Living in West Asia (often called the Middle East) for the past 24 years, we’ve had the privilege of living among people from more than 100 nations. Daily life requires navigating language barriers, cultural and religious differences, and a vast spectrum of social norms. We encounter situations daily that require us to keep an open mind and be willing to learn about differences with patience, curiosity, and most importantly, a sense of humor.

A South African woman at a breakfast I attended told the host matter-of-factly, “buy a donkey”. I’m sorry what? Was the woman angry with her? Was this some kind of insult in South Africa? A conversation ensued where we learned that the Afrikaans way of saying “thank you very much” is “baie dankie”. I knew “danke” is the way to say “thank you” in German, and that initiated a discussion over the etymology of Afrikaans, a West Germanic language evolved from 17th-century Dutch dialects spoken by European colonists.

The head gesture in India indicating a “yes” looks almost the same as the one Western cultures use to indicate “no”. My first intercultural conversation after arriving was comical as the seeming conflict between the person saying “yes” but nodding “no” had me perplexed. Immersion in a foreign culture leaves no option for leaving things misunderstood. We have to discuss matters thoroughly and come to an understanding. The differences demand a deeper interaction, some of which lead to longstanding relationships, as it did in these two examples. We both learn about the other. We have joined friends for Diwali and Holi celebrations. We sat while henna was applied to our hands before wedding celebrations. We have attended Iftar dinners (when the Ramadan daily fast is broken at sunset) as well as traditional visitations to new mothers. Non-American friends have joined us for Thanksgiving, Halloween trick-or-treating, and barbecues. However, I have yet to explain Groundhog’s Day to a non-American friend and end up with anything other than confusion and mild alarm, though.

The opportunity that expats have to build cultural bridges is a unique and serious responsibility. We may be the only exposure others have to real people from our countries, and this allows us to dispel the blanket judgments people may have of us based on movies and television. True melting pots, like those on the Arabian peninsula (where the nationals are sometimes only 10-15% of the population) are critical to revealing we are all so alike when it comes down to it.

All that being said, my piece will NOT highlight a bridge between East and West. I will share an inter-Arabian social and cultural bridge of sorts. You’ll have to wait and see!