Most of my international travel experiences have been to
different places in Europe, and although there are definitely many cultural
differences between the U.S. and various European countries, and differences
between the various European countries themselves, there are also a lot of
similarities. The website “13 Examples of Good and Bad Manners Around the World”
(https://people.howstuffworks.com/13-examples-of-good-and-bad-manners-around-the-world.htm#page=0)
pointed out a couple of the differences between U.S. manners and European
manners – for example, chewing gum is considered vulgar in France, Switzerland,
and Luxembourg – but the bigger differences in manners seem to be between the
U.S. and Asia, or the U.S. and the Middle East. So I’ve missed out on a lot of
the larger differences in manners that exist in foreign countries, since most
of my travels have been in Europe.
What this website, along with Brother Ivers’s lecture on
differences in manners around the world (see his lecture here: https://video.byui.edu/media/06+Difference+in+Manners/0_xc0a34gb),
made abundantly clear to me was just how many cultural differences exist. It
seems that for almost every small custom you can think of, there will be
somewhere in the world that does it differently. It definitely makes me want to
be more aware of potential differences in manners when I travel places – I’ll
certainly be doing more research before travelling in the future!
The sheer number of tiny differences in cultures makes the
prospect of actually living in a foreign country daunting, but that is what my
future ESL students in the United States will be doing – learning to live in a
foreign country. And to do it successfully, they may sometimes need someone to
point out differences in manners they may have not picked up on yet. As their
ESL teacher, I am in a prime position to notice differences in manners, and to
point them out to my students when they arise. I believe doing so is an
important part of being an ESL teacher. It’s not just about teaching the
language. I need to help my students understand the culture of America as well
if they are to be successful in their new home.
Rebecca, even in countries that seem pretty similar to the U.S. it can be daunting. Living in a foreign country certainly lets someone learn the small, subtle intricacies of their culture. I agree with you that as ESL teachers it is important for us to help our students integrate well. I think balancing between acknowledging our differences and teaching acceptable behavior is important. This way they will know that their way isn't necessarily wrong, it's just different and oftentimes people will judge us on our manners, no matter where we are from.
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