Have you ever worked in another continent where the culture and the people are different to your own?

Question

What was it like for you?

I am an Irish woman living in the Gambia, West Africa.

some people asked me what I am doing in the Gambia. I'm a VSO volunteer working with Deaf people as an education advisor.

what is it like for me? Jaidyiscool describes it exactly. It seems Ghana is like the Gambia. the people are warm and friendly here. they make time for the person, the person is more important than the business. "Good morning, how are you..." greetings are of vital importance. We Europeans have a lot to learn from Africans when it comes to the human touch, that's for sure. it seems with our work work work work we have forgotten about the human element. it was a tough call choosing the best answer... as we all have our own experiences. I would have chosen jaidy, but someone else said we all learn from other cultures...

Answer 1

I was born and raised in England. At 21 I started out in San Francisco and even though Americans spoke the same language, I found the small differences add up after a while and you can feel quite lost (.... small example: it took me forever to figure out where to mail a letter because I had no idea that the blue metal things on the street were mailboxes - they looked more like rubbish bins to me). Then I lived in Guam for a year and that was an island full of different cultures: the native Guamanians (Chomorro Indians); Phillipino workers, Japanese honeymooners, Chinese businessmen and, of course, American navy and airforce personnel. After that, I worked on charter boats in the West Indies, based in Grenada for a long time. It was the first time that I, as a white person, was in the minority, albeit a wealthier minority. I was in Grenada during the first revolution (not the one where the US came in) and it was scary not knowing if we foreigners were going to be accepted or imprisoned.
Finally, I married an American and now live in New Mexico in a very small town where the bible belt is extremely tight! THe minds are a little narrower here than any other place I lived, to be honest.
All in all, I think living in other countries make one much more accepting of other's beliefs and cultures and I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world (pun intended!)

Answer 2

This is like direct opposites. I am a Ghanaian man living in London and a lot seems so different. For instance, I think people in this culture work like robots. They don't consider individual needs. Foinstance, the personal assistance that you will get if you have a querry at Areeba in Ghana is the direct opposite of the Indian call centre response you will get if had a problem with T Mobile in the Uk.

Ghanaian and for that matter West African culture appears a bit more receptive to foreigners than European Vulture. I guess the fear of the unknown syndrome is quite real over here.

I guess I'll leave it here for another person's view.

Many Thanks.

Jaidylove

Answer 3

I am a Canadian girl who has lived in Germany for school and recently was working in Kabul, Afghanistan and will be moving to Russia. I jsut love the experiences, good or bad. I like the adventure and seeing how people doing things differently in other cultures. Also it is fun to be foreign some times.

Answer 4

Yes, I worked in England (I'm American), and while the culture is not so wildly different than my own, it is definitely different. Even certain foods that are popular in England are things I rarely see or hear of anyone eating here.

What are you doing in Gambia, and what is the biggest cultural difference to you?

Answer 5

I worked in Germany, Lux, New York, Vienna, Rome and I loved every minute - it's so exciting to work somewhere rather than go there for a holiday as you experiance the real culture

it's fab

wow Gambia - I bet you are loving it.
do you have a job for me???

Answer 6

I worked in the USA for a while about ten years ago. The people were different in some ways, friendly and generally of similar mind, but I didn't find any culture!

Answer 7

England, Saudi Arabia, Rain Forest of Indonesia. Quite a change from the US, but I considered it an adventure and loved every minute of it. Worked for an oil service chemical co and spent two years in Saudi and two in Indonesia, my kids liked it too.

Answer 8

MY MOM HAS WENT TO GAMBIA A COUPLE OF TIMES... WITH BUS..... I WAS STATIONED IN ITALY TWICE FOR TOTAL OF 3 1/2 YEARS.... IT'S WERIOD..... PEOPLE AND THEN DOING DIFFERENT THINGS... BUT FUN ALSO.... WATCHING HOW PEOPLE LIVE.... HAVE BEEN TOO... 31 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.... SORRY NEVER IN IRELAND OR GAMBIA...

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Yes, I am from Colombia and live in the United States. People here are weird.