Culture shock #54: smiling! When you smile as you pass someone on the street here they smile back. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) September 2, 2013
53) I've been hit-on more in the past 24 hours than in my past three years in Singapore combined. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) July 21, 2013
52) I had to watch Adventure Time to understand current pop culture references. #lumpies #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) July 21, 2013
51) My neighbours have a garage band practice going on right now and there are 70s muscle cars ripping down the street #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) July 5, 2013
50) A huge banner in the Santa Monica 4th of July parade: "Dissent is Patriotic" #freedomofspeech #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) July 5, 2013
49) Pediatrician's office has us sign a non-disclosure agreement to protect their celeb clients. #reversecultureshock #westhollywood
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) July 3, 2013
48) I've been able to get our place set up without setting foot in Ikea. Bliss. #california #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) July 2, 2013
47) The driver in the hybrid next to us is playing the harmonica #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 15, 2013
46) Watching the Game of Thrones season finale before Twitter explodes with spoilers! #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 10, 2013
45) I could live a long happy life and never go into an indoor mall again #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 9, 2013
44) A traffic jam is actually a big deal #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 9, 2013
42) The day after a massacre, everything is back to normal & no one even mentions it #SMC #americangunculture #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 9, 2013
41) the definition of a hipster is widely understood #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 9, 2013
40) everyone is certain that Singapore is in China #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 9, 2013
39) hardware stores. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 9, 2013
38) contractors show up (shocking!) and are ON TIME. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 9, 2013
37) People use voicemail here! I better start checking it more often. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 4, 2013
36) When I say "thank-you," Americans reply "uh-huh." #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 4, 2013
35) I used to find ways of getting around asking for substitutions in restaurants. Now it's OK to ask for what I want. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 4, 2013
34) We're cold. It's 18 degrees out tonight for god's sake. Why don't I have a parka for this? #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 4, 2013
33) We keep heading out to dinner at 9 only to find that dinner most places is over #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 4, 2013
32) I do a double take every time I do a left hand turn into the right lane #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 4, 2013
31) Justin Bieber is not played in establishments where adults gather #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 4, 2013
30) An elderly lady looked confused when my husband called her Auntie #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 3, 2013
28) I shrunk from being a medium human to an extra small one. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 3, 2013
27) A bottle of wine in a restaurant costs the same as a glass in Singapore #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
26) I made my Twitter feed public as I'm no longer afraid of being arrested for having opinions #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
25) I'm doing my own laundry. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
24) "Spicy" by American standards doesn't even register on my tastebuds #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
23) The asian food is bad #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
22) Stores have functioning websites and I can order ANYTHING online for immediate and usually free delivery #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
21) I find myself guarding my place in line against Kiasu only to realize that I'm safe now #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
20) When I wait for an elevator with the stroller everyone stands back to make sure I get on first #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
19) Drivers don't speed up or honk at me when I'm crossing the street #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
18) Brunch is possible 7 days a week. all day and for less than $9 a plate for enough food to feed an army. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
17) Hubby's bike rides are longer because he's having such a great time. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
16) The cat is cold #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
15) crows suck. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
14) my scarves are no longer a fashion accessory. They are clearly for warmth. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
13) My son is no longer a subject of stranger's instagram photos #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
12) Tomatoes taste like tomatoes #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
11) My landlord is a 60 year old surfer/guitarist who looks like The Dude #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
10) after about 5 pm children are mostly absent from public places. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
9) cell phone service is spotty at best. Never realised that before. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
8) I keep forgetting to bus my own table when I eat in food courts #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
7) guys walking the streets barefoot with surfboards. I love this. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
6) I had slow service at a restaurant and without me saying a word about it they comped my latte. I was amazed. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
5) I order a half sandwich and it's still bigger than what any adult human needs to eat in one sitting #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
4) I keep over shopping because everything is so cheap. Have to remind myself it will all be here tomorrow. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
3) TV is so seductive. It's way too easy to get sucked into hours of catching up on pop culture. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
2) Abundance! Every time I enter a store I have this jaw-drop moment like I've just arrived from another planet. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
1) Drivers are so organised and courteous. I never thought I'd feel such a wave of gratitude behind the wheel. #reversecultureshock
— Stacey (@singaporestacey) June 2, 2013
I love #40. I am working on setting up a blog to chronicle my relo from Chicago to Singapore. I am calling it "the bull in the china shop" because:
ReplyDelete1. I like the imagery, I am not a petite person, especially compared to most Asians.
2. My work style, I can have a tendency to be aggressive and assertive, this is NOT the normal work style in Asia. I was discussing with someone that worked in the region that I would need to avoid going over to Singapore and acting like a bull in a china shop, and inspiration for the blog name hit.
3. Most Americans that I tell I am moving to Singapore think it is in China. When I tell them it isn't and is a country that is south of Vietnam that doesn't seem to change their opinion that basically that whole part of the earth is China, they usually proceed to tell me about someone they knew that had an experience in Shanghai.