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It’s perhaps a little bit encouraging to learn that even in the age of the internet and mass media, we can still go through some significant culture shock. For better or worse, that’s what travel is all about, seeing new things and having some of your preconceptions disrupted.
Someone asked “What was the most major cultural difference you noticed when you moved to another country?” and people gave their best ideas. So get comfortable as you scroll through, prepare to perhaps be surprised, upvote your favorite examples and be sure to share your own stories and experiences in the comments section below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My first day in my new home in South America I was tooling around in my power chair (l’m an incomplete quad) when it’s frame collapsed (due to mishandling abuse by airline) and I was left helpless on the street in a big city. People here were typical city people, not particularly friendly or unfriendly, just living life. I saw a young man looking at me and I asked in bad Spanish if he could help me. Within seconds I was surrounded by folks in their twenties who were actively planning my rescue. They got me loaded into a cab and like twenty of these young people accompanied me back to my hotel, where they made sure I got comfortably situated while they checked into getting me a rental chair and found a specialty welder who could fix my power chair’s frame. Then they lectured my hotel manager on my care and feeding and said goodbye. I have never seen these folks again. All in all it was an excellent terrible first day in Ecuador. Really different from anything I experienced in 65 years in estados unidos.
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#2
I studied in England for a semester. I consider it "moved" because I brought all my clothes, computer, bedding, etc. and had a small studio apartment off campus.
The food was the major thing. Rather, the ingredients. I ate about the same amount of food and walked about the same amount I do in the US, but I still lost over 20 pounds in the six months I was there. US diet is just so much filler junk that fattens us up.
parvus.maximus 1 year ago
I spent 6 months in the US and 100% agree with your last sentence. I'd say portions in the US are also crazy bigger.
#3
Living in England was my first experience of people being comfortable with not being high achievers and pushing pushing pushing to be the best at everything all the time. It was okay just to be normal. One was still a worthwhile person.
I loved it.
Yes, I am an American.
#4
This was a looong time ago, in 1989. My family left the USSR as refugees. I was 9. We were part of the large immigration wave from the USSR to the US in the late 80s.
The first stop after leaving the Soviet world was Austria. We got off the train at the Vienna train station, and I hit immediate culture shock. There was a little convenience store that sold snacks and newspapers. The first shock was automatic doors. That was some sci fi s**t as far as I was concerned. The second thing was comic books. I've never seen one before, and it blew my mind more than the doors.
Jay Scales 1 year ago
Sounds like these were 'good shocks' - and I hope they continued for you :)
#5
I know this is gonna sound dumb, but when I visited USA the first thing that I was in awe about, was the trees, because they looked different than the ones from Australia. I just kept looking at all the different trees and flowers, because they were not the same ones I would drive past for the majority of my life.
#6
People being genuinely religious. I came from an atheist German household and moved to Utah. The first couple of weeks it felt like I had moved planets. Or centuries.
Dragon mama 1 year ago
Utah can seem like anóther planet even to other Americans. I would also use the word cult in place of religion but I suppose that's a minority position
#7
India. Rubbish and litter dumped everywhere including waterways and nature reserves.
No thought. No compassion for other life forms, no self awareness.
#8
I grew up in America but moved away when I was a kid. Went back for somebody’s wedding and y’all have drive through EVERYTHING and hardly any pavements. Drive through liquor store. Drive through pharmacy. I had to get a car to take me from one side of a busy road to another because there were no pedestrian crossings. In Europe we have bridges over big roads. Was weird as hell.
Tamra 1 year ago
I'm really fortunate. I live in a small, rural town in Pennsylvania (US). We live on the main street going through town, with sidewalks on both sides of the street, and I can walk down the road to access my bank, a small coffee shop, a local brew house and restaurant, the pharmacy, post office, and grocery store. I can easily walk or ride a bike. I know not everyone in this country has this, and I really wish they did.
