Today one of the ladies in my office asked me what are some of the cultural differences that I observe at our school. It seems odd, but the one that stood out to me the most was teeth brushing. This is something I have discussed with many foreigners and they all agree that it is one of the moments in the day when it is clear that we are “not in Kansas anymore”. Everyday after lunch everyone at the school brushes their teeth. All the teachers have tooth brushes in their desks in little cups and they brush their teeth. Some teachers go to the bathroom, tooth brush in hand, some sit at their desks and even chat with their tooth brush in their mouths like it's no big thing, and other still go to the office sink and look out the window peaceful as they brush. No matter the ritual, everyone brushes after lunch. Not to be left out, no matter how odd it feels to me, I too have a tooth brush in my desk and pull it out after our afternoon meal. When I told my coworkers that this is not normal for me, they were really surprised. “Don't you worry about how your breath smells?” “Isn't it better for your teeth?”. I told them that in Canada, brushing your teeth is usually a private thing.
Cultural differences.
