Practical Rules for Crossing Cultures

1. Always find a host for your experience. Since you cannot possibly interpret what is happening, you must find a host you trust and mimic their reactions.

2. Refrain from making judgmental comments in cross cultural context. That culture does not need your judgments to exist. Simply let the experience happen and save analysis for later.

3. Put energy into building trust in a few key relationships in that culture. Just keep trying until a breakthrough occurs. Ignore feelings of embarrassment.

4. You will always be accepted most and have the greatest feelings of insecurity when you place yourself in a vulnerable situation.

5. Study the behavior of successful persons in the cross cultural context. Receive behaviors which seem to work for them and imitate them.

6. Never complain about things you cannot change while in the experience. Plan some diversion activities for those times when you experience discomfort or privation to get through if they cannot be changed.

7. Analyze your reactions and experiences later with a guide who understands your culture and the culture that you experienced.

8. Try to cooperate with projects and save your feelings until afterwards. Often – even if your feelings are correct – a program will help people more if it finishes without changes. The changes can be proposed for the next time.

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