Expat Explorer returns for another year – Bigger and better than before

HSBC Expat today announces the official launch of its annual Expat Explorer Survey. With a brand new look and feel for 2012, the Expat Explorer survey promises to be bigger and better to mark the 5th year of the largest global survey for expats.

2011 saw nearly 3,400 expats participate from over 100 countries across the globe to have their say about their experiences working and living overseas. This year, HSBC Expat is calling for expats everywhere to take part in the survey to ensure that their current country of residence features in the league tables published on the interactive online tool.

“The survey has grown from strength to strength. This is the 5th year we’ve run Expat Explorer and we wanted to celebrate this important milestone with a revitalised look to keep it fresh and engaging for expats when they visit the survey,” said Dean Blackburn, Head of HSBC Expat.

“We’ve listened to feedback from the community and we are committed to ensuring that the findings are topical and relevant. 2012 should be an interesting year and we want its story to be told by expats across the globe. This year, we’ll be focusing on new, emerging and important issues which matter and asking expats how they’ve fared after the global economic turmoil and social unrest faced in some countries. On the more practical side, we’ll be asking for hints and tips on what life is like on the ground to provide the most comprehensive picture, and help the Expat Explorer survey continue to be a valued resource for the expat community.”

The 2012 survey will track trends and discover how expats’ lifestyles, economic outlook and experience of raising a family abroad have changed following their move to a new country. Last year’s survey revealed that expat wealth remained widely immune to global economic troubles, even in countries which have experienced significant turbulence in 2010. Expat finances in countries such as Egypt, Bahrain and Japan were resilient to the wider turmoil.

Other key findings from the 2011 research included:

• Expats in the Middle East were the most likely to head home as a result of economic conditions
• UK performed well economically against EU counterparts
• Thailand offered great quality of life for expats, scoring top in the 2011 Expat Experience league table
• Singapore offered the best of both worlds for career prospects and quality of life
• France led the way as the best country for raising children abroad

“The Expat Explorer survey offers a fascinating look into what it’s like to live and work abroad, and provides us as a business invaluable insight into expat life. Last year, the survey revealed that expat finances remain robust in spite of global economic conditions. We’re keen to track how this trend has evolved and developed over the past year. That’s why we’re asking for expats to not only complete the survey themselves, but also encourage them to share it with friends, family and colleagues to help us capture those unique expat insights,” said Dean.

If you’re an expat and want to find out how your country performs, how your fellow expats are coping or even where your next trip might take you, make sure your voice is heard so get involved today.

Check out the new look survey and share your experience of life abroad by filling in the Expat Explorer 2012 survey here.

Follow the updates and join the debate online:
Tweet at: http://twitter.com/expatexplorer
Share your experiences: http://expatexplorer.blogspot.com/
Visit the tool: http://www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/

Media enquiries to:
Katy Ringsdore
PR Manager
HSBC Expat
+44 (0)1534 606865
katy.ringsdore@hsbc.com

Karen Butcher/Joey Ng
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
+ 44 (0) 207 413 3181/(0) 207 973 5941
Karen.Butcher@hkstrategies.com
Joey.Ng@hkstrategies.com

Notes to editors:

About the Expat Explorer survey
The Expat Explorer survey, now in its fifth year, is the largest global survey of expats. Commissioned by HSBC Bank International and conducted by a third party research company, nearly 3,400 expats took part in 2011.
Individuals from four continents described the opportunities and challenges they experienced living away from home. The survey provided an insight into how expat life differs from country to country, continent to continent and from an expats’ country of origin.

An expat is defined as someone over the age of 18 years old and currently living away from their home country (country of origin). The survey was designed to capture the views of the internationally representative expat population.

HSBC Holdings plc
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 7,500 offices in 87 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North America, Latin America and the Middle East. With assets of US$2,418 billion at 30 June 2010, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world’s local bank’

HSBC Expat
HSBC Expat is a trading name of HSBC Bank International Limited. HSBC Expat is an award winning provider of offshore financial services, with its head office based in Jersey, Channel Islands. It also has representation in the Isle of Man, Dubai, Hong Kong, South Africa, and an affiliate office in London. As part of HSBC Holdings plc, HSBC Expat has the experience to offer customers living and working abroad, tailored offshore financial solutions. For more information visit: www.expat.hsbc.com

I’m an American, and a type A American at that. So, when I’m eating out, I expect the waiter to telepathically know when I’m ready for the bill. I thought the scribble in your hand gesture was universal, but my research indicates otherwise. While it’s de rigeur in the USA, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, other countries have different signals to summon a waiter.

