LearningAboutDifferentCulturesMostofusliveinamulticulturalsurroundingsthesedays．Culturecanbringustogether，butitcanalsobeacauseofdivision．Howdoesourowncultureaffectthewayweviewothers？Whatstepscanwetaketo

　　Learning About Different Cultures

　　Most of us live in a multicultural surroundings these days．Culture can bring us together，but it can also be a cause of division．How does our own culture affect the way we view others？What steps can we take to minimize problems？

　　Once my friend，who is of Greek origin，went to Sweden on business．He was sent by the head office in the US to introduce a new computer program to their branch office in Sweden．This newly created software would cut production cost in half and speed up the time from planning to production by 30percent，as well as make the finished product look better．After presenting this program to the managers and directors，he waited for their feedback．At first it was quiet．Then，the general manager said，"Hmm，this looks good．"in a flat voice．"Hmm，I agree，"said another．My friend was in shock．Later on，when he told this to me，he said，"My mother used expressions such as‘Fabulous!'and‘Marvelous!'．These people were presented with a multibillion-dollar program，and all they could say was"Hmm．Good．I don't understand it!"

　　What was the problem？Culture．What is an acceptable way of expressing excitement and joy in one country is not the same in another．The Swedes were thrilled，and they thought it was a fantastic computer program．They just had a different way of showing it．

　　Another example：I remember my mother always telling me to look at her when she was talking to me，especially if it was something important．It was a way of showing that I was paying attention in a respectful way．Now，my friend from Nigeria told me that she never allows her children to look at her when she is talking．"I want them to respect me，"she says．Who is right？Both．That's the beauty of culture．There is no such thing as right or wrong，good or bad culture．

　　Of course，one has to take into consideration people living nearby．It is true that a person has to adjust to the country where