Member Advice > Member Advice on UK and Foreign Culture

Advantages: Quality of life, stunning scenery
Disadvantages: Cost of living, occasional small-mindedness

Let me share with you something fascinating I learnt the other day: I am a Third Culture Kid. I've been a TCK for nearly 9 years now. I wasn't aware of it. I'm sure many of my friends who were also TCK's weren't aware of it. But it explains a lot about who I am, and more importantly, explains where I'm coming from as I write this article. You see, TCK's, "learn to cope with a new culture rather than adjust to it, becoming part of a situation and ...
...The upshot of this is that despite nearly 8 years in Switzerland, and frequent visits back to see my Dad, I can still only comment on Switzerland from an outsiders point of view. I don't speak fluent German, let alone the local derivations that are. I spend more time reading English newspapers and watching English TV than I do Swiss, and my interest in their current affairs was only tangential at best. Not, of course, that that takes away from what ... Read review

Advantages: to the robber many as they are getting away with it
Disadvantages: that anyone will be concentrating on their shopping and automatically take a sniff

I am hoping that this will not become a part of our UK Culture and hope it is just a thing that will soon pass. At the moment one of the nastiest things that is going around is happening in our Supermarket car parks. Men and I suppose some woman will also do it, come up to you with some perfume bottles in their hands and ask you if you want to buy them. The pretence is something like they have bought them and Tesco/ASDA/other supermarket whoevers ...
...They then try and get you to smell it. This is Ether and will knock you out so the moment you go and smell it you are out of it. No one seems to notice this in the car park as the victim chosen is usually on their own packing away the shopping and the men put the victim back on the seat and rob her/him and then go on their way. This is horrible. And yes I am afraid to say that I would fall for it and take a sniff of the bottle and that is why ... Read review

Advantages: Fascinating and unique country
Disadvantages: Beware the pitfalls - do your research!

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Japan quite a few times now and I’ve developed a real passion for the country, the people, the food and the language. Of course it’s a distant land that really isn’t an obvious holiday destination for most people. I guess that European visitors to Japan are mainly business travellers and people doing short stops on their way to somewhere else such as Australia plus young people who go there to teach English on one ...
...mystery to most of us, so here’s the first half of the top 10 tips I have picked up for the foreigner (or gaijin in Japanese) visiting Japan, based on the gaffes and faux pas I have witnessed and in some cases been guilty of myself. <1> **The Wrong Shoes** Let’s start with a tricky one. In Japan you have to think constantly about what you should have on your feet. On my first visit to a Japanese friend’s home I was repeatedly caught out by this ... Read review

Advantages: In life, you get what you negotiate....
Disadvantages: ....not what you deserve

...than when in countries where haggling is the norm for all commercial dealings. Having recently visited one such country – Morocco – I have had my limitations impressed on me yet again. Fortunately, my wife is the opposite. She loves haggling, and the practice comes to her so naturally that she doesn’t bother to think much about the theory. She is, of course, much more effective at it than I am, and the reason is simple: she enjoys it and I don’t. ...
...have found that playing the haggling game as a twosome gives us many advantages, just as a doubles pairing would expect to outperform a single player at tennis. Most of the same negotiating principles apply in either case; playing as a pair simply gives you weight of numbers and more tactical options. * Local knowledge * Whether playing as a team or individually, it’s valuable to know in advance what degree of pricing flexibility is customary in ... Read review

Advantages: See text.
Disadvantages: See text.

I would just like to write a little on British people who go abroad, as I have been on to the continent on a number of different occasions - with both negative and positive aspects. Or rather, for those whom I accompanied more than on my own stance (although I will admit to some a little later on!). Language For some reason, in my opinion Brits all do appear to think that people abroad can speak at least a few words of English. But some of them either ...
...especially if you are unable to speak any of the language of that particular country. Why is it, that Brits tend to speak very loudly and very slowly when talking to foreigners!?!? Therefore, my advice would be to at least learn the basics. There are a number of good sources about in my opinion, such as phrase books; the Internet, even if you know a person who is a native speaker and/ or a person who knows a little bit of the language in order to ... Read review