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30 People Share The Biggest Culture Shocks They’ve Ever Experienced Abroad
Interview With Expert
Different cultures have different ways of communicating and doing things. In some cases, they can be quirky but amusing. Like "La Mordida" in Mexico, smashing the face of the birthday person in their birthday cake. Others are much more nuanced, like the respect for personal space. At least that was the thing I had to get used to when I came back home: people standing extremely close to me in a queue.
As Reddit is a melting pot of people from different regions and cultures, they surely have experienced similar confusion while traveling. That's why when one person asked "What's the biggest culture shock you've experienced when visiting another country?", over 5,000 people decided to share.
And what about you, Pandas? Have you ever experienced culture shock in another country? What was it like? Check out people's answers and don't forget to share your story in the comments down below!
Bored Panda reached out to a professional traveler from Melbourne, Australia James Clark. He's been a digital nomad since 2003 and started his blog Nomadic Notes in 2009. We asked James to tell us more about the culture shocks he has experienced throughout his many years of traveling and what his tips are to overcome them. Read our conversation with him below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I was in Myeodong, South Korea in the spring and it was raining. The Myeongdong bus stop to the airport has no shelter, it’s just on the side of the road, but when it rains, somebody, I’m guessing the nearby store owners, leave umbrellas for the bus goers to use, which the bus goers use and leave hanging on the railing when they board the bus. There were so many pretty umbrellas hung along the railing and nobody stole them. They were just there for anyone to use and that was a huge shock for me..
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
In Japan there are clear plastic umbrellas everywhere for people to use and pass om. Every hotel, most restaurants, and theater I visited had them.
Caroline Starr 1 year ago
In Rome for my birthday 10 years ago it rained, and rained, and and rained. At the first spot of rain numerous men would appear out of nowhere to sell you an umbrella for €3. They were so cheap that if you left one somewhere because it had stopped raining you didn't worry about it. I imagine the vendors would recycle them. I did wonder what they hawked if it wasn't raining, sunglasses?
Kate Koppen 1 year ago
what I liked most about big cities in China was that, if it started to rain and you had no umbrella, one of the usually so annoying marketeers would enter the crossroad to sell umbrellas for cheap. SO useful.
RELATED:
#2
Very trivial, but we sat at a table in England for an hour after finishing our meal, waiting on our bill. The kind server took pity on our poor sweet American asses and told us we needed to ask for the check, since it was rude for the server to assume we were ready to go.
The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
In America, they want you to eat, pay your bill then get the eff out. Turning tables as fast as possible is the name of the game.
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Marianne 1 year ago
Where I live, at some point a waiter will come over and ask if we need anything else. When you say no for the second time, they will politely ask you if you want to pay.
piruoztek 1 year ago
Similar in nonwestern European country where I live, when you finish meal, they ask if you want anything else and if not, just say: "No, thanks, just check, please."
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Trillian 1 year ago
One reason why I don't like to dine out in the US. First you can hardly have a conversation because the waiters will constantly interrupt and the minute you finished they kick you out. I can just as well get takeout and eat in peace in my hotel room.
Suby 1 year ago
I hate it when they put the unsanitary check on the table when I'm not even done eating yet. Yuck.
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SkippityBoppityBoo 1 year ago
Oh gosh, this used to happen to me a lot with Americans! They were really nice about it though when I explained that in a lot of places here in the UK you have to ask for the bill or just go up to the bar and ask for it and we'll bring it over. Either that or just pay at the bar. If you're unsure? Just ask! Any reputable place will help you out if you don't know about something such as this or what to do 🙂.... P.S? Please make sure that you have signed the back of your card if you're paying by card, credit or debit. Some places may still require a signature on the pay slip from the till to match it to the one on the card you're using and you cannot sign the card right there and then because it could be a stolen card etc... Make sure you've something else such as your driving licence with your photo and signature on it just in case.
Caroline Starr 1 year ago
No one has EVER asked to see my card, nor have I ever signed a till receipt.
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Floeckchen 1 year ago
I see more restaurants nowadays having colour coded table lamps which you can light up if you want to order something or want the bill.
#3
In 2019 i was in Turkey and the way men are staring at girls (me) is frustrating. i don’t want to visit muslim countries anymore sorry.
Katiekat 1 year ago
Fiftysomething woman here, and I was shocked at being catcalled in Morocco. I ignored them so hard, I hope they doubted their own existence. Not fun, just sloppy, stupid, backward. Doesn't ever make me want to go back. Of course I wasn't bothered at all when I had a male tour guide. Solo female traveler here, 29 countries, NOT a newbie at all to world travel. Some places are better than others.
Diolla 1 year ago
Have to agree on this. I've visited Tunisia several times as a child/ youngster. But when I went there as an adult I really hated all the catcalling, strangers stopping me in the street to ask me if I'm a virgin, ppl pulling my arm, following me, etc.. And from what I heard Tunisia is not that bad. Have stopped going there and never had that problem again in other countries. But I do avoid certain countries now.
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Ru Bee 1 year ago
Oh god I'm going next spring. I really want to see the historical monuments. I'm going on a fully guided tour so I'm hoping it will be okay but after Turkey I admit I'm a little concerned.
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Ozzie Ogawa 1 year ago
In islam actually women is told to cover herself and men is told to lower his gaze, but sadly most men don't care about their responsibility and dump everything to women
Evelien Stijger Martens 1 year ago
They do not respect western women, especialky if you do not adjust your clothing. I workt at a Turkusch caffe, i always got respect for the way a behaved myself. Other girls that workt there, that got to much involved in the men there, did not get that.
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Mark Fuller 1 year ago
And as utterly racist as this sounds, the simple statistical fact of the matter is that most of the child grooming gangs in the UK are of non English decent. Suppress people and natural urges will manifest in the most toxic of ways...
All's Gravy 1 year ago
That's NOT a statistical fact. Look it up. Oh, and stop reading the Daily Mail and the Sun; both are discounted as reliable sources of accurate information. The majority of grooming gangs come from the white middle and upper classes, as they always have done. Those who have always been connected enough to get away with it. Theresa May made all the Dolphin Square dossiers disappear into thin air; decades of orphanage abuse from Mountbatten through Philip and minor royals and many MPs. We only ever heard about the tip of the iceberg.
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Slapdash1 1 year ago
People in the west are worried about wage gaps, correct pronouns and papers straws. While in the middle east women are just basically meat.
Bartlet for World Domination 1 year ago
Let's call this the paper straw man argument.
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Donald 1 year ago
No but if you want to speed run sexual harassment, there is not many better places to do it.
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Johnnynatfan 1 year ago
NOt all muslim countries are like that. Albania is a majority muslim country but you would never know it while there.
Diolla 1 year ago
Also I never had a problem as a woman traveller in several sub-Saharan muslim countries.
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shereallylikesmusic 1 year ago
This! I experienced this behaviour recently in... Germany, from a group of muslim men. It was disqusting and horrifying...
James Clark travels extensively in Southeast Asia, so his most memorable cultural difference – squat toilets – comes from there. "I encountered squat toilets on my first trip to India, which was an intimidating experience for someone who is not good at squatting."
"One day, I arrived at a guest house that was listed in a guide book. The manager showed me the room before I booked, probably knowing that as a Westerner I wouldn't want a room with a squat toilet."
Knowing what lies ahead, he decided it's best to learn how to use it since it might come in handy in future travels. "I figured I should take the room and learn how to squat, so when I am on the road with no other option, I would be better prepared," James tells Bored Panda.
#4
Georgia (country ). its like visiting grand ma for holidays. everyone wants to feed you by inviting to their table. very very hospitable people. stray dogs clean and all of them have tag on the ear indicating vaccinations.
ThisIsTheRealBruno 1 year ago
Fun fact: Charlie Brown's family was NOT (initially, anway) Snoopy's! Snoopy started off as a sort of community dog, something which used to be fairly common in America. Not a stray in the sense that there were definitely people watching out for him... but not owned exclusively by anyone or any family. Same goes with Pete from Li'l Rascals.
jennifer_34 1 year ago
Fun Actual Fact: In both the early strips and the movie Snoopy, Come Home, Charlie Brown says that he got Snoopy after being bullied by another kid. His parents took him to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm to cheer him up, where he met and bought Snoopy. The special Snoopy's Reunion depicts their first meeting.
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India. Bangalore specifically. I couldn’t believe the dichotomy between wealth and poverty. The poverty was the absolute worst I’ve ever seen, and the wealth the most opulent. It really changed me as a person, seeing how an entire people could live in such a horrible hypocrisy.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
I would say it is to do with the caste system that's been around for so many generations, it's ingrained into the culture
Isa 1 year ago
Not every thing has to do with caste system buddy .Even the rich lower caste is the same.It has to do with politics and the people itself.
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Richienotsorich 8 months ago
LA is the worst. Multimillion Dollar houses and loads of homeless people everywhere. Surely, with the amount of money in the Hollywood area, something can be done to prevent homelessness?!
Load More Replies... General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
This is the direction unbridled capitalism is headed. Give it a few decades.
iseefractals 1 year ago
This is the result of a country that is 1/2 the size of the U.S having 4.16x the population, the caste system, and a serious racial and religious divide. What exactly do you think a viable alternative to capitalism would be? Communism? 80 million Chinese live on less than $1 a day, and another 160 million live on less than $5....their immense influx of wealth is the result of having "economic zones" that function as capitalist. Socialist democracy? That would be better in a multitude of ways....but, still works on capitalism, the only difference is the base tax rate is 10-30% higher than what Americans currently enjoy, because absolutely none of those social safety nets are free.
Load More Replies... Becky Samuel 1 year ago
Unlike the Westernised world, where we export our poverty to other countries, because if we don't have to see it, it doesn't exist, right?
