Over the past year, my company has been working on a major project involving all facets of the business, including technology. This is a global project managed and driven from our corporate headquarters. The project has afforded several members of my staff to make their first ever trip to the US; for some, it was their first time ever leaving Indonesia. This week, I held a team meeting to announce some promotions and hand out awards for a program I initiated at the beginning of the year. We took the opportunity to ask our global travelers to share anecdotes from their trips to the US. Here are three of the funnier ones:
1) In Indonesia, like Britain and Australia, traffic drives on the left side of the street, not the right. This is more pervasive than you would ever imagine. For example, next time you're walking towards someone in the hallway, move left instead of right and watch their reaction. It isn't natural. One of my staff had a layover in San Francisco and needed to catch a shuttle bus to the hotel. He stood on the curb for nearly an hour and didn't understand why the bus wasn't coming. Then he realized, he was on the wrong side of the street. Similar problem when he walked up to the bus and didn't understand why there wasn't a door.
2) Live in Phoenix long enough and you're sure to hear someone complain about how bad the traffic is. Having a twenty minute commute is often grounds for bragging rights at a social event. By US standards, Phoenix traffic is bad. It's usually in the top 10 of national surveys for bad traffic. One of the things that EVERY member of my staff said the liked so much about Phoenix? No traffic. When you are comparing it to Jakarta, where a 7 mile drive can take 90 minutes on a good day, Phoenix traffic is heavenly.
3) Language is another interesting challenge. My good friend, Pete Faur, discusses on his blog the difficulties foreigners have with the word "fix". Add the phrase "to go" to this list. In Jakarta, if you plan to eat somewhere other than the restaurant, or you want a doggie bag, you use the phrase "take away". One of my employees approached the counter at McDonald's and placed his order. As is customary, the person behind the counter asked: "Here or to go?" He had no idea what she meant so he replied: "I want to eat. If not here, where should I go?"
I feel their pain. It's also why I have much more sympathy for the immigrants who come to our country and struggle to learn our language. It isn't easy. It's so idiomatic, so full of slang, even when you think you grasp it, you don't. And when it comes to something as important as legal rights, medical care, or the democratic process, I would prefer new citizens to have the option of fully understanding their rights through use of their native language. I don't think this is too much to ask.
1) In Indonesia, like Britain and Australia, traffic drives on the left side of the street, not the right. This is more pervasive than you would ever imagine. For example, next time you're walking towards someone in the hallway, move left instead of right and watch their reaction. It isn't natural. One of my staff had a layover in San Francisco and needed to catch a shuttle bus to the hotel. He stood on the curb for nearly an hour and didn't understand why the bus wasn't coming. Then he realized, he was on the wrong side of the street. Similar problem when he walked up to the bus and didn't understand why there wasn't a door.
2) Live in Phoenix long enough and you're sure to hear someone complain about how bad the traffic is. Having a twenty minute commute is often grounds for bragging rights at a social event. By US standards, Phoenix traffic is bad. It's usually in the top 10 of national surveys for bad traffic. One of the things that EVERY member of my staff said the liked so much about Phoenix? No traffic. When you are comparing it to Jakarta, where a 7 mile drive can take 90 minutes on a good day, Phoenix traffic is heavenly.
3) Language is another interesting challenge. My good friend, Pete Faur, discusses on his blog the difficulties foreigners have with the word "fix". Add the phrase "to go" to this list. In Jakarta, if you plan to eat somewhere other than the restaurant, or you want a doggie bag, you use the phrase "take away". One of my employees approached the counter at McDonald's and placed his order. As is customary, the person behind the counter asked: "Here or to go?" He had no idea what she meant so he replied: "I want to eat. If not here, where should I go?"
I feel their pain. It's also why I have much more sympathy for the immigrants who come to our country and struggle to learn our language. It isn't easy. It's so idiomatic, so full of slang, even when you think you grasp it, you don't. And when it comes to something as important as legal rights, medical care, or the democratic process, I would prefer new citizens to have the option of fully understanding their rights through use of their native language. I don't think this is too much to ask.
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