice and shouted something like: “Jesus will take that country out of poverty!”, “Jesus will make India advance!” Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-84049122144338182542010-08-01T13:19:00.000-07:002010-08-08T04:23:00.613-07:008 reasons why Asian men have a better social life in Russia than America (a letter to Winston Wu) A letter to my friend Winston Wu:
“Winston
If you still have not figured it out, do not rack your brains over it. It is several reasons, not one- so it
is a combination of factors that lead to the different results you are experiencing. Here they are one by one:
1) East Orthodox Slavic culture vs. Anglo-Celto-Germanic. Communal and friendly vs. individualistic-cliqueish one.
Russians Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-70479375980292660762010-07-24T10:02:00.001-07:002010-07-24T10:02:47.616-07:00How to Stop Sasha Cohen from Making Fun of KazakhstanThe government of Kazakhstan is up in arms. A man in remote England is making fun of them by posing as a Kazakh journalist. He has set up a site in broken English, and is ridiculing the country and its people right and left. They feel insulted and are trying everything possible to stop him, but to no avail.
You see, Kazakhstan is a newly independent country that most Britons know very little Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-29320479376794970152010-07-09T07:22:00.001-07:002010-07-09T07:44:24.741-07:00Free Speech vs. Common DecencyAs the government of Kazakhstan is hating Borat more and more for making a movie and TV series in which their country is shown to be a backward East European backwater and a poor Third World jumping off place, and in the aftermath of the cartoon riots, many Muslims around the world are steel reeling under the weight of the controversy, many Western media leaders are citing the right of free Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-82141067747283427962010-07-09T07:20:00.001-07:002010-07-09T07:20:12.118-07:00White Bums in Sydney- the End of the Western Civilization?I am in the middle of Sydney, Australia. It is a cool, wintry day in August. The skyscrapers around and above me are filled with light , and a huge moon hangs over the city as the lazy puffs of vapor, coming out of the chimneys and exhaust outlets, rise into the crisp, southern skies.
I look around me and I see what I did not quite expect to see in Australia ( maybe because I had been watching Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-84025872108100250002010-07-09T07:19:00.001-07:002010-07-09T07:19:23.194-07:00Oil Rich CountriesAah! What prosperity and abundance awaits so many of us who end up in the countries where wealth comes from the ground! One does not realize that instead of an economy based on credit or taxes or hard work and discipline as in most of the West, the wealth seems to be jetting forth constantly from the ground, like from the horn of plenty. One soon notices that everything is cheap but salaries are Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-36428926287203443042010-07-09T07:18:00.001-07:002010-07-09T07:21:42.761-07:00Duty Free, etc.You know, duty free may be a good deal in Western Europe, Japan or the US, but for the life of me, I have no idea why anyone would want to buy anything except only a few items in the duty free areas in most of the world countries.
Take souvenirs, for example. Why would you want to buy them in the duty free section if you can get those three or four or five times cheaper outside the airport, in Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-78482308895886538352010-06-21T10:40:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:40:53.195-07:00The Culture Shock’s Undiscussed StageThere are many books dealing with the culture shock, and generally they all agree that you go through these stages- euphoria, followed by disappointment and resentment, followed by adjustment and then, eventual relative peace and enjoyment,
I have discovered that after the resentment and before adjustment you go through the stage of sarcastic derision. The new country ends up looking ridiculousLadislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-64862932968295771182010-06-21T10:26:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:27:43.220-07:00Can They Get You a Working Visa?In some so-called developing countries, the enthusiastic employers who want to hire you can exhibit gross ignorance in how they are supposed to go about issuing you a working visa or a work permit.
A case in point is Thailand. It is a constant complaint of many expatriates there that they would be hired only to find out that their employer had no earthly idea as to what is involved in the Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-76057868690782445922010-06-21T10:25:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:25:46.482-07:00Always Prepared in the Middle EastWorking in the Middle East can be lucrative, but it can also be uncertain. One never knows what may happen from one day to the next. I guess uncertainty is universal nowadays, but it is especially so in this part of the world.
I am not talking about political uncertainty alone. It may happen that you may not be rehired for the next year’s contract. It may also happen that someone does not like Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-88472076955833857622010-06-21T10:18:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:18:40.208-07:00More Miscellaneous Notes***
One of the tragedies of Van Gogh was that during his life time he could not sell but very few of his paintings and it was only after his death that he started selling and became famous. Most artists go through that stage one way or another. Most do not become famous even after their death. And most cannot sell.
I am an artist and I have found the reason why I was not selling a lot of my Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-67406334402586716102010-06-21T10:17:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:17:27.156-07:00Do Not Turn Off the Foreign SongWhen I was a kid, I used to listen to music from around the world. It did not matter to me whether I could understand the words or not. Actually, it seemed even better to me when I could not grasp the meaning of the foreign language because then, the voice would become a musical instrument of its own. A voice that I could not understand and the accompaniment to it sounded awesome and exotic.
I Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-33463744350394933182010-06-21T10:16:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:29:01.633-07:00Can Chinese Junk save you money?There are two types of Chinese Junks- one you see in the Hong Kong harbor and they will charge you an arm and a leg for a tour of the island. The other junk is the one you see in all these countries that have no quality control. Watches for $1. Electric shavers for $2. Sneakers for $5.
Is buying all these things worth it if you want to save money? They say that if you buy cheap Chinese productsLadislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-36510000188873721682010-06-21T10:11:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:11:17.962-07:00Wild and Dangerous KidsLiving abroad is challenging as it is without the almost never-mentioned danger- wild kids. These kids can create all sorts of problems, some lethal, and make your life miserable.
In some countries kids are above reproach. It is simply not the custom to discipline them. Hence, the may go wild when the see someone who looks foreign or dresses foreign. And they can cause you embarrassment, ruin Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-37685339122528572582010-06-02T05:58:00.000-07:002010-06-21T10:31:49.785-07:00Five Indian MinutesThroughout many years I have worked along side people from the Indian subcontinent. I have met few people more pleasant than these- they are polite, non-confrontational and rarely angry. It is a culture that emphasizes harmony and humility above all.
One cultural peculiarity that I would like to describe is the time-stretching phenomenon which Indian people include in their business practices. Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-30471203108884843682010-06-02T05:57:00.000-07:002010-06-21T10:32:24.054-07:00Second childhood in Saudi ArabiaI had a happy childhood, and for many years thereafter, I always longed to be a child again. After all, I did not have to work, all of my needs were provided; I did not have to pay rent or worry about finding a mate. Up until puberty, I lived a life of absolute contentment. I had no sexual urge and all the troubles resulting thereof, and I was simply happy to read my books, travel to new places, Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-21905704476689313192010-06-02T05:56:00.000-07:002010-06-21T10:32:42.706-07:00Saudi Arabia- an oasis for us, losersThat's right. Losers by society's standards. So, if you have no place to go and nobody wants you, come on over to Saudi Arabia- you will be in good company. What's more, you will rediscover your dignity as well as save some cash.
How so? OK, I'll give you an example. Let's say you are a glamorous young man aged 20-35, handsome and popular with women. You are a party animal , exercise freak , Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-86037044213858922952010-06-02T05:55:00.001-07:002010-06-21T10:35:01.540-07:00Being a white person in East Asia is a strange experienceOne is for all intents and purposes an eternal guest and is treated as such by the man on the street. You may be living in the country for 20 years but to the average Joe Asian, when he sees you, it is like you have just arrived. He starts speaking to you in English or if he does not speak English, he either uses signs or avoids you altogether. He asks you questions that one would only ask a Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-75895754312315161952010-06-02T05:55:00.000-07:002010-06-21T10:34:42.804-07:00Anglo- American vs. Latin- American racial issuesIf you travel to and live in both the Latin and the "Anglo"- America, you will notice that the problem of racism in both parts of the world is expressed differently. In the US as a rule, the poorer the strata of the society, the more racism there seems to be in their general attitude in dealing with other groups. The worst place to be different in color or in nationality in the US would be some Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-57042878083860301692010-05-13T08:54:00.001-07:002010-05-13T08:54:52.435-07:00Stuck in A Developing MorassOne of the most important reasons why it is so easy to succeed in 1st World countries is because of the infrastructure both technical and human. Most 1st Worlders are so used to it, the do not even notice it. They take it for granted that phones work, that faxes work, that courier shipments will arrive on time, that the mail will not disappear; that you can quickly and easily obtain products and Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-25580348809998019242010-05-13T08:53:00.000-07:002010-05-13T08:53:06.914-07:00Dangers of The Middle East and StereotypingThere are many ignorant people out there both in your country and abroad. After 9/11, a Sikh was killed at his gas station somewhere in the South Eastern US. He had a beard and was wearing a turban. Close enough to Bin Ladin. Never mind the Sikhs are not Muslims.
The man is now dead as a door nail. End of the story.
When the US attacked Iraq, certain extremists in Saudi Arabia started Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-17247786206229504652010-05-06T12:15:00.001-07:002010-05-06T12:15:43.721-07:00The Curse of Illusory RespectIn quite a few poorer countries around the world, a white-skinned foreigner is an object of automatic admiration. He is presumed to be extremely cultured, sophisticated and fantastically wealthy. Aren’t all white people born with $1,000,000,000 in their trust accounts? Aren’t all white people movie moguls living in sunny Hollywood? Isn’t it true that only poor people of color are doing work in Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929844128400863795.post-32379294000917869612010-05-06T12:09:00.000-07:002010-05-06T12:14:10.643-07:00How international experience can work against youOne of the examples of how an international person cannot be understood by a non-traveler was when I started working in the South Central LA as an elementary school teacher. I had done my practicum in Puerto Rico, and I was used to being respected as a teacher. In the Spanish-based culture of that Caribbean Island, respect for teachers is something that is ingrained from a very early age. Those Ladislavhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12360989501771460647noreply@blogger.com0