Fun fact: a few weeks ago, I accidentally went to a Russian surf camp in Bali...
And it was one of the happiest mistakes I've made in my entire life! Being the only native English speaker at Endless Summer Surf Camp, I learned something other than surfing that will probably be beneficial for the rest of my life: Europeans are probably not as rude as you think. When I arrived at Endless Summer, I was surprised to be the only non-Russian surfer... but delighted that almost everyone spoke very good English. Not to mention our gorgeous basecamp: It's just... once in a while, someone would say something that just felt kind of... curt. For example, I might ask a perfectly harmless, innocent question, and the response would be a sharp, "Of course." Like I was dumb for asking. Like the answer should have been obvious. What had I done to deserve such a response? Then I realized: it was time to take my own advice. A I wrote in Next Time Someone Says Something That Hurts or Offends You, Ask Yourself These Two Questions: We all get hurt by words that were not intended to hurt us. By asking myself, "Is it true?" I realized that most of the time when I'd heard one of my fellow surfers say, "Of course," if felt curt because an American probably would have said something like, "Yeah," or, "Sure!" I realized that they probably weren't trying to be dismissive -- they were probably just speaking English the way they'd learned it. So I asked about it -- and we ended up having a really fun conversation about English slang. I taught them about "it's lit, fam," and other dumb vocab words they might not have learned in school... And they taught me about SPACE DAY!!! Which actually happened while I was at Endless Summer, and it was a big deal to them. So we surfed with Yuri Gagarin in spirit that April 12. So, long story short, next time someone who speaks English as a second language is "rude" to you... remind yourself that they probably aren't actually being rude. They're just speaking their second (or third, or fourth) language. And until you can speak a full sentence in their native language, you really have no right to complain. Also, fun reminder: cultural immersion is fun, but cultural exchange is waaay better.
3 Comments
Kat
5/25/2018 09:17:04 am
Many of the Europeans I know (particularly Germans) have a much more direct, no-BS way of speaking. Honestly, it’s refreshing at times! It seems like we always end up having better conversations without much filler.
Reply
Mark
10/23/2018 10:59:34 am
I worked with some Germans who came across as rude when they said, "Just do it," instead of, "Yeah, that sounds good," or, "Let's try that." For example, we would be brainstorming through a problem and I would make a suggestion and they would look at me and say, "Just do it." It took a while to figure out they didn't mean it in a harsh way.
Reply
Matt Rudge
4/6/2025 08:01:03 am
My wife and I have been married for about 7 yrs now. We were happily married with two kids, a boy and a girl. 3 months ago, I started to notice some strange behavior from her and a few weeks later I found out that my wife is seeing someone else. She started coming home late from work, she hardly cares about me or the kids anymore, Sometimes she goes out and doesn't even come back home for about 2-3 days. I did all I could to rectify this problem but all to no avail, I became very worried and needed help. As I was browsing through the internet one day, I came across a website that suggested that Dr. Odunga can help solve marital problems, restore broken relationships and He can also cure diseases like HIV, AIDS, Herpes Virus, Cancer, E.T.C.. So, I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and told him my problems and he told me what to do and I did it and he did a spell for me. 28 hours later, my wife came to me and apologized for the wrongs she did and promised never to do it again. Ever since then, everything has returned back to normal. My family and I are living together happily again. All thanks to Dr. Odunga. If you have any problem contact him and I guarantee you that he will help you. He will not disappoint you.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
About the Author
![]() Eva is a content specialist with a passion for play, travel... and a little bit of girl power. Read more >
Want to support The Happy Talent? CLICK HERE!
Or Find me on Patreon!
What's Popular on The Happy Talent:
Trending in Dating and Relationships:
What's Popular in Science: Playfulness and Leisure Skills:
Popular in Psychology and Social Skills:
Categories
All
|