Gotta love these Korean Air posters…

South Africa was built on apartheid. For generations prior to 1994, blacks and whites were separated, with the whites essentially exploiting the powerless blacks for immense wealth and power. Blacks, who make up around 77% of the population of 45 million, were denied citizenship, subjected to legalized oppression and limited to menial, labor-intensive jobs. “Coloreds,” or people of mixed race, and Indians were placed socially above the blacks, but still considered inferior to the whites that comprised only 10% of the population.

Today, less than 20 years later, despite a Nelson Mandela-led transition into equality that went far smoother than could have been expected, race-related tension is still prominent. One of the areas in which this is most noticeable is in the jobs sector, with whites often complaining that the affirmative action measures in place tip the scales far too much against them.

Since the Employment Equity Act that was introduced in 1998, companies with 50 employees or more are required to provide equal opportunity for people that were previous disadvantaged on the grounds of race. While it applies to all sectors, enforcement officials have given extra attention to the banking, mining and insurance industries, which were historically dominated by whites.

This is a very touchy subject. Because while one can logically argue that by limiting promotional opportunities for whites—you run the risk of brain drain and losing competitiveness on a global scale, not on the basis of race but on education and experience, non-whites were also legally prevented from attaining education and experience to develop managerial skills.

But if you look at the numbers, surveys have shown that blacks currently hold around 30% of professional management positions in the country—still a far lower ratio than their demographic representation. It is also evident that the representation of blacks at the highest levels of management is still more than 80% lower than in “unskilled and defined decision-making” positions.

This debate has gone beyond the traditional job markets, even into decisions about rosters on the nation’s athletic teams. It was a huge scandal in 2002 when president of the country’s cricket board ordered the replacement of a white player with one of mixed race. The country is passionate about cricket, and whites complained that their 100 years of experience in the sport warranted inclusion on the national team. Blacks, however, argued that they were essentially banned from the sport for those 100 years, and thus were more than deserving of opportunities to reach a level playing field now.

Given the actual numbers mentioned above, it is hard to really give credibility to the white argument that they are suffering and battling the odds. They are simply having to work harder for things that were handed to them before, and I sincerely hope that rather than spark racial tensions on micro levels, it will lead to finally a truly equal society on the macro level. For a country that prides itself on being the “Rainbow Nation”, this is not only desirable, but essential.

Club Night in Mainz

Given the surface level appearance of the typical German, the last thing I expected to encounter here was a world-class club scene. Yet it doesn’t take long to realize that this country is much more than massive festival halls and beer gardens. Berlin has gained notoriety around the globe for its until-the-next-day brand of clubbing, while Hamburg and Munich have a thriving scene as well.

The legal age limit for clubbing here is 18, but many clubs allow 16 or 17 year olds in until midnight. This of course extends beyond midnight in many places where enforcement is minimal, but the top clubs in major cities typically have pretty strict ID checks.

In general, though, you should come with an open mind and open eyelids, because the clubs here—which range from office towers to converted power stations—often stay open until noon. So none of this “wee hours of the morning” stuff—here, they go hard until the next day. And while techno and dubstep still rule the scene, the variety of clubs have grown with their popularity, so whatever you’re looking for, you’ll be able to find. Ask around, as the hottest spots are always changing.

Grand Opening in Munich

All Night in Berlin

Heidelburg in on the Action

This is at a mall….too much of this around D.C.!

Nearly half a million Spanish citizens fled the country during its Civil War between 1936 and 1939 and during the ensuing Franco regime, mostly to France because of its proximity and Latin America because of the cultural synergies. Now, perhaps due to its low birth rate which has made Spain generally open to immigration over the past few years, the country has opened its doors to anyone who can prove that his or her parents or grandparents went into exile during the war or the first few decades of Franco’s dictatorship that followed.

With anywhere between 500,000 and 1 million people eligible, Spanish embassies are expecting to be full of applications, particularly in Argentina, Mexico, and perhaps most the most intriguing of them all, Cuba. The irony is that this decision comes at the same time Spain has started paying economic migrants from non-”Latin” communities (read: Arab, Muslim) to return home, citing language, a Catholic heritage and history as a reason for welcoming certain migrants over others. “We can’t just open the doors unlimited to everyone,” Spain’s director general of immigration said in a Monocle article. “It makes sense that we do everything for those who have a right to be Spanish.”

Imagine some of those perfect contradictions that make this world a better place—sweet and sour, fire and ice, kick and snare—the possibilities are endless.

Now imagine an actual city that works that way. That city is Amsterdam. The perfect contrast of order and disorder, organization and discord, beauty and dirt, righteousness and sin—Amsterdamers are not easy to classify.

