Cultural Exchange Experiences Quotes

Cultural appropriation is a big problem, but the thing is, I didn't invent my life. I really lived in Africa.

In such diffused changes of culture two factors are necessary: contact and understanding.

Russians would make charming visitors at New-Yorke, and civilize that part of America wonderfully.

I have been influenced in my thinking by both west and east.

I was one of the first Japanese to visit foreign lands and was able to do so only by stealth.

An English man does not travel to see English men.

One thing I found very interesting about comedians around the world was their knowledge of stuff outside of their own culture and comfort zone. That's not very common in the States. We produce our own soft power, which is pop culture, but we rarely try to absorb and learn information from other cultures and countries.

I do a lot of cultural material that's based on my traveling around the world. I basically just report what I've seen and where I've been.

There are so many American experiences that we can't know about unless we venture out to create a dialogue, to observe, ask questions, and stay there for a while.

When I was growing up, the Spanish-speaking world was Balkanized. We were isolated. We didn't know what was happening in cultural terms in Ecuador, Colombia and Chile. Nowadays, this has changed a lot - fortunately for writers and readers. There is much more integration.

I got to travel to some pretty awesome places, learn other people's customs, and see what works in their world differently than in ours.

Finally, I have to say that the most surprising aspect has been the speed at which the folks in India adapt to Western practices. They learn fast, really, really fast.

It's different if you're self-fed by a culture such as the U.S. where it's so rich, you don't have to look outside. Everything's already there. But when you grow up in the desert, you have to be looking all over for inspiration.

When you have the first show set in India on American television, there's gonna be a Nervous Nellie kind of vibe.

That odd idea that one person can go to a foreign part and in this rather odd voice describe it to the folks back home doesn't make much sense in the post-colonial world.

I think the most interesting parts of human experience might be the sparks that come from that sort of chipping flint of cultures rubbing against each other. And living on the border between Mexico and the U.S. for so many years gave me a lot of insight into that.

Traveling, I've met Ghanaian people who have seen me in minor stuff, but they see the name Ato Essandoh, and they recognize it as a Ghanaian name. They come up to me and are always so excited. You don't think about it, but they really absorb American culture.

Culture is a fluid, ongoing process. People tend to look at culture in a fixed time but it's constantly moving and evolving, as is the conversation between Americans and Cubans.