Have you ever taken a trip to another country? Did it change the way you see things? Did it surprise you how different it was? Did you like it? Was it hard?

In 2014, I took my very first trip outside the United States of America. Up until this point in my life, I had always been in the bubble-like cultural confine of the U.S. But now, I was on a plane, heading for Japan. I could only imagine what it would be like.

When I got there, I realized that some things were going to be different. The roads were much smaller, people drove on the left side, and there wasn’t a single semi truck in sight. I perked up when I saw a 7-Eleven, only to realize that there wasn’t a single gas pump in front of it. The worst part was, when I did go in to one later, they did not offer Slurpees (is it really 7-Eleven if it doesn’t sell gas or Slurpees?).

After a few days there, I began venturing out, testing my Japanese–or trying to, at least. For the most part, I was ignored. When I called out, “Konnichi wa! (Hello),” people would drop their heads or look away as they passed by me. It felt cold, and my morale dropped.

Yet, I kept trying, and instead of shouting out to them, I would strike up a casual conversation on the train, at a bustop, or just walking on the street, by complimenting something of theirs. I quickly realized that this was an easier way to start a conversation, because right from the start, they could understand my intentions (as opposed to a white American shouting at them. No wonder they looked away and kept walking! I wouldn’t want to get roped into anything suspicious by a loud American, either).

There were, of course, other cultural differences that I came to appreciate a lot. For example, Japan is community-minded. If they see someone who needs help, they almost always reach out and help them. I benefited from this quite often, like when I got lost or couldn’t figure out how to say a word. And they were very patient!

More than once, I would get lost on the way to visit friends, so I would knock on the door of a random house in the neighborhood, and ask them for directions, through their doorbell intercom. Every time, they would come to the front door, with the neighborhood map in their hands. Sometimes, they would even walk with me all the way to the intended house, just to be sure I made it.

It would be easy, at this point, to start a list of cultural ideas I wish America would adopt from Japan. However, the point of this post isn’t to criticize one culture against another, but to help us understand that there are differences that we should be aware of.

For example, walking into a house with shoes on is a big taboo in Japan. Shoes are worn outside. They are dirty. Houses need to be kept clean by keeping the filth from outside out, so they are removed in the genkan, which is the entryway of the house or apartment.

For them to then come to America, and see that most Americans will actually wear their shoes inside their house, may be a shock to them, initially. But having to remove shoes every time you go into your own house or apartment can be quite a shock to Americans when they go to Japan, too.

It works both ways!

Overcoming Cultural Differences

One of the best ways to overcome cultural diversity is to start asking questions, with an open mind.

Genuine questions lead to genuine discussions on culture and cultural practices. If there are any misunderstandings, they can usually be cleared up here.

The trick is to actually start asking the questions:

• What’s been hard for you here?
• Is there anything I do that confuses you?
• How do you feel about [insert common cultural practice here]?
• Are there any questions you’ve been wondering about since coming here?

Open the door, and let others ask you their questions. This is called a discussion. It could also be referred to as an interview, in that you are exchanging views with each other.

NOTE: There should be a lot of back and forth, but make sure that everyone gets to finish their thoughts. No one should be getting cut off, no matter how different the view may seem. This isn’t a place to defend your views or your culture. It is a time for learning something new about someone else’s opinions and culture.

For the TESOL Classroom

Make sure that you have this discussion with your entire class, near the beginning of the year if possible. You should do it once the students are comfortable with you as a teacher, but before too many misunderstandings can occur.

Make sure to lay down the rules for the discussion:

• listen
• take notes
• wait until someone is finished speaking before raising your hand
• be honest
• do not get offended by someone else’s honesty

Also make sure they understand why you are having this discussion. To do this, you may teach them about paradigms.

Paradigms change the way we see things. Here is a video by Brother Ivers, a renowned professor of Languages and Culture at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

A couple of other resources you may desire to show your students are these two videos here:

• Cultural Clashes in Defining Beauty
• Cultural Differences National Geographic

You’ll find that the people in these videos experienced a large paradigm shift when they came to America. For some of them, the shift was large and seemed good. For others, it was a large paradigm shift for the worse.

Questions to Ponder

• If you’ve ever traveled to another country, what paradigm shifts did you experience?
• If you had the opportunity to introduce one culturally different practice into your own culture, what would it be?
• What did you think about the videos and what can we learn about cultural differences from them?

Go ahead and comment below! I’ve enjoyed this time with you and want to hear what you have to say!

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