After stepping over rusty duct vents and pipes and avoiding weather-decayed satellite dishes, a posse of us foreigners made it to a rooftop. There, it was surprisingly quiet. With a view of the Pearl Delta River, and the slight commotion of whirring motorbikes on the street below, we sipped our drinks. I wondered then, how often do we attribute our human relationships to cultural or class differences, when really it comes down the person you're interacting with and whether or not you gel with their personality traits. It made me realize, then, that a lot of the time when people say 'this is what they do' and 'this is what we do,' a lot of it comes down to maybe it's what 'I do' and 'you do,' and because we misunderstand one another, it's easier to say 'we' and 'them.' Although none of our conversations encompassed those ideas that night, it was clear we had all come together from Europe, North America and Australia to maybe experience these differences. All of us being Westerners, we were having very similar experiences with some of the culture shock. However, I learned, me being Chinese may frame the experience a little differently, because I am not treated like a foreigner most of the time. Maybe I'll learn about it in more detail the longer I stay here ...

I didn't let these thoughts take from the awesomeness that was a surprise roof shindig, though.