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Raising one’s cultural awareness: What’s considered ‘normal’ in one place may not be ‘normal’ elsewhere

Often small things lead to intercultural misunderstandings. Becoming aware of them is a major step towards resolving them.

  • I have just returned from a workshop on ‘Intercultural Competence’ with international employees at a German company.

    To start with, I often ask the participants in these workshops what has particularly surprised them in Germany. The answers are usually manifold. However, it is very likely that participants will mention punctuality, traffic infrastructure, straightforwardness, language, security and ‘everything is closed on Sundays’.

    Germany is ‘closed on Sundays’

    In particular, the discovery that all facilities in Germany, including shops and supermarkets, are closed on Sundays surprises almost all new arrivals and leads to a great deal of incomprehension among many.

    For them, Germany is the epitome of a modern, progressive country. How does ‘everything is closed on Sundays’ fit? For many foreigners this is a big surprise for which they are not prepared. This peculiarity is rarely mentioned in company guidelines for their new employees. Why should it? For us in Germany, it goes without saying and is therefore not worth mentioning. However, it is a cultural peculiarity in our country and would therefore be an important piece of information for new employees.

     

     

    What do people associate with the possibility of shopping on Sundays?

    First of all, that they can freely decide at any time to buy food, clothing and other goods without planning it in advance. People in many other countries are simply used to this flexibility in everyday life. Since Sundays are usually work-free, they are an excellent time to go shopping in peace and quiet together with the family. People often associate shopping with socializing: they meet up with friends or family and dine and drink together. Shopping itself is merely the occasion to set off.

    What is ‘normal’ for you?

    Of course, new arrivals in Germany quickly adjust to the fact that shops are closed on Sundays.  However, this is only one of many cultural differences that foreigners encounter in everyday life and at work in Germany. Things that are ‘normal’ and that for Germans go without saying, are not universally ‘normal’.

    Do you have any international neighbours or colleagues? Have you ever asked them what has particularly surprised them in Germany and what may still seem strange to them? It is a simple way of raising one’s own cultural awareness as one may be surprised by their answers: Often it’s the little things that lead to misunderstandings or frustration. At the same time, they can often be easily explained or fixed. We just need to become aware of them.