SETTLING IN Even though YWAM Harpenden is an international community, and you may not fully notice cultural differences until you are in a truly British context, moving to a new country can be daunting and difficult. Everything is unfamiliar; the weather, landscape, language, food, dress, social roles, values, customs and communication -‐ basically, everything you're used to is no longer there. You'll find that the day unfolds differently to where you come from, that business is conducted in a way that may be hard to understand, the shops open and close at hours that you could never predict…BUT we want to do our best to help you settle quickly!
BRITISH CULTURE The English are said to be reserved in manners, dress and speech and are famous for politeness, self-‐discipline and especially our sense of humour. Basic politeness such as, ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me’, are expected. CASUAL CONTACT British people do not always make prolonged conversation on a first meeting. This is called being ‘reserved’. You will find that most local people won’t talk to strangers while shopping, on the bus, train or when in a queue. You should not interpret this as being unfriendly, although it may seem strange to you. You should not try to make continuous conversation at such times unless it is obvious that the other person expects it. A FIRST MEETING On first meeting someone, try to ask general questions and not personal ones which may be thought to be impolite. Questions like, ‘What is your name?’ ‘Where do you live?’ or ‘What do you do?’ are acceptable, but questions like ‘How old are you?’, ‘How much do you earn?’ or ‘How much did you pay for this?’ would be considered impolite. If in doubt, talk about yourself: what you do and where you come from. Some British people know little about other countries, and many know little about other cultures in detail. Even if they have travelled abroad, tourist travel is very different from actually living in a country. TERMS OF ENDEARMENT - NAMES YOU MAY BE CALLED You may be called by many different 'affectionate' names, according to which part of the England you are visiting. Do not be offended, this is quite normal! For example, you may be called dear, dearie, flower, love, chick, chuck, me duck, me duckie, mate, guv, son, ma'am, madam, miss, sir, or treacle, according to your sex, age and location. TIME Time keeping is quite rigid in the UK. Life revolves around our watches and clocks and dominates everyday life! Arriving late, even a few minutes, is considered impolite. For example, if a meeting is arranged for lunchtime, there might be a plan to eat and then to talk or the other way round. If you are late you could miss the part you needed to attend. TOUCH The British are reluctant to show their emotions in public. Unlike some cultures, people do not usually slap each other on the shoulder or make physical contact during a conversation. A British person may misinterpret such behaviour as aggressive or being too emotional. • It may be usual for you to stand close to another person while in conversation. In the UK people usually maintain a distance of 60-‐110 cm, so do not be surprised if people move away from you when talking! YWAM HARPENDEN STAFF HANDBOOK (Edited April 2013) page 97