Evaluating intercultural behavior
Having settled in Singapore for two years, I found that
Singapore is a very diverse and intercultural country where there is no single
set of culturally acceptable behaviors. Ever since I came to Singapore, I have
encountered misunderstanding intercultural communications for several times. There
was one time which still remains fresh in my memory.
Back then, it was one week after I came to Singapore. A
couple of friends went to a local kopptiam food court. After enjoying the delicious
food, I tried to order a cup of coffee. Then I went to the drink stop and
asked,
“Auntie, could I have a cup of latte?”
Then her face seemed to be quite confused. I thought maybe
it was because I did not pronounce the word “Latte” clearly due to my Chinese
accent. So, I asked a second time,
“Auntie, could I have a cup of La—tte—?”
Then the auntie responded, “ What do you want? Ko—pi— or
teh?”
I actually did not get what she said and insisted saying,
“ I want latte! Coffee with milk!!”
Then she said, “What do you want? kopi-c siew dai?”
It was my turn to be confused. At that moment I was thinking
“what ko—pi #@$%^is?!” I said to myself maybe it was a special drink in
Singapore. Then I just said, “Yes, please give me that.”
After that I learned from my Singaporean friend that kopi-c siew dai is actually a mixed
language of Malay and Cantonese. Kopi-c
means coffee with milk and siew dai
means less sugar. Then I knew that ordering coffee or tea in Singapore is very
special which needs several languages.
Having lived here for two years, I feel that it is getting
smoother to integrate myself into this multicultural society. Although
sometimes I still feel a little bit uncomfortable when encountering
intercultural misunderstandings, I did learn to respect the culture instead of
judging or hating it. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, it is always good to
hold a positive attitude instead of scolding or complaining. There is still a
long way to go and get involved in this society since I will stay in Singapore for
quite a few years. One of my friends said to me that actually Singaporeans all
have their needs here already; so, they will not bother trying to reach out for
more friends, which shocked me and also help me realize that it is so true and we will never
get to know them more unless we step out our comfort zone and embrace the
brand-new culture here.
