esl students sharing cultural difficulties

this is an interesting idea, however, it does seem limited in how much activity they put on it:

http://tesl.engl.iastate.edu/510/F02/finalculturalgapfile/Homepage/frameset1.htm

I found these recored comments from some students interesting about there not being enough clerks in the supermarket to ask questions to (esp since we as esl teachers might suggest they find a clerk which to ask their questions - come to think of it, i have the same difficulty, it is not as easy as it sounds)

It wasn't easy shopping in the supermarkets, especially with no attendants standing at every aisle, like back home. All the items being so different from what I was used to definitely through me the first few times. But a few wonderful, kind people helped me out with picking out the best products and brands for the items I needed and showed me how to make the best deals. I couldn't have done it without them.
A student from Kenya

It is very difficult to find a attendant in a US supermarket. In China there are so many attendants around that you can easily find where the thing you want is, by asking the attendant. But in the US supermarket, I rarely see an attendant and I have to spend a longer time looking for what I want.
A student from China


I especially like the ability to search for shared issues/concerns which might be a limitation of a blog for keeping student comments.

This came from iowa state's project links which are at the very bottom of this page:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/%7Eapling/projects.html

There are also some pronunciation activities on the same project page.