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| Escalator in Taiwan |
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| Escalator in Singapore |
Observe carefully. What is the first thing that stands out to you?
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The side where people stand. In Taiwan, the locals stand to the right while in Singapore, we stand to the left (or at least, most of the time).
The first time I was in Taiwan, I thought to myself:
"These people are so rude. Why on earth are they standing to the right when they're stationary?!".
Oh how wrong was I! Eventually I came to learn that it is their culture and how it works there. Not only do they have this unspoken "rule", they are constantly obeying it, making travel in Taiwan pretty pleasant. It was so heartening to see such a behaviour that eventually, I follow suite.
Another interesting intercultural behaviour I've come to appreciate is the hierarchical seating arrangement by Japanese (in cars)
In a taxi, or regular car, the best seat (directly behind the driver) is always reserved for the highest-ranking. When a customer is driving, the highest-ranking would be seated alongside the driver to show respect. Most of us would probably be familiar with the latter "rule" but may find the former rather strange. However, observation of such statue is of upmost importance in order to show respect for our fellow counterparts.
In the course of my travels, I've learnt to not judge others' culture based on my own (ethnocentrism), and even adopt some of the more pleasant ones! It is really enlightening and interesting to understand the history from which such cultures arise.
So, next time when you are traveling, instead of passing a judgement, why not keep an eye out for these different cultural behaviours? You'll never know, you can pick up a thing or two.
.
.
.
The side where people stand. In Taiwan, the locals stand to the right while in Singapore, we stand to the left (or at least, most of the time).
The first time I was in Taiwan, I thought to myself:
"These people are so rude. Why on earth are they standing to the right when they're stationary?!".
Oh how wrong was I! Eventually I came to learn that it is their culture and how it works there. Not only do they have this unspoken "rule", they are constantly obeying it, making travel in Taiwan pretty pleasant. It was so heartening to see such a behaviour that eventually, I follow suite.
Another interesting intercultural behaviour I've come to appreciate is the hierarchical seating arrangement by Japanese (in cars)
In a taxi, or regular car, the best seat (directly behind the driver) is always reserved for the highest-ranking. When a customer is driving, the highest-ranking would be seated alongside the driver to show respect. Most of us would probably be familiar with the latter "rule" but may find the former rather strange. However, observation of such statue is of upmost importance in order to show respect for our fellow counterparts.
In the course of my travels, I've learnt to not judge others' culture based on my own (ethnocentrism), and even adopt some of the more pleasant ones! It is really enlightening and interesting to understand the history from which such cultures arise.
So, next time when you are traveling, instead of passing a judgement, why not keep an eye out for these different cultural behaviours? You'll never know, you can pick up a thing or two.