#9
That everyone in Nagoya seems to care about the quality of the city. Lost my wallet, got it back with all the money inside. Seen people commonly walk many blocks with their trash in a plastic bag until they find a bin. Went to the gaikokujin center once or twice a week and there were always so many volunteers to help us learn the language and culture. Among my adult students, many people volunteered at things that had nothing to do with their day jobs, like an engineer who coordinated hurricane evacuations. Other people would clean up after concerts they didn’t even attend. And everyone feels safe to walk at night, or let their kids commute alone on the subway during the day.
America has great people too, but a big wedge of our pie chart is predatory.
Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
In the US people seem to generally prioritize the individuum over society (I can do what I want. I have to take care of my own needs. My problem. My freedom) Japan seems to do it the other way round, with the wellbeing of society being prioritized over individual desires. That comes with another set of problems, when people suppress personal feelings/relationships to blend in and not "destroy" the unity.
#10
A friend of mine moved here form Laos in 7th grade. I got to see the first time she ever saw snow, and she couldn't stop crying because it was so beautiful. As someone who has always lived somewhere that it snows, it was a real eye opener on taking things for granted. She was also pretty floored by the foliage too, but the snow (both falling and that perfect pristine surface you get after a good snowfall) totally broke her.
Reviewer01 1 year ago
The third floor of my student halls was reserved for international students. One day it snowed and the entire floor emptied and all these students turned into absolute children frolicking in the snow, it was a magical moment.
#11
How showering demands a new level of skill in every country.
jtbc: One of the worst parts of waking up the first morning in a new country is trying to figure out how those three levers you've never seen before work through the fog of jet lag. That and how not to flood the bathroom floor.
#12
Moving from Spain to the US one of the biggest cultural differences i noticed was how people here are way more focused on work and less on socializing. Back in Spain we have long lunches and siestas and people spend more time with family and friends here it feels like everyone is always in a rush and working long hours also the food portions are so much bigger in the us and tipping culture is a thing which took some getting used to.
#13
Husband is from India, moved to the US.
The thing he liked the most was being able to openly protest/discuss political issues (ex. abortion rights, gay rights, situation in Ukraine, rally for unions). Also loves how clean the water and air is here.
Thing he hates the most is that unless we're making food from scratch or eating at very healthy restaurants, how there's sugar in EVERYTHING. Even condiments and bread.
Lil Miss Hobbit 1 year ago
That is one of my favorite things about coming to the US too. People here don't realize how much freedom of speech they still have left.
#14
Having to wait for a restaurant to open up at 10 pm in Madrid to get dinner and then still being the only patron at 11 when people start coming in. I am used to eating around 6-8PM.
#15
Different ways that are used to express laughter in chats.
E.g.
Western: Hahaha
Latin-America: Jajaja / Jjjjjjj
Brazil: Rsrsrsrs
Thailand: 55555 ('five" in Thai is pronounced 'haa')
Vietnam: kkkkkkk.
#16
French people kiss on the cheeks to say hello, even with total strangers. I'm from Eastern Europe. We just say hi, sometimes shake hands in official settings, or hug if we're close to the other person. So, to me, that cultural difference felt like a violation of my personal space on many occasions.
#17
I spent the first weekend I lived in Sicily hiding in my new apartment, afraid of what I thought was anti-American protesters with bull horns outside. It was a couple years after 9/11. We were at war with Afghanistan and Iraq and it was not popular over there.
When it was just guys selling the stuff they had harvested off their farms, using bullhorns to announce what they were selling. Which was common everyday stuff over there. Because I didn't know that and I wasn't fluent in Italian yet, I basically cowered in fear for the whole first weekend, afraid of a guy selling broccoli out of the back of his truck.
#18
Grew up in the US, moved away for 7 years, and then came back. I’d have to say I was shocked by wastefulness that I never noticed enough growing up here: boxes packed in boxes, individually wrapped everything (including produce that can be peeled), the amount of ketchup packets and napkins given at any fast food joint, plastic bags w/o additional charge.
