[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]