Would you know any strategy or method by which you can reduce of the complexity of understanding another culture? Do you think it will work with your current set of foreign classmates/friends?
Answers
Answer:
There is no way I know of other than living with people from that culture and learning from them. Learning at least the basics of their language will help.
There are some do’s and don’ts in relating to anyone from another culture:
always think “Are they sick of being asked this question?” I’m Māori, and the last thing I want to be asked about is the All Black haka. Go ask NZ Rugby about that, I’d rather talk about all the other haka and the stories behind them that are much more interesting.
ask questions that don’t make assumptions and will build bridges. “How long have you lived in <this city>?” is less confrontational than “Where are you from?” which the other person will probably mention in their answer anyway.
for a lot of people “How many languages do you speak?” is a good opener and much better than asking about ancestry or parents. It can lead on to how they were learned and the life circumstances that led to it.
be guided by their responses, their fluency and the things that interest them and don’t inflict your view of the world on them. I have in-laws whose culture occasionally eats dogs. I don’t like the idea but I don’t criticize them for it, although I did get angry when I was once served dog meat and only told afterwards what it was. I’m now vague about the taste but I think something like veal.
get used to the idea there are more ways of doing things than you imagined and your own is nothing special.
always best to be honest if something seems strange to you, and remember cultures vary on how much they want you to observe their customs. We like visitors to remove their shoes when they come inside, but if someone doesn’t want to we’ll usually (but not always[1]) overlook it. I once went to a synagogue wedding and had an usher come up to me and ask “Please cover your head. If you don’t have a hat a handkerchief will do.” It’s always OK to ask afterwards about the reason for any custom and often it has an interesting history.
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