You are polite...or are you?

I recently gave a lecture on Inter-cultural awareness. I was teaching a group of postgraduate students and they were all from different nationalities.

Amongst other things, we talked about international etiquette. It was a fantastic experience as we quickly discovered that what can be extremely offensive in one country, can be absolutely normal in another.

So…are you ready to take the test?
Are you polite all around the world if…
1. …you say hello when you meet a friend?
2. …when you are on the bus, you leave your seat to an older lady?
3. …when you have a cold you blow your nose in public?
4. …you smile when you see a friend?
5. …you arrive 30 minutes late at a party?
6. …you are invited out for dinner and you finish everything on your plate?
7. …for your friend’s birthday you give her a gift wrapped in white?
8. …when you are very happy you whistle in public?
9. …when you are in a new city you ask for directions to find the train station?
10. …when you are in a restaurant you ask for directions to find the bathroom?
11. …you buy your girlfriend some lovely white chrysanthemums?

I have added some red herrings in my test, but write to me and let me know how you get along.

I will send you all the answers after the Easter break.

However, if understanding other cultures is of interest to you, please come to our Inter-Cultural Awareness workshop on 25 April.
For further information, visit http://www.bath.ac.uk/flc/events/cultural-awareness.html or email me on is214@bath.ac.uk

It is a great evening; do not miss it if you, like me, find people intriguing!

Best wishes,
Isabella
(Isabella Stefanutti, Course Director, Foreign Languages Centre)

How amazing!

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to wish you all a nice weekend and share this video with you.

Cécile, one of our French teachers, brought it to my attention.

Have you watched it already? Isn't he amazing?

Copy and paste this address:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17107435

A presto, to soon, à bientôt, bis bald, hasta luego, zàijiàn, Živijo...that's all I can do! :)

Isabella