culture shock

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You know you are in north east China when:
-5 min doesn't pass unless you have heard someone spit
-you actually choose a squat pot over a regular
-you see men wearing panty-hose socks
-babies stop crying in shock when they see you
-buying even a small artical in a shopping center involves getting a receipt for the item at one counter, bringing the receipt to another counter & paying, bringing another receipt back to the first counter & picking up the hair clips, clothes etc...
-walking over-passes over the road contain a bike lane
-there is a driving lane & a trafic light for bikes
-men don't know what shirts are used for
-random people may ask your name, how old you are, how much you paid for your shirt & how much your father makes each month
-if you read in public someone may read over your shoulder
-people don't mind telling you that you are fat & if you aren't skinny as a skeleton... you are fat
-there is no such thing as ordering a meal for one person
-folks look you over as if you were an article of clothing they might buy
-clogs are an fashion odity that even the older generation are shocked by
-it is fine to sneak behind a person who is in the process of sitting...& take their seat
-you have to elbow your way up to the counter in order to buy something
-a person hurling is not something to be surprised by
-when you find a bathroom that has toilet paper & smells fresh you can hardly stand to tear yourself away from it
-people request your photo so often that you start to think you're famous or something
-it is polite to blare your car horn loudly at a pedestrian that is within a few feet, just to let them know you are there
-the danger of crossing the road is not the predictable cars, but the multitudes of bikes that dash this way & that without warning
-the smog/fog is as thick as pea soup
-babies don't wear dippers
-you discover that if you have to blow your nose...go ahead...(what IS a kleenex anyways?)
-it's not a problem if you only want to shower once a week
-dragon flies occupy the area so heavily that it feels like you're in the middle of an aviator air show
-stepping on a man hole cover is almost the equivalent to commiting suicide
-quiet time in the appartments starts at 8pm
-chicken feet prepared for snacking can be bought in any convinience store in a vaccum pack that doesn't need refridgeration (very convinient)
-music is played through speakers on the walking streets for shoppers to enjoy
-you see medical conditions first hand that you saw in medical books & didn't believe that they could actually be for real
-the shopping center that you visited 2 weeks ago has been demolished, carried away & a wall has been built in it's place
-you can get a ride in a carrige-like artical, propelled by an electric bicicle
-homes don't contain showers or baths
-numbers can be communicated with the hand (very handy for those of us only able to count efectivly to 3)
-milk is bought off a shelf, in a bag
-eggs don't need to be refrigerated & can be purchased cooked or uncooked...if you know how to specify
-windows can be transported by two men on a motor bike
-you are offered an ice cream bar...red bean or green pea flavor
-bras can be bought in a grocery store, after trying them on top of your shirt
-streets are swept by hand
-dessert doesn't exist
-your guests won't touch their feet to your floor, so you must have slippers laid out for them
-the only rare dog that you see is a small fat house pet
-crossing a road is a one lane at a time operation
-people don't use phone books
-lying isn't wrong
-you eat a brightly packaged candy & it tasts like a meat flavored dog treat
-malls don't have elevators
-what you have in your bag or in your room is not your private affair
-when purchasing an umbrella you should model it in front of a mirror so that you can see how it looks on you
-kids think pizza is discusting
-young adults leave the party at 9pm
-sleeping is a hobby that most people profess to enjoy

As I was trying to think of this list, I have been amazed by the fact that I don't think anything is the same here as it is at home. From the moment that I step out of the door: the way people look at me, the clothes that people wear, the way that they get around, the way things are bought, the way things are eaten, the things that are discussed, the things people occupy their time with, the way that children treat their parents, the way parents treat their children: it is all different. It's not just that language separates us from the people here, but culture in a very potent form. I have been thinking about how I will explain the experiences that I am having here, the way I feel & the things that happen; but I really don't think they can be explained at all. There is no starting point, no common ground. In a way I feel like I am able to understand the people here better, but on the other hand I am just starting to realize the vast chasm that separates this vast & diverce country called China from my own country. There is so much history here, so much tradition, so many things that I just don't know the reason for. It's almost like I'm peaking into a small window, but I will never truely get the big picture. I am excited by the fact that the longer I stay here the more little tidbits I get about how people relate to each other & little parts parts of their culture. I think that I could live here a life time & still know next to nothing about this corner of China. Just like the other day I learned that if a girl doesn't pierce her ears, then it is believed that in the next life she will be a man. Or today I looked over a fence into a shack built of scrap metal roofing, some women were in there cooking & chatting. Their husbands are construction workers so their families are nomadic, they set up a house with scrap material where ever the husband finds work. Or the day that I heard about the students that enter a certain 8 year program, they live in a tiny dormitory room stuffed with 8 beds...for 8 years of their young life! So, I begin to think that it is a hopeless case, I will learn what I can & when I leave I suspect that I will have more questions then when I arrived.

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Comments

[Franco]

LOL Very amusing.

[mother]

you are funny, as usual
Well, you must surely think that it is incredible: your sister has made that place her home. And she likes it! Miss you both, Mother

[Laura]

question?
How many times a day to moms have to change there babies clothes if they leak?! Do babies get to have a bath at home? (in the sink) Have you tried the pea favor ice cream bar? Have you bought an umbrella? Did you model it? Are considered fat? (I hope not!!!) Have you ever sat on some body? he he, how do you like the look of guy's panty-hose socks? that would be sort of nice to be able to quiet babies that way! (in shock, just when they are being bad or some thing) I like to hear from you! Really liked this one! It is sort of funny, the more you tell me, the more I have got questions!?

[Christi-Ann]

Entertaining
Well you have some very interesting thoughts and perceptions. I surprised to hear that you have discovered so many of these differences in so short a time, and to describe them in such language. You should think of becoming a travel writer. I was very entertained. Great work. Oh bother...this sounds like a blurb on a report card. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm enjoying your entries.