Who have you found to be the most hospitable? Top 3?

[waccamacca]

In my experience the Polish seemed to be one of the most hospitable people I have met. In my top 3 I will include Ukrainians and Jordanians.

I thought of naming the least hospitable but it may offend some folk here. 

[Hope]

People who can cook, in my experience, are most keen to share.

 Living in the US, I haven't really run across very many directly from other countries, in order to attribute those sorts of qualities to a random group of people  (could get quite close to stereotyping, too...).  And I've never lived anywhere else.

The challenge I see is that there could be plenty of people who would disagree with what someone just asserted- all sorts of circumstances encourage or discourage hospitality from people. Overseers might say EVERYONE is hospitable because we all knock ourselves out to have them by the house.  But that's not a shared experience.

Attributing positive or negative qualities to groups of millions of individuals is rife with peril, IMO. It would be tough to be fair.  And it's very opinion based.

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by Hope

[blueyellow]

Well, I met a sister here on the forum who offered to find accomodation for me, even though we're from different continents (and even though I don't need a place to stay, but I'm as grateful nonetheless). Though I'm not sure where's she from. And she doesn't even know me, I'm just a username.

So, I'd say the most hospitable are those with JW nationality/citizenship.

 

I know, I know. You were referring to something else. Well, I felt most loved and welcomed in Greece two years ago, at the International Convention. But I don't know if it counts in your book as I assume all people are hospitable when it comes to organizing an IC.

I didn't really interact in foreign countries with many people of different religions. I only have jw from different countries to compare.

 

Let me tell you my opinion on the Polish.

I mostly travel to foreign countries for scholarships/trainings that I don't have to pay for and that are somehow related to my job. And out of the twenty trainings or so that I attended so far, the best time I had was in Poland, the city of Wroclaw. They were really nice trainers and really nice people. They didn't invite me at their home (I wouldn't have gone either way), but I liked the Polish.

Edited January 18, 2016 by blueyellow
At first, I said the IC in Greece took place only one year ago. I forgot how to count. :))

[waccamacca]

In Krackow  Poland a stranger gave us a 10km walking tour of the city. We were so exhausted. I was carrying a backpack too. He was too hospitable! :o) Some nationalities or even groups of people within certain nationalities are  friendlier and more hospitable than others. For example New Yorkers [I assume that is the name of people from NY] have a certain reputation abroad but we were delighted to meet so many helpful NY folk while we were on a 4 day stopover on our way to Ukraine. Several person's came up to up when we were looking at a map and helped us on our way even making sure that we got the right train. Thanks to them I would love to live there for 6 months. Very impressed!

[califlorican]

From my personal experience:

1. Koreans (but not necessarily with other Koreans haha but definitely with foreigners!)

2. Dominicans- they just love people!

3. people with big families, anywhere 

[Chijwas]

In Krackow  Poland a stranger gave us a 10km walking tour of the city. We were so exhausted. I was carrying a backpack too. He was too hospitable! ) Some nationalities or even groups of people within certain nationalities are  friendlier and more hospitable than others. For example New Yorkers [i assume that is the name of people from NY] have a certain reputation abroad but we were delighted to meet so many helpful NY folk while we were on a 4 day stopover on our way to Ukraine. Several person's came up to up when we were looking at a map and helped us on our way even making sure that we got the right train. Thanks to them I would love to live there for 6 months. Very impressed!

NEw Yorkers get a bad rap. We r nice, lol

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[trottigy]

Top 3:

 

1. Jehovah

2. Jesus

3. GB - think how many they invite into their home.

 

I am working on imitating them.  

[Omoyeme]

"It's the person, not the place

It's the heart and not the face..."

