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Q: What are you glad you left behind?
We like to gripe about the pissing, shitting and spitting on the streets that goes on here but it may be no worse than some of the stuff we used to put up with back in our home countries.
Where I'm from its common to see and hear;
- Rednecks chewing tobacco and carrying spit-bottles
- People blowing their noses like a tuba during meals
- Entire rooms full of morbidly obese people
What about you guys?
Guys wearing their pants down around their ankles and thinking it was stylish.
The expression of opinion as fact, as in mindless, endless debate.
A 50+ hour work week.
300 lb. women wearing "Daisy Duke" shorts and tank tops.
I'm sure there is more if I really thought about it, but this would just be off the top of my head.
Traveler:
They only wear their pants like that so their brains don't overheat. 300 lb women wearing their pants like that is much worse...
Missionaries knocking on my door, bothering me on the street, whatever.
Except for a certain missionary on this website, I'm completely free of that here.
markferrer:
Yeah but instead of missionaries its Buddist monks hitting me up for donations on the street. They're not even trying to convert me, just want my money like they're entitled to it.
kchur:
Oh, weird, I've only ever had one Buddhist monk hit me up, and she gave me a cool little necklace.
Working my butt off (ok, not really 
) to get barely enough money to live on - especially the rent for the sort of place where and what I like. Especially considering the sort of dull, boring, menial job I was doing that involved being yelled at by people with no sense of responsibility (sure, I still get people with no sense of responsibility - but I'm the one who gets to yell! 
)
The lack of respect. While here I'm no big-shot, I still get a modicum of respect. Back home, I'm a complete no-one that gets taken for granted (regardless of my abilities and good work ethic). Guanxi has it's place
And, of course, I don't miss being 'too old', 'too poor' or 'not handsome enough' for most of the girls back home ;-P !
I'm glad I left behind my disfunctional family. Now I am 10,000km away and it is hard for them to get hold of me now. I'm lovin it.
-Middle class French teenagers who tried really hard to behave like they grew up in a stereotypical American ghetto.
-Hooligans and the fear of getting stabbed if it's dark outside or you're alone in a street.
-Reality TV.
-Current French music.
-Small-minded thinking (well, another type of it, at least...).
-Mountains and winding roads. Curse those winding roads, those nausea inducing hellholes.
markferrer:
Have you ever been to Charlotte NC, USA? Its built on flatlands with no obstructions like; mountains, rivers or bodies of water around. The road-map looks like a plate of spaghetti. There's not one single straight road anywhere and there's no excuse for it.
Mr_spoon:
Never been to the US, unfortunately :/ But the place where I grew up was next to the Alps, between mountains, so the roads outside big cities never went straight.
I thought of another thing I don't miss.... bank fees.
ATM fees, monthly card fees even if you don't use it, service fees if you should happen to go inside because thier ATM is out of order, etc.
I love the UnionPay cards and extended banking hours here.
Banks here can't afford to treat thier customers like shit.
Shining_brow:
Ummm, you confuse me! ALL the banks here treat their customers like shit... you watch what happens when something goes wrong! Besides, I'm fairly sure back home, if you used you nation-wide bank card in an ATM in a different state (but the same ATM), you don't cop a charge for it as though it's a different bank's ATM.
markferrer:
yeah, I guess there's still a fee for using different ATM cards other than the same bank here too but its like 1-2 rmb (16-32 cents) , not like the $2-3 fees back in the states
Fashion and the importance of image.
Expressionless faces.
dharma86:
Yes, that and most mechanical cow poo that has been implanted into people's brains.
kchur:
Are you sure that any of those three things aren't the same in China? Because I'm seeing a lot of guys here with stone faced expressions and Justin Biever haircuts and iPads, talking about how the whole world is jealous about the accomplishments of the Communist party.
dharma86:
Not the same, but yeah of course it is here too. Just here I feel like I don't have to compete. Being different works out better.
Having to earn more and more every year just to stand still.
Being taxed through the roof.
Paying rip off prices for everything.
Crap weather all year.
Poor social life.
High crime rates.
Too many chavs.
No real prospect of life getting better.
I realized how much bigger the world is. I always KNEW it, but never realized it. Made all the people at the company I left look kind of pathetic. Coming over here has given my resume clout with internationals that totally dwarf that place.
GuilinRaf:
I know what you mean! Many issues that seemed so important back home, just dwarf by comparison and even seem petty.
I am glad to have left behind the 60 hour work-week, and now that we are in election year, I am doubly glad to be away from the "loudspeaker wars".
Mosquitoes.
Jnusb416:
Where do you live? Because there are a bazillion mosquitoes in this city. In fact, I saw one in my room 2 days ago...and it's February.
MissA:
I live in Xinjiang, thousands of kilometres from the sea. Sometimes living in a desert has its payoffs :)
Drunken Drivers
Bugs
Ants and Ant Hills
Ugly barking dogs
Bullies
kchur:
Wait, are you saying you've seen none of those things in China?
derek:
Yeah, drinking and driving never happens here. ...and as much as I try, I have never seen a bug of any kind.
- Illiterate, dirty and rough (sometimes intoxicated) teenagers who relieve that driving a bus is like playing: “Need for speed 2”.
- Cynic and overwhelming corruption (yes, in my country is worst).
- Kidnappers, drug dealers, thieves and all other kind of criminals.
- And my neighbour’s son (that little bastard was a pain in the ass).
