Calling On Our Culture Explorers
Why We Need Your Beautiful Fascination with Different
Hello Places Posse,
There was a time I wanted to be an anthropologist. In college, I thought Margaret Mead was a badass (controversial, sure), but what a trailblazer. And I had the classiest prof for my intro course. She wore a different scarf every day—silk ones from India, woven ones from Guatemala, delicate lace from Ireland. She'd flutter into class with it draped around her shoulders, unwrapping it with flair as she launched into that day's lesson, as if she had just landed her prop plane out front like Amelia Earhart returning from some exotic expedition.
The woman made fieldwork sound like the most romantic adventure possible. The cool chicks were exploring remote corners of the world, coming back with stories of lost tribes, ancient rituals, and ways of being human that were so beautifully far from anything I knew in my little bubble. I was ready to become one of them.
Turns out, life had other plans. But thankfully, I stumbled into social work, anthropology's scrappy cousin. Same love for studying human behavior and cultural patterns, but with a more immediate impact on lives. Plus, it became my passport to the world. Instead of studying remote tribes, I found myself working with displaced communities and marginalized groups whose cultures were just as complex and fascinating as anything Mead ever documented.
My Cultural Education Continues
I count my blessings for a profession that has taken me all over the world to connect with people in their most authentic moments—not as a tourist, but as someone genuinely invested in understanding how different communities function, heal, and thrive. A couple of places come to mind right away.
Taiwan gave me a guiding principle. Teaching fellow human service workers, I kept walking past this stunning calligraphed proverb at the agency entrance. When a woman from my class finally translated it for me—"happiness is something to do, someone to love, something to hope for"—it hit like lightning. I'd been thinking about happiness and wellbeing all wrong, chasing it like some distant prize. Now I know it's not a destination but three ongoing actions: choosing love, finding purpose, and nurturing hope.
Moloka'i showed me what community care actually looks like. Those Hawaiian community meetings revolutionized my entire approach to leadership. I watched them transform conflict into connection, turn individual complaints into community solutions. No Robert's Rules here—just ancient wisdom that ensured every voice shaped the outcome. They challenged my assumptions about facilitation, questioned my mainland methods, and showed me that true community building is spiritual work. Now, when I facilitate meetings anywhere, I carry their teachings: slow down, listen deeper, and remember that sustainable solutions must serve the collective, not just individual needs.
While my work has taken me to places I never would have had the chance to visit otherwise and provided me access to everything from family kitchens to community councils, it's also taught me that you don't need to go to the ends of the earth to discover profound cultural wisdom; sometimes, it can be found right in the apartment complex down the street.
Recognizing the Culture Explorer in Me (and You)
That inner anthropologist? She never went away. I'm still the person who gets excited about eating mystery food from street vendors while surrounded by conversations in languages I don't understand. I sometimes ask endless questions about how different cultures handle grief, celebrate transitions, raise children, and care for elders.
As I developed the Culture Explorer stamp, I came at it with someone whose deepest joy comes from immersing themselves in different ways of being human—not just collecting experiences, but as someone genuinely invested in understanding how different groups create meaning, solve problems, and build community. I believe there are many of us out there, and that curiosity, even if just a seedling, lives in us all.
The Culture Explorer stamp is part of the Adventure & Exploration pillar. For more information about the framework, see THIS POST.
Find YOUR Places Stamp HERE.
Want more Culture Explorer basics? See HERE.
Download the Culture Explorer Planner & Journal at the bottom of the post to build out your connection plan.
The Psychology Behind This Stamp
Let me get nerdy for a hot minute about why Culture Explorers are essential for humanity's survival. When we immerse ourselves in different cultures, we're literally rewiring our brains for empathy and complex problem-solving.
Here's what happens in your brain when you culture-hop:
Your prefrontal cortex gets a serious workout, boosting flexibility and creativity
Mirror neurons fire when you observe different behaviors, literally helping you understand others
Cognitive flexibility increases, making you better at seeing multiple solutions to problems
Your default mode network (where prejudices hang out) gets disrupted in the best possible way
In my practice, I've seen how people who've experienced different cultures become natural bridge-builders. They're the ones who can walk into a tense meeting and find common ground because they've practiced seeing humanity in unfamiliar packages.
Culture Explorers serve as society's translators. You come back from your adventures with stories that help the rest of us understand that "different" doesn't mean "wrong"—it just means "another way of being human." In our increasingly polarized world, that's survival-level important. Let’s turn the tide.
Why Your Culture Explorer Nature is Essential
Culture Explorers are natural community healers—something we need badly these days.
You serve as society's:
Prejudice disruptors: Your experiences challenge stereotypes before they harden
Empathy teachers: You model curiosity over judgment
Bridge builders: You find common humanity across differences
Wisdom keepers: You preserve stories and traditions that might otherwise be lost
What Makes a Culture Explorer
The Culture Explorer stamp isn't just about traveling to exotic locations. It's about recognizing that you're someone who seeks places and experiences that connect you with the full spectrum of human creativity, ingenuity, and resilience. You're drawn to situations that challenge your assumptions, not because you enjoy discomfort, but because learning how other people live expands who you are.
