Power Distance: How Much Respect there is for Position?
The Hungarian love of freedom and independence often hardens into rugged and proud individualism, which rejects guidance or discipline, military or political. Only leaders with great personal appeal were able to unite Hungarians for any considerable length of time. Read more »
What is Culture? Working cross-culturally
People in every culture are raised with a set of values, beliefs, and attitudes. Some are held deeply, and in many cases, they have never been questioned. Others may be negotiable or debatable. But all affect how a person receives a new message. A cross-cultural worker must ask, “What core values are my listeners assuming as they hear my presentation? Read more »
Business People About Hungarians
One European businessman said, “Hungarians are wonderful people socially, but you better be careful when you do business with them. They do not have the same kind of ethics as in the West. Culturally and socially they are western, but in the way they do business they are more Eastern than Western. Read more »
Feedback & Self-Esteem
There is an obvious cultural difference between European and North American cultures, is feedback and in relation to this, the concept of self-esteem.
Read more »
Europe of Frontiers
It helps to understand the differences in European values and attitudes by thinking in geographical terms, what Richard Hill calls the ‘Macro-Divides’. There are at least three: the Island-Continent Divide, the East-West Divide and, for want of a better description, the ‘South-North Incline’. Read more »
American Friendships
According to many Europeans and Asians, American friendships are superficial: Americans do not know what true friendship is; they seem very friendly at first, but the friendships do not grow.
Recently, I was away from home on a business trip. My husband suddenly had to go away too. There would be one afternoon when neither of us would be home with our children. Read more »
No Chance of Contagion
I found this picture on the internet a couple of years ago – I’m sorry about not remembering the source. I love it, however, pretty expressive…
How They Tell You’re Smart
Cross cultural comparisons in the areas of geography, national history, values, faith and religion, adaptability to change, making a difference, the measures of success, wearing social walls, signs of bright-mindedness, behavior toward foreigners.
Read more »
Attitude to the New and the Unknown
Cultures with a high level of uncertainty-avoidance prefer stable rules and long-lasting relationships. Any uncertainty can express itself in higher anxiety than those from low uncertainty avoidance cultures. Read more »
American Missionaries in Hungary
An interesting approach from a Hungarian Journalist, Norbert Izsák
Wherever we may go, we always find people living in other countries. Sometimes they do business in another culture, sometimes they are involved in charity, but no matter what their purposes are, they try to find a home in a foreign land.
Read more »
When You Feel Inadequate…
For the LORD your God is a merciful God, He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
- Deuteronomy 4:31
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
- Psalm 3:3
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
- Psalm 5:3
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
- Psalm 27:3,5
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
- Psalm 118:8
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 40: 29-31
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
- Isaiah 41:10
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
- Isaiah 43:2
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
- John 14:18
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
Receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
- 1 Peter 1: 6-9
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
bible, quotes, encouragement, when you feel inadequate
Task and People-Orientation Compared
The West is, by in large, a goal-oriented society while the East is relationship-oriented. In other words, a Westerner gains value from the product, while the Easterner gains value from the relationship. Read more »
How to Cope with Culture Shock
Culture shock is a normal response to immersion in an unfamiliar culture. The more unexpected and subtle the difference, the stronger our reaction can be. You can overcome culture shock by Read more »
How to be conversationally fluent in a new language in one year
If you learn language as a hobby instead of a job, if you do it to build relationships instead of studying the language, and if you use curiosity as your greatest learning tool you can learn language even part time with great efficiency. You will be surprised at how you can insert language learning into your daily life without having to make it a time consuming, draining experience keeping the mind at its highest learning curve! Read more »
Prejudice Against Gypsies in Hungary
The widespread prejudice against Gypsies is undoubtedly an impediment to improving their lot by way of affirmative action. As it now stands, the population thinks that too much money is spent on Gypsies who produce children only to be eligible for child support.
Read more »
Intercultural Competence
‘Oh the Hungarians, they are so arrogant! So ignorant! So proud, but of what?! And sooo depressed!’
When people get together from different cultures, they are often not as happy or content as they could be. Read more »
Missions: Misreading Each Other
Following the flood of Western evangelical missions into Hungary, many young Hungarians were trained with superficial methods of evangelism which tended to ignore Hungarian culture and promote a “cold turkey” approach without building trust. Read more »
Why Should You Be Culturally Aware?
Just because people speak English doesn’t mean that they think English. That’s why!
Cross-cultural awareness is a key life skill in the 21st century – but it is also the world’s best kept secret. We tell you why you should take time to become culturally aware and guarantee you’ll get more out of life. Read more »
Hofstede’s Dimensions of National Cultures
Cultural differences manifest themselves in a culture’s choices of symbols, heroes/heroines, rituals, and values: essential patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that are well-established by late childhood. Read more »
Third Culture Kids in a Flat World
Giving our children roots and wings…
In Genesis 11:1 we are told: “…and the whole earth was of one language and of one accent and mode of expression.” Recent linguistic studies have proved that indeed this account to be true and accurate. But things have changed… Read more »
Hungary: Talented Nation, Unfortunate Decisions
“Life is a series of choices, we try to teach our students how to think, how to decide. They will not learn this by accident…” Read more »
A Treatise on the Hungarian Cheek Kiss
Foremost, let us establish the fact that this is not written from a Hungarian point of view. No doubt, as small children, Hungarians are taught this overly familiar type of greeting and see nothing wrong with placing their lips on the cheeks of the most far-flung acquaintances. Read more »
Missionary Kids, Third Culture Kids
Quoted from a very informative and insightful article written by Matthew McNutt on his blog:
Positive things that characterize most Third Culture Kids:
- Third Culture Kids tend to be politically astute. They are interested in national and global events, and actively keep track of the news. They often times are aware of the issues and both sides of the debates.
