Different Country, Different Culture
Living in a new country means experiencing a different way of life. This is very exciting and interesting, but it can also be a little challenging at times. The cultures of all countries are unique, which means that people who have grown up in different places will have different ways of behaving, different ways of thinking about things and different ways of expressing themselves. Before you travel it is useful to think about culture - and the things that are affected by it - as doing so will help you prepare for living in a new country.Think for a moment about culture. What does it mean?
(Please go to the link on the right hand side of the page called "Culture Exercise". Take 5 minutes to write down your ideas and either print them or save them to your computer. We will consider a possible answer a moment...)
Culture is. . .
. . . very difficult to define!!! One way of completing this sentence could be:
Culture is the values, attitudes, behaviours and beliefs shared by a group of people.
This means that culture is like a kind of glue that holds society together. We learn about the culture of our own society in a very natural way as we grow up - it is in the "do's" and "don'ts" about how we treat people, how we behave and what we believe in that we learn as children.
Culture is like an iceberg. You can see some parts of an iceberg - just like you can see some parts of a country's culture when you visit it. For example, you can see different ways of greeting people, hear different languages and observe different festivals and customs. However, a much bigger part of every iceberg is hidden under water. Even though this part of the iceberg is hard to see, it is very important - without it, the iceberg would not exist. The same is true of culture. There are many aspects of it which you cannot see when you visit a different country, for example the nature of friendship and the importance of time.
Remember!!! The aspects of culture you can see are based on those values and beliefs that you cannot see. It will take a long time to understand those values and beliefs because you have to work them out, but it is probably the most interesting part of any time you spend abroad.
Useful tips about British culture
You will almost certainly find that British culture and behaviour will be very different to your own. Here are some tips that you may find useful:
Language
The language spoken most widely in the UK is English. However, as the UK is a multicultural society you will come across many other world languages being spoken in homes and in the street. English has a number of regional accents - don't worry about these, as your ears will soon adapt to the different sounds.
Greetings
Many British people shake hands when they meet for the first time.
Time
British people expect punctuality especially in the work place or place of study. This means that if a lecture begins at 2pm, you must be present in the lecture room at or before 2pm. If you have an appointment with a doctor or a tutor at 11am, you should be there no later than 11am, otherwise you will probably not be able to see them.
Day to day etiquette
- British people will normally queue in shops or whilst waiting for buses, buying tickets and so on. You should expect to do the same.
- Most people in the UK have a mobile telephone. It is considered impolite to use a mobile telephone in certain formal situations such as in lectures and meetings. If you are not sure whether you can use a mobile then just ask someone.
- Most British people use the words "please" and "thank you" all the time, particularly when asking for or after receiving help from someone.
- It is customary to leave a 10% tip when eating in restaurants for good service (but not in fast food restaurants such as McDonalds.)
And finally. . .
We hope you are looking forward to your new adventure and wish you the best of luck with all of your preparations. If you have any questions or if there is any way we can help you, please contact the International Student Advisory Team:
sv.internationaladviceservice@northumbria.ac.uk
