Building bridges

I once had an Indian friend tell me about a situation where she gave an American a ride home. When they arrived, the woman thanked her for the ride, got out, and went inside her home. My friend was perplexed. "Why didn't she invite me inside?" she thought. When I first heard this story, I thought, "Yes, that's what I would normally do" and, "Oh, no! This American probably didn't know how rude she appeared to my Indian friend." Doesn't that happen to all of us who have cross-cultural relationships? Even when we mean well, we unconsciously break unwritten (and often unspoken) rules of other people's culture. That is why I enjoy my work so much. I love helping people cross cultural bridges so that they can better relate to others. I believe that cross-cultural appreciation, mixed with a lot of grace, can help us build those bridges even faster.