Because eating and conversing with friends is a social occasion, the waiter will not give you the bill until you ask. Raise your hand with the index finger extended or raise your right hand and pretend your thumb or forefinger are a pen, and sign the air to indicate a desire for the check. You may hear locals make kissing noises, but this is rude.

Mexico – Wave or raise your hand, but don’t motion with your index finger (this is an obscene gesture). Or, motion to the waiter by pretending to write in the air.

Japan – Extend your arm slightly upwards, palm facing down and flutter your fingers.

Malaysia / Singapore – Use the beckoning gesture with your entire right hand moving towards your body.

Philippines - Move your thumb and index finger in the shape of a rectangle.

Thailand – Say “Khun Khap” (for waiter) or “Khun Ka” (for waitress).

Clap your hands once or twice and make eye contact. Waving your hand or fingers is extremely rude.

Pakistan – Raise your right hand.

Baltic Countries – Make eye contact and raise your right hand.

France – Despite what Hollywood portrays, do not snap your fingers and say “Garçon!”. The waiter will wait for you to request the bill. Flag the waiter by saying, “Si’l vous plait, Monsieur?” or make a writing gesture in the air.

Germany - Raise your hand and say, “Herr Ober” (for a waiter) or “Fräulein” (for a waitress).

Netherlands – Make eye contact and raise your right hand. You may say, “Ober” or “Meneer” (for a waiter) or “Mevrouw” (for a waitress). Finger snapping is extremely rude.

Slovakia – Snapping your fingers is rude, but it can also be the only way to get the waiter’s attention in a country still struggling with the concept of customer service.

Spain - Signal in the air the signing of a receipt.

Sweden - Make eye contact or say “excuse me Sir / Madam”.

Switzerland - In German cantons, say “Herr Ober” or “Fräulein”. It’s rude to wave your hand.

United Kingdom – Make eye contact, signal / raise your hand, and then say “Excuse me, sir”.

North and West Africa – Subtly raise your right hand and make eye contact. Waving your hand is rude. Locals may make a loud, directed “PSSSST!” sound, but it’s best not to emulate this.

Cameroon & Nigeria – The local custom is to hiss. You may also say loudly, “Excuse me”. Do not call the waiter “Garçon”.

Ghana – Say loudly, “Sir”, “Madam” or “Excuse me”.

Kenya – Say “Excuse me”, “Bwana” or beckon with the palm facing downward.

Mali – Say “Chef” (which literally means chief) or “Teri kay” (friend).

Senegal – Say “Garçon”.

South Africa – Raise your hand or make eye contact.

Tanzania – Say “Rafiki” (friend) or say “Psst” with the palm of your right hand facing upwards.

Carrie
RW3 CultureWizard

The 7 Ways an Indian Programmer Says No made me chuckle because of its broad applicability.

Indirect communication is common in Asia, the Middle East, Latin / South America and many Mediterranean and African countries. Direct communication is the norm in Western Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other parts typically considered “The West”.

People from direct communication cultures strive to quickly relate information with great clarity when conversing, so as to not waste the listener’s time – a precious commodity valued by many direct communication cultures. Individuals from indirect communication cultures strive to maintain the honor and face of both the speaker and listener. Therefore, the speaker says what s/he thinks the listener wants to hear, even if this is not the unadulterated truth. Such face-saving is considered kind, polite and respectful.

This can be confusing for those of us who are direct communicators because we expect communication to be clear and precise, where what is said is what is meant. For direct communicators, their word is their bond.

Indirect communication relies on context, particularly eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language rather than the spoken word. By paying attention to non-verbal language, listeners can decipher the true message. If you come from a direct culture, it may take time to understand the nuances of indirect communication where what is not said can be as important as what is said. People from direct cultures must learn to listen hard to avoid missing the subtleties. They may also need to temper their speech pattern to not appear overly blunt and rude.

