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Bulk shopping, endless drive-thrus, and red solo cups are all part of the all-American lifestyle. But hey, in other parts of the world, none of those exist. Because a thing that’s totally normal somewhere is, in fact, very abnormal elsewhere. Just like birds flying indoors in New Zealand, or the Australian love for one of the world’s most controversial delicacies known as Vegemite.
So, when one Reddit user posted the question “What was your biggest culture shock?” on r/AskReddit, it seriously resonated with people who flooded the thread with 3499 comments. We picked the most interesting examples of the cultural cold showers that will surely make us think twice about the things we take for granted.
And after you’re done reading this one, be sure to check out our previous post on rumors-turned-facts that non-Americans didn’t believe actually existed in the US.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Moving back to the USA I had reverse culture shock. How large our portions are, how fat we are, how high our standard of living is with such an incredibly low quality of life, the massive income inequality, the amount of homeless, the magnitude of our selfishness, how little we discuss art and science, and how we discuss things in a very competitive way so that there needs to be a winner or a loser in every discussion instead of finding common ground.
MikeyG 5 years ago
Every time I see 'culture shock' or anything similar as a topic on this site it really makes me feel sorry for Americans when I see the posts. It really makes me wonder why the USA is the most patriotic nation on earth. You guys seem to get such a bad deal compared to the rest of the world.
80 Van 5 years ago
It’s important to remember that the US is a very heterogenous country, and each state (or region) has some level of different culture from the other states. So, usually the stereotypes talked about on this site don’t resonate with every (or even most) Americans. The stereotypes tend to focus on the worst part of any region.
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NoodleBear 5 years ago
Why do we always have to talk bad about this country? We have lots of good as well. I wish people could talk about that more.
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 5 years ago
I'm pretty sure most people are aware of the great that comes from the US. But the "Great American Dream" that has drawn so many people to want to go to the US has been popped, especially in the recent years, and the rest of the world is focusing on the parts that are better in their OWN country. Maybe it's just so they don't feel so bad that they'd never be able to afford a move to the US, maybe just to appreciate what they have.
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Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
I am putting the art and sciences out there like crazy...into the void.
Katy McMouse 5 years ago
I'm not sure that this is a completely fair depiction of our country. Yes, we have serious social issues to address and overcome, but so do most countries. We have such a vast and diverse population that lumping all Americans and the immigrants who reside here under one large "umbrella" of indifference to culture and well being is not accurate. Most of the people I've come to know, whether locally or from different regions of the U.S., have shown a great adaptability and curiosity to others with different cultures and customs. We may be going through some serious s**t right now, but we're resilient and stubborn and that's what makes this country ok in my book.
Popcorn Colonel 5 years ago
I am a not-so-proud American. And I can verify, this is depressingly true, in fact, it's even worse where I live.
Robin Ellison 5 years ago
This is exactly how I felt moving home to Texas after three years in Japan.
Leonard De Frank 5 years ago
When I came back home from the EU I missed not needing to tip and most purchases had the tax already included. If they said it was 5EU, then that was all it was. However I could not get used to driving on the other side of the road in Ireland. I left the driving to others.
RELATED:
#2
I moved from Europe to USA. How Americans idolize their politicians. These are public servants, YOU PAY THEM! your taxes pay them, THEY WORK FOR YOU!
Emilingo (strawberry seeds) 5 years ago
The amazing thing is, most of us Americans don’t idolize politicians, only the loud people.
Jagerzamo 5 years ago
Oh honey, come to Argentina. They consider some politicians GODS. Some of them have tattoos of their faces! It's blind fanaticism, like they're doing the country a favor while 40% of our people is poor and they have the most expensive houses, cars and pay for the most expensive education and health care, BUT DON'T YOU DARE DO THE SAME BECAUSE YOU'RE AN OLIGARCH AGAINST THE HOMELAND!
David Retsler 5 years ago
No, they actually work for themeselves and their corporate masters who bribe them to make laws in their favor. How else do you think we got for-profit prisons and "profit uber alles" medical care?
DetongLhamo 5 years ago
And how much more like a game show US elections are compared to more evolved democratic nations. What a waste of money. All that jingoistic breast beating and shouting at ‘conventions’ and rallies. So stupid, irrelevant and egotistical.
Zoe Murphy 5 years ago
And look who we decided to hire in 2016. We clearly didn’t do a good job.
#3
I'm American and I had never left the country. When I traveled to Japan, I was seeing kids so often travel by themselves and leave their bags in places like at seats when they went to go order food, etc., without a worry of anyone stealing it. It was very surprising but also gave me a sense of safety I have never felt in the US.
Marky Mark 5 years ago
Clearly everybody has a handgun in Japan and that is why they feel so safe (yes - this is a sarcastic comment)
Kisses4Katie 5 years ago
Japan has some of the strictest gun laws of any country, only a few ranges, and any bullets fired must have the casings accounted for. Japan is a pretty awesome country. Oh, and their police know Judo!
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Parker Kinsey 5 years ago
In South Korea, I saw a girl use her wallet to save her seat. Blew me away!
로희 5 years ago
I've left all sort of valuable items in public places to save a spot and never once got stolen. I even lost my cellphone and it made its way to return to me. Never have to worried about package theft either. I love Korea in this regard.
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Steve Haigh 5 years ago
In my village, in Japan, during Summer people would regularly park their cars outside a shop and leave the engine running with keys (obviously) in the ignition while they got their groceries, so that the air-conditioning kept the car cool enough. That totally blew my mind, coming from the UK, where I get a little paranoid if I forget to lock my car when I go shopping.
Paul Beebe 5 years ago
I lived in Japan for 5 years. I never owned a bike lock and my bike was my #1 means of transpo...
Naoko Yamaguchi 5 years ago
Leaving one's bag... I often do it, and I've never had my properties stolen, which I've never thought surprising.
BoredPanda is awesome 5 years ago
yeah, I love that feeling of not having to worry about theifs
lara 5 years ago
When I was four I walked BY MYSELF to kindergarten in Oakland, California. It was about five blocks away from my house, it was in the basement of a church. In California, as long as you reached the age of going to school by December 31, you could start school. I was born December 21. No problems. Now there is NO WAY anyone would allow a child to walk to school, alone, at that age.
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
What? I thought cut off was September first. Pretty sure it is where I am.
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Franc Esca 5 years ago
The Japanese legal system is similar to "guilty until proven innocent" not the other way around. No one wants to burden of proving they didn't actually steal a bag.
Bored Panda reached out to Reddit user u/yehboyjj, whose response to “What was your biggest culture shock?” amassed 2.8k points and turned to be the top answer. The Dutch guy told us that the biggest culture shock for him after arriving to Canada was how huge everything was.
“In Canada, everything is bigger. The roads, the cars, the houses, the cities, malls, and the travel distances.” Back in the Netherlands, driving from the eastern to the western end of the country takes about two to three hours. Meanwhile, in Canada, the smallest distances take ages to get to. “What seemed like an infinitely small distance on the map took two and a half hours to drive,” u/yehboyjj said.
The redditor also said he initially was super surprised with the distribution of people around the city. “It seemed like the crowding that goes on in Dutch cities only exists in downtown Toronto.” Another culture shock for u/yehboyjj was how Canadians love spending more time together compared with families back in the Netherlands. “Plus sports is a huge deal for them.” u/yehboyjj added.
u/yehboyjj concluded that two weeks of vacation weren’t enough to get adapted to the Canadian lifestyle and he guessed it would take much longer to get fully used to their people.
#4
American here and I lived in the Netherlands for a bit. The first time I went to the doctor and he had actually read my entire chart beforehand. Oh, and then the total for my visit was a few euro. That was a pretty big shock too.
kjorn 5 years ago (edited)
that's the health system american want. if enough american go down the street to ask for better healthcare it would change... but no... they are so many who didn't care because... you know... if you give more money so others can take care of themself that would make them a communist right?
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
Not every American wants it to be this way. I think we need a big change.
Load More Replies... oddkiddo 5 years ago
In Denmark it's free. Hospitals and psychiatry too. ;) And you will never pay more than a few hundred $ a year if you need medicin. We usually complain because we have to pay for the dentist.
Steve Haigh 5 years ago
same in the UK - I looked at the bit "was a few Euro" and thought "whaaat? You have to pay???"
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Cybele Spanjaard 5 years ago
From what I hear and see the US medical system is off the charts for the average person.
#5
When a large Maori man asked to touch noses with me in greeting. The dude looked pissed until I manned up and was the first to touch noses. Then he had one of the best smiles I've ever seen on a mountain of a man. It lit up the entire cultural center.
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
A hongi. Common greeting amongst maori people and other new Zealanders too. I'm glad you accepted it and reciprocated the hongi:)
Nicola Roberts 5 years ago
I love how far reaching and knowledgeable the Bored Panda audience is!
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Ristina Nielsen 5 years ago
Touching nose beats kissing by FAR. Both as neutral greeting or as romantic.
Erihapeti Swampwitch 5 years ago
The hongi is in order to "share a breath". We press our noses together and breathe in at the same time. It's a significant part of our traditional greeting here in Aotearoa New Zealand. We do it waaayyy less due to Covid-19.
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
Yeah we can't really do it during these times :(
Load More Replies... Cybele Spanjaard 5 years ago
A warm welcome in NZ Maori..now maybe best to wait until the current pandemic has been contained
#6
Had a business trip to rural Alabama as a fresh college grad. I’m Canadian and had never left Canada at that point. The blatant, overt racism I found there was absolutely shocking. This was like 20 years ago, no idea if things have changed since... I remember thinking that if I wasn’t white I would be in legit danger most of the time I was there. We took our client out to dinner and he asked the host to make sure we weren’t gonna be served by a black person, like it was a casual request no different from asking to sit by a window.
SirPatTheCat 5 years ago
Please don’t form your ideas about the US by using Alabama...
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Full of Giggles 5 years ago
I'm an American, Arizona born and raised, and have had the same culture. I was in Florida for a wedding and popped into Walmart while the overnight crew were stocking the shelves. One of the workers about my age (late 20s) complained to a co-worker about having to stock the bottom shelf. Co-workers response was, "get the n****r to do it." Next thing you hear, "Jamal, come stock this shelf!" I was frozen in shock. But that wasn't the worst part. I told the GM about what I witnessed and she asked "what do you want me to do about it?" The next day, one of my friends refused to sit on the patio at Starbucks because there was a group of Muslim men with computers and she didn't want to witness whatever they were planning. They were Sikh. They were working on Spanish homework.
Ami Temi 5 years ago
Thank you for staying true to yourself, standing up for those who need it and realising it when something is not okay. There should be more people like you! I feel so sad for the people having to live with all that injustice...
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BusLady 5 years ago
Sorry to tell you, it has not changed that much. I live in the American South and you would not believe what I have seen/ heard. I have A/A ancestry but my looks make people assume that I am full white. When I was seven, my mom got onto a friend of mine for saying the n word. "You will not say that word in my house!"
David Shoemaker 5 years ago
PLease don't categorize all US citizens because of those morons. Thank you.
TheWitchNaru 5 years ago
U.S. is all about "me" and not "we". Everyone for themselves. Always has been. 1 big downside of being the "melting pot" country.
Anne 5 years ago
I've been to rural Alabama.. about 6 years ago.. got out of the car to get gas. Our rental had very tinted windows. A group of men gathered and one put his hand in the back of the truck (confederate flag on the truck too). We got out, all was relaxed again. We are white. I'm not sure what would have happened if we had not been.
Ania Barrett 5 years ago
Wow! That's insane! I've never been to the US so never fully realised how serious the problem of racism is there.
Kelly Hartle 5 years ago
Unfortunately it hasn’t changed much in some areas. A little extra melanin in someone’s skin seems to make a lot of difference to some people.
Mary Dellenbusch 5 years ago
Jesus, that is sad. We all bleed the same damn colour! Humans need to pull their heads out of their ass!
The term “culture shock" refers to the impact of moving from a familiar culture to an unfamiliar one, and is a common experience among exchange students, expats, and travelers.
Sometimes it comes with separation anxiety when parting with your country and the surroundings you know so very well creates a sense of loss. Many people who start living abroad experience heightened feelings of nostalgia and longing, similar to that when you break up with a loved one.
