Saturday, May 29, 2004

Cultural ughs

Last night I was completely burned out from studying by 9pm, so I packed up my books and went swimming instead. I cannot believe how crowded the pool at Alexander was at 10pm a night - and not just adult lap swimmers, mind you, but young kids. What's up with their parents?!? These kids should be in bed!

I know this is just my own cultural values clashing with another's. Another moment: today I briefly attended an event, and I hate to say this, but I got a lot more out of the talk when the Western panelists spoke. They were direct and efficient about distilling useful information. Unfortunately, Taiwanese people tend to pat themselves too much on the back. I don't need to hear how many graduate programs you attended or how many degrees you have. Just say what needs to be said!

Not to say that there aren't windbags in the States, but man oh man, every time I attend an event with Taiwanese people, inevitably someone stands up and starts off with, "well, I went to [prestigious school] and found that...and let me quote Confucius/prominent business leader/politician..."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

so true, so true.