If case you don’t know what faux pas are they are the unwritten social rules and we follow by in everyday life, like for example addressing your folks with their first name instead of the usual “mom” and “dad” or talking with your mouth full. So now must be aware of them by now but what about the other kinds of faux pas that exists in other locations on earth that aren’t consider offensive in your own neighbourhood? Well you may be surprised at some of them but they are what they are in their local customs. Consider reading and remember these when you are about to travel to that certain place in the world. Or else you might unintentionally cause some offense and you won’t even know why they are mad in the first place. Now lets take a look at some of them right now.
GREECE:
You all know that gesture when you show the number 5 with your whole hand or better yet known as “talk to the hand,” well did you know that in greece that is actually considered really offensive to the locals. To us it’s nothing, we would just shrug it off but not to greek. The part that is appalling to them is when your palm faces the person would is taken on disrespect.
SOUTH AMERICA:
I briefly discussed this in my fire vs. ice article in my blog but not acknowledging a presence of a certain individual in a group of people interacting, simply but not greeting the person nor saying good bye when you leave, in north america this can exist but it is way more relaxed. I myself am guilty of this in the past, before I usually don’t think this a big deal but I have learned to get offended by this myself as time passes while living here in South America.
JAPAN:
There are quite a number for example, at family/social dinner pouring your own drink instead of having someone pour it for you is tagged a faux pas, chances are you know of bowing as a greeting which is taken anything lightly over there in their own culture, it is a MUST especially if you meet someone more elderly and of a higher social status.
KOREA:
Much of the same faux pas applies to Japan, but another one can be writing someone elses name in red, now why is that? Because in their culture red symbolizes DEATH!
THAILAND:
I have heard of this one a long time ago when a talked with someone who has travelled to thailand. According to her, the touching of the head of another person which the head is sacred, also another one you must know that you must not step over their currency since their money contains the images of their king.
INDIA AND PAKISTAN:
The eating and shaking hands with the left hand, I should watch myself with that since I am left handed, also the addressing the informal “you” instead of the traditional formal “you” to elders is also considered a faux pas.
BRAZIL:
One that can be unexpect to you in brazil is the inverted “ok” gesture which represents to the brazilians as an anus.
FRANCE:
One of their faux pas would be asking for cheese after finishing their dessert and asking others directly for their full names and what their jobs are.
MIDDLE EAST:
Showing the soles of your feet which is consider private to encouraged from public view, much like our attitudes to the crotch and for women the breast area.
EASTERN EUROPE:
Giving someone who is alive an EVEN number of flowers is consider rude since they would do that only in funeral services, I am sure there would be some over analystical people who would count the flowers so be “careful” on that one.
Fire vs. Ice
May 3, 2007
Ok before I moved to South America, one of the main things and aspect I noticed about the latino culture from tv was their love for the rhythm of their music to the likes of samba or salsa. Music that just gives flavor and life the parties. That just sets in my head about the people that would ignite the wonder of how these people would to be generally in real life.
Technique I should know… I myself am latino of decent with both my parents being from Paraguay, a small nation in South America. But there is one factor here, I was born in Canada and lived there for pretty much my whole life, where my parents left me with little teachings on where I came and other kinds of things such as my family history or the full detailed aspects of the Paraguay culture, or latin culture in general. So you might say that I can be ignorant towards my peoples history, that is til one day I made a big decision that would change my life.
I moved in with my mom to Paraguay after my folks divorced and I was in my middle teens at the time. So here I am with a particular mindset and way of being vs. a foreign atmosphere where I had little education about it prior. Over the years I had many friends from being the locals, to some various exchange students over the time.
But one reoccurring theme as come to mind, despite the different in appearance was the difference in character traits.
To speak in a broad sense, the americans and even europeans has more of colder traits than the latino counterpart, over here for example would be a common known faux paux where if you do not greet one when you enter a group of people then the person in question would take much great offense than one would in a similar situation in a north american setting. The latinos are known to be considered a warm people where they greet someone, even if they don’t them very well they would greet them anyways with a more forward approach, so you can say that the latinos would be more friendly in that major form of human interaction. However you the reader wouldn’t be as colourful to others if you don’t know them very well. I am speaking in a general sense remember, I don’t refer you the reader as an individual but as a whole in the american, british canadian etc. population.