Many things can stir up culture shock, from food, dress, and weather to language, behavior, and cultural values. If you’re tired and under stress, even little differences can become truly nerve-wracking. But these inconveniences should not be confused with culture shock, which usually takes time to develop.
#7
The sheer amount of nonchalant waste that Americans do took me off guard. They just... leave the faucet running or throw away food if it doesn't look perfect.
giovanna 5 years ago
With this regard: I was shocked, having made friends with an American group of people here in Italy, by the nonchalance with which they used plastic cups and plates.
rumade 5 years ago
yes I always noticed this on reality TV too! Shows like Wife Swap, people eating in their own houses, not at a party setting, with disposable tableware. It's really strange to me.
Load More Replies... Emilingo (strawberry seeds) 5 years ago
And can people stop saying Americans like we all do that sort of thing? Because it sickens me when people talk about equality then turn around and treat Americans like lesser beings.
Kitten claws 5 years ago
yeah...i mean my family uses real plates and my parents are very careful with the recycling...not all of us are assholes.
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Steve Cruz 5 years ago
When the lockdown loosened and allowed restaurants to sell to-go or delivery, the Italian cafe near me offered food on plates covered with recyclable aluminum foil for a deposit. There was a tape/tag on the bottom and I was instructed not to remove the tape or microwave the plate -- the tag was required to get my deposit back. If I used my deposit on a new order, I received 10% off. I was asked to wash the foil and recycle it or bring it back to the restaurant to put in their recycling bin. WE CAN DO BETTER!
Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
There is an instagrammer called The Trash Walker who shows waste in garbage. Also shows how retailers toss new merch away
Saara . 5 years ago
And it's illegal in America to go through waste in retail garbage. It's "stealing."
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Sabse 5 years ago
... and they leave their garbage everywhere. Even if a garbage can be reached.
Full of Giggles 5 years ago
I'm an American and I hate. There's no excuse for this level of laziness. I usually end up picking it up myself. But, to be fair, I have traveled to other countries where their citizens were just as bad at littering as Americans.
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Caroline Driver 5 years ago
Oddly, when I stayed with friends just outside San Francisco they asked me to turn the tap (faucet) off when I was brushing my teeth, as water is expensive there. It only then occured to me what a waste it was to leave the tap running, although I'd done it all my life, cos my mum did it. I stopped then and never did it again. This was 1984
Huddo's sister 4 years ago
I saw a animation on sesame street when I was young about a fish that was running out of water from people leaving the tap on when brushing teeth and I couldn't understand how there were people that did that, it was just something we never did
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Happi doggi 4 years ago
OK! *cracks knuckles* don’t you dare generalize ALL Americans. I tried to start a regenerative business at 10 years old. My little effort was progressing, until I realized I only had $200 and no credit card or anything else to receive the funds.
DetongLhamo 5 years ago
Watching documentaries and everyone is drinking out of those enormous red plastic cups. We use cloth napkins rather than paper ones because it’s wasteful to wipe your hands on what used to be trees.
#8
Coming from Europe, the public transportation in USA is absolutely rubbish.
sylvantic 5 years ago
coming from LA... if u don't have a car ur screwed. only some streets have bike lanes, the busses are terrible, and the nearest metro station is 5 miles from my house.
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Radek Suski 5 years ago
Born in Poland and living in Germany for 20 years. I visited Boston and used PT and I think it worse than in Poland in early eighties
Kendra Miller 5 years ago
Paris is initiating the 15 minute rule, daily necessities should all be reachable in 15 minutes, whether that's by foot, bike or bus. I am in awe.
MrLoufoque 5 years ago
When I was an intern in the Silicon Valley, I didn't have a car so I relied only on public transportation. It is OK in San Francisco but in the areas around Santa Clara Valley it was quite difficult, and the San Jose light rail is the slowest thing I've ever ridden!
Kisses4Katie 5 years ago
Here in Orlando some of our bus stops are a sign in a ditch. And they only go on the main 3 parallel roads with few connections.
Exquisite Spam 5 years ago
I loved the trains in the USA, quiet, clean, huge. There was even a chap coming round handing out pillows.
#9
Holidaying in Tokyo and watching 5 year old kids walk themselves home from school and catching public transport...all by themselves.
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
In the US someone would have called the police and the parents would be charged with child neglect. CPS would be quick to take the children away from their parents.
axle f 5 years ago
now. but in my lifetime....that's not how it was in the sixties and seventies, here.
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Steve Cruz 5 years ago
My friend is blond and easy to spot in Tokyo, where he taught English. He went shopping and left a loaf of bread in the cab. The driver turned it over to police, who asked around and tracked him down. They gave him the bread, but he had to write an apology to the police and another to the driver.
AnimalMetalHeadUK 5 years ago
I grew up in a little town where everyone knew everyone and I still didn't walk to school on my own at 5.
Kimberley Thomas 5 years ago
I've been walking myself home since I was 4. I admit that was in the 80s, but still. It's what I've grown up with.
CatWoman312 5 years ago
Here we have to worry about some pervert snatching them or kidnapping them sadly
Ms LaDonna 5 years ago
it used to be that way in the U.S. I used to walk to school in the 80's, it was expected. Now the kids refuse to walk 5 blocks.
Suzanne Clark 5 years ago
Back in the '50s all of us kids did that. Now kids can't go in their front yard without an adult.
There are four main stages of culture shock that are known as honeymoon, frustration, adjustment, and acceptance. The honeymoon refers to an initial reaction which can be overwhelmingly positive. The journey may feel like the best decision of your life, but it usually doesn’t last long.
The second stage is frustration, which comes from not understanding the culture you've put yourself in. This is when homesickness and longing for home emerge, and sometimes these feelings can cause great anxiety, depression, and mood swings. So they should be taken seriously.
#10
When I was 20 I moved to Newcastle, Australia to study (Spoiler alert I didn't study. At all). But before I went there I was told that in Australia they spoke English (Spoiler alert they didn't. At all). Every single word is abbreviated, everything is different, everything has its own vernacular. Example: Me, "Hey Shane, I'm going to McDonald's, you want me to get you a breakfast burrito?" Shane, "Oi Maccas Fair Dinkum mate! Had to ruck up early for the physio and me ute was out of petrol so stopped at the servo and asked the Sheila if they had brekky but noooouaahho just lollies so ive been getting aggro" Me:... Dude, none of the sounds that just fell out of your head were words. Do you want a breakfast burrito or not?
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago (edited)
Makes perfect sense to me lol. Translation: hey friend, want to go to McDonalds. Had to grab my s**t early to see the physiotherapist and my utility vehicle was out of petrol so stopped at the service station (petrol station) or gas station etc. And asked the lady if they had any breakfast, but noooo just lollies aka candy or sweets. So I’ve been getting angry.
I want cake 5 years ago
As a non Aussie I had no problem understanding it either.
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Alethia Nyx 5 years ago
Australian here, the Aussies that spoke like that lived in the middle of nowhere (not Newcastle) and died out in about the 80s. Also lots of Aussies feel the same way about the way Americans speak, and at least we can spell here.
El Dee 5 years ago
American culture is so pervasive in the Anglophone world that Americans will find it difficult to communicate outside their own country..
Evil Little Thing 5 years ago
Honestly, Americans find it difficult to communicate within our own country. My parents (from Utah) are visiting me in New Orleans and I have to translate for about half their conversations with people out and about.
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Full of Giggles 5 years ago
Oh, man. This is all too real for me. I met my Australian ex-husband here in the U.S. and he spoke American English. When he took me home to Melbourne to meet his family, the second he hugged his mom, the Australian came flying out of his mouth. I was all sorts of confused. I had no idea Australia had its own language. But, that was 10 years ago and I completely understood the post.
Monty Is Fiennes 5 years ago
Yeahhhhh.....I guess it depends on who you are talking with....The Australian 'way of speaking' is exaggerated for comedic value.... by us and about us...I am sure many countries have ways of speaking that are somewhat particular to them....
youshouldseemeinacrown 5 years ago
.... I have literally never heard anyone speak like that. And I am Australian. Maybe it just depends where you live
Squee 5 years ago
I mean, living in a city, I don't know anyone that speaks like this.
Load More Replies... #11
That nudity was such a big issue in the US coming from Europe. I undressed to get into my swim trunks, all a matter of a few seconds, in the changing room and everyone looked at me like I had just murdered a kitten.
giovanna 5 years ago
Reverse: in public swimming pools in Iceland it is COMPULSORY to shower naked (in the changing room, but in open showers) before getting in the pool. It is very rational if you think about hygiene. I had no prob doing so, but I'm sure I would have been looked as if I had murdered a kitten if I hadn't.
Norah 5 years ago
When I lived in Iceland, some American friends came to visit. We went to the pool together and they were shocked they had to shower naked, with other people around. It's sad, in my opinion, how prudish Americans are.
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Luther von Wolfen 5 years ago
I'm American and I don't understand why Americans are so neurotic about nudity.
jevais 5 years ago
So puritan is the USA population, yet they have baby/very little girls Beauty Pageants. This is for Europeans ludicrous, putting makeup, wigs, and very sexy clothing on small children. What kind of childhood have these little girls. How can the population think that's it's fine to violate their childhood? Why seeing these little pageant girls doesn't shock anyone? Why the social services for the protection of children's right aren't doing anything to stop this indecent exposure of infants and little girls? JonBenét Ramsey was murder because she was dressed like a woman with makeup plus wig. I find this extremely shocking and immoral to expose girls in beauty Pageants for pedophiles to look at! May these "mothers" be taken to court for dragging them to these indecent Pageants. Laws should be made to protect the children. A naked bodies are how God made us and there's nothing indecent about showering amongst same sex.
Steve Cruz 5 years ago
In the chamging room, really? I've changed in and out of swim trunks at the beach under a towel and nobody seemed to notice.
Heidi I 5 years ago
Hahaha, yeah, I'm Danish but spent 10 years in the US. The first few times visiting a public pool, I'd do as I was brought up with: completely undress, shower/was myself, put on my bathing suit and THEN go to the pool area. After plenty of stares, I started doing it the "American way" even though it felt weird not to shower first 😬
Jason Swick 5 years ago
This is true. However, Americans that grew up playing competitive sports have no problem being naked around each other. I think it comes down to a lack of socialization in the US.
#12
Barefoot people EVERYWHERE in New Zealand. In Starbucks, in the mall, on public transit, walking down the street. No shoes, no socks, no [damns] to give.
Full of Giggles 5 years ago
I do too. Unfortunately, I live in Phoenix, Arizona. Our summer high temps are 110-115F degrees and we have scorpions and cacti seedlings that aren't always visible so going barefoot everywhere isn't an option.
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Jake 5 years ago
how is nobody talking about the lady on the rights legs bending at a weird angle?!
Lola 5 years ago
From a hygiene point of view, that is disgusting. Going home after that and walking inside your house, will bring all kinds of bacteria.
Hannah M 5 years ago
That is true. Tbh, it's not that common outside. On the beach, in parks, sure. But on the footpath or in a shop? No. However, anywhere in New Zealand, it's expected that you take your shoes off when entering a home. This is because to the Maori (indigenous) people, the house represents their ancestors. But going bare feet isn't really that common. Although New Zealanders are quite laid back, so are generally more relaxed about those sort of things
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Fixin'Ta 5 years ago
I spent two weeks in New Zealand during their summer a few years ago and didn't see this at all. Everyone in public was wearing shoes unless it was a park or the beach. What I *did* see was most people wore jandals (flip-flops). But yeah, never saw people "everywhere" barefoot.
Phunny Philosopher 5 years ago
Thank you for defining “jandals” I was thinking: jean sandals??
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Brenda Couvee 5 years ago
As a Kiwi, I actually think bare feet belong at home, or at the beach. Otherwise, it's gross, just look how dirty that girls foot is. Ugh!!
Hermione 5 years ago
In urban areas it’s unusual to see a shoeless person. Maybe this comment refers to beach locations in summer?
Saico Hipe 5 years ago
I might've assumed as such if there weren't a pic of people walking barefoot on asphalt? Super nasty, at least where I am.
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Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
People who are barefoot are MUCH more careful about where they put their feet than those in shoes. Being barefoot in a restaurant is no less sanitary than wearing shoes in one.
Katherine Boag 5 years ago
Had people turned away from labs at uni cause they were wearin jandals. You are studying ENGINEERING silly.
