5 Steps to a Great Cross-Cultural Friendship
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
The global village is here, and is here to stay. Possibly forever. Although recent census figures show that our communities are more culturally and ethnically diverse than ever before, yet many of us still find it challenging to build relationships with people from backgrounds different from our own. How do we befriend someone from a different country? How do we go about getting to know an international student or a new coworker who hails from a different country? Why are our words and/or actions often misinterpreted? Are there ways we can get along better with people from different cultural backgrounds, be it for friendship or professional needs?
Get out of your comfort zone
The only way we can make friends with people from different cultural backgrounds is if we’re willing to come out of our comfort zones and not be afraid to reach out.
Willingness to learn
Are you genuinely interested in your new friend’s culture? If so, express your willingness to learn various things about their culture. It can be anything from the food they eat, how to exchange greetings, their traditions, religion,and even trying their culture’s cuisine. Let your new friend feel welcome and know that you’re open to new knowledge and experiences.
Patience
Sometimes we may not be speaking in our native tongue when with people of a different nationality, or they are not very fluent in your native tongue. It is thus extremely important to be patient for both you and your new friend to understand what each other are saying. This can be very interesting and may even lead to an adventure of its own!
Understanding
Everyone has their own way of doing things, even amongst people from the same culture. Opinions vary even wider across people from different cultural backgrounds. The way we grew up, the values inculcated in us since we were young all have a strong influence on our perspectives, so respect these differences and even embrace such diversity.
Be inclusive
Be friendly, call your new friend, include them and invite them to meals, events, and activities. Also make sure they are included in conversations and discussions.
Your friend would also be most interested in your cultural background, so be sure to share all the quirky bits of your culture! Introduce them to your traditions and eating habits, be an ambassador of your own culture or country even. Discovering each other’s cultural habits is going to be very interesting indeed. Be sure to keep an open mind!