An Experience of Culture Shock - Jimmy

When you leave your home country to come to a new one, you may notice some differences between your hometown and the foreign city. Some of these differences can be interesting, while others will be weird and unfamiliar. I think the weird feelings are relevant to culture shock. It is important that we should think twice and respect the differences when we encounter different cultural values.

I have been to some western countries like the UK, Canada, and New Zealand. I have found that rain is often seen as a natural phenomenon to be embraced rather than avoided in these western countries. And I have found that even when it is drizzling or raining outside, local people prefer to get completely wet rather than use an umbrella. However, when it rains cats and dogs, they still need some rain gear and they are used to wearing coats and boots. In contrast, people in Taiwan or most Eastern countries usually carry umbrellas with us. We use umbrellas not only for rain but also to shield ourselves from sunlight. We have even invented various kinds of umbrellas, such as the automatic umbrella, the mini folding umbrella, the reverse umbrella, and so on. All of the convenient umbrellas show how we love to bring umbrellas with us and to use them. Therefore, I was really surprised by how foreigners embrace rainy days just with their coats.

At first, this kind of situation let me feel embarrassed with using an umbrella on a rainy day. However, after several times, I changed from being afraid of using an umbrella to being able to hold one up comfortably, because I thought I need to follow my heart. Finally, I could do myself and respect the differences between different cultures simultaneously.