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Travel Cultures Language

OIC the Road Ahead and…

by Sheron Long on July 27, 2021

A little sailboat sets sail for an unusual and imaginary island seen in the distance, symbolizing travels to different cultures. (Image © Urvashi9/iStock)

It’s time to set sail for new horizons.

Looking Back, a World Well-Travelled

In the last 9 years, we’ve enjoyed our travels with you to fascinating and often little-known parts of the world—moving across cultures, delighting in different languages, exercising the bilingual brain, and enjoying the insights that came from the ride.

In this—OICs last post—it’s time to say a fond farewell and to wish you well. May you continue to travel the world and discover how stepping into different cultures enriches your life.

OIC’s Greatest Hits: Bridging Cultures

by Your friends at OIC on April 26, 2021

5 Insights on Connecting Across Cultures

Cultures leave unique marks on the world and collectively offer unparalleled richness and variety. While cultural heritage is acquired by birth and influenced by those closest to you as you grow up, people who later cross bridges into other cultures find their lives enriched by the connections. Their horizon is wider, the respect for people is greater, and life is a more fortunate mix of experiences.  So say the OIC bloggers in their many stories of connecting across cultures.

Looking back on these stories and in appreciation of our bloggers’ insights, we’ve selected five posts for this edition of our “Greatest Hits.” They’re stories that moved our understanding and appreciation of other cultures, and we hope they’ll do the same for you.

Crossing Cultures in an Urban Garden

by Meredith Mullins on July 20, 2020

A cultural exchange via the sweet potato
© Meredith Mullins

A Tribute to Satsuma-imo: The Mighty Japanese Sweet Potato

“In Japan, in autumn, it is customary to collect fallen leaves, put sweet potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil in the leaves, and light the fallen leaves to bake them,” remembers Chiharu. “When I was a child I did this at my grandparents’ home. It was a special time of cooking and eating together.”

“Instead of ice cream trucks circling the neighborhoods to offer treats, we had stone-roasted sweet potato trucks,” says Midori of her childhood in Japan.

Stone roasted sweet potatoes
© iStock/kendoNice

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