Pretty much any culture so ancient so as not to have bearing on life today.
I love ancient Egypt, pre-Roman and Roman Britain, Greece, Rome etc. I haven’t done much studying of ancient East Asian culture, but I still like it to a certain extent.
What have I done about it? Well, I’m in university studying Classics and Ancient history, and it looks likely at this point that I’ll be studying it in grad school, too. I may end up being a professor.
My interest in Lakota culture (for non-Americans, think Native American Indians from the South Dakota-ish area) started because I took a class in non-Western art to meet a college requirement. I ended up liking it so much that I changed my major concentration to Native American arts.
In the course of things, I picked up a lot of info about their culture, history, recent political history, literature, whatever. But I’ve got to say, interesting as that is, when I visited Pine Ridge Reservation for the first time, the thing that hooked me for life was hanging out with people. This is like an art form, really. I got practically nothing done on the academic project I was allegedly working on, instead I spent most of my time hanging around local Indian rodeos, at the combo gas station/diner, sitting in people’s yards watching the grass grow, driving around listening to KILI radio, etc.
It’s still the most amazing, beautiful place I’ve ever been, and believe me, there’s a lot that’s troubling about it, too. I’ve been out there twice, I’d love to go back.
I feel a close affinity to Mexican-American/Chicano culture, even though I’m, you know, not Mexican-American. But both of my parents are from the heavily Chicano East LA area; my dad is from East LA proper and quite literally ALL of his friends are Chicano. He speaks the same lousy street Spanish that his friends growing up did. I’m pretty sure he feels more comfortable with Chicano culture than with Jewish culture. Additionally, we have close family that lives in Mexico City and visits there and to other parts of Mexico have, over the years, inspired my parents’ sense of aesthetics. Their house is painted in bright colors and decorated with Oaxacan wall hangings, Mayan tchotches from the Yucatán, etc. I just visited my parents last week and my mom had arranged a Día de los Muertos altar, with candles and flowers and pictures of the deceased (including Warren Zevon).
I am so happy that I live in a largely Latino neighborhood here in Chicago. There is a panadería, like, around the corner!
Yet another Russophile here-although for me it’s Tsarist Russia-Nicholas II, Tchaikovsky, troikas, cossacks, balalaikas!
God save the Tsar!
I have to make a small correction here: This is the opposition leader, and Finland is not yet THAT progressive.
What the prof probably referred to was that they were the presiden’t husband and the prime minister’s husband. They were of different parties, though, although in theory the president isn’t a part of any party.
I too am a lover of Mexican culture. The thing is, I don’t think I’d like BEING a Mexican. I’m not a terribly macho or serious guy, I’m not into big families, I’m not religious, and about the only thing I personally enjoy from Mexico is Mexican art and food. I think part of what I like about it is that it’s so different from how my life has been. Luckily I’ve had a lot of Mexican friends, including one whose family virtually adopted me for a while.
Add me to the list of rabid Japanese fans. I think there are so many fans because everything about Japan is so dramatically different to any western culture.
Also add me to the list of fans of the USA. This has a lot to do with living there for 6 years but I’m just in awe of the enterprising spirit commonly found in America.
I’ll add Ireland too. The fact that the Irish are the only nationality of people that can move to another country and never piss off the local population fasciantes me. I was in an Irish bar in Germany once and the bartenders were Irish and didn’t speak much German at all. The Germans were fine with that and ordered their drinks in English. Now, if it was an English/American/Aussie bar it wouldn’t have got any German customers and would be seen as obnoxious.
I spent six months in Greece. I could have stayed there. They yell about nothing and shrug shoulders about the big stuff.
Yep I wanna be Greek.
Hong Kong Chinese - I felt really ‘at home’ with my Chinese friends, despite the vast differences in our cultures, and the occasional enormous frustrations that brought.
I seem to fit in OK in Ireland too.
I’m terribly interested in Spain. I already speak decent Spanish and would like very much to learn Catalan, and I’m considering Barcelona for my retirement.
I’ve always been interested in French and France (and to whoever mentioned that they never encountered the rudeness…you’re probably one of the enlightened ones that realizes that france is a different culture and shouldn’t be expected to conform to american norms). I’m now fluent in french, but ever since I was little, I’ve loved the language.
Also, Japan (and more recently other parts of Asia, but Japan was the main one), ancient south American cultures (Aztec, Mayan, Olmec), Druids (Ireland and England and all) and for a while, Native Americans (north america, but it doesn’t fascinate me as much any more, I think I got too much of it when I was little or something)
