Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Culture Shock!!!

A few days ago, I received an email from my former lecturer in University of Hertfordshire, Bernice. She wanted me to share some experiences of new things that I experienced since arriving in UK. She wanted to share it in her class and here are the culture shock! :D

Culture Shock!

After a couple of visits to the UK, this year I have the opportunity to study and stay here for a year. I’m going to write something on culture shock. This does not really represent all Malaysians and some things are just my silliness! :D These are a few things that have amazed me! :D Chill!

Coffee or tea?

Everywhere you go or stop people will ask you if you want a cup of coffee or tea. Even where ever you walk you will see people holding a cup of coffee in their hands. I know I like coffee too, but isn’t it too much? Haha… I want MILO sometimes! Oopppsss

Walk fast!

Everyone here seems to walk faster. Maybe everyone just wants to get warm or arrive at the destination as soon as possible. I don’t think Malaysians will walk very fast, as in Malaysia it is hot and humid and you end up getting sweaty and tired (lame excuse here).

Walking in the rain

It was raining on the second day in Newcastle and windy also. But because I had induction week, I needed to go to the university. I brought my umbrella, coat, jacket, even a rain coat. Believe it or not, when I was outside, I saw people just walking and not noticing the weather whilst I was freezing like crazy! In Malaysia everyone avoids rain; you will even get sick if it rains on you! Oh! One more thing, even in the night time you can see some girls wearing very short skirts walking in the cold city!

Don’t be fooled by the bright sun

The day after that rainy day, I could see the sunshine again. What a relief! So, I just wore my t-shirt and my skinny pants (lol!). I went out to go to the class again. It was fine for a while but I couldn’t believe it was windy and still cold even in the afternoon. What? In Malaysia if the sun is as bright you will be sweating like crazy.

Directions

I know I am very bad with maps. So, I do not even have to say about this. People keep providing me with so many maps and directions. In the end I end up lost! Things just look very different with the mix of old and new buildings …

No water hose?

If I can avoid using the toilet, believe me I will do it! Every time it is toilet time, there are so many things to figure out. The most difficult thing is when there is no water hose in the toilet. What you will find is just a bundle of tissue. You had better go to Malaysia and check out the toilets there …lol


Party all night!

People just party every night! Especially during freshers’ week. Even in my flat, every room looks busy with party. In fact, nobody asked me to join them (lol!).


The food

In Malaysia, it feels like I can eat anything and grab anything that I want to eat from the shopping mall. But it is not heaven like that here. It seems like I need to be really careful every time to find halal food. In the end, I am going for the vegetarian choice! Lucky me…

Banana story

I bought some bananas and apples from Tesco. I was so happy! (lol!). So, I went back to my flat and went to kitchen to keep them in the refrigerator. I opened the refrigerator and put my bananas and apples in it. Next day, I opened the refrigerator and took out my apples and bananas. They were as hard as rock! Lol! I realized that I had put them in the freezer. I am used to the refrigerator with the freezer on the top, so, I made a mistake here…lol!

International student…..egh…International accent!

It is great that studying here means I can meet with so many people from around the world. As English is my second language, I can practise using it here. As soon as I came here, I just realized that it is not that easy to practise. There are so many types of English to cope with. Even UK people themselves sound very different depending which part they come from. Then at the same time I need to listen carefully to the people who come from other countries where English is maybe their second, third or fourth - or whatever number is relevant - language. Oh, by the way, I also need to catch up on the content! What a great experience right? :D

Automatic

Sometimes I do believe that robots have already taken over this world. It seems like everywhere I go in the university I will go through automatic doors. Swipe your card here, swipe your card there… I even saw A4 paper pasted on the door saying “Automatic Door”. I still cannot get used to it and am very nervous that I will slap my face on the door….haha

No complaints. I’m the one who chose to come and study here. So, let’s just face it then. By the way, I think it is enough to write a few things for now because I believe I can write more and more and more. Cheers! (I copy this ‘cheers’ word from a guy on a bike who said cheers to me after I gave way to him. lol)

p/s: fried rice evryday at the moment...lol! Easy to cook and I can put anything I want in it! :D

12 comments:

  1. 1st time sampai sini baca this entri..

    awesome experience!!!

    saya dah letak blog awk dlm list link saya.. :)

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  2. Hafiz...ttg toilet tu jgn risau...bawa botol air mineral yg kosong kemana-mana. Bila masuk toilet, isikan air...mudah kan...kalau perlu air banyak, bawa botol besar sikit...harap dpt membantu

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    Replies
    1. terima kasih atas tips tersebut Dr. Bushro :)

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  3. hafiz,mdm maheran here, i enjoy reading ur all first time experiences. good for u to be studying there coz when u come back i bet ur english will be the best since u got the opportunity for real communication there.take care

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    Replies
    1. thanks madam maheran... i really hope i will improve my english :)

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  4. Miss UK too.. Hehe...never been there but miss talking to them.. Miss the 'Cheers' "Excellent' 'MArvelous'...etc www.mysweetbabyshop.com

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  5. Hafiz, you should eat the bananas with ice cream (banana spil)not put them in freezer..lol!

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  6. funny true thing...awesome experiences. All the best for u there! :)

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  7. Salam. Good to read that you're learning very fast and adapting yourself with the local culture. Be careful when taking bath on the first floor. Some houses in England have bathroom floors made from wood. So use the bathtub instead or you'll be shocked to see water leaking from the ceiling downstairs.

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Superb! ;)