Clues to help you decipher indirect communication:

• In Azerbaijan, people apologize for saying no to a request. They may add phrases such as “I wish it were possible”, “If it were possible I would do it” or “In the future it may be possible.”
• Be on the lookout for the word “maybe” because it can be used to make a direct statement indirect. Rather than tell me this blog needs to be edited, a Chinese publisher might say, “Maybe this blog should be edited.”
• If you hear phrases such as “I will see”, “I will try” or “It may be difficult,” you’ve probably been given a negative response.
• If there is a long pause or other non-verbal cues such as avoiding the eyes or evasive responses, you’ve probably just been told no.
• Rather than accept assurances or agreements on face value, ask for specifics. It can be difficult to get definite answers to questions if the response would be negative. Therefore, watch for evasions or half statements.

There are times when bad news must be given. That’s not a problem to the direct communicator, but presents a real challenge to the indirect communicator. In many Asian countries, bad news is handled by a third-party so that both sides can retain face. Negative questions are another interesting quirk of indirect communication since the response may differ depending upon which language is used.

• In response to the question “Isn’t this document ready?”, the English response would be “no”, meaning the document is not ready, while the Japanese response would be “yes”, meaning “yes, the document is not ready.”
• Russians often ask negative questions such as “Did you not know?”, so that the person responding may give a positive response to indicate a negative answer.

If you are from a culture with a more direct communication style, you may need to train your ear and mind to catch indirectness before responding to questions, or else your response may confuse the listener.

How do you ensure you’re getting the correct answer?

• Ask open-ended questions and ask the same question several ways (re-phrase) to make certain you understood the response.
• Learn to phrase questions so that the desired response is not obvious. Instead of asking, “Will the report be finished by Friday?” you might ask, “When will the report be finished?”

For those of us who have been raised in direct cultures, it is important that we learn to understand the signals we receive from indirect communicators. Otherwise, we create our own baffling towers of Babel.

Carrie
RW3 CultureWizard

What would you add to this list of Brazilianisms? What would you say about regional differences in Brazil?

Read Sean Dubberke’s MOBILITY magazine article by clicking here.

All employees of global organizations are candidates for intercultural training, and the article highlights the methods and strategies experts use today to build the global business skills required to perform internationally.

RW3 CultureWizard

One of the most interesting opinions to come out of the Wal-Mart bribery story in Mexico is one by Luis Miguel Gonzalez, editorial director at El Economista. “Wal-Mart, Indignation and Indifference” is the title, in translation, of an article where he writes frankly about the unabashed acceptance of bribes as a means of doing busines in Mexico, however damaging it may be to the system. Indignation felt in the US is indifference in Mexico, per Gonzalez’ commentary.

Gonzalez starts by citing how the issue has been perceived in Mexico, with little surprise and little attention from the Mexican authorities, who took 50 hours to respond to the information revealed by the New York Times. This timing may be tied to a cultural norm where waiting for the right response – and securing the facts – is better than prematurely issuing a statement, erroneous or not. The Ministry of Economics has already said the matter has nothing to do with the federal government, which illustrates the divide between the federal system and the way foreign corporate bodies operate with local level authorities, vendors and business partners in Mexico.

The key point Gonzalez makes is that there’s a country-wide ethical standard upheld in the US, but when it comes to US-based companies operating in foreign countries, there’s a lack of structure to enforce compliance. The question he poses is: “¿Por qué Walmart hace cosas en México que no haría en Estados Unidos?” Why does Wal-Mart do things in Mexico it wouldn’t do in the US? This is especially poignant considering the existence of anti-corruption laws in Mexico, and the clout an organization as large as Wal-Mart should have to operate by the books no matter where they do business.

It’s important to note that bribery and venality are not directly linked to Mexican cultural values, but an anxious tolerance for corruption in the name of development, among other things. Afterall, Wal-Mart employs several hundred thousand people and generates a huge sum of tax revenue in Mexico. Hierarchy and rank are also extremely important to the business environment in Mexico (and many Latin American countries). The power vested in leaders to make decisions without consensus provides a convenient channel through which bribery can play a role to enable business dealings. How do you see hierarchy, the highly stratified nature of Mexican culture, playing a role in this story?

The Huffington Post quotes both Wal-Mart ad Eduardo Bohorquez, the director of Transparency Mexico, denying the connection between their cultures and bribery.

In a statement, Wal-Mart said the bribery accusations, ‘if they are true, do not reflect the culture of Wal-Mart Mexico and Central America.’

Bohorquez said bribery is not necessarily part of Mexico’s culture, noting laws against the practice exist on both sides of the border. The difference is real enforcement and the lack of a truly nationwide anticorruption policy in Mexico, he said.