René Sauer 1 year ago
Japan can be pretty bad about that, too. I think I once saw a youtube video where someone opened a bag of cookies or something. There where like six smaller bags inside and inside this six smaller bags where three individually packed cookies each.
#19
I lived in France for 9 months and the difference in the quality of the food was undeniable, it's so much less processed. I've always been on the chunky side but without even trying I lost 15 lbs in just a couple months, and I really mean it when I said I wasn't even trying, my host mom depended on me to eat all the leftovers lol
Also, I usually drink 2% milk because it's easier on my stomach but in France I could drink any milk with no trouble!
Roland Nijveld 1 year ago
I'm just 60kg at 185cm tall but I would be fat if I lived in America.
#20
In China people will just cut in front of you or interrupt you while you’re speaking to a worker like at the bank or train station. I’m still not fully used to it lol.
rullyman 1 year ago
I wouldn't be able to cope with this, and I don't understand how it's compatible with a culture where elders are respected? I watched a video of people in China waiting to get on a bus to take them to a tourist location, and as soon as one would arrive, they would stampede to get on. How does granny ever get on?
#21
I had to learn to say this to everyone in South Africa-“Hi, how are you”. Then they will reply-“can’t complain, and you”. And then I will say- “good.good.”. If you don’t do greetings, you must have been raised by animals (as per my SA friends). It was funny, I learnt quickly.
Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago
same thing applies in the UK, when someone from the UK ask "how are you?" it's a greeting, not an actual question. Your life story is not wanted, you just say "fine thanks, you?" (or maybe someone will just say "alright?" to you, you just say "alright" back. that's it.)
#22
The most major cultural difference was discovering that in some countries, it's perfectly normal to eat dinner at 10 PM. My stomach was on a strict “early dinner” schedule and was not prepared for this late-night culinary adventure.
#23
In Japan, the concept of personal space on public transport doesn't exist during rush hour. It's like a game of human Tetris.
#24
At first, I was shocked by the car-centric design of American suburbs. I found it absurd that a shopping mall's parking lot took five times the space of the mall itself. Giant parking lots surrounded every building. They were very unusual for me.
#25
How it can take 4x the time to get to a place in Canada on the bus compared to driving there.
Public transit in the part of the UK that I come from isn't magnificent but jeez, it didn't take 1 hour and 30 minutes to travel 7 km.
WickedSwicket 1 year ago
It's not magnificent but it's efficient. The old nans will be up in arms if the bus is 5 minutes late 🤦♂️
#26
Discovering that in some places, "being on time" means arriving 15 minutes late.
#27
When I immigrated to the US I was shocked how people put their s**t on the front lawn for people to take away. All your neighbors seeing your junk outside! Lol I just laugh now.
René Sauer 1 year ago
Well excuse you, but not everybody has a car to bring their old stuff to the dump. Maybe they put it outside to be collected by a garbage truck? That´s how it´s done here in Germany when you have unwanted furniture or so: you call the city and ask for a date for a truck to come by and get the stuff.
#28
American here.
In India, (Uttar Pradesh)it was the driving. At first it was terrifying, lots of traffic, both cars and pedestrians. No real adherence to staying in lanes. Not a ton of traffic lights or intersection controls. People cutting each other off constantly
But never saw one wreck, hit pedestrian, or road rage incident. It’s f*****g incredible. It’s not what I’m used to, but god damn does it work.
Stardust she/her 1 year ago
I live in one of worst cities in India when it comes to traffic management. The infrastructure is simply not made for this much traffic and yet I haven’t seen or been in any bad crashes so I count myself lucky. Being a pedestrian is like being on the ledge between life and death and the cars move the wrong way a lot of the time so you have to be careful even on one way roads
#29
Four times a day, shops close for prayer. Other factors include the way people drive and the dearth of leisure options, like nightclubs, bars, and movie theaters. Am I missing any theaters? Oh, and if you're a single man, some retail centers won't let you in. Saudi Arabia is where I currently reside.
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
I still claim US "Christians" are nowhere NEAR as devout as the average Muslim.
