Culture is an important part in people's lives because it provides the messages that tend to shape their perceptions, judgments, attributions and various ideas of self and other. The cultures around the world are very different and very much the alike at the same time. The way people live around the world depends on the norms internalized by their societies. As I’m studying in Poland, I would like to tell about polish culture: its do’s and don’ts.
Poles attached great importance to social etiquette- dealing with outsiders. For men, the Poles adhere Pan (Mr.). For women, it is called Pani (Miss or Mrs.). The most common courtesy when you meet somebody is a handshake and hug ceremony. Poles in conversation with others do not like high tone of voice and pointing somebody by hand, it means they do not respect people's behavior. If you yawn and do other movements during conversation, in their view that it is impatient, and they consider that you are no longer willing to continue talking and it may be offensive for Poles.
As for dress code, in official they dress conservatively, like in our country. But as for usual dress, they wear very bright colors. And I found it very interesting. Their style differs from ours. It’s European style. For example, they can wear bright green trousers and yellow t-shirt and it looks very modern. It’s ok for their culture.
As Poland is Catholic country, there are a lot of don’ts because of it. For example, Catholics in Poland do not eat meat every Friday. It is said Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. I notice that the Catholic influence is everywhere in Poland.
The Polish national pride is very strong. The most surprising thing for me is that it is not considered acceptable to talk about Polish-Russian, Polish-German, or Polish-Austrian relations or Poland's geographical borders. It can be a very touchy subject.
But in spite of this I like this country. Yes, of course each country has own culture norms that can be surprised for other cultures. They exist for a long time and we should show our resrect.
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