‘This is not in the genetic code of Mexicans, nor is it a cultural attribute,’ he said. ‘The explanation of culture and genetics doesn’t apply in this case.’

What are your thoughts on the connection between culture, business and corruption? How do you view bribery in developing economies where gift-giving (although not at the level of this case) is a completely normal and expected part of the business process? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

A Google Street View car

The demarcation between public and private is generally made very clear in Germany and Austria. We discovered a blogger’s post, an expat in Germany, from 2010 that illustrates this demarcation (although all has been settled since).

Some prominent German government officials, most notably Consumer Protection Minister Ilse Aigner, have denounced Google’s Street View. In a magazine interview, Aigner claimed that Google’s ‘comprehensive photo offensive is nothing less than a million-fold violation of the private sphere. I reject this form of exposure. There is not a secret service in existence that would collect photos so unabashedly.’

In Germany and Austria, the home is often considered a private sanctuary where only close friends and family are invited to visit. The expat in Germany who wrote the post linked to above said, “Germans really don’t like anyone peeping over their high fences and hedges. That’s why they are there.” Of course, this is a deeply rooted cultural value many Germans share (perhaps this is a value unique to certain generations). So, what did Germans do about this?

At the federal level, Aigner’s Consumer Protection Ministry now has a downloadable form online that German consumers can use to request that their house not be included in Street View – which could make Street View rather useless in Germany if Google complies with such demands. Google already allows people in Germany to request the removal of house address numbers.

More recently, this article on the TIME magazine website gives an update on the progress Google made in gaining acceptance of Street View in Germany. It seems the possibility to contest Street View, made possible by German authorities, quelled the anxiety it brought to privacy-conscious individuals.

Hamburg’s Johannes Caspar, the data protection head responsible for making it possible for Germans to oppose Google Street View, said he was happy with the service. ‘The Google camera car was, for many people, a symbol of a digital world trying to appropriate the analog world,’ said Caspar. Giving people the possibility of opposing the service, he explained, ‘diffused the situation and helped Street View gain acceptance.’

This is an interesting debate considering it has been a non-issue in the US where Street View was born. However, technological innovations are often cited in many public debates. Subsequent increase in adoption and usage indicates cultural change, where people form values around the utility of a device, whether it’s a cell phone or a new way of mapping the world. What technologies are at odds with your cultural values?

Josh
RW3 CultureWizard

I witnessed three rather extraordinary events, or should I say, modern phenomena, recently.

1. While leaving my gym, I watched two cars approach a street from the opposite directions of an alley. Both drivers were looking to turn southward onto the street. Both drivers glanced only in the northward direction. Both drivers were on their cell phones, apparently texting. Both cars proceeded to turn entirely into one another in a slow and pathetic fashion, nonetheless causing several thousand dollars in damages. What was additionally fascinating was how long it took the drivers to realize what was going on and how what could have merely ended with a bump, should the text messages not have been so utterly consuming, turned into a metal crunching debacle.

2. My wife and I popped into a local Thai restaurant for an early evening curry — kids in tow. Next to us was a young couple, 20’s, seemingly on a date. My wife and I looked at one another nostalgic of the time when a Saturday evening date was even a remote possibility. The young couple ordered, then pulled out their cell phones and began texting and cruising the internet, and didn’t actually talk to one another the entire time. The only time I saw the couple interact was when the boy showed the girl the photo of his pad thai that he’d just posted to his Facebook page. Under the photo, he wrote, “On date, eating pad thai.” It should have said, On Facebook while I should be on date and eating pad thai.

3. I was at a coffee shop between meetings and couldn’t help but let my eye and ear eavesdrop this little nugget. Two coworkers, business professionals, seated nearby paused in their work-oriented conversation for a personal moment. Coworker A seemed despondent. He was a new dad and was distraught over working such long hours and the lack of time he got to spend with his young child. Coworker B was a few years older, and seemed to have been down the kids-work-guilt conundrum road before. Coworker A clearly needed to vent and was looking off to mask the fact that his eyes were growing misty with tears. When he looked back to his colleague for a supportive glance or word, he realized that his colleague was on his phone texting and not really present at all.

