I guess we're all “working on it” in various ways and none of us, myself more than most, can lay claim to getting it right all the time.

I look forward to the next installment.

I know I'm late to this conversation, but I must say that I've found this post and the coinciding comments incredibly interesting. My first thought was “Man, I miss wearing my Chaco's!” Living on the Tibetan plateau comes with 9 months of non-chaco-suitable weather.

With my first visit to this area in 2004, I remember thinking many of the same things, much the same way many of my Asian friends have felt overwhelmed when visiting America. My mother growing up in Thailand and Vietnam always stressed “It's not wrong, its just different!”… and it is different now, isn't it?

I still get annoyed weekly at all sorts of things while living here, but thats part of MY cultural response to this place and and it's hard to undo my previous 24 years of cultural influences… still, not wrong just different. Let's be honest, learning culture and dealing with cultural stresses can be maddening and very difficult.

Two other points, hopefully not to add to the fire by any means.

Firstly, I think its incredibly healthy for Shiloh to point out that its her who has to change and obviously not the culture. It's the things we aren't aware of when dealing with culture shock that get us and Shiloh seems well aware of where the stresses are coming from.

Secondly, there are so many different culture exchanges happening just in these comments and responses to Shiloh's post. Being a Westerner at one point in my life (can I say that?!), I relate to the “bad” smells vs. “warm, comforting” smells comments, though we ALL have to know that contextually, on this blog, we are speaking to people who span multiple cultures and contents and who have different ideas of “bad/uncomfortable” vs. “Comforting” – I'd have made the same mistake and likely even worse if I were writing this!

I've eaten enough tsampa for the entire Southern portion of the U.S and have had gag reflexes even 6 years after having my first taste. Similarly, my Tibetan friends think spaghetti is the worst tasting thing on the planet.

It's culture and its differences, similarities, semantics and utterly beautiful and often frustrating nuances have been well illustrated here.

Thanks for your post and your follow up comment Shiloh, well written indeed. Thanks to everyone else for weighing in on this as well – great comments.

Brian

I think my biggest mistake was misunderstanding my audience, but I don’t particularly think I “don’t deserve Southeast Asia.” I truly love it here, and I know I should have emphasized it more. I merely meant to talk about the culture stress of being a brand new traveler, and the differences in environment that I never anticipated.

Trust me, I have not missed Asia’s beauty or allure. I look out of my bedroom window each day and see buildings rising through the trees in a majestic way that I would never find in the States. The people are also incredibly sweet and the food delicious.

I feel naive, and I guess, I am naive. Isn't it an unavoidable stage you have to go through before you become experienced, right? Doesn't everybody? And, I'm learning over and over that when you go through this unavoidable stage, you will at some points, unavoidably, look stupid and do stupid things.

Of course, I will keep writing as long as Matt will have me, but with this experience underneath my belt, my writing will change some. I won’t pretend, though, that everything is easy and that the differences in cultures aren’t surprising or difficult to get used to. Everything is not easy, but I will try to balance those difficulties with stories about what I love in Asia. And, I do love Asia.

Also, I do sometimes forget myself and put my feet on the furniture, only to catch it and quickly put them down. But, dang it, that’s a hard habit to break! However, Gavin, I want you to know that I am working on it.

Perhaps its because I am not was well travelled in the Far East as others here that I wasn't as offended? After reading all posts, I think its a good thing – you got everyone's attention. Maybe not what you intended, but it happens. And thank you, your post did remind me of the long forgotten smell I experienced when I first went to Istanbul back in 1995. It was November, rainy, clouds heavy. Coal was still used much more than natural gas…the smell of smog/pollution. That combined with the heavy jet lag I felt on that trip, it did make my stomach turn. Now when I go back, after having lived there for 8 years, I realize I miss that smell. Regardless, blog on Shiloh. I look forward to reading more about your experiences.