1. “the UK, another great country with a unique culture of its own.” I admire your optimism, but that is a bit much… The kingdom is made up of four states hardly distinguishable from each other with respect to culture because they all lack it altogether; yet they are constantly quarreling on issues such as the trivial Welsh Flag and the archaic West Lothian Question. Though I have limited interaction with the locals, the ones I come across are some of the least competent in the world. These two symptoms (regionalism and amateurism) are exactly what the UK stands for, to me — and they stem from this “unique” culture that you speak of, that has made a horridly bureaucratic government that only seems so impressive on the Parliament Channel.

2. “But being abroad on ambassadorial programs, even for three months, means that many of my conversations are self-consciously cross-cultural.” I don’t fully comprehend your self-consciousness. I find these so-called “differences between cultures or nations” as pretexts for conventional ambassadorial missions (though yours doesn’t sound like them), where people go to understand the differences and exit the conference room with the outstanding position of agreeing to disagree. But through my travels I learned that so many qualities and values are universal; we’re human beings with instincts, basic needs, and a desire for happiness. Most of all, we want to be free of insecurities. The Emiratis have to defend their government partly because they depend so heavily on it; it’s their life support. Almost like the Sicilians to the mafia (though quite different in many regards). But once their bellies are full (to put it in the most cynical way), they will see more to criticise. That’s how we improve, no? Your sentences on the constructive discussion vs. plain criticism are revealing.

3. I have found it each time so fascinating to follow the order of an average tourist’s observation: does he/she notice the familiar or the strange first? I won’t tell you what my conclusion is since it’s a work in progress. But it is always a pleasure to read your blog because you’re so downright honest.

At any rate, I believe cultures today lay themselves powerless to a zero sum game between Lexus and the Olive Tree. They have to evolve, too, and the more active they are, the less they will be victims.