{"id":409,"date":"2010-03-23T21:56:30","date_gmt":"2010-03-24T05:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ups.edu\/studyingabroad\/?p=409"},"modified":"2010-03-23T21:56:30","modified_gmt":"2010-03-24T05:56:30","slug":"squatter-toilets-spitting-and-culture-shock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/2010\/03\/23\/squatter-toilets-spitting-and-culture-shock\/","title":{"rendered":"Squatter Toilets, Spitting, and Culture Shock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Culture shock.\u00a0 Perhaps the most clich\u00e9 and overly talked-about experiences of living abroad (and with good reason), it can be \u2013 in whatever form it presents itself \u2013 both incredibly amusing and downright frustrating.\u00a0 One thing is true however it may tickle you: cultural differences are the reality when studying abroad, however appalling or alien they are from your own.\u00a0 And that reality can be stressful for the pampered, germaphobic American who, for instance, is not used to squatter toilets or the concept of spitting in public.\u00a0 Of course I refer half-ashamedly to myself.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Places

Places to go, things to do, all on bicycle<\/p><\/div>\n

Culture shock is synonymous with travel, no matter where you go.\u00a0 After one month in Yunnan Province, China, I am still mesmerized at the many different ways one can hock a loogey.\u00a0 Rural or urban location; Han Chinese or ethnic minority; morning or night; young or old: it is perfectly acceptable to expel your phlegm (and whatever other inner demons may be troubling you) in public.\u00a0 My first week in China can be described as a kind of dance: tiptoeing and skipping along the pavement to avoid those appetizing regurgitated blots.\u00a0 I\u2019ve since learned not to care about (or look at) what might be cradling the soles of my shoes at the end of the day.\u00a0 The sniff-gurgle-hock-patooey sound has become all too familiar; joining the constant rumble of nearby construction and your everyday Chinese boisterousness, these colorful sounds harmonize in a way only rapidly-industrializing and evolving 21st<\/sup> century China can.<\/p>\n

\"A

A central marketplace in Tonghai, Yunnan Province. A rare quiet (without spitting noises) before the hustle and bustle of morning.<\/p><\/div>\n

There are a number of other superficial cultural kinks that keep me pondering late into the evening.\u00a0 Squatter toilets never cease to fascinate: after an entire month, I still lack the skills necessary to sufficiently do my business.\u00a0 The messy consequences of unpracticed use aside, squatter toilets promote very healthy anatomical posture and flexibility (I bet you didn\u2019t know that.\u00a0 Or immediately consider it, anyway.)\u00a0 In many ways, they work better than western toilets.\u00a0 The Chinese assume the squatting position in everyday leisure activities as well; whenever one is eating, waiting for the bus or simply relaxing without a chair nearby, they will squat.\u00a0 It is a common, almost calming sight in parks and along the streets.<\/p>\n

\"One

One of the more unsightly squatter toilets I've encountered.<\/p><\/div>\n

Beyond the superficial layer of China\u2019s culture lie many things that continue to faze me.\u00a0 Guanxi<\/em>, the infamous concept of personal networking to snag career opportunities, is the glue that connects China\u2019s businesses and social ladders together.\u00a0 It is a private, unregulated and common practice not without consequences.\u00a0 Confucianism, China\u2019s predominant ideology until the debilitating Cultural Revolution, has made a questionable recent resurgence.\u00a0 The traditional family unit that once consisted of three generations or more is rapidly changing in light of the One Child Policy, industrialization, and the displacement of migrant workers from their rural families.\u00a0 Finally, China\u2019s 55 ethnic minorities \u2013 25 of which are found in Yunnan Province alone \u2013 have long experienced discrimination and poverty.\u00a0 The Chinese government\u2019s recent efforts to bring modern technology, policy-making, and jobs to these populations have been profound, albeit still lacking.<\/p>\n

\"Construction

Construction is seemingly everywhere in China<\/p><\/div>\n

Clearly, there is much to study.\u00a0 These are issues China faces as it spirals unpredictably into the 21st<\/sup> century: issues originating from many academic disciplines.\u00a0 This, along with my interests in Mandarin (China\u2019s official language, spoken by the majority of the population), Chinese calligraphy, history, and Tibetan Buddhism are why I have journeyed to Yunnan Province, China.\u00a0 Amazing food, squatter toilets, odd customs, and a multitude of sociopolitical and cultural issues chose my destination for me.\u00a0 This is education through experience: not just a classroom.<\/p>\n

\"Why

Why travel? The answer is obvious.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Culture shock.\u00a0 Perhaps the most clich\u00e9 and overly talked-about experiences of living abroad (and with good reason), it can be \u2013 in whatever form it presents itself \u2013 both incredibly amusing and downright frustrating.\u00a0 One thing is true however it … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spring-2010-erin-hoshibata-11-china"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/studyingabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}