I was raised in Western Canada, with a very Germanic kind of mindset. Pioneer days were still within living memory at that point, and the prevailing attitude was no-nonsense self-sufficiency. Praise was often seen as an attempt to flatter and manipulate and so viewed with a little suspicion. Not that anybody ever said those things, it was just in the air, if you know what I mean. When people said nice things to me, I would get all uncomfortable and wonder what they wanted from me.
On the upside, it made me not dependent on praise as a motivator. I do things for the value I see in them, not for how other people will react, which can be very good sometimes. But I have also seen the value of praising people, and I think I have learned that from Americans more than anywhere else. It was a good thing to learn. I do try to make sure that I mean every word I say though. Even my kids know that I won't tell them something they've done is good just because they're my kids. They actually have to do a good job.
So the Chinese will just walk up and talk to strangers, will they? Interesting. I mean, I will do that at bus stops or some place where we're standing around together, but it never occurs to me to say something to somebody just walking past. That's quite an opportunity you have, AB, to live inside such a very different culture. I've enjoyed my cross-cultural experiences, but they've never been quite as big a change as that.
