What do you think when someone pushes into you to get past, and cuts you in line? You most likely thing- depending on where you're from- 'how dare they? I've been waiting here for ages!' However when I was in Korea I had to quickly learn there really is no such thing as a line. I'd be just about to reach the front of the line to get something at McDonalds, and someone would cut right in front of me. Koreans will push and shove through a crowd without saying excuse me like we usually do in the United States. To them, it's a norm, it's not rude at all. In fact if you got upset with them about it, you'd probably become the rude one.
What about if you're visiting Korea, and you have a baby with you, then someone just comes up and takes your baby away from you? Do you freak out? You shouldn't- Korea is one of the safest countries in the world, and it's part of their culture to dote on children because they don't see them very often over there. When I was a baby my mother took me to Korea to visit my father (he was on a military deployment) and she had Korean women come up and take baby me away from her, take photos, wander around, show their friends, then eventually they'd come back and return me. My mother is a pretty laid back lady, and knew about how safe Korea was so she wasn't too worried when her baby was taken by a stranger, but to someone who didn't know, that might have caused quite a few problems.
It's situations like these where we can easily misinterpret a situation that shows how important it is to understand people's intentions. It's why we should learn as much as we can about those we come into contact with, so we don't harbor any ill will towards others. Something I liked that John J. Ivers, professor at BYU-Idaho said in his lecture on cultural miscommunications, "And so again, be aware of those potential misunderstandings, and realize that those people have good intentions. They have good intentions, they are just working off of different paradigms."
This week's topic about cultural miscommunications is such a fun and significant topic for everyone. Particularly for those who plan to teach those who are learning not only a new language, but an entirely new culture as well. I feel like I've said this in every blog this week- but these cultural misunderstandings deeply emphasize how we need to get to know our students, and that's something that can't be said enough. The more we learn about our students and their culture, the more we can avoid painful misunderstandings that can end with someone hurt. But if we do know and do understand them, it's always entertaining to learn a new way of looking at something!
Link to Brother Iver's lecture about cultural miscommunications. https://video.byui.edu/media/04%20Cultural%20Miscommunication%20/0_3aaa6xxh/28027982
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