Scenario


I know of someone who has married someone who is not a native of this country. Recently, the two of them decided to go visit the non-English speaking country of the wife. He told me that the people in the house where they stayed avoided him all the time, like they never wanted to talk to him. There were also instances when someone in the house got offended by his jokes and seemed to do not find the joke humorous at all. The situation has been real awkward for him and I think it has been the same for the people he was with at that time.

In this situation, it seems that there is an absence of a UDS perspective. Apparently, despite huge developments in international trades, as well as the remarkable increase in the assimilation of different cultures, there still exists a culturally specific perspective. It seems this happens anywhere in the world a foreign culture is being witnessed or experienced by the natives. In the scenario, it is very hard to think which of the parties got aggravated validly. But I think, it would be the locals. My acquaintance has definitely made remarks like he complained (maybe subtly) but it changes the situation minimally. He could have acknowledged the fact that at some point, their privacy has been invaded by his presence. Thus, they are disposed to act in a manner that they do not usually do and they may feel a little restrained with their actions. He could have expected this and acknowledge the fact that most people do not react well towards changes that could make them uncomfortable. Another is that he and the people experienced a language barrier that made communication very difficult. Knowing that they do not know English like native speaker does, instead of feeling bad that they do not speak, we can try to level our expectations accordingly. The people concerned have differences in cultures but conflicts can be minimized if the differences are acknowledged and expectations are made properly. In this way I think, everyone can prevent themselves from getting offended.

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