In a series of emails with Kamla, a blogger from India, I provided the following example of how to participate in this project:
how do you get a taxi in your country? how are they recognized from other vehicles? While this may be a very simple task, there are so many variations to the theme that someone who doesn’t know the rules of engagement will be at a disadvantage. In Mexico I’m always careful to take the red taxis parked outside of certain hotels. Not the green ones running wild through the city. In Canada their paint colors are not standardized. I wonder what tricks are important in India.
While taking a taxi may not be considered a cultural activity, it is part of the body of knowledge that is learnt only once you’re embedded in a particular culture. For those who are pushed away from their original communities, having tools that improve their chances of learning other cultures is very critical. Gaining insight from other people who have gone through the same process will increase your chances of participating in a truly global culture.
So, if you want to participate, pick a very simple thing about your local community and post about it in your blog. Then make sure you use 3 tags:
- globalcitizen
- city/country where this knowledge is relevant
- some other descriptive tag
Some ideas to blog about:
- taking the subway
- calling emergency services
- finding an internet cafe
- live jazz music on friday nights
Once there are enough people posting their snippets of local knowledge, I’ll aggregate them in this space.
