The Culture map

The Culture map

INTRODUCTION

Navigating Cultural Differences and the
Wisdom of Mrs. Chen

When dawn broke that chilly November morning in Paris, I was driving to my office for a meeting with an important new client. I hadn’t slept well, but that was nothing unusual since before an important training session I often have a restless night. But what made this night different were the dreams that disturbed my sleep.

I found myself shopping for groceries in a big American-style supermarket. As I worked my way through my list—fruit, Kleenex, more fruit, a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and still more fruit—I was startled to
discover that the items were somehow disappearing from my cart more
quickly than I could find them and stack them in the basket.

I raced down the aisle of the store, grabbing goods and tossing them into my cart, only to see them vanish without a trace. Horrified and frustrated, I realized that my shopping would never be complete. After having this dream repeatedly throughout the night, I gave up trying
to sleep.