I have a friend who recently returned from a two year Green Peace mission in a very small, and very remote village in South Africa. One of the first things she mentioned was the different persective on privacy. She said she never had time alone. People would walk in her room and start discussions with her when she was on the pot (litterally on a pot). Having grown up in a culture that cherishes and respects a certain level of privacy this transition was extremely difficult for her. Next time I see her I am going to ask how Green Peace taught them to deal with these issues.

If I was doing business with someone who had a vastly different perspective on privacy then me, I would begin by reading the ten guidlelines for doing business in other countries by DeGeorge. I would study the specific cultures perspectives on what is socially acceptable, what is "right" or "wrong", and be as respectful as possible on all accounts. In turn I would share some of my cultures perspectives so they could have a better understanding of me. I would then discuss finding a compromise in which each party finds a middle ground, each gives and takes the same amount of comfort.