Before taking this opportunity to study abroad inside the country of Ireland, we have to take a look on the impact foreign country's have on Ireland with a focus of the US. This first post is based on the stereo-types of Americans
The typical American stereo-type in foreign lands focuses on Americans being rude, over-working, and not respectful to other cultures. One of the main stereo-typically American types is being over worked. In foreign countries (mainly the Western hemisphere) it is known that the typical worker does not exceed 35 hours of work a week and have plenty of breaks in-between their work life. They are shocked whenever they see people workers from America exceed over 40 hour work week limitations including overtime and shorten/no breaks. The other stereo-typical American is that they are considered rude. The explanation of American rudeness is based from the other stereo type that they do not respect foreign cultures. It is commonly known that Americans tend to believe they're country is the custom everywhere, which is wrong. So, it would be helpful when we attend our destination to try and show the foreign country we are attending that we are respectful and want to learn more about their culture.
I definitely agree on Americans being over worked. After my time here in Ireland, I've realized that many shops close from either 6pm-8pm which in time relation is a lot earlier then in shops in America.
ReplyDeleteInteresting points. While France has adopted a 35 hour standard workweek,and Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands average below 35 hours a week, most other European nations still work more than that. Many are below 40 hours, including Ireland, Although there are a few exceptions. It is definitely noticeable that Irish businesses close earlier than US businesses.
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