Differences Make Our World Beautiful

orginally published: March 30, 2018

Today I’m going to talk about some of the differences between China and the US. Some scholars categorize China as a developed country and some categorize it as a still developing country. China has developed a lot in the past 10 years. The skyline of Shanghai looks very similar to New York City. The improvements of China has brought this country into the modern age, but there are still a few things that are a little different.

The most important thing to remember when going to a country is to be flexible. Hold onto basic things such as smiles. Smiles mean the same thing in every country. But just about everything else doesn’t matter as much. Don’t go to a country and insult the differences. Embrace them and acknowledge them.

Differences

• Toilets: the number one difference between the US and China are the toilets. In China many of the buildings have swatty potties. That means there is no toilet bowl. You literally just swat to relieve themselves of anything…. It’s very different, but you get used to it. Not as many places have these type of bathrooms anymore. But just be prepared

• People push and shove: To get places people push and shove. We don’t do it because we consider it rude. If I accidently pushed someone I felt horrible and wanted to apologize. My Chinese professor made it clear that that would just be seen as a little weird. People aren’t meaning to be mean or rude it’s just part of their culture to get to where they need to be.

• If you look different you will have pictures taken of you: As a black woman I stood out, but as a group of black and white Americans my group and I stood out like a sour thumb. Everywhere we went people wanted to take pictures of us. Personally, I liked it. I felt like a celebrity. Some of my classmates were over it by the last day. Not everyone likes attention. I can’t relate, but if you don’t you can say no. People do respect that. You should for sure expect to have your pictures taken with and without your permission. I will say people mean no harm.

• No breakfast food: There isn’t really a concept of breakfast food. For breakfast you can have the same meals you had for lunch and dinner. It’s kind of fun.

Differences is what makes our world so beautiful. Keep following my instagrams for more pictures: @wanderlustingandcarpediem and @mal_pal131 follow them just in case. Also don’t forget to show support by ordering your own Wanderlust Continent Map Necklace. https://www.shopthepinkrose.com/product-page/golden-world-map

Carpe Diem,

Mallory