When
visiting a new country, immersing yourself in a new language, culture
and environment, it is inevitable to make a few cultural faux pas. Of
course you will be ignorant of local customs, and when you try to use
any new words you have learned in the local language, you are bound to
make some mistakes.
And
indeed all of this is part of the adventure of traveling to a new
place. It is also, what makes receiving tourists in one’s own country
enjoyable. You have the chance to guide a foreigner through a new
experience, and discover that parts of your life that you find dull and
mundane, are exotic and interesting to somebody who is not used to them.
You have an opportunity to observe your own life through an outside
perspective. Traveling to new places and meeting foreigners in your own
country also provides a unique opportunity for appreciating what is
special about your own culture and home.
Now
while in a new environment, where there are different ways of greeting,
eating, speaking and of showing respect to others, most of us will make
a few mistakes. Often we may mildly offend others in the process. But
usually, people are understanding, and often they will patiently explain
how to correct such behaviors. Above all, cultural faux pas are
generally a result of ignorance.
I
don’t believe that it’s necessary to become an expert on a different
country before you decide to pay a visit. Actually, having a few
surprises after you arrive, and learning new things about a country
during your visit is what makes up half the fun of traveling. And indeed
some of the mistakes you make will likely be a source of light hearted
amusement for locals.
But,
it is certainly necessary to learn a few basic things about the country
that you plan to visit. You can likely do this by a quick google search
and skimming through Wikipedia and a few other articles you will
undoubtedly come across. It is also always prudent to consult your
nation’s travel advisory.
And
doing all of this should take you….a whopping 15-20 minutes. Maybe a
half hour. Let’s face it, you can probably do that on your Iphone while
waiting at the passport office or even while waiting to board your
plane. Basically, I don’t think there’s any excuse for not making sure
you know the basic facts about the country you are planning to visit.
And even this small effort, will likely prevent you from making any
disastrous mistakes once you arrive.
However,
while in every country I have visited- I have seen tourists do some
appalling things, which were not only rude but completely disrespectful
of the country which tolerated their presence. I would like to assume
that this is a result of ignorance, and not a total disregard for the
culture they are visiting. I’m not totally sure. All I can say is that
at times tourists can be obnoxious and disrespectful of their host
country. As a foreigner in Morocco, and as somebody who loves traveling
and plans to do much more of it in the future, this annoys me.
A
few afternoons ago, I saw what was actually the worst example of
obnoxious tourist’s behavior that I have ever seen. A woman who I will
assume is North American by her appearance (perhaps incorrectly) came
out of a McDonald’s wearing clothes that would be considered tastelessly
revealing even by North American standards and proceeded to walk down
the street stuffing her face with ice cream.
Perhaps
she was unaware it is Ramadan…although I think this is highly unlikely.
This is what drove me stop walking and stare open mouthed at this woman
as she walked by me. I was not the only person in the vicinity to do
this.
As
a Canadian, but also a North American (by North American here I mean
Canada and the US) in Morocco, I have two reactions to this incident,
and others like it. The first, is that I am completely humiliated by
this behavior by someone who shares my continent of origin and
undoubtedly had access to the information that would inform her of her
wrongdoings. This embarrasses me because there will certainly be people
who observe this woman’s behavior and view it as representative of all
North Americans.
My
second reaction to this is that I would like to sincerely apologize for
the behavior of many North Americans abroad who have given all of us a
bad name. The vast majority of us enjoy access to education and
internet. Those few unfortunate Canadians and Americans who
do not have access to these things, are also without the means to
travel, so they are not the ones making fools of themselves while
abroad.
Due
to my appearance and accent (I am Canadian) I am generally assumed to
be an American while traveling abroad. Unlike many Canadians, I’m not
offended by this. Canada has a tiny population, while the US has a
massive one. So demographically speaking, meeting an American is simply
more probable. What does make me feel a bit sad, is that when I correct
people and say “ no I’m actually from Canada” they tend to smile broadly
and become much friendlier, and even may go on a rant about hating
Americans.
Now
I will agree that American leaders have made some bad choices in
regards to foreign policy and there do exist Americans who are fat,
loud, gun-loving obnoxious racists. But they are no more representative
of the entire American population than are the small number of Canadians
still living a traditional lifestyle in the Arctic. And not every
American voted for George Bush.
So
I will conclude here by making two suggestions, one to North Americans,
and one to people residing in all countries that North Americans visit.
I will ask fellow North Americans to be more cognizant of their foreign
surroundings. I will also thank residents of host countries when they
do not judge us all, by our worst specimens.
Erin MacDonald, is a
Canadian MA candidate. She grew up in Halifax Nova Scotia where she
earned an Honours degree in Religious Studies from St. Mary’s
University. She is now earning an MA in Dispute Resolution from the
University of Victoria, British Columbia. She is currently fulfilling
the internship requirement of her MA degree, working at La Voix de la
Femme Amazighe in Rabat Morocco.
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