The third stage is known as adjustment, and it’s a gradual step towards getting finally used to your new surroundings. This is when you start getting more comfortable with your new culture and everything feels a tiny bit easier.
The acceptance stage is the last one, but it takes months, and sometimes years, to come to. After initial cultural challenges, you get some peace of mind and can truly enjoy your new life abroad.
#13
So I’m norwegian, but I went to New Zealand for a year. The culture shock for me was how open kiwis talk, and how there’s no such thing as stranger danger. And as a typical norwegian introvert, it took a while to get used to. I’d meet a stranger and they’d be breaking the touching barrier right away and start talking about their cousin’s rash and all their weekend plans. Even bigger shock returning to silent Norway.
Tatjana Peskir 5 years ago
I am from south Europe, was once on a youth organisation trip to Norway. I was in a car and already knew some of the people from their visits to our country, but I didn’t know the driver. So I asked him about 10 questions and he was more and more panicked , after one of them he looked at one of his friends in panic, and everyone in the car except for me burst out in laughter. They explained to him my culture and to me that this level of interest was basically ‘tomorrow I will ask you to marry me’ level in Norway :-))).
Luther von Wolfen 5 years ago
Traveled from south USA (VA) to north USA (NJ) with a girlfriend. She asked me to stop smiling and greeting people on the street because she said "People don't do that here."
Dynein 5 years ago
Sure that that's not just a city/small town difference? Here in Germany people are more distant as a rule, but it it would be rather impolite to not greet people when you are in a village - and very odd to do so in a town.
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Peppermallow 5 years ago
I was born in and live in New Zealand and I have never experienced this. Stranger danger is a real thing
lara 5 years ago
That's the way it is in America. You talk to people. I talk to everyone. Drove people nuts in Great Britain.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Where in America? Uruguay or Canada? OK, I understand that you mean the USA, and I was really going to ask you where in the US?
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#14
I lived in Tokyo my whole life before this. First day going to college in the States, I went to the gas station to buy something. I had a lot of $100 bills with me because I didn't have a card yet. The cashier literally told me, 'You shouldn't carry that many bills around. If I saw you with that on the street, I would rob you.' I was like, 'OK, thanks for letting me know?' This was six years ago. In Japan, people normally carry/use cash for a lot of things.
Emilingo (strawberry seeds) 5 years ago
I’m pretty sure that only really applies to the big cities and stuff because I don’t have to worry about carrying cash around where I live.
Steve Haigh 5 years ago
Nowhere in my village in Japan accepted cards, apart from maybe the one big supermarket. Cash machines closed at 9pm, stayed closed over the weekend and national holidays, etc. I never left the house with less than £400 in my wallet and when Golden Week was coming up, I'd happily carry way more.
Anggi Santika 5 years ago (edited)
You use cash in China, people will look at you like you are coming from ancient age... Good luck trying to pay with cash in China. Do bring small changes if you insist. In China everyone's life is in their cellphone, not their wallet
#15
I'm a black South African, in my culture a woman doesn't leave the house for about a month after she has a baby. This is to avoid things like infections, bad spirits and so forth for both mother and baby. Also for the first month she doesn't do housework and must focus on the baby so usually family members come to live with them to help out. I was shocked when my English friend's aunt was cleaning the house and going out to shop for groceries a week after she had the baby and she took the baby with her. Not to mention she allowed a stranger to touch the baby which is a big no no in my culture.
Wendillon 5 years ago
White South African here, my mother took my brother out shopping with her the day after she got home from the hospital (he was about 3 days old)....OP's way sounds better.
BusLady 5 years ago
In the U. S. it's typically 3 days when mom and baby leave the hospital. It's like that's all the recovery time she needs from 9 month adventure.
Load More Replies... Exquisite Spam 5 years ago
Better than in America where you're expected back to work a couple of days later. A friend of mine got in s**t with her boss because she booked two weeks leave (i.e. her entire leave allowance) to have her kid.
Allison Gilbert-Heron 5 years ago
In Canada we get 6 months paid maternity leave and then the government gives us a family allowance monthly till the child is 18 years old!
Load More Replies... Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
I believe that is a custom in a lot of communities/countries where the women traditionally were doing a lot of heavy work farming, In that context, it makes a lot of sense to protect both mother and child.
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
Allowing women to recover after birth used to be common in many cultures. These days it's back into the hamster wheel as soon as possible while literally still bleeding.
Jasmina Pavlovic 5 years ago
I like the idea ... in Germany is something similar. The first two weeks you should stay at home with your newborn. To avoid infections and etc. 👍
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 5 years ago
This sounds super-smart, to be honest. (except for the relatives living with you. Some relatives are better loved from afar.)
Julie Belstene 5 years ago
In America we don't have those customs, but the smart mom's don't go out running errands for a couple weeks or more (depending on when family members leave). My mom stayed with me for two weeks and we had enough things to go another two weeks. After that, as I was a single parent, I had a friend watch my child so I could get to the store to get the needed items. No way was I taking my child out until at least 8 weeks, which is when I had to return to work.
#16
In California, we have squirrels everywhere. Running around, climbing trees, getting run over. We went to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon, where literal IGUANAS serve the same role. I've always been into reptiles and that was really cool.
Romenriel 5 years ago
Something similar can happen even in one country. In my hometown, there are pigeons in public spaces. In town where my uni is, just 200 km away, crows and rooks everywhere and no pigeons to be seen. That low key blew my mind. (But not gonna lie, iguanas sound even cooler :D).
Kendra Miller 5 years ago
I misread pigeons for penguins and I was like "oh cool where do they go to school? Must be pretty cold there" I kinda prefer my imaginary uni with penguins
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Unnamed Hooman 3 years ago
In lots of places in Canada, Moose serve that role :). Not normally in the city in my area, here we have coyotes around a lot
Florence Hastings 5 years ago
Here in denmark we have hedgehogs running around and getting run over (not climbing trees though).
I 5 years ago
Hi, iguanas are not really native in our island. In reality they are considered an invading species. They are like a pest, putting our native species of birds at risk because they eat their eggs, they eat the farmers crops, home gardens, native mangroves, etc. They really are damaging our ecosystem and because they are an exotic specie they have no natural predators in the island but its legal to kill them and hunt them because of the above. They are here because irresponsible people used to buy them as pets and when they got big, because they REALLY get big, they released them. They started procreating and this is the result. This is one of the many reasons their shouldn't be legal and ilegal exotic animals trade.
Phunny Philosopher 5 years ago
I’ve seen this in Mexico. I thought, “did it get out of its cage?? Oh wait- there’s another. And another...
Susan Egan 5 years ago
There are places in FL where Iguanas are taking over. It's not good. In fact FL has so many non-native lizards running around the native lizards are disappearing. I like reptiles too, had several growing up including snakes. I'm not crazy about huge wild iguanas.
#17
At 21 I encountered people who took the bible as a history book. Including the creation in six days. Blew my mind. I was raised a catholic and we always were told that the bible contained moral stories, passed over through time.
Romenriel 5 years ago
Similar experience here. I am protestant, but from Europe (not that there are no fundamentalists in here, but they are not very common.) I would also wish that more people realized that not all Christians are like these stereotypical american churches. They aren't even a majority if you take Christians from all over the world into account!
Walter Brameld 5 years ago
This reminds me of that moment in high school when I realized that a lot of people actually believe God exists. Till that point I'd assumed that everybody saw religion the same way I did, just cultural texture, a shared mythology that nobody in their right mind would take literally. I felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone for a while after that.
Emilingo (strawberry seeds) 5 years ago
How did you not know that people believe in religion? I mean, mythology was also deeply believed in ancient times.
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Lynn Morello 5 years ago
Yeah, From the time of King James VI, when he employed 50 Scholars to translate the Bible from Latin to English, so that everyone could have access to religious books they could read.( most people didn't get any schooling so couldn't read anyway,)
Harløw-Banditø 5 years ago
I do agree that the Bible contains stories and legends with morals, that they are just lessons to be learned. However, I am an atheist and firmly believe in science over faith. I’m sorry, I mean no offense to anyone who believes in their Bible, I’m glad that you’ve found something that you can be faithful in but to me they are just stories.
Kelly Hartle 5 years ago
Unfortunately there are a lot of Christians here that aren’t very Christian.
Sandy Kavanaugh 5 years ago
Ah, but the obsessiveness of our American Christians, especially fundamentalists, exceeds ny number you could calculate!
Sasha Kuleshov 5 years ago
They also want Intelligent design to be taught in schools on par with the Theory of Evolution :P
DetongLhamo 5 years ago
I can do better. How about a professor of Physics at a world renowned university who taught about the scientific creation and evolution of the universe, but actually believed the world was created in 6 days by ‘God’?
Sara Mccracken 5 years ago
I have an american friend who is an evangelical Christian. One day I asked "you don't believe in Noahs Ark do you?"... I was totally shocked that she said" of course I do"
#18
I’ve been to Iran twice and they have this very elaborate and convoluted culture of hospitality. They say in Iran hospitality is an extreme sport. So when you’re at someone’s house, you have to eat whatever they give you, and they will not stop offering, so you will be force fed until you’re sick. I found the only way to avoid this is to hold a full plate of food and pretend to be eating it. If you compliment them on something, like a pretty painting on the wall, they will take the thing off the wall and give it to you to take home. Now this is where it gets convoluted, because they don’t really want you to take it. Yet if you refuse they will still act insulted. It’s all part of the show.
Soph the Loaf 5 years ago
It's similar in China and other Asian countries. If you're offered a snack or whatever, you must first refuse to look polite. The giver will keep insisting, and you have to keep refusing a certain number of times just to look polite. It's like a hospitality battle.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
Iraq has the same customs. Years ago I suggested that instead of invading we just send in a few thousand tourists with instructions to say, "Wow, that's a really nice SCUD." or "Gee, those WMDs are so cool. I wish I had some like them." But none of my letters to Dubya were taken seriously.
Aamna Shah 5 years ago (edited)
Oh this happens in my country as well but then we're neighbors. The only difference is we don't offer everything the guest likes although we do give gifts if you visit. We love to feed people and everywhere you go, from shops to homes, you'll be offered tea.
El muerto 5 years ago
in many countries, the cue for "thanks I'm full", is leaving food in your plate. as oppose to being rude to leave food in your plate in other countries.
Jon S. 5 years ago
In Iran, if you leave one thing on your plate, they offer you something else instead
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Perfumista Perfumista 5 years ago
The force-feeding reminds me of a few days in someone's house in Israel. They were trying to be hospitable, but I was nauseous after lunch and dinner and could not wait to leave.
Mimi777 5 years ago
Pretty similar in Eastern Europe but since I grew up in the US my parents still offer people food and drink but if they say they’re not thirsty or hungry we leave it alone. But they are still very generous people and do everything to make someone feel at home when they visit us.
#19
Recently moved to the US (9 months ago), and I am still not used to everyone asking me how I am doing. I am from Norway, and if the cashier asked how you are, you'd get embarrassed and wouldn't know how to answer.
Hanneke Legerstee 5 years ago
Even weirder, they're not actually asking, it's just a greeting, after 12 years in the UK I still have to hold back on answering the question. No one really cares how you're doing!
Luther von Wolfen 5 years ago
Proper response is "Fine. How are you?" Not answering is rude.
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Ty Stratton-Quirk 5 years ago
I always give the same answer: "Can't wait until the cooler weather arrives." I love their expressions when I say that in the middle of winter.
Uncommon Boston 5 years ago
In the Northeast, people are silent when they have nothing to say. But if asked how you are here, people actually want to know or they wouldn't ask. First time someone asked in Virginia,, I proceeded to tell them, and they were horrified. My experiences, may not be like yours. Don't argue please
Sara Mccracken 5 years ago
Perhaps Norwegians are more genuine. When the cashier asks you that in the USA they do not care. I saw a sign over a till that said" do not forget to say have a nice day"
Ania Barrett 5 years ago (edited)
When I first moved to the UK from Poland, I found it really strange when people asked me "You're alright?' Not even 'how are you', but 'you're alright?' In my Polish mind, it sounded as if they had been implying that there was something wrong with me 😹And yeah, the fact of not really caring how I was, was also strange and a bit annoying. Like, why do you even ask???
