This October there are nearly twenty independence days from countries
all over the world. Countries as wide ranging as China to Zambia are celebrating this month.  A very Happy Independence Day to all!

People’s Republic of China – October 1-2, Nigeria – October 1, Guinea – October 2, Lesotho October 4, Fiji – October 7, Germany – October 3, Uganda – October 9, Republic of China/Taiwan – October 10, Spain – October 12, Zambia – October 24, Iran – October 26, South Vietnam – October 26, St Vincent and Grenadines – October 27, Turkey – October 29

Read the views on the USA of a 25 year-old girl from Taiwan, whose
first experience of ‘abroad’ was as a student in Michigan. A lot of cross-cultural differences between those two cultures! Mindy (Min-Yi Chang) is now back home and reflects on her time in the US. Here are the two extracts I found the most interesting – from the blog post on Pocket Cultures which is always an enjoyable and insightful read.

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I was recently sent an email with some amusing photos
comparing overcrowded trains in India and Pakistan (as pictured on the right) with slick, modern trains in other parts of the world. I began to wonder just how stereotypical were these pictures and whether any of them depicted a true-to-life view of train travel around the world. My investigation led to some interesting blogs and some stunning pictures.

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