Read the following situations and choose the appropriate answer(s). There may be more than one possible answer for each cultural puzzle. 1. Situation: After a busy week, Jim, an American, was looking forward to spending Saturday reading and relaxing by himself. He had been very busy at work during the week and had worked overtime. Saturday came and Jim rested himself in his most comfortable chair. Just as he started to read, the doorbell rang. He answered the door and to his surprise, his former Arabian co-worker, Magid, was standing at the door. They had been good friends at work, but had lost contact since Magid left. It was several months since they had seen each other. How do you think Jim felt? a) Jim probably had mixed feelings when he saw Magid. He was happy to see him, but felt disappointed that he couldn't spend the time alone. b) Jim was a little bit upset by the sudden dropping by of Magid. c) Jim was so happy to see Magid that he forgot about wanting to spend the day by himself. Now read the situation from Magid's point of view. 2. Situation: One Saturday morning, Magid was home and didn't have much to do. He thought about his friend, Jim, who he used to work with. It was a long time since they had seen each other and Magid felt bad about this. He had told Jim that he would come and visit him sometime, but several months had passed and he just couldn't find the time. He remembered that Jim had told him, "Come and visit when you get the chance. I want to stay in touch with you." This Saturday morning seemed like a good time to visit. He went to Jim's house and rang the doorbell. When Jim answered the door he didn’t look completely happy to see Magid. Then, after a few seconds, he smiled and said, "Hi, Magid. Come on in." How do you think Magid felt? a) Magid was probably offended. b) Magid understood that Jim wanted to be by himself that day. c) Magid understood that Jim was a little bit upset because he dropped by without calling first. Now continue reading about what happened during the visit. 3. Situation: Jim asked Magid to come into his home. They talked about what they had been doing since Magid left the company. Magid stayed about three hours and then said, "I'd better go now." Jim got up and saw Magid out. They said goodbye to each other and Jim thanked Magid for coming. As they left each other, they both felt a little uncomfortable. 1) Why do you think Magid was a little uncomfortable? a) Magid thought that Jim should have asked him to stay longer. b) Magid thought that he didn't stay long enough. c) Magid couldn't understand why Jim thanked him for coming. 2) Why do you think Jim was uncomfortable? a) Jim thought that Magid should have stayed longer. Three hours was too short for a visit. b) Jim thought that Magid should have apologized for visiting without calling first. c) Jim thought that Magid had stayed too long and that he should have said something like, "I'm sorry if I've disturbed." Follow-up: If you were Jim in Situation 1 and Magid in Situation 2, what would be your reactions. Compare cross-cultural similarities and differences.