Let me take you back to my first week in Germany. I was navigating the hustle and bustle of a new university campus, adjusting to a new environment, and everything felt foreign. I had a letter ready to be sent, just needing to drop it in a mailbox. Simple, right? Little did I know, this mundane task would teach me a profound lesson about cultural differences.
I spotted a colleague and approached him with what I thought was a straightforward question: "Could you tell me where I can find a mailbox on campus?" He stared at me, a mix of confusion and amusement on his face. With a slight chuckle, he said, "Well, it's the yellow boxes you see pretty much everywhere."
His response left me flabbergasted. Yellow? In Portugal, mailboxes are red. How could I have known that mailboxes in Germany were yellow? I felt a mix of embarrassment and bewilderment. I quickly thanked him and explained, "In Portugal, our mailboxes are red." I could see the wheels turning in his head as he processed this cultural tidbit.
This seemingly trivial interaction taught me two valuable lessons:
Seeking connection and asking for help: In Portugal, asking for help is more than a request for information; it's a way to connect with others. It's an invitation to engage, to start a conversation. In Germany, I realized that the ways people connect can be different. Understanding these nuances can make adaptation smoother and interactions richer.
The danger of assumptions: What’s obvious to one person can be completely foreign to another. The yellow mailbox became a symbol of the broader lesson that we should never assume our perspective is universal. Embracing the subtleties of a new culture can be humbling and incredibly rewarding.
Living in a different country (Belgium) before moving to Germany had already shown me the beauty and complexity of cultural immersion, but each new experience reinforces how humbling it is to navigate these differences. Every interaction is a chance to connect, learn and grow, and it’s these moments that truly enrich our lives.
So next time you encounter something that seems obvious, take a moment to consider it from another perspective. You might be surprised by what you discover.
What cultural differences have you noticed since moving to Portugal? How do you seek connection in Portugal?
Tenderly,
Iliona Wolfowicz, PhD
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