The lengths that we will go to in an effort to protect ourselves from the unknown, the stressful, strenuously avoid the path less traveled and the like is extensive.

Often the major factor that will push us out of our comfort zone is the level of our need.

For change.

For respect.

For love.

People tend to date or marry within their circle or culture for many reasons. Fear of the unknown is sometimes a factor. But when things are not working out for a very long time, sometimes International boundaries may be crossed.

This was portrayed beautifully in the 2007 Independent film classic Broken English.

Broken English is a 2007 American romance film written and directed by Zoe Cassavetes, starring Parker Posey and Melvil Poupaud.

Here is the story line.

Nora Wilder (Parker Posey), a single, career woman works at a Manhattan boutique hotel where her excellent skills in guest relations lack in the romantic department. If it is not her loving and dominant mother (Gena Rowlands) attempting to set her up that consistently fail, she has her friend’s (Drea de Matteo) disastrous blind dates to rely on as a backup for further dismay. She’s surrounded by friends who are all happily engaged or romantically involved and somehow, love escapes Nora—until she meets an unusual Frenchman (Melvil Poupaud) who helps her discover life beyond her self-imposed boundaries.

Sometimes in life, when all previously attempted is failing, we need to take risks.

Before it’s too late and life passes us by.

What this writer loved about the film was its honesty. Yes it was quirky (what Parker Posey film isn’t) but it was easy to relate to living a contained life, filled with fear until something forced her (me) to break out.

Then life begins.

In our competitive female grappling industry, we have been fortunate to break through International barriers for decades to present great matches between Fem Competitors from different countries.

As an example, two such matches are Minxy Li verses Daisy Ducati and Karina vs Xena.

The producers at San Francisco Grappling Stars introduce us to Daisy and Minxy’s match. “Stars from different parts of the world collide; shot from a different camera in more of a standing position. Both beautiful women enter the match with stellar reputations but only one will be the winner. It’s a sexy tough struggle from two tough customers who want to win badly.”

America vs Great Britain. Sometimes relatives have to settle things.

http://grapplingstars.com/

While in San Francisco, we love how the Grappling Stars team not only introduce us to fantastic female grappling in San Francisco but also exquisite places to eat as well.

One such restaurant designated as an “International Restaurant” with the ability to have your taste buds soar in flight is Butterfly.

Let’s take a risk and cross cultural lines to dine.

Marianna Pogosyan PH.D. explains the importance of food and experimenting with cultures at Psychology Today. “As an expression of culture, food has become a defining feature of our identities. Thus, one of the most intimate routes of discovering cultures is through their culinary traditions. Taste allows for a meaningful, if not a transformative relationship with a place. It intercepts the delicate rapport between the hosts and their guests. With food, we build bonds, learn rituals, take sips from history, before suddenly, something that was distinctly theirs becomes also ours.”

At their welcoming site butterflysf.com they smile, “Butterfly is located on the waterfront – at Pier 33. An Expansive, 5,000 sq. ft. dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor seating offers dramatic views of San Francisco’s bay. Butterfly is a prime location with a lively and exotic atmosphere designed for both intimate and large gatherings.

Through the open kitchen catch Robert Lam, Chef and owner, in action metamorphosing farm fresh ingredients into lively food inspired by his mother’s kitchen and his Vietnamese heritage. Small plates presentations encourage sharing from an array of flavors. Like a Saigon market, Butterfly reveals the mysteries of flavors and sights ready to be explored by day or by night, allowing taste to heighten the senses. Be inspired and delighted!”

Sounds culturally yummy.

We travel to the scenic Czech Republic for another International match between Karina of Russia and Xena of the Czech Republic.

Let’s show restraint and allow the exceptional female vs female video producers at Fight Pulse to describe the engagement without borders. “Both Xena and Karina are confident in the pre-match interview, predicting themselves to be on top throughout the match. They talk about how much they love straddling and pinning their opponents and say that they are going to do lots of it in this match. Xena has a very slight size advantage and is sure of her victory. But she doesn’t know much about Karina. She is about to find out.

FW-48 is a slaughter. It is a complete mismatch. No matter how hard Xena tries, how fast she attacks, how desperately she attempts to defend, Karina Gotika gets on top with considerably ease, straddling Xena tightly. The instant Xena is in Karina’s guard, she gets swept as though she is a lightweight. Karina possesses incredibly strength, we know that from the way she overpowered an MMA guy in our recent release, MX-70. The fact that Xena weighs about 30 lb. more than Frank doesn’t faze Karina a bit, as the Russian force absolutely ragdolls her opponent. Each round it is only a matter of seconds until Karina positions herself atop Xena to gain a submission – via tight breast-straddling, neck straddling, jaw straddling, smothering or face sitting.

