The past several months I've been learning A LOT about perspective. It's easy to see that people from different cultures have very different ideas, views, thoughts ... in a lot of areas:
- personal bubble: it's much smaller in Asia than in America. I notice myself stepping back several times with certain people.
- modesty for women:
* Muslims cover everything ... sometimes even the entire face except the eyes and mouth.
* Cambodian women should have their shoulders covered (if they're not married) and should wear pants or skirts that at least come down to the knee.
* Americans ... I guess it depends on the individual ... schools have the three finger rule for shorts and tank tops.
* Europeans (based only on what I see) there's not much of a dress code. Women wear spaghetti straps (which many people would consider an under shirt) and very short shorts. Nude beaches ...
- dress:
* People in the states have different views on where it acceptable to wear your pajamas (only the house, Wal-Mart, school ...)
* In Cambodia, women and girls often wear their pajamas to the market (at all times of day, including the afternoon).
- traffic: Here it's very common to go through red lights, so do you obey the "law" or hold up traffic?
To get a better understanding click here. (A friend shared that link with me)
- time: Be early? Be exactly "on time"? Be 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes late...?
* From what I understand of American culture, you should be on time or early. However, being about 5 minutes late is very common and pretty acceptable depending on the people involved and the situation. Most people (that's me) don't want to be late, but somehow just "can't" always make it on time. I really enjoy my friends that sometimes text me that they'll be a little bit late because that gives me the freedom to do the same and know they won't be completely aggravated with me!
* "Khmer time" We have a love hate relationship! (But mostly love) :-) I love that it's completely acceptable for me to be a few minutes late. I don't have to feel guilty for one second. On the other hand, when you're trying to plan things with large group of students, it could get a little aggravating. I know that if we need to leave by, say 9am, then I will probably tell my students we will leave at 8:30. Even then, I should tell myself we're not really leaving until 9:15 or 9:30. My team and I have this exact conversation every time we plan an event or outing. (It's similar in America, but a little more exaggerated here.)
- feet: I think we can all agree that feet are dirty.
* In Cambodia, it's very rude for people to be able to see the bottom of your feet (don't sit with your legs straight out in front of you) and it can be rude to point to things or touch things with your feet (such as showing your friend that thing on the bottom shelf, but not wanting to waste the energy to bend over).
- picking your nose: What? Yes! It's perfectly acceptable to pick your nose here, and there's no need or even thought of trying to hide it.
- other ...
* When visiting your home (for first, second, or third time), Cambodians open your refrigerator and cabinets, and touch and examine different things. Though many Americans may want to do these things, it's not very acceptable or polite. We might call this being "nosy."
Easily seeing the different views because of different culture has helped me to notice just how different EVERY INDIVIDUAL (even with the "same" culture) sees things.
- hair: straight, curly, wavy, frizzy, long, short, blonde, brunette, red head, down, pony tail, bun, ... everyone has different opinions and most people want what they don't have. A friend of mine ( a fellow curly headed friend) was once talking about getting her hair permanently straightened. She looked at me and said, "It's everything we ever dreamed of!" :-) It certainly tempted me to get my hair straightened.
- the scruffy look: I think, in general, people think it makes the guy look lazy and not so clean, but some women, I guess, find it attractive.
- texting: "!" (exclamation points), "." (periods), CAPS, or words like, "k", "sure" ... Different people take these as rude (yelling, being short, not caring ...).
- not responding to messages: some people feel no need to respond, while the sender may be wondering what happened. Did they get the message? Are they angry or upset? Do they just not care enough to reply?
- germs, dirt, sweat, smells ... gross? indifferent? unbearable?
- helping others / taking over / doing things by yourself ...
- asking for help = bothering people?
- sarcasm : funny or hurtful?
- parenting: spanking, giving the child responsibility / freedom, how much the child should obey the parents ...
- words: they have different connotations, such as "sure." Some people think it means the same as "yes," but I think it means, "I will, but I don't really want to." Though tone of voice and level of excitement does make a difference on the meaning of "sure" and many other words, if not all!
Basically, I'm learning to be less sensitive to certain things, because people may not mean it to be offensive AND I'm learning to be less judgmental! Some people don't think twice about things they do or say, while other people tend to over analyze many things. The point is: every person thinks differently, therefore we must give grace and be understanding.
"Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way." ~ Romans 14:13
- I don't want the way I act, dress, speak, ... to cause any brother's or sister's here to stumble. What is acceptable for me (American culture) may not be acceptable here. I don't want somebody to see me "do" something and think, "oh it must be okay if Krystyn does it." I also have to catch myself as I watch other people. Jesus is the standard, not another sinful person.
" Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved." ~ 1 Cor. 10:31-33
No comments:
Post a Comment