When thinking about cultures that we expect to interact with that aren't our own, the term "culture shock" comes to mind. But what does this term actually mean and when do we feel it the most strongly? This week our special guest is Reece - a long-time friend of Yuchen with some hilarious stories about their time in China together. Along with helping us understand their experience with culture shock, Reece and Yuchen also give a deep and practical insight into Chinese culture in the form of a story with a few twists and turns! As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you!

Part 2 with Ed jumps straight in to talk about: - Research into cross-cultural perceptions - Therapy around the world - Giving advice across cultures - Cultural appropriation Ed is the podcast host of A Need to Read and recently moved from the UK to Bali to continue recording his podcast and training in martial arts. Throughout his experience, he has amassed a significant online following of avid readers and is personally responsible for vastly increasing his followers' personal libraries. As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you!

In the last episode with Dr Fouser, hosts Yuchen and Stewart tried to get to grips with Korean architecture, specifically the cultural and social relevance of the Hanok (한옥) - a traditional building that is highly representative of the Korean mindset. In this episode, we continue our discussion and move on to talk about our yards, how we heat our homes, and the Korean equivalent of Feng shui. If you're looking to follow along with visuals, all images can be found here (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1D2QDtQfrzOK22OVrb6N9T5IlJTOLnT8X?usp=sharing) with timecodes below! 00:00 - 01:08 - Intro to the series 01:08 - 03:34 - Recap of last episode 03:34 - 08:30 - Thinking about our 'yards' and heating (Picture 1 & 2) 08:30 - 15:05 - Feng shui / Pengsu and positive/negative space (Picture 3) 15:05 - 18:02 - Understanding generational differences and preservation 18:02 - 21:01 - External construction and interior design laws 21:01 - 22:42 - Outro Find out more about Context Our Website (www.contextculture.uk) Our Instagram (@context_culture) Our Facebook (Context Culture) Our Twitter (@Contextculture_) Find out more about Dr Robert J. Fouser Goodreads publication list (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5186588.Robert_J_Fouser)

Korean architecture might not initially seem like the most effective lens to learn about culture, but just listen to this podcast and see for yourself! In this episode, hosts Yuchen and Stewart interview Dr Robert J. Fouser, an expert in Korean architecture with a specific focus on the cultural and social relevance of the Hanok (한옥). Dr Fouser has self-published a number of books with a large amount of them being written in Korean (not his native language!) If you're looking to follow along with visuals, all images can be found here (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1S8Iv7UNhzEaxCpAtSivZBj8TyEYwDttU?usp=sharing) with timecodes below! 00:00 - 02:38 - Intro to the series and the hosts 02:38 - 05:21 - Intro to Dr Robert J. Fouser (Picture 1 of Dr Robert J. Fouser, Picture 2 of Dr Fouser teaching Korean) 05:21 - 07: 56 - How Yuchen met Dr Fouser 07:56 - 12:52 - Introduction to the Hanok including the history and the preservation (Pictures 3 - 5) 12:52 - 18:27 - How traditional Korean architecture is representative of the Korean mindset 18:27 - 21:31 - Comparison of the Hanok across other, similar, buildings across South East Asia and the development of these properties 21:31 - 26:25 - How governments have balanced preservation and development - with reference to development in European cities 26:25 - 30:46 - Development in capitals and former capitals 30:46 - 34:00 - Does the Hanok actually challenge what buildings are for? 34:00 - 36:14 - Development during the Beijing olympics and architectural progress 36:14 - 37:58 - Outro As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you! Find out more about Context Our Website (www.contextculture.uk) Our Instagram (@context_culture) Our Facebook (Context Culture) Our Twitter (@Contextculture_) Find out more about Dr Robert J. Fouser Goodreads publication list (https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5186588.Robert_J_Fouser)

It's no question how important it is to read. But if you're like anything like us, you'll find the most obscure excuses that mean you can get on with something more "important".  "It's just one more episode" "But I really should get this work done" And many more! Our guest today talks to us about the importance of reading, as well as how we can use books as a tool to better understand people from different backgrounds to our own, and the perspectives they hold. We focus on questions such as: - What does it mean to be a good person? - How can the meaning of books get lost in translation? - How does our culture impact the way we see the world? Ed is the podcast host of A Need to Read and recently moved from the UK to Bali to continue recording his podcast and training in martial arts. Throughout his experience, he has amassed a significant online following of avid readers and is personally responsible for vastly increasing his followers' personal libraries. As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you! Books mentioned in this episode: - The Analects - Confucius - Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff - How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie - Chasing the scream - Johann Hari - Turtles all the way down - John Green - Utopia for Realists - Rutger Bregman

A lot of us dream of being bilingual. Something about being able to live, think, perceive and enjoy the world in another language is an extremely appealing idea! So what actually is it like to be bi(or more)lingual? How does a new vocabulary shape our perceptions of the world around us as well as ourselves? In this episode, we speak with Nicole, a freelance translator from Beijing, China. Nicole not only speaks brilliant English, but also has a keen grasp on other South East Asian languages that have allowed her to explore and make connections across the globe. As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you!

New lockdown restrictions in the UK, global travel bans and a halting of education in the majority of Western European, North American and South American countries. Studying abroad (or even leaving your house for that matter) can feel like a far-away experience, but Zaim is here to remind us of what studying abroad can feel like, along with the challenges you're likely to face on the way. Zaim is a current undergraduate at Lancaster University who moved from Malaysia, his home country, after his high-school years and as a result of attending an international college. Education isn't his only focus, however, and he is currently in the midsts of directing his first film production to be shown at the Malaysian Student Film Festival in March.  As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you!

This series has been produced with one goal in mind, to increase the baseline of cross-cultural competence across the globe. How do we do this? Well, we bring on guests from a variety of backgrounds - from students to consultants, and ask them to share insights on their experiences interacting with individuals from different cultural backgrounds than their own. Each episode should give you a deeper insight into the culture of our guests, as well as your own culture and outlook on the world. We hope you enjoy the show and would love to hear from you! Our email is [email protected]

Welcome to 2021, we told you we'd still be here with you! Today we have an episode that was recorded last year (2020 that is) between co-hosts Yuchen and Stewart, along with their special guest of the day - Cheryl Li. Cheryl is a 3rd year British born Chinese biomedical science student from UCL who has had a significant variety of international experiences. In this episode, we talk about Cheryl's upbringing as someone from China living in the UK, her perception of relationships with those back in China, her experience with different cultural groups and much more. If you're interested in studying in the UK, getting perspective on a cultural group different than your own or learning about how you might bridge the gap between your culture and others - this is the episode for you! As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you!

The Culture Cast Christmas special! In this episode, we hear from Joyce and Ben Long who are avid travellers from the United States. Their travels have taken them all across Asia - most notably to Singapore where they lived for over 16 years! In this episode, we talk about their decision to move to Singapore, what it meant for their family, how it changed their perceptions of the US and how they dealt with the many changes both leaving for Singapore and coming back home! As always, we hope you enjoy and if you have any questions or want to appear on the podcast, send us an email at [email protected] . We'd love to hear from you! You can also find out more about our mission and our team by checking out our website at www.contextculture.uk - we also have a wealth of free to access resources that will help kickstart your cross-cultural education journey. Finally, please like this episode, follow our stream and rate our podcast so we can keep making content with brilliant guests like the ones you've already heard from. Thank you!