Kristy Marion 1 year ago
I mean, the whole of India is like this, but I find Bangalore to be a lot less confronting than the North
lynn marrapodi 1 year ago (edited)
If you are an American...look in your own backyard. Same issue here, no one cares.
Cathy Carey 1 year ago
It really is sickening. At least give some food; if they just weren't sooo hungry...
#6
How late Italians stay up. All night. Every night. Dinner doesn't start until 9pm. Neighborhoods would have big meals that ran until 2am over drinks. You'd sit out eating gelato on a Friday night and see toddlers running around until midnight. Very safe, very friendly city. This was in Tuscany for reference. .
Ελένη Κ. 1 year ago
Yeap. Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, all the same. Because the weather permits you to do so
Ronna Black 1 year ago
Sounds like Spain. Supper didn’t happen til 9 or 10. All ages. Barcelona isn’t necessarily safe, but when there’s a large family group, kids are monitored and taken care of.
Joanne Earle 1 year ago
That's cause they siesta all afternoon. When my boss first went years ago he said they were kind of stuck w/ nothing to do all day cause all the shops close for the afternoon. Then everything comes back to life around 5 or 6 pm and goes all night.
Manuel Carlino Apud 1 year ago
Same in Argentina, since we stop for siesta, we go to bed very well past midnight every day.
Thomas 1 year ago
Here in Italy school usually stars at 8:00, it's not THAT late. I guess the main difference is the commuting time.
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For newbie travelers, James recommends just accepting the fact that there's no shortcut to getting over culture shock. "If you are new to travel, then nothing can really prepare you for culture shock," he says. "Apart from getting your travel logistics in order, it's better to not overthink things too much. Part of the joy of travel is to experience the differences in culture."
Clark also admits that his many years of traveling has changed the way he views his own culture. "Having lived overseas for decades, my perspective has changed. I usually go back to Australia once a year, and I experience what is called 'reverse culture shock.' For example, I've lived in Asia for many years, so I now find it weird to wear shoes inside. I take my shoes off in Australian homes, even if everyone else is stomping around the house in their outdoor shoes," James tells us.
#7
I remember being in Tokyo and seeing people leave their bags unattended in cafes while they went to the restroom or ordered more food. No one touched them. Coming from a place where you guard your belongings closely, that level of trust was mind-blowing.
Justin Tyme 1 year ago
Japan has a "shame culture". Crimes are committed, but not openly. That's why there is a problem with various types of fraud.
Betty Swallocks 1 year ago
The opposite is now the case in the U.K. Government ministers are so blatant that their own supporters feel they have to begrudgingly acknowledge their sheer bravado. Bike theft in many cities is now most prevalent in broad daylight with spectators and CCTV watching on.
Load More Replies... BoredPossum 1 year ago
Not counting organised crime, Japan has extremely little crime. Either you're a criminal by "profession" or law abiding.
Tom Brown 1 year ago
In the UK , you wouldn't leave a bag unattended , it's ingrained into us to report them as a security risk
viimatar 1 year ago
Japan doesn't have a history of separatist/terrorist movements, unlike the UK. There hasn't been a need to enforce this practice, I presume. That may have begun to change for them, too, as the overall political climate in the world and especially the industrialized, post-welfare nations gets worse.
Load More Replies... DrBronxx 1 year ago
My wife's family is Japanese. When my wife and I first moved in together, and I expressed that I wanted to keep our front door locked at all times, they looked at me like I had two heads. I had to explain how unsafe it is to get into that sort of habit. Now they lock their doors as well.
Gregory Melle 1 year ago
I still remember getting up early my first morning in Tokyo almost forty years ago. In the streets near the hotel there were hundreds of bicycles left outside. Most would have a dinky $3 lock through the spokes of wheel but not actually attached to the post or railing they were leaning against. In Canada where I came from, they would have all be gone the first morning!
Gregory Melle 1 year ago
I still remember getting up early my first morning in Tokyo almost forty years ago. In the streets near the hotel there were hundreds of bicycles left outside. Most would have a dinky $3 lock through the spokes of wheel but not actually attached to the post or railing they were leaning against. In Canada where I came from, they would all be gone the first morning!
#8
People throwing trash out of car windows in the Balkans, including people on buses. As if it magically disappears once you drive off?
ThisIsTheRealBruno 1 year ago
Ages ago, this was very common in America. We just kinda collectively said "no more." Laws were passed (or at least strengthened), but I think TV ads and young people had a huge impact; it became socially unacceptable.
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Richienotsorich 8 months ago
Due to the amount of Balkans we have inherited recently!
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ChickyChicky 1 year ago
Does it disappear though? I was in Mexico and my Mexican friend told me to throw my trash in the gutter. I was horrified. He said everyone does it, I said I don't care. He said people come at night and clean it up. Sure enough, my trash was gone the next day. One night I woke up before dawn and heard noises in the street, and people were out cleaning up. I don't know if that happens everywhere or just the town I was in.
Cathy Carey 1 year ago
That's shocking! I remember growing up (60s, 70s) you never litter. It was on the tv alot and I never litter, well, extremely rarely - and I feel bad about it.
#9
Was visiting a resort in Jamaica during college The bartender kept hitting on us and we were trying to nicely get him to stop. I told him sorry I had a boyfriend He said where’s your boyfriend? A girlfriend of mine came up to me at that point and I said jokingly - here he is! While hugging her. His smile abruptly stopped. He sternly said “we don’t do that here” and stopped serving us. Totally scary. Coming from Canada, I took for granted that at home this would be fairly normal. I forgot that Jamaica is so anti-gay.
viimatar 1 year ago
That's so strange, in a way. It’s bigotry, as it's totally okay to hit on someone's girlfriend or wife and have casual s€x encounters with women, but a committed, closed and monogamous same-sex relationship is seen as the equivalent of some horrible nonconsensual act, or worse. The rules aren’t the same for everyone.
Diolla 1 year ago
Yes, well, that's Jamaica for you. Very agressively anti-gay.
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Michael Largey 1 year ago
Sorry to have to tell you, bartender, but people in fact do that in Jamaica. You just work at the wrong bar.
Richienotsorich 8 months ago
It goes on everywhere, it's just a case of if you and your society are prepared to acknowledge and accept it.
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Rob D 1 year ago (edited)
At a resort, going full Karen would've been justified. Ask for the property manager, then walk them through being harassed by an employee, then refused service. I bet they sell two women a room. They better be prepared to serve them too. And with how much a bartender can make relative to the areas these resorts are in (trying to stay PC), trust me, it's a job the bigot wants to keep.
Jozzy 1 year ago
It's Jamaica, not California. You're more likely to be murdered than getting a "win".
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Hey! 1 year ago
I remember going to Republic Dominican with my late mother while my husband was in China (we're from Canada).There's this Jamaican tour guide that kept hitting on me and when I said I was married, he also asked where he was. At some point, two of them were telling me what they were good at (in bed). Geez. My mother was laughing - I was not. She said it was because I was really white compared to others.
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
I tried to find the popularity of LGTB+ p0rn in Jamaica on P0rnHub but couldn't. I suspect that like many repressive countries/cultures, it's very popular there.
Cathy Carey 1 year ago
I went there to see my Mom (she was in the Peace Corp there) and was treated to some really good weed by some very handsome men. I am glad my son was with me though; some of them really like "beautiful white women" tee hee.
#10
Probably how chatty Americans get when they hear you have a foreign accent.
We're pretty introverted when out in public here in Scandinavia, so it was a big culture shock to have strangers strike up conversation. It was nice, most of the time! But very strange.
BoredPossum 1 year ago
Frankly, as a Swede, that sounds awesome. We're way too scared of talking here.
Iffydust 1 year ago
As an other swede I would find it horrible to be bothered by others.
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Johnnynatfan 1 year ago
Americans love accents and meeting people from different countries. And we are chatty for sure.
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
I think that depends on where in America you're from. I consider myself average and I've come in contact with Europeans frequently. Even in my little podunk town we had exchange students. I'm trying to picture some place with no Europeans. I'm guessing down south or the Midwest or some place horribly rural. But how could you really be somewhere and not have met Europeans? Seems strange to me.
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Dogcat vet (retired) 1 year ago
I'll start up a random conversation with someone in a grocery line or equivalent. At the gas station. Its just boring to pump gas or wait in line. As yet haven't had anyone be annoyed with me. And I'm an introvert at home: have to be outgoing at work though.
Betty Swallocks 1 year ago
I thought this would very much be the case and I was all ready to launch into discourse with the locals, even to the extent that we might stay for "another drink" or catch "the next bus" etc. Imagine my disappointment then, when we spent 5 days in and around NYC* and no-one struck up a conversation with us. The longest intereactions were all with servers and bar staff, and we went everywhere and really tried !! I'm hoping this was just because it was NYC in the same way that Parisiens give France a bad name.
BarfyCat 1 year ago
Yes, that's due to being in touristy NYC. If you came to my city, you'd probably be exhausted from all the interaction!
Load More Replies... Elli 2 days ago
I was shocked as a Swede when I got several compliments from strangers about my blonde hair. It was literally in a queue at a store, when just passing by someone. I don’t mind though but coming from a country where people stare down at their feet passing each other this was unexpected to me.
brimstonemetal 8 months ago
I really love that about americans as a Swede. Especially as I always travel solo it´s really nice. Americans in general are extremely helpful towards tourists that needs guidance in a any way. US is a really good country to be a tourist in.
Birma Gustafsson 1 year ago
As an introverted Swede it would make me so uncomfortable to be spoken to when I don't want to. 😕
#11
Visiting America from Australia, the number of people who couldn't understand my Australian accent. I'm not even that broad! I had multiple people tell me "sorry I only speak English" which I had to reply "... Me too!"