According to Sherry Turkle during her TED lecture, this kind of behavior is prevalent and has a devastating impact upon our emotional well being. Technology, it seems, provides us the opportunity to stay continuously connected without fostering any physical, face-to-face connections. With texting (SMS) and email, and ubiquitous social media and virtual communities, you don’t have to deal with yourself or any one else for that matter in a true and spontaneous way, but rather the edited and image-cultivated façade you and they wish to put forth. How many times have we seen people craft an email, text and social media persona that is so different than their actual way of being that you actually prefer the online façade to the real thing? How many business meetings and business ventures have fallen apart because the preliminary social media persona that someone created is so drastically different from the flesh and blood person that you are unable to reconcile the difference, or vice versa?

Even worse, states Turkle, the virtual world we’re so often living in is making us less capable of dealing with each other in the messy and often complex ways that real, face-to-face relationships demand. I know this is a problem in the US, both in personal and professional lives. I’m wondering how much technology seems to be affecting relationships and business in other countries, particularly cultures that place a high value on personal relationships. Do texts, emails and the internet undermine the extended lunch with family and friends in Latin American countries? Are Germans and Austrians, with a keen sense of privacy, equally engaged with social media and constantly updating Facebook? And what’s it like for an expat living and working abroad? Has it become harder to make connections with co-workers and colleagues now that technology and social media occupies so much of one’s focus and time?

What say you, global business maven? Chime in.

Adam
RW3 CultureWizard

The blogger immersed (and negotiating) in East Africa

This brief New York Times science update affirms that immersion enables the foreign language learner to build brain processing capacity at the level of a native speaker.

Dr. Michael Ullman, a neuroscientist at Georgetown University Medical Center, said that a new study “…should help us understand how foreign-language learners can achieve nativelike processing with increased practice. It makes sense that you’d want to have your brain process like a foreign speaker.”

Immersion is also an excellent way to build cultural awareness, which almost always leads to improvements in speaking a foreign language. Have you ever considered investing in an immersion program abroad? This is good news for adults who may be dwelling on the abundance of data supporting early childhood as the best time to learn a language.

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

Avril Liu, 22, graduate student, Guangxi province. Photo by Adrian Frisk.

Read this New Yorker story on the confused, uncertain attitude youth in China have on life in a swiftly evolving period in their history.

Which picture from the China project stays with you most? How did you meet?

It is hard to pin down the one image that made the deepest impression on me—as many of them did. But if I had to pick one, I would say the photograph of Avril Lui (above) taken in Guangxi Province. Avril had recently graduated from university in Hunan Province, and I met her when my translator and I went to a place teaching English as a summer course. Her statement was: “We are the lost generation. I’m confused about the world.” This photograph seems to have struck a chord with many of the young Chinese who have viewed it. I think the pace of change has been so rapid in China in these last two decades that many of the young are in a spin which has left them somewhat confused. Their parents’ generation had a clear idea of what their identity was and the better life they were struggling for. Now that that better world has arrived it can be argued that life for the Chinese youth might have more opportunity but has in turn become more complicated with difficult career decisions, an increasingly materialistic society, and a complex relationship with the West. All this contributes to a sense of confusion. Avril is also referring to the fact that her parents generation rarely talks about or acknowledges the Cultural Revolution that had so much impact on Chinese society at the time—or for that matter any history, particularly, of more recent times. There is a sense amongst some young Chinese that they have arrived; but, where from, and has it been worth it? I also like this photograph because of the classic building in the background and the traditionally dressed man in blue on the bicycle. These visual keys are a nod to the world from which China has so recently arrived from.

The contradictions and intricacies of modern culture in China are enough to make anyone’s head spin. Simultaneous rebellion and conformity – modernity pulling minds in one direction and traditional values leading them in another. What do you make of this story?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

Lost in Translation

Do you ever reflexively spring to use a word in a foreign language when you can’t think of anything adequate in your mother tongue? Well, that may not happen to many of us, but this post on the Matador Network relates 20 words that do not have counterparts in the English language. They can only be described, which often diminishes the original sense of the word.

Here are a few I found particularly interesting:

Kyoikumama
Japanese – “A mother who relentlessly pushes her children toward academic achievement.” (Altalang.com)

Tartle
Scottish – The act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name. (Altalang.com)

Saudade
Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” Fado music, a type of mournful singing, relates to saudade. (Altalang.com)

Ya’aburnee
Arabic – Both morbid and beautiful at once, this incantatory word means “You bury me,” a declaration of one’s hope that they’ll die before another person because of how difficult it would be to live without them.

