Kind of interesting. SunnyDaze pointed out that showing the soles of your feet pointed at someone is insulting in certain cultures and countries.
I ran across this in Thailand. In Thailand, all of us Sailors that visited there were always told to just go ahead and keep our feet flat on the ground, especially when sitting. Because pointing the bottom of your feet at someone is considered an extremely bad insult. And I always did that when I was in Thailand.
Very hard habit to break for those that cross their legs when normal relaxed sitting. So, when you were in Thailand, you had to pay extremely more attention to this.
And that's fine. As a Sailor, there were so many places we visited that we just did what we had to do. That old axiom always fit: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." And we all knew that. You just worked with it.
You remember that young kid that got caned in Singapore in the 1990s? I was active duty U.S. Navy at the time when that came out in the news. And I had been to Singapore quite a few times. As well as friends of mine who were USN. When it came out in the news, we all looked at each other perplexed. Like...this is news? Big deal. It's Singapore. It's not America. You pay attention to their laws. You screw up, YOU GET CANED! Just the way it is. So, we all laughed when people were outraged at the sentence they handed out in Singapore. You go to their country, you pay attention to their laws. No exceptions.
I hate to say it, but a lot of Americans are not experienced in travel. They go places and expect people to speak English and they don't. And they get frustrated. The normal reaction is TO SPEAK LOUDER. LIKE THIS IS GONNA MAKE YOU BE UNDERSTOOD. It's not. This is not the thing to do. The thing to do is to fit in. And you do it the best you can. U.S. Navy Sailors know this. Believe me. We all know that when we go somewhere, we know we are going to make mistakes, but that's okay. One thing you can't slight us for is that people (from wherever country you go to) can see that you are trying to fit in. And they are understanding and really, really appreciate the fact that you are trying to fit into their culture as best as you can, but they also know you are not from there and they are forgiving on this part. But the main thing is that you MUST make an effort.
There was a famous author by the name of Graham Greene who wrote a book called "The Ugly American." I advise EVERYONE that is going to travel to another country to read it before you leave and pay attention to its meaning. A very good entertaining book that actually teaches you things.
I will give you a good example of what happened to me today. I had to pick up a few things at a Korean supermarket here in Las Vegas. Run by Koreans. When they finished bagging my purchases and I paid and got my change, I replied thank you and Merry Christmas to them. And I said it in Hangul (Korean language)! (Kah hom sahm nee dah (Thank you.). Say hey poke mohnny pah doh ship shee yo (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year).) They were amazed! Brought a smile to their face!
That's what it's all about. You have to take an extra step.
This is what brings us all together in the world.
Okay. I'll shut the hell up. I'm on this stupid soap box.....
Colin
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