If your used to hygiene, Asia will quickly break that barrier; if you are used to simplicity, Asia will quickly break that barrier; if you think you are cultured, Asia will teach you something! Being able to travel through so many developing countries has been amazing, seeing the growth first hand that most only read of or watch on TV. Instead of searching Google for an answer to why India is such a backwards country, I was able to witness it for myself and speak with Indians in some crazy cities to learn more than any segment on CNN will ever teach me.
All throughout Asia, the people are generally nice. Most people will come to your aid if you are having trouble speaking with someone who doesn't speak the language, however, you can't rely on this as your personal translator; I became very good at Pictonary and Charades!!
I don't want to talk about each country, because I would be repeating my previous country wrap ups, but the countries in Asia are Eastern Civilization for a good reason, they are so much different from the West in almost every way possible, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
While I have been traveling, the only time I watch TV is when a TV is on in a restaurant. East Asian television is absolutely hilarious, everything from the ridiculous Chinese gameshows to the hilariously terrible acting in a TV drama. I would just bust out laughing with a heap of rice in my mouth and some of the locals would look at me, wondering what is he laughing at?
Parts of Asia were like my trip through the Middles East and North Africa in that there weren't many western backpackers. While it is always good to be stuck in a car full of Europeans or South Americans, I would much prefer speaking with a local and picking their brains about, what seems to them as, the most trivial things, like, "what is it like praying five times a day?" I have no clue what goes through the head of someone who is Muslim, Hindu, lives in a Communist country, etc. and since I am here, I seize the opportunity to learn first hand rather than from some news outlet or book. I want to see an unfiltered view of the world and then present that to all my friends, family, and those who read this. If it seemed harsh when I talked about how dirty India was, then fly to India and ask a local, they would say its disgusting, however, they see it as a job for those who are extremely poor. Talked a little too much about the pollution in China? Go there and see a skyline that can be riddled with smoke stacks that are billowing smoke, or try to see down the road on a good hot summer day in Beijing when the pollution levels are way above the "safe" threshold, or question why there are nuclear power plants less than a mile away from some cities. If the people walking the streets in Vietnam are picking their noses all day, you should know that. While most stereotypes about Asia can seem absurd, many of them are probably true. Imagine growing up driving on a chaotic hellish road where all rules are thrown out the window and then try driving in a country where you can be pulled over if you don't wear your seatbelt! Yeah, it's going to be a hard adjustment. Now flip that scenario around, and that's what I have done. It's going to be WEIRD seeing normal traffic in Australia.
So the next prevailing question is, can I survive in a First World country? The rest of the world has molded me to believe that it's ok to walk around without shoes on, eat with my hands, miss a day or three of showering, or judge the cleanliness of my clothes by the degree of odor. I'm going to laugh at the sight of a sign outside of an establishment that reads no shirt, no shoes, no service.
The first First World country awaits me. What is this next culture shock going to be like?
Only time will tell and anything is possible.
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