Ended up having to put on a truly atrocious American accent sometimes which made my sister nearly wet herself laughing. This happened at a few airports too, I would have thought they're used to accents there!
Marianne 1 year ago
Accents are hard. I'm German and went to Texas for a school exchange when I was 16. I had been learning English for 5 years and thought I was able to communicate, but man did these people have an accent! It took me a week until I could have a conversation with them.
Ace 1 year ago
The worst thing isn't actually the accents, but dialect words and expressions they use all the time, and most likely that applies to the Aussie OP as well. I'm always really cautious though about adopting local expressions, on the basis that I may not always fully understand their use (although TBF I'm talking abut foreign languages here).
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Lame Llama 1 year ago
I worked 10 years with a Scots, still couldn't understand him when I left.
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Hippopotamuses 1 year ago
I'm a New Zealander. I went to a conference in the US a few years ago. There were also two Aussies there. One on them whispered to me "You realise, they don't understand half of what we're saying". I'm not sure about that, but there were some words which seemed to cause a bit of confusion. As I recall, 'steak' was one of those words.
Johnnynatfan 1 year ago
Well it depends on how heavy the accent is. Scottish accents can be hard to understand
SkippityBoppityBoo 1 year ago
Omg yes!!! 😄 I had great difficulty at first with the very heavy Scottish brogue! Doesn't help that I'm slightly deaf in one ear either! Ye Ken Hen?
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BoredPossum 1 year ago
It took 2 months before I could fully understand what my aussie colleague was saying.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
I was born in the US but many of my relatives came from Belfast. When we moved to the Midwest, the locals could not place the slight accent I apparently had. It wasn't strong enough to be English or Irish, so they usually guessed "Australian" - probably because they had never heard that accent before.
#12
When I was taking a taxi in China, I put extra yuen out for tip. Thank goodness my friend was there to say "NO, that's offensive" before we got out the right change. Being from the US, I yearn for a livable wage for everyone and not having to subsidize someone's salary. I despise tipping after being in other countries.
Adrian 1 year ago
A tip should be for exceptional service. Not an expectation so employers can avoid paying a minimum wage.
Wang Zhuang 1 year ago
I live in China, and tips are increasingly being accepted here for some services. I often use a taxi app when traveling around, and there's an option for tipping. It's the same for food delivery apps. But it's truly optional, and no one will be disappointed if you don't give a tip. As for restaurants, there is no tipping whatsoever here.
Kathleen McGann 1 year ago
Bartender in Ireland once gave me back my tip. "It's alright," he said. "They pay us here."
viimatar 1 year ago
Legislation in many countries around the world requires the prices to be shown in a visible place and available before making the decision to use the service or make the purchase (everywhere including stores, hair salons, taxis, hotels, bars, restaurants, museums, public transport etc. but also private healthcare and cleaning services, for instance). Tips make that difficult, but they're also unnecessary, if service is included in the price and the employees are decently paid. That being said, a tipping piggybank is there in small cafés and mini stores, where people may drop off their tiny change if they wish to. Difference being, it's voluntary.
David Wallin 1 year ago
Except that people in the US who work for tips know they would make less with higher pay and no tips.
Nea 1 year ago
This is very tricky in countries where tipping is not a norm. In India, I have to assess/guess each time whether tipping is needed or will be considered offensive. Being a person with anxiety, makes me very very uncomfortable.
Dainty72 1 year ago
No-one including you DO NOT have to tip! Save yourself from this anxiety
Load More Replies... Cathy Carey 1 year ago
I'm pulled two ways here. It seems like everyone is putting out tip jars which irks me; but, when I was driving for Lyft the tips were So nice to get. We need to draw a line here; I'm just not sure where it should be.
#13
Friend from US visited me in Germany. He was dead confused when we went for a walk in the park and I pulled out two beers. Apparently public drinking like in Germany isn't allowed in the US.
Ace 1 year ago
Not really much different from France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria... Taking some beers or a bottle of wine, out on your walk or for a picnic is quite normal all over.
Load More Replies... Marianne 1 year ago
I'm also German and didn't know that. I was in New York and had a frozen cocktail at a restaurant. It was huge and I couldn''t finish it, so I asked the waiter if I could take it to go. He looked at me like I was a criminal and I was so embarassed!
Adrian 1 year ago
When I first moved to the US I was invited to a party by my new coworkers. I took a bottle of vodka that I had just opened and it was on the passenger seat of my car. I could have been jailed and banned from driving for a year. Who knew?
Rickard Shen 1 year ago
Wow, I learned something new! That's REALLY weird considering that you're allowed to drink a beer or two and still drive in USA.
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Angelshark 1 year ago
I'm willing to bet that people don't get sloppy drunk in Germany the way they do in the US.
Paul Gerrard 1 year ago (edited)
In a park,? Thats what the homeless do in america. And on a train trip love how they taught me its ok to whip out a bottle of wine and some cheese. Thats civilised
#14
When I came to England I heard this conversation: Girl 1: hey y'all'right? Girl2: I'm good, and you? Girl1: I'm good. Girl2: that's good! And then they walk off. I'm from the Balkans. I had a cultural seizure, not just a shock.
Toby 1 year ago
The English can be going through the most traumatic crisis but will still always answer ”yeah, good" when asked by an encountered acquaintance how they are.
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
I like the Norwegian answer, "I'm out of bed and not crying."
Load More Replies... Rahul Pawa 1 year ago
Yep, the American version is "how are you?" Or "what's up?". They are called phatic expressions. Expressions we say that serve a different purpose than communicating information. Usually to do with being polite.
Load More Replies... Ace 1 year ago
Err, what? Sounds like a perfectly normal interaction to me - what's there to be shocked about? Seriously, no this is not a joke comment, I genuinely don't see anything wrong or odd about this. Yes, I'm English, but have lived away from there for almost half my life.
viimatar 1 year ago
In some other cultures, people are genuinely interested in hearing how you are, and the phrase exchange being treated as a rote interaction with no real meaning beyond exchanging neutral, polite greetings kinda feels shallow, hollow, and cold. Then again, the Finnish manner of giving a brutally honest answer tends to upset people just as much, and is seen as oversharing, even if we don't usually even share that much beyond a simple "Well, it's kinda f'd up right now." A culture shock, both sides.
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OneHappyPuppy 1 year ago
You must not make the mistake of asking a Balkan (especially an elderly Balkan person) how they are. They'll dive into their entire life's history and leave you without even paying you the standard rate for a psychiatrist. Just give them the "good day to you" and RUN
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#15
Rural Scotland. Just how *early* everything closes and how limited things like fast food and convenience stores were. We were driving back to the AirB&B around 10 and it was like everything but the pubs had pulled up shop, even the gas stations. The flip side is how absolutely safe I felt wandering around after dark as a single female in a foreign country. Washing machines in the kitchen. How small/cozy the houses were (that's not a complaint, mind you). Honestly, the real culture shock was in coming home and how absolutely *busy* things are in the US.
Rachknits 1 year ago (edited)
I live in the Western Isles, Scotland and EVERYTHING (except churches) is shut on a sunday. No supermarket, petrol station, cafe, nothing. Plus you don't work. Even if you're not a church goer. We don't put out any washing on a Sunday firstly out of respect for local customs but also because we would become public enemy number one!
Zoe's Mom 1 year ago
American here and I remember as a child, nothing was opened on Sundays. Now, most things are 24/7 or open until 10:00 or even midnight. Really not necessary to have hours like that. I've been to Europe a few times and love it there. Especially Barcelona.
Load More Replies... Sven Grammersdorf 1 year ago
I live in Indiana in the US and my washing machine is in the kitchen. It was that way in my old house, too.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago (edited)
Sounds reasonable though, who needs to grocery shop after 10pm? The usual time shops close here in Germany is 9pm and on Sundays
viimatar 1 year ago
If you work late, or if you work in shifts, for instance. Or if you recall too late that there isn't anything for the breakfast or if your kid only tells you at that point that they need a packed meal for the school picnic in the following day (the lunch is always provided, but they may take a small amount of candy or potato chips in addition, on special occasions). I can come up with a dozen other instances where I would, and do shop for groceries in the evening, even after 21:00. Small stores in the cities in Finland often stay open until 23:00; a few large supermarkets are open for 24 hours a day, and they still have a steady customer flow to support it.
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Emma S 1 year ago (edited)
In England and Wales have the Sunday Trading Act that means bigger shops are only allowed to be open for 6 hours on a Sunday. They can't open on Easter Sunday at all. There is also the Christmas Day Trading Act which means that shops above a certain size must be closed on Christmas Day. Small shops like newsagents are allowed to open, but in the UK the majority of smaller shops tend to be owned by people that don't celebrate Christian holidays anyway.
Cath Flack 4 months ago
Here in Central Brittany France the bars close at 8pm. If you're still outside drinking you bring the glasses back the next day.
#16
People telling me I'm getting fat in China and then being surprised that wasn't happy to hear it.
Ru Bee 1 year ago
This is common since the famine many Chinese don't great each other by saying good morning but instead by saying have you eaten today. The famine was very recent and there is still deep seated trauma in the population related to it.
Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago (edited)
plenty of countries have had famines, but this isn't normal cultural behaviour in every country. asking someone if they've eaten is also massively different to telling them they're getting fat. This has more to do with the toxic beauty standards across asia (present in Korea and Japan also) than anything else, I'd imagine.
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StPaul9 1 year ago
I have heard this about Japan as well. It suggests you are married and are being provided with a good cook-or you're rich enough to eat well. Either place, it's a compliment.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
In that case, I'm a billionaire!
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Wang Zhuang 1 year ago
I have lived in China for five years (Beijing specifically), and I'm a very large man. Being called fat is not the norm for most people, but many children and elderly folks have no filter and will often mention that I'm fat almost immediately upon seeing me. I've learned to take it in stride and usually laugh when they say it. But again, I must stress that most Chinese don't behave this way.
