Polite But Thirsty - By: Yaping Tang

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. Especially 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 of culture misunderstanding. There are several language problems but in addition to this the cultural differences make the problem even worse. Thus it is necessary to learn the cultural differences. The writer found some fundamentals differences between the Chinese and the American cultures.

a)     The Chinese classrooms are in proper discipline. There are certain rooms and values of the classrooms that they aren’t allowed to anything but in American classroom the students eat like in a canteen. As an 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 were 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/Madam.

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 praises by heart but it is taken as uncivilized manner in the east. In eastern culture, gifts are given usually at the end of the party 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 the United States and China.

ü Informality / formality

ü Equality / social hierarchy

ü Direction / indirection

 

-         Self asserts / modern

·        Culture shocks – feeling of love and change and so suffering – food, climate, language, mannerism, communication

Symptoms of culture shocks:

          Absent, mindedness a feeling of hopelessness, fits of anger, excessive fear of being cheated, robbed or ignored, homesickness.