Sunday, November 8, 2009

Different Strokes

How nice it would be if we were all the same, but how boring that could prove to be. Have you stood up and said 'me? I have no prejudice' and truly meant it, but when you have seen someone smoking within your vicinity, turned up your nose in disgust? We all have, whether it be cigarettes, spitting on the street, someone sneezing noisily and many other things besides.

Some of us are happy to conform with life's etiquette's of good behavior and manners, others are willing to follow the regular fashion that is the Norma in that country or area, but others of us choose to be more individualistic and then have to be prepared to suffer the consequences of our actions. Even if we are non conformist, we do not always agree with the opinion of others. For example, myself, who has a 'style' of my own, probably a little more colorful than others, even though today some black attire has crept into my wardrobe, did not agree with someone's opinion recently. The point under discussion was dressing appropriately. One student of mine said that at a 'mock' interview at the university recently, they were all told to come in suitable interviewee clothes. One young woman, came with a leather jacket, adorned with steel spikes and bright pink hair. My pupil was quite aghast at her appearance and thought is was unsuitable, I personally replied that I thought that this was the best clothes that the young woman had. Another stated that he felt that if you bought front seats to the Opera, this would entitle you to turning up in shorts and sneakers. Another classmate totally disagreed, feeling that this show would be disrespectful both to the actors and audience both.

Whether we like it or not, there are rules and if we are unable to abide by them, then we should not put ourselves in a position of having to do so. Nevertheless, it should be made plain, irrelevant of personal bias and the person in question given the opportunity to dress in a more appropriate fashion, based on their experience and suitability for the job in hand. If they are then unable to do so, then the connection may be severed. Nevertheless, in this day and age, discrimination in the work place is still strife and should be a factor taken under consideration before you leave home.

Furthermore, bear in mind that in places such as Asia, voice and tone can also cause difficulties for somewhere such as China, saving face is of prime importance and an aggressive tone or reprimand can be misunderstood and a relationship broken. These are things that we learn only through trial and error and cannot be explained or taught, only experienced. Once I had some students who had gone to Japan on business. There was a fault in the product being produced there and upon their arrival and subsequent meeting with the CEO, proceeded to put him directly in the know. A further few days was spent being wined and dined, whilst the product was being altered. At the end of their stay, they were informed in no uncertain terms, that there would be no further business between the two companies. The visitors were shocked and could not understand what had happened, after all, they had been treated most cordially during their stay. What they failed to realise though, was that the losing face at the initial meeting put an end to any further dealings, but as not to fall low in the eyes of the foreigner, all had been carried out to the highest standard as not to invoke the same circumstance for the envoy.

Who said relocation was easy? No one to my knowledge, but it is interesting, challenging, fun and an adventure. Though as to making money, this will in the main be possible and fruitful if you will be on an expat salary, but is a means for travelling abroad.

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