Joker_29 5 years ago
Lol yup, often it’s just ‘alright’ & if you want you either reply the same back or just give a lil heads-up nod/half smile & carry on
Load More Replies... CatWoman312 5 years ago
You literally say fine thanks and that’s all. We really don’t care lol
Walter Brameld 5 years ago
I live in the US, and I've had several grocery cashiers (who were strangers to me) ask me how my cats were doing, because I was buying cat food.
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
That's sweet ^-^ how are the cats btw? Mine is doing well, weìght loss plan slowly taking effect!
Load More Replies... Lynn Morello 5 years ago
How ya doin mate? Yeah pretty good, how's it with you? Yeah, not too bad.
#20
India, when visiting a family on a business trip the head of the household interrogated me at length on why my parents hadn’t found a mate for my then-28-year-old self. I’m gay. It was very awkward.
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
Also discussing money --- income, savings, and all --- with relatives and strangers into great detail... very Indian.
Suzanne Haigh 4 years ago
Why must it have been awkward? He asked about a mate, parents just have not looked really, simple.
#21
What is with American toilet stalls having the doors end like two feet away from the ground? Every time I took a [crap] I was half expecting to see someone poke their head under because of how much space there is
Ilana Sebastian 5 years ago
And what about the gaps running alongside the doors? You can wave to people passing by whilst doing your business. Weird!
lara 5 years ago
This was explained to me by a janitor. It is so that when toilets get clogged and overflow it is much easier to clean up and sanitize, than trying to clean the crevasses in the walls on the floor.
Rainbow Panda 5 years ago
I once got stuck in a toilet. (Don’t ask how) I think they were also designed so you could crawl out if you were stuck. 😛
Erin Kavik 5 years ago
I was told by an American friend who worked as a janitor - to make people feel uneasy so they don't use it, that way they get cleaned less often so saves on paying janitorial staff while still complying with building regulations stating that toilets are required.
Jane Alexander 5 years ago
People look to see if it's occupied, and then there are the little kids who think it's funny.
Load More Replies... Mimi777 5 years ago
I’ve had a toddler poke their head under the bathroom door a couple different times. It makes me uncomfortable too.
Jane Alexander 5 years ago
-and they think they're cute doing it. I holler at them, Loudly!
Load More Replies... WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
I was told it was to discourage junkies from using the toilets to use drugs. It's also much easier to clean the floors.
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago (edited)
In areas of high rates of drug use, we have public toilets with UV blue lights to make ot difficult for junkies to find a vein.
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Miomirko Buhtlić 5 years ago
George: I will never understand the bathrooms in this country. Why is it that the doors on the stalls do not come all the way down to the floor? Susan: Well, maybe it's so you can see if there's someone in there. George: Isn't that why we have locks on the doors? Susan: Well, as a backup system, in case the lock is broken, you can see if it's taken. George: A backup system? We're designing bathroom doors with our legs exposed in anticipation of the locks not working? That's not a system. That's a complete breakdown of the system.
#22
Dutch here. When we went to Canada, everything was HUGE. Big cars on big roads, big streets and restaurants and malls. I remember driving for what seemed like hours through suburbs, and I just kept thinking, 'surely after the next turn we’re out of the city', but the city just seemed to be endless.
Hans 5 years ago
Well, I also remember driving through the center of the US and reading signs like "No service next 160 miles". In Europe, you would find that sign if there was no petrol station for 50 km...
Brigid de Jong 5 years ago
When we visited my husband's relatives in Holland, his cousin casually mentioned they wanted to visit the USA. I asked him what he wanted to see, and he rattled off a HUGE list of places/things (Grand Canyon, Disneyland, San Francisco, Yosemite...) I asked how how long a trip he was planning and he said "Two weeks." I told him "Dude. It's a 3 hour drive to the airport to our house" (in Central CA) and he was incredulous. He said "I can be in FRANCE in 3 hours!" They have no clue about the distance.
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Kendra Miller 5 years ago
We have the land so it's cheaper and easier for us to sprawl, but it's short sighted. When people live so far apart, they have to drive to work, more time spent in a car sitting than moving around on foot = bigger waist lines and more medical issues. Urban sprawl means less nature to enjoy, fewer trees to suck up carbon. Additionally tourists who come from the rest of the world, where a monument been thousands of years old is normal, don't care about our 200 year old buildings, they want to see our wild and untamed nature.
Pamela Blue 5 years ago
The picture tells me you were in Toronto. Yes, Toronto is huge and simply blends into all the surrounding communties (no countryside between them). I personally hate the place and won't drive anywhere close to it. (I live in London, Ontario, and that's big enough for me).
Saico Hipe 5 years ago (edited)
Oh, honey. Bless your heart. The USA is so very much scarier. :o
Irene Walton 4 years ago
Which is why I moved from Vancouver Canada, to a small town on Vancouver Island
DetongLhamo 5 years ago
Yeah, a “long drive” in the UK was 3 hours. A “long drive” in Australia is endless but if you have to have a break at the 6 hour mark, it’s pretty long-ish.
#23
My dad was a US diplomat so we moved to a new country every three years or so. I had never lived in the states (born in Portugal) and 4 countries later when my dad decided to retire, we moved to the US (Maryland). Being in America was the biggest shock. From the “safeness” I felt, to the way people were. Yellow school busses. Everyone sort of being the same. It was a shock, among many other things. I felt American my whole life living abroad, being associated with the American embassy, hanging out at the marine club houses. And when I moved to the US, I did not feel very American at all
axle f 5 years ago
that's....absolutely understandable. my ex was navy...we did four and a half years in Bermuda, as they were shutting the naval facilities there down. it was only four years...but man. coming back... i didn't feel much american at all anymore then, either. and there seems to be a thirty year hangover effect...
BoredPanda is awesome 5 years ago
bermuda? like in the Bermuda Triangle!!!
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Jane Moore 4 years ago
Y family also moved across the world and still now 45 years after I let thier household (they were livin in Egypt at that time, still I do not feel british
Amanda Hunter 5 years ago
I noticed that people looked the same when sitting in a Coffee shop in S. CA.
Sasha Kuleshov 5 years ago
America is a hodgepodge of every single culture rolled into one, so what's an American anyway?
#24
Turkish person who lived in Germany for 5 years. Germany gives immense importance to order and being precise. If you follow the rules, you'll live in harmony. When I came back to Turkey, that wasn't the case. Everything was chaotic and you needed luck and acquaintices to survive.
Rachael Genuit-Wilkinson 5 years ago
Deutsche Bahn ist super, was ist los mit dir? Super sauber und punktlich!
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Robert Thornburrow 5 years ago
Switzerland is much the same - the apartment I was in had use of the laundry room once a week - I struggled with that one, especially as I had little more than a week's clothes with me!
Jagerzamo 5 years ago
Living in Germany, once my roomie organized a movie night at 21hs. It was 21:05 and she called to know if everything was ok. 5 MINUTES. I thank God if my friends come 30 min later!
Kendra Miller 5 years ago
Punctuality is a way of showing respect, if a person puts effort into organizing something, it's respectful to be on time.
Load More Replies... Demon Child 5 years ago
omg, I am afraid of my german tutor. She yells when I'm late or miss homework, which is why I never miss homework or class. Even my mom is afraid of her...and she's german too!
Amanda Hunter 5 years ago
When I was on a Greek Island waiting to board a plane on the tarmac there was no line, and people were shoving each other, one person had their hands on my back pushing me forward.
#25
The only thing that really shocked me in France was how casually people talked about taboo subjects. I mostly had a huge culture shock when I came back from France. Caused me to be pretty depressed for a year.
Haunting Spirit 5 years ago
It's because America is making taboos out of everything. In Europe we are more relaxed about most subjects.
Damon Gates 5 years ago
I think it was Marlene Dietrich who said, "In America, sex is an obsession. In the rest of the world, sex is a fact."
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Sasha Kuleshov 5 years ago
What's taboo in America anyway? Free healthcare? Unions? Reproductive rights? Racism? Affordable housing? Human Rights? Immigrants studying in public or private schools? Rich people paying taxes? Investing in infrastructure? Michigan's tap water? School shootings? Child marriage still being legal? Women issues in general?
K 5 years ago
It varies by location. Born and raised in Utah, dating someone who is not also a Mormon is a huge taboo and amounts to social suicide. I learned later in life that it's to keep the religion growing ("multiply and replenish the earth!") as the church gets 10% of everyone's income which they call "tithing." You meet with your bishop every year to report in, and if don't pay full tithing, you are shamed. But the biggest taboo is sex. Even for my daughter in 2011, education in schools consist of separating the boys and girls into classrooms at age 11 for "Maturation Class." Summary: breasts are for nursing babies, and erections send sperm to fertilize eggs. The "how" is either omitted or summarized as "something that married couples do." You are to "save yourself for marriage" and discussions don't go beyond that. As a married adult, I was told that sex is only for procreating. People here have 4-5 (or 12) kids, and any sex position beside missionary is a sin. Oral sex? *gasp*
Load More Replies... Full of Giggles 5 years ago
The taboo wasn't a shock for me. The number of men urinating publicly in Paris was a shock. And then there was the drunk guy who chased two police officers around the Metro platform with his rather large penis after the officers told him to stop urinating in a corner.
Jon S. 5 years ago
To quote one Frenchman I know, "here it is more polite to ask someone their penis size than their salary"
s. vitkovitsky 5 years ago
Neither is polite, and traditional stereotypes would suggest the French aren't #1 in politeness anyway!
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Patti Vance 5 years ago
maybe i need to move there because while i don't automatically spill super private things to strangers i also believe that no one needs to have secrets, either. why? because having them only makes you not only paranoid that someone will find out something about you but it also makes you vulnerable. my mom both appreciated this quality as well as loathing it when i was growing up. as she put it, when she asked me a question she wasn't always sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Exquisite Spam 5 years ago
Bear in mind that America was founded by a bunch of prudes who found the English too risqué.
s. vitkovitsky 5 years ago
It was founded by people who didn't have religious freedom in Britain. But yes, theirown religion was repressive in its own way.
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Yehudit Hannah Cohn 5 years ago
If they talked about them casually, then the subjects weren't taboo . . . there. What you mean is that French people talked easily about subjects that _Americans_ find taboo. There is a very big difference, and the original wording highlights one of the reasons that the rest of the world has trouble with Americans.
#26
I went to south Korea for a year when I was in the U.S. Army, and they refused to let us tip after a meal at any restaurant.
Nandi La Sophia 5 years ago
That's because it's considered extremely insulting- it's like offering someone a condescending handout when they are already being paid for their work. Someone saying "You are adequate but I feel pity for you, have five thousand won. It just doesn't translate.
Kat Hoth 5 years ago
In the US it's required because servers aren't paid much for their work, so they rely on them to surive.
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CatWoman312 5 years ago
Because they pay their servers decent wages as all restaurants worldwide should do
Anne Mitchell 5 years ago
Here is a news flash for ya. Most countries other than those in North America do not routinely tip. A tip is considered an reward for a task done extra well, not part payment for the meal or bag carrying. It annoys the hell out of the rest of the world population that North American can't seem to pay a living wage to the service industry employees.
Lili 5 years ago (edited)
Actually for most places outside of the US tipping in unnecessary and odd (insulting or not it depends). People get paid enough for their jobs.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
In many European countries there will be a service charge included in the bill, and you'd leave a modest tip if at all. Servers are paid decent wages and so tips are just the icing on the cake, whereas in the US, the basic pay is like the crumbles of said cake.
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somnomania 5 years ago
afaik the US is the only country that does tipping at all, but i could easily be mistaken about this
CharliAnn Olney 5 years ago
Tipping is considered insulting in MOST countries! Except the good ol' US of A. Where the service industry is considered a junk job and not worth a living wage!
Karen Scheltema 5 years ago
Very common in Asia and other parts of the world. Their belief is that it's their job to give you first class service. Tipping means that you are implying that their service was inadequate and that you're giving them charity money.
#27
Not mine but in college I had a roommate from Australia who was studying abroad in America. We went out to dinner one night and I got mozzarella sticks. He could not believe we just deep fried cheese and then ate it
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
I thought mozzarella sticks were like a cheesy breadstick! It's just straight up fried cheese?! Mind you I can't talk, here in nz we have deep fried Moro bars (like a denser mars bar), and deep fried ice cream! I had the former once: never again it was just too much fat and sugar I felt so crook
JessG 5 years ago
Yup, straight up, fried cheese. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a must
Load More Replies... Anne Mitchell 5 years ago
... and that is not the only thing that Aussies find odd about American cuisine !.