M Calad 1 year ago
I have a very good Chinese friend (a lovely and kind person). Every time when we and our daughters meet, the first thing she comments on is our weight, something like...oi-oh, you lost weight! Oi-oh, your daughter gained weight. I knew somehow it was a cultural thing so every time I just smile. (Note: Thanks to a comedian in YouTube I learned that the "oi-oh" sound is typical from Shanghai region)
Mark Fuller 1 year ago
Filipinos are also brutally honest. There are lots in UK healthcare and they are amongst the most delightful, caring, polite, respectful people on earth. But Christ, if you've put on weight, they will be the very first to let you know, lol!
Lord of the laserprinter. 1 year ago
Ha ha ha. I did a repair job in China. Apart from some government shill installing something on my phone I had to do a medical before I could start work. Doctor told me „Yu Tu Fat“ which I adopted as my Chinese name… Actually I would be „Po Po Lord of the laserprinter“ think Kung fu Panda… Po is fat and Po Po… Well you get what I mean.😁
Lynda Nesbitt 1 year ago
Most Americans are fat-especially compared to the rest of the world. Don't know about you, personally.
#17
I spent a long time in Brazil. One thing I picked up is standing close to people and being a little touchy. That people of Ohio did not love it when i came home. Although the kiss greeting caught on.
#18
Berlin. I was shocked when no one would cross the street unless the walk sign was on. It could be 1 AM, no cars on the road, and no one would cross the street. Whenever I did, people stared at me like I had three heads.
JuJu 1 year ago
Not in front of the police (who is at every touristic spot) or a child, but it happens a lot.
Porribix 1 year ago
Yeah I got accosted by the police for crossing the road in Romania at a place that wasnt a designated crossing. Police accused me of knowing full well i was comitting a crime despite my explanation that I am from the UK and can cross wherever I deem to be safe. Think he just wanted a bribe but luckily did let it go after a while.
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BoredPossum 1 year ago
Nah, there are loads of people doing that in Germany, especially in Berlin.
Flore Daï 1 year ago
As French traveling in Germany, we were once stopped, fined and lectured by a policeman for having crossed when pedestrian sign was red. The street we crossed was a dead-end side street, and there was no car in sight even on the main street we were following. Such a pointless use of police time, and so humiliating to be lectured like children for having taken absolutey zero risks for ourselves or others.
Angrykitten 1 year ago
I will never understand having to stand at a cross work with not a car insight. In a grown adult and I can decide when it is safe to cross.
P Peitsch 1 year ago
And then suddenly a car appears racing, and you froze for a few seconds, which is enough to get you. For what? Saving 1-1,5 minutes waiting for green? Really worth it?
Load More Replies... Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
Generally, yes, but we make exceptions. Not before a child, though. Never!
Mathilde Himmelreich 1 year ago (edited)
Come to Frankfurt, here we call light signs a "recommendation for action" not a directive ^^ But traffic here is less mortal than in Berlin
#19
Rural Romania around 2012. Small houses without indoor plumbing or a formal bathroom, with a satellite dish out on the roof. It's like they skipped some steps on the road to modernity. The food, though, was delicious and the people I met were real sweethearts.
AyrinCharles 1 year ago
Hahaha yeah, some of our houses can seem weird for foreigners. While it is true that for the older generation (think grandparents) they didn't have the means or resources to create those types of bathrooms and they got used to outdoor facilities, the rural young generation (think people in their 50s-40s) absolutely has indoor plumbing and bathrooms.
viimatar 1 year ago
They forgot the "not the actual picture". Most of these are poorly selected stock photos in any case, unless they're screenshots.
Load More Replies... iseefractals 1 year ago
Romania is only 30 odd years out of communism and continues to be laughably corrupt. The last generation to come of age during communism tend to be wildly uneducated, while their children are still left to endure the damage of their parents, mixed with adopting the absolute worst qualities of "the west"
Michael Largey 1 year ago (edited)
The right-wing allies of Hitler who ruled Romania before didn't do it any favors either.
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Jo Reed 1 year ago
I live in Bulgaria and inside toilets are usually only in apartment in the cities... here in the villages they are outside normally without running water. The first thing we did when we bought the house was get a bathroom fitted inside. Our neighour and great friends husband was the local vodameister (looked after the water pumping station and repaired leaks) still to this day does not have an inside toilet and the bath is located in the kitchen lol
Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago (edited)
it was only 30 years ago that Romania was finally rid of Ceaușescu (and the communist regime altogether iirc), the dictator who in his 15 year rule as president, completely destroyed the standard of living for Romanians under his regime. As a result, older generations just never had the means to afford or have luxuries like indoor bathrooms, but a lot more people, even in rural Romania, have indoor bathrooms and plumbing/heating etc now.
Lise Brouillette 1 year ago
South Oropouche village in Trinidad, early eighties. Boyfriend's mother's house has electricity and running water. House to the left has running water but no electribity. House to the right has electricity but no running water (colour TV and sound system in the living room). House in front has neither.
Betty Swallocks 1 year ago
Spent weeks travelling by train around Romania - Black Sea, cities, mountains. Loved it. Highly recommended. Learned a bit if the language and the history. Enjoyed the food, the wine and the beer !
Richienotsorich 1 year ago
Was speaking to a Romanian man who didn't know his own address. Even built the house apparently. The village/hamlet was so small they just all knew each other and didn't have house numbers etc. Very hick in the countryside.
#20
When visiting a very Muslim part of Indonesia and working at a scuba dive shop there, it was their view on dogs. In most Sunni Muslim societies, dogs are seen as unclean. It is forbidden by the Quran to keep them as pets and the only time Muslim people would keep dogs was for protection of the home or livestock, not for companionship.
I heard a lot of stories about locals shooting and poisoning street dogs like it was a perfectly normal thing to do for "pest control"
That would never happen in the West.
viimatar 1 year ago
And yet, in other Muslim countries/cultures, dogs are abd historically have been valued in hunting, racing, livestock herding, and guarding, modernly also in security and substance control. They just aren't apparently allowed in the house, because they're considered unclean. It goes far into the past, likely in the times before Monotheism. It’s a strange duality, considering that some of the world's most famous dog breeds come from those cultures - the saluki, the afghans, the various Central Asian & Middle Eastern shepherd dogs etc
Kate Koppen 1 year ago
It comes from ancient Mesopotamia. It is well document, too. It's because dogs won't hesitate to eat corpses so they are deemed unclean. They were associated with the wilderness, the territory beyond the "safe" city gates, the ruins where spirits were deemed to walk. As such, dogs were liminal, sometimes interpreted as psychopomps or bringers of disease (the latter not far from fact). And yet, they were also accompanying Gula, the goddess of healing, and occasionally sacrificed for her.
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Justin Rogers 1 year ago
Sadly it does happen in the west and even worse are all these mf backyard breeders and designer dog puppy mills. If I could strangle these dumbass influencers and celebrities promoting and soliciting the overbreeding and market saturation of these poor dogs. I wish backyard breeders and even licensed breeders should get fined, jailed minimum 30 days and 25k per offense and after second offense permanently banned from owning animals. I also wish everyone is required to show proof of spay or nueter within a year along with all shot records. Maybe not fish but absolutely dogs, cats, small animals (ferrets are a great example, you can't purchase one that hasn't been spayed, nuetered and descented, Sadly it's done so young it creates health problems)
Sunshine 1 year ago
That's just sick and disgusting. No animal deserves to be treated that way. Just backwards and abnormal.
KillerKiwi 1 year ago
They’re not pets. They’re feral, diseased animals that are dangerous.
Load More Replies... Vicki Perizzolo 1 year ago
hateful situation for man's best friend... they're only dirty because no one is taking care of them. Humans are MUCH dirtier creatures.
#21
When I went to use the restroom in a restaurant in Tajikistan and I walked in to see two guys squatting next to each other with absolutely no dividing wall. I left.
SkippityBoppityBoo 1 year ago
I dunno... I'm technically a shy pooper!!! But after being in hospital and the night of 8 bedpans? As the nurse said? "When you're in hospital? You have to leave your dignity at the door!"... After that? Well... If ya gotta go? Ya Gotta Go! 😄
Bjørn Langbakk 4 months ago
Men da lurer jeg på hvorfor det er så store mellomrom mellom døra og skilleveggen på toaletter i USA, og hvorfor høyt oppe fra gulvet det er!!!
Kate Koppen 1 year ago
try rural China. The "ladies restroom" is just a big stone pipe with water running through and everyone squats next to each other like chicken on a ladder.
#22
I've been all over Europe, South America, parts of Africa and South East Asia, lived in Vietnam for a year and never felt culture shock until one tiny detail of moving to Switzerland. In the UK, we get into a lift (aka elevator), avoid eye contact, look at the floor or ceiling, and say nothing. In Switzerland they greet each other as they get onto the lift, and then wish each other a good day as they get off. As a Brit I was mortified.
Ondřej Macák 1 year ago
We do this in the Czech Republic too and honestly? I find it stupid. You don't greet random people in other scenarios, so why when riding a lift together? Nevertheless a I do the lift greeting thing too not to seem rude...
Auntriarch 1 year ago
I suppose it's because a lift is such a small space you can't pretend you didn't know someone else was there, I'm just guessing
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Ελένη Κ. 1 year ago
In Greece we also greet each other if we get too close. It surves many purposes if you come to think about it. It's funny your saying so though because when I moved to Manchester, UK to study, one of the things I loved there was that peaople greeted each other, although they were complete strangers, just because they happened to have eye contact, in the street..
Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
It's called manners. In the mentioned situation it is what you do if you are polite to each other.
