Don' get me wrong, I LOVE living in China, but...................

As a sociologist, I understand that our responses to social behaviour in public is "learned". I have/had a sensitive "gag reflex" and I was concerned about living in China and listening to how the locals clear out their noses and lungs. Believe it or not, I've gotten used to it- or rather- I've strengthened my physical reflex to it. It's not so much the visual, as the audio, that is a constant part of the "noise" factor here. One of my Western colleagues suggested that the noise that accompanies the act of clearing one's nose/ throat in public, is a "polite warning" to get out of the way when the unwanted substance goes flying through the air. It's a sound theory.

Now that I have been here for (almost) two months, I have witnessed another cultural difference between East and West- and that is the public "personal grooming" that is ubiquitous in China. Bus, restaurant, street, - it does not seem to matter. Chinese people ( or I should not generalize- maybe it's just characteristic of Shanghai residents)- tend to take care of their "personal grooming" in public. All orifices are involved in this ritual. Sometimes, it's hard to know where to look....but, I'm learning....
The good news is that for the first time in many years- because of the poor air quality, the poor water quality and the general uncleanliness of this city ( read my earlier Blog about dog owners)- I now have beautiful, unbitten, perfect cuticle nails. Thank you to my hosts in this country.