Essential Writings

Germany - the powerhouse of Europe and pillar of the Eurozone - feels reassuringly familiar. However, despite superficial appearances, this is a country that operates very differently from the USA and Britain. German history is more than a thousand years old and the relatively new German nation-state encompasses an astonishing variety of cultural and regional differences. German society is also in a state of flux, as people respond to immigration and a tough economic climate, and traditional attitudes such as formality and rigid protocol are softening as German business globalizes.

Set aside your preconceptions of postcard scenery, chocolate and cheese, faceless bankers, and spotless cities. The real Switzerland is anything but bland. This small, multilingual, and fiercely independent country at the heart of Europe is full of surprises. Culture Smart! Switzerland reveals the human dimension of this enigmatic country. It provides a historical overview, explores Swiss values and attitudes, and looks at the cultural continuity of festivals and traditions.

This guide was created as a quick start. It focuses on the essential and the special, the lodging, the regional food, sights and activities, the must-sees and must must-dos, and how to succeed at Spanish and build relationships.

Mignon Fogarty can't remember whether it was a misused semicolon, a chronic case of comma splicing, or an "affect" when an "effect" was called for, but at some point she had seen one mangled sentence too many. Determined to counter the slipping standards of good writing in daily discourse...

If you are facing a move across the country or across the globe and you are concerned about making friends or fitting in to a new culture, then keep reading. As a cultural nomad who has re-planted and re-started life in Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, North America, and Europe, the author has navigated this process many times. She identifies the challenges of shifting between cultures and has developed a set of tools that can make the process easier for you. In Cultural Chameleon, T.A. Robbie helps to ease your adventure crossing cultures.