4 ms·

Learning takes time. I had an Indian coworker once who freaked out at the airport because the cab driver was black. This was his first trip ever out of his sma

by hos234 7y ago

Learning takes time. I had an Indian coworker once who freaked out at the airport because the cab driver was black. This was his first trip ever out of his small town in India (late 90s). He was carrying a bit of cash and was worried he was going to have his throat slit. By the time I worked out the reasons for the panic attack, he had already cheesed of the cab guy. When there is a culture clash, these kind of misunderstandings can happen so easily and spiral out of control fast. The regimented guided tours isn't a bad thing as a first step. I have a lot of Chinese friends who are way past that "first contact" phase who are well traveled and know much more about the world than I do. It just takes time.

GuiA 7y ago
The article suggests that for many on the tour, this was a once in a lifetime kind of trip. "For many, it was the first time they traveled abroad, and the last time they would travel to Europe. This trip was a little bit like a trophy." I'm not sure how much these trips cost compared to the average Chinese salary, but it would make sense - I know that many Americans have been to Europe once - as a graduation gift, or honeymoon, for instance - and could not justify a trip like that with any sort of regularity (combine high prices and few vacation days; and then when you start having to include kids etc., forget about it). More "regular" vacations for the Americans that can afford it would be other places in the US, or perhaps resorts in Mexico/Canada/etc (the Chinese equivalent would be countries in southeast Asia that are cheaper - both in airfare and local expenditures - than Europe). Sure, all of my SF coworkers go to Iceland and Japan and Patagonia for vacation, but this is a very small, privileged portion of the population we're talking about - not at all representative of the broader US population. This report [0] is quite telling: in 2016, 80 million Americans traveled abroad - 45 million of which went to North America, and only 13 million went to Europe. [0] https://travel.trade.gov/tinews/archive/tinews2017/20171026.asp https://travel.trade.gov/tinews/archive/tinews2017/20171026....

by hos234 7y ago

GuiA 7y ago

The article suggests that for many on the tour, this was a once in a lifetime kind of trip. "For many, it was the first time they traveled abroad, and the last time they would travel to Europe. This trip was a little bit like a trophy." I'm not sure how much these trips cost compared to the average Chinese salary, but it would make sense - I know that many Americans have been to Europe once - as a graduation gift, or honeymoon, for instance - and could not justify a trip like that with any sort of regularity (combine high prices and few vacation days; and then when you start having to include kids etc., forget about it). More "regular" vacations for the Americans that can afford it would be other places in the US, or perhaps resorts in Mexico/Canada/etc (the Chinese equivalent would be countries in southeast Asia that are cheaper - both in airfare and local expenditures - than Europe). Sure, all of my SF coworkers go to Iceland and Japan and Patagonia for vacation, but this is a very small, privileged portion of the population we're talking about - not at all representative of the broader US population. This report [0] is quite telling: in 2016, 80 million Americans traveled abroad - 45 million of which went to North America, and only 13 million went to Europe. [0] https://travel.trade.gov/tinews/archive/tinews2017/20171026.asp https://travel.trade.gov/tinews/archive/tinews2017/20171026....