Dealing with challenges in another culture

The paper ” Dealing with Challenges in Another Culture ” is an outstanding example of a culture essay. When I had arrived at the new country for the first time, I decided to go shopping at a large grocery store. Having already seen many native people, I remembered that they all looked very different, everyone was wearing different clothes, and I didn’t notice any particular or definite dressing culture rules they followed. I decided could wear anything I wanted. However, when I came to the store, I started noticing people staring at me. Fortunately, I decided to ask one of my native friends. It appeared that the clothes I wore were not common for going out of the house at all. My friend explained that the way I looked was appropriate for an evening at home only. So, from then on I used to constantly ask the natives how I look so that my outlook wouldn’t scare the people in the streets. The lesson learned? – Never make any assumptions about the culture based on own observations. No matter how correct your opinion might be, it’s always better to make sure you are right by asking someone who had lived there for long. First of all, it would be useful to learn at least several words and phrases in the language of the country, such as common greetings, for example. This would definitely ease the initial communication with the natives. Secondly, it is always good to know the country’s historical and cultural background. Each nation is proud of its history and origin, so knowing the state’s past will greatly help for understanding the people and culture, and for communicating with the citizens. Thirdly, it is important to learn something about such everyday things as eating and clothing traditions of the foreign country. This knowledge will help not to get totally astonished by a new environment, and to look and behave more like the natives. Brightly expressed ethnocentrism is not the best feature of a person who’s going abroad. While it is not bad to love and respect own culture, the mind should be open for new and different. If not, ethnocentrism may to cross-cultural problems, and constant misunderstandings between a foreigner and the natives. While it is always good to remember who you are, and where you come from, one should never forget that in a different culture certain manifestations of the own culture may be inappropriate, seem rude to the natives, or even offend them. So, no matter how correct the native culture’s values might seem, a traveler should be open to adjusting to the new environment by accepting the values and norms of the foreign culture.