#30
Realizing that jaywalking in Vietnam is basically an extreme sport.
expo1986: You either master it or become a permanent part of the traffic! 🏍️🚶♂️
#31
As someone who moved from the chill Mediterranean coast to the bustling streets of New York, I couldn’t believe the non-stop nature of the city. Back home, afternoons are for siestas and evenings for family dinners that stretch on for hours. In New York, it's as if the city is fueled by espresso shots and ambition. The rhythm of life here is dictated by the ticking of the clock - punctuality is key, and time is money personified. It's a contrast that, at times, makes me nostalgic for the leisurely pace of my homeland, but also fills me with awe at the sheer energy that pulses through the avenues. Here, brunch is a power meal rather than a leisurely affair, and everyone seems to be walking with purpose. The constant buzz is infectious; it keeps you on your toes, striving for that New York minute where dreams are made. There's a beauty in the madness, the diversity, and the possibility that hangs in the air, somewhat like the steam rising from the manhole covers. It's not just a cultural shift; it's a whole different beat of life.
Anonymouse 1 year ago
compliments on a very well written post. It was actually a joy to read your prose.
#32
Worse work-life balance in Canada compared to the UK. Where I live now, Alberta, you legally are not entitled to ANY annual leave in your first year of employment, it's determined at your employer's discretion. This is *crazy* to me.
In the UK from the very beginning of your job, if you work full time (37.5 hours) you're legally entitled to 28 days off per year.
I find tipping weird too. Like I'm giving you extra money for... doing your job?
On a more positive note, the roads and houses are notably bigger in Canada compared to the UK and it's a bit weird how in my area most of the roads have numbers instead of names. So 1st Street, 56th Avenue etc. Still can't wrap my head around that.
#33
I’m from Florida and I immigrated to Canada (Toronto) six years ago and eventually became a citizen.
Here are some differences I’ve noticed.
Shoes off when you go inside someone’s house.
People hardly ever complain about gas prices despite being higher.
The word buddy. For example, “when you get to the place, tell buddy I’ll be there 15 minutes after you.”
Far less political extremism or politics being brought up.
Bad neighbourhoods usually just mean poverty and d**g addicts. They don’t feel dangerous like the ones in America.
Far less excessive nationalism. Canada also has the ability to criticize itself.
#34
Hygiene differences. In one place it was perceived lack of hygiene, in another place it was perceived superstition about hygiene. I mean, my mother in law literally says jinns will hide under your fingernails if they grow too long.
#35
A big cultural rift for me was the "pick up your trash" culture in the US (or lack thereof). We'd go to the movies with friends and after the movie, I would pick up my empty popcorn carton, skittles wrapper, soda cup and head for the bin that was on the way to the exit. My American friends were shocked:
"you know that people get paid to do that, right?"
I'd answer
"yeah but I mean the bin is right there, it's on the way"
And they would go on
"yeah but they get *paid* to do that"
It's like I was robbing the movie theater employees of their money if I threw my own trash out...
Not sure if it's only shocking from a Swiss person's point of view or if anyone from other countries agree...
Edit: to be fair to them, we were 17 at the time... I guess we're all a*shats in our own way at that age heheh. I doubt they'd still hold this point of view today, 15 years later (sure as hell hope not...).
Mia Black 1 year ago
Oh I hate this attitude that somebody may clean up after you. Even if, it's not nice to throw stuff on the ground or not just take trash with you. Unfortunately younger people and many immigrants don't seem to have a problem with leaving the floor covered in sunflower seed waste or chips and the older white people always just throw their cigarette butts on the ground where it pollutes everything...
