Cultures
In a world where more than 250 cultures exist, being in a position that requires adapting to a foreign culture is common. However, some cultures are more developed than others. Other cultures are more widespread due to the acceptability by foreigners. However, adapting to foreign culture may not be avoidable for expats. Surviving in a foreign country may prove challenges, especially for complex cultures. In my travel across the world, I have been exposed to several cultures. However, the Japanese, Indian, and Chinese cultures have proved to be the most challenges due to their difference from the western culture.
The people of Japan are always committed to preserving their culture. The combination of culture and civilization and culture has been effectively achieved in Japan. Although the Japanese have appeared to have borrowed much from western civilization, the typical Japanese culture remains a challenge from expats, especially from the western countries (Miggins et al. 2017). First, the communication systems in Japan appear a bit complicated. For example, an expat will not have done enough by learning japans verbal communication. The Japanese are known for their prowess in non-verbal communication, which may be a challenge for the expats. Learning some basic non-verbal communication would, therefore, be a clever idea to avoid embarrassment while interacting with the Japans. Secondly, eating habits in Japan are different from most of the western countries. The types of foods served in Japan might be a challenge to expats. For example, the Japanese are used to consuming raw eggs, unlike the western people who believe in cooking eggs before consuming them. Also, table-manners tend to differ in Japan from western countries, and thus adapting to the culture becomes a challenge.
The Indian culture is the other challenging culture to adapt to especially for expats from the western countries. The nature of the Indian culture becomes a challenge due to the diversification of the local culture divisions. India does not have a well organized cultural system, and sometimes expats are confused as to which practices are culturally acceptable (Cohn, 2017). The high number of ethnic and religious groups in India makes the Indian culture more diverse and challenging to master. First, the language in India is a major challenge for expats. Although Hindi is the national language, and English is also widely spoken, the country’s constitution recognizes more than 22 languages. The people who speak the various languages tend to have different cultural practices, and thus expats are treated to a further challenge. Generally, the major challenge that comes while adapting to the Indian culture is the social interaction with the Indians.
Adapting to the Chinese culture has also not been an easy task. The Chinese are known for strict cultural adherence, unlike the western countries. Although the Chinese are known for traveling worldwide, Chinese culture has remained intact over the years (Ma, 2015). China is a technologically developed nation, and the cultural practices might appear to be disappearing due to technology. However, china food remains one of their iconic cultural practices. Adapting to the Chinese delicacies may take some considerable time for expats. Also, understanding the Chinese language is not an easy task, and thus, expats do not have an easy time in China.
In sum, adapting to foreign cultures comes with various challenges despite being adventurous. The world is comprised of several cultures that differ considerably depending on regions. The Japanese, Indian, and Chinese cultures have, however proved to be challenging to adopt.
References
Cohn, B. S. (2017). Notes on the History of the Study of Indian Society and Culture. In Structure and change in Indian society (pp. 3-28). Routledge.
Ma, G. (2015). Food, eating behavior, and culture in Chinese society. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 2(4), 195-199.
Miggins, M., Mercuri, A., Tabata, N., MacLeod, L., da Cruz, L., Irvine, M., … & Danyluk, A. (2017). Explorations of Japanese Culture.