Tom Brincefield 1 year ago (edited)
Proper manners vary by culture. It is very easy to offend people while traveling if you don't know their cultural norms. For instance, avoid giving a thumbs up sign of you ever visit Afghanistan, Iran, Italy, or Greece. Unless you want to offend someone.
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 1 year ago
A boat sank and two Englishmen survived to land on a deserted island. They were there for 30 years but never spoke because they had not been properly introduced.
Lisa Peterson 1 year ago
In the US, it's such a mixed bag! I greet but boy does it get awkward when I greet an elevator full of people who don't want to say anything or make eye contact LOL!
Ace 1 year ago (edited)
Yes, it's considered acceptable to share such a confined space only if you've said hello. Same in small bars and restaurants, actually, it's considered good manners to say good evening to the room, or certainly to neighbouring tables even in a bigger place. Possibly wishing them bon appetit if they're about to or just started eating. Same is true usually to a slightly lesser extent in neighbouring areas across the border.
#23
How far everything is in the US. Coming from an Asian country, there were lots of little shops and corner stores a walk away (especially if you’re in the city area. Here in America, everything is a car ride’s away, especially if you don’t live in the downtown areas (which most people don’t). Also, I still haven’t been able to crack it, but I feel wildly uncomfortable being out at night in the US. Whereas, in my home country which isn’t necessarily the safest in the world, I’d have no problem feeling safe walking or coming home at 3AM. I think it’s something about it being so quiet with no one around at night that makes me feel scared. Back home, there would still be people around and public transport going in the middle of the night so it never felt too scary to be out.
Ivona 1 year ago
In the U.S., you're not likely to be walking at 3 am or at any other time because you need a car to get pretty much anywhere.
jonesnori 1 year ago
In most of the country, yes. There are some dense urban areas where cars are less necessary, and shops are available at walking distance. If you go anywhere else, though, you need a car.
Load More Replies... Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
Also, add that in the US, everyone can have a gun. And do with it how he/she pleases.
doredde 1 year ago
Not a huge fan of US american weapon laws, BUT... I think not EVERYONE can buy ANY weapon he/she wants. And it is surely not allowed to do with it, what you want. People misusing them are nowwhere outside ANY law. The question is, why the need to protect yourself or the unability to feel safe without a gun is so strong in a society, that claims to be a Nation of "freedom" and tolerance of ALL mankind.
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millac 1 year ago
Americans really don't go outside when it's dark. Like, ever. Not sure if it's a left over Puritan thing, from when they thought nature was evil, but it's a very pervasive and ingrained thing that no one really conscientiously notices or thinks about. If it is dark, Americans only go outside for as long as it takes to get from inside space to another inside space, like from the house to a car to a restaurant, or they're in a 'contained', psuedo-indoor, outdoor space, such as a patio, screened porch, encircled fire pit, or brightly lit, fenced-in, fairgrounds or amusement park. Just being outside after dark, especially alone, seems suspicious, like, don't you have a family to be at home with? Why aren't you with them: it's dark? Teenagers out and about in the dark are considered up to mischief, like pranks or making out, and just them being outside after dark is a form of rebellion. Adults out after dark, especially if they're alone, are seen as weird, suspicious, etc.
Vicki Perizzolo 1 year ago
part of that deal here is the massive media presence constantly telling you it's dangerous to be out. sometimes it is but a lot of times it's not. we have very little crime where I live.
Nils Skirnir 1 year ago
US is not safe compared to other major countries. So you’re wise to be cautious.
#24
Terrain changes. i’m from Chicago, Illinois which is pretty much entirely flat so i get excited at even slight elevation changes in nearby states like Wisconsin or Minnesota but i recently went to the Tatra mountain range in Poland and was absolutely blown away.
Admiral Graf Spee he/him 1 year ago (edited)
Me too I called the hills in Germany mountains omdat ik een halvegare ben
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ColdSteelRonin 1 year ago
OP hasn't travelled much of the lower 48 then. 2 fairly large mountain ranges on either side of the country
Michael Largey 1 year ago
If want an elevation change in Chicago, there's always the Sears(Willis, if you insist) Tower tour.
Alicia M 1 year ago (edited)
It will always be the Sears Tower to me. I still have a Sears Tower magnet on my refrigerator.
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TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago (edited)
I can't imagine a completely flat landscape, here in Germany there is always a valley, hills or mountains around
BarfyCat 1 year ago
I grew up in Colorado. When I was about 10 years old, we visited State College, Pennsylvania. The residents were very proud of their mountains. I was quite confused, as I couldn't see any mountains anywhere! I told one lady, "these aren't mountains, these are foothills!" My poor mother was mortified, lol.
#25
I (american) lived abroad for several years in various areas, predominantly SE Asia region.
Biggest culture shock: one of my first travels, when I was a kid, was to Central Mexico. I remember a public toilet where you had to pay to enter. I was stunned and for the rest of the trip extra paranoid to make sure I always had change while also never had to pee.
Bonus: Americans are so freaking loud! (I say, as an american)
I could be in a super crowded public area and always ALWAYS tell when a pair of Americans was around because they would be the ones talking so loud you could hear them over everyone else like 50 yards/meters away.
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
It's because everything here is so far apart and we don't yodel.
Load More Replies... Kathleen McGann 1 year ago
American living in the Netherlands here. The Dutch (esp Dutch men) are so much louder than Americans, especially on the train!
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
I'm old enough to remember when pay toilets were still pretty common in the US, maybe 50 years ago. In Cuba, toilet seats are fairly rare, mostly just in places where tourists are expected. Jose Martí Airport doesn't have toilet seats, and if you're going to need toilet paper, you buy it from an attendant on the way in. I was in a very nice house in Varadero--you might have thought you were in Miami, until you got to the bathroom, where there was no seat
Betty Swallocks 1 year ago
Yep. Certain Amerarican and on a recent tour of 6 countries in SE Asia it was predominantly the matriarchs from the PRC who you would hear from a distance.
#26
People shopping without shoes in New Zealand.
All the bars on windows & razor wire in South Africa. Both incredible countries though!
Susie Elle 1 year ago (edited)
I'll be honest, I don't get it. Everything that normally sticks to the bottom of your shoes, seen and unseen, will now stick to your feet. Yuckity yuck. Not that feet in shoes are clean, but at least I won't have dog urine residu on the soles of my feet.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
Why does it matter so much to people? Skin washes clean - prety much the whole purpose of skin is to keep dirt out. Nobody seems to be grossed out by bare hands - which honestly are much more disgusting considering all the things people touch and do with them.
Load More Replies... Premislaus de Colo 1 year ago
I get that it's comfy, but look at that guy's soles, they're must be a nightmare to wash
Jason Boyd 1 year ago
I love walking without shoes. Being in direct contact with the ground makes you feel part of the land - that's how I felt growing up in New Zealand.
Auntriarch 1 year ago
And SA. I don't go without shoes anymore, but I cordially dislike them.
Load More Replies... Hippopotamuses 1 year ago (edited)
Definitely only some New Zealanders. Most of us wear jandals and value our toes.
Dre Mosley 1 year ago (edited)
That would be viewed as trailer park trash behavior in the US and based on what I'm seeing in that pic, they're in a Walmart, somewhere likely in the US, so that makes sense, lol.
PFD 1 year ago
I gave it a go for a while when I was younger. Stopped because it was just inconvenient - having to watch out for any glass etc. Wasn't worth the "freedom".
Diolla 1 year ago
Same, it's just not doable in most modern environments.
Load More Replies... Dogcat vet (retired) 1 year ago (edited)
They did a study once where they found out that the bottom of a dog's foot is cleaner than the bottom of your shoe. Was a bit of a waste of time to do it though imo...when is the last time you licked your shoe bottom?
#27
How bad the driving is in India. Our bus driver would pass cars by driving on the wrong side in traffic.
Emma S 1 year ago
That's because the driving 'test' in India is five minutes long and basically just consists of driving forward a few metres and being able to stop on a private road with no other cars about. The theory test is out of 10 and you only have to get 5 right! It's one of, if not the, easiest countries in the world to get a license.
Evelien Stijger Martens 1 year ago
Thats a thing here ro, in the Netherlands. You only have 2 lanes, one in every direction, when the middle line is divided in peases, you can pass other carrs that are to slow an yess, you heve to whatch if there are carrs coming towards you, than you just can't. But the stugf i saw in India was extreme, our diver was tired, did not sleep all night, he passt another vehicle, but n font of us wher 2 trucks coming towards us and passing each other. I realy thought this was TATA, goodbeye. Just befor it would go bad, everything dissolved and we where safe. But the amount of crashed tcucks beside the road , with people robbing the cargo with the driver stil inside the truck presimably dead, told a sturry of the many times those things went wrong. Not my thing. People than tild us it was our carma. Nu, its bad driving. Tired chaufeurs and no regulation.
Tom Brincefield 1 year ago
When I visited India, the traffic rule seemed to be hit your horn when approaching an intersection. If your vehicle is the largest one approaching, don't both slowing down. Lanes were suggestions.
#28
Evening culture for the whole family. Seeing people with little kids in Italy out having dinner at 9 pm, social events and public spaces coming to life in the Middle East, as a sleepy American who really likes a long coffee and breakfast morning it’s always such a funny culture
shock to look across the square or over to the mall at 9:30 pm in my jammies and see the place lit up with activity.
Ace 1 year ago
Whatever you may think is strange about that, don't you consider that getting ready for bed at 9:30 is itself weird,, surely even by American standards?
Nickie LaRue 1 year ago
I'm ready for bed by 9pm, if not earlier.. I wake up at 5am, and I need at least 8 hrs of sleep to function..
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Manuel Carlino Apud 1 year ago
My boyfriend is from Asunción, Paraguay. We live in Tucumán, Argentina. He can't get over the busy streets and the late night life here. He loves it.
