ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with what might be considered first-encounter shock, moving from the street to how the space around us is organised inside the home, in the arrangement and use of rooms, furniture, and eating, and how we share space with others and therefore the protocols for social engagement. It is the notion of space and personal space that was perhaps the most culturally 'shocking' in that it is what first hit as deeply unfamiliar. This was therefore the nature of the small culture shock that is needed to come to terms with. The core of activity is small culture formation on the go which, because of the dominant Orientalist grand narrative, begins with the blocking suspicion of lack of order and personal space, coming out of the station, walking in the streets, buying bread, and home environment.