Sasy 5 years ago
Aussie, and we have had deep fried brie and camembert forever, we also have mozzarella sticks you can buy frozen. More likely this Aussie student had never been shopping himself, and the fancier cheese frying was a more upmarket restaurant menu thing more popular 70s -90s but still exists.
Monty Is Fiennes 5 years ago
You can get mozzarella sticks in Oz.... this is personal not country to country....
Fiercepelt 5 years ago
Oh, I lived in New York City for 3 years and moved back to Australia, I miss the mozzarella sticks, deep fried cheese is weirdly delicious.
Meami 5 years ago (edited)
Yeah, but I bet he liked them after he tried one. Not only that but Bitterballen in the Netherlands - which is basically thickened stew (think mostly gravy) rolled into balls, breaded, and fried. So freakin' delicious! But if you describe them to someone who has never had one they think you're crazy.
AnnieLaurie Burke 5 years ago
me, neither. The way we eat is a big reason we are so unhealthy.
#28
That Americans don’t have electric kettles. Or that I need to say electric kettle because if I didn’t people would say they have stovetop kettles. In the Commonwealth countries a kettle is just a standard item for the house. I don’t drink coffee or tea and still own a kettle. You can get that for like $10 and they’ll still be decent.
Wendillon 5 years ago
I though the stovetop kettle thing was just a movie gimmick for the longest time...didn't think people actually still used them
Jayne Kyra 5 years ago
How else would one get stamps off of letters and postcards for their collection?
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Robert Thornburrow 5 years ago
I first learnt this on here - was always puzzled whu hotel rooms would have a coffee percolator but never a kettle - turns out that they boil very slowly because of the lower voltage - typical kettle in Europe takes about 3kW, which is about 12.5A at 240V, but would be 25A at 110V and domestic sockets just aren't designed to deliver that amount of current - you'd have to wire the thing specially like we do with ovens and hobs.
Shakura Kazuki 5 years ago
We call them literally "water cooker" (Wasserkocher) in Germany and most households here have one. I even have a cheap plastic one, but it does the job. Never heard of heating water in the microwave!
martin734 5 years ago
That's because on the US 120V standard mains voltage, electric kettles are far less efficient than using a stove top one or even using a microwave to heat a cup of water. Though their habit of making tea this way is truly barbaric!
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
[I don't think so, as the sole explanation... but indeed, they take much longer at 120v; Japan also 120v and kettles everywhere because no gas furnace so kettle still faster.]
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Robert Bailey 5 years ago
I don't get this, I've had one forever and the only person I know with a stovetop kettle is my mother, in her 80s.
Jenny King 5 years ago
I am an American and have had an electric kettle for at least 15 years. I also have used a stove top kettle my entire life. Often, folks just don't want another appliance to mess with or spend $$ on. Also, most cook tops in the US have 4 burners/eyes/hobs so there is plenty of room for a tea kettle.
#29
I'm Canadian, and I was working in New Zealand. Birds indoors. This may seem minor, but it was so weird to see. When I got off the plane in Auckland, there were birds flying around inside the airport.
Lillukka79 5 years ago
We get tits. Most don't notice them till they go tityy.
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Charlotte 5 years ago
It’s common to see pigeons in semi-indoor spaces in the UK. Airports, big, fancy train stations that look like mansions (e.g. King’s Cross, St Pancras) and shopping centres (malls) that have courtyards or covered parades, all full of pigeons. If there’s a chance to scavenge our crumbs and the doors stay open long enough, the little buggers will be there! Authorities put up nets and stick spikes on every possible perch and it makes no difference at all. They have no fear of us and do not give a single f**k. I love them! 🐦
AnimalMetalHeadUK 5 years ago
We get pigeons flapping around the bus depot sometimes, I always get funny looks because I give them whatever food I may have on hand, I love all the birds, even the "flying rats".
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
And in the big shops sometimes. The supermarket near me has resident sparrows, they can't get them out or the sparrows don't want to go I'm not sure which it is! They hang out near the bakery up near the roof XD
Leesa DeAndrea 5 years ago
When I was at Walmart this week there were at least four birds flying around in there, sparrows, I think. This is in the Midwestern US.
Fiercepelt 5 years ago
We get Indian Mynahs and pigeons everywhere here in Oz. Shopping centers, supermarkets, classrooms (yes, classrooms), you name it.
#30
I know it sounds ridiculous, but my biggest culture shock is 'hugs and kisses.' I grew up in a family that doesn't show love through such means.
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
My sister and I grew up with one super huggy parent and one who found that more difficult. Funnily enough I've turned out to be a hugger, and my sister not so much! I know both parents love me, they just have different ways of showing it
Huddo's sister 4 years ago
Same, although none of us kids are really huggy. Mum found it so hard, especially when we were teenagers, but we found it harder that she would not respect this fact
Load More Replies... Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago (edited)
I find that sad, I am grateful to have such an affectionate family.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
In Greece, everybody gives handshakes and/or hugs and kisses when they meet. You can see a group of teenage boys all dressed to look as 'bad-boy' as they possibly can and then they meet a friend and there are enthusiastic hugs and kisses all over the place! Not on the lips mind you, and not even on the cheeks, these are air-kisses, one close to each cheek. I believe this culture of touching is part of the reason there is very little violence in Greece. Surely, the Greeks are suffering a lot now with Covid-19.
Lily Mae Kitty 5 years ago
my husband grew up in a such a family and let me tell you, it sucks for me. He has no idea that I need these things on a regular basis. I have to tell him, even after 14 years. My family was very affectionate and I feel like I am starving most of the time. it just doesn't come naturally for him.
BoredPundits 5 years ago
Lily Mae, that is such a shame. I once heard of a married couple who were also talking in "different love languages". She would always buy him soppy, romantic birthday or anniversary cards, which he hated. He would always buy her silly, irreverent, funny cards, which she hated and thought he didn't love her. Eventually, they talked about it, and realised they were buying the other person what "they" needed to receive. Once they understood that, they happily switched over. Now, she buys "him", the silly cards, and he buys "her" the soppy, romantic ones, and both their needs are met, and they're happy. Are you able to explain to your husband, that you know that he loves you, but you also need the physical affection that you grew up with? Some men, who grew up up in stoic families, don't understand this. They think they are showing their love by working hard and being a good provider. They don't always realise that other people, from demonstrative families, need more than that
Load More Replies... Vincent Jay 5 years ago
Be thankful for you have. I grew up in a family which didn't show love in way at all.
Irene Walton 4 years ago
My family never hugged while I was growing up. I used to feel so uncomfortable when friends hugged me. One told me to get used to it. Now I'm the same and I love it
The lion tamer 5 years ago
Unfortunately that was before the covid pandemic - I'm Greek and we sure miss the hugs and kisses with everyone we know!
somnomania 5 years ago
i used to hug my mom all the time, now we don't as often, but still sometimes. and my mom and i both have never really been affectionate like that with my dad, he's just not that sort of person.
#31
Dropped my wallet in the subway in Japan... called the Lost and Found office several hours later and someone turned it in with all the money there. I was dumbfounded.
SeidWolf 5 years ago
Amazing what happens when a culture vales Respect and emphasizes We over Me
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago
This is common in places where the population is primarily of one culture.
Load More Replies... Nicola Roberts 5 years ago
It's all true. I went to Japan for a semester, teaching, as a mature student. My friends and I were treated as superstars in Kitakyushu. It's a city but not a lot of westerners and we were greeted with nothing but respect and friendship. I lost stuff, it was always found and returned, phones, money, laptops (not just me, I sound very careless). But I also witnessed a new Gucci belt left on a table in a post office. An hour later a slightly harassed young lady came in and picked it up. I'm not lying it crossed my mind...... With regard to money, cash is king! Oddly enough even cashpoints were restricted and you had to make sure you had enough cash on you to cover a Sunday.
Just another bot 5 years ago
I heard similar stories from other countries, like a full wallet found on the beach in India and returned to the owner at their hotel. Or a handbag with wallet, cards, phone etc left on a seat in a mall in Ireland, safely handed to Customer Service until the owner returned. There are decent, good people out there still, everywhere...but you need to be lucky as you could run into the bad ones too.
#32
As someone who has lived in the Philippines for most of his life, I am considered quite chubby or overweight here. When I travelled to the USA a few years ago to study, I was shocked when people over there looked at me and said I was quite fit. Huge culture shock in terms of body image, and an even bigger culture shock at the portions of food in the USA.
Mohammad Ammar 5 years ago
The best part is how they exported their obesity to the rest of the world through their greasy fast food chains. Gotta admit though, I do love pizza and burgers.
AnimalMetalHeadUK 5 years ago
Pizza American? Raffaele Esposito would like a word.
Load More Replies... #33
How queueing works in China. I’m from the UK, where standing too close to someone or pushing in front of them is basically akin to criminal behaviour.
Monty Is Fiennes 5 years ago
Yeah I see this culture shock in my own country. Australia is very big (6th largest in the world) country with a comparatively small population (24million), when people emmigrate from asian nations they are not aware of the absolute horror some Aus-borns have for standing too close together.....
Erin Kavik 5 years ago
Yep, people will push past you and queue jump too. This accompanying picture of the Beijing subway is very orderly for the Beijing subway, doesn't usually look like that, people will block the doors and not let you off. Don't use it at rush hour if you can avoid it.
Pierre Phenix 5 years ago
that photo's actually a Hong Kong MTR station, it gets quite crowded as well during rush hours, but it's probably not as bad as what you have seen in Beijing.
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Steve Barnett 5 years ago
I believe that queuing in India is even worse; they literally press themselves against each other.
#34
I spent a month living in Thailand when I was 15. The first hour broke me. The trip there had taken an absurdly long time and long story short I had been awake for about 38 hours by that point. I did not have an ounce of mental fortitude, which I also did not know I would need. We (group of us) met up with the families we were staying with, introductions, all that jazz. Nice folks. We decided to go home, get a nap (it was 7am local) and meet up for dinner. I say decided but that was the plan all along. I got into the car in the backseat- no seatbelts. Okay, cool, that's different but whatever. We pulled out onto the very busy road- on the left side. A bit of a surprise but hey, that's neat. The city (Bangkok) was wildly different from any place I had ever been. But that was expected, it's the other side of the world, right? Nearly there, we stopped at a stop light. There was an elephant standing beside me, 10 feet from my window. That was it. That elephant broke me. It was too much. There were no elephants outside car windows anywhere I had been before. I closed my eyes and curled up into a ball until we arrived. Lovely country. Wonderful people.
BoredPanda is awesome 5 years ago
Elephant! I would love that. probably get a watermelon and try to feed it
HOT CHOCOLATE <3 4 years ago
no. no. do not google it. i do not need images haunting mah brain cells
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Karin Jansen 5 years ago
Can't imagine an elephant in traffic in Bangkok nowadays! How long ago was this?
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
"Left side" --- about 1/3 people in the world drive on the left, 2/3 on the right...
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
List of all left- & right-driving countries around the world : https://www.worldstandards.eu/cars/list-of-left-driving-countries/
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#35
Just how late the Spanish eat dinner. Totally respect it, but I was hungry at 6pm and was shocked no restaurant was open to serve at that time.
giovanna 5 years ago (edited)
Gosh I am Italian (northern Italy) and I would eat at 7pm (my family used to do so). Quite common time for the north of Italy, but for some reasons it's become associated with being old and it seems like its 'cooler' to eat later. And I hate it. Also constantly had to do some mediation with my southern Italian friends who are more set on Spanish times for dinner. But I don't understand it. How can you eat at 10 PM and then go to sleep with your belly still full.
ADHORTATOR 5 years ago
My father is from northern Italy, my mother is German and we ate at 6 PM,,,my wife is from southern France and her eat at 8 pm. so we made a compromise and we eat at 8PM :-)
Load More Replies... Barrie 5 years ago
It all comes down to summer temperatures. At 11pm in Madrid in summer it can be over 30ºc so very hard to sleep. Later, around 1am or so it cools down a lot so it makes sense to go to bed later and therefore eat later. This then clashes with the modern 9-5 golbally accepted work hours so you get people having dinner anywhere from 8pm to 11pm.
