KAAREN FEHSENFELD (cultural studies) writes:
Coming home was pretty surreal. I noticed a lot of cultural differences while we were over there; just little things, like the fact that there isn't heat in most buildings, despite the 30- to 40-degree weather. Maybe this is based more on economics, but economics don't explain the habit of constantly leaving windows open. We would get back to our hotel at night, and walking down the hallway, several windows would be cracked or almost completely opened. I suppose that if it's already cold, you might as well get some fresh air circulating; this seems pretty logical.
Another thing about the cold—I got used to layering my clothes and wearing my jacket indoors while I was in Shanghai, and this has made the adjustment to Chicago's five-degree weather so much easier. We have strange mental and cultural blocks to a lot of random things; I was always the type of person, for example, who would rather turn up the heat than put on extra clothes. Now, this seems pointless, if not just plain stupid and extravagant.
Another thing I loved about Shanghai was the difference in what is considered rude compared with the United States. The first night we arrived, I asked Xhingyu, our guide, how to say "excuse me" in Mandarin. She gave me a word, but quickly explained that it wasn't a direct translation, and that people don't really excuse themselves if they bump each other on the street. People also hawked loogies at free will, and more than once, as I stood in line, another person simply stepped in front of me. I considered that maybe this was because I looked pretty thoroughly American, but when I started to take note, I realized that it happens constantly, to foreigners and locals alike. While these differences made me a little edgy and uncomfortable at first, after awhile I saw how they made sense. In a city of almost 20 million people, there isn't time to say "excuse me" every time you bump into someone. What is socially important in Shanghai, according to hearsay and Lonely Planet, is never making someone lose face. This might be the sentiment behind big projects like the 2010 World Expo site, which shows off China's architectural and economic prowess to the world.
Kaaren Fehsenfeld is a junior cultural studies major.