It is an agonizing and humiliating experience for Xena. She did not expect being woman handled like never before. First, trying desperately to buck the firmly seated Karina, and then trying desperately to catch her breath, but eventually, again and again, uttering “I submit”, her voice full of suffering.

The incredible Russian amazon, Karina Gotika, ends the match straddling Xena’s neck and asking her what she thinks about her predictions to be on top now, capping it off by placing her foot on Xena’s chest and posing for the camera.”

https://www.fightpulse.com/female-wrestling/fw-48-karina-gotika-vs-xena/

We purchased that match and if you find one women who initially was extremely confident and the other very determined but annoyed by her weaker opponent’s lack of humility, who quiets her by completely dominating her, this match is unbelievable.

How do we say don’t mess with Karina in Russian?

Are you willing to continue taking risks and learn something different? We have a visiting speaker who informs us as to why traversing cultural lines is important and benefitcial.

Please enjoy.

Nurture Cultures and Be Adaptable and Intelligible

By Dr. Nagen Bhusan Patnaik

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

The above line has got a tremendous impact on the present technical, business and professional arena.

In today’s global business and professional field, we are required to understand people who come from countries and cultures different from our own. There is no doubt that today’s workplace is rapidly becoming vast, as the business environment expands to include various geographic locations and numerous cultures. The difficulty lies in understanding how to communicate effectively with individuals who speak another language or who rely on different means to reach a common goal.

Cross Cultural Communication – The New Replica

The Internet and modern technology have opened up new marketplaces, and allow us to endorse our business to new geographic locations and cultures. Consequently, it intensifies the significance of cross cultural communication. The e-communication has made it as easy to work with someone in another country as it is to work with someone in the next town. For those of us who are native English-speakers, it is fortunate that English seems to be the language that people use if they want to reach the widest possible audience. In this new world, good cross cultural communication is a must.

Understanding Cultural Diversity: The key factor

Different cultural contexts bring new communication challenges to the workplace. When employees located in different places speak the same language, there are some cultural differences that should be considered in an effort to optimize communications between the two parties. In such cases, an effective communication strategy begins with the understanding that the sender and the receiver of the message are from different cultures and backgrounds. It is perhaps most important for people to realize that a basic understanding of cultural diversity is the key to effective cross cultural communications. We must all learn how to better communicate with individuals and groups whose first language, or language of choice, does not match our own.

Basic knowledge about other cultures and language is a must for all. This is necessary even for the basic level of understanding required to engage in appropriate greetings and physical contact, which can be a tricky area inter-culturally. While many companies now offer training in the different cultures where the company conducts business, it is important that employees communicating across cultures practice patience and work to increase their knowledge and understanding of these cultures.

Fine Tune your Cross Cultural Communication Skills:

• Speak clearly and ensure intelligibility: Even when English is the common language in a cross cultural situation, this does not mean you should speak fast. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure your pronunciation is intelligible.
• Avoid negative questions: Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer ‘yes’ if the answer is affirmative and ‘no’ if it is negative. In other cultures, a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ may only be indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong.
• Watch the humor: In many cultures business is taken very seriously. Professionalism and protocol are constantly observed. Many cultures will not appreciate the use of humor and jokes in the business context. When using humor, think whether it will be understood and acceptable in the other culture or not.
• Maintain etiquette: Many cultures have certain etiquette when communicating. It is always a good idea to undertake some cross cultural awareness training or at least do some research on the target culture. Cross cultural communication is about dealing with people from other cultures in a way that minimizes misunderstandings and maximizes your potential to create strong cross cultural rapport.
• Opening and Closing: No matter where you are, some ways of commencing and concluding a conversation will be considered rude, even disrespectful. This area includes modes of address, salutations, levels of regard and what not.
• Use of silence: In certain forms of communication, silence communicates thoughtfulness and deference to the original speaker, yet at other times, silence may be experienced as a sign of hostility. In the West, twenty seconds of silence during a meeting is an extraordinarily long time, and people will feel uncomfortable with that. But the same customs around silence are not universal.

I would like to sum up by focusing the fact that in order to retain our professionalism and personality, we must keep on learning and understanding the other cultures so that we could adapt to any kind of situation and create a comfort zone for others and so could the others.

Cross Cultural Communication – The New Replica

The Internet and modern technology have opened up new marketplaces, and allow us to endorse our business to new geographic locations and cultures. Consequently, it intensifies the significance of cross cultural communication. The e-communication has made it as easy to work with someone in another country as it is to work with someone in the next town.

~ ~ ~

Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Nurture-Cultures-and-Be-Adaptable-and-Intelligible&id=6989981

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr._Nagen_Bhusan_Patnaik/1161072
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6989981

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0772157/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/between-cultures/201601/the-flavors-our-travels

http://butterflysf.com/about