My thanks to Jorie Scholnik for sharing her international travel experiences on my blog!
When I was in Beijing for two weeks over the summer with a Santa Fe College study abroad program, I was fortunate to be able to see all the main tourist attractions – The Great Wall, The Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, The Olympic Park, just to name a few. Everyone in the group had most evenings free, and I wanted to make the most of my time in China. I asked our tour guide, Fu, to purchase a ticket for me to see the traditional Chinese Peking Opera.
When I arrived at the Liyuan Theatre, I was escorted to a table with snacks and gaiwans (which consist of a saucer, a bowl and a lid for drinking tea). Once seated, I was able to watch an actor get dressed in his costume and then apply his make-up. One of the best parts of the experience was that I was sitting at a table of six, with two people from Japan, two people from Russia, a woman from Cuba and myself. It was extraordinary to watch the opera and converse with people from different backgrounds.
I attached some pictures below so you can get more of a feel for the experience. I also want to share some lessons I learned about cross-cultural etiquette from my tablemates at the opera.
- Be open to trying new things and meeting new people. It comes across as very arrogant if you believe your way of life is the best and only way. Instead, ask open-ended questions to learn more and broaden your horizons. It will help strengthen your connection with other people, and may even lead to a new friend who lives abroad!
- Remember that sense of humor doesn’t always translate well. We were all communicating at our table in English, but it was my tablemates’ second language. Jokes can be lost, and it is an easy way to create a misunderstanding. It is better to stick with simple and direct language.
- Try your best. Even if you just know a few phrases in another language, people will appreciate your efforts. A good tip is to look up how people in your host country dress, greet each other and communicate before you travel.
- Understand what is going on in the world. I realized that you don’t need to be an expert on every country, but you should have a general grasp of current events. You don’t want to cause people to become defensive and offended by bringing up subjects like politics and religion.
Side Note: For more information about using gaiwans, I want to pass along the link that Karen shared with me: http://www.wikihow.com/Brew-Gaiwan-Tea
Jorie Scholnik currently works as an assistant professor at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, where she teaches career and etiquette classes. She has also been working under the direction of Jacqueline Whitmore at The Protocol School of Palm Beach for the past six years. She earned her master’s degree in counseling and her undergraduate degrees in public relations and psychology from the University of Florida. You can follow her on Twitter @JorieScholnik.
