Cross-Cultural Challenges

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to travel as much as I have. Traveling to—and spending valuable time really “on the ground”—in places like Costa Rica and Rwanda has taught me that people everywhere are not only very much alike but also very much different. Growing up in an American family in the UK has also highlighted these differences. Even though these Anglophone cultures seem, on the surface, to be very similar, I am often struck by just how differently my own parents might respond to a given situation than, for example, my teachers or coaches. For instance, even though it is common for my coaches to playfully tease a player as a sign of trust and familiarity, to my mom, such behaviour might come off as insensitive and callous—even mean-spirited.

Whether at school or abroad (abroad-abroad, in Africa and Central America), I’ve found myself at these cultural intersections a lot. Many of these situations have been uncomfortable—they’ve even left me in tears a couple times. But, and it may sound weird, I am also deeply grateful for these experiences. They’ve forged me into someone with real cross-cultural sensitivity—a kind of bridge who can detect subterranean cultural differences and act accordingly by shifting my tone, register, or behavior as a certain situation requires.

This same sensitivity has been a huge asset when it’s come to planning and running ReConnect. In developing programming ideas, for instance, I have had to think about the implications in a given culture: What would it mean to volunteer with the elderly in Rwanda? Or: What might some of the risks be in hiking through certain terrains in Costa Rica? Fortunately, I have had contacts in each place—members of the respective ReConnect chapters—to turn to who can provide expert advice on any such issue.

Above all, what has surprised me in navigating these cultural differences has been less the differences themselves and more the remarkable patience and generosity these friends have shown me. Whereas I often feel “busy” or “stressed”—and, as a result, getting any kind of extracurricular work done can feel like some kind of punishment—the foreign students I’ve worked with never fail to show dedication, enthusiasm, and follow-through. 

That said, one other “challenge” (because it’s not really a challenge) in developing ReConnect has been letting myself (and the platform itself) be flexible. Different people in different places have different concepts of time and punctuality based in their local cultures. Being someone who prides himself on meeting deadlines and juggling tasks, I have had to remind myself that my concept of punctuality is culturally specific–it isn’t absolute. Bearing this in mind, I have tried to lead with graciousness and flexibility when reaching out to other ReConnect members in other, far-away places. Learning to collaborate despite such differences is really what the platform is about, after all. At the end of the day, there is much more that unites us—much more we have in common—than divides us. We want the chance to exhibit responsibility, we want to be trusted, and we want, above all, to be included. This lesson is one of the great ones working on ReConnect has taught me, and I’m so grateful for it.