Hilary Mol 5 years ago
No kidding. I was an exchange student in Argentina, and dinner at 9pm took some getting used to, especially since we all had to get up early for school in the morning...
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago (edited)
What time do they open? Most restaurants in Aus open at 5:30pm for dinner service.
Linda van der Pal 5 years ago
They probably didn't open until 7PM. (I know that's the case in France.)
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somnomania 5 years ago
6pm is "breakfast" time for me a lot of days. on an average day i wake up around 4-5pm, have coffee and sort of graze through the evening, and then my mom and i have a more structured dinner anytime after midnight, most nights.
lara 5 years ago
Back in the 70's we were in Yalta on a trip and the tour leader [university sponsored trip] and I went into the city. He needed to mail something and so did I. We thought we would have lunch there. Turns out ALL THE RESTAURANTS in the city CLOSE at 12 so the staff could have lunch. So we bought some ice cream, it was the first and last time I ever had TOMATO ice cream. Seems the Soviets had a bumper, bumper crop of tomatoes that year. So tomato ice cream.
#36
So in Italy, being a server at a restaurant is a respectable carreer, and they are paid pretty well. It took me way longer than I would've liked to, to figure out why all the wait staff I came across was very grateful for my 15% tips...
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
In Europe a tip is just a token of appreciation for the quality of the service you got from the server. It's not a "Gofundmywages" like in the US, because employers are allowed to keep slaves.
Falcon 5 years ago
Can confirm. In Europe it's polite to leave a tip if the server has been nice. But in no means is it mandatory.
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Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
I think that's also French restaurant culture: Being waiter is a respectable career in Italy, France, Belgium --- but cross into Protestant Holland and they'll give you an attitude of "you're no better than me, I don't have to serve you" and the guests go "yeah food was mediocre and service adequate if cold, I'll tip 4--8%" (after working out the bill into euros and cents per person). That blew my mind. Like middle class people in Sweden not wanting to take a house cleaner (even though they didn't really have time and hated cleaning), because that would be un-egalitarian (but cleaners need jobs too! they can't be professors, so why should professors play at being cleaners?).
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
The only people I tip are taxi drivers. I do this because usually the trips I take are super short (approx 5mins) and I feel guilty for possibly taking a higher paying trip away from them.
#37
Concerts in Japan: you have a number on your ticket and everyone queues according to that number. Yes, they manage to queue of hundreds of people in front of a venue according to the order in which they bought their ticket. It's fair, if you buy your ticket early you can get the chance for a better spot and you have a chance to buy limited merch that is usually sold out after minutes.
Bill 5 years ago
Don't try to start a mosh pit at a Japanese concert. I found out the hard way.
Zoria April 5 years ago
I love concerts in Japan! Also, awesome food and drinks, people being respectful of your personal space, clean toilets... It's all the pros of music festivals, and none of the cons!
#38
Once I got to about 15 and visited Italy I started getting asked out by guys who just wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. You reject a guy in the UK and they'll normally take it well (unless they're a bit unhinged), but in Italy I said no to strangers, friends I'd known for years, people I'd met that night- all people who were otherwise normal- who'd be so persistent that I had to either leave, or use my cousin as a fake bf.
DramaDoc 5 years ago
The first time I went to Italy (American F), when I was 22, the *very* first phrase I was taught was how to so "Go f*ck off," because American women were seen as kind of loose and fast and combined with the Italian machismo, it meant that men could (and did) get extremely aggressive.
Isabel Care 5 years ago
Aged 14 in Greece. An Italian guy pestered me. I said no, pushed him away, judo threw him and finally cadged a f*g, had him light it and then burned his hand which was, once again, on my thigh. He went straight over to work on a couple of German girls.
AnimalMetalHeadUK 5 years ago
I'm a Brit-Italian, sadly my Italian cousin is very much this guy, he came over here for a holiday and thought it would be "easy pickings" and he didn't take it well when he didn't get any, haha go home with your tail between your legs Vin".
Kitten claws 5 years ago
you could say the same for the US. ''it's just the culture'' But no. Not all of us are disgusting.
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#39
Grocery stores in the US, the amount of food getting wasted has to be insane. And then the reverse culture shock moving back to Europe; [come on] people, talking and being nice to strangers doesn't cost anything.
DforDory 5 years ago
Being nice to strangers should be practiced more often, I agree, but just randomly talking to people I don't know...no thank you. I believe here in Europe we have a bigger need of personal space and life. Been working as a hostel manager for 3 years now and I love meeting new people, but maybe because I exhaust all my extrovert resources on that, I am way more retreated in my personal life and it works for me fine.
Susanne Müller 5 years ago
Depends if you like being talked to by strangers - when I lived in the US, people used to hear that I speak German and then proceed to tell me about their random acquaintances that were in Germany once 20years ago. Why the hell would I be interested in that?
Noez 🇸🇪 5 years ago
On behalf of Scandinavians (and probably Europeans in general): please keep a 2 meter distance at all times and don't even look in my direction unless you have the friendliest face ever or have a cute dog that I am allowed to admire.
Lillukka79 5 years ago
Can't wate for corona to be over so we can get back to the normal 4 meters.
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somnomania 5 years ago
there are people and companies out there working toward reducing grocery store/restaurant waste, but it's a fairly small movement still. we get a box each month from a place called misfits market, that redistributes "ugly" produce. we get so much good stuff and make such delicious food with it, and try all sorts of new things we wouldn't otherwise be able to get. but yeah, the waste in this country is horrible.
Susanne Müller 5 years ago
Where do you take it from that Europeans are unable to do small talk??? It’s just different and in my opinion less superficial than in the US in my experience. When someone in Germany asks you how your weekend was, at least they usually actually want to know. Also, generalizing the study results from the UK to all of Europe is quite problematic - you do know that Europe is more than one country right?
Load More Replies... #40
When my mother moved to America from South Africa, she asked the taxi driver taking her to where she way staying what information he had about the area. She tells me that she'll always remember how he pointed out an area and said it was the poorest in the city, super dangerous. It made her realize that America has a very different perception of poverty than SA. Here, the poor have 4 solid walls, HVAC, and probably phones. In SA, the poor have small sheet metal sheds, no water, no plumbing, no internet, and no electricity.
Wendillon 5 years ago
True. It isn't great, but if you have no money you can still go to a hospital and get treated.
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#41
America has drive-thru everything! Drive-thru coffee, drive-thru ATM, drive-thru liquor store!
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Wouldn't most people also feel insecure or even afraid if they had to walk?
Load More Replies... Natalie Bohrteller 5 years ago
Even drive-thru pharmacies. Like, why won't you walk if you're not physically impaired? It might actually positively influence your health. But that'd be just too much to ask for I guess.
Lauren Caswell 5 years ago
Drive through atm sounds good, provided it's secure! It's annoying have to find the closest atm and try to find a park just to get some cash out
#42
My cousin visited me from Nigeria and couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that we have entire stores here just for pets and pet products. In Nigeria most of the dogs are allowed to just run wild.
El Dee 5 years ago
When I was young dogs used to roam free in my country too. But now they are rounded up and they must be chipped by the owner..
Kitten claws 5 years ago
Its a good thing to have your pets chipped. This is a very efficient way of finding your pets if they get lost. It's not a bad thing smh
Load More Replies... Isabel Care 5 years ago
My uncle asked me to send him a photo of my Jack Russel/Whippet dog in the coat I made for her. He was in Cambodia and no one believed him when he said that some dogs wear coats in the winter. No idea what they'd think about cats in clothes and pet Halloween costumes
#43
Having no trash cans in Japan. Because of the sarin gas attack, they pretty much don’t have any trash cans. I felt so awkward asking store owners to take my trash. And no, I didn’t thrust it upon them. I asked where a trashcan was and they offered to take it. That was weird.
Happy Creations 5 years ago
I felt embarrassed asking store owners to help me with trash, so I just carried the trash with me all over the cities and threw it later in the hotel room.
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
... while all food is triple-wrapped, so triple trash. On the other hand, restaurants cheap so no real reason to have food trash.
Erin Kavik 5 years ago
Was my experience living in one part of the UK. The town I was staying in had been listed on some list of places to bomb (at a guess, the IRA?) and the town had no public bins at all so a bomb couldn't be placed in them. Not been there for a long time though so I don't know if it is still true.
#44
When I was six we moved to America for a year so every morning we head to do the pledge of alliance and because I was from Germany I had no idea what it was so I acted like I knew what I was doing
Wendillon 5 years ago
I would refuse even if it was my flag and my country.
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C.C. de Vere 5 years ago
When I was 10, several students from Mexico studied with my class for a few weeks. My teacher explained why they would not be saying the Pledge with the rest of us. No big deal.
Becca Gizmo the Squirrel 5 years ago
Parents can write a note saying you don't have to do it. My youngest sons school doesn't do it. (I just asked him.)
#45
Watching children in Mexico happily eating crickets like they were popcorn. Also, 4 or 5 year old kids out at 10pm to sell gum.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Chapulines in Oaxaca, Mexico: Healthy Protein-rich Food - Recipe & Primer : https://tomzap.com/Chapulines_AS.html
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago (edited)
Chapulines are grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium that are commonly eaten in certain areas of Mexico. "Mexico gets a taste for eating insects as chefs put bugs back on the menu" : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/23/mexico-insect-cuisine-sustainable-food
#46
I am Thai, my collgueas are from Argentina and Spain. I eat lunch at 12.30hrs and they are shocked. And the fact that for them lunch is at 16.00 is too crazy for me.
Robert Thornburrow 5 years ago
Was a bit like this in Cyprus - worked from about 07:00-15:00 and then knocked off for the day - lunch back at the hotel, lounge about round the pool for a bit, go for a walk and dinner at night.
JustAWeirdoGirlChild 5 years ago
i eat lunch around 11:00 to at latest 14:00 (I had to do a lot of counting to find out the hours thing, I normally do am-pm)
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago (edited)
What time do they eat dinner if they eat lunch at 4pm?
Veselina Bradvarova 5 years ago (edited)
in Spain we have different timings. We have a café con leche and a toast in the morning, than around 11 we have Merienda (like between meal . some sandwich), than we eat normally around 14:00 - 15:00. Than at 6 we have Almuerzo (a bier and a tapa may be :) and that's why we eat dinner later. We go to bed not so early like the rest of Europe (we normally go for a walk after dinner, meet friends). We have a lot of social life (ok...we used to have :(
Load More Replies... #47
I live in the Netherlands. Water is all around me. From the sea, to the canals, to waterways dividing the fields between different farms. The first time I visited Iowa and drove around there it took me a couple of days to realise there wasn't any water between the fields and acres. Sure, there's a river and what not, but essentially it's just endless actual ground. It made me feel uneasy for a couple of minutes.
El Dee 5 years ago
I have lived by the sea my whole life too. I've always been able to see it from every single house I've lived in. If I'm ever anywhere inland it feels like being in a room with no windows..
somnomania 5 years ago
i'm so jealous, i've never lived near water, and at this point in my life it's been so long since i was near a beach that i have dreams about walking on a beach pretty frequently. my dream is to live up on a nice cliff that overlooks the sea, somewhere nice and cool where hurricanes don't go.
Load More Replies... Tien 5 years ago
And even with all those waterways some parts of the Netherlands are lacking water. Part of it due to creating farming grounds, where farmers closed small waterways that used to criss cross the lands. How the F*** does Iowa get water everywhere? (the Dutch "lands" I'm talking about are between 10 and 30 minutes to drive across or around, imagine that...)
#48
Witnessing PDA everywhere and frequently in France. I'm from a little conservative Asian country. Here couples rarely do it and when it happens it's just hand holding
giovanna 5 years ago
I was wondering too, and then I felt very proud of my English not being a native speaker, when I figured out it must be public display of affection... :)
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#49
The mid day siesta in Italy where everything is closed for 2 hours. The entire culture is so much different than America's, it was great
Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
It's actually in Spain and Greece and various other mediterranean cultures but not in Italy...
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Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
Shops closed but no 'riposino', no siesta/sleep.
Load More Replies... #50
India was my biggest culture shock. Poverty and extreme riches next to each other.
Steve Barnett 5 years ago
I've been to India. Saw the Taj Mahal, the country is full of history. However, I was literally fleeced from the moment I got there to the moment I left. At every opportunity there was someone to take advantage of me being a tourist. Worse things also happened, but I'm not going to expound on that.
