Culture and Nonverbal Communication

In July of 2008, I had the chance to take a trip to Europe. My best friend lives in Switzerland, so I went to visit her. I went to other countries such as France, Italy, and Germany. While I was in Germany I quickly learned that in different cultures, nonverbal cues can mean different things. In the United States when you want something and it is crowded you often stick up your hand as to the number of items (usually beverages) you want and then tell them what kind. While I was in Switzerland, we went to a bar/restaurant that was quite busy. I was ordering a beverage, "American style", sticking up my fingers as to how many I wanted (one) and then told them what kind. We got a table and the server brought us our drinks. To my suprise I got two drinks instead of just the one I thought I ordered. I told my friend that I only ordered one and asked her why I got two. I showed her exactly how I ordered it and what I said (incase my german wasn't up to par). She told me that in Germany when you order something, sticking up your thumb means one and then any finger after that is one plus the number of fingers (even if they cannot see your thumb). This is an example in my own life where my cultural background was interpreted according to theirs.