Living overseas has it’s consequences. It’s natural for human beings to adapt to their surroundings. I know from experience that China changes you. The only thing is, you don’t realize those changes until you find yourself in awkward situation caused by some quirk you picked up while you were away.
When you return to your home country after spending a significant time overseas, you may have developed a habit of saying whatever you want out loud and in English (or your native language) with the assumption that no one else in the vicinity (other than the person you are talking to) can understand you and, therefore, won’t be offended if you comment on their lack of hygiene or fashion sense. Old habits die hard, and it can be a tricky situation when that person in front of you at In-and-Out Burger turns around and gives you the evil eye because of such a comment.
Although not nearly as socially-offensive, another classic just-returned-from-China situation is when you walk into a dark hallway or room and start stomping your feet or clapping your hands. Once one of your friends finds the switch on the wall and the lights come on, you might notice your companions looking at you as if you belong in a ward somewhere.
In America, the Clapper™ might simply be an amusing oddity found on late night television and your great aunt’s house, but in China it’s a foundational energy saving technology. Every hallway in our building and pretty much every other residential complex in Beijing is equipped with sound-sensitive lights that come on when you make a loud-enough noise. The lights go off again about 30 seconds later if it remains quiet. Most Chinese people seem to have perfected using a clicking noise with their mouths, but the typical foreigner tends to rely on slapping their foot on the floor or whistling. (I can’t whistle, but sometimes I snap my fingers.)
There are a lot of Chinese oddities that baffle us foreigners, but listening-lights are a great common-sense solution. Unfortunately in America, they simply aren’t common, and sometimes you just feel foolish after whistling in the dark and waiting for the lights to come on.
What are some other classic “You know you’ve lived in China when…” situations?
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Calling the waitress over for the bill at a cafe instead of going to the counter to pay, forgetting to put my seatbelt on… The big one for me is throwing Chinese phrases into English sentences. Things like ma fan, cha bu dou, sui bian – the ones that are a clear concept in Chinese but tricky to translate well.
Definitely the toilet paper in the trash can. My parents don’t like that habit so much when I go home.
My favorite is ordering things “for take away” instead of “to go.” It’s a little thing, but I definitely noticed the weird looks I got in the States when I used the former. I also instinctively wanted to question a random girl who used “take away” to order to find out if she had been overseas recently.
Aperently in western culture it’s rude to bring the bowl up to your mouth… Yeah. Bu hao yi si.
Haha and yeah I totally started doing the click thing becuase of those lights.
I have to “make” myself look over my shoulder when changing lanes, instead of merging like fish, who never look over their shoulder
For me it’s tipping; I still can’t get the hang of it. I always feel like when I tip someone I’m acting big or something, can’t get used to it. And than there’s this tax thing I mean I paid for what I bought and now I have to pay more than what the sticker says! Lies!
“Take away” is what we say here in Australia.
After living in Australia 5 years, when I returned to Beijing in 2008, sitting in the back seat of the car, I naturally attempted to buckle up the seat belt, and I was told not to worry about it.