My experience with an intercultural conflict took place while I was holidaying in France a year back. While no altercations manifested, it left me with a lingering sense of provacation and embarrasment.
It was a fine day in a quaint little town in Normandy. Noon was fast approaching and my friends and I decided to stop at a men's wear boutique before breaking for lunch. We were unaware that the shop was already cleared of all customers. There was a sense of impatience that marked the demeanor of the sales representative, but we gave it little thought. Shortly after, the sales representative came up to us and told us to leave the shop so he could close for lunch. There was a long period of silence that ensued as we were stunned by such an exclamation. Feeling mightily insulted, we left the shop, bitter. However, it soon dawned upon us that most of the shops along the same street had closed for lunch as well. We enquired with a local regarding the situation and were informed it was actually a daily practice for stores to close for lunch.
Our anger and irritation were misplaced. In Singapore, we hardly ever came across the sign "closed for lunch". We took that expectation along with us to France and most probably had irked the sales representative in the process. The later parts of the trip were marked with similar occurrences. Even in a big department store like Galeries Lafayette, we realised staff tended to leave their outlets during lunch. After the incident, we were made more aware of the distinct cultures that mark our separate national identities.
It was a fine day in a quaint little town in Normandy. Noon was fast approaching and my friends and I decided to stop at a men's wear boutique before breaking for lunch. We were unaware that the shop was already cleared of all customers. There was a sense of impatience that marked the demeanor of the sales representative, but we gave it little thought. Shortly after, the sales representative came up to us and told us to leave the shop so he could close for lunch. There was a long period of silence that ensued as we were stunned by such an exclamation. Feeling mightily insulted, we left the shop, bitter. However, it soon dawned upon us that most of the shops along the same street had closed for lunch as well. We enquired with a local regarding the situation and were informed it was actually a daily practice for stores to close for lunch.
Our anger and irritation were misplaced. In Singapore, we hardly ever came across the sign "closed for lunch". We took that expectation along with us to France and most probably had irked the sales representative in the process. The later parts of the trip were marked with similar occurrences. Even in a big department store like Galeries Lafayette, we realised staff tended to leave their outlets during lunch. After the incident, we were made more aware of the distinct cultures that mark our separate national identities.
