Today was our first day in China. There were immediate culture shocks. The squatters were very different from western style toilets. It was almost as if you are really using the restroom on the floor. Luckily we have western style toilets where we are staying. Another culture shock was that the children use the restroom any and everywhere. Their outfit are even cut out around there private areas so they can easily squat and relieve themselves. I had mixed emotions about that.
After we settled into the Royal School of Beijing we left to visit the summer palace. The summer palace was amazing. I enjoyed the intricate architectural designs of the building. I also like the paintings on the buildings. In certain parts of the summer palace the paintings told a story. These paintings on the buildings made me think about how the Chinese put everything into their work, which is highly commendable.
At the summer palace I experienced my biggest culture shock by far, the Chinese fascination with Americas, especially African-Americans. I was asked to take pictures countless times. And people snuck and took pictures of me excessively as well. In the Summer Palace I think it set in for me that this fascination wouldn’t really die down. After putting it in perspective, I think I understood the fascination. America is a huge melting pot with many different types of people and cultures. China is over 90% Chinese. So if you’ve never seen the different types of people in the world, aside from tv, seeing them in real life is like Americans seeing a celebrity they never thought they would see.
