All posts filed under: Randoms

Culture vs Converse: Shoo to All Shoes or are your Jimmy Choo’s Exempt?

Published by Donna Luangmany

Entering a house with bare feet is second nature to us Lao. We wouldn’t dare walk through someone’s abode with our street shoes on. But there are many Americans who disagree. In fact, it can be a controversial topic! Removing your shoes might ruin a carefully curated outfit, make you cold, or worse, expose your mismatched socks and smelly feet. And who can forget that Sex and the City episode where Carrie took off her Manolos and someone else went home with them?! Have you ever wondered why we take off our shoes? Or do you need some fuel for the “shoes off” side of the debate? Follow along. Removing shoes is a common practice in many parts of the world. You’ll find footwear by the front entry in Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea. And this isn’t just common in the East. Some people in Germany, Switzerland, Finland, and Turkey cringe at just the thought of hanging out inside with your shoes on. Here in Canada, most of us leave our shoes at the door, …

AHHA Education: Teaching English is a Community Recycling Endeavor

Published by A Ou

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela When was the last time you thought to yourself, “I’m so grateful to be able to use and understand English.” If like me, probably never. Well, as Rocket Raccoon put it, not everyone “know talking good like me and you.” The inability to use English severely limits a person’s prospects in many areas of life. Imagine all the great stuff you’d miss out on: something as simple as googling an answer to a vapid question, at worse, and a pressing matter, at best. Forget writing that convoluted love letter to the cute host working at the Thai restaurant at National Harbor. Too specific? Anyhow, life would just be a little bit harder, don’t you think? So yes, English proficiency is an essential skill required to function in our modern world. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to learn and develop their English skills. Coming from Laos, growing up around the education business with my father owning and operating …