I find that the most interesting aspects of being immersed in a foreign culture is that it really is countless miniscule things that act synergistically to make the society different. Some things are impossible to miss (shop keepers yelling “歡迎光臨” at you if you even approach their store), others are more subtle (eating or drinking while walking seems to be only for kids or nightmarkets – a standard that I break all the time as an impatient and uncivilized foreigner. I remember seeing people tackling everything from pizzas to froyo while walking down the street in Providence all the time and there wasn’t anything strange about it).
Supposedly, the negative reactions of culture shock come from this relentless onslaught of these minor differences: continuous violation of small societal norms that you previously took for granted as universal norms builds up to psychological frustration. Strangely enough, I am somewhat looking forward to the experience of culture shock – I don’t know if I have ever been in a truly foreign place for enough for it to take hold, so I am curious as to how it actually feels.
I bring this up partially because I bought my first item of Taiwanese clothing today. I’ll probably buy more, considering that I didn’t bring much and it’s not too expensive. When it was on the rack, I thought “oh awesome – that sweater has a tiger on it! I will totally wear a sweater with a doofy-looking tiger on it! Also, it comes with a navy and maroon striped tank top! I like stripes! I like navy and maroon!” It looked so me – maybe it had a little Taiwanese flair to the loose sweater paired with the long tank, but I had no worries that this style was still me. This would be an easy addition to my wardrobe. So after a minor bit of haggling with the shop keeper, I spent ~$13 and bought the ensemble.
Curious, I tried it on first thing when I got back to my room and looked in the mirror. I looked so Taiwanese that I laughed out loud. How could I have ever thought that this was my style (not that I am that even that particular about my fashion)? And then I realized that probably seeing other people wearing outfits of this fashion all day has just started to slowly sink in. Will my fashion change while I am here? Probably a little bit. Will I look like a total FOB when I get back to the States? Probably not really. But maybe a little bit…
1. That waffle is purple why is it purple is it made of taro
2. WHY IS THERE NO PHOTO OF TIGER SWEATER