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The Smartest Place Under The Sun |
 Australia |
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The Smartest Place Under The Sun |
Australia |
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Information for Homestay Families - Page 2 PAGE 1 - GENERAL CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AN OVERVIEW Attitudes Family The Extended and cross generational family unit, as opposed to the nuclear family unit in Australia, is still dominant in many Asian and Pacific cultures. Family ties are strong, the family is an individual's main support and members are interdependent and responsible for each others welfare. International students studying in Australia may find interdependence difficult. Students from an extended family culture do not shed the complex and binding set of obligations to family members while abroad. Many send money home and funeral, succession, marriage and other rites and rules enfold them commandingly. Group Australians prefer to be treated as independent individuals rather than as members of a certain class, position or group, although their families are important to them. This is in contrast to many Asian and Pacific Island countries. The people primarily see themselves as members of a group or a community or a sect or clan and the individual's needs and will are secondary to that of the group Women Traditionally, English and Western European societies have perpetuated male gender preference and predominance and although this is changing in the West, it still remains in many Asian and Pacific Countries. Animals Attitudes to animals often vary between cultures. Many cultures do not afford them a special position as Australians do and they will not have animals as pets. It is taboo for Muslims to touch dogs. Time Throughout the world and within different cultures there are different attitudes towards time and this will effect, punctuality, deadlines and lateness. Expression of Emotion, Disharmony and Loudness Australians tend to be direct in their communication and will readily display emotions such as anger, frustration and happiness. Some Asian and Pacific peoples may interpret any open display of emotion as a lack of self-discipline and poor taste. Disagreement will not be openly expressed and smoothness in relationships between individuals and within the group is a high priority. Any open disharmony, especially shouting, would result in a loss of face for all parties. Australians may stereotype Asian and Pacific Islanders as passive and compliant, just as Australians may be stereotyped as brash and indiscrete or rude. Apologies The rules governing politeness and apologies vary greatly in different cultures. Australians tend to apologise more frequently then some other cultural groups and for minor inconveniences. Some international students interpret our apologetic behaviour as "overdoing" it. In some societies, status also governs rules of politeness and those of higher status will be treated with deference while those of lesser status will be treated dismissively, even rudely . Greetings and small Talk Greeting conversation varies across cultures. Australians tend to ask "how are you?" and make comments on the weather. Other cultural groups may ask "have you eaten yet?" or "where have you been?". Australians tend to ask people their names, whereas Asians when they are being friendly will ask "are you married?", "what do you earn?" and "how old are you?". The touching involved in greeting behaviour also varies from culture to culture etc. Handshakes (weak or strong), backslapping, hugging, cheek kissing and bowing, etc,. Australians say "please" "thank you" and "sorry" more often than people from other cultures. We can be offended by the omission of these three phrases. However this does not mean they are less police and we are more polite. Each culture has its outward signs of politeness which are culturally determined. Names Often there is a very great significance attached to an international student's name. In some cultures names are constructed to convey particular astrological or religious auspiciousness. It is imperative that we try hard to get student names and terms of address correct. Some names are also taboo for strangers to use. A general rule is to ask the students how to address them. Naming systems will vary between cultures. Malay (Male) Asmi bin Ahmad: "bin" means "son of" Ahmad (father's given name): "bin" may be omitted and would become Mr. Asmi in Australian style. (Female) Suraya binti Ahmad: "binti" means "daughter of", "binti" may be dropped. A Malay woman does not usually change her name on marriage, but she may take on the given name of her husband and become Mrs. Asmi. South Indian Male Kumar s/o (son of) Ramalingam: Mr Kumar Female Shangi d/o (daughter of) Nadesan if married to Mr. Kumar she would be Mrs. Kumar. Chinese Lim See Sing. Lim is the surname. Many of them will add a Western first name (James Lin) or reverse the order of their Chinese name while living in Australia. Maldivian Men are referred to by their family name; women by their given name and women have pet names used only by close family/friends. Face Self respect or face is often very important in other cultural groups. Loss of face should be avoided at all times and this will account for lack of confrontation on issues and smoothing over any disharmony or disagreement. It is important to avoid public criticism or disagreement, especially with males. Student failure will mean loss of face for the student and his family back home. Social Status In some cultures status (related to age, education, wealth or position) governs relationships and behaviour to a much greater degree than in Australia. It affects forms of address, politeness, apologies, greeting behaviour, eye contact, etc. Non Verbal Communication Non verbal communication differs greatly between cultures. Personal Space (comfortable distance between people when communicating) is between two and four feet for acquaintances in Australia. Many other cultural groups have greater distance requirements and may feel threatened by the socially acceptable distance in Australia. Touching Casual touching between sexes may be taboo but hand holding with the same sex may be acceptable. Touching the head in some cultures is taboo (eg. Thailand, Nauru) Hands and feet . There are cultural variations governing the use of hands and feet, etc. Be wary of pointing the foot, crossing legs, pointing and beckoning with the index finger and palm upwards. The left hand may be considered unclean and is not used for eating or passing objects. Hands in pockets may indicate indifference or disrespect and hands on hips may indicate disgust or anger. Eye Contact Eye contact may also differ between cultures. In some cultures, it is disrespectful to have eye contact with those of higher status. Winking may not be understood.. Smiling Smiling often indicates emotions other than happiness in some cultures, for example, to hide discomfort or embarrassment or to conceal disagreement. Eating Habits Many other cultural groups may find dairy products indigestible and they normally eat less fatty foods. The smell of lamb can be offensive to some. Religion often governs acceptable food in Asian countries, e.g.: Hindus avoid beef (or all meat and eggs if they are strict), pork and associated meats e.g. sausages, processed meat. Bread may have religious significance. Meat may have to be slaughtered in a special way (halal). It may be impolite to eat all food that is served and utensils will vary e.g. chopsticks, spoon and fork or fingers. Spilling food, burping or breaking wind may be acceptable. It may be unacceptable to talk during meals believing that conversations should be kept until afterwards. Hygiene Sniffing may be the acceptable way of coping with a cold and using handkerchiefs may be considered very unclean.. Body odours often differ between cultures, and can reflect food intake. Showering several times a day may be considered a necessary part of personal hygiene as well as washing after using the toilet. Signs of splashed water in the bathrooms or toilets are acceptable and a lockable bathroom may be essential. Spitting will be acceptable in some cultures. Modesty and Dress Dress and manners will differ between cultures. Other cultures may be more modest and reserved in both dress and manners. Revealing clothes and casual friendliness may be misinterpreted. Bribery, Favours, Patronage There are some cultures in which bribery for service is integral to commerce and administration. This does not indicate dishonesty, just normal practice. The cultural rules governing favours or service for another also vary greatly and lead to cross cultural uncertainty regarding type of favour and reciprocity. Patronage involves a person of influence taking care of your interests in return for your support and loyalty. It may be integral to some relationships in some cultures and may be interpreted by other cultural groups and bribery. Technology International students' technological backgrounds will vary enormously. They may not be familiar with computers, typewriters, library systems, audio visual equipment etc. PAGE 1 - GENERAL |
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