Culture Shock

January 18, 2008


We have been living in Malaysia for over a year now. A year is a long time. Apparently, a year is long enough to completely reset your cultural norms and standards as well as your expectations of what is and what isn't normal. This vacation has showed me that Malaysia, both the good and the bad, has become my normal. That is a bit disturbing when I start to digest what that really means. I guess normal is sweltering heat, filthy and confusing public toilets, a constant babble of foreign languages, and zero personal space. "Normal"

I'm not sure if Malaysia has become my norm or if Australia was just that abnormal. You be the judge. Are the following pictures "normal"? I think not. Australia is a land of freakish, deadly animals and they are everywhere. We had to wear ridiculous blue stinger suits when we went snorkling at the great barrier reef because of the jellyfish. We were instructed not to pick up any of the coral because there is one type of coral that will sting you and send you into immediate cardiac arrest. We were forbidden from swimming in the ocean at the beaches up North because of the deadly jellyfish that were currently saturating the ocean. The popular beaches around Sydney were all protected with shark nets to keep out sharks and jellyfish.

In addition to the constant reminder of the lurking deadly animals there were many other aspects of Australian life that were a "culture shock" to me. After our long, red eye flight from Malaysia, we arrived at our Sydney hotel a little to early to check in. "No Worries" (the Australian phrase I heard the most), next to the hotel was a nice little coffee shop and DELI!! Lunch meat is almost nonexistent in Malaysia. You cannot walk into a store or restaurant anywhere and order a turkey/cheese on wheat. There are no sandwich shops in Malaysia - the closest thing I have seen is ONE subway. Now I love Subway as much as the next guy - but come on - I want a monster dagwood. Over the months I have learned to live without, but to walk into the first store I came across and see piles and piles of delicious meat ( even that forbidden meat-ham) took me back. I then started to realize how much different the food was. So many choices and so many types of food I hadn't seen in ages. I got my burrito fix and Casey, to her delight, realized that Australia, like America but unlike Malaysia, had sweets and candies for every whim. We indulged, no fried rice or noodles for 2 weeks.

Another "culture shock" for me was the way people dress and the SKIN!! I am accustomed to seeing women with head scarves and very loose fitting, shapeless full length dresses. Many of the Chinese woman in Malaysia wear more revealing clothes but by more revealing I mean normal skirts and blouses. Only the young Chinese girls wear anything that could be dubbed "revealing". No one in Malaysia, except for the tourists, wears short skirts, short shorts, or tank tops. Even the men in Malaysia generally wear long pants with their shirts tucked in. The Australian, "normal" attire was anything but modest. I saw more cracks, bellies, and those "shocking" bare shoulders in one hour than I have in the past year. So much skin. Unfortunately, many of those who were baring it all should have taken a page from the Malaysian book. I was very aware of peoples body type in Australia. In Malaysia, where people are more covered up, you don't always get a sense of someones shape. In Australia, with hip huggers, tank tops, and tube tops very much in style you know very well what everyones body type is.

Other "culture shocks"
Australia is expensive - crazy expensive. I can eat out and eat out well, three meals a day in Malaysia for USD10. The cost of living in Malaysia is one of the easiest things to get used to.
Personal space. I felt like I had a bubble around me in Australia - no one bumps into you, no one cuts you off. Even in a crowded place people make a point of avoiding each other and respecting your space. People actually line up and wait their turn in Australia. I never had to jockey for position or protect my place in line. I loved Australia for this.
Australia is clean! The bathrooms are clean. The cities are clean. Malaysia is not overly dirty but it isn't even close to Australia clean.

Even though Malaysia has now become my "normal" and Australia provided some "culture shock", I'm sure that with the right motivation I could make Australia my "normal". All I would have to do is move there. What do you think? Is Australia next in line for the place I call home? Australia is an awesome place - here are some pictures to prove it - and they speak English there. Who knows!