[00:03.22]Unit 12 Culture Shock Lesson 3 Living Abroad
[00:09.05]When I first arrived in San Francisco,
[00:11.79]I had a difficult time understanding certain
[00:14.50]aspects of the American way of doing things.
[00:17.80]Once I went to visit an American friend.
[00:20.79]After a splendid evening,
[00:22.41]I finished my cocoa and got ready to leave.
[00:25.54]As soon as we said goodbye,
[00:27.25]my friend went back to his room
[00:28.96]closing the door behind him.
[00:31.13]It made me feel that I was not really welcome.
[00:33.97]Jin Li
[00:36.10]I've always been outgoing
[00:37.57]but since an embarrassing experience
[00:39.73]in a New York restaurant
[00:41.39]I've been much more cautious.
[00:43.10]I was enjoying my dessert and talking
[00:45.31]to my American friend Janice at the table
[00:47.97]when I noticed people staring at us.
[00:50.54]I asked Janice what was wrong
[00:52.42]and she told me that I was talking to loudly.
[00:55.58]She said that to some American people,
[00:57.74]it sounded like I was shouting.
[01:00.20]I whispered for the rest of the evening.
[01:02.68]Wang Lei
[01:04.46]What did I learn about Chinese customs
[01:06.81]from my exciting exchange to China?
[01:09.10]Well, the Chinese are extremely welcoming.
[01:12.19]One evening,
[01:13.00]I was invited to a Chinese family dinner,
[01:15.90]I had a good appetite
[01:17.68]and the food was yummy.
[01:18.62]