Most of you have spent some time overseas and/or have some foreign friends. I guess there have been times when you've felt a culture gap (i.e. you couldn't relate to someone else's behavior or ideas because of cultural differences). Could you share a story of such an experience as your next post?
In my case, my wife is Japanese, so we often notice differences in our ways of thinking and acting. Actually, it's sometimes hard to know how much of it is because of culture, and how much is due to individual character. For example, one time when we were dating we had arranged to meet at a station at 6:00 and go to a restaurant from there. I arrived at exactly 6:00, and she told me she had been waiting since 5:45. I just said "Hmmm", or something like that, and started walking. As we were moving down the street, I suddenly realized that she seemed angry. "What's up?", I asked. She said that as she'd waited 15 minutes, I should apologize for making her wait (even though I hadn't been late). It was a bizarre idea, but I apologized anyway. Actually, she often wants apologies for things which seem trivial to me. Then I'm scolded for not apologizing "from my heart". Sigh...
