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Q: Biggest culture shock for a first timer?
So I booked my flight to go and see my friend in Shenzhen. This'll be my first time in China and im quite excited about it. Just to kinda steel myself for it though, I was wondering what can I expect in terms of really big differences? What is it that marked you the most when you first came to China?
For me:
1. The language: duh! it's the most obvious one, but there's a huge difference between 'knowing' no one will speak English and then suddenly being confronted with the fact you can't communicate with ANYONE.
2. The smell. Even if it's not food, everywhere you go on in China has a particular smell. I took a small vacation to see family, came back to China, and getting out of the airport I simply knew where I was. I could smell it.
3. Chinese people. Seeing only black-haired heads everywhere you go is quite different.
1. People hawking and spitting
2. The volume people speak at - on the phone or just yellin at each other
3. Babies with special-slitted pants going wee-wee and poo-poo in the street or even in supermarkets
The number of smokers, particularly young smokers.
The spitting, even indoors at the supermarket.
The squat toilets.
The lack of any sort of queing.
Yes China is so different, has bad and good things. Let me assure you its better than it sound. This is why all the expats don't go back home. For me its the food, i cant get used to it and Chinese food here is not the same a you buy in the West at a Chinese take away.
Just make sure you look both ways before crossing the street.
You know there's a bunch of stuff but in truth, you're going to be in Shenzhen you're going to be ok for the most part. For people just passing through it's so much to take in as well that there's no time for the stuff that grates on those of us who've been here awhile to get you jaded...Enjoy your holiday!!
Fritze
The food is the best part. "Chinese" food that you get in Australia is crappy sauce laden rubbish like sweet and sout, beef in black bean etc. The food in China is great IMO.
Another culture shock is the lack of any apparent road rules. one thing to be especially careful of is when crossing the road when the walk sign is on, the cars on the straight through road pretty much all stop but the ones turning into the road you are crossing from the green light on the crossroad don't stop so beware!!!!!
The food was my biggest culture shock. But not saying whether it is good or bad, just different from the 'Chinese food' I was used to back home.
But the jian bing that I loathed so much when I first got here had actually became one of my occasional food cravings.
Biggest freak out I had at first was seeing a woman let her kid take a dump next to a noodle vendor. Always check your shoes before you walk into your house.
