Read the following situation about how a foreigner copes with a lack of signs of recognition in Estonia. Take notes on coping strategies that might be useful should you experience a similar situation. Then, take the quiz to check your understanding of that situation.


SITUATION 11:

A Chinese person came to Estonia to work as a postdoc. She was in a small research group where a couple of PhD Estonian students helped him with his postdoc project. However, the Chinese felt confused when trying to communicate with the group via email. Every time she wrote something to the group to tell them about the next step in the project, nobody answered the email, and nobody acknowledged receiving the message. She quite often felt lost and worried about the project’s progress because of the lack of response from his teammates. On the other hand, what also surprised her was that all the project tasks were confirmed in the calendar and completed on time. She could not understand why her Estonian team members would not acknowledge receiving her messages, leaving her in the dark as to their contribution to the project’s steps. Finally, she accepted this as a cultural difference and learnt to trust that her Estonian colleagues would do their part of the job without necessarily officially acknowledging her written messages.



Watch the video material (Video 9) that illustrates how a foreigner copes with a lack of signs of recognition in Estonia. What does the Chinese researcher talk about in her approach to overcoming communication barriers when living and working in Estonia? Then, take the quiz to check your understanding of that situation.






Take the quiz. Check the answers with the Key and compare them with the comments in Ponder Point 11. Click Quiz.  https://moodle.uni.opole.pl/mod/quiz/view.php?id=79169



PONDER POINT 11

If the above-mentioned situation is something that you have experienced, become aware of how it made you feel and how you coped with it. There are a few possible strategies to employ when handling cultural differences regarding signs of recognition, especially if one expects to get them and they are not sent. First of all, you may join a support group of your countrymen/countrywomen who share your cultural background, and, at the same time, live abroad in one of East European countries. People with the same cultural background will usually experience the same feelings and challenges when they live in the same foreign environment. You may discuss with them your challenges in communication and receive signs of recognition that you need from them directly. Second of all, you may express your confusion or discomfort in communicating with the person coming from East European culture and explain directly how you perceive his or her behaviour from your cultural perspective. Knowing that East Europeans seem aloof at the surface level, you may realise that this is just the way they are, and at the personal level, they are willing to listen to your concerns and to help you manage cultural differences. Thirdly, keep your eye open on the free courses, lectures, or events that address cross-cultural communication. For example, Visit Estonia (https://visitestonia.com/en) organizes webinars and events to help foreigners adapt to the local culture. Your employer may also offer adaptive events for new employees. Last but not least, if you find your mental health is affected (e.g., feeling depressed for more than two weeks) because of nostalgia or finding it hard to fit into the environment, always do not hesitate to go to a psychologist for professional help. 


Last modified: Tuesday, 21 January 2025, 7:50 PM