September 2, 2017 at 8:05 pm
RonKyle - Thursday, August 31, 2017 1:29 PMHaving lived abroad for 1/3 of my childhood (England) and almost 1/3 of my adult life (Germany and South Korea) I find that the time in other countries gives you a great perspective on what is both good and bad in your own culture. It is hard to be away sometimes, but I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. My one tip for anyone traveling abroad: if traveling to a non-English speaking country, if you learn nothing else in that native language, at least learn to ask if someone can speak English. It's just one sentence, and it goes a long way.
Actually, I think there are two very short word/phrase that atually go further than that sentence: learn to say "please" and "thank you"; even if you say something in English, throwing in the local word for "please" works wonders - if the person addressed does speak English, no problem; if they don't, hearing "please" in their language tells them you are trying to be polite - and then they will try to find someone who can maybe recognise your language (or someone who can speak your language if they recognised it despite not undertsanding it, which happens rather often when your langage is English). Sayng "please" when they find you use it impresses them someone favourably; saying "thankyou" when when they don't manage to help you tends to set them trying again, harder, to help you. Back in the early/mid sixties I knew two phrases of what was then called Serbo-Croat: "Hvala/Хвала" and "Molim te/молим ваÑ" and they made my time easy in all of (what was then) Yugoslavia when I spent some time holidaying over there.
Tom
September 2, 2017 at 9:33 pm
Steve Jones - SSC Editor - Friday, September 1, 2017 9:44 AMI'll avoid the political items, but just say that experiencing another culture makes me rethink my view of my own culture. Some things are better, some are worse, many are just different. I can appreciate the differences and see the things I like and don't like without ranking them. I'd also say that I appreciate some parts of my life more, and bemoan other aspects a bit.
I think the political items are well worth avoiding!
I'm like you, in that I find that experience of another culture makes me rethink. I first saw Germany on a shool trip in 1958, but the culture seemed just like Britain, so no rethink there. Then I did a week at school in Paris (yes, just a week, mo more) in 1960 and fell in love with French culture, which seemed quite different (and is still something I dearly love) and it made me think differently about some things, and since then I've spent a lot of time in France and their personal relations (but definitely not their red tape) seems pretty civilised to me . I've spent time in other European countries, and way back when I felt that Italy and parts of (what was then) Yugoslavia had a very friendly and gentle culture, which I obviously got wrong - things have changed since I spent time (in the mid to late 60s) in Yugoslvia!
More recently, I spent a lot of time (about 6 months in ten shortish chunks over a couple of years) in India and saw a really different culture instead of just another different European culture version. it took some getting used to at first (when i was picked up at the airport at 04:00 and taken to my arranged accomodation whiche turned out to have no air conditioning and temperature 30 C (96 F) at 05:00 in the morning I was a bit worried) but I got used to it over a couple of years, and found myself happy with meat-free diet (which seems to be a big problem for some). Lots'of beggars, but to me (perhaps because I'd spent some time in Egypt, where there are even more) it was obvious which were scammers and which real (to start with, the reals approached Indians as well as foreigners) it was obvious who really needed help. I wandered all over the countryside south of Chennai, and discovered people who were making sure their children learnt, advanced, and were willing to help anyone. Really wonderful, friendly, no anti-foreigner bias, people. It's a pity that the West can't match that Eastern culture (and an even bigger pity that Northern India can't either).
The one forieign culture that I really dislike is what I found in Luxor (Egypt) - schoolkids in church-school uniform busily trying to rip-off the tourists because ripping-off visitors/foreigners/strnagers/anyone is what they are expected to do. Some nice people too, but too many not, A coupe of weeks there convinced me that Western European culture is bit more civilised than Egyptian (given the racist element in the US, Is the USA any better? I dont know).
Tom
September 4, 2017 at 8:13 pm
Actually, I think there are two very short word/phrase that atually go further than that sentence: learn to say "please" and "thank you"; even if you say something in English, throwing in the local word for "please" works wonders - if the person addressed does speak English, no problem; if they don't, hearing "please" in their language tells them you are trying to be polite - and then they will try to find someone who can maybe recognise your language (or someone who can speak your language if they recognised it despite not undertsanding it, which happens rather often when your langage is English).
