“Doyouhavepizzahere?” a European man says to a Timorese woman in a bakery. The woman looks confused. Her eyes dart around, she scrunches her forehead, and she looks back up at him. The European smirks with his friend at the fact that the woman didn’t understand him. “PIZZA?” he says.
My pet peeve when traveling is watching foreigners who don’t pay attention to detail and “move” too quickly when interacting with local people. Some examples: speaking fast and not adjusting your English when conversing with a taxi driver. Not looking for and waiting for acknowledgement that the person you’re speaking with understands what you said. Inaccurately finishing the thought of a local person because you think you know what they are trying to say.
I’ve come to the conclusion that simply listening carefully, speaking slowly, and smiling make a huge difference in the degree to which local people feel respected. This might not sound like a crazy idea, but I am consistently shocked at how badly so many foreigners treat local people in developing countries.
“Doyouhavepizzahere?” a European man says to a Timorese woman in a bakery. The woman looks confused. Her eyes dart around, she scrunches her forehead, and she looks back up at him. The European smirks with his friend at the fact that the woman didn’t understand him. “PIZZA?” he says.
My pet peeve when traveling is watching foreigners who don’t pay attention to detail and “move” too quickly when interacting with local people. Some examples: speaking fast and not adjusting your English when conversing with a taxi driver. Not looking for and waiting for acknowledgement that the person you’re speaking with understands what you said. Inaccurately finishing the thought of a local person because you think you know what they are trying to say.
I’ve come to the conclusion that simply listening carefully, speaking slowly, and smiling make a huge difference in the degree to which local people feel respected. This might not sound like a crazy idea, but I am consistently shocked at how badly so many foreigners treat local people in developing countries.
Posted in Uncategorized.
By Shelby
– August 9, 2010
Very true, Shelby. These are essential basics that make deeper interaction possible. Thanks for articulating them.
i like this comment. some cynics might think it’s patronising to adjust your english. it’s very hard to explain this to other australians (we aussies surrounded by water tend to think that we don’t have accents – everyone else does).
I’ve been working in the aid industry for over 10 years, and unfortunately, grassroots leaders echo to me again and again that their experience of receiving development aid is largely negative. It’s shocking to me too, and no wonder we need more empathy and compassion in our “helping” of poor people in the developing world.
How-matters.org explores the skills and knowledge needed by all international “do-gooders” (professional and amateur alike) to truly raise the level of human dignity within international assistance and to put real resources behind local means of overcoming obstacles. I hope you’ll check it out and good luck on your blog!
Thanks all very much for these comments.