tetyana tt's List: culture

• Body language rather than the spoken word speaks volumes. Ukrainians personal space is smaller than people raised in western cultures. Physical touch during conversation, greetings with a kiss on the cheek and animate expressions define the Ukrainian method of communication. However, simple and common gestures like putting your thumb between your first two fingers will be taken as a rude remark. Gender roles in Ukraine tend to be more traditional. Men open doors for women, pour their drinks and light their cigarettes, as well as help them put on and take off their coats. Don’t be offended by these gestures. Welcome these acts of kindness.

• Public Behaviour  Acceptable public conduct

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  - tetyana tt on 2007-11-17
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  - tetyana tt on 2007-11-17
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  - tetyana tt on 2007-11-17

• This general increase in the relevance of cultural differences means a change of paradigm for intercultural learning, as it necessarily involves having to face up to the challenges of education for dealing with cultural difference. This produces an extremely difficult situation for practical educational work. Although cultural differences are accepted, they cannot be defined in concrete terms and remain vague and difficult to grasp for teachers and learners alike (apart from cultural anthropologists and ethnologists). At the same time, the continuing effect of the international understanding approach means that the educational process is often weighed down by a morally based desire to "improve the world", which has an impeding and counterproductive effect on professional intercultural learning.

  It is learners from the social pedagogy and youth work sectors that are most affected by this change in paradigm. Their professional backgrounds mean that they are more likely than others to wish to avoid discrimination and accordingly to stress similarities in their relations with people from other cultures, placing emphasis on 'tolerance' and 'respect'. The organisational structure and orientation of youth work also strengthen this desire to "improve the world" and at the same time unintentionally trigger resistance to intercultural learning of a kind that is based on cultural differences.
• Intercultural learning is thus understood as a developmental process which is centred on the individual and whose aim is to bring about a change in individuals' understanding and acceptance of foreign cultural practices. The focus of the learning process is therefore placed explicitly on the subjective experience of cultural differences. The key role is played by the individual concerned, i.e. cultural differences are regarded as aspects of the perception and interpretation ('cultural lenses'), feeling, thinking and behaviour ('cultural character') of the individual. The learning process is seen as a continuum of several phases through which learners progress.
• The first dilemma of intercultural learning in mixed east-west groups is to be found in this generalized and simplified view of the 'east'. The problems are compounded still further by the unambiguous value judgements expressed, for instance, in the comparative forms of the adjectives: 'more western' almost always means a positive comparison, while 'more eastern' has negative connotations.
• Between the two lies the boundary between 'west' and 'east#, which is by no means new. Its origins date back to the 18th century, when the relations between the two parts of the continent were defined in pairs of opposites (civilised versus barbaric, rational versus emotional, factual versus mythologising, individual versus collective, past versus future oriented, progressive versus backward), with the west increasingly perceiving them as a west-east divide. New dimensions were added to the historic divide following the collapse of communism. Inspired by popular evolutionary theories, west Europeans were soon saying that their eastern neighbours 'had not caught up yet' and encouraging them to keep on working 'to join Europe'. In many cases, east Europeans felt that this was a 'colonialist' attitude and retreated into positions of refusal
• Practical experience of training also shows that the participants register and deal with the asymmetry in east-west relations in different ways. While west European participants mainly adhere to the international understanding approach without much further thought and focus on similarities with their east European counterparts (e.g. in the fields of information technology, youth culture, media consumption and sport), the east Europeans feel that they are being passed over and their cultural features are being ignored. They have the impression of being confronted with western cultural dominance, which is subliminal and perhaps unintended and cannot be openly criticised for reasons of politeness, but which does ultimately come down to the imposition of the more powerful culture.

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• C’est la femme ukrainienne qui, sans conteste, a assumé le fardeau le plus lourd de la reconstruction sociale – en prenant soin de la famille, en assumant parfois plusieurs emplois et en s’occupant d’un jardin pour nourrir la famille. Selon un dicton ukrainien, l’homme est une tête et la femme le cou : là où le cou tourne – la tête regarde (ce qui signifie que les femmes jouent un rôle dominant dans leur famille, mais qu’elles sont présentées d’une façon qui donne ce rôle aux hommes). Il existe aussi dans les familles ukrainiennes des rôles et des attentes qui, traditionnellement, se rattachent à chaque sexe.

