The Land of the Shire

One of the most desirable travel destinations in the world, yet perhaps one of the least fulfilled, is New Zealand. It's understandable why most people only dream of going there -- it's a long way from just about anywhere except Australia, and it's not cheap. About a year and a half ago my wife and I were able to spend two fabulous weeks there, visiting our dear friends Neil and Jill White. Neil and Jill were our colleagues during our years in Amsterdam, and they had already come to visit us in Nashville years after we had parted ways. So it was our turn to visit them in their homeland, and I will tell you it was not easy to get back on that plane to come home. (Want to know how we were able to swing it? Travel hacking! Find out what that is in my interview with Chris Guillebeau.)

In this episode of the World to the Wise podcast, I have the pleasure of introducing you to this beautiful country as Neil and Jill give us an overview of the land, its people, and its culture.

It's worth mentioning that Neil and Jill are also Air BnB hosts, so if you happen to decide to make the journey, you MUST spend a few days at their place on the Bay of Plenty on the east coast of the North Island.

Next week I'll be coming to you from beautiful Switzerland, where I just arrived yesterday for a brief concert tour.

An Interview with Lee Camp

During his doctoral research, a professor of Christian theology embarks on a journey which takes him places he never thought he would go and changes the way he thinks -- about his faith, his culture, and indeed the world. This is the story of Dr. Lee C. Camp, professor of theology and ethics at Lipscomb University in Nashville. This journey leads him to write a book, Who Is My Enemy? Questions American Christians Must Face about Islam -- and Themselves -- a bookwritten at no small personal cost. You'll hear how Lee dared to ask questions no one else was asking, and how some of the answers changed the course of his life. Lee is also the host of the popular Tokens Radio Show, where the performing arts intersect with matters of faith.

The Fiddler Is Still on the Roof

Tevye

While browsing through hundreds of photos on a computer at home, looking for a good photo of my mother for Mothers' Day, I came across this photo of myself as Tevye in Lifesong Theatre Group's production of Fiddler on the Roof. The next morning, I turned on NPR in the car and got in on the end of a Studio 360 story on the history of the Broadway musical, two years after its 50th anniversary. Fiddler is one of the highest grossing, longest running in Broadway history. The photo alone was enough to take me back to an emotion-packed experience for me. In some ways I found myself relating to Tevye's ongoing dialog with God, particularly, at that time in my life, his complaints to God about his circumstances. The fact that he felt free to openly address his concerns to God revealed a very present faith on the one hand, with room for doubts and questions on the other.

The story of Fiddler, which originated as a series of short stories published in 1894 called Tevye the Dairy Man by Sholom Aleichem,  continues to resonate on so many levels. In an age where cultural change is only accelerating, it challenges our ability to deal with change while reexamining the traditions we hold dear. It also reminds us, as Tevye and his family and friends are driven out of the village of Anatevka by the Bolsheviks and face a new life in America, that in the 21st century we are all nations of immigrants. The story takes us inside the mind and heart of someone who is being forced from their centuries-long homeland, giving the word "refugee" a face and a life.

In the United States, we have talked so much about the American dream and the Land of Opportunity that we risk assuming everyone wants to come here -- unless we ourselves have experienced what it's like to huddle with the few we know, longing for home, against a mass of strangers in a strange land.

These are the people my wife and I are soon going to be meeting in Greece. For them, the fiddler still represents the precarious balance between keeping traditions and dealing with change. I look forward with mixed emotions to the experience. I'm pretty certain that I'm not quite prepared for the barrage of emotions awaiting us, but I'm quite certain one of them will be a feeling of helplessness against the plight of the Syrians, Afghans and others who have been forced out of their homes.

I'll be documenting our experiences on this blog, as well as occasional vlogs and possibly Blab sessions. Stay tuned for an adventure that you're invited to live with us vicariously. Better yet, sign up below as a member of the "culturally curious"  tribe so you don't miss a thing.

A Doctor Duo in Burundi

They could be making good money in the United States. Drs. Eric and Rachel McLaughlin have chosen instead to spend themselves not only on treating the poorest of the poor, but on training the next generation of doctors in a country that is called the hungriest nation on the planet by the World Hunger Index. At the time of this interview, there were only 300 doctors in a country of over 10 million inhabitants. That's one doctor for every 33, 333 people. By comparison, in the US there are 82 doctors for the same number of people.

