Culture is everything in a human being. It tells us what's right and what's wrong, and never can we escape the culture we grow-up with. In order to live successfully in a developing country, you have to be flexible in your belief system. Like it or not, the cultures you'll adopt will probably conflict with your own. Embrace those differences -- never view them as defects of your host culture, or even worse, as barbarisms. Here's a few areas where you'll have to be minding your P's and Q's...
Treatment of animals:
Shock Me Like
A lot of societies treat animals in a manner that may shock your sensibilities. Pets are unkempt and left to roam the streets, or abandoned outright when the owners move. For example, in Argentina the streets are filled with abandoned dogs. Other animals may be slaughtered for meat in the most unsanitary and inhumane way. For instance, Colombians have a tradition of butchering pigs on the street during holidays, even though the practice is prohibited.
Environmental Pollution:
In most societies, people have no qualms whatsoever about throwing garbage on the roads, in a field or in a river, even if trash receptacles were close by. The answer I usually got when I asked them why they did this was simply: "It's garbage!". The curious thing is that most often these people keep their own homes quite tidy. A person's social standing doesn't necessarily change this behavior. Meanwhile, few businesses pay heed to the environment, taking advantage of weak regulations and poor enforcement. Industries spew poisons into the air, ground and water without any treatment, often in highly populated areas. Cottage industries, such as impromptu auto repair shops, aren't any better, often operating illegally on residential streets.
Noise Pollution:
Loud all night street parties; roving vendors advertising their wares with the help of loudspeakers; barking dogs, squawking parrots and roosters singing at all hours; scores of dilapidated vehicles chugging and coughing along -- This is the constant cacophony in countless towns and cities in the developing world. Somehow the local people never complain, no matter how loud it gets.
Hygiene:
Bathing every day isn't an option in places where water is scarce, while in others it isn't a tradition even if water is abundant. Thus people's body odor can be rather overwhelming in such places, but not offensive to them. For the same reason, clothes might be worn for many days despite the intense heat in some countries.
Unhygienic food preparation is often a problem. Even washing and disinfection of fruits and vegetables can be viewed as unnecessary. Natives might not suffer any serious effects from contamination, from already having built some immunity or from harboring vast colonies of parasites in their digestive tracts, but you, the newcomer, might become deathly ill, on the other hand.
Courtesy:
If you're used to hearing "thank you","please" and "excuse me" when the situation calls for it, don't expect the same when in a foreign land. It doesn't mean they don't feel appreciation or regret, but rather that it's not something they normally vocalize.
Treatment of Women:
It might be 2010, but in many parts of the world, women are a very long way from being emancipated. Of course, this is horribly wrong, but if you think you can change local mores, think again. Your intervention could get you in trouble fast.
Driving:
Driving is highly dangerous in a lot of places in the world. There often seems to be no respect for the law, and when the police do clamp down, a small bribe will usually make them forget even the worst offenses. Add to that vehicles and roads in poor condition and you're better off not driving at all.
Moving to a Country in the Developing World - Prepare For Culture Shock! Shock Me Like
0 comments:
Post a Comment