WHEN AT ROME, DO AS THE ROMANS DO (part2)
Today I would like to continue the previous topic and to say some words about Public Behavior in the countries, which were a question of yesterday’s post.
Spain:
- When summoning someone [e.g. a waiter], you should turn your palm down and wave your fingers or entire hand.
- Foreign [especially blonde] women continue to hold a particular fascination for the older generation but, although it is now considered rude to whistle, any attractive woman must be prepared for turned heads and lengthy stares from admiring males. The correct response is to smile and ignore such unwanted attention.
France:
- When you speak their language, be gracious if the French correct your mistakes in grammar or pronunciation. Usually, people who make these efforts care about the French language and are only trying to help you speak it effectively.
- Men should stand, or at least initiate a move to do so, whenever a superior makes an entrance.
- Despite the formality of French business culture, people tend to stand close when speaking to each other. Moreover, touching a shoulder or patting an arm is also commonplace and usually within the bounds of French business etiquette.
- Maintaining eye contact is important, but try not to focus too intently on the other person.
- If you feel the need to point, motion with your whole hand, rather than your index finger.
Germany:
- Eye contact during the introduction is serious, direct, and should be maintained as long as the person is addressing you. Even in public between strangers, eye contact or out and out staring can be direct and not necessarily smiling.
- Although this is usually a very formal, law-obeying society, pushing, shoving, and other displays of impatience in lineups are not uncommon. Apologies are in such cases not necessarily the rule. Interestingly, despite the high value of rules and social order in most aspects of public life, queuing and waiting your turn are not strong traits in present day Germany.
- Having made this point, be aware that the liberty taken with lines at a bakery doesn’t translate to lines at any bureaucratic institution.
Moslem countries (United Arab Emirates, Iran and in Turkey )
- Generally, one should always shake hands with every man present but not with women. If a man knows a woman well enough to touch her at all, he knows her well enough to kiss her [e.g. blood relatives]. The respectful greeting between subjects and rulers is a kiss on the nose. In Turkey holding hands with someone from the opposite sex is acceptable in the cities.
- Not only is it improper to eat with the left hand, it should be reserved only for unclean usage. To offer someone something with the left hand is very rude.
- Do not forget that Friday is a traditional Islamic holiday, although this is now Sunday in turkey.
Japan:
- Maintain a quiet and polite manner at all times.
- The American “O.K.” sign actually means “money” in Japan.
- Blowing one’s nose in public is regarded as impolite. When this action is necessary, use a disposable tissue only and then throw it out immediately. Generally speaking, the Japanese find the idea of keeping a used handkerchief disgusting.
- Laughter may indicate embarrassment or distress, rather than amusement.
- Smiling is a popular gesture here. It is often used, however, for self-control, particularly in masking displeasure.
China:
- The Chinese do not use their hands when speaking, and will only become annoyed with a speaker who does.
- The Chinese dislike being touched by strangers.
- Members of the same sex may hold hands in public in order to show friendliness.
- Blowing your nose with a handkerchief is acceptable, but it is advisable to turn away from people while doing so.
India:
- Among Indians, it is normal for them to use their hands to gesticulate while talking with each other.
- Feet are considered unclean in India. In the case that your feet or shoes touch another person, you are expected to apologize by saying ’sorry.’
- Indians do not maintain continuous eye-contact while talking with others. On the other hand, do not feel uncomfortable if you find an Indian gazing at you; this is because Indians are curious.
- The comfortable distance is much closer in India than in most Western countries. In general, a distance of about 2 feet is seen as comfortable.
Now you have learned acceptable behavior, rules for eye contact and gestures 