The name of the hospital where they work, 2.5 hours' drive from the capital city, is Kibuye Hope Hospital, with the operative word being hope. You'll hear about some of the challenges Eric and Rachel face on a daily basis as they work to bring that hope to a desperately poor corner of the world, all while raising their three children.

Eric is also a songwriter, and has recently released an entire album of songs written since their arrival in Africa three years ago. You can find a link to Eric's music, available for FREE download, here, along with some of his reflections.

New Year, New Zealand?

IMG_1598

If you follow my blog, you know my wife and I had an unforgettable time in what for us was an almost magical time in New Zealand over the 2014-15 winter break (summer in New Zealand).

We are now gauging interest in a possible World to the Wise cultural tour to the Land of the Kiwi at the same time of year, winter break 2016-17. Take in the verdant countryside, visit Hobbiton, home of the Shire, take in some breathtaking scenery on the South Island, where many of the battle scenes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy were shot...and I could go on.

If you're interested in receiving information and updates on this trip OR the 2017 World to the Wise cultural tour to Europe (Italy, France, UK), just enter your email address below and you won't miss a thing!

A Biracial Couple in the American South

In spite of great strides in some respects over the last few years, race relations in the United States still have a ways to go. But what is it like to be in a biracial, black-white marriage in today’s American South? Is it any easier now than, say, 10 or 20 years ago? In some parts of the world, mixed marriages have been an accepted part of the cultural makeup for a long time. Not all cultures have the same background and therefore historical baggage. The American South has its share. This is not a new subject of conversation. Think of it more as taking a pulse. I sat down with my good friends Mike and Patricia Majett to hear their story.

As always, your comments are welcome. Are you in a biracial marriage? What has been your experience?

Expand Your Borders

Expand borders

David Livermore, of the Center for Cultural Intelligence, takes us on a round-the-world journey where we discover not only fascinating things about other cultures, but also about our own culture and how we are perceived by the rest of the world. A great read for any curious soul, but we're also using this resource as required reading for the new Global Studies course we're developing.  

Foreign to Familiar

Foreign Familiar

Author Sarah Lanier offers valuable insights on distinctions between different cultures around the world. Although there are admittedly exceptions to some of the broad generalizations, anyone wanting to understand the why of certain cultures will be enriched and enlightened by this fascinating and accessible study.  

To Tip or Not to Tip

tipping

Are you a good tipper? Are you an automatic tipper, or do you tip depending on the quality of the service provided? We first need to point out that tipping is not a universal custom. In most European countries, restaurant patrons are not expected to tip at the end of a meal. But we need to be quick to add that servers there are paid a living wage, as opposed to the US, where most states have loopholes that allow employers to pay FAR below the minimum wage.

It is generally assumed in the United States that good service will bring good tips, but that rule doesn't necessarily always hold up.

How did the custom of tipping get started in the first place? Most historians agree the tip first came about in the European coffee houses of the 16th century. Some even say it was a sort of bribe, paid up front, in hopes of receiving faster service.

Something that might lend credibility to that theory is the word for "tip" in many other languages, mostly Germanic -- literally, it means "drink money" -- implying that the server didn't necessarily depend on tip money to pay rent or buy food, but that it was a little extra pocket money for a drink or two after work.

These days, for millions of workers, the tip is much more than a little extra something. In the US, because servers, porters and others in the service industry are paid a pitiful hourly wage (my son is paid $2.13 per hour without tips), you can and should assume that your server is underpaid. In the US, where the customer is king, the tip is the server's incentive to provide great service. If it's counter service and your server is attentive, don't ignore the tip jar. If it's table service, assume that good service deserves at least a 20% tip. If the service is poor, a lesser tip should send a message that there is room for improvement.

Does this mean that in countries where the service is included the service will be less than good? Not necessarily.

What has been your experience? Do you work in the service industry? As a customer, do you put some thought into how much you tip?

On Being a Polyglot

polyglot [pol-ee-glot] (n). A person who speaks, writes, or reads a number of languages. If this podcast is about crossing cultural bridges, learning other languages has been a major vehicle that has helped me cross multiple bridges. Find out here why this is not something to boast about, but, like all gifts, is intended to serve and inspire others.

