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Travel Cultures Language

World Views:

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13

Oct

Culture Smart: What’s in a Baby’s Name?

by Sheron Long on October 13, 2013

Pregnant woman with blank name tag on her stomach, illustrating the upcoming choice of a baby name that may follow a naming custom

How will the new parents decide on their baby’s name?

Naming Customs Around the World

If you want to start a good conversation, just ask people from different cultures how they got their names.

 

Cultural Diversity/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Worldwide Sites

06

Oct

Culture Smart: How’s Life in Costa Rica?

by Sheron Long on October 6, 2013

Tile floor showing the traditional Costa Rican greeting "Pura Vida," which represents deeper cultural values on the love of life

Tile floor in a Costa Rican restaurant greets visitors with a love of life.
© Sheron Long

When It Comes to Greetings & Good-byes, “Pura Vida” Sings

Ciao! That’s a pretty universal way to say “good-bye,” though in Italian—the language that gave this word to the world—it’s used for both “hello” and “good-bye.” In that respect, it’s much like aloha in Hawaiian or pura vida in the Spanish language of Costa Rica.

 

Costa Rica/Cultural Encounters/Language & Culture

29

Sep

Culture Smart: Worry Less With Guatemalan Dolls?

by Sheron Long on September 29, 2013

Guatemalan weaver continues the culrural traditions of her village

A weaver in Guatemala creates textiles in patterns unique to her village
and reuses scraps to make worry dolls.

A Cultural Tradition With Promise

Descendants of the Maya living today in Guatemala bring beauty to the world with their handcrafted weavings, often using unique patterns indicative of their villages.

Guatemalan worry doll, used in a centuries-old cultural tradition as a folk remedy for worrying

This worry doll is ready to hear your troubles!

The fabric scraps the weavers have left don’t go to waste—they use them to make sets of colorful worry dolls.

 

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Guatemala

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