1. Have you ever been abroad? Where have you been?
2. Do you know anything about other cultures? What do you know?
Cross-cultural differences
Communicating with people from another country can be very difficult at the very least. People may send the wrong signals or they may ignore signals from others.
Talk"and"silence may have different meanings in some cultures. I once gave a speech to some people when I was abroad. I was sure it was going to be a success, but for some reason it wasn’t. The people stared at me blankly"and"smiled. My speech failed"and"nobody asked any questions. I expected my speech to start a lively discussion, but there was only an uncomfortable silence. In fact, they thought I was talking too much, so they felt uncomfortable. In my own culture, we express our thoughts mainly through words. We speak a great deal to express what we feel"and"think,"and"silence makes us uncomfortable.
People from different parts of the world have different values"and"standards. So we should learn about the culture of other countries carefully, or we might make some mistakes. In France you should shake hands with everyone you know in a café, or you shouldn’t sit down. In the Middle East you must never use the left hand for drinking, eating or smoking. Also, you should try not to admire anything in your hosts’ home, or they will feel that they have to give it to you.