Be sure to comment! Either here or by email to podcast@daviddurham.org.

Coming next week: being a biracial couple in the American South.

Dave Dillard Interview

My wife Becky and I have been very impacted by the plight of the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have flooded into Europe in the past year, primarily from war torn countries such as Syria. Thousands of these men, women and children are currently stranded in Greece, their point of arrival in Europe. We have committed to volunteering in Greece this summer with a Nashville-based nonprofit called Servant Group International, whose executive director is Dave Dillard. Turn up your curiosity and listen to Dave's wisdom and experience. You'll also learn about the world's largest ethnic group without a home state.

Sometimes It's Easier to Just Put on Adele

adele-thanksgiving

Maybe you've seen the SNL sketch. The Thanksgiving table brings together not only family members with differing opinions, but also significant others of those family members. Let's face it: sometimes it's harder to be with family members we don't see very often than the friends we live life with on a regular basis. Sometimes it's just easier to put on Adele.

https://youtu.be/e2zyjbH9zzA

Whatever the case, what's in order is a little more listening, a little more level-headedness, and yes, the ability to laugh at ourselves.

That's why I've created the World to the Wise podcast. Sometimes someone else's story is what we need to hear in order to look at life through another set of lenses.

Some people are born curious. Others have to cultivate curiosity -- and it can be done. I can tell you that in many ways I am more curious than I was when I was younger. And the more I discover about the world around me, the richer I am.

I'm richer after hearing the story of Dr. Ming Wang, who came from the oppression of the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1960's to become one of the world's top laser physicists and eye surgeons. Or Chris Guillebeau, who set out on a quest to visit every country on the planet. Or a biracial couple living in the American South, a Christian university professor who believes we need to think differently about Muslims, or a German couple working with Syrian refugees to get them integrated as quickly as possible in their new home. These are ordinary people with extraordinary stories of crossing cultural bridges.

The first two stories mentioned are now released and waiting for you to hear. The others are in the pipeline. Just click here to listen to the individual episodes, or click on the World to the Wise graphic on the right to subscribe. When you do, it would be great if you would take a minute and write a quick review. This will go a long way to getting us noticed in the searches.

Here's to cultural curiosity -- we've only just started!

Chris Guillebeau Interview

Do you have a personal quest? Climbing a certain mountain, learning to play an instrument, reading a certain number of books? Author, entrepreneur and adventurer Chris Guillebeau does. Several years ago the idea came to him to visit every country on the planet. Find out whether he has accomplished his goal yet -- and some of the many life lessons he's learned along the way.

You'll also hear about Chris's latest book, Born for This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do, where he challenges us to think outside the limits we have placed on ourselves.

Chris is engaging, fresh, personable, and a pleasure to know. I hope you enjoy hearing him.

Dr. Ming Wang Interview

Imagine growing up in communist China in the oppressive days of the Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao. Living conditions are poor, life is hard and largely devoid of color. Art and literature are banned, except for a handful of state-sanctioned books and plays that are little more than communist propaganda. Thousands upon thousands of people are deported to the most remote parts of the country and sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor and abject poverty, often for nothing more than being suspected of speaking against the Communist party. In these depressing years of the 1960's, there is a young boy who wants nothing more than to be a doctor like both of his parents -- even though they make little if any more than the subsistence level salary of a peasant. The obstacles that come between the boy and his dream are many; yet today he is a world- renowned expert in laser physics and lasik surgery.

I hope you enjoy the story of Dr. Ming Wang, and I recommend reading his book, From Darkness to Sight: A Journey from Hardship to Healing for some important perspective on China's not-too-distant past.

ANNOUNCING THE WORLD TO THE WISE PODCAST!

World to the Wise_Podcast Icon_Final

The time has come! Announcing the World to the Wise podcast, designed to inform, enlighten, inspire, and stretch the borders of your thinking.

In a sense, this podcast has been percolating in me for a long time. They say a blogger is supposed to stick to one theme -- at least initially -- and become known as an authority in that one area. Fine. I have my theme, but it is a very broad and multi-faceted theme. The podcast will allow you and me to converse about a broad array of topics under the heading of cultural curiosity.

