During the year’s final
event hosted by the Cultural Coffeehouse Series, international students
introduced the audience to some of the do’s and don’ts of their respective
nations, which included Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, and China and Hong
Kong.
The evening began with a
quiz. After asking participants and presenters to stand inside MacNeil Lounge
by the doors, Jenn O’Connor, director of international students and a
co-founder of the Cultural Coffeehouse Series, showed on a screen some
photographs of hand gestures. With each photograph, she asked those standing to
move to her left or right depending on whether or not they understood the
gesture to be rude. The gestures included holding one’s ear lobe between index
finger and thumb; placing the back of one open hand inside the palm of the
other; the “a-okay” sign (index finger touch thumb with the remaining three
fingers extended and apart); and the “peace” sign reversed (back of the hand
facing outward).
Japan
First to present,
following that activity, was Yoshi
Shumiya ’10 and Alex Cates ’12,
who came together for a simulated meal, complete with noodles and chopsticks,
after introducing the importance to the Japanese of bowing. After insisting on
shaking hands, Alex, in the role of the American, repeatedly misused his
chopsticks by sticking them upright in his food and pushing a ‘bowl’ of food
across to his friend with his chopsticks (see picture to the right). Participants learned that it is not
rude in Japan to ‘shovel’ food into your mouth with chopsticks or to make
slurping noises while eating.
Russia and South Korea
Next came two students, Violetta Abdulina ’13 of Russia (left) and Bomi Kim ’13 of South Korea, who humorously illustrated what can happen when two
cultures collide. After reviewing greetings, the girls explained that two
gestures covered in the quiz—backhanded peace sign and a backhand into the
other palm—communicate in Russia and South Korea, respectively—what Americans
understand from an extended middle finger. In South Korea, when drinking
alcohol supplied by a guest, one communicates respect depending on how high up
the drinking arm one places one’s non-drinking hand. Violetta explained that
flashing the “a-okay” sign in Russia indicates a state of drunkenness. Greeting
friends of either gender in Russia involves kissing each cheek once; in South
Korea, friends interlock the fingers of both hands.
Chinese Cultures
Crystal Song ’11, Steven Cheng ’12, and Monica
Sang ’13, three students from
mainland China, introduced others to the protocols governing how teachers and
students interact, most notably how students ask to be recognized (lifting the
right forearm like the flag of an American mailbox, with the elbow remaining on
the desk); how numbers are counted differently on fingers; and how students
address their teachers (by addressing them as “Teacher”). The audience also
learned that you are to ask twice if you really want your guest to eat
something—to indicate that you are not just being polite.
In Hong Kong, one does not
present four of anything as a gift, and certainly not a clock, which is
associated with death. Whatever the gift, we learned that in Hong Kong you are
not to accept a gift immediately, that it is not rude to decline a gift
(especially if you think it is too expensive), and—back to the chopsticks—you
are not to point with them. The two students leading this presentation were Annie Guo ’12 and Brian
Lee ’12.
Students from Taiwan, Jasmine Kuo ’12 and Jenny
Liao ’12, pictured here, illustrated how teachers
scrutinize students at the beginning of the school day, chiding them for their
clothing, make-up, shoes, nail polish, or hairstyles (curling hair is
forbidden). Boys and girls are not to speak to each other at school (though you
can text each other if you can get away with it). In South Korea, a teacher
might mete out push-ups or laps as a punishment, but that is not allowed in
Taiwan.
More Pictures
