First day of classes and random tangents
Wow, class from 9:00am - 4:25 am was great today...no seriously. I really enjoyed the topic as we discussed cultural differences in a unique way. During my courses in business here we have guest lecturer's from all over the world come and present on a relevant business topic. Alright, hold on let me get some of my notes.
The teacher for today's lesson was from a prestigious institute in Finland...
Where is Finland?
(tangent)..before I even finished explaining the basics…sorry!
...and because I've got no AC in my room I am sweating as I type this. Anyways, well get to the design and ways of life over here later. Very cool stuff though. Everything is based on passive heating or cooling. And since it's only hot here for a month or two out of the year ...and really not that hot...it's not so bad. The floors here are heated in all of the rooms. The floors then serve as the heating element for the rest of the room! Genius stuff here really. My favorite thing would have to be the light switch by the bed. How many times have you gotten into bed, those that have clap-on / clap-off lights don't count, and said "damn it, I forgot to turn the light out." I know I have plenty of times. I've spent many a moment laying in bed wishing I had magical powers or could summon something to switch the light off. Here, I don't have that problem. SO COOL!
I love the overall design and the fact that, as with most European...especially Germanic or Baltic based cultures, everything has a purpose. There is really nothing to excess. Not only that but everyone...and I mean everyone bikes over here. Just the other day I saw a 85 year old lady (guessing) biking. I thought to myself, how cool is that! You won't see that in the States for sure. It's completely normal here.
(end tangent)
Some of his main points to us that really stuck with me:
- Culture controls the way we express our feelings, the way we behave, and what we observe
- Education ...most simply and beautifully but is: "Exercising of the mind."
- Small Talk amongst cultures
- The Finn's do have small talk but it is very formal small talk
- The Americans have a very strong sense and presence of small talk.
- Prime example: I am very used to asking people how they are doing...or more informally saying, "What's up?" in the states. But here in Austria, along with other Germanic cultures, they take this very seriously. As if you are really asking them how they are doing and what they are up to. Several times I've gotten longer answers than I cared to have lol. But it was fantastic! This really is all a part of studying abroad. These real life interactions are what make it great. Both the good, the embarrassing and the bad interactions. We are so used too just saying hey or what's up to one another without much thought of the answer. The answer we give back is not a literal statement but more a formality. I don't really care about how your day is going when I say, "How you doing?" or "what's up?" We expect, as Americans, to get an answer of, "Good, and you" or maybe "fine" etc. But here it's very different. I've caught myself after the words have escaped my mind and they (those that I've asked how they were doing) stop to think..."Okay ...well how am I doing?" And then they answer accordingly and then in turn ask me...usually in a concerned tone or one of sincere interest, "How are you doing today?" I laugh a little on the inside and answer them as they have answered me. But it's these things we so take for granted as the norm...but differ among cultures. This example I gave was just from today.
- What you share with a group is what keeps you together.
- feelings, thoughts, ideas, etc
- He, the teacher, put a piece in his office that is common among his business partners. This gives them a common thing to talk about and connect on, this is really the important stuff. As it establishes a common ground and a feeling of acceptance and understanding among those you’re meeting with. It helps to ease tension, spark conversation, and make business much less rigid. Great idea…just be careful with what you choose. His choice fit perfectly with the type of people that he interacts with on a daily basis.
Comments
Does the prof mean piece of art? Thanks!
Great stuff!
Christian
Hi my mysterious friend. Lol yes, I know the magical powers thing might have been a bit much. But it's so great and so simple. More of magical in the sense that it's such a great idea lol. I want it in my room at home. I can't count how many times I've been in my bed at home, in the most comfortable position reading. Then you get a bit tired and you click out your bed side lamp only to realize that ...damn it you've left on the ceiling fan light. Grrr. Glad you are enjoying this though! Thank you for the comment!
@ Christian --
No problem Christian! What my professor did was to hang antlers in his office, or something of the sort. Why? Becuase a lot of his customers and big business clients share an appreciation for hunting. So, when one of his clients comes in, he might have a new piece up at this point, it is an instant conversation starter. You could do the same with let's say...pictures of travels from around the world. As students then come into your office you've got a great conversation starter, the students understand that you're not just there to tell them what to do, but that you've actually done or are doing what they are about to do. It provides a sense of comfort (to a degree) but more so it provides a sense of understanding and that we have something in common. It eases conversation and helps to relax the atmosphere.
In case you don't read this I'll shoot you an e-mail with my response. I apologize for getting back to you so late. I just figured out that I had the "You need to approve messages" option selected.