Culture shock
David warned me about having culture shock when we returned to the States. I didn't believe him at first. I thought "Why am I going to be shocked in my own country? I've lived here for 30 years." But now all this has changed. Since coming back to the States I've learned never to doubt my husband! He knows what he's talking about (well sometimes. Sorry babe.) I wouldn't say that what I am experiencing is shock so much. It's more like noticing the differences between here and China. Here's a list of things that have stood out so far....
1. American money is green. In the Chicago airport David gave me some money to buy some food. When he handed me a 20 it looked so fake. My first thought was "Why isn't this pink? And where is Chairman Mao's picture?"
2. There are so many white people here. After being an ethnic minority for so long, it was strange to see so many white people in one place. It was even stranger seeing Hispanics and African Americans. You don't see a lot of them in China. It feels really good to see such cultural diversity.
3. Cinnabon is god.I had forgotten how sweet and luscious they tasted. Hmm...maybe I'll open my own branch in China.
4. How much material would it take to make hip hop clothes in China? You do not see hip hop styled clothes in Shanghai at all. I had even forgotten that's how some people dress. I can't imagine how I managed to do that especially since I spent two years teaching in Harlem.
5. It's lovely wearing a seat belt.There are no seat belts in the backs of cabs in China. When you get into a cab you are playing Russian Roulette.
6. It's also lovely breathing clean air. While Shanghai is supposedly working on their pollution problems, the air quality isn't always the best. There are some days where I don't want to open the windows.
7. Yes, bottled water is expensive. In the airport I paid about $3 for a bottle of water. This would be the equivalent of 24 rmb (Chinese currency) The same bottle of water in China would cost between 1-3 rmb. You do the math.
Well, it's 5:00am US time. I suppose now is a good time to try and get some sleep. Darn jet lag! Stay tuned for more examples of culture shock. I'm sure there will be many more!
1. American money is green. In the Chicago airport David gave me some money to buy some food. When he handed me a 20 it looked so fake. My first thought was "Why isn't this pink? And where is Chairman Mao's picture?"
2. There are so many white people here. After being an ethnic minority for so long, it was strange to see so many white people in one place. It was even stranger seeing Hispanics and African Americans. You don't see a lot of them in China. It feels really good to see such cultural diversity.
3. Cinnabon is god.I had forgotten how sweet and luscious they tasted. Hmm...maybe I'll open my own branch in China.
4. How much material would it take to make hip hop clothes in China? You do not see hip hop styled clothes in Shanghai at all. I had even forgotten that's how some people dress. I can't imagine how I managed to do that especially since I spent two years teaching in Harlem.
5. It's lovely wearing a seat belt.There are no seat belts in the backs of cabs in China. When you get into a cab you are playing Russian Roulette.
6. It's also lovely breathing clean air. While Shanghai is supposedly working on their pollution problems, the air quality isn't always the best. There are some days where I don't want to open the windows.
7. Yes, bottled water is expensive. In the airport I paid about $3 for a bottle of water. This would be the equivalent of 24 rmb (Chinese currency) The same bottle of water in China would cost between 1-3 rmb. You do the math.
Well, it's 5:00am US time. I suppose now is a good time to try and get some sleep. Darn jet lag! Stay tuned for more examples of culture shock. I'm sure there will be many more!
posted by kimnyc at 4:23 AM
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