Erin Kavik 5 years ago
See this in Beijing too. Tourist areas bringing in loads of money, next street over a very ruined hutong with people living in dire poverty.
#51
I was messing with friends in Africa. Every time I told a joke, I'd get a response: 'kk.' I'm here thinking I'm not funny for literal months. Then one time, one of them says, 'Kk. You're so funny!' I ask them what 'kk' means, and they say it's 'laughing.'
Ollie the cat 5 years ago
My friend texts me this all the time. I have to apologize for when she told me my brother got bit by a dog today and I replied kk. I thought it meant ok.
Nandi La Sophia 5 years ago
same in Korea- they don't text LOL (obviously, not being an English speaking country) they text ㅋㅋㅋㅋ which makes a K K K K sound
Loren 5 years ago
us Americans sometimes say lol instead of laughing so.....
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#52
I moved to Canada from South Africa for 2 years and its amazing how much cheaper stuff like vehicles and electronics is without the endless amount of taxes and inflation South Africa has. I can buy a good car for 10k in dollars in Canada, but if you convert that to South Africa you are getting a rusty old ford ranger with more than 400k km on it.
Charné Coetzer 5 years ago
This is not true in the least bit. My car is about half the price of 10k Canadian dollars and its decent, runs well and is NOT rusted.
Wendillon 5 years ago
You got lucky. OP's description is pretty accurate from my experience.
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#53
It's probably a stupid thing but being from Australia and visiting Europe I was shocked that to use public toilets you have to pay. I'd agree with it in principle that it helps with upkeep, cleaning etc however almost every one we used were filthy and definitely not looked after. Even worse I found were the ones with the old women sitting at the entrance who'd yell at you if you couldn't find enough coins to appease her.
lara 5 years ago
Oh, yeah that happened in the old Soviet Union. Don't know about now. But you paid an old woman who sat at the door and it was like five kopecks. And she would hand you three pieces of what, I assumed were toilet paper. More like wax paper and you were never supposed to flush it down the toilet. Well when we went to the USSR we took our own tp. But they STILL made you "buy" that crappy waxy paper. I started a collection.
Robert Thornburrow 5 years ago
Quite common here in the UK - can cost 20p or more to pee. They are generally cleaner but not always. Hardly any of them have actual people taking the money though.
Sasy 5 years ago (edited)
We used to put voins in toilets here in Australia in the 70s too, Grace Bros you had to put 2c to get the door to open. But I remember going to Paris and it was 5 centimes mid 80s but they were the weird little buildings on the footpath, and you went in and used the toilet and when you left the whole room was showered down.
Nicola Roberts 5 years ago
I've had old ladies shout at me in Arabic, all for 2 sheets of toilet paper, just as scary.
#54
I live in the US and visited my friend in South Africa (his family is Indian). They had a maid but it really weirded me out when his dad randomly remarked "I could use some dessert" and my friend's brother's girlfriend immediately stood up, walked to the kitchen, and made a full dessert right then and there.
Wendillon 5 years ago
Maybe she just really likes making dessert? ....please let her just really like making dessert?
Jaded Queen 5 years ago
In my country we use hundreds of spices everyday, that in earlier times needed to be grown and dried and then grinded at home, we made our own butter, grown own food as community along with taking care of animals of household... I could go on... Women fetched water from far, collected firewoods and made stoves & houses from themselves of cowdung.this coupled with multiple children and the beautyfication of House. It was not a quick stroll to the market to buy canned carcinogenic food or packed little baggies which mean ur eating plastic+ trash food. Or a quick hover at vacuum cleaner or a swift swipe at phone to order pretty much everything.They used so many natural things and stayed fit, had black hair and the full use of there teeth and eyes even in old age. There were a lot of things that went wrong no doubt. But they were so many things that were right. And the food was yum & simple & still better than today's food. In my country it started as division of labour rather than oppress
Load More Replies... Jaded Queen 5 years ago
In my country we use hundreds of spices everyday, that in earlier times needed to be grown and dried and then grinded at home, we made our own butter, grown own food as community along with taking care of animals of household... fetched water from far, collected firewoods and made stoves & houses from themselves of cowdung.this coupled with multiple children and the beautyfication of House. It was not a quick stroll to the market to buy canned carcinogenic food or packed little baggies which mean ur eating plastic+ trash food. Or a quick hover at vacuum cleaner or a swift swipe at phone to order pretty much everything.They used so many natural things and stayed fit, had black hair and the full use of there teeth and eyes even in old age. There were a lot of things that went wrong no doubt. But they were so many things that were right. And the food was yum,simple, natural& still better than today's food. In my country it started as division of labour rather than oppression & went ugly
Load More Replies... #55
When I went to Dominican Republic, my family and I saw a guy literally go behind a bush, put his pants down and take a dump. One of the locals told us that this was a common thing there.
Nandi La Sophia 5 years ago
I've seen the same thing in San Francisco dozens of times over the years, so.. yeah-
Petra Schaap 5 years ago
yep, and they dont go behind a bush. Even better, when I dont notice, my boyfriend will make sure I see it ....
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#56
I moved from the US to Moscow. The first two weeks were an absolute nightmare since Moscow is about 18x larger than my home city. My favorite culture shock experience is on my 2nd day getting lost in the train system for hours. The train system as amazing and efficient as it is, you can get lost for days if you don't know it.
#57
I grew up in a Southeast Asian country, and moving to a Western country, I realized the stark difference on parenting. It's much more individualistic in Western countries, rather than community-based.
lara 5 years ago
Yes and no. In rural areas which pretty much used to be America, families were all part of the community. They looked out for each other, took care of each other and raised each others kids. Yes, you could be punished, spanked, by your neighbor and then when you got home your mom or dad would probably spank you again. However, WWII changed all that. People left the rural areas and all their support systems and moved to big cities where they were not "neighbors" just acquaintances. It is still like the rural areas here, but people have lost the benefit of real neighbors. Too bad. We live in a rural area and our neighbors all look out for each other.
Dario T. 5 years ago
Can you explain more with what you mean? I'm genuinely curious, being myself born into a western country. What are the major differences into this regard?
Wendillon 5 years ago
Western families typically consist of two parents raising their kids together. In most of Southeast Asia you have parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles all pitching in to raise the kids together. One set of grandparents will typically move in with the parents for the first few years of the child's life to help raise them.
Load More Replies... #58
People can marry whoever they like regardless of family, creed, religion. Like white people can just fall in love with another person and just marry them without any issue. I'm beyond amazed.
Anne 5 years ago
half the world operates like that.. the other half has the freedom to choose.
Load More Replies... Marcellus the Third 5 years ago
This is a bit of a fantasy tho... In the US you go to your practically-segregated schools and clubs, meet "your own type" most of the time up to college. And your college is also determined by your background and income.
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
It is amazing. Everyone should have the freedom to choose who they marry.
lara 5 years ago
My best friend is Chinese Asian, born in the US, so an American. Her almost husband, they have been together for over 40 years, is Japanese, he too, is an American, born here. They live as a couple, when she wants to get married, he doesn't and when he does, she doesn't. Anyway, for some reason [lol] their families are a little put off by this "partnership].
Erin Kavik 5 years ago
China and Japan's relationship hasn't much improved since WW2, it's a prejudice that IME commonly gets thrust onto children.
Load More Replies... Ollie the cat 5 years ago
Whoever wrote this has never heard of homophobic people apparently. No I can’t love whoever I want (im a nb person who’s bi) my rights are a political debate because I’m not attracted to the opposite gender of my assigned gender most of the time. Seriously in America in like half of the states it’s legal to abuse someone until the pretend to not be homosexual. Yeah where do you live.
#59
How big people from Europe are, especially Dutch and Danes, I remember growing up with the 'big bad Americans' belief
Goth Nurse 5 years ago (edited)
I roll my eyes every time an American says "yeah he is very tall, like 6 feet!". That is not exceptionally tall. It's about 180 cm. When you go to 190 cm, that is the beginning of Tall. My husband is very tall, he is 2 meters which is around 6'6. We're Finnish.
Isabel Care 5 years ago
I'm only tall when seated. My 6ft 3 friend is the same height when we sit next to each other. I'm 5ft 7 standing up. Very long body and short legs. Hellish trying to find a car with enough head room, or a motorbike where I can touch the ground
Load More Replies... Tien 5 years ago (edited)
6ft Dutch female here. I'm tall, but not extremely tall (especially being from the northern part of the country, where on average some of the tallest people in the world live). My city has lots of foreign students and expats and such, also many immigrant families, so we do know to some extent, that not everyone is this tall, but wow, travelling to other countries blew my mind sort of. It's not even a mix of tall and short people, no, literally everyone is much much shorter than me and I'd be some sort of freakshow (not meant in a bad way!) Knowing the difference and experiencing it first hand is not the same. At all
#60
That Europeans dont use ice as much as Americans, and some beers are supposed to be consumed warm
BusLady 5 years ago
Beer is chilled, but not put on ice. That is disgusting.
Load More Replies... Petra Schaap 5 years ago
ahh.... nothing beats an American beverage with icecubes that taste like chlorine!
Steve Barnett 5 years ago
In the UK all lager and ale is normally consumed cold. However you're right, ale is palatable consumed warm and indeed preferable on a Winter's day.
#61
I'm from the Philippines and I've lived for at least a year in the USA and I was so shocked people in the US would... just greet and help strangers out if they needed help? Here in the Philippines if someone you didn’t know greeted you and talked to you out of nowhere, we’d be weirded out.
Jules Daly 5 years ago
Happens all the time in Ireland. We talk to everyone and help each other out.
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lara 5 years ago
Once we were in Kiev and we, Becket and I, wanted to see the Great Gate of Kiev. So we got a map, but, unfortunately, it was in French. Becket and I spoke English, she was fluent in Russian, I could get by, and German was my other language. We couldn't make heads or tails out of where we were since the signs were in Cyrillic [we could read those] but the map was in French, so not so much. Anyway, we saw two guys with the same map, assumed they were French so we tried to ask them if they knew how to get to the Gate. They looked at us and said "We're Americans, we were hoping you could help us." And yes, eventually we found a policeman and asked him. He was shocked that we stopped and asked, but he showed us on the map and pointed us in the right direction.
somnomania 5 years ago
it's situational in the US, at least in my experience. if i were a white man i'd probably experience it all the time, but since i'm a white woman instead, i was brought up to be cautious about things like that, because not everyone is actually interested in helping you.
Downunderdude 5 years ago
Well, I'm from Australia and I always think it's funny how people are amazed that we ride kangaroos. In the bigger cities, we have kangacabs. They're so well trained: you just tell them where you want to go and put the money in the pouch. You get used to the bouncing. And people say the wildlife is dangerous. Rubbish. I've only lost two friends - one to a shark and one to a croc. And that's in the whole of 2020!
Petra Schaap 5 years ago
southern Europe also. I think we only managed to travel around in Spain so much without speaking the language decently, and in that Spanish chaos, because of the super helpfull locals! And if you still dont understand them, they'll just grab your arm and drag you with them :-D
Luther von Wolfen 5 years ago
US is a big country with regional differences. I'm from the rural south where people greet strangers. It's very different up North.
Ben Smith 5 years ago
Absolutely false. That’s like me saying “everyone in the south is racist.” Your statement is far too general
Load More Replies... #62
Grandmother visiting the states for the first time from Guatemala, she nicely folded up her used toilet paper and put it in the trash can next to the toilet. Had to explain to her she can flush it, never asked why she would have done that.
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago (edited)
Because in some countries the drains are so narrow that they easily clog up. So you're not supposed to flush the toiletpaper.
AnimalMetalHeadUK 5 years ago
Yes, went on holiday to a resort in Greece and they told us not to flush paper and just put it in the waste bins.
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Saint Thomas 5 years ago
Well, it's because the plumbing system for the toilets are made of small pipes in most South American (and Asian) countries. So it clogs very easily with paper. So usually you have a waste basket next to the toilet, where you throw the used paper. It was a little cultural shock when I first travelled in those countries, but then you get used to it.
I want cake 5 years ago (edited)
Yep, I experienced a kind of culture shock when I worked as a cleaner in a language school for adults, and whenever there was a class with a lot of Chinese students I would find soiled toilet paper and even faeces in the waste bin. I was horrified the first time, taking the lid off the bin and finding someone's business in there!
