Expatriate Interview Essay

Expatriate Interview

1. Introduction

This article attempts to analyze the impacts on a Chinese expatriate Arthur Lu who had experienced a different culture in Thailand, and to critically criticize how the cultural differences influence individuals expatriating overseas in a broader dimension. Particularly, the article specifically demonstrates the culture shocks Lu learnt in Thailand as well as some aspects of how he adopted to the Thai culture. In addition, the section of reflection provides the author’s personal experience to cross-culture as well as analytical method links to some certain topics covered by the module. 2. A brief background of interviewee

The aged-25 Chinese male interviewee, Arthur Lu, till March 2015, had worked on

Cultural shocks

According to Dutton’s (2011) implication, culture shock is a broadly tested model of expatriates react under a brand-new cultural condition. He pointed the birth of Oberg’s Four Stages Model explicitly illustrates the expatriates’ “honeymoon stage” to “adaptation stage”.

He described a scene he witnessed in his workplace. A debate was fairly caused by a Chinese customer touching a son’s head accompanying his Thai father. Likewise, as a Chinese, such a taboo is too unreasonable to Lu initially. In Chinese stand, this is an acceptable expression to show “love and devotion” to a juvenile. In a Thai context, this is a religious taboo. Because in the Thai Buddhism’s opinion, one person’s head is the most honorable part of the entire body, vice versa, feet represent dirt and

“As a foreigner, tolerance and understanding to the local culture is a necessity to myself.” On the other hand, however, he had to learn to cooperate with his European counterparts who was efficiency-oriented. Eventually, he developed a “neutralism” or “code-switching” philosophy as a feasible solution. In simple words, he performs works in a “Thai” way when he counteract Thais, alternatively, a punctual and monochromic way for his western colleagues.

After Lu’s rational description of cultural differences, he avidly showed some initiatives to work out the historical relationship based on his knowledge. “Actually, many of Thai people’s ancestors were from China”. This may be an explanation that why he viewed the Confucianism is seen in many Thais’ life and the locals are relatively warm-hearted and tolerant to him and other Chinese. However, according to “the westernization in Thailand” he mentioned, today, it is a more far-reaching tendency in the younger generation who are less religion- and