Immersed in the Culture

Ok, so we've celebrated our first seven days of survival here with only a few minor bumps and bruises along the way. The eighth day should be lucky, right? Hope so!

So, we had our cultural training and orientation, started our language lessons, had numerous people give us tips for what to do and not do...but...can anyone tell me which one is laundry detergent, which is fruit cleaner and what is meant for dishes? And, once you tell me which on is for dishes, which one is meant for the dishwasher and which is dish washing liquid? None of the training prepared us for this.

Many have done this even in their own country, but this is just one small example of how a routine, simple daily task can become a major undertaking. What is not shown in this video is the time spent at the "hyper"-market trying to reason which is which.

If this is what the Berlitz language method meant by "total immersion", I'm not sure we want anymore of it.

Oh, and by the way, we got a new tip from another expat regarding Carrefour...to help defend against the continual onslaught of stimulation (LCD's, Christmas music in Mandarin, constant crashing of carts into anything and everything, etc.), many people walk around in their own little world listening to their iPod's in an attempt to drown out the noise around them. Now, if only they had bumpers to stop people from ramming into you or your cart...

Really, though when it comes right down to it, a bit of patience and a good sense of humor, and the daily struggles can be a huge bit of entertainment.