Since going to China and coming home, the word ‘luxury’ has a new meaning. Before I left, thinking of the word ‘luxury’ usually meant high end or expensive. Now, luxury can mean any thing from a commode to a washer and dryer to western style food.
In China, everyone had to adapt to the fact that there were not many toilets around. We had to use the restroom in squatters. A luxury that was taken away was a western style toilet. It took me to almost the end of my trip to always prepare myself to have to use a squatter when I had to use the restroom.
Along with squatters, it came to my attention that Chinese people do not take cleanliness as seriously as us Americans do. Throughout the trip I was really able to understand Chinese culture and what they do and don’t do.
We all had to get used to simple American Luxuries being negated in China because for the simple fact that it was not their culture to use some of those simple luxuries.