Let's explore how to embrace and try out the wonderful qualities of this stamp. You'll see a couple of my own "to-do’s" mixed in, too. If you've experienced any of these, I'd love to hear your insights and tips!
First Step: Practice Tourist-to-Immersion Awareness
Through years of professional and personal travel, I've learned to distinguish between cultural tourism and cultural immersion:
Cultural tourism says "Look at how different they are" and maintains separation. Cultural immersion says "Look at how creatively they've solved problems we all face" and seeks connection across differences.
The Culture Explorer stamp represents this evolution. We can go from casual interest in differences to deep investment in understanding human ingenuity across cultures. I encourage you to give it a try next time your faced with a differing worldview.
Start Local: Your Culture Explorer Training Ground
Pow Wow Participation (Check Local Tribal Nations)
Many tribes welcome respectful visitors to public pow wows and other ceremonies. Follow protocols (ask before photographing, understand sacred vs. social dances), and prepare to be amazed by the intricacies and beauty of this community event.
ON MY TO-DO: The Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Experience
Find your local Ethiopian restaurant and ask about their buna coffee ceremony. It's a 2-3 hour ritual that teaches patience, community, and the art of slowing down. I'm looking at one in Portland. It looks like I need to go hungry: the ceremony includes amazing food, and pointing at injera and munching on popcorn sounds delightful. If you've been, please let me know!
Mid-Range Adventures: Safe But Transformative
San Antonio's Mission Trails
Consider hiking or biking the 8-mile trail to visit the 18th-century Spanish missions and other sites along the trail system. Visit the active parishes and churches, living pieces of Tejano culture. Stay in the Southtown district and practice your Spanish with vendors at the Farmers & Artisans Market. Stop by a colorful panadería and get some conchas and marranitos!
ON MY TO-DO: Quebec
I've never been to Quebec City, but it's on my short list, especially during the fall foliage. I want to be dropped into French-Canadian culture, stay in Old Quebec, eat tourtière, and practice my terrible French. Or maybe I'll wait for early spring to enjoy snowboarding and a proper sugar shack. Oh heck, I'll just keep both seasons on my to-do list.
Bigger Adventures: For the Committed Culture Explorer
Taiwan
Taiwan offers incredible cultural density in a compact package. Night markets teach you about communal eating at its greatest, while temples showcase multiple ways of living spirituality. Visit indigenous cultural centers, like the National Museum of Prehistory, or spend hours in the National Palace Museum to admire the famous treasures.
ON MY TO-DO: Morocco
I've heard it's best to start with a group tour. Morocco offers incredible cultural immersion. I want to experience hammam rituals, navigate souks, and say yes to tea invitations while learning Arabic greetings.
Your Practical Culture Explorer Toolkit
1. The Language Bridge
Learn these phrases in any language: "Hello," "Thank you," "Please," "I don't understand," and "Can you help me?" You're showing respect through the effort of communication.
2. Some Curiosity Question Prompts
"How do you celebrate [holidays/life events] here?"
"What's a tradition visitors often misunderstand?"
"What would you want people to know about your community?"
"Can you teach me the proper way to [eat this/greet people/show respect]?"
3. The Respectful Observer Rules
Ask before assuming: That festival might be sacred, not tourist entertainment
Act appropriately: Learn some local customs before you arrive
Dress codes might matter: Research religious/cultural expectations
Photography permissions: Always ask, especially of people or religious sites
Sacred vs. social: Be mindful of when you're witnessing something spiritual and awe-inspiring
4. For Stretching Your Culture Explorer Side
Monthly: Try one new cultural experience in your own city
Quarterly: Take a weekend trip somewhere culturally different from home
Annually: Plan one bigger adventure that challenges your worldview
Daily: Practice curiosity about people who seem different from you
Dear Culture Explorer,
Thank you for not judging other ways of being human. You're learning from them. You know that every culture has something valuable to offer, and you're humble enough to be taught.
Your gift is finding places that broaden your perspective and deepen your understanding of humanity. Use it wisely, and always travel with your inner anthropologist as your guide.
The world needs more people like you who understand that "different" doesn't mean "wrong," just "another beautiful way of solving the puzzle of being human."
Heal our world with your openness,
Natalie
Not sure about your stamp makeup? Take the quiz HERE. Want more about the Culture Explorer stamp? See HERE.
Download the Culture Explorer Planner & Journal. Please let me know what you think!
Exploring cultures feels a lot like touching the Root Qi of humanity
Every story, tradition, and symbol carries a wave a resonance that connects us beyond time and geography. This is what I call the ontological field / autoflow: it’s not just knowledge in the head, but a subtle radiation that we stand inside, like how Wi-Fi fills a room even when we don’t see it.
This is a great tool kit!