An American is at a business meeting in Rio de Janeiro in a room full of Brazilians. Things are going well, they are eating out of the palm of his hand. He ends his presentation and asks for questions. A young man in the front row asks him what he thinks of Rio. “Love it!” he replies and gives them the okay sign. When he asks for more questions he realizes the mood has soured in the room. No one asks any more questions and his audience is visibly angry.
Two young American women in Paris wander into a shop. One of them sees a t-shirt she likes but can’t find the price. She sees a cashier across the room and calls to her pleasantly: “Excuse me, how much is this t-shirt?” The cashier looks up at her angrily and mutters a gruff response in French.
An American man and his family have recently moved to Casablanca. They make friends with a Moroccan family and accept an invitation to come to their home. As a pleasant night is coming to a close, the American wife, Jan mentions how much she likes a vase in the living room. The Moroccan wife, Samira smiles and thanks her. Jan explains that admires the intricacy of the artwork, the subtle colors used, and the slender shape of the vase. The Moroccan couple looks at each other and after a moment Samira offers the vase to Jan. Jan smiles and politely declines, but Samira persists. Jan is adamant about not accepting the vase and soon perceives unhappiness from the hosts.
As the saying goes, people are people. It’s true to some degree; we all share some basic wants and needs. We don’t however, share the same experiences and our minds have be shaped by different factors. The degree of differences in these factors can be multiplied dramatically between people who live thousands of miles away from each other. Travelers would be well advised to read up on basic do’s and don’ts that apply to countries they plan to visit. Had the Americans described above done so they would have learned that the gesture Americans use to signal “okay” is considered obscene in Brazil, that it’s considered insulting to enter a shop in France without saying “Bonjour Monsieur/Madame” to the workers and that too much admiration of the property of people in many Arab countries obliges the owner to give it to you. Refusing to accept it can be perceived as an insult. There are many cultural barrier affecting cross-cultural relationships, perhaps the biggest that must be overcome is being oblivious to the fact that there are cultural barriers.
It’s difficult for the typical American to see images of people suffering overseas. This is good if our discomfort spurs us to action. What type of action should we take? If we decide to travel and get directly involved, it is essential that we learn about the people we want to serve and connect with nationals who know them well. If we decide to support those who will be doing the work, we might try to find someone humble, teachable, and willing to work with nationals in a mutually respectful manner. Perhaps supporting nationals who are helping the needy is an even better option.