“Life falls on a bed of a cultural salad!” would exclaim anyone who has crossed the border of his or her native land. Nowadays, even within the frames of expanding globalization, the term culture shock has become hackneyed as just behind the corner there may be someone to jolt your unsuspecting mind. Ever since man appeared and started branching, culture differences have been multiplying and developing to such an extent that completely opposing practices have been born serving as the basis of potential conflicts. This calls for a more understanding adjustment to our as well as other cultures.

Culture differences can strike you even in the most trivial situation. Very few gestures are universally understood and interpreted. What is perfectly acceptable in the United States , a country so well-known, may be rude, or even obscene, in other cultures. For example, even the smile, which is supposed to be a one-dimensional gesture, can cause confusion. This gesture is universally understood. However, i n various cultures there are different reasons for smiling. The Japanese may smile when they are confused or angry. In other parts of Asia, people may smile when they are embarrassed. People in other cultures may not smile at everyone to indicate a friendly greeting because a smile may be reserved for friends . A more surprising outcome may be brought about by the simple act of passing an item to someone with one hand. In Japan this is very rude. Even a very small item such as a pencil must be passed with two hands. In many Middle and Far Eastern countries it is rude to pass something with your left hand which is considered “unclean.” When such incongruity occurs, the term culture shock starts to brighten up.

Different practices can lead to more than mere confusion. They set the scene for conflicts. “Barnga”- a simulation game on cultural clashes- introduces people to issues like culture shock, ethnocentrism, cultural adjustment, complex identities, communication styles, negotiation skills, etc. Participants play a simple card game in small groups, where conflicts begin to occur as they move from group to group. This simulates real cross-cultural encounters, where people initially believe they share the same understanding of the basic rules. In discovering that the rules are different, players undergo a mini culture shock similar to actual experience when getting to know a different culture. They the n struggle to understand and reconcile these differences to play the game effectively in their “cross-cultural” groups. Difficulties are magnified by the fact that players are not allowed to speak to each other but can communicate only through gestures or pictures. Participants are not forewarned that each is playing by different rules; in their struggle to understand why other players do not seem to be playing correctly, they gain insight into the dynamics of cross-cultural encounters. This simple game educates through entertaining, reminding us that there are millions of people out there who may fail to understand us just because their minds have been set to another direction.

Nowadays many people tend to paint everything white or black. In reality, greyish prevails and the mixture of cultures on our planet, in which there are no universal truths, is the most vivid proof for that. The complexity of the issue, however, may be relieved if we are in full consciousness of the fact that our culture is just as valid as the one at the opposite side of the Earth.