Today I
went to Bruges to shop with my friend. We came across many Chinese tourists. At
the end of the afternoon we entered a pub to have a drink. A Chinese woman and
a white man sat at the table next to ours. They were talking about friendship.
According to the Chinese woman you can't betray a friend, even if that friend
committed a criminal act. The white man didn't agree. According to him you're
obligated to adhere to standards. The white man said: "What would you do
if your friend committed a murder?" It was silent for a moment because the
Chinese woman hesitated. Finally she said: "I don't know." Then they
changed topic.
It's obvious that the Chinese woman is a particularist and the man is an
universalist. As they ended the discussion it's not clear which attitude is
considerate appropriate. In my opinion it depends on the situation.
My brother goes every year on a large trip. He already visited a lot of continents. This year he went to Ghana during the holiday season. He came back three weeks ago. He showed me all the pictures he took and sometimes he added some comments.
He very often took pictures of groups of Africans. He explained that Africans are group-oriented. So traditions and family are very important to them. I noticed that the Africans doesn't look arrogant at all. So from this it follows their culture is rather feminine. They show sympathy for the weak and they express solidarity. Modesty is widely accepted.
My brother also stated English is a semi-official language. Some other languages are Dagbani, Ewe, Ga ... We also discussed their eating habits and religion. Most inhabitants of Ghana are Muslims, therefore planning for the future is inappropriate.
So I learned a lot about the culture of this country.
In July I went on a trip to Greece. The owners of the hotel where we stayed, were Greeks. So I had the opportunity to look for cultural differences.
We arrived at the hotel in the middle of the night. The owner welcomed us. I noticed he stood rather close during the conversation. In general Greeks don't need much space when interacting with others. The next morning we went to the reception and we inquired after the price to hire a safe-deposit box. The receptionist answered the question while he was typing (Greece follows polychronic time). When we decided to hire one, he got up to hand the key over. A couple of days later we came across, two women who walked along the street holding hands. Firstly, we were surprised, but then I realised this is very common in this country.
These are the three differences I noticed. If I had stayed, I would certainly have discovered a lot more differences.
I live in
Ypres. At a sunny afternoon I came across an English visitor in the town centre.
He asked me where he could buy some chocolate. I explained there are several
specialized shops, but products are cheaper at the shops located outside the
town centre. He preferred a shop outside the town centre and I showed him the
way. During the conversation the man made eye contact for two seconds.
Then he said: "You are certainly a student!" He went on to ask for
information about my studies and the educational system in Belgium. He
explained in England a person's position in society determines educational
opportunities. Someone in the lower class could attend an elite educational
institution but it is very difficult. He said this is an unfair system. At the
moment his son was trying to attend such an institution but it is very hard. He
prefers the Belgium educational system.
Ten minutes later, the man left. It was a very interesting conversation.
A classmate of a good friend comes from Tunisia. She and her family moved to Belgium when she was a child. Her religion, the Islam, has always been very important to her. So today she's still a very religious person.
During the holiday season I went to a lecture about the Islam together with the Tunisian girl and my friend. When we arrived the Tunisian girl embraced her friends. In Tunisia they sometimes communicate through the use of bodily contact. During the lecture, I learned a lot about the Islam. They believe that their destiny is already determined. Allah knows what a Muslim will do in a particular situation. He doesn't say the Muslim had to act in that way, He just knows. So the will of Allah is very important and planning for the future is inappropriate. According to their belief, the opinion of a woman's husband is also very important. So a woman can't hardly take any decisions, she's considered subordinate to men.
After the lecture we ate together with all the persons present. It was an informative and pleasant activity!
One of my best friends studies Human Resources Management. She did a work placement in China for three months (February 2012 - May 2012). Every time we meet, she talks about her experiences and the Chinese culture. Sometimes I ask for information about several issues.
Some of her Chinese colleagues talked a lot about their parents and grandparents they had to take care of. So it's obvious the elderly are highly respected. The family is more important than the individual to the Chinese. Therefore, China is a collectivistic country.
