The Poverty Shock“I went to Punta Cana and I was totally culture shocked! The people over there are so poor and the way they live made me cry! I felt so bad. It made me appreciate my life and the smallest blessings that I have.”
“Chinandega, Nicaragua – The living conditions of the working class - dirt floors, cardboard walls, tin roofs, cook over open fire, cement sink-water out of a hose. Markets with raw meat hanging and flies buzzing around on everything; people just throw their garbage in street or burn it. Skinny dogs running around looking for scraps. It’s a beautiful country with friendly people but it makes you realize difference between us and third world countries.”
- Brazil
- Jamaica
- Bahamas
- Mexico
- The Philippines
“Dublin -- everyone drinks!”
“I also had a quite a lot of culture shock in Italy--seems like every last person in the country still smokes!”
“Poland – there are no public restrooms (unless you pay a lot).”
“Mallorca, Spain - they know how to live the good life!”
Societal Woes
“Murphy and Nantahala North Carolina - The locals supported, defended, harbored Eric Rudolph. I was passing through on a motorcycle trip and got out of that area quick. It was all over the news and if you spoke against him you had a fight on your hands. Crazy!”
“I'm not sure if I had more culture shock in Tunisia or Kenya. I think possibly Tunisia because I was so young and naive and had no idea that being a woman could have so much impact on my experiences there.”
“Saudi Arabia! The hot weather and the mall with only male employees. No females were allowed to work only shop there.”
“United Arab Emirates – wow, now that was a culture shock to see the women actually mandatorily walking a distance BEHIND their husbands and sons, totally covered from head to toe in beautiful long black garments in over 100 degree weather!”
“Tijuana Mexico Seeing very young children selling homemade items, even little packets of gum with no supervision in sight, to support their families. It was really heartbreaking.”
“When I was in Cancun there were Federales patrolling the beaches, carrying M16's.”
So Close, Yet So Far Away
“Washington, DC - I found it so unbelievable that a mere ten hours away was a totally different way of life than the rural country life that I was accustomed too. There is so much culture there but on a different scale of the culture offered here in beautiful West Virginia.”
“Alaska - the most beautiful land I have ever seen! Had to keep reminding myself that it's part of the USA.”
“Columbus, Ohio... it was a dead town with walking zombies. I can't even explain it; just mind boggling!”
“Savannah, Georgia - We couldn't get over how NICE everyone is! Having dealt with NJ-NYC people all of my life, it was a NICE culture shock!”
“New York City -- At age 13 I was young, naive and from a small town. New York City was a big shock. Until that point, I had never seen so much filth and rudeness. It was very enlightening.”
Just Relax
“I took a trip to the Bahamas for my cousins wedding a few years ago. Like most females I got my hair braided and left it in for a couple of days but had to wash my hair for the wedding. I ended up tripping a breaker in the room by blow drying my hair and having my curling iron on, along with the TV and radio. It took FOREVER "mon" to get someone upstairs to fix it!!! Needless to say the wedding gift was in the safe that needed electricity and time was ticking away while I waited for these REALLY laid back folks to come up! Finally I just carried the safe into the hall and plugged it in to get the gift out and hurry to the wedding with my wet hair.”
“The Bahamas it is so laid back and no one is in a rush to get anywhere. The people are so friendly and I love their culture. I could so live there.”
Steeped in Culture
“Bali, Indonesia. The spiritual vibe, landscape, people, colors, smells, etc. It's something you have to see/feel to know hat I'm talking about.”
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