What can you add to this list?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

Given centuries of turmoil in China, today’s leaders will do everything in their power to preserve stability. Whenever I have doubts about a potential Chinese policy shift, I examine the options through the stability lens. It has worked like a charm.

Stephen S. Roach tells us this in an article published on Project Syndicate. The economic history of China tells us the same story. Each dynasty was concerned with maintaining the status quo of the Middle Kingdom, preventing popular uprising and ensuring everyone had food to eat. Today, this same model has been analyzed by the intercultural field as a root value that informs behavior. George Renwick’s stability model illustrates the origins of this deeply embedded Chinese norm.

To avoid scarcity of resources and starvation, stability becomes the most important value.

With survival of the family unit as the most important value, maintaining stability takes shape in a number of ways, and everyone has a supporting role. The cultivation of rice, China’s staple, has historically been an especially labor-intensive form of agriculture that required an entire family’s participation.

The most successful path to providing one’s family with stability evolved around a good education, obtaining a good position of employment alongside perpetual reinforcement of face or honor for one’s family. This leads to a greater network of influential connections, otherwise known as guanxi. Many people who have done business in China know the word guanxi and how important it is to have relationships with people who can help you or your family in times of challenge and need.

In light of China’s economic and developmental trajectory, the central party continues to focus on stability and the momentum of its “harmonious” rise.

…Those at the top no longer want to concede anything when it comes to stability. By addressing economic instability through pro-consumption rebalancing, and political instability by removing Bo [Xilai], stability has gone from a risk factor to an ironclad commitment.

Will this relentless approach towards stability continue to define the motivation behind China political and economic behavior in the 21st century? Will this sociocultural and political value change considering the growing appetite for consumerism and material wealth, which is connected to the all important Chinese notion of status? This also makes me wonder how to conflate the Chinese penchant for gambling with stability. I wonder how many people use credit cards in China in the way they are often used (excessively) in the US.

Please share your thoughts on this matter. How do you envision China’s path to stable economic growth vis-a-vis its modern cultural drivers?

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard

I just read this Reuters article about how nearly half the workers around the world (varying a bit by country) would consider living and working abroad. The article in itself was fairly interesting, but for some reason – I don’t know, maybe my kid was watching Star Wars recently — I couldn’t help but see the article and the statistics it presented in something of a mythic scope. In many ways, for the times we’re living in, an international work assignment is a modern uptake of the classic Hero’s Journey. Behold and marvel!

From Wikipedia: “The hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. The hero who accepts the call to enter this strange world must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. In the most intense versions of the narrative, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help. If the hero survives, he may achieve a great gift or ‘boon.’ The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to return, he or she often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero returns successfully, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world.”

DEPARTURE:
The boss calls and asks if you’re open to an international assignment, The Call to Adventure. Reflectively, you answer “Yes.” Selfish thoughts of adventure, promotions and increased pay are bubbling to the fore. As the excitement settles, reality sets in—leaving family, friends, the comfort of the known and familiar. A personal crisis ensues. You don’t think you have what it takes to accept the challenge, you contemplate a Refusal of the Call. Then, as if by divine providence you meet a Supernatural Aid, that wise elder, parent, friend or senior partner who offers up the golden nuggets of insight that compel you to answer the call to adventure. You pack your suitcase and laptop, brave the visa and immigration process, the long international flight and arrive in a new land, The Crossing of the First Threshold. Filled with high hopes, you step off the plane and immediately are cast into The Belly of the Whale, assaulted by new sights, smells and sounds. It’s pouring rain, you can’t get a taxi, and no one understands a word you’re saying. Your stomach suddenly drops with the feeling that this is going to be much harder than you imagined. Your adventure has officially begun!

INITIATION:
Your first few weeks on the job seem like a Road of Trials, as everywhere you turn, every moment offers up a new test or challenge. You persevere, but admittedly fail more than you have in years. You miss home. Struggling to adjust to a new culture, routine and workplace has you at your wits end. You’re close to calling it quits, when suddenly, this new culture offers you a truly inspiring insight into the nature of life and the depth of your own capacities. You experience the proverbial Meeting with the Goddess. You emerge focused and inspired, and you’ll need to be. At this point in the assignment your new found confidence opens you to the world of wonderment that the host country resembles – a Host of Temptations before you. You begin to love your adopted land too much and fall into a pattern of indulgence. One too many cups of sakes, pitchers of beers or glasses of wine become the norm. Who would have ever thought that karaoke could be this much fun and late night street food so delicious? Suddenly, you’re the life of the party, the most popular kid in school and you go overboard in your enthusiasm. Your boss, a long time expat, clearly sees what’s happening to you. He was once there himself. Now the wise elder, he asks you to lunch, shows you the error of your ways and offers you a chance of Atonement.

