The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap.

The Girl at the Baggage Claim is an examination of cultural differences in how humans view the world. Jen creates two categories of personalities – the big pit and the flexi-self. Big pits are associated with western cultures and more self-centered and individualistic behaviors that focus on advancing one’s own causes ahead of others’. Flexi-selves, on the other hand, are more closely associated with eastern cultures, including Eastern Europe, and interdependent behaviors aimed at the betterment of the group, even if it is at the expense of the individual. The author provides a series of tests to help readers determine where they fall on the spectrum between the big pit and the flexi-self. Jen, a second generation Chinese-American, presents a unique take the issues, straddling the cultural divide between east and west her entire life. Using cultural psychology as a backdrop for the author’s own experiences, The Girl at the Baggage Claim is a useful read for those interested in cultural geography or Asian society