Rude or not rude?

5 April 2012

          The last 2 weeks my environment group gathered in Hawassa for our in service training. We participated in various workshops to learn new technical skills, project design management, and also to discuss our cultural integration. One cross-cultural seminar we played a game to help us consider how American values are different than those in Ethiopia. The activity was called “rude or not rude”. This game was difficult because we are still learning to balance our American culture in Ethiopia. I found myself having to decide which scenario I thought was rude, in what context and if it even mattered in the big picture. I copied down the scenarios to share the opportunity for you to learn more about Ethiopian culture.

·         Charging a price (often double) for foreigners (common throughout Ethiopia)

·         Arriving late to a meeting without an explanation (common, but doesn’t apply to foreigners)

·         Wearing a knee revealing skirt in public (considered inappropriate in most of Ethiopia)

·         Seeing an acquaintance while eating and not inviting them to eat with you. (RUDE! Even if you eat in public amongst strangers you are expected to share)

·         Cutting in line at the bank teller window and looking at people’s account/transaction information (Common. One volunteer experienced a stranger asking the bank teller to announce the volunteer’s account balance because he was curious)

·         Asking someone about the strange appearance of their skin. (Common. Ethiopian’s generally have beautiful skin with few flaws or variation in color. If you have freckles or pimples Ethiopians will point them out and ask questions.)

·         Being critical of someone’s work during a workplace meeting (common and varies according to context)

·         Interrupting someone who is in the middle of a conversation to say hello (the interrupter is not rude, but if you don’t stop your conversation immediately and respond to them then you are considered rude)

·         Picking your nose (VERY common amongst all age groups as are snot rockets… ewww)

·         Insisting that the window on a bus stays open/closed (Ethiopians think that you can get sick (TB) from fresh air on public buses so they prefer the windows to be closed and will close your window if you don’t fight to keep it open. Even if they are sweating profusely or someone becomes sick on the bus they will not open the windows)

·         Clapping your hands at a restaurant to get the waiters attention (Not rude and often the only way you can get the waiter to give you attention)

·         Remarking about weight gain (Not rude)

·         Not washing your hands before a meal (Rude, but often people just rinse their hands without using soap so it isn’t really a matter of sanitation, just culture)

·         Not visiting a sick friend (Rude, especially if you don’t visit a family after a death)

·         Not allowing your neighbor to borrow cleaning supplies (Rude, things should be shared and value over people is higher than assets)

·         Not introducing others before you begin conversation (Not rude, even if you are walking with your spouse failing to introduce them to an acquaintance you meet is not common)