The other day I heard about productive procrastination and the term sparked my curiosity. It is the act of being busy while still procrastinating. Whaaat??? I hear you; I was confused too. This is the less obvious sister of the procrastination we all are painfully familiar with. But while we are aware that we procrastinate […]
You in a new culture: to blend in or to stand out?
Is it better to blend in or to stand out? As a little child growing up in communistic Bulgaria, I always wanted to blend in. Not that there were many opportunities to stand out anyway. Everyone was wearing almost the same clothes, watching the same TV programs (no wonder, we only had two TV channels […]
Cultural difference or misused punctuation mark?
“Thank you for being such a ‘good’ friend,” she wrote and, although I knew what she’d meant, I was a bit taken aback. Was it a cultural difference or a misused punctuation mark? My friend had written this sentence on the beautiful card she’d given me before going back to her country. To her, putting […]
Mistakes in English: embrace fear, start speaking
“Stop worrying about mistakes and start speaking. Be confident.” I’ve seen this advice so many times. I’ve even given it myself. But the truth is that it rarely works. Most non-native speakers that I know are afraid of making mistakes when they speak English and just telling them not to be fearful is of no help. Fear […]
New country, new me
Slogans with mistakes?
If correct grammar is so important, then why are some of the largest companies in the world choosing to have slogans with mistakes? Is it because it’s catchy? Or do they have to send their very expensive advertising agents to grammar school? 😅 There are certain situations where a message is more powerful when it’s […]
Late bloomer in a world of glorified prodigies
Late bloomers are underestimated. Wikipedia describes a late bloomer as a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. I often see articles about successful people who have achieved their success very early in life. You know what I mean – lists like 30 under 30 that make many […]
Cultural bridges – adjusting to new life in the US
There’s something about bridges. They always remind me of the time when I left my native country and began my life as a “foreigner.” I don’t know why they have such an effect on me; maybe because they always connect two pieces of something – land, buildings, or anything that needs to be connected. So […]