During her traineeship, she attended twice a meeting. She noticed that the Chinese avoid eye-contact during the conversation. She looked for an
appropriate explanation on the Internet. For the Chinese it is a way of showing respect. So from then onward she tried to avoid eye-contact as well.
She sometimes got annoyed at their way of communicating. The message wasn't always clear so she had to read between the lines to understand the intended meaning. As a foreigner this isn't always easy.
The next time she will certainly tell about some other aspects of the Chinese culture. So I'm looking forward to see her again!
A good friend of mine went on erasmus to the United States, Seattle. So at the end of her stay she has a number of American friends. She was very close with one girl, Amanda Parker. So it was hard for her to leave for Belgium but they decided to meet each other again. Amanda Parker came to Belgium during the holiday season. Like this I had the opportunity to meet an American girl. My friend, Amanada and I went on a daytrip to the sea. It wasn't only a very pleasant day but I also learned a lot about the culture of the North Americans.
First of all, I noticed she expresses clearly what is on her mind. So as already mentionned in the lessons, the United States language and culture are examples of low-context communication. During our trip we talked about the surroundings and I asked Amanda for popular places of interest in the United States. One day I would like to go to the U.S. Topics we discussed later include the educational system, television programmes and hobbies. I also asked if she is a religious person, but she didn't answer. She just said people in the United States often belong to different religions. So it's obvious religion is a conversation taboo in the U.S.
As I stated in the previous paragraph, we talked about the educational system. We concluded that one of the differences between the two systems is about competitiveness. At postsecondary level the U.S. educational system is competitive. This is not the case in Belguim. Amanda decided at the beginning of her final year at secondary school to study economics. Her parents learned her to think for herself so she's rather individualistic as most of the inhabitants of the U.S. She graduated this year form university and now she is working as a junior manager. She told us she wanted to hold a high position in the future. From this it follows that men and women have the same rights in the United States.
Of course, we also had a lot of fun and enjoyed the nice weather!
A couple of months ago I was invited at the birthday party of my Asian friend (She's Indian). Not only friends but also family members such as brothers, sisters, nephwes, nieces, parents, grandparents ... were at the party. This was a real cultural experience for me.
Her parents told about their arranged marriage and the great feast. She lives with her parents, grandmother, brothers and sisters. So her parents take care of her grandmother. This shows that the elderly are revered. I also noticed the respect my friend shows for her mother, father and grandmother.
Her mother asked me about my progress at school. She was worried about her daughter because she had to take the French and English exam again. Just as Belgian families do, she and her husband provide financially for her daughter until she graduated.
As you can read, I learned a lot about the Asian culture but I also had a lot of fun!
A friend of mine comes from Asia (India). I have known her for a couple of years but every time I met her I still learn about her culture.
Some stereotypes of Asian people apply to her: She's friendly, generous, polite and group-oriented. As individuals differ from their national culture in some aspects, it's normal that not all these sterotypes apply to her.
As you read in the previous paragraph, she's group-oriented. From this it follows that she is collectivistic. When she had to take a decision, the opinion of her parents is very important. At school she prefers teamwork above individual assignments.
I also noticed some obstacles to effective communication. She's very religious. Once I said I got annoyed by arrogant people. She answered: "For God we are all the same so don't mind them!" This was certainly not the answer I expected. Experience is another communication barrier for us. She's gone through a lot, so terrible things to me or not necessarily terrible to her.
I' m sure in the future I will reveal more cultural differences.
I did a work placement at Santader Consumer Finance Benelux B.V. (February 2012 - May 2012). Some foreigners were employed at the company. I made contact with a Turkish young woman.
The young woman talked a lot about her family. Traditions are also important to her. At work, she prefers teamwork. All her colleagues like to cooperate with the Turkish woman, because the group result is of primary importance to her. Turkey is a collectivistic country so it's normal she leans to the collectivistic end of the spectrum.
She told me that the first year she lived in Belgium she had to adapt to the fact that status wasn't ascribed. As she always has been a hard worker, it wasn't difficult to create a good social position trough achievement. We prefer both status through achievement. In this way everybody can determine his own status.
So my traineeship was also a cultural experience to a certain extent.
