Dépaysement

Dépaysement (French) is one of matadornetwork.com's 20 Untranslatable Words. They take it to mean "the feeling of not being in one's homeland."
That's what the first few weeks felt like as my jet-lagged and culture shocked self wandered the streets of China with only a few phrases under my belt (thank you, hello, goodbye). I had no idea how to navigate by using the bus system or the difference between a half kuai coin and a dime coin. Everything was so busy-people were everywhere, the streets were packed and the stares were intimidating. After time I got used to it, the rhythm of the city, the curious looks of the Chinese, and the traffic. I'm not sure what I expected, but I've discovered so much; monks on e-bikes, quiet monasteries, curious cafe baristas, and fish flavored eggplant.
And yet, Hangzhou is best in the early morning when I'm running and the only people I see are monks and tea farmers. It's really worth savoring what's left after the tumult dies down.
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McDonald's Runs: 6