When heading out to a new country, there's always things that are new and different which may not always seem to be comfortable to those who haven't experienced it before. Going to new locations always raise the question of what is appropriate behaviour. I've seen more than my fair share of foreign travellers being extremely disrespectful to cultures in which they aren't overly familiar to them. Something to keep in mind is when going to a new location, regardless of its similarity to where you are from, you are always a visitor to another place or community before you are integrated in and need to know that there are boundaries. Some traditions are easily followed and will just take a little bit of thought to remember, such as removing your shoes before entering a store or restaurant throughout areas of Asia, whereas others will take to being respectful and observing cultural practices without seeming confused or insensitive, no matter how different they may be from your own beliefs.
This really became a huge realization when I went on my trip to Tanzania, which was the largest shift in culture I'd ever experienced. With cultural beliefs being based solely on village to village variations, it is deeply important to keep flexibility from what you are used to and understanding that what you are used to on a daily basis may be completely from what the area you are visiting is accustomed to. When heading to any new country, or even a new region of a country you’ve previously visited, the biggest thing to do is research about the background of the community, determining things like religious beliefs and typical cultural practices in theses areas. We have the luxury of nearly endless knowledge on the internet, doing a quick search can help you to know that what is seen as normal in North America may be seen as completely disrespectful in other areas, so gaining even that little bit of insight can help to make a much more enjoyable and culturally enriching experience. Going to an remote region in eastern Africa, like where the Maasai still inhabit, does not mean you will have to spend the duration of your visit consuming blood and milk as a staple of your diet, but appreciating the practices and rituals of these areas that have been occurring for hundreds, or in some cases even thousands of years, allows you to be respectful and adaptive to what goes on in a variety of areas around the globe. The ability to remain open and flexible to your surroundings not only helps to maintain a contant respect for those which you are visiting in your surroundings, but this will be a combination that allows you to to be more immersed in the culture of the new location. As travellers coming from the western world, going to any new place can be a 'culture shock' but that does not mean we should try to normalize our own behaviour in these areas, the diversity across the globe is what makes the world so interesting. Tourism in many areas of the world has made many cultures shift what their beliefs are and the essence of what makes each area of the world unique can be quickly shifted if we don't also take it upon ourselves as travellers to not try and have local people adjust to our way of life, but to engrain yourself in to theirs, after all you are the one who is just stopping by.
