mid-week Connect: 7/12/23 ~ Cultural Addresses
Greetings and Happy Midweek!
Since I have just moved and I am knee-deep in making address changes, I thought we would explore the topic of Cultural Addresses today. This fits into both the Home and Host dimensions of Global SKILLs’ 3D Dynamics Perspective, as well as the PROfile component of our PROACTive Framework.* One’s address, whether you are living there or visiting someone there, is a very useful cultural identifier. Since there is a plethora of different kinds of addresses, let’s stick with physical addresses this week. We can explore others in the future.
I have been dealing with physical address versus mailing address questions for weeks now. Specifying what the goal of the address holder or seeker is determines which address is supposed to go in which slot of the form to be filled out, or maybe they are the same, or maybe not! How many places though have you visited in this wide world where there are no mailing addresses because there is no mail service, and physical addresses can get pretty complicated?! Like for example, in Tunisia when I lived there and had to give an address to a taxi driver - it would involve something like “the place I am going is across from the fruit market stand on the main road through the Bab Sadoum Gateway, two doors down from where the nut seller’s cart is (at least it was there this morning)”. Just remembering those directions makes me smile - they hold such a wealth of cultural landmarks…and good memories!
As we live and work across cultures, it’s fun and informative to note how communities designate addresses of inhabitants, landmarks, businesses. These can give us insights into the culture, so don’t miss out by ‘just’ giving or finding an address - see what other treasures are there to be discovered!
How about you ~ what is one cross-cultural address experience or insight you can think of?
Share about that with a friend or note it here.
And check out the Global SKILLs LINKs below for more on addresses.
Thanks for being part of this Connect community.
Until next week,
Betsy
Global SKILLs LINKs
Related Connects: 9/9/20 - greetings; 12/9/20 - correspondence, mail; 3/1/23 - crossroads
(scroll down here to the date to find that post)
~ Google Maps: one of the most expansive world’s addresses resources - add one to it, if you like!
https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6320846?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
~ and how about making up an address for one of these places: https://matadornetwork.com/trips/20-remote-homes-structures-towns/
Notes
* Through my business Global SKILLs and several partner subsidiaries I offer unique cross-cultural consulting and training including:
3 Dimensional Dynamics Model:
1st dimension = HOME & 2nd dimension = HOST (which we explored this week) ; 3rd dimension = HARBOR)
PROACTive Framework:
PRO = PROfile (which we explored this week), PROcess, PROgram
ACT = Application, Collaboration and Transformation
~ contact me for more information on this model and these strategies and how you might use them in your current programming: betsy.barbour@gmail.com
2023 ~ Celebrating 40+ years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
“It takes a community to build a community”
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Please do not reproduce or share without my permission (betsy.barbour@gmail.com)