I quite understand the grumbling-complaining attitude which is part of the experience of living abroad: I found myself do the same when I happened to live in England for several months - there were tons of little oddities that irritated me mildly - like the separate hot and cold water taps etc.
Anyway, the fact alone that this article has made you think and analyze and ask yourself questions is part of the explanation why you are able to feel well (at least most of the time) being a foreigner in a country so different from your own.