This past summer I went to Wuxi, China for two weeks to visit a foreign exchange friend, Steven, I had made during high school. I stayed with him and his family, and we went to a bunch of amazing places I'll mention in another article. However, here, I'll talk about all the culture shocks I was and wasn't expecting during my trip.

1. China isn't as diverse as America

When you look around in America and see people of all different ethnicities, you don't think, "Oh, they must be foreign." On my trip, I only saw two other Caucasian people in the small span of five minutes, and that was it. I saw no other races either, so I was very aware that I was different and standing out.

2. Their driving is actually insane

Coming from LA, I know all too well the offensive driver technique, but man do they butcher through the rules of the road. I'm not sure what is legal or not, but I constantly was questioning safety during my trips outside.

My favorite part that was at every light, there was a sign with a horn crossed off because they honk worse than 101 traffic, and that says something.

Not just the driving, but parking was crazy too. Cars were blocking one another and in all different directions, sometimes cutting off the other drivers and buses! My road rage would be flattened compared to them. Every man for himself is an understatement.

3. People will stare and take pictures

I had read about this a lot right before I went on my trip, but was unaware of how I would feel when experiencing it. I have to admit, it was weird having random people taking my picture because I'm not comfortable with people at home usually taking my picture.

No one asked to take a picture with me, which I was relieved about. It was mostly because I was constantly with a family from China already, and I was told they are more fascinated with younger children and babies.

But I definitely caught a few people taking pictures, and I ended up just smiling and going on my way, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

4. American-Chinese food is not like real Chinese food

Now, I know that we're all in agreement that Panda Express is not Chinese food. But even the authentic restaurants were nothing like the food I ate. I'm not saying that what they made is not authentic, but we ate mostly from home and didn't have the capabilities to make such courses.

We had rice with every meal and ate a lot of types of soups with our meal. It usually was a lot of different things, like dumplings, seafood, and unique fried chicken. The hardest thing I had to find out I was eating was a chicken foot, and I couldn't finish it.

5. The weather is so humid

This isn't exactly a culture shock, but I was surprised when I was talking to Steven and he said this was rainy season. It had rained a bunch while I was there and while it was 100 degrees outside.

I, who lived in southern California, and was used to wearing jackets and sweats during the summer, felt like I was in a sauna even in the shortest of shorts and a tank top. And because of the tattoo on my back, I had to make sure it was always covered, which added more unwanted, sticky clothing.