There is something to that. When talking with people who are heading abroad, I tell them to learn enough to be polite. Something I've done for travels to France and Italy. That was harder to do in Korea. I know longer remember the word for please, but thank you transliterates to Kamsamneeda. I used to even be able to read the symbols, as they are syllables and not words as they are in Chinese and Japanese. It was an amazing experience to sing the Korean version of Ode to Joy, even though I didn't understand the words. As for your next post, what happened to you in France happened to me in Germany. That experience of developing a deep appreciation for the culture forms me to this day. I can't wait until I go back.
September 5, 2017 at 3:12 am
Great post Steve. I've spent many years in other cultures and whilst I generally wouldn't weigh in on the subject, it's often made me feel a little distanced from those who blow hard about the exceptionalism of their own culture. I truly feel the world would be a much better place if everyone had the chance to understand these differences. I've settled in my home country, the UK, and appreciate what is good, but I can see what is bad too. Whilst there is bad here, it's not really anything compared to the parochialism currently being extremely successfully exploited in the US.
September 5, 2017 at 1:22 pm
DavidL - Friday, September 1, 2017 11:21 AMOn this topic, I've been reading a book about a westerner who ends up spending 30+ years with a very insular ethnic group far up in the Amazon, first as a missionary, then later as a linguist/anthropologist. It is utterly fascinating! "Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes" is the title.
I've been thinking about picking up this book, because the author was one of my professors back when I was studying linguistics.
Drew
J. Drew Allen
Business Intelligence Analyst
Philadelphia, PA
September 5, 2017 at 1:34 pm
drew.allen - Tuesday, September 5, 2017 1:22 PMDavidL - Friday, September 1, 2017 11:21 AMOn this topic, I've been reading a book about a westerner who ends up spending 30+ years with a very insular ethnic group far up in the Amazon, first as a missionary, then later as a linguist/anthropologist. It is utterly fascinating! "Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes" is the title.I've been thinking about picking up this book, because the author was one of my professors back when I was studying linguistics.
Drew
Can't recommend it more highly. Fascinating, fascinating book, and the author seems like a very thoughtful, perceptive person. I envy you having taken one of his classes -- I am a language major from way way back, and studied a good deal of linguistics as well. Chomsky was the leading light in those days, and his (Chomsky's, that is) ideas about language and 'universal grammar' loom large in the book. I won't say more, because it is quite an adventure.
September 5, 2017 at 1:39 pm
TomThomson - Saturday, September 2, 2017 8:05 PMRonKyle - Thursday, August 31, 2017 1:29 PMHaving lived abroad for 1/3 of my childhood (England) and almost 1/3 of my adult life (Germany and South Korea) I find that the time in other countries gives you a great perspective on what is both good and bad in your own culture. It is hard to be away sometimes, but I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. My one tip for anyone traveling abroad: if traveling to a non-English speaking country, if you learn nothing else in that native language, at least learn to ask if someone can speak English. It's just one sentence, and it goes a long way.Actually, I think there are two very short word/phrase that atually go further than that sentence: learn to say "please" and "thank you"; even if you say something in English, throwing in the local word for "please" works wonders - if the person addressed does speak English, no problem; if they don't, hearing "please" in their language tells them you are trying to be polite - and then they will try to find someone who can maybe recognise your language (or someone who can speak your language if they recognised it despite not undertsanding it, which happens rather often when your langage is English). Sayng "please" when they find you use it impresses them someone favourably; saying "thankyou" when when they don't manage to help you tends to set them trying again, harder, to help you. Back in the early/mid sixties I knew two phrases of what was then called Serbo-Croat: "Hvala/Хвала" and "Molim te/молим ваÑ" and they made my time easy in all of (what was then) Yugoslavia when I spent some time holidaying over there.
Good thought. Learning to say please and thank you in English is a good idea, also.
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