That's my tribe: the culturally curious. The life-long learners. The ones who refuse to settle.

Are you part of that tribe?

If so, I invite you to join me on the journey. Some episodes will include interviews with some fascinating people with compelling stories -- stories of crossing cultural bridges and the lessons learned. Other times we'll highlight particular travel destinations or introduce you to little known aspects of cultures you're already familiar with. Interspersed will be my own musings and observations of culture, including stories from my upcoming research trip on the European refugee crisis.

I'd love to have you along for the ride. Just click here for the individual episodes, or better yet, find the World to the Wise podcast in iTunes or your favorite podcast directory, then subscribe and write a quick review! This will help us greatly in getting noticed in podcast searches!

Let the journey begin!

Inaugural Episode

Welcome to the World to the Wise podcast! In this 9-minute initial episode I lay out the purpose of this podcast: to stretch the borders of your thinking, broaden your perspective, and equip you to engage your world. I'm reminded of one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes. It actually has to do with travel in particular, but you'll understand the connection with the purpose of the podcast:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

It is possible to "travel" to other parts of the planet without ever getting on a plane (the phrase "armchair traveler" come to mind.) The more time you take to explore and understand other cultures, other perspectives, and other ways of life and of viewing the world, not only will YOU be the richer, but the world will be that much better off as well.

I hope you enjoy this first episode. We're in for a fun ride! Not only is your feedback appreciated, we depend on it to help shape the show as we move forward. Send your comments and suggestions to podcast@daviddurham.org.

And if you like what you hear, please subscribe on your favorite podcast store site, and do me the favor of writing a quick review -- even one sentence -- which will help get the attention of the podcast distributors and increase our visibility in the increasingly crowded podcast world.

Enjoy!

"We Will Sing of You" - the Family Saga

Saga

My oldest son told me a story that I had to pass on to you: He was talking to a colleague at work who is a veteran of either the navy or the Marines, he's not sure which. We'll call him Sam. At one time Sam was stationed in Iceland, where they would partner from time to time with the Icelandic coast guard in occasional search and rescue missions.

On one occasion Sam and his cohorts were called up for a rescue mission that, for them, was fairly routine. A small boat off the Icelandic coast was caught in rough weather and was taking on water. A father and his two sons had called for help.

Sam and his team arrived by helicopter above the listing boat. He estimates that a half hour later it would have been too late and the boat would have disappeared into the icy Norwegian Sea. The victims were safely taken on board, and although certainly soaked and freezing, escaped the ordeal unharmed.

Shortly afterwards, a banquet was held for the rescuers, attended not only by the family of  rescuees, the American servicemen and their Icelandic counterparts, but also by the President of Iceland himself.

At one point the wife and mother of the rescued family came up to Sam, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said,

"We will sing of you."

Sam wasn't quite sure what to make of this. He of course knew it was an expression of gratitude, but it wasn't until his Icelandic coast guard counterpart explained its significance that he realized the import of the moment.

The lady was referring to the family saga. In Nordic cultures, tales of great deeds have for centuries been passed on by oral tradition from generation to generation. Some of those sagas are put to music. Some tell of feats of heroism, others of family histories. Such was the case here, and this particular family was so thankful for the safe return of their family members that they had decided to compose a new verse in honor of their rescuers.

Imagine a song being sung in your honor for generations. All because you were just doing your job. To this day, Sam tears up telling the story.

So would I.

Starbucks' Most Audacious (and Craziest?) Move Yet

Starbucks Italy

There is a reason so many of the coffee terms at Starbucks and other coffee shops sound Italian. They are. Except that some of them are misused. We'll get to that in a minute, but the big news is that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has decided to circle back to the city where he first had the idea to create a new coffee shop concept: Milan, Italy. The very idea of a Starbucks in the land of the original espresso is a bold move for sure, and many are those who say it will never work. Don't let the menu peppered with Italian words fool you; Starbucks culture is worlds apart from Italian coffee culture. A few significant differences:

• Good luck convincing an Italian to drink coffee out of a cardboard cup.
• Capuccino is served in the morning ONLY. I've even been to Italian coffee bars where there is a sign stating so in no uncertain terms for American tourists.
• All the other variations on a coffee theme Starbucks has concocted over the years, with other franchises following suit, might be a hard sell in Italy. Pumpkin flavor in coffee? Almond soy half-caff? In Italy, caffè è caffè.
• The idea of hanging out with your coffee drink and a laptop for a couple of hours is practically unknown in Italy. The current m.o. is to drink your espresso quickly, often standing up, at the corner coffee bar, then going on about your day.

