Now that you have started your in-depth cultural exploration of your study abroad destination, it might be that some of your discoveries make you feel anxious and uncomfortable. This is perfectly normal!

It will take you about 30 minutes to complete this section. After completing this section you will be able to:

understand the concept of drive.
improve your drive.
fight through the uncomfortable situation, keep communicating and learn from the situation.

Why do I need drive and how can I use it?

Before we get started, please watch this video about different greetings that are used around the world.

Surprised about how many different ways of saying 'hello' there are? One, two or four kisses, handshake or hug, a head bow or full bow, or in some cultures they will even touch your feet to greet you.

Awkward situations

Have you ever experienced a weird moment when you meet someone and you both attempted to greet one other in a different way: you wanted to give a kiss on the cheek, but they leaned in for a hug? When that happens, you feel very uncomfortable. If you are used to giving a kiss, getting a hug will feel very intimate. And if you are used to a hug, getting a kiss on the cheek might feel very intimate. You are both used to a different greeting culture, and when those two cultures clash, it will make you feel uncomfortable.

What should you now do? Say goodbye and run away from the situation, pretend it never happened? You will soon feel better again, but you will miss out on getting to know a wonderful new friend. Also, the next time you meet someone from the same culture, you still won’t know what to do.

Developing your cultural intelligence and succeeding in intercultural situation does not only require knowledge, you also need to have the drive to engage with the situation. This means working through discomfort, keep communicating and learn from the situation. Having the drive to engage means you will persevere in challenging cultural situations, and that you will learn from the situation.

Make sure to put your newly acquired knowledge into practice by completing exercises 3.4.1.

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