[waccamacca]

I am not being racist or placing one race above the other. Of course there are the good, the bad and the ugly. [That would make a good movie title me thinks :o) ] It is just there are major  differences even between people of the same race and language.  When we were living on the border between Canada and the USA it was amazing how 5 minutes into the US, the people were much easier to witness to than Canadians 5 minutes away.  So please can you just leave the comments to which peoples in your travels or where you live that you find them hospitable? Thanks 

[Pavlos]

People that live around Mediterranean Sea, is inside their culture to be hospitable. For example the most of the Cretans (I'm not Cretan)  that live in small villages, when we aproach them in the ministry they offer us drinks, fruits, sweets even though they don't want to listen about Jehovah. If you deny to accept their drink, that contains alcohol, it will be very rude of you. This is a very big problem for us when we preach in villages.

I can also mention the most unhospitable people. I will not say their nationality but their behaviour impressed me. Few years ago my father in law attended an İnternational Convention in Nairobi, Kenya. The brothers from abroad that stayed in hotels, were been provided with food (apples, sandwitches, etc), by the staff of the hotel, for the lunch break. When the brothers saw how much poor are the local brothers, that some of them didn't have even a small lunch, they shared their foods with them. Some foreign brothers prefered to not eat at all but they gave their whole lunch to poor families. My father in law told me that when he gave his sandwitch to a family, the mother cut the sandwitch in 5 pieces and gave it to her children and she preffered to not eat anything. Only the brothers from one specific country (I won't say which one) preffered to eat their lunch and didn't notice that local brothers had their need. 

[Hope]

I've found Jehovah's Witnesses to be most hospitable.  I've also experienced great kindness from worldly people that I've worked with.  I cannot, however, attribute good or bad qualities to groups of people.  I don't feel comfortable saying "X group are this or that".  Good or bad qualities are those of the individuals... NOT the group as a whole.

All my experiences are peculiar to the particular individuals I've met.  I don't believe their ethnic background has much to do with it.  More about how they were raised... at least that's what I think.  Anything else feels divisive.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Hope

[waccamacca]

6 hours ago, Hope said:

oops I met to quote Ouzo. That is incredible about being offered alcohol in the villages. I got off a cruise ship and went to the ruins at Crete but sadly didn't get much further. I met a tourist in Egypt who just came out of Syria and for him after being through several countries he said that Syria is by far the most hospitable place and yet look at it now! I also found 2 extremes in Papua new guinea. On 1 hand there are the most kind and helpful people on the planet and yet there are people called "rascals" who will steal you blind and kill you without a seconds thought. Single sisters that were special pioneers were not assigned outside the capitol. I know of one exception but the sister was there 42 years and well known. Yet the capitol was the most dangerous. That country was 2 extremes. Actually Ukraine is the same when I think of it. You see the Mafia everywhere. There are more luxury cars [probably stolen from Germany] than any western country I have ever seen. And yet some of the nicest people I have met. Me thinks the poorer you are [up to a point] the more hospitable you are. 

 

[Pavlos]

Quote

oops I met to quote Ouzo. That is incredible about being offered alcohol in the villages. I got off a cruise ship and went to the ruins at Crete but sadly didn't get much further.

Next time!   (and you will stay in my place). 

Cretans look exactly like this video: 

 

They are dressed in black, look aggressive and some of them have guns. But the hospitality is part of their culture. 

Turkish people are also very hospitable. We had a journey before 3 months around "7 congregations"  of Revelation. The people there were very polite. When we made discussions about God they showed respect, even though they are Muslims, even though we originated by a "hostile" country. Turkish brothers told me that this is their normal reaction when they listen the Good News, but the situation is different from the eastern parts of the country where the things are more complicated. That gave me the desire to work harder learning turkish and move in Turkey. 

Edited January 20, 2016 by ouzo

[waccamacca]

Brother Pavlos thank you for the post and the fantastic video. It reminded me of the Bedouins in Israel Negev desert and also in Jordan. We had dinner with the Bedouin looking after a large herd of camel near the Egyptian border. And breakfast with a Bedouin who had 4 wives and 19 children in a castle! I am always saying to my family [at least once a month] I wish I had been born into an Italian/Greek family. We in the west miss out so much fun compared to many native cultures in the world. Thanks again. Just loved the video. Yassou brother Pavlos