Living in China has made me realize that different cultures have many different perspectives on both small and big issues. An example of a small issue is that, in China, people feel that it is bad for your stomach to drink cold water. At restaurants or in the cafeteria, there is only hot or warm water to drink! It is very difficult to find ice here as well. Most of the time, drinks are not even refrigerated in stores. If you want a soda at the store, it will not come out of a fridge, and you cannot ask for ice! In fact, ice isn't used very much in a lot of countries, so it can be difficult to find a very cold drink overseas.
An example of a more complex difference in perspectives is found in the role of grandparents in China, especially in their role as babysitters. In China, grandparents are almost always the babysitters for their grandkids, as my student Hu Ping's grandparents were for her. Family is seen as so important here that some people do not think anyone else but the grandparents should watch over children. In the United States, on the other hand, it is common to hire a young babysitter that's unrelated to you or to pay to send your child to daycare. Grandparents in the U.S. do often babysit their grandkids, but it's not expected as it is in China.