The not so subtle dress-down from your boss proves mortifying. He was right. You’d fallen into indulgence, took your eye off the goal, let the team and company down, and ultimately behaved in a selfish and immature fashion. You’re a bit ashamed and for the next several weeks you keep your nose to the grindstone. You’re going through a change. You start to think about what you really want from life, this assignment, and the kind of person you want to be. You’re going through an Apotheosis of sorts and the immature and selfish parts of you are beginning to die off. Over the course of the next few months, you rebuild your image from that of expat partygoer, to a person of real integrity and commitment. And it’s just in time as the culmination of a massive project is approaching and the single most important reason why you were given this opportunity. But you’re ready for the challenge, rise to the occasion, integrate all that you’ve learned about being effective in this foreign culture, lead your team with great skill and selflessness, and completely ace the job. All the potential your boss back home saw in you, and the entire reason you were chosen for this assignment has paid off. You have attained The Ultimate Boon.

RETURN:
That night, a great party ensues. You’re the hero of the day. Your mission accomplished. Yet, off in a corner of the restaurant, you are privately gripped by melancholy. The great focus that has driven your life for this past year is now over and the time to return home is at hand. You’ve made such good friends in this new land and have come to love it. Truly, as the adage suggests, life in pursuit of a great challenge is more fulfilling than its attainment. When your boss approaches with a new promotion and a first class ticket home you accept with gratitude, but little joy, and contemplate a Refusal of the Return. You are now an expat – a person not fully of one place or another, perhaps you’ve even identified as a truly multicultural individual. The time has come, you must return home to start your new life: the inevitable Crossing of the Return Threshold. The trick now, as you return to the world of the old and familiar, is to maintain all about you that is new and recreated, to be a Master of the Two Worlds. Who would of thought that taking that international assignment would have proved to be such a heroic endeavor and instilled you with the Freedom to Live?

Adam
RW3 CultureWizard

Take a look at this Economist infographic on how long leaders stay in power around the world. Is leadership tenure related to a culture’s tolerance for change and perhaps appetite for risk?

Mark
RW3 CultureWizard

This Mint.com infographic on tipping etiquette around the world has been circulating around the internet for the last few weeks. The link has spread through expat-related sites like wildfire.

Why?

Expats and foreign travelers want to be culturally sensitive to locally expected behavior norms. Tipping practices are different from city to city and country to country, and with so many nuances, it’s difficult to synthesize the information in an easily read format.

While I found the graphic interesting, it was a broad overview rather than an in-depth study of the topic. There’s so much more to know than just the amount to tip in a restaurant.

In Peru, you shouldn’t leave the tip on the table and should put the money directly into the waitperson’s hand. While in Russia, tips should be in cash, even when you pay with a credit card. In Colombia, wait staff will often ask in advance of bringing the bill if it’s ok to include the tip, which is generally 10%, making miscalculation a non-issue.

In some countries, if there’s a service charge, there’s no need to tip (e.g. Denmark and many Nordic countries). In others where a service charge is added to the bill, guests are still expected to leave a small sum. This is often the case in Latin and South America, France, Italy, South Korea and Spain. Then, there are the countries where the service charge goes to the government and tipping wait staff is expected, as in many Middle Eastern countries.

Sometimes the rules vary if you’re a local vs. an expat. Although locals do not tip in Cambodia, leaving a small amount can materially help out a waitperson’s family. In Japan, locals don’t tip, but even with the service charge, wait staff in certain establishments have begun to expect tips from foreigners.

In other countries, e.g. Egypt and India, the wait person may directly say you have not tipped sufficiently.

The same behavior can be interpreted differently across the globe. In Germany, patrons are expected to thank the waitperson, even if they left a tip. In Poland, if you thank the waitperson as you hand them the bill with cash, you’re inviting them to keep the change.

In Hungary, if you’re paying in cash, you should tell the waitperson how much you want to pay, not how much change you want back. This is the opposite of what you do in many other countries.

What interesting tipping practices and foibles have you encountered in your travels?

Carrie
RW3 CultureWizard