Load More Replies... Erin Kavik 5 years ago
It will clog the toilet, neither the toilets or the drain system are built for it.
somnomania 5 years ago
honestly that sounds more practical for most instances, i bet in guatemala they don't have that problem of sewage systems getting completely clogged with "flushable" baby wipes.
#63
In China, lanes and traffic lights don't matter to taxi and bus drivers.
Robert Thornburrow 5 years ago
None of the rules of the road seem to apply to taxi drivers in any country, though the scariest was hurtling down the hard shoulder (emergency lane) of a motorway past queuing traffic when someone decides to pull into that lane, and the speed at which we rejoined the traffic when we encountered a Police car!
Canadian in Cornwall 5 years ago
actually, that's ALL drivers in French Canada !
Load More Replies... #64
I was in an airport in Europe and saw two guys walking around with huge automatic weapons and I seriously thought we were all gonna die... Turned out they were military security.
WilvanderHeijden 5 years ago
People carrying guns in public in Europe always are in uniform. He could have seen right away that the men were no terrorists.
Tien 5 years ago (edited)
Exactly this! And aside from the uniform it will be obvious in many ways that they're on duty as security and not some rando's with guns. You'll see them at certain train platforms too, specifically on the platforms where international trains have a stop (i.e. on Schiphol, on the underground platform where you have trains coming from and heading to several different countries). It's not like they just walk around the airport with ak47s pointed at people Edit: typo 2nd edit: this post (comment?) is severly dramatised
Load More Replies... ADHORTATOR 5 years ago
Could be France, military is on duty at railroad stations, churches, Airports and so on...
Marcia Cash 5 years ago
well, you could be in Texas where everyone is probably carrying concealed weapons.
Petra Schaap 5 years ago
in the mid 80's we went to Brussels for the first time, I was maybe 14. i remember there was army or military police with machine guns all over the town because of the all the terrorist attacks of those days. We were all so shocked!
#65
Friend in China nonchalantly put some brains on my plate to share. I don’t remember which animal. But this was not unusual for him. They eat organs often.
uber mensch 5 years ago
In a pretty fair chunk of the world, people can't be fussy about what is considered "food", as opposed to here in the U.S.
Marcia Cash 5 years ago
Weirdest thing I ever saw in an American supermarket, little can labled "Pig brains swimming in milk gravy." Eeewww?
Caroline Nagel 5 years ago
Tripes aux Riesling, my mum liked the sound of it on the menu in a restaurant in France. Until she was served the said dish and realised it was offal stewed in Riesling wine - the bit she liked about the dish as on the menu). She slowly ladeled the contents of her soup plate back into the tureen it was served in. It was very chewy.
Petra Schaap 5 years ago
I remember we ate brains in the eighties :-D it was quite tasty! my mom used to order it from the local butcher, who refused to let her pay for it because he was grossed out lol
Tomek Sztuk 5 years ago
Well prepared brain is really tasty 🤷♂️ You can find it in European cuisines too.
#66
When I went to Germany and they all called their local German shepherd dogs shepherds. Just shepherds. As if the fact that they came from Germany meant diddly-squat to them!
SupaCab 5 years ago
Lived in Germany for many years and never heard them refer to them as just "Shepherd dogs", they're called Deutscher Schäferhund in German, which literally mean German Shepherd dog
MauKini 5 years ago
I am a german, living in germany. I can confirm that we only call dem shepherds dog = Schäferhund. Noone ever calls them "Deutscher Schäferhund" apart from breeders. But we use the english names and dont translate them to german for most of the other shepherds eg. Austarlian shepherds.
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AnimalMetalHeadUK 5 years ago
After WW2, Britain changed the names of anything with German in the title, so German shepherd became alsatian and German measles became rubella, for 2 examples.
Jasmina Pavlovic 5 years ago
No, we don't call them just Shepherd like the Shepherd for Sheeps. We call them Shepherd dog/Schäferhund. 😉👋
Nicola Roberts 5 years ago
Haha I find this quite sweet. Is French kissing, just kissing to the French?
Nayru Nayrusia 5 years ago
As a German, I never thought about it, but you are right. Sidefact: Everyone calls them "Schäferhund" what litteraly means "Shepherd Dog" other breed of shepherd dogs are called "Hütehunde" (herding dog).
Goth Nurse 5 years ago
In Finnish, they are called "saksanpaimenkoira" (Germanys shepherd dog) or "seefferi" that comes from "schäferhund" obviously. Germany in Finnish is "Saksa" Shepherd in finnish is "paimen" Dog in Finnish is "koira"
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
CrunChewy McSandybutt 5 years ago
I had to stop reading halfway through. I'm an American and BP tends to hate on us a bit. I usually don't mind, but right now we're already feeling pretty low about the state of the nation. It's like a fat person perusing through pics of young, fit people. Yeah, we know there's a problem but I'd like to not have my nose rubbed in it constantly.
Laugh Fan 5 years ago
Totally sympathise. Get fed up with with the US bashing that goes on (though in the UK myself). Every country has it's quirks and flaws as well as its highlights. Lets turn the focus on a few other countries where we all know far less - as long as it's done without being harsh or patronising. I'd like to know more, not constantly criticise.
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Chez 5 years ago
Me, a South African, visited my sister who is living in Norway. Sorry Norwegians, no offense meant AT ALL, but you guys are pretty unfriendly. I do know that South Africans are super friendly and love having a chat with strangers, but even just a smile when you walk past someone doesn't seem to be a thing there. Which makes wearing a mask in public really frustrating back at home because I'm smiling at everyone I see and I know they can't see it. :(
Wendillon 5 years ago (edited)
Fellow South African. I've realized over the years that we are invasively friendly. Like our idea of a friendly chat on the bus makes tons of foreigners feel super uncomfortable....but it's so deeply ingrained in us that we can't stop. Edit: As for the mask thing, you keep on smiling Chez, we can see the smile in your eyes even if we can't see your lips.
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François Carré 5 years ago
European in a large city of Brazil. If you have to cross the street, not only wait for the traffic light to turn red for cars, but also grab your friend by the hand, and run together as fast as you can. Because you can't be sure that every car is going to stop. You even can't be sure that someone would actually care if they killed you (one of my friend's teacher died like that. It took a long time to identify her and contact the family, because some random a**hole took advantage of the accident to steal her bag with her ID and all her money). Also, don't try to look fancy. Wear the sh*ttiest clothes you have, especially if you're white (=rich) so that you can have a chance to trick the robbers into thinking you're not a tourist, just some kind of rare Brazilian white trash. But still take a bit of money with you, because if they assault you and find nothing, they might kill you on frustration.
Duska Radmanovic 5 years ago
Oh, my God, it's a nightmare. How can anyone live like that?
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LittleMissLotus 5 years ago
American here... can someone please adopt me??? Free healthcare, no psychotic nationalism, safety, and actual politeness sound great
Tien 5 years ago
I'll marry you (male/female/other all fine with me) so you can come live in The Netherlands
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BusLady 5 years ago
I had culture shock when I visited my sister in law's family in Mexico. The women prepared the meal and put it on the table. The men and older boys sat down to eat. When they were done, then the women and children sat down and ate. Also, they never offered me anything to eat or drink while I was there. When my son and I went out in public, everyone stared at us because we were gringos. I never saw another white person when I was there.
lailyfnoor 5 years ago
Asian, first time to Italy! Met some new friends. When it's time to say goodbye, they kissed me on the cheek. I confused, so I just giggling awkwardly. Didn't know that thing is common in there, even between opposite sex.
BeenElle 5 years ago
At least you’re reading about the rest of the world and that’s a start!
Load More Replies...
KombatBunni 5 years ago
My boyfriend got a bit of culture shock when we flew from Melbourne, Victoria to Brisbane, Queensland to visit my parents one year. He’d never been outside the state before, nor on a plane until that trip. His first comment upon seeing the suburb my parents lived was “Welcome to the 1950s..” I mean yeah Brissie is a bit backward compared to Melbourne but it’s not that bad? Oh and also he got to experience one of the biggest tropical storms Brisbane’s ever had in 15 years on his first trip..
pusheen buttercup 5 years ago
My significant other and I are both from America yet both have culture shock, my family is very "say what's on your mind" and touchy, but my in-laws are very different. Things are implied instead. S.O. found my family overwhelming! And I found his to be panic inducing because I don't have access to their thoughts and feelings. But as a couple, we seem to balance out quite nicely.
CrunChewy McSandybutt 5 years ago
I had to stop reading halfway through. I'm an American and BP tends to hate on us a bit. I usually don't mind, but right now we're already feeling pretty low about the state of the nation. It's like a fat person perusing through pics of young, fit people. Yeah, we know there's a problem but I'd like to not have my nose rubbed in it constantly.
Laugh Fan 5 years ago
Totally sympathise. Get fed up with with the US bashing that goes on (though in the UK myself). Every country has it's quirks and flaws as well as its highlights. Lets turn the focus on a few other countries where we all know far less - as long as it's done without being harsh or patronising. I'd like to know more, not constantly criticise.
Load More Replies... Chez 5 years ago
Me, a South African, visited my sister who is living in Norway. Sorry Norwegians, no offense meant AT ALL, but you guys are pretty unfriendly. I do know that South Africans are super friendly and love having a chat with strangers, but even just a smile when you walk past someone doesn't seem to be a thing there. Which makes wearing a mask in public really frustrating back at home because I'm smiling at everyone I see and I know they can't see it. :(
Wendillon 5 years ago (edited)
Fellow South African. I've realized over the years that we are invasively friendly. Like our idea of a friendly chat on the bus makes tons of foreigners feel super uncomfortable....but it's so deeply ingrained in us that we can't stop. Edit: As for the mask thing, you keep on smiling Chez, we can see the smile in your eyes even if we can't see your lips.
Load More Replies... François Carré 5 years ago
European in a large city of Brazil. If you have to cross the street, not only wait for the traffic light to turn red for cars, but also grab your friend by the hand, and run together as fast as you can. Because you can't be sure that every car is going to stop. You even can't be sure that someone would actually care if they killed you (one of my friend's teacher died like that. It took a long time to identify her and contact the family, because some random a**hole took advantage of the accident to steal her bag with her ID and all her money). Also, don't try to look fancy. Wear the sh*ttiest clothes you have, especially if you're white (=rich) so that you can have a chance to trick the robbers into thinking you're not a tourist, just some kind of rare Brazilian white trash. But still take a bit of money with you, because if they assault you and find nothing, they might kill you on frustration.
Duska Radmanovic 5 years ago
Oh, my God, it's a nightmare. How can anyone live like that?
Load More Replies... LittleMissLotus 5 years ago
American here... can someone please adopt me??? Free healthcare, no psychotic nationalism, safety, and actual politeness sound great
Tien 5 years ago
I'll marry you (male/female/other all fine with me) so you can come live in The Netherlands
Load More Replies... BusLady 5 years ago
I had culture shock when I visited my sister in law's family in Mexico. The women prepared the meal and put it on the table. The men and older boys sat down to eat. When they were done, then the women and children sat down and ate. Also, they never offered me anything to eat or drink while I was there. When my son and I went out in public, everyone stared at us because we were gringos. I never saw another white person when I was there.
lailyfnoor 5 years ago
Asian, first time to Italy! Met some new friends. When it's time to say goodbye, they kissed me on the cheek. I confused, so I just giggling awkwardly. Didn't know that thing is common in there, even between opposite sex.
BeenElle 5 years ago
At least you’re reading about the rest of the world and that’s a start!
Load More Replies... KombatBunni 5 years ago
My boyfriend got a bit of culture shock when we flew from Melbourne, Victoria to Brisbane, Queensland to visit my parents one year. He’d never been outside the state before, nor on a plane until that trip. His first comment upon seeing the suburb my parents lived was “Welcome to the 1950s..” I mean yeah Brissie is a bit backward compared to Melbourne but it’s not that bad? Oh and also he got to experience one of the biggest tropical storms Brisbane’s ever had in 15 years on his first trip..
pusheen buttercup 5 years ago
My significant other and I are both from America yet both have culture shock, my family is very "say what's on your mind" and touchy, but my in-laws are very different. Things are implied instead. S.O. found my family overwhelming! And I found his to be panic inducing because I don't have access to their thoughts and feelings. But as a couple, we seem to balance out quite nicely.
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