Angrykitten 1 year ago
I'm curious what time work typically starts at for these places that have dinner so late?
Ivona 1 year ago
Many people function on a lot less sleep. Not everyone needs 8 hours or more.
Load More Replies... #29
Got thrown out of a shop in Europe for not wearing shoes.
It’s normal in New Zealand to kick off your shoes in summer. Usually adults wear shoes or flip-flops/jandals, but it wouldn’t raise eyebrows if you walk into a shop barefoot, people just assume you’ve been at the beach or kicked off your shoes on a long drive. Kids are barefoot at school. It’s polite to take off your shoes when you enter a house.
Learnt the hard way the rest of the world considers shoes mandatory.
BoredPossum 1 year ago
Taking off your shoes in someone's house is standard but in a shop? We have sanitary rules .
Ace 1 year ago
No, it may be standard for you, but it's not standard everywhere.
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
The stores here used to have signs saying No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service.
Susie Elle 1 year ago
Not sure how it is in NZ, but I wouldn't recommend walking around barefoot where I live. Glass, dogpoo, dogpee, anything you can think of and you just take it all back indoors upon getting home. And yes, it's seen as inappropriate when going into stores.
Luke Webber 1 year ago
In somebody's house, you might take off your shoes, but you should ideally leave your socks on.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago
Don't know why it's downvoted, that's pretty common here in Germany when visiting relatives or friends
Load More Replies... Richienotsorich 1 year ago
You wouldn't be taking your shoes off in my house after walking barefoot everywhere! Yuk.
Max PePel 8 months ago
Walking barefoot everywhere = no shoes to take off, so you're correct.
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Molly Whuppie 1 year ago
yeah same in Australia, perfectly normal to go to the shops barefoot. I don't see it as often these days as I used to, but if I saw someone in a store without shoes on I probably wouldn't even think twice about it.
jennifer_34 1 year ago
If you've been "kicking off your shoes" all day and walking barefoot, when you take off your shoes in a house aren't they totally disgusting?
Nancy Bania 2 days ago
So they walk around barefoot and then kick their shoes off inside? Dirty feet? Ick.
#30
Three year olds walking alone to Kindergarten in Switzerland.
Flamingo Croquet 1 year ago
Just a tiny correction - minimum age for kindergarten is usually 4. I know it's just a year but it makes quite a difference when it comes to knowing how to cross a street etc. Apart from that: Yes, kids often go to school alone/with their peers as it is safe enough and an opportunity to make friends.
Nina 1 year ago
They place a lot of trust in the attention span of 3-4 year olds :o
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Annik Perrot 1 year ago
Here kindergarten (école maternelle) starts at 3 but parents or nannies are required to drop or get the child in person. It's only when they start elementary at 6 that they can come and go by themselves. My youngest son, who was only 5 when he started elementary, because he was born in october, firmly reminded me on his first day that I wasn't to come and get him any longer. I just told his brothers to keep an eye on him and that was that.
Kelly Scott 1 year ago
When I was four I walked alone to kindergarten. It was only four blocks and across one busy street (we had crossing guards), but all the kids that lived close by walked to school. I honestly don't get today's helicopter parents at all.
KillerKiwi 1 year ago
It depends on what country/state/city you are in. In some places having your 4 year old walk to school would be seen as crazy to everyone, and in others it’s the norm. It just depends on what area you live in.
Load More Replies... Andy Frobig 1 year ago
I walked to kindergarten alone routinely in the US in 1972-73 and took the bus throughout my school years. In a lot of the US it seems only a monster wouldn't drive their kids to school now
#31
The siesta in Spain. Everywhere shut. Everywhere. I'm not sure if it's still the same. This was some time ago.
Pittsburgh rare 1 year ago (edited)
That's true only for the south and only because summers are brutal and it's a good idea to stop doing whatever. The risk of heatstrokes is real
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
Likewise most of Latin America. Hard to get used to when you want to run errands during the day.
Thenatural 1 year ago
I was in southern Spain (Marbella) for a week end of August last year...it was around 40c all week...unbearable..
Lame Llama 1 year ago
Dude, shops in downtown Barcelona close in the afternoon too. Sure, not all, but enough that it's still a normal.
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#32
When I got here in the U.S., people asked “How are you doing” so casually. Where I came from, we only ask this to people we know very well. I was confused about how to respond. Lol.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
It's only a form of greeting. They don't really want to know your life story, lol. We have a similar form of greeting here too. The best response is 'Fine thanks. How about you?'
Luke Webber 1 year ago
Yeah, basically, even if your family all have cancer you just go "Great!". Transaction complete.
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viimatar 1 year ago
It's clear that it’s just a greeting formula, but for a person coming from a more direct and straightforward culture, it definitely feels cold, dishonest, surficial and pretentious. There are two sides to everything. This is why learning a language through the grammar only isn't enough - learning to understand the culture is at least as important.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I've never lived anywhere else, but I'm at a loss when asked how I am.
Nikki Gross 1 year ago
Damn, I'm guessing you guys aren't from the South or especially small towns or rural areas. In larger metro areas it's common to say you're fine and be able to get away with it. But if you go to smaller towns, rural areas or into Mom and Pop stores you'll usually have a conversation, especially if they know a member of your family. Also be prepared to hear Sir, Ma'am, Honey, Hon, Sweetie, Darlin' Miss, Ms, Mrs, especially in smaller establishments or by the elderly, no it's not an insult it's just how we are and most of us have been raised. You can usually tell the homegrown vs transplants, some of us have accents or drawls and no that does NOT mean we are stupid uneducated, bigots, racist, homophobic, misogynist, etc. and that is a stereotype that needs to DIE. I was raised to be polite and respectful of EVERYONE, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. Yes, just like every part of the US we have our fair share of idiots and those unfortunately tend to be the loudest.
#33
Japan. No public trash cans. I was newly pregnant and nauseous all the time. I carried barf bags everywhere. I was weirdly excited to see a trash can when I got back to America.
El Cucuy 1 year ago
Yep, I had this experience in Japan as well. I searched high and low for trash cans. Never found a single one. When I asked a shopkeeper about it, she just offered to take my trash and throw it away for me somewhere in the back of the shop. I learned to just take my trash back to my hotel room at the end of the day and throw it away in my room trashcan.
Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago
not wholly true, there's almost always trash cans alongside vending machines, and there's plenty of those these days in Japan, though i can't remember if you're allowed to put waste other than bottles/cans etc in them, given how meticulous the Japanese are with recycling, so I'd imagine putting a barf bag in one of them would be a no-no.
TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago
Reason for that is a terror attack in 1995 with sarin gas in Tokyo's subway system IIRC
#34
In Delhi, we saw a literal toddler - maybe 2? Probably younger - walking down the highway alone. I asked our driver if we could stop to help her and he just laughed at me. Another time a little kid, maybe 4 or 5 tugged on my jacket to ask for money and before I could even turn around to look at him our rickshaw driver pushed him down onto the ground and told him not to bother me. I regret going on that trip.
NewBird 1 year ago
And people from India judge us for providing a social safety net. Um... I'm sorry we don't let children sleep in the streets?
Nea 1 year ago
I am an Indian. Genuinely want to know which country are you from and wonder which stupid people judged you for providing safety met to children.
Load More Replies... Hey! 1 year ago
I remember when our mayor came back from India and she was saying that the driver threaded along the road with many people around bumping and rocking the car for no apparent reason (to her). Someone fell and the driver didn't stop. He told her that if he stopped and she got out, she would be killed. Absolute shock.
#35
I visited Morocco years ago and that was definitely a long series of big culture shocks. * I was told not to touch anyone with my left hand as it’s used to wipe and viewed as unclean always * I foolishly asked my host family for a beer on my first night and they actually bought one from a smuggler in town because alcohol is virtually illegal there… one can of cheap lager cost more than anything else I did there * People openly smoking hash all over the place however * The insane driving. I took a bus across Morocco and the driver had an assistant whose entire job seemed to be leaning out the door of the fast-moving bus to scream at anyone who got in our way * Almost no women out after dark where I stayed * Open air markets with gutted animals for sale * S******g in an open hole you squat over… practice your balance before going * Haggling over everything and knowing you’re getting ripped off anyway. I knew how much a taxi to the airport was supposed to cost, I knew I was overpaying, but it was still the equivalent of like $3 so I couldn’t be bothered arguing.
Adrian 1 year ago
Yes, I've experienced this visiting Arab countries. Don't eat with your left hand, it's used to wipe your butt...
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
I want someone to hang out of the passenger's side window and yell at people in my way.
Donkey boi 1 year ago
I've encountered the left hand thing in a lot of places, but... doesn't everyone use their dominant hand to wipe?
Adrian 1 year ago
I expect so. Maybe in those countries they are taught to use the left hand and eat with the right.
Load More Replies... JenniB 1 year ago
I'm pretty sure most people are right handed and wipe with the right by you do you Morocco!
Lame Llama 1 year ago
This person definitely did not do their homework before visiting. The type of tourists that Japan is saying no to.
megasmacky 1 year ago
Unless you're a very low-budget traveler, when you're in a poor country, just pay what they say. It's still probably going to be much less than what you pay in your own first-world country. Call it a tourist tax. Call it a "rich westerner haggling with a poor merchant over 2 f***ing dollars looks really bad" tax. Just pay what they ask.
Silje Rodahl 2 days ago
It is actually considered rude and patronising not to haggle, they become upset if you refuse to do it..
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#36
The portion sizes in America, i asked for a side of eggs and got a full plate along with a main course (i was 12 and like 6 stone idk how they thought id be able to stomach it).
BoredPossum 1 year ago
I'd love those portions and I'm 2579 Bohemian Rhapsodys old, 15 bananas tall and weigh 39,6 ducks.
