I have definitely had experiences with those of other cultures that maybe didn’t go as well as they should, and I think it can attributed to different backgrounds, cultures, and family of origins. My family heritage is European but I am third generation so basically consider myself just “American”. I don’t really have a culture of origin that I identify with, so I think when I meet people that do, some I don’t really understand them or I can see areas that we differ.
I think communication can be a challenge also, not just a language barrier but also the ways in which people communicate. For example, I had a neighbor who was from India, and he always needed to come over to borrow something or tell us something. But when he would be at the door, before saying why he was really there he would always start with small talk and chit-chat asking questions about how we were. [I have been told by another person from India that this is a cultural thing, that is it polite to start off this way and take time to get to the point, but I could be wrong, this is just my experience.] So to me I saw him as being annoying and wasting my time, he didn’t seem to notice or care that he was taking a long time to get the point. I personally didn’t care if he asked me how I was, I just wanted him to tell me what he needed! So he probably thought I was being rude by being impatient, and I thought he was being rude. In America we value our time, and although both cultures may have shared “neighbor” values, the approach is much different.
I’ve never lived anywhere else to be able to compare other cultures. So I think travel is very important, especially for Americans because yo have the opportunity to live differently for a few days or weeks, and see what other lifestyles can be like, and learn about other cultures.
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