  Les femmes sont moins visibles dans les postes de haute direction dans les domaines politiques et économiques où l’on ne croit pas fermement qu’elles devraient être mises davantage en évidence. Le code vestimentaire des femmes tend à accorder une grande importance à la féminité, particulièrement en hiver, lorsque plusieurs portent des fourrures. La question du harcèlement sexuel, tel qu’on le conçoit dans les pays occidentaux, n’est pas comprise ni acceptée en Ukraine. Certains gestes qui, au Canada, pourraient être jugés intimes et inconvenants entre collègues de travail sont en général très courants en Ukraine.
• Groupes ethniques :
  La société ukrainienne est raisonnablement homogène. J’ai rencontré un jour une bénévole afro-américaine du Corps des volontaires de la paix des États-Unis, qui m’a dit avoir subi du harcèlement et du racisme de la part d’Ukrainiens. La plupart n’ont jamais rencontré de personne de couleur de sorte que cela leur est étranger.

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  - tetyana tt on 2007-11-07

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  - tetyana tt on 2007-11-07

• The process of business negotiation can be quite long-winded. Ukrainians will start the dialogue with a long "warm-up" session about the journey, the family or proposed entertainment for the evening. Don't get impatient: any attempt to rush straight into business is considered rude. For Ukrainians the beginning of the meeting is a time for evaluating the individual with whom one is conducting business. Ukrainians expect friendships to extend to business. Strong family ties and friendships have been a survival mechanism in Ukraine for centuries, be it in farming, when several families were pooling resources, or in times of hardship and crisis. A network of good personal contacts is the most valued asset in getting something done.
• If you have discussed the entire plan with your counterparts and agreed upon every possible combination of events that could occur, you will probably be invited to sign "A Protocol of Intent." This is effectively a memorandum of the meeting, which is considered by Ukrainians as the first landmark on the long route to a business relationship and a contract.   Often at this stage of the contract signature you will be required to put  your "Company stamp" as the official confirmation of your signature, so don't forget to bring a self-inking rubber company seal with you.

• Ukrainians are known for their hospitality and enjoyment of conversations, eating, and drinking. It is quite easy to make friends in Ukraine. Many foreigners come to Ukraine for romance as well. In the cities you will see a lot of people with a European mentality side by side with Soviet influences. Much of Ukraine is agrarian, and people in villages often live in old-fashioned houses and ride horse carts around. Cell phones and electronic devices have become very popular in Ukraine, and people are buying automobiles right and left, which has created traffic problems in the cities.

• Ukraine Superstitions

• The Ukrainians greet guests with round white bread and salt, which are handed on a “rushnyc” - a hand-decorated traditional cloth. Guests are expected to break the bread, dip it in salt, and eat it, thus accepting the offering of friendship and hospitality.

• The ancient tradition of offering a guest bread and salt dates back many centuries. Bread and salt were once considered necessary ingredients for health in daily consumption. Guests in Ukraine are offered a circular bread (klib) and a mold of salt (sil) on an embroidered ceremonial cloth called a rushnyk (pronounced roosh-nick) by their hosts. The hosts greet their visitors with a humble and heartfelt greeting - "With this bread and salt we greet you. We invite you to preserve the Ukrainian culinary arts, by teaching and passing on these traditions to your loved ones - Welcome - Vitayemo!"

   When offered to a guest, the protocol requires the guest to accept the bread and salt in their hands while bowing their head slightly in thanks, kissing it, and then handing it back to their hosts. Often a small piece of the bread is broken off by the guest, dipped in the salt and then eaten. If it is part of a family gathering the bread may be eaten, put aside to be eaten later or taken to one's home.

   The bread represents hospitality, the warmth of Ukrainian hospitality from the rich black fertile soil of Ukraine. The salt symbolizes friendship, an eternal friendship that will never sour because salt is never corrupted by time therefore, never loses its taste.

• if you will be asked for a toast. A well-prepared greeting speech will help you to stand the eloquence exam with honour -the most laconic Ukrainian toast: "Bud'mo". This word means wishes of health, happiness, and everything one may wish.

