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CULTURE BUMPS
CULTURE BUMPS
A culture bump occurs when two or more people enter a situation with different expectations about a behavior. It can be caused by: communication styles, behaviors involving the use of time, space or speaking, physical objects such as clothing or artifacts, or even the architecture or decor of a location. (http://culturebump.com/)
1. If you greet an American friend with the words, “You OK?” she will think, What do you mean? Am I bleeding or something? Say instead, “How are you?”
2. If an American greets you with the words, “How are you?” he is not asking you for your medical history or a list of all the things that happened to you yesterday. It’s a greeting. Just say, “Fine” or “Great” and “How are you?” If you have hurt yourself recently, and he really wants to know if you are better, he’ll ask, “How is your foot? Is it better?” If he is not especially a close friend, he will only want to hear, “It’s getting better” or “It’s about the same.”
3. If an American says, “Let’s get together sometime,” do not show up at his house until he actually gives you a specific date. He probably means it, but he is not ready to pick a time and day yet.
4. If an American offers you a piece of cake, and you politely refuse it, she will think you are not hungry and she will not keep asking you. So if you want it, say, “Yes, please.”
5.If you are talking to an American and he starts backing up, it may be that you got into “his space” or “his bubble.” Americans are not comfortable when people are closer to them than a meter.
6. If you are a girl walking down the street with another girl and you put your arm in her arm, she will be super uncomfortable. That is just not normally the way two friends walk together here.
7. If three English speakers are talking, and you are just politely waiting your turn to speak, you may not get a chance. English speakers get nervous if there is a pause longer than 3 seconds in a conversation. So do something to show you want to say something: lean forward, raise your eyebrows, or say, “Um.”
8. If an American says, “You have beautiful hair,” she is not flirting with you. She is not being fake. She really likes your hair, and she thinks it will make you happy to hear about it.
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