Polite
But Thirsty By: Yaping
Tang
In this essay
“Polite but Thirsty” the writer has explained some of the cultural variations
in between Chinese and American society. Specially she has tried to make the
Chinese students aware about the American culture so that they could be adopted
very easily in American culture.
Usually a new comer feels like a
baby or an idiot in a new culture because a culture misunderstanding. There is
a several language problem but in addition to this the cultural differences
make the problem even worse. Thus it is necessary to learn the cultural
differences. The writer as a students found some fundamentals differences
between the Chinese and the American cultures.
a)
The
Chinese classrooms the students are in proper discipline. There are certain
rooms and values of the classrooms that they aren’t allowed to it anything but
in American classroom the students eaten like in a canteen. As a eastern
student, it was really a strange experience and a great adventure to be adopted
in the American classroom.
b)
The
second fundamental differences that the writer noticed was the directness of
American people. They responded just in two ways ; Yes or No. They never show the so-called politeness
which is highly esteemed eastern culture.
c)
The
American people believe in the informality. They break the hierarchies and
treat every individual equally. They address even their professor by their
first name without adding the title Sir/Mam.
d)
The
Americans never hide their feelings when someone praises the food, the house,
the cloth, etc. They never reject it but rather they accept it happily which is
very much ware in the eastern culture.
e)
The
Americans open the gifts just in front of the host, he opens it and practice by
heart but it is taken as uncivilized manner in the east. In eastern culture,
gifts are given usually at the end of the part
and they are opened after the
departures of the guest.
f)
In
American societies tipping system is highly popular as even as it is taken as
necessary work in a restaurant. But in eastern society especially in China
leaving a tip is rarely found. The Chinese students are ashamed when they
aren’t leaving the tip to the workers. In this way Yaping Tang has tried to ease
the problems of Chinese students in America. Her main intention is to reduce
the cultural misunderstanding and to enable the Chinese students to learn the
American culture before they come to America.
·
Cross
– Cultural differences in values between
the united states and China.
ü Informality /
formality
ü Equality /
social hierarchy
ü Direction /
indirection
-
Self
asserts / modern
·
Culture
shoes – feeling of love and change and so suffering – food, climate, language,
mannerism communication
Symptoms of culture shocks :
Absent,
mindness a feeling of hopelessness, fits of anger, excessive fear of being
cheated, robbed or ignored, homesickness.