Odd Side by Sides

I am very intrigued by the odd juxtapositions of things around here (hey, I’m an English teacher, I’m allowed to use unique words that merely mean something is beside something else). For instance, some of the buildings on campus here are very new and very modern looking; however right beside it is a crumbled old building with window panes missing and bits of brick falling out. Garbage is strewn around the mound of rocks and stones. People are still living in what I call squalor conditions which reminds me of pictures that you see of a low housing community.
I took the bus yesterday to one of the supermarkets and I could see a variety of modes of transportation. A person will be on a moped weaving in and out of traffic with a surgical mask on, so as not to contract any airborne diseases and yet not wear a helmet while driving on a congested street where certain dismemberment or death seems almost imminent.
I sat with a beautiful young Chinese woman who looks like she’s 18 and yet she’s 30 years old. Her clothes were elegant, tasteful and very attractive; her shoes were fit for a princess. She is dainty and has the most enviable porcelain skin. Yet, she scoops her rice like a hungry wolf and talks with her mouth full!
Their education system is built on the acquisition of knowledge and it is seen as prestigious to have educational accomplishments yet the use of that knowledge is non-existent. It is all knowledge with no use; theory without practicality.
And I still, for the life of me, cannot understand how a modern building can still have public squat toilets—that’s one I’ll never figure out!