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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.
Hi Iz,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post about inter-cultural communications! I think one main theme that keeps recurring through these posts is that of the benefits of travelling and exposing oneself to cultures that would not be found in one's own native country. I think this is especially important when interacting with another in a professional context. However, I think that the main idea behind learning from different cultures is not merely to 'know' but to understand. It is only through this that we learn to accept and not ridicule it although some ways of life may be downright peculiar to us. By doing so I am pretty sure that we would learn to grow as a more cultured people. :)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI like your engaging writing style and examples - the escalator one made me realize that the Koreans "keep right" too (I blogged about South Korea), and the Japan one was new to me and interesting. It was also nice that you identified the contrary habits of those countries compared to Singaporeans in general, although even between Singaporeans there are cultural differences. I cannot agree more that an open mind is crucial to gaining new cultural insights. Besides learning more effective ways to manage certain aspects of life (as there surely exists a rationale behind their habits too), we also get to bask purely in the enjoyment of such rich cultures. Although these societies and ours are all Asian, the diverse yet intricate cultural details make each so unique!
Hey hey!
ReplyDeleteNice point you brought up there. I think the Keep Left/Right rule can be further explained by the traffic system adopted in the country. In Singapore, we're right hand drive, and thus the fast lane's always on the right. While in Taiwan they're based on the Left Hand drive, and their fast lanes are on the left. It could serve as an explanation. Thailand too observes this. But I think we can all observe more about this situation and that see if it really is true. Putting ourselves in a different environment really does put us in a different perspective. :)