TESOL 103 W05 Cultural Miscommunications
10 February 2019
This lesson certainly was an interesting one. Maybe now I
understand as to why my Chinese guests ate so little. Len has a Chinese business
partner who stays in South Africa, but they deal with a company in China. When we
had these gentlemen to dinner Joshua suggested that I make traditional food,
for example, a braai (barbeque). I went out to get some foods I knew they would
not have tasted before. When snacks were brought out, they refused at first
then eventually one of them tasted it. When we sat down to dinner, they both
served a teaspoon of just one or two of the food items. I can not even remember what I made them for dessert,
but I was then told they do not eat sugar. Eventually, I asked Joshua whether
they had stopped at McDonald's because they really did not enjoy my food. They had
brought just big and expensive gifts for us as well. They knew that they were
coming for dinner. Would I still need to offer it to them 3 times and does that
not comply with the Chinese Community?
As Bro Ives mentioned about looking at somebody when you are
talking, in our culture if you can not look somebody in the eye while talking,
we take it as them being guilty of something. We also look at the person in their
eyes when listening to them. You can be in a group and everybody will focus on
the person speaking. If you are looking around while somebody is speaking to
means that you are not interested in what they are saying and if you had to
join into the conversation you would be looked at as if why are you putting in
your two cents worth.
Is there a book with differences like this that we would be
able to study up about it? Do you think that all normal people are aware of
these differences? When we have a student would they be able to tell us what it
is they expect from us culturally?
I do not know if exist "normal" people. What normal means? I think that everyone is different with a lot of things to teach and learn. In my opinion, people can identify differences when they want to learn and not just judge others. A great way to know more about culture differences is to ask for those to same people that shows habits. Not only we will be able to know what they do, but also why they do.
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