It was a beautiful summer day, and the crowds were meandering along Grafton Street to the melodies of a busking trio set up in front of a statue of Molly Malone. The trio, comprised of two violinists and a cellist, were performing “Pachelbel’s Canon in D major” to perfection. As the crowd gathered in appreciation around the red-headed sisters in flowing white dresses, an incident occurred that was tantamount to crashing cymbals during a violin solo. A tourist, apparently walking toward a destination he could not find and oblivious to his surroundings, passed right in front of the musicians with an unfurled map in one hand and a cell phone in the other, yelling, “What’s that? I can’t hear you! Let me get past this noise!”
I cringed, thinking it couldn’t get any worse, until a young boy in front of me tugged on his father’s arm and asked in a distinctive Irish accent, “That was an American, wasn’t it Dad?”
My heart sank.
Grafton Street in Dublin, Ireland is known for many things: beautiful architecture, pedestrian-only streets, great shopping, and famous musicians who got their start performing there. However, like many other beautiful locations, it’s also known for tourists who don’t know better.
On that day, the beautiful scene was momentarily marred by an “ugly American.” You know the stereotype: ignorant, sloppy, loud, obnoxious, and arrogant. The term was coined in a 1958 book by the same name, and it has stuck ever since.
At the time this incident occurred, I was serving alongside Habit for Humanity in Ireland as a short term mission’s leader, and in that moment, I was embarrassed to be an American.
When we travel, we are, in a sense, ambassadors of our own country, and our behavior shapes observers’ perspectives of where we come from. For those who are followers of Christ, Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthian church that we are also ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Since we’re called to represent Jesus, since our citizenship in heaven trumps our citizenship here on earth, we have a high standard to live up to. Though the following tips appear to focus more on our earthly citizenship, they will enable us to enter more fully into other cultures so that we might better share the Good News of Jesus through our lips and our lives.
If you are about to visit another culture, these five tips will temper the “ugly American” stereotypes mentioned above so that you and your team can be more effective witnesses to the redeeming love of Jesus.
Learn before you leap (or you’ll fall)
Giving the “thumbs up” is fine and dandy in the West, but is considered extremely offensive in Iran. Eating with your left hand is considered an ambidextrous skill in my home, but would be revolting to many in Africa. Serving finger foods at a party is what good hosts do in the States, but would create an awkward situation for many Bolivians, since they rarely eat food with their hands. Each of these is considered a faux-pas (literally meaning “false step” in French) and has the potential of causing you (and your mission) to stumble. Don’t let months of preparation and team training be undermined by a cultural faux-pas that could have easily been researched prior to arrival. While you can search faux pas on wikipedia.com and find etiquette for most countries around the world, it would be ideal to have a conversation with your on-site mission partner to learn local customs and etiquette and include it in your team trainings before you arrive.
Dress up (like its Easter Sunday)
Americans take pride in dressing casually. Sweatpants, baseball caps, flip-flops, and T-shirts are all familiar words in our lexicon. But in many places around the world our knack for the casual is frowned upon. One person I sat next to on a flight to England said, “When I visit the States, I see Americans dress nicely, so why do they look like they just rolled out of bed when they travel internationally?” Ouch.
I know that this goes against the practice of many youth pastors, but please don’t make “Team Africa” T-shirts for your team to wear on the plane. Yes, matching T-shirts are easier for you to spot, but there are better ways to create unity among the group, ones that won’t perpetuate the stereotype that Americans are sloppy. Most cultures around the world wear their best while traveling, so save the sweatpants for the hotel room. What to wear? Think Easter Sunday … seriously. Pants and collared shirts for guys; long skirts and blouses for girls. We just took a team to East Africa with this dress code, and they survived the 36 hours of travel without wearing sweatpants and a team shirt. You can too.
Speak their language (at their volume)
Though many places around the world are familiar with English, people feel respected when you try to speak their language. Simple phrases like “Hello,” “What is your name?” and “Thank you” are a must when traveling to a different country. Your willingness to engage in learning someone’s language will more than make up for your lack of fluency and poor pronunciation.
The volume of your words is also essential. Though I’m still mastering this, other cultures have an amazing ability to communicate with inside voices when inside. This can be tough, especially when you have a large group. (I’m speaking from experience—having led 9 international mission trips with teenagers.) I’ve learned the hard way that airports are not the best place for Red Rover (security will be sent over), restaurants are not for card games like Slap Jack (they won’t let you come back), and stores are not the place to scream for joy when you find the perfect gift for grandma back home.
Eat their food (with a smile)
This can be tough for many, especially when you are traveling to remote places. While staying with the Cabecar tribe in the jungles of Costa Rica, our team ate roasted pig for 4 days straight. It sounded exotic, until we found out that they didn’t have refrigerators and re-cooked the maggots off each day. Though we were tempted to say we were vegetarians and just eat the rice, our indigenous missionary partner explained, “Killing the one pig they own and presenting it to you is the most generous gift offering this tribe can afford. If you were to refuse it, we would have to leave.”
Food etiquette needs to be researched before visiting a region. While it would be considered rude to not finish the entire plate of rice and pig in Costa Rica, actually finishing your food in some parts of Asia communicates the opposite message—that the host did not offer you enough. You’ll never know unless you do your homework.
Be humble (because your country isn’t better than theirs)
When you’re tired and out of your comfort zone, it is easy to get frustrated by driving etiquette in Nairobi, the trash on the streets in Buenos Aires, and the lack of hot water (let alone water) wherever you are staying. It is human nature to believe that we do things better than other people, and this belief is magnified when you visit other cultures. We have opinions on everything—what good coffee tastes like, what the essentials of a bathroom are, and how we should be treated when we are a customer.
It is at this point that you have a choice.
You can focus on your belief that the American way of doing things is best and be very vocal about it, or you can choose to enter into another culture in the same way that Jesus became incarnate—with great humility. We sometimes forget that God left the comfort and splendor of heaven and became human, only to be mocked, tortured, and killed. Emulating Jesus’ humility is not a recommendation, it is an imperative. In John 20:21, Jesus says to his disciples while they are locked behind closed doors, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
Let’s allow ourselves to be sent the same way that Jesus was sent. Let’s enter into the sometimes uncomfortable realities of others’ lives with great humility. When it gets tough and when we’re in those uncomfortable moments in another culture, let’s remember Luke’s record of Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Thankfully, we’re not sent out alone or unequipped.
Reflection questions
- Which tip will be the easiest for you to adopt? The hardest?
- What cultural faux-pas or tips for avoiding the “ugly American” stereotype have you experienced?
