www.lonelyplanet.com
www.travlang.com

Thanks to the power of the Internet, you can take a trip to a far-flung corner of the world without ever leaving your chair. The purpose of this exercise is to enhance your cross-cultural awareness by using the Internet to learn about a foreign country of your choice. Our primary resource is the Internet site www.lonelyplanet.com based on a popular, highly readable, and somewhat offbeat Lonely Planet travel guides available in bookstores. (This is our favorite, but if you prefer another online travel guide, use it and tell others.) At the Lonely Planet Online home page, select “Worldguide” to get “Destinations.” Use the geographic menus on the Destinations page to select a foreign country where your native language is not the primary language. Explore the map of your selected country and then read the material in the “Introduction” and “Facts for the Traveler” and “Culture” sections. If you have the time and interest, read some of the other relevant sections such as “History.”

A second important stop on your Internet trip is www.travlang.com to start building your language skills for your selected country. At the home page, scroll down and select “Foreign Language for Travelers” and then follow steps 1 and 2. Next, select “Basic Words” from the language page you picked in step 2. Practice essential words such as “Hello,” “yes,” “no,” “Thank you,” and any others you deem necessary. Take the language quiz if you have the time.

Questions

1. How strong is your interest in taking a foreign assignment in your selected country? Explain.
   
   
2. Culturally, does your focus country seem to be high-content or low-content, individualistic or collectivist, and monochromic or polychronic? Cite specific clues from your Internet research.
   
   
3. How do you say “Hello” and “Thank you” in the primary language of your chosen country? (Perhaps you have a classmate who can help you with you pronunciation.)
   
   
4. What is the likelihood of experiencing “culture shock” in this country? How could you avoid or minimize it?