- Third Culture Kids usually speak more than one language. It is not unusual for them to know three or four languages, often times better than they let on.
- Third Culture Kids are much more comfortable communicating with adults than the average American teenager.
- Third Culture Kids tend to possess greater maturity in social skills. They are able to adapt well and notice details others might not.
- Third Culture Kids possess global perspective. They are able to understand the perspectives other nations have and relate them one to another. As a result, they are usually less prejudiced than others their age.
- Third Culture Kids are achievers. A far greater percentage of TCK’s go on to earn Bachelor degrees and advanced degrees than other groups.
- Because of their own experiences of feeling different, Third Culture Kids are much more likely to reach out and accept new people, especially those with different cultural backgrounds.
Like a Fish out of Water: Stages of Culture Shock
Honeymoon Period
In the early days, you may not feel the stress involved in relocating not just your home, but your whole life. In this “honeymoon period”, which can last from a couple of weeks to six months, you’ll be too busy swanning about, tasting the new food and exploring the place to notice. Read more »
Breaking Down the Language and Culture Barrier
Just Shout Louder
The hoary old chestnut that the British and Americans abroad just resort to shouting louder in English in order to communicate with the natives may no longer hold as much water as it used to. Read more »
Cultural Adaptation: A Personal Experience
‘In mathematics you don’t understand things. You just get used to them.’
- János Neumann, Hungarian matematician
Replace the word “mathematics” with “Budapest” and the Hungarian-born Neumann could be speaking to all of us living here. Read more »
Culture Shock Symptoms – How to Survive
A Second Look at Culture Shock
Culture shock, like falling in love, is a temporary madness.
In recent decades public attention is increasingly focused on the examination and labeling of our mental states. Read more »
“Women Scandalously Dressed”
Two missionaries felt that Hungarians have a spiritual crisis in sentimental relationships. Overplayed sexual overtones Read more »
Helping Your Child Cope With Culture Shock
You can minimize your child’s disorientation by familiarizing her with the country you will be visiting before the trip, maintaining familiar rituals while traveling, and encouraging her to interact with the local culture. Children go through culture shock Read more »
American (Film) Dream
The meaning of the term ‘American Dream’ is not clarified exactly, it can have several interpretations. The ideology of the American Dream originally refers to the American society’s (imaginative) perfection, the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Bill of Rights, the opportunity to live a better life in a nice, new world. Read more »
Global View Of Corporal Punishment
Is it right to discipline kids with spanking and other forms of corporal punishment?
Opinions vary greatly from country to country and the subject is often a source of great debate. Read more »
My Most Embarrassing Moment
One of the things I learned in Bible School is that today’s ministers are supposed to be transparent. Very few people can connect with ministers who seem to have it all together. Even fewer can connect with ministers who like to talk about how they have it all together. Read more »
Under the Sign of Half Truth
Central Eastern Europeans must be given the time they need to unravel their complex legacy of Communism and Fascism. Read more »
Living on the Borderlines of Europe
Where do the fundamental traits of the different European cultures come from?
The dotted lines on the map of Europe are in many cases the product of historical accident: primarily acts of violence, but also dynastic marriages or sheer happenstance. Still, our frontiers rarely conform to the cultural realities. Read more »
Uncertainty Avoidance Defined
People vary in the extent that they feel anxiety about uncertain or unknown matters, as opposed to the more universal feeling of fear caused by known or understood threats. Cultures vary in their avoidance of uncertainty, creating different rituals and having different values regarding formality, punctuality, legal-religious-social requirements, and tolerance for ambiguity.
Read more »
Individualism vs. Collectivism Defined
Individualism in cultures implies loose ties; everyone is expected to look after one’s self or immediate family but no one else. Collectivism implies that people are integrated from birth into strong, cohesive groups that protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. Read more »
Power Distance Defined
Power distance (PD) refers to the extent to which less powerful members expect and accept unequal power distribution within a culture. Read more »
Communication Style Differences
HU: Touching another’s back, shoulders or arms in a non-intimate relationship is generally considered offensive / uncomfortable.
USA: Touching another’s back, shoulders or arms generally is a sign of affection. Read more »
Time and Cultures
Hall’s first distinctions were between what he calls monochronic and polychronic time. Read more »
Beyond Words – Communication in Cultures
Understanding cultural differences is fascinating and challenging. One sometimes hard-to-understand difference is between low-context and high-context cultures, a concept introduced by American anthropologist Edward Hall.
Read more »
Roles of Women
The United States isn’t the only country where people can’t quite sort out how they feel about the role of women at work, in government and in the family.
Read more »
Cultures: Quality and the Perfect Cup of Coffee
The “perfect” cup of coffee is served a different way in virtually every part of the world. Each person’s definition of high quality is determined by their home culture.
Read more »
The Hungarian Miracle: A 21st Century Tale
One can hardly pick up a newspaper in the early 21st century without once again being hit with some lead article about “The Hungarian Miracle.” Read more »
