YOYO 20110201056Cultural DifferencesThere are many differences between different countries. And cultural differences may lead to misunderstanding and cause many problems. So we must try our best to know cultural differences as many as possible.Firstly, eastern and western people have different life styles. Generally speaking, most of the eastern people would take a shower just before they go to bed at nights; while western people would take a shower in the morning. There is no right answer to which is better. But since I am Chinese, there is no exception to me that I prefer to take a shower at nights because I think I can have a better sleep after a shower. Secondly, the way of greeting between east and west is different too. It is known to us that when Chinese meet each other, they would probably shake hands to show their happiness. But western people wouldnt do so. Instead, they would give a hug or even a kiss to each other to show friendliness. So if you travel in a foreign country, you would be appreciated if you greet the local people in their way.As to the way of thinking, thinking in a more indirect way, eastern people usually try to avoid problems when they face them. However, western people are more likely to solve the problem in a different way from eastern people. Owing to this different way of thinking, to some extent, people in eastern world have a more complicated relationship with others than western people. As a result, in the most eyes of most people, eastern people are hospitable; and western people are hostile and reserved. Besides, if you Chinese who has lunch in a western restaurant, you can easily find the difference from what you use for lunch. Chinese, in general, only use chopsticks when they have meals. On the contrary, western people use knife and fork while they are dining.When talking about collectivism and individualism, people will mostly think of Chinese and American. More often than not Chinese finish a task in a group. However, most Americans prefer to work individually. Collectivism emphasizes collective interests while individualism attaches great importance to personal interest. In my opinion, if we pay too much attention to collective interests will threat personal interest. And excessive individualism may lead to selfishness and arrogance. Therefore, only when we balance excessive Collectivism and individualism can we combine collective interest and individual interest. As you can see, there are many differences between different countries. However, we can not tell which is better. The reason why there are many differences between east and west is that they have different cultures. So, we should see the value among other countries cultures and attach importance to the study of these cultural differences, especially nowadays in the trend of globalization. What is more, the development of transportation makes travelling around the world more convenient. Therefore, there is more and more chance to contact foreigners. To avoid misunderstanding, we have to learn more about it. As the saying goes, while in Rome, do as Romans do.