To the uneducated outsider, one may easily mistake the Dutch for being incredibly laid back, grungy, and perhaps even a little wild. After all, this is the country known outside of its borders for marijuana and open-window prostitution. But spend 10 minutes talking to a local, and you’ll quickly see that your preconceptions couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here are your 12 tips to help you make sure you can fit in here in the Netherlands:

1. Be direct. Beating around the bush is not typically a part of communication here.
2. Respect everyone’s opinion—no matter what someone’s title or place on the hierarchy, everyone’s voice gets heard here.
3. Along these same lines, decisions are typically made in the spirit of group consensus.
4. In light of that, get rid of that idea that these are liberal people. Conservatism runs deep in many aspects of the culture here, and change is slow to come by.
5. They probably know more about your culture than you do about theirs. And they definitely speak your language better than you speak theirs.
6. Don’t be pretentious. It won’t make you friends here.
7. Of course the Dutch have a sense of humor, but refrain from trying out your new material in a business meeting.
8. You may be used to going to happy hour with your colleagues after work. They are not. There is actually a fairly strong separation between work and personal life.
9. You may be proud of your education, and that’s great. But they are probably just as educated as you.
10. If you are going to work here, don’t plan to hop jobs as one may do elsewhere. Continuing the theme of conservatism and slow change, Dutch workers tend to maintain loyalty to one company for a long time.
11. As such, employers are loyal to employees—Dutch labor laws make it difficult for them to get rid of unwanted workers.
12. Don’t let the conservatism intimidate you—it is common to address colleagues informally, by first name.

Now you’re all set to navigate a social or business situation in the Netherlands like a local!

Chinese people are many things—ambitious, competitive, hard-working, high-achieving and, outwardly anyway, humble. One thing they are not, however, is shy. If you’re anywhere near a major city (and this is likely to be the case, given that there are an astounding 91 metropolitan areas in China with a population exceeding one million), you’re going to be pushed, smothered, and have people in your face constantly. The best way to deal with this is to prepare yourself mentally before you come—it’s going to happen, so no use in getting upset about it.

First, if you happen to be waiting in a queue to get in anywhere—be it airport check-in, a market, the subway or anywhere else—you probably will be sandwiched between two strangers so tightly you can’t breathe. In the case of the subway, you may find yourself not even having to exert any of your own energy to get up the stairs—simply let the mass wave of inertia surrounding you whisk you away.

Second, just as you will face crowds, people in those crowds will try to cut in front of you. Whether they employ the direct strategy (i.e. elbowing you in the side and never turning their head while they take your place in line) or the subtle (waiting for the moment you look at your iPhone’s playlist to slide in front of you), it’s going to happen. Get used to it.

That’s not to say there isn’t anything you can do to make dealing with a crowds a little more manageable—you just may not be so comfortable with it if you’re from a place where manners in public actually exist. You’ll save yourself mounds of frustration, and perhaps even earn a little respect from those behind you, if you get comfortable with the idea of throwing your body mass into the person in front of you. If you have the right mindset, it’s actually kind of fun after awhile, and it will make sure you’re doing your part to keep the crowd funneling its way forward.

Crowds at Shanghai’s venerable Yuyuan Garden

A scene from Beijing’s busy subway

When you are riding the Metro in Paris, this is the warning you get to keep your fingers out of the door…

While Argentina has traffic rules like everywhere else, your first time behind the wheel in Buenos Aires can be quite an adventure. Given the extensive bus system (see how to ride here), you don’t really need to drive in the city, although driving can be among the best ways to get outside of BA and explore some of the vast countryside. But since you’re likely to have to traverse greater Buenos Aires at some point, it’s best to know how the game is played!

Here’s a few tips that will keep you (and hopefully your vehicle) in one piece:

1. He Who Honks First…has Right of Way

Yes, while there are traffic signals here, that doesn’t mean everybody obeys them. More often than not, cars will honk to announce their approach into an intersection, and are likely to take that honk as having earned right of way. So be careful!

2. Don’t Turn Left

From main roads anyway, left turns are not typically permitted here. This is not always followed (as you may have guessed from Tip #1), but unless it’s specifically stated that you can turn left, you probably aren’t supposed to. Circle the block!

3. Get Ready for Tolls

Many of the main highways, especially around Buenos Aires, are privately owned. As such, you’ll probably have to pay a toll to ride.

4. Check Your Suspension

Not that you will really able to do much about this, but given Argentina’s tenuous financial state, road maintenance is not among the top priorities these days. You’re likely to hit a pothole, or three, so just keep your eyes on the road and don’t expect smooth sailing!

5. Don’t Leave Anything Visible

This should be common sense for most people in cities around the world, but if you park your car and leave anything that can even be perceived to have value in plain view, don’t expect it to be there when you return!

6. Wear Your Seat Belt!

In case you haven’t picked up anything else from Tips #1, #2 and #4, you’re not likely to have the smoothest Sunday drive you’ve ever had here. So be smart!

7. Enjoy the Adventure!