I have traveled to many countries but I had never been out of China for more than two weeks until I came to Canada to study. This is the first time for me to be separated from my family and live in a new environment for three years. I first arrived in Vancouver where my friends met me and took me to Nanaimo, where my host family lives. Apart from appearance, there are many differences between Asian and Western cultures - housing, shopping, dining, and personal lifestyle.

Housing
The house where I live in Nanaimo is very big and there is no door between the sitting room and kitchen. In China our house has a separate room for kitchen and sitting room. Most Canadian families have large gardens in the backyard. One family I stayed with had ten trees in their garden. They also grow vegetables in the their gardens, such as tomatoes, apples, strawberries, and some herbs. When they cook, they go to the back yard, and pick some fresh herbs and vegetables. The food is so fresh.

Cooking
Eating and cooking habits are quite different between Chinese and Canadian cultures. Many Canadian kitchens have alarm clocks and tons of cooking books. They cook according to the recipe and set the alarm for timing. Whereas Chinese cooking is mainly done according to the taste and look of the food. Also Canadians eat a lot of raw vegetables. When I first came to Canada, I had dinner with my host family. They served a fresh salad with raw mushrooms and cabbage that I have never eaten as raw before.

Shopping
Most Canadian stores close at 5:00 pm, and the prices in the stores are fixed. In China, most of the stores are open until 10:00 pm, especially in summer; the stores usually open until 11:00 pm. Also the price is not fixed in all places. We can bargain for the price, and usually buy the stuff for half the asking price.

Personal Values
Staying with Canadians for three years, I feel they have different values for success. Canadians are more concerned with individuality. They care more about the value of individuals instead of the whole family or group. Their way of success is to stand out from other people and show their abilities. Chinese place their individual value in terms of the honour of the whole family. For example, if one of your family members is successful, your whole family will be honoured. If one of your family members goes to jail, other people will look down on all the family members, not only the person in jail. Canadians act in more open ways, and Chinese in more subtle ways. For example, when other people look at a student's work, the Canadian student will say: "I am very happy about my work and I worked very hard on it." Chinese will say: "My work is not that great. Please look at them, and give me some advice." Even if they like their work very much. I have found that Canadian parents will say, "I love you" to their children many times a day. Chinese don't say it even if they love each other very much.

Family
Canadian children will move out of their parent's house soon after reaching twenty. A lot of parents won't support them for school and housing after they move out. So most of them have to find a job when they are studying. Parents want their children to be more independent, and learn the skill to survive by themselves in society. Canadian children won't stay with their parents when the parents get old. On the contrary, Chinese families stay together as long as possible. Even after the children get married, the daughter will move to her husband's house to stay with his family. Parents in China usually support their children until they get jobs and earn enough money for living. When the parents get old, the children have to take care of them. It is regarded as shameful to let elders live alone in China. Nowadays, influenced by western culture, more and more married couples move out from their parent's place to have their own space. But they still have to stay close to their old parents and take care of them.

Way of Greeting
The way of greeting is quite different in Canada. I have a good female friend; when we go out together, we go hand-in-hand and arm-in-arm. My Canadian friends had a big shock when they saw us, and told me, "Don't do it. Other people will think you are homosexual."
One of my Japanese friends told me that every time other people hug her, she feels very shy and doesn't know what to do. Sometimes I am not sure when I meet a person if it is appropriate for me to hug or not and for how long. Usually we look at each other, and freeze for a while, then say hello instead.
Cultural shock happens to most people who suddenly live in a place with different cultural values and traditions. Their own culture is so strong that it is hard for them to adapt to a different one. They usually feel stressed and a sense of loss. If other people can understand them and help them out in this period of time, they will overcome cultural shock very quickly and enjoy their stay.