Life here in south america can have it’s advantages if you want to make alot of friends easily for instance the “clique” subculture seems to be virtually non-existent in their school systems and I have heard about many testimonials from the exchange students (nearly all of them) saying that it is def. easier to talk to people and have an overall great time down here and never want to leave.
Family is another very important aspect to the culture, whereas the sense of a true family unit is greatly more extended and reconized with a thicker sense of loyal to the family. That would be one of the reasons that I moved here since ALL of my family resides in this country, over the years I have learned to greatly appreciate them more so than ever, unlike from living in Canada where I felt lonely and was very far from my true family so I wouldn’t get alot of unconditional support I do here in Paraguay.
If you are one that ends up marrying someone of the latin race please keep in mind their strong affection for family and respect that by being respectable towards them. Should be easy since they are generally as I said a warm people would then see as truely part of family.
Other more common traits with the latinos can be how they are more comfortable with taking louder, exaggerated gestures and lots physical contact between each other, which contributes to their “fire” persona.
So we go back to their music, I say that the music is a great representation and reflection as a latin culture as a whole which tend to be warm and upbeat in nature mixed in other types and common traits like modesty for example.
For the last 5 years I have been living in South America with my family and of course I had to learn Spanish from scratch, which is easier than you think, since you constantly are practicing it everyday as you hang out with the local people who don’t know english and eventually make friends with some of them. Now to this spanish comes natural to me, for instance I can think and dream in spanish almost everyday.
But what about you guys? Ever thought of learning spanish yourself? Take a look around you, in the last few years you notice the spanish speaking culture has been making it’s presence in the mainstream media and the way of everyday life more so than ever. Some aspects more obvious than others like reggaeton trend in mtv being set in with others like hip hop and crunk.
Main Reasons to learn Spanish today.
1.The women: Yea why not talk to them in their native language? It shows compassion for them as you speak to them or at least try too. By doing this you should win a couple of points in their books if you when converse in spanish instead of english. Works well on other women since they will see you as intelligent and cultured.
2.As goodwill: Since the ever growing number of latinos are making an impact in the US culture as a whole wouldn’t it be nice to at least get use to it and learn spanish so you won’t see as more close minded to other cultures.
3.Opportunities: Do you have some business of some kind? Want to expand? Well why not learn spanish to better the opportunity to serve your clients and get more offerings not from the just english speakers businessmen but other prestigious spanish speaking ones as well.
4.Better communication: Can range from wanting to know what they are singing about in those reggeaton songs or in overseas travels when you could be lost and the only one to help you and give you directions only speaks spanish? Or want something specifically done to your hair when you get it cut during your vacation in Cancun. Yes, a lack of communication with the last one can have its unwanted results.
So just learning spanish can be fun and more easier than you think since alot of the words can be similar. Hell it even improves your understanding of english also!
Example, the simple Spanish word for wrong is “equivocar” but there is word in English that not many would understand which is equivocal, that can define as “of doubtful nature or character; questionable; dubious; suspicious: aliens of equivocal loyalty.”
One can just put two and two together.
It isn’t always about the lankmarks.
May 2, 2007
So you plan to travel on vacation? But where? Paris? The Bahamas? Or maybe to Rio in Brazil? Where those can be a hell of great spot to start with but don’t ever consider enjoying your vacation to the max.? Ever wonder if you knew a few basics to the local language, how much it could change your whole vacation experience?
Chances are you don’t. But that’s ok, it’s nice to go on a vacation with your family or friends and only with your family or friends without mixing in with the locals, it can be done. But why not mix with the locals?
There are a whole bunch of interesting people you could meet in this world of 5 billion but sadly if you only speak english you are only allowed to speak to around 600 million of them. That’s like little over 10 percent of total population but I am sure you never thought it like that way, am I right?
Not saying that MUST AND HAVE TO learn a second language but at least take consideration in learning the basics, it would be useful to know… especially the one… spoken in the country you plan to visit. It’s all about the little things like knowning how to say “Where’s the bathroom” could spell the difference between finding it or losing it all over inside your pants.
