Lack of Culture Shock

If you couldn’t tell from the other posts, there is a lot of cultural difference in China, and Kunming especially. One of the biggest cultural differences I’ve noticed in Kunming is the lack of urgency in doing things. I don’t say that in a negative way, in fact it’s extremely positive. As I’ve observed the locals living in Kunming, I’ve noticed that no one is rushing around to get things done, that there is almost never any hurry in what is going on around me. It’s crazy to compare to the United States because almost everyone is always running around, not taking their time to enjoy what’s around them but rather running from one thing to the next. In Kunming, the people are more concerned about having good relations with the people close to them and conversing with strangers than with trying to power through a ton of work everyday. So, as the USA is almost all work-oriented, China is much more people and relationship focused. It’s really interesting to see how separate cultures go about everyday life.

For me personally, I haven’t experienced much culture shock. Yes, getting used to a new currency and a slightly different living situation is new but it wasn’t alarming or concerning. I think if anything the most concerning part of coming to China was making sure I didn’t eat the wrong kinds of food and get sick. Initially, coming to Kunming I was very worried about getting sick from the food but I’ve had almost no problem with that during my time here. After about the first week I let myself be more adventurous in where I ate and I haven’t had any problems with my stomach. As much as the professors warn against the food here, only a few of the students have gotten sick and they have gotten over it rather quickly. So in other words, as much as I would love to discuss my feelings on culture shock, I just cannot do that accurately as I really haven’t experienced it. I always knew that I adapt to new situations pretty easily but this trip has really shown me just how comfortable I can be in a completely new environment, even after only a couple of days.