RabidChild 1 year ago
I will now only measure my age in Bohemian Rhapsodies! lol
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Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
When I waited tables in a place with lots of European tourists who were shocked at the portion sizes I'd often say, "I took the liberty of bringing you the child's portion." Most got that it was a joke but some looked like they believed me.
Mario Clouâtre 2 days ago
The first thing people in the U.S. comment about a restaurant is portion size. Taste, cost come after. They don't matter as much as the size!
Gourdeous 1 year ago
Americans, I have a theory that they do massive portions so they can charge more and therefore tips are more (because they won't just pay a reasonable wage to servers). Is this correct?
Michael Largey 1 year ago
The restaurant charging more, perhaps. Tipping, no. The wait staff has no control over the size of the portions.
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#37
Being in Japan, seeing vending machines everywhere and even ordering food at a vending machine in a noodle restaurant. Then you go sit at a booth with a curtain in front of you and they pass your food through the curtain and then close the blinds. Strange but not a bad experience. Just different. Also the jet lag of an opposite time zone can be brutal.
Merty Robinson 1 year ago
Cans of hot tea from vending machines in Japan. Or cold drinks from the same machine. Also, I was at a sculpture park, they had a thermal rill you could sit on the side of and soak your aching feet in the hot water and there was a vending machine that sold little towels to dry them on!
El Cucuy 1 year ago
You can also get beer and Chu Hai from vending machines in Japan.
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Michelle-Randy Carlson 1 year ago
I lived in Japan back in the late 80s and the idea of ordering a CAN of coffee was crazy. Tasty but so beyond my midwestern experience
viimatar 1 year ago
The story of how cup noodles actually came to be was interesting. (As a result of the post-war nutritional aid from the West, mainly USA, which in large parts consisted of wheat flour - when the Japanese weren't accustomed to baking bread, and the staple grain was rice and nothing else. The wheat had to be used for something cheap and at least somewhat nutritious - and hence, cup noodles.
#38
The biggest culture shock I experienced was during my visit to Japan. The level of politeness and attention to manners was striking. People bowing as a sign of respect, the use of honorifics in language, and the overall courteous behavior were very different from what I was used to.
Lame Llama 1 year ago
The funny thing is, they are just like us when they are at home. It's mostly for show because they care so much about how others look at them. I know, 25% of my family are Japanese. My jp cousin hates to clean, so she never open her curtains.
#39
First day living in the center of Australia went to the local convenience store. Walking up and down the isles checking products and prices out.. When I came to the frozen food section I found a product I was not expecting. Sitting in the open case was a plastic wrapped three foot long furry whole kangaroo tail.
The Doom Song 1 year ago
Yeah not something we usually find in our grocery stores. Roo steaks or sauages however I highly recommend. Roo is delicious
Load More Replies... Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 1 year ago
Only good for soup, really. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-16/kangaroo-tail-soup/8915764
#40
How expensive everything other than grocery store food is in iceland.
#41
I visited the "Palace of the Sun" in North Korea. That is where Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state. They are embalmed, like Lenin. And to see them, you have to wear smart clothing (if you aren't, the guides will not take you). Then, you go through a metal detector and have the soles of your shoes cleaned. You are transported on travelators, through long corridors lined with pictures. Then, you get to the actual rooms where you bow three times at each coffin. Once on each side, once at the feet, but you do not bow at the head.
While you are doing all this, imagine a reddish gloom. And there are North Korean soldiers standing at attention (I assume all day long) in the same room.
That was one of my most remarkable travel memories.
Terran 1 year ago
Not following protocol in the most important memorial site of a brutal dictatorship sounds like a very bad idea. Even if you don't get into legal trouble it will be incredibly disrespectful towards the country and it's people.
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#42
Having the cops turn up to whatever bar I was at in rural Thailand wasn't fun. Quickly paying my tab and dashing so they don't find something to "fine" me for was even less fun.
#43
South of Phuket, Thailand. Nothing but russians. Locals hated them, so did I. Loud, rude and obnoxious people, the lot. 3 days in, with 2 weeks left of my hotel, I upped and left to the other side of the country, and had a much better experience.
ThisIsTheRealBruno 1 year ago
You might get fed up and say, "Aw, Phuket."
Load More Replies... Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
Similar experiences in Baden-Baden, Germany. Lots of rich Russians there. The attitude... wow.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
In a town called Phuket, I would expect the locals to have an attitude.
Lame Llama 1 year ago
Yes, bloody obnoxious for refugees since they can't get to their Russian money anymore.
Stannous Flouride 1 year ago
Some South Asian countries are expelling Russians who went there to dodge the draft and overstayed their visas.
megasmacky 1 year ago
I used to work with a lot of Russians. Arrogant, dishonest, shockingly, mindblowingly racist, and more. Russians are the absolute scum of the earth.
#44
I had thought I was prepared to see poverty in Ethiopia. I was still shocked by it. And I was confused that 1 o'clock was when the sun came up. They also use a different calendar than in USA and Europe.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Do you adjust your watch when you travel from one time zone to another?
#45
Marrakech with a female friend (I'm female). They didn't like us not having male escorts. They really didn't like seeing our shoulders (got spat at by women in a very touristy location). We were only 20 and very naive, 20 years ago!
BoredPossum 1 year ago
Not gonna comment on the common denominator in the posts where women aren't respected here.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
This may be a future for the US. Those spitting women are their version of Moms For Liberty.
Rob D 1 year ago (edited)
100% Absolutely frightening/disgusting how quickly and zealously conservative religious women can mobilize to cannibalize their own. F*****g disgusting.
Load More Replies... #46
Caracas, Venezuela, everyone who handles money, including clerks, packs sidearms in a holsters. Cops/Military in public areas fully geared up carrying combat rifles. Armed guards outside banks, with clients waiting outside, not inside. Bribery for preferred service present everywhere. Chants of “gringos” heard when we passed some ordinary folks on city streets. Went on a jungle tour to a remote village. When we departed, assembled kids lined up with middle fingers aloft chanting “F**k Americans”. Weird, but a bit humorous, as none of us were from the USA. .
Cathy Jo Baker 1 year ago
When was this? I went to Venezuela twice, including Caracas, but it was just before Chavez took over.
#47
UK: the lack of AC or even electric fans in the house. It's so silent, and the air feels stale sometimes.
Papa 1 year ago
In some climates opening the window lets in hot humid air, not fresh.
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Spoot 1 year ago
Use a fan if you miss the ac and noise. Or just do the rational thing and open a window which allows air and nature noises in. Bam non-problem solved
pelemele 1 year ago (edited)
@Spoot, @Juju, don't know where do you live but as a general rule we do without air conditioning in Europe but in recent years it has become more and more complicated to do without it due to heat peaks which are becoming more and more frequent and longer.
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gerard julien 1 year ago (edited)
AC pollutes ! that's why UK and most european countries are among the cleanest countries in the world. " AC Feels Great, But It’s Terrible for the Planet" https://time.com/6077220/air-conditioning-bad-for-planet-how-to-fix/. air feels stale ? OPEN THE WINDOWS for a moment.
iseefractals 1 year ago
AC in and of itself isn't bad, it's all about how the energy powering the AC is generated. If you have solar, or your grid is green, you're not saving anything or anyone by abstaining from AC, and opening a window doesn't do a hell of a lot of good when it's 39C+ out, and warmer inside.
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BookFanatic 1 year ago
Yep. My American self visited Ireland last year. No A/C (which I was prepared for) and the windows were bolted shut. I caused a minor commotion when I asked if anyone had a fan.
#48
Tipping culture in Japan is nonexistent. It’s actually seen as disrespectful if you offer to tip. I’ve also never seen a Japanese person smoke a cigarette in public after being there for about 15 months.
viimatar 1 year ago
According to travel vloggers, people get fined for smoking in public. Especially cities seem to enforce this.
Load More Replies... megasmacky 1 year ago (edited)
I used to work in a ski town that attracted a lot of Japanese visitors. They're wonderful people. Quiet, respectful, neat, and super polite. They also spend a lot of money since their exchange rate is really favourable. If your town gets invaded by tourists, let it be Japanese tourists.
#49
In Latin America the pedestrian does not have the right of way. You, as the pedestrian need to be extremely vigilant about avoiding getting hit by a car. I was in a taxi in Colombia who side-swiped a biker and the biker ate s**t hard. The taxi yelled some curses at the poor guy and just sped off.
Mario Clouâtre 2 days ago
Even when pedestrians have the right of they should be extremely vigilant. Everywhere.
detective miller's hat 1 year ago
Philadelphia is the same. Do not cross the street against the light, you WILL get run over.
El Cucuy 1 year ago
Sounds like Russia. The amount of pedestrians killed by motor vehicles there is staggering.
Load More Replies... #50
I'm from Scotland i wasn't prepared for just how different Philippines is. Not like here where we have supermarkets they have a street full of vendors selling different things you buy as you need not do weekly shopping trips, how crazy the wires overhead are not like ours neatly done, how wild the roads are eight lanes cross section no roundabout or lights or nothing just like mad max out there lol, the lack of seating even in malls there's none, people going to the toilet in a bag on the street, the scale of pollution from cars you can't open the car window. So many things i can't name.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
I wish fewer people travelled and allowed the world some recovery from air traffic pollution and tourist destruction.
Load More Replies... #51
Okay, not me, but something I've seen many times:
I'm Brazilian-German, got one parent from each country. I've lived in Brazil nearly all my life, and know other people who are also Brazilian-German, as well as Germans living in my city. One common culture shock between the people of those two countries is showering. We shower every single day here, some people even more than once a day. Germans don't do it that often. Whenever there's some kind of exchange program between the two countries, the organizers typically give both sides a heads-up about this difference so everyone is prepared. I know it's not only Germans who don't shower every day, though.. Many people here associate Europeans in general with bad personal hygiene because of that.
