About Culture Shock

After I applied for the registering on Italki.com, I really made some interesting friends.  acquaintances.  With their help, I'm was sure that my English will be soon improved soon. However, At the same time, I felt a big culture shock for me. Sometimes, I don't even know how to deal with it.

As we all know,culture of Most European western countries is are more outgoing than that of China Chinese.  When I was chatting with friends from those them from these countries, they would like to talk about love, sex or even something things I didn't don't understand yet.  In China, we don't offen seldom talk about these such things even with frineds friends or family members. families. Even though I understand they know little of Chinese culture, There is no doubt that they really made me puzzled and offended me in some many ways.  ,even though I understood they just knew little about Chinese culture and They just want to be friendly and be themselves. wanted to show their warms only.

Next time, I hope we can respect each other by chatting on some other more comfortable topics.   my friends can respect me and in return,I will respect you,too . Then it would be a more comfortable talk.After all, my only aim is to practice my English.


(I hope that  this article won't  didn'toffend you.  If so, I am sorry it does,I'll show my regrets.)

I agree with you in many ways and at the same time I don't.  Most people do not talk about such things when meeting for the first time.  Such topics are meant for personal friends.  From what I infer from your writing, you are not their friend either - merely a virtual acquaintance.  After all you are USING them to practise your English.  So you are no angel either.  Close friends do talk about such things, especially people of your own age group.  We are all human beings after all.  You should never consider any person a friend.  They may be your acquaintances, colleagues, family but never friends.  A friend is someone whom you two can trust, rely on with each other.  When you are unhappy, they will be at your side lending their shoulders for you to cry on without conditions.  Those people are what I term as friends.  Sometimes I am amused how people want to be your friend here on ITALKI!  I know this is not true, just acquaintances trying to learn from you and nothing more.

Whenever you are not comfortable on any subject, you should politely tell them the truth, otherwise they won't know.  In this situation, this aspect of not embarassing the other person is a bad Chinese cultural trait.  It is just like if the teacher is wrong, students don't dare to speak out and point out the error.  It is bad for both sides.  In this respect, the western culture is better as we can cut to the chase and not doing some fancy tango with one and another.

I tell people, "go to the beach and enjoy yourself but also be very aware of dangers that lurk around!".  ITALKI is no exception.  There are people here who are willing to help you with your English but there are also unsavory people trying to hook up with you for not so noble reasons.

When you meet people here, the educated ones never broach on such topics. Religion and politics are the other two tabu subjects.  Perhaps after you two had REALLY become real friends do you touch on them.

不入虎穴焉得虎子!  So be careful of swimming sharks.  Your English is above average than most of your countrymen. You expresses yourself well. However your mechanics of the language is terrible,  Read my article on punctuation indentation rules.

http://www.italki.com/knowledge/wiki.htm?n=Mechanics%20Of%20The%20English%20Language