I've worked in 50+ countries over the years, across all the continents (save Antarctica - not a lot of demand there), and am pretty much converted to the notion that travel narrows the mind.
It has to. Every country, and every company in that country, has a very distinctive culture. So you end up generalising about whole populations in order to adapt your style to be acceptable in those markets. Like the fine line between bravery and stupidity, one could argue there's just as fine a line between cultural awareness and racism.
The more you travel, especially for work, the more you build up an internal picture of what to expect in each country. The big surprise I found over the years is that the countries where the language is so similar are often the ones with the hardest cultural hurdles to spot and then overcome.
As a case in point, here's how Strategy man thinks about his time in the US.
A short explanatory note. In the US the word 'Fanny' refers to a bottom, whereas in the UK it doesn't. Unless you add the word 'Front' to it.
And as for 'double-fisting', well in the US that means holding two drinks, one in each hand. In the UK it implies something totally different and probably anatomically challenging for the vast majority of people. It's definitely one of those words you don't look up on your work computer.
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