Jun 12, 2010 5:47 AM
What I just really love about Vietnam and China!
- Nose-picking is common, performed and accepted by the public.
When I say nose-picking, I mean actually sticking your finger up there, clearly moving it around your nostril, looking at your fingers for boogers, then flicking it on the ground. People dig their nose to look out for gold for good ten seconds, untill they find their nugget and flick it away - it is done even during conversation between two people.
- Men are openly intimate with each other even if they are just friends.
It is often that to boys and men walking with each other, while holding hands, lying together in park, squatting on the ground in a semi-embrace, etc. In western world, they would describe this as "gay". Actually, this is my favorite one, that I often do with my friends.
- Crossing street in Vietnam for first time is like making a death wish.
You know when you are crossing streets, cars are supposed to wait untill you cross it, or avoid you - but in Vietnam, it is opposite. Cars do not wait, nor do they avoid you; you avoid them. Every time you cross street, your life flesh just right before your eyes. The driving here is really crazy too! Cars drives so close to each other, like it is about to bump to each other.
- Many people in China really like western people, coming to them and saying "hello", they get extremely excited when they say hello back. The cutest is when little kids see western people and actually gasp, then say hello and giggle. It is not common for China to have tourist, especially from west. It is more common for Tai Pei or in Hong Kong, to have white tourists.
- People in Vietnam change price of their selling product just whenever they feel like it.
If sellers notice that you are rich or foreigner, they change immediately change price. When I was in Vietnam with my friend Vladislav from Slovakia, he went to buy ice cream, just opposite of hotel we were staying in, he stood there in queue and the woman in front of him paid 5000 dongs (Vietnamese currency, about 0.3$) for chocolate ice cream, he then too asked for chocolate ice cream, but the price was now 20.000 dongs! (1$)
I cannot ever forget, how funny was the expression of Vlado (short name of Vladislav).
- People in China S-T-A-R-E.
As I mentioned above, in China, it is not so common to have tourists from west to visit China. When I was in China with Vlado, everyone stared at him, like he would be from different universe! Not to mention he's something over 190 cm's high - people not only stared at him, but at me too, thinking "what the f*ck, chinese talking in russian?". First of, it is czech, secondly, it is surprising how their english is terrible! Like 1 out of 20 speak English in China...
Well, people sure are curious where Vlado is from, but sometimes it is annoying, like when we go to eat, and they still stare at us, while we eat!! Is there such word for being so rude? Well, people wouldn't stare at me, if I was alone, and spoke in chinese.
It might be really upset someone for the first day. When they see us, they double take, say something to their friends, and then stare directly at us and continue to stare as we walk by. In west we are institutionalized to
take staring as a rude behavior, but here it’s just commonplace.
when someone doesn’t stare at us.
One group of teenagers even took a picture of Vlado as we walked by…no
joke.
- You might've notice, how things are cheap Vietnam!
Let me say this loud "Things here are CHEAP! Whole meal, pho, bun anything here cost 2-5 $ for both of us. It really kind of p*ssed me off, when I came back to Czech - McDonalds, KFC suddenly seemed overpriced for me.
- People are extremely friendly.
In restaurants and sometimes stores westerners are usually approached by a nice staff member with either an english menu or some help in deciphering the Chinese symbols.
- A great compliment to a Vietnamese woman is you look “fat and white”. It is something like saying to western people "you look tan and skinny". The reason a people likes to be fat and white? It’s a sign that they have money and enough food to eat. Women like to be white because it means that they don’t work in the fields. Whiteness symbolizes prestige and wealth. People in China believe that american woman are the beautiful with big boobs. Sometimes I find it extremely ridiculous, woman wearing long gloves, masks, glasses, and tons of clothes in order to prevent from getting tanned when it is about 30 degree celsius
- Engrish, not english morons.
Notice "Chinese restaurant"
<3 China and Vietnam!
Posted by
spupapi
| Jun 12, 2010 5:47 AM |
2 comments
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spupapi | Jun 13, 2010 5:11 PM
Yes, I have. I have been to Thailand, Singapoure, Malaysia and in borders between Laos and Vietnam.What you said about Japanese, that they tend to be wary of Westerners, that doesn't happen in China or Vietnam. Since Chinese and Vietnamese seems to me quite easy going, they tend even to forget their own morals, so how could they even ask someone else to obey it? |
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Graygoose124 | Jun 13, 2010 3:10 PM
Have you been to any other Oriental countries? Also, I think that's interesting that they like to be called, "Fat and White," Although I assumed the reason behind it. In Japan I noticed that most shop owners tend to be wary of Westerners, quite a bit of the shops wouldn't let me in until I demonstrated what I knew of their customs and how to be courteous, is Vietnam the same way? I just love Vietnamese food, but here it is extremely expensive, for about the same meal it costs $10~ for ONE person! So that is just amazing! Also, they raise the price for a tourist, and it's still less than half the amount you would pay in the States, that's crazy. Also, the open man intimacy is great, it's nice to see that they don't discriminate for being close to one another, hand holding is a little to much for me, but other than that I would do everything else on a daily basis, I'm also glad they don't mind nosepicking/staring, living with such a culture that looks down on someone who is interested in something or trying to clear a discomfort in their nose is crazy.
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