CULTURE MATTERS
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. As this proverb emphasizes, if you don’t want to experience culture shock when you go to another country, you should learn its social norms and values. Here are three people telling us what they have experienced in a foreign country.
Anna, Australia
As an Australian, what I was surprised about Turkey was the huge breakfast table. It includes various types of cheese, olives, eggs, sausages, pastry and of course vegetables like cucumber and tomatoes. It is more common to be invited to breakfast rather than dinner at weekends. Turkish people can spend hours around the table; eating, drinking so many glasses of Turkish tea, chatting and enjoying themselves.
Another point was about consuming bread. Yes, they eat a lot of bread at every meal. What’s more, in my country we don’t start eating bread until the food arrives, but you are served delicious hot bread and butter before the main dish in many Turkish restaurants. Sharing food even with strangers is also a common characteristic in this country. They don’t only want to share their food but also insist on this. When it is time to pay the bill, another struggle starts. Each person on the table wants to pay it, which is quite unusual for us. I must confess that being in this country was a marvelous experience for me and really raised my cultural awareness.
Kim, Japan
I lived in Turkey for a few years and learnt quite a lot about Turkish culture and traditions. We have many differences in our social etiquette. Japanese people communicate with brief sentences. In Turkey, it is amusing to listen to the people telling everything in detail. We don’t like to speak noisily. Speaking loudly is a normal way of communication here. We have differences in using body language as well. For example, making direct eye contact is offensive in my country. However, in Turkey it is necessary to make eye contact to tell what you mean. Also, we bow to greet someone as a sign of respect. It may be acceptable to shake hands, but Turkish people both hug and kiss on two cheeks when they meet their friends. On the other hand, we have a common tradition. People in both countries take off their shoes while entering a house. It is a must to say that these people aren’t only friendly but also eager to show this trait.
Deniz, Turkey
Before my trip to the UK, all I knew was Big Ben and their favourite food, fish and chips. In the beginning I had hard times getting used to the customs of this country. For instance, in my country being punctual is important too, but you don’t have to call the person to inform you will be late just for five minutes. Here I have learnt that even if you are late for a few minutes, you have to call and tell your reason. In addition, I had believed that the English were a bit cold and less friendly until I met them. But soon I realised that they were as friendly and hospitable as the people in my country. That was a great life lesson for me.