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"Cultural Surprise" by Steve Adams

On my first international trip, I was assigned a support role for a machine our company sold to a firm in Recklinghausen, Germany. I was loving the experience, the Autobahn, the food, the traffic light sequencing and even the challenge of communicating with the plant personnel. Everything was a new adventure.

That first evening, I got to the hotel, excited, jet-lagged and weary from a full day of work. I called our engineering manager to give my report while also inspecting the lovely hotel that I was in.

I was not thinking with a clear mind and my boss was amused as I mixed technical details with the amazement of my new digs. I reached the bathroom and was taking inventory of the facilities when I noticed something wrong.

I had a wonderful room, a comfy bed, delicious food, fluffy towels and ample toiletries, but suddenly I blurted out on the phone, “They do not have washcloths!” I learned quickly that things we assume to be normal may not be in other cultures.

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