• On average Ukrainians' personal space is smaller than in Germanic and Anglo-saxon cultures. Some people touch each other quite a bit during conversations if they are standing. Greeting women with a kiss on the cheek is common. On the gesticulation scale Ukrainians are more subdued than southern Europeans but more animate than Scandinavians. Gestures tend to be smaller—no American arm-flapping here! Also, smiling is usually reserved for friends. Stiffness and formality is the rule during public speaking. Hollywood has always exaggerated this trait when portraying Soviet leaders.
• Ukrainians in public tend to demonstrate restraint and avoid attracting attention to themselves. In small towns where everyone knows each other this is less noticeable. Ukrainians usually speak quietly in the presence of strangers. Loud foreigners who are oblivious to their surroundings always draw smiles. 

  Despite the concern with standing out, in Ukraine it is more customary to show negative emotions in public than in western countries that are obsessed with always being positive. Strangers bond by sharing indignation (about packed public transportation, for example) or by making sarcastic remarks. Drivers yell at each other freely. Don't let this rudeness and indifference fool you, however. Ukrainians tend to be warmer in their personal relationships than is typical of most western countries.
• The word "friend" in Ukrainian or Russian implies a closer relationship than in most other European languages. One has one or two "friends" and many "acquaintances"—quite the opposite of the U.S., where many people have dozens of "friends" but often have no really close friends. In Ukraine, it seems, such aloofness is unheard of. The tendency to form informal relationships easily is part of the national character. 

  Many foreigners note that it is easier to form friendships and relationships in Ukraine. In the U.S., for example, it is easy to get an invitation to do things like play volleyball, go see a movie, go waterskiing, etc., but hard to become someone's friend. In Ukraine people will get together to talk about things that are important to them personally. Westerners often find their emotional needs are met better in Ukraine.

   

  At the same time, clubs and hobby groups and other "collectives" in Ukraine tend to become closed to the outside world because of their emotional attachments and informal relationships. I have seen biking clubs who seem to enjoy hanging out together more than biking and mountaineering clubs with complex rituals and traditions that have nothing to do with mountain climbing. In Ukraine it may be harder to keep focused on one's individual goals because of this emotional collectivism.
• Westerners note that gender roles in Ukraine tend to be more traditional. Not only do men open doors for women and gallantly hold their hand as they step out of the bus, but women tend to dress more femininely and accentuate their attractiveness more than in most western countries. During courtship men tend to be more romantic, bringing flowers and gifts (and footing the bills during dates), and women try to look especially elegant. Sometimes the contrast between stunningly attractive women and their shodilly dressed, poor-postured boyfriends is remarkable. There are definitely double standards of grooming in Ukraine.
• The stereotype is that the wife does the cooking and cleaning, while the husband takes care of repairs. When guests come over the wife heads to the kitchen to prepare food, even if it is her own birthday party. Husbands tend to be either workaholics or "lazy bums" that often suffer from apathy and alcoholism. These stereotypes are more true of older generations and smaller towns and villages.
• Dress tends to be more formal in Ukraine than in the rest of Europe. Young men walk around in black dress shoes and dark pants, and women wear high heels and skirts (not all, of course). Clothing is intended to create a necessary appearance, and not be comfortable and practical. Colorful casual dress that has been the norm in western Europe and the U.S. for years is just beginning to gain popularity. Just a few years ago all the men in Ukraine wore black, but now the color scheme has differentiated a bit (at least in the big cities).
• tandards of grooming and hygiene can differ widely from culture to culture. Arab men in Ukraine, for example, almost always have a slick, preened appearance. Americans are known worldwide for their straight white teeth and "Hollywood smile," as well as for obesity among young people. Other cultures are known for their lower standards of hygiene. In Ukraine there is a sort of double standard. Women (especially young women) tend to dress and groom carefully, while men often are careless about their appearance. While hygiene seems to be generally improving, decaying teeth and bad odors are not at all uncommon. Smoking is extremely prevalent in public places. Dental floss is not yet widely used, and dental care standards lag behind the West. Many older folks bathe just once a week. However, hygiene among working professionals is comparable to developed countries. 

  Despite somewhat lower levels of hygiene, Ukrainians are more discreet about bodily functions than, say, in the United States. While belching and farting loudly in public not be totally typical of the U.S., movies such as Dumb and Dumber and the Naked Gun series demonstrate that bodily functions are a topic of joking and discussion. Not so in Ukraine. Passing gas and burping are considered shameful, and people do not discuss their bodily functions with others. However, ironically, spitting and blowing your nose onto the sidewalk or grass is normal in most cities of Ukraine.

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