At this point, Starbucks is planning just one experimental store in Milan. Many eyes will be on that one location to see if the idea might fly in the rest of the country.

Just for fun, here are the literal meanings of some of the Italian words you'll find on a Starbucks menu board or other American coffee shop:

• Espresso - express
• Latte - milk
• Macchiato - stained (although Italians do use the term caffè machiatto to mean "coffee with milk")
• Affogato - drowned
• Venti - twenty
• Mocha - besides the meaning understood in English, a mocha is also the Italian name for the quintessential Italian coffeemaker pictured here:

mocha

Do you have a prediction? Will it fly?

The Revival of Irish

Irish welcome

The language St. Patrick must have learned in order to evangelize the Irish hasn't always been looked on very favorably by other people. Under the British repression that lasted hundreds of years, Irish Gaelic was actually banned from the country of its origin. Fast forward and you find a bit of a revival of the Emerald Isle's mother tongue. It is estimated that only about 130,000 people speak the language fluently, but over a million are believed to understand it to one degree or another.

We English speakers may find it difficult to understand why anyone would go to the trouble of learning a language spoken by such a relatively small number of people. But this betrays our lack of understanding of the strong nationalist spirit still very much alive in Ireland. Even though it is still only a minority in Ireland who speak Irish fluently, it is seen as a symbol of national pride and unity.

One of seven original Gaelic languages, Irish has taken many hits over the years. Besides the British ban on speaking the language in public, the great Irish famine of the 1840's wiped out 20-25% of the entire Irish population, including a good number of native speakers. Many of these also emigrated to the United States and other English-speaking countries.

Even the fact that many Irishmen fought alongside the British in the Great War (WWI) didn't do much toward reviving the fading language. Nor apparently did Irish independence in 1922, even though there are a number of areas designated as Gaeltacht, or Gaelic-language areas.

In recent years, however, a revival has begun to be seen springing up in urban and rural areas alike. The government now favors those learning Irish with different sorts of grants, and Irish colleges give students a 10% boost in their grades for studying in Irish. Tens of thousands of Irish youth attend summer colleges in the Gaeltacht, living with Irish-speaking families.

Irish Gaelic today is not only the official national language of Ireland, but since 2007 has been one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. And chances are, when you venture into any Irish pub (one more thing on my bucket list), you'll hear the irresistible sound of Irish music sung in the mother tongue.

To hear a newscast in Irish, click here. To hear an old Irish storyteller who only speaks Irish and neither reads nor writes, click here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day -- and sláinte! (To your health!)

Let the Countdown Begin!

Microphone

In exactly one month from today, we launch the World to the Wise podcast! I'm looking forward to it for so many reasons. It will give me a chance to connect in a more personal way with friends, readers, and subscribers around the world. And that's the exciting part -- you can listen from practically anywhere on the planet! Sometimes it's easier to SAY what you have to say than to write it. I'll be more spontaneous. In a sense, you'll have a clearer picture of who this David Durham guy is.

The podcast will also give me the opportunity to introduce you to some fascinating people. I've already begun interviewing some of these, and on launch date, April 8, you'll have a chance to meet at least one or two of them. People like Chris Guillebeau, who made it a personal quest to visit every country on the planet. Like Dr. Ming Wang, who escaped the horrors of China's Cultural Revolution to become one of the top pioneering eye surgeons in the world. Or a pair of doctors who have given their lives to bring healing in the hungriest nation on earth.

What do all of my interviewees have in common? All of them have crossed some kind of cultural bridge. Usually voluntarily, sometimes not so much.

In between interviews, I'll be sharing some of my own musings, observations, and stories for the culturally curious. Stories about language, about navigating the changing times we live in, and about discovering cultural gems around the world as well as at home.

I would love for you to join the adventure. This includes writing to me about cultural topics you would like to see addressed. Please leave your comments! What would you like to talk about?