Also, people here are taught to brush their teeth three times a day (morning, after lunch, evening), and recently many Brazilians found out that's not how it is in a lot of places around the world, It's been a whole thing online lately.
Marianne 1 year ago
If you live in a hot and humid climate, showering every day is necessary. If you live in a moderate or cold climate, that's a different thing.
Lame Llama 1 year ago
Yup, in SE Asia multiple times a day. Back in Europe in the winter, multiple times a week.
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Ellinor 1 year ago
Also, showering daily can be dangerous for your skin, since it's clean all the time your body defenses are more weak
Kristal 1 year ago
This comment by Ellinor is a true fact backed up by science folks, not some anti-vax propaganda. No need to down vote
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Sven Horlemann 1 year ago
Well, I am German, and I only know that people shower once a day. Sure, you might skip one day. Then again, our climate is not humid. And you can freshen up without showering.
B.M. 1 year ago
In Germany "Katzenwäsche" is usually considered enough: washing the body with a sponge or a washing towel. The body dries in the open air, sweat or a little dort ist washed off and you save much water and energy. Beides ist is better for the skin If you don't use so much soap. Of course, after sweating a lot, people still prefer the shower.
pelemele 1 year ago
@BM, Funny, we have the same expression in French: “faire une toilette de chat” :)
Load More Replies... TotallyNOTAFox 1 year ago
Depends here in Germany honestly - if we go to work, the grocery store or attempt anything public we shower, it's just not a thing when staying at home for a day or two
Sheena Leversedge Wood 1 year ago
as an ex dental nurse, you actually shouldn't brush your teeth up to an hour after eating. when you eat or drink, it raises the acidity level in your mouth, so brushing right after eating is basically scrubbing your teeth with acid
Michael Largey 1 year ago
I take a bath every morning. The only thing that can tempt me out of a lying in a bed filled with warm blankets is lying in a tub filled with warm water.
#52
Squat toilets in China. It was 1985 and I was doing a junior year abroad.
FrogMan 1 year ago
What if you have bad knees? I’m almost 48 and can get into a squat ok, it’s standing UP afterwards that takes a bit more effort…
Kristy Marion 1 year ago
Eh. I don’t have an issue with squat toilets, but I remember using a toilet at a petrol station in China and it was just a big tiled room with a channel of water running through it that you’d squat over. With drops of blood on the tiles 🤮🤮🤮
#53
The amount of Pepsi Max people drink in Denmark. It's like a religion.
BoredPossum 1 year ago
It's believed to be healthier while tasting almost the same as Pepsi classic.
Hey! 1 year ago
I live in an English province and it's super popular here. I never tasted it but I know a lot of people who drink that exclusively.
Load More Replies... #54
Went to Canada and no one was allowed to wear shoes inside homes.
viimatar 1 year ago
Not allow them inside, or just ask them to wash their bloody feet maybe?
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Stephen Wild 1 year ago
Think about Canadian weather and why that might possibly be the case...
megasmacky 1 year ago (edited)
Do you think the weather in Canada is all the same? Is it snowing in July? Do other countries have special snow or mud that doesn't stick to their shoes? Do they not get any kind of bad weather in other countries? Don't you know a large percentage of Canadians live south of several US states? This is completely baffling.
Load More Replies... megasmacky 1 year ago (edited)
This isn't even close to a national/Canadian thing. Some people allow shoes, some don't. Individuals and all that. The one thing I think is common is most people probably allow shoes for a party or something formal, where the shoes are part of the outfit. People in suits and dresses look pretty ridiculous in their socks.
Hey! 1 year ago
We're almost 40 million people; I don't think you visited everyone. I let any technician keep their shoes/boots for safety; sometimes they have covers. When the children were young, I let the children plus their friends keep their shoes but they all took them off. It's no biggie to wash the floor afterwards. My husband likes his slippers so he'll change but I mostly keep my sandals.
Mermeow Overlord (they/she) 1 year ago
Why would you want people walking all over your carpet in shoes after stepping in mud, snow, and dog s**t?
Lil Miss Hobbit 1 year ago
Culture shock coming to the US and shoes are allowed in the house?!? I constantly feel like I'm about to leave and am not comfortable.
#55
It was more when I returned to my home country (US) than when visiting another country. I was shocked by how violent and disrespectful Americans were to each other as part of normal life and how it wasn’t even noticed except to intentionally pretend not to notice it. One of the first places I had to go was a store to get some toiletries. I saw two separate instances of people abusing their child, one fight starting between customers, a few instances of customers abusing staff, and one staff insulting a customer for asking where something was. I wasn’t even in a Walmart. People just ignored each instance.
Mother Of Birb 1 year ago
Dang where were you? In my city, the people are incredibly kind. I’ve seen abusive interactions maybe an handful of times in public.
#56
The 2nd hand smoking culture in Europe. I’ve stayed at length in France, Italy, and England but am from the US. I vividly remember witnessing MANY parents take their children for a morning walk and light up cigarettes. Or stay late at a restaurant until midnight, just chain smoking since dinner with their friends and baby napping.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago
This must have been some time ago. Smoking has been banned inside public spaces for years now in the UK, it’s also illegal to smoke in a car if anyone is under 18.
Zoe's Mom 1 year ago
Yes, my visit to Italy was different. Hardly any smokers.
Load More Replies... detective miller's hat 1 year ago
One of my fav family photos is the one of my aunt in the hospital after she had my cousin. Baby in one arm, cigarette in the other hand.
Spidercat 1 year ago
Don't remind me... I still mourn for a pint and a f*g sitting in a pub... Although the quality of people you meet outside pubs in the UK has gone right up since we were all forced to stand outside. Remember people, rehab is for quitters.
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
Anony Mouse 1 year ago
This was delightful - except for a few ugly commenters, this post was a rare one that wasn't all America-bashing. I could still go the rest of my life without reading another tipping-culture debate, but on BP I'll take this as a win.
The Doom Song 1 year ago
Went to Indonesia recently. The only thing I did not like was that you could smoke everywhere pretty much. As an asthmatic it was horrible
Kristal 1 year ago
I think my biggest culture shock was when I went to another country for the first time, it was Spain. At that time, I was a rather picky eater and did NOT like seafood. I remember being hungry a lot and shocked how there just weren't any non-seafood options at restaurants we visited. This was a long while ago and a study abroad, so I'm sure things have changed but that and the fact that men found me attractive there were my biggest culture shock. The second was going back home (in the US) after a study abroad in Japan. Everything was just so salty!! I enjoyed Pringle chips in japan but could not eat them in the US after that cause there was just so much salt/flavoring on them.
DeoManus Argentem 1 year ago
Paying to use the restroom, and needing cash. My first time backpacking alone abroad after high-school (early 2000s) most places only accepted cash, but I had only ever used cards (debit and credit) and never used or carried cash in the US. But now it seems Europe and some other places have flipped us in adoption of cards!
Miki 1 year ago (edited)
Yep. In PL i do have some cash in a wallet but I don't remember when is the last time I had to use it. I pay everywhere with my phone.
Load More Replies... Lena Flising 1 year ago
Travelling from a small town in Sweden to Berlin, Germany, and finding that EVERYTHING was closed on Sundays. Most things are closed on Sundays at home too, sure, but grocery-stores are usually open, and in larger cities the gallerias are usually open on Sundays. Berlin is larger than the largest town in Sweden, and finding it COMPLETELY closed was a culture shock. Restaurants are open, but that's about it. Now we know, and plan out-door activities if we are there on a Sunday.
Tiger Woods 1 month ago
Kornelija, very transparent that you do not like Muslims in the makeshift posts you did here!
Cydney Golden 1 year ago
America is a large country with many vast differences from one state, or one county to another.
Anony Mouse 1 year ago
This was delightful - except for a few ugly commenters, this post was a rare one that wasn't all America-bashing. I could still go the rest of my life without reading another tipping-culture debate, but on BP I'll take this as a win.
The Doom Song 1 year ago
Went to Indonesia recently. The only thing I did not like was that you could smoke everywhere pretty much. As an asthmatic it was horrible
Kristal 1 year ago
I think my biggest culture shock was when I went to another country for the first time, it was Spain. At that time, I was a rather picky eater and did NOT like seafood. I remember being hungry a lot and shocked how there just weren't any non-seafood options at restaurants we visited. This was a long while ago and a study abroad, so I'm sure things have changed but that and the fact that men found me attractive there were my biggest culture shock. The second was going back home (in the US) after a study abroad in Japan. Everything was just so salty!! I enjoyed Pringle chips in japan but could not eat them in the US after that cause there was just so much salt/flavoring on them.
DeoManus Argentem 1 year ago
Paying to use the restroom, and needing cash. My first time backpacking alone abroad after high-school (early 2000s) most places only accepted cash, but I had only ever used cards (debit and credit) and never used or carried cash in the US. But now it seems Europe and some other places have flipped us in adoption of cards!
Miki 1 year ago (edited)
Yep. In PL i do have some cash in a wallet but I don't remember when is the last time I had to use it. I pay everywhere with my phone.
Load More Replies... Lena Flising 1 year ago
Travelling from a small town in Sweden to Berlin, Germany, and finding that EVERYTHING was closed on Sundays. Most things are closed on Sundays at home too, sure, but grocery-stores are usually open, and in larger cities the gallerias are usually open on Sundays. Berlin is larger than the largest town in Sweden, and finding it COMPLETELY closed was a culture shock. Restaurants are open, but that's about it. Now we know, and plan out-door activities if we are there on a Sunday.
Tiger Woods 1 month ago
Kornelija, very transparent that you do not like Muslims in the makeshift posts you did here!
Cydney Golden 1 year ago
America is a large country with many vast differences from one state, or one county to another.
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