Culture Shock

What an amazing 10 days!  We just returned home from China, and while I wasn’t sure what to expect, it was one of those experiences that almost can’t be put into words.  We really live in a bubble and are clueless about how most people in the world really live.

Here are just a few of the things that shocked me:

Most babies in China don’t wear diapers for long.  By the time they can walk, they wear open crotch pants so they can relieve themselves wherever nature calls.

Also, the one child policy is mind boggling.

Chinese people are really tall.  For some reason I expect Asians to be more my size.  Not in China.  They are also very trim (most likely because they walk everywhere and eat no sweets).  And they can effortlessly  put their bodies into some really strange positions.

Everyone there was very loud.  They talked in an “outdoor voice” all the time.   SEEMED LIKE EVERYONE WAS YELLING BUT THEY WERE JUST HAVING A CONVERSATION!

The women are extremely modest-we saw no midriffs, no plunging necklines, and very few shoulders.

The traffic there was insane, with no apparent rules. 

The bathrooms.  Nobody told me how happy I'd be to find a "western" toilet and not have to squat.

I knew the government was very controlling, but didn't realize how many things aren’t allowed and are blocked...like Facebook.

The food was strange, but it wasn’t as hard to take as I thought it would be.

There are “temples” everywhere, yet very few people seem to be religious.

Lastly, I was surprised by how pleasant the people were.  They seemed very content with their life and believe they have everything they need and want.


Every time I leave the country I come home feeling even more blessed.  I’ve said before that the way I judge a vacation is whether I would want to go back and take family and friends.  We had a wonderful time and it really was a ton of fun to be there with our family.  While I would tell my friends they should definitely go if given the opportunity, I think I will check China off my bucket list.