Surface culture is essentially the cultural norms you can easily identify in a foreign country such as food and dressing. On the other hand, deep culture are the cultural norms that are not easily detected unless, you are born and raised in that specific culture, or you spend an extended amount of time in the foreign culture. Examples of deep culture would be rules, attitudes and feelings that are passed down from generation to generation. In my culture, the right hand is preferred for most of the social exchanges like shaking hands, giving cash during sales transactions, receiving or giving gifts. To use the left hand during social exchanges is considered rude because it is used for the bathroom, so it is deem “unclean” and “unfit” to use on people. In my opinion, deep culture poses more challenge for a foreigner because it is not so easily noticeable and the foreigner may unknowingly violate a cultural rule. There may be disappointment, embarrassment, laughter, or even anger that the foreigner may sense coming from the locals due to the violation of the deep culture.

You are waiting for a bus in a foreign country for the first time. You notice there is no line as you´ve experienced many times in other countries. The bus arrives and everyone seems to just jam themselves onto it. Finally, you also manage to get yourself on although you have to stand. What assumptions can you make about this culture regarding standing in line? How is it different from in your country? How will it affect your stay in this culture? What survival strategies will you develop? Would you find yourself making any judgments about this culture because of this? Should you make any judgments?

I think it is fair to assume that the people of this country do not observe the queue culture. From where I came from, we strictly observe the queue culture and may even get defensive if someone tries to cut the queue ahead of us. We are taught from young to never transgress another person’s queue and to always respect their personal space while queuing. However, if I were to stay in this culture that does not observe the queue, I will have to cope with this culture. I will train to scramble for the bus space as I will have no option. However, I will try to reach at the bus stop earlier to avoid the scramble.

What do you think will be the greatest benefit for you living and teaching in another culture? What will be the greatest difficulty? How will this be important in your life after returning home? (If you have already taught in another culture, what have been the greatest benefits and challenges for you?)

Leaving and teaching in a foreign country can be an interesting adventure.  It gives a person an opportunity to travel and leave their homes for the first time. One of the most notable benefits of teaching abroad is that one gets an opportunity to embrace a foreign culture. This provides an opportunity to find incredible new foods, customs, traditions, and social atmospheres.  Although empathy for a new culture is the greatest benefit for teaching abroad, it is also a big challenge to get accustomed to a new culture. It is important to note that adjusting from my deep culture could be a great challenge.

Describe any cultural incident in which you have been involved, either at home with foreigners or abroad. What was the cause, a misunderstanding of deep or surface culture? Yours or theirs? Was ethnocentrism on your part or theirs the cause? Was a solution reached? What was the lesson that was learned?

Travelling abroad provide an opportunity where different cultures are brought together. Interestingly, I once found myself in a situation whereby our cultural differences brought about some unprecedented misunderstanding. In our culture, we have a culture of hugging and kissing those people close to us. In a foreign land, I carried on with this habit and I almost got in trouble for hugging a female student in a foreign country where a male was not supposed to be in contact with females who are not very close to them. This misunderstanding was a result of deep culture. Ethnocentrism was evident in this misunderstanding as the natives were adamant to protect their culture and both had to en-culture us. Nevertheless, we got a solution where we learnt importance of appreciating different culture.

What can you do to prepare for the culture you´re going to teach in before you leave your home country? Consider ideas such as language, food, cultural habits, and history.

Once you leave your home country, it is obvious that you will find a different culture from one in your home country. It is therefore important to be prepared on the best approach for the new culture. One of the best ways of preparation is to carry out an intensive research of what is expected in the new culture. Intensive reading will give essential insights on language, food, cultural habits and history. There is also a lot of information I can get on the internet, not only written information but also videos on there.  Another thing I can do is see if there are any former teachers I can talk to that have taught in that area, maybe even talk to a teacher that is working there now or the locals.

Research aspects of ethnocentrism. How does this relate to the question of dealing with cross-cultural problems? How does this relate to knowing who we are in a world of many uncertainties and complexities?

Ethnocentrism is a cultural trap so to speak. This is the idea that “our way is the only right way”, that our choices are inherently superior to everyone else. When you face a cross-cultural problem you have to keep in mind the different circumstantial culture you are in as well as your own. You have to work together with the ‘other’ to achieve harmony. It is difficult to do the right thing if you do not approach your work with an open mind. You are not only teaching them English, you are teaching them about your home country with your actions.  We have to be able to see beyond this concept of what is normal for us and break out of the mindset that puts us into that sense of self-satisfaction, and even the feeling of self-righteousness. Nevertheless, dealing with different cultures is vital to all of us so that we will be able to live and thrive in ‘alien’ places, and to be able to teach successfully in that society.

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