The life of Jappe in Brazil - Entry 5

Intercultural (in)differences – embrace them

For more than 15 years I am working in an international multicultural environment as a teacher at the Environmental Sciences study program ESSET and as a researcher at MNEXT. For me working in such an international environment is really an enrichment. It creates a better atmosphere, and the input of different perspectives leads to better and more creative results. But working in an international environment can also lead to funny and awkward misunderstandings and unwanted conflicts. Why? Because different cultures (can) have different values and perspectives. That is also why in educational activities with an international character we pay attention to intercultural communication. This was also the case with the exchange that I organized between the students that follow my course here at UFOP and the Avans students that do the minor Biobased Technology & Business Development. At the start students exchanged information on cultural differences by giving examples of misconceptions about their country. In Germany everyone drinks beer and eats bratwurst, in The Netherlands we walk on wooden shoes and smoke marijuana/pot and in Brazil everyone likes Carnival and football. Not true of course. But it also led to examples on what they would like to be recognized on. What was even better to see was that the cultural differences spontaneously were addressed again during follow-up meetings. But this time in relation to the perception and approach of sustainability in their project and how to present this to their client. Many differences to be seen between EU and Brazil. It was worthwhile for the students to hear this from each other.

It's of course one thing to have the students be aware of cultural differences, but I have come to realize that it is just as important for me to keep on recognizing and be aware of this. It already went wrong when I told the students that they should just call me Jappe. Both for the students from Brazil and the students from Africa that are in my class, this was really a bridge to far. It was the start of a nice discussion. About the way you address people that are older than yourself, but also about they way you are supposed to show respect to your (grand)parents and teachers. In the end we decided that Professor Jappe is something we could all agree on. Now there are already some students that just address me as Jappe. Intercultural adaptation 😊. After the discussion with the students, I also noticed that in the bus people always stand-up for older people to offer their seat. I’m not old enough yet apparently because they never offer me a seat.

Another mistake that I made is making jokes to students about being late in class, missing a deadline or when they asked permission for being absent. I always like to do this preferably with a bit of a sarcastic touch to it. I already do this for years at Avans. But I should have paid more attention to the hi and low context culture theory that I discussed during the exchange between the UFOP and Avans students. In a typically low context culture like The Netherlands, we prefer verbal communication where clarity is essential whereas Brazil is a typical high context culture where much of the meaning is derived from context. Communication is more indirect and nonverbal. I realized when I saw puzzled and somewhat frightened faces. Also, this led to a nice discussion with examples from both sides. We also concluded that we do not need to change, just be aware. Last week I saw several students smile when I again made a joke about a student’s behavior. I, at the same time, put my comment a bit more in context. I noticed that helped.

Not only while teaching I encounter cultural differences but also in my day-to-day life here. It’s about the way people experience religion, greet each other, deal with waste management, embrace their dance and music, enjoy different varieties of food, value the importance of social gatherings and so on and so on. I’m very happy that started my Polarsteps from day 1 and promised myself to post something every day. This helps me noticing and naming all small en large (in)differences. Also these 3 weekly updates contribute to this. I try not to judge but just to observe. Difficult if you also want to make a joke every once and a while. So please forgive me if …..

Ciao, Jappe

PS: want to get a day-do-day short update? Install the Polar steps app on your phone and enjoy: https://www.polarsteps.com/JappedeBest/20745838-professor-visitar?s=09f3c004-aa21-4211-a4e0-c57a5921248a