Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

The world as we know it is becoming smaller and flatter. It is not uncommon to find oneself working in a multinational company with so many different people from different nations with different languages, religion, and beliefs. Take my friend Refidia (not real name) for instance. Similar to myself, she came from Malaysia and is currently working in Singapore. Her colleagues consists of Singaporeans as well as foreign workers who came from countries like China, India, and Europe. To top it all, she is working for a Canadian company. Talk about diversity!  As we enter the age of globalisation, the world is becoming increasingly inter-connected. With this in mind, there has been a growing emphasis on the importance of competent intercultural communication.

I will like to share an observation I made on an intercultural scenario I encountered during my trip to Myanmar, the land of golden pagodas. My friends and I were there on an OCIP, and this particular incident happened during our initial visit to the orphanage. Upon entering the orphanage, we were ushered into one of the children's classroom. While our leader was handling the administrative matters, the rest of us took the chance to mingle with some of the kids. The kids were extremely shy and were very reluctant to answer when asked for their name and age and whatnot (we picked up some basic Burmese). 

What struck me most was how they placed their arms when we were talking to them. They crossed their arms while we were talking to them! And it wasn't just one of them, all of them did it. I was very confused and shocked to see that happening. To a certain extent, I was actually offended. My first impression was that they were just being defensive towards us. As the conversations went on, they got friendlier and more open to us, responding to our questions more warmly. However, their arms still remained cross. 

Confused, I seeked out one of my team members who is actually from Myanmar. Apparently, it is a Burmese culture for students to cross their arms over their chest when speaking as a sign of respect. Well that certainly cleared out a lot of my confusion. Needless to say, the rest of the trip went pretty smoothly and I was more than happy when the students crossed their arms when speaking to us, as a clear sign of respect for us. I think this is a clear example of the importance of understanding the cultures of others. Having knowledge about the culture of others could help avoid any possible misunderstandings and allow for more effective communication.