The most stressful job interview

Funny video to share.



I would have gone crazy, and probably strangle the interviewer if I were him. Haha!

Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour.

2 years ago, I was part of a committee in a food imbursement event called “Ramadan on Wheels” (ROW). On the day of the event, volunteers would deliver canned food and other necessities to various beneficiaries made up of difference races and religion. As non-Malays were involved in receiving the items, the organizers suggested that the committee should include non-Malays as well.

The event was held during the month of Ramadan, when the Muslim volunteers were fasting. The non-Muslim volunteers were encouraged to fast too, just for the experience. All of us will then break our fast together to end off the event. However, the committee suggested that everyone should “makan berdulang”, which means sharing meal on a tray of food among a group of people (normally 3 or 4).

(a group of 4 eating a shared meal on a tray)

The main purpose of eating a shared meal is that the Malays believe that it promotes cohesiveness and makes the food eaten much more appetizing. I was enjoying my meal with 2 other committee members when I noticed that Mary, my Chinese friend who was a committee member as well, had hardly touched her food at all.

The people in her group in turn were uncomfortable that she refused to join the meal with them. Initially, they had thought that she did not find the food to her liking. From her facial expression, I could tell that she was turned off by the idea of sharing food with the others who ate with their hand. Apparently, Mary had found it unhygienic to eat such a meal with her hands and suggested they used the plastic utensils instead. Her group mates reluctantly agreed to the idea.

In retrospect, Mary probably was not accustomed to using her bare hands to eat. Unlike the Malays in her group, she was not brought up to eat that way. They perceived that their washed hands were hygienic enough to eat with but she could have been taught otherwise. Overcoming cultural barriers such as the example above are necessary to successful communication. As the saying goes, it takes both hands to clap. Thus, a successful intercultural communication involves active participation from all the parties involved.