Her--Cultural Differences

I’ve been studying in the United States for almost six years now, finally getting accustomed to the lifestyle over here. However, this wasn’t always the case. When I first stepped into this the MidWest, it’s an understatement to say that I did not experience a culture shock. There were times that I doubt myself if I could truly survive in the very different lifestyle and environment here. There were a few questions and thoughts that kept popping up in my head during my time of culture shock that I’d like to share with everyone.

Where are all the pedestrians and cyclists?

I found it rather odd at first when taking transportation in the MidWest. People here seldom walk or cycle on the road, and public transport is rarely used. This is a stark contrast to my hometown in China, where roads are filled with pedestrians and cyclists, and public transport is the main way to travel. Here, the road seems to designed primarily for the cars, with an occasional cycling lane added.

Life without a car in the MidWest seems rather unpleasant, especially in Fargo. The few times I had to take public buses in Fargo, I had to spend the majority of the trip waiting for buses or transits.

Where and how do I shop for groceries?

In my city, Baoding, there are convenience shops located almost anywhere, one convenience shop may be located right on the ground floor of your apartment, or just cross the road. Most people can, and choose to simply walk to the nearby shop, pick up groceries and return home within a few minutes. We normally won’t buy more than a three days of food at a time. This way, we keep our food fresh for cooking.

The story here is very different when it comes to grocery shopping. You will need to drive to the nearest grocery food store, which can be miles away from your place to do grocery and shopping, here in the MidWest. To minimize the amount of time spent travelling, most shoppers here prefer to buy enough food to last for a week or two.

What do I do for entertainment?

In my hometown, my primary source of entertainment is hanging out with friends at places like KTVs (Karaoke TVs), swimming pools and malls. This usually involves a lot of walking with friends, and we discover many different shops, restaurants and food stalls, along the streets. Karaoke is a very different concept in Asia. People would pay money for the sole purpose of singing for a few hours. This usually happens in private rooms with friends.

Here in the MidWest, the primary sources of entertainment are watching sports and drinking. Although there are also some shop outlets and malls here, they are rather small and not a whole lot of events happen year round.

Cheese, Why?!!

It’s not common to eat cheese in China, at all. We do eat fast food like hamburgers and pizza which has cheese on it, but that’s about it! Cheese seems really common here, and is loved by all. I initially had strong feelings against the strong smell of cheese, but after getting used to it, I ended up loving cheese. There are many more differences between the western and Asian cuisine, and I will show you more food comparisons in the next post. Stay tuned!

#HeGao