When Cultural Differences Hit a Nerve

Heather Markel, Blogger, Speaker, Adventurer
27 October 2018
Sometimes it’s hard to understand how other cultures live and what they accept.
In my last post I mentioned my delightful trek and visit to a small village outside Sapa in Vietnam. Our guide, Cu, explained how her people live, and I found myself bracing against my own feelings about what her people accept. Cu is from the village of Lao Chai, and her ancestors came from China about 800 – 1,000 years ago. They were colorful clothing, and seem to be a very happy culture.

Cu demonstrates how fabric is handmade and dyed.
Photograph by Heather Markel, Copyright 2018
“Girls older than 18 are considered to old to marry in this small village!”
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Woman carrying her baby.
Photograph by Heather Markel, Copyright 2018
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From what I saw, there is an abundance of children. In fact, the only people I saw outside in the village were very young. There were a lot of babies and parents. I think the oldest person I saw was 50 years old. Cu explained this is because elderly people are tired so they stay indoors. Typically they will look after their grandchildren and rest.
I look in at the grade school classroom and think about the future ahead for the girls and boys at each desk. I wonder how they feel about these roles. Cu says this life is how it is in her village, but outside in big cities, it’s very different. She currently lives in a home with her in-laws, two of her brother-in-laws, her new sister-in-law and 3 children, 2 of which are hers. Because that’s too many people in the house, Cu and her husband plan to build a house and move out within the next 2 years.