I enjoyed learning about the different Social Customs in Central America. I have written about a few of them below.
On page 357 in our text book it discusses the main different Social Customs used in Central America. “Party traditions. Traditionally, women congregate on one side of the room and men on the other, but that is changing. For large formal affairs, invitations are written by hand. Flowers are often sent before a large affair. At a smaller party, you should take them to your host or hostess.” (Moran, Abramson & Moran, 2014) I found this quite interesting in the way they host parties. I haven’t seen a hand written invitation to a party in a long time except for my daughter birthdays, but in reality majority of people do them on the computer or even just by word of mouth. I found the images below of the many different cultural celebrations. The bright colors are absolutely beautiful. The many events held look to be very lively and full of laughter and good food.
“Pleasantries. Nobody rushes into business. As a foreign businessperson, take your time and ask about your colleague’s family’s health, the weather, or perhaps the local sports teams.” (Moran, Abramson & Moran, 2014) I like this idea of getting to know your business colleagues; I find that it’s important to be sociable to those who you work with daily. In my work place we take the time to discuss our lives to a point but there is a limit of course to what you share. Being social-able to others is a great way to keep the air clear and progress moving, communication is key in most businesses.
I have not traveled outside the United States beside a trip to Canada when I was younger. Although it’s a goal of mine to someday travel more, for now I will gather as much information that I can to learn to be proper towards other when visiting for pleasure or business. One does not want to cause any kind of drama when visiting a foreign country.
References
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R. & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences, (9th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
http://thelaa.org/ (Image of Latin American Association)
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