✤ Who this person is?
✤ What this person does?
✤ Why this person is interesting?
✤ How you think of this person?

• I love to meet new people.
• Today,I would like to talk about a charismatic person I met a year ago.
• Last year I was going to Mumbai by train for an official meeting.
• On the way,a young lady boarded the train from a small railway station.
• She occupied the seat in front of me.
• Very soon we started talking about our hobbies,studies and work etc.
• Her name was Sukriti Singh.
• She was a second-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology,Mumbai.
• One particular thing which made her quite special was her high confidence level.
• Normally, girls don’t travel alone in my country.
• In most cases,they are accompanied by their parents or some other family member.
• But, since she was on her own, that clearly reflected her boldness.
• I found this girl very interesting.
• Her in-depth knowledge of latest technology and space science made me re-think about my opinion about females.
• I used to think that Indian women are only interested in fashion.
• Science is not their cup of tea.But, this meeting was a real mind-changer.
• She helped open my eyes towards the common attitude of ignorance males have towards females regarding their intelligence.
• Now, I fully understand that women have the potential to succeed in any field.

Follow ups
1.Do you think communicating with foreigners is a good way to learn about foreign culture?
Yes,I think communicating with foreigners is a good way to learn about foreign cultures.I think we can learn a lot about the way they talk,their language,their likes and dislikes and many other things about their country and culture by having a conversation with them.

2.What are the disadvantages of working for an international company?
There are not many disadvantages.However,since such companies open up in megacities,people have to move away from home.Another disadvantage maybe the work hours.People may to work in shifts and according to another country’s working hours.

3.What kinds of problems do people face when they travel or live in a foreign country?
People may face many problems when travelling or living in another country.They may face language and communication problems.They may also face problems with accommodation,food and weather.People may also feel homesick.Sometimes people get a culture shock.

4.Do you like to make friends with people from other countries?
Yes,I like to make friends with people from other countries.I have many relatives living abroad and through them,I have made many friends in other countries.I get to learn about their culture and way of life.

5.Do you have any international friends?
No,I do not have international friends but one of my friend’s brother lives in Canada.He recently moved to there and my friend told me that his brother has made new friends in Canada.He also said that he will introduce his new friends to me.

6.How do the cultural differences hinder the growth of an organization/company?
I think nowadays the world is becoming a global village and people have started understanding each other’s culture better than before.But sometimes when people do not understand each other may be due to language or some cultural rituals it will hamper their teamwork which will be eventually bad for the company.

7.How do sports help to break the barriers of the cultural differences?
Sports play an important role in breaking the cultural barriers.When people from different cultures play together in a team,they work together towards winning and forget about the cultural differences they have.This spirit of sportsmanship helps in bringing down the walls of differences.