Cross-culture—era
Within the same era includes a similar
world history, science, medicine, possibly economics, technology, etc. but seen
through different perspectives. Culture to culture affects language
communication, social status, and vocational capabilities. It impacts
immigrants and emigrants whether for a brief sojourn, or a lifelong change. Did
a person willing travel to a foreign country for business or education, or are
they in a new country as refugees?
The series Off the Map took the medical genre and plunked it in a third world
environment. Three young doctors must learn how to be doctors without hospitals,
often without traditional medication, operate under adverse circumstances, and
learn to navigate a foreign culture without a vocabulary to communicate.
It is often surprising to find that even
simple habits need to be changed. When I first moved to the USA from Canada I
discovered ‘my tea’ was not sold on the west coast but on the east coast only.
I switched to coffee out of desperation for strong enough caffeine. A few years
later it showed up on my grocer’s shelf and I literally did a ‘commercial style’
shriek that startled everyone around me. No one understood why that tea made such a difference. It was such a
minor detail and yet provided a longtime familiar equilibrium to my mornings.
Exercise: Write up
a scene where your character has made either a state-to-state move within her
country, or perhaps a neighborhood move within a large city. Mark what changes
she finds amusing, or frustrating, or challenging.
Share: Which one
raises a level of tension for her?
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