One year in Finland

Intercultural misunderstandings and irritations often arise in the non-visible areas of culture. These include values (basic assumptions, world views), communication (styles of speech, listening habits) as well as the notions of time (time sequences, planning, keeping appointments) and space (body language, public/private relations). For successful intercultural cooperation, it is important to be aware of the differences in these areas. It is just not enough to pay attention only to visible characteristics such as rules of politeness, dress codes and eating habits. This is where the Lewis model comes into play and describes three types of culture: linear-active (fact- and task-oriented, structured way of working, direct expression), multi-active (relationship-oriented, flexible) and reactive (respectful and listening, avoiding open confrontation). Lewis now assigns many countries to these cultural types in a pyramid according to their characteristics. The arrangement makes sense to

The cultural dimensions according to Hofstede go back to the Dutch expert in cultural studies Gerard Hendrik Hofstede, known as Geert Hofstede. Hofstede's research and results, which can be traced back to a survey of IBM employees in over 60 countries, are among the most elaborate and recognised of the cultural comparative research. In the following, five dimensions derived from Hofstede are presented and explained. These are the following dimensions: - Power Distance - Individuality - Masculinity - Uncertainty avoidance - Long-term orientation During my stay I was able to see different differences between different cultures. Individualism: Compared to my friends from Indonesia, I often noticed that I have a much more sophisticated individualistic way of thinking. My friends, on the other hand, thought more about approaches and solutions for the general public and made almost all trips only as a group. I was impressed by how good the group cohesion was with them and how e