Culture Shock???

at the risk of sounding politically incorrect, have you ever experienced culture shock while travelling around?

For me, it was probably being greeted by kisses on the cheek by strangers at my aunt's home in Belgium.

I've heard lots of stories from missionaries to places like Indonesia, Cambodia and Nepal, but i'll leave that for later.

Anyone heard about public toilets in China?

 

but in what way was it difficult for you to adjust?

 

One story about Cow worship in Nepal. They worship it to the point that the dung is also holy. There was one missionary there who bought a small tub of yogurt off a street stall and realized only at the end that the bottom was packed with a layer of IT.

FOr me, that would take abit of "coping with".

 

i think they do that on purpose for western guests so that you go back telling everyone how mordernized China is...

 

yup, it's called a squatting toilet. And it's found pretty commonly in the east. It's like a pan that can flush too.

In Singapore too. In fact, i rather prefer it. then you don't have to sit on dirty toilet seats, see... In most of our public toilets, you get a choice of sitting or squatting ones.

However, in countries like Indonesia, the rural parts, you have those squatting types that DON"T flush.
They empty the bucket occasionally. Flies and the accompanying maggots. (Grossed out yet?) I've never gone to one of those before. i think i'd rather HOLD.

There's a lady in our church who went to do mission work in Indonesia. And the toilet was such and she just constipated five days. No joke.

They did visitation to a family's home. they had been coming to church. And the made their special meal for their guests. Monkey.

The man of the house went off into the forested area behind their house and returned with a dead monkey, and they cooked it. And this lady (the one from my church) just had to discreetly leave the room, straight after she saw that human like hand sticking out of the pot.

THis is a real dilemma for missionaries because you do not want to offend people for whom Christ died! Well, Paul said:

1 Corinthians 10:26 For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

 

Yes, and i can imagine during winter and all those layers of clothing you have to wear, it can be most distressing....

the first winter i ever exprienced was in Shanghai, 2002. Winter is a bit of a culture shock for me. It doesn;t snow in Shanghai (I'd love to give snow a try sometime...) but it does get quite chilly.

I was not used to all the layers of clothing. Not only that, we had our then 3 yr old and 1 yr old with us. I was so worried we'd forget a mit or a hat when ever we left the indoors for the outdoors.

Before leaving for Shanghai, i had a conversation with a brother from church about (you guessed it) the public toilets. and what he described to me left me worrying in the middle of the night.

(CAUTION. THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED.)


It's like a row of cubicles, a drain running through all of them and a hole at the end of the row. (Shiver me timbers....)once in a while, the cleaning person will use a bucket and flush out the stuff from the opposite end, down to the end where the drainage hole is.

Now, THAT is the low down on pubic toilets in China. And this brother was in Shanghai, one of the more (most?) prosperous city in China. Of course, the city area is very, very progressive.

China is presently trying to mordernize their toilets in Beijing in time for the 2008 olympics.

 

I remember something else about the Chinese in Shanghai. They have no concept of queuing. You could be standing there and they'd just shove you away to get their ticket or cab, or whatever you may have been (stupidly) standing in line for....

And, they do not wait for you while getting on or off the train or bus. The men will shove past you even if you were a lady carrying a baby!!!
True personal account.

 

hyuk hyuk

This thread is turning into toilet horror stories from around the world....