Culture clashes continued for many years when I lived in Singapore. A dish of rice and chicken rice is served with so much meat, vegetables but very little - only few thin slices of cucumber and tomato. In Japan, perhaps reversing the proportion of meat versus vegetables.
Sales and service quality
In the department store sales were girls behind the counter, have feet without shoes. There was only a traveler's check and when they took him to verification, take them long to return. As I was trying to get shirts from the shelf, the sales girl immediately tried to put it back. Touching clothes on hangers, the same thing happened. For me, this action was saying "I do not want you to spoil my work. Do not touch anything!" Often they were familiar with the products they sold. No advice, no help for customers. Just one look hostile, especially when I decided to buy nothing. Having used customer service in Japan, I often put off by sales personnel in Singapore customs and unprofessional behavior.
Singlish
Moving around on public transport was equally difficult. Ask a bus driver the address and I thought he spoke in English but I could not understand. This failure of understanding came later in English even sometimes NUS tutorial with my students. I could not understand their English, nor with my English. I always thought my English is good, I'm in the profession of simultaneous interpretation. He knew he had Singlish and undertook secretly to myself that I would never let me run through. However, after 25 years, now I speak pretty! Every time that Singapore tell me, "The English is very good! "I do not know if I should take it as a compliment or not. My son spent 6 years in the American College and he goes back and forth between American accented English Singlish and depending on who is on the phone.
Yumiko Lee is the founder of hiWays Japan. Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Yumiko Eric Lee married in 1984 and since He has been living in Singapore teaching Japanese with a regular program of Japan immersion for students and working adults. It provides information and news on life in Japan, Japan Travel and the Japanese brands.
About the Author:
Read more about Yumiko Lee and her company at www.japan-hiways.com. Yumiko provides information and news on Living in Japan, Japan Travel, Japanese Language, Japanese Brands, Living in Singapore and Singapore Travel.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - International Marriage - Cultural Shocks and Adjustments
Americans teaching Japanese to dance.
