Kari_CP6

This afternoon Stan and I went to the college of engineering and had a really cool experience talking to a large class of Taiwanese and Chinese students (23). A lot of the students were really interested when they learned I was from Orlando and it was actually kind of funny to watch their reactions, because at the same time, they all went "Ohh!!" and got really excited. They asked me about the theme parks, especially Disney since that is where they are going next week. Mostly they asked me what it was like growing up in America and why stores were only open until 9 and opened late the next morning, or why girls in America dyed their hair. Some of the girls were curious about makeup and fashion, but a lot of them were actually really fascinated by my toe rings. One thing about the students which was culturally different, or at least to me it was, was that the students really loved using their cameras. They took pictures of everything and anything. Maybe it's just because they're in America and it's the whole, "Whoa! We're in America! This is all so different!" attitude, but man they really enjoyed taking pictures of my toe rings and threader earring, and also were really keen on recording my conversation with them.
I asked the students what the biggest culture differences or culture shocks were for them and most of them said the amount of people and the food. The students who were from China said that it was a really nice break not having so many people around and that it was significantly less crowded than it is in China, but at the same time, they said that they preferred the amount of people that China has. And of course the food, most of them said it was too sweet or greasy. They also said that Americans use potatoes waaayyy too much and that they were surprised how often we use them. Like for potato chips, fries, or in stews. The Taiwanese students also said that our food was always cold, and that they are much more used to hot things, like hot tea, hot soup etc. Also, seafood is the main staple in Taiwan, and in China it's very popular to have soup before supper. Many of the students were curious whether I had eaten Chinese food before, but I told them the only Chinese food we have in America is typical Chinese American like you find in shopping plazas. Again, the automatic response was, "Ooohhh!!" and they immediately said that the American Chinese food was nothing like authentic Chinese food, and that many of the items that are sold in American Chinese food shops aren't even real Chinese foods, like sweet and sour pork.
Another thing they really, really wanted to do while they were in Tallahassee but didn't have a chance to do, was go to a nightclub. They wanted the experience of going to a club in Orlando, but a lot of them were actually afraid to go out, even in groups because they had heard that it wasn't safe. They were also afraid of getting lost and not knowing what would be socially appropriate. But I told them that while they were in Orlando, they would also get a chance to go to a club called the House of Blues, which is very close to Disney and could get them a similar experience to any other club in Tallahassee.
Overall, this was really fun and the students were super friendly, and I would love to do this again.