10 heart and mind opening contrasts from Southeast Asia (Part 1)

Can Southeast Asia get any more different than our boring and predictable 9 to 5 western reality?

You know, to me cultural travel is all about broadening our horizons; it’s about seeing how other people live, how they solve their problems.

It’s about enriching one’s life through the experiences of others; it’s about being in the places where history happened and understanding how it affected our current reality.

But we fail to remember that mankind is a very diverse species indeed and we tend to believe that what we see and live is the correct way and the others are clearly mistaken.

This close-mindedness limits our experience of the world and it is many times through travel that we are able then to see that ours is not the only reality, and not necessarily right either.

Living in Southeast Asia

You remember my friend Isadora from my posts 4 fascinating facts about Cambodia and Armistice Day: Poppies all over England. She spent three years working, living and exploring several areas in Southeast Asia.

When we sat down to speak about our cultural differences, what she told me shocked me, from the utterly disgusting to the inspiringly human.

This post gathers ten of such shocking differences and invites us to travel with an open mind and an open heart, recognizing the humanity in each person we encounter in our path, honoring and respecting their ways, even if they push us far out of our comfort zones.

1. Covered from head to toe

People in many areas of Southeast Asia (especially young women) cover themselves up with long pants, long sleeves, scarves (called krorma in Cambodia), socks, even gloves, despite the sweltering tropical heat (Up to 40° C) these countries have with no rain for months at a time.

Sometimes they wear jackets over t-shirt and shirt. But why? Don’t they get hot in there? They do, but this is a very common practice for a couple of reasons, for one, to protect themselves against dust, pollution and insects.

Cambodian woman covered. © Eric Lafforgue www.ericlafforgue.com

Cambodian woman covered. Photo: CookieSound

The other reason is that having clear fair skin is a sign of status, because if you have money then you don’t have to work on the fields, you are inside and your skin is lighter.

So they use a whitening cream to lighten the color of their skin, sometimes with adverse results like allergies or spots on the skin.

Girl using whitening cream in Cambodia.
Photo: http://farm1.static.flickr.com

2. Leave your shoes at the door

You are not supposed to enter any space wearing your shoes, though this rule has been getting more flexible each day, now you are allowed to wear shoes in touristic establishments and government buildings.

The idea behind this practice is that you want to leave dirt outside of the home or temple.

This is particularly annoying for tourists who wear their laced sneakers and socks or strappy sandals and who have to take them off every time they enter an inhabited space and then put them back on, every time they leave.

It is not unusual for people or children to walk barefoot on the streets.

Shoes outside of a school in Cambodia. Photo: KateInJapan

Boys buying ice cream. Photo: KateInJapan.

3. French style toilet

When it comes to culture shock, I think potty customs hit us the hardest, don’t they? In Southeast Asia many bathrooms come with a squat toilet, a French style toilet that is basically a hole on the floor. People (as its name suggests) squat and… go.

You are supposed to finish by cleaning the toilet using a small pot that floats on a nearby water container and use such small pot to clean yourself up, due to the fact that people do not use toilet paper in the bathroom. There is no toilet paper, period.

Now, gladly, if you’re a tourist visiting tourist areas, they’ll have regular toilets and toilet paper, but that’s the exception, not the norm; however, as western culture starts to influence them, regular toilets are being used more and more.

Squat toilet in Cambodia. Photo: KateInJapan.

4. Right hand handouts

You don’t want to use your left hand to hand anybody any element. “Hand me that piece of paper, will you?” You’d better remember to use your right hand because that’s what they do there, that’s the protocol they use with you and amongst themselves.

The reason? Somebody told my friend that they use their left hand in the toilet, but… we’re not really sure whether that person was pulling Isa’s leg or if he was serious.

Also, handing things out with one hand is seen as a respectful, less assertive gesture, so they put their left hand behind their backs. Honor this custom by doing the same!

Right hand handout Cambodia. Photo: Surrounded By The Sound.

5. Little finger, big fingernail

Men tend to let their little finger fingernail (sometimes the thumb) grow to unexpected lengths. When asked, they’ll say it brings good luck.

Long fingernail in Cambodia. Photo: Emily Garland.

Yet, seeing them picking at every nook and cranny of their bodies with it, suggests a practical grooming use quite shocking (to say the least) to us westerners.

Sometimes the fingernail can reach two inches making it look very impressive, particularly when used for nose picking which is a completely public accepted practice.

Ok, so that’s it for part 1 of this double post, meet me here next time to learn the other five shocking differences between western culture and Southeast Asia.

Have you ever visited Southeast Asia?
Did you have some culture shock experiences?
Tell us about it in the comments field!
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