#36
Jumping continents from Asia to America, the first cultural shake-up for me was the scale of consumerism—it's just astonishing. Where I'm from, shopping is a necessity, not a hobby. Here, it feels like there's a holiday every month pushing you to buy, buy, buy! And speaking of which, the marketing here is relentless, from billboards to online ads, it's a bombardment of “sale” signs. But that's not all; the convenience of services is something else. You think of something you need, and voila, it's two clicks away or at a store down the block. It's convenient yet daunting, how easy it is to get sucked into a 'spend more' mentality. This adjustment to consumer culture ties back to the work ethic—you work hard, you earn, you spend. It's a cycle that's both impressive in its efficiency and energy but also a bit intimidating when you're used to a more low-key approach to living. And yes, I've been caught off guard more than once by the insistence on an immediate reply to emails or messages, regardless of the day or hour—there's an undeniable urgency woven into everyday life here.
#37
Realizing people in Japan still live in the 1950s mentality about what a woman can or should do. (Not just housewife but like a man will discover how to harvest geothermal energy, a woman's status from her husband etc).
#38
USA to Portugal. I was struck by a couple of cultural differences:
1. Risk aversion - By American standards, I take mostly reasonable and calculated risks. By Portuguese standards, I'm an agent of chaos threatening to unravel the very fabric of reality.
2. Politics - this isn't unique to Portugal, but coming from the US, I didn't realize just how one dimensionally we talk about politics. Many folks I knew in Portugal were socially quite progressive, but culturally very traditional. It's far more nuanced there.
#39
When I was a kid I briefly live in the us, I'm Canadian, and when I started school boy what a shock that was. Its like walking into a prison, metal detectors, beefy a*s security, like as a 13 year old its it was nuts to me. At school in Canada I could freely go to the washroom and that was fine, there I was always questioned why I wasnt in class and given the side eye. I had never felt so unsafe in my life, going to an American school back then was wild cant imagine it now.
Jean Jacket 1 year ago
Yeah well, look around this place. There was a shooting at my HS when I was a sophomore [15-16 years old], and then years later, a shooting at my local community college. Keep your kids out of American public schools if you can!
#40
My family moved from Canada to UAE when I was 15 and the main things I noticed was:
- I couldn’t check my horoscope or access websites with explicit content. A lot of new age/wicca websites were blocked. I was really into Greek mythology and couldn’t research it like I did back home.
- needing a male chaperone when I leave the house. My male chaperone was my brother who was two years younger than me 😭 in Canada I was more independant and didn’t need to take my lil bro around with me.
-the weekends being Friday and Saturday was different
-Movies and tv shows had kissing scenes and sex scenes removed so sometimes the plot wouldn’t make much sense
My family moved back to Canada after two years and it felt like I had to relearn Western culture. I grew up Muslim so it was interesting being in A Muslim country. But it was a huge culture shock lol .
Sally Horrocks 1 year ago
I worked in Saudi in the eighties. When out in public we'd wear an abaya? (long black covering) so we didn't fall foul of any religious laws. On my first leave home I felt really exposed walking down the street without one! Censorship - they censored the Waltons!
#41
When I moved from Europe to the States, the sheer variety of accents and dialects amazed me! I thought I had a good handle on English, but I found myself asking people to repeat themselves quite a bit. It was like learning new versions of the same language, all over again.
WickedSwicket 1 year ago
I had an Australian visiting the office in London once & we thought he was asking for a pin instead of a pen.
#42
I lived in South Korea as a child and I remember some things were quite different, but ultimately I was too young to remember the finer details. My long summer trip to Japan as an adult, though, was another story.
The biggest difference I noticed was that politeness had a similar yet very different purpose than that of politeness in the USA. Each of us students were paired off with a Japanese English student who was essentially hired to act as personal interpreters, guides, and cultural educators on top of gaining some college credits. They were off on Sundays but the rest of the days, they spent almost all waking hours by our sides. My student-partner was named Haruka ("Haru").
I told her that I felt right at home with people being polite and hospitable, as I was raised around that in the US, but she warned me to be wary of it. I specifically remember her putting it like this: "People here are supposed to be nice and usually mean it, but sometimes it's not nice at all." That is true for the US too but when I thought about it, people in the US could choose to just be douchebags sometimes, whereas in Japan it felt like everyone was expected to be nice so the alternative wasn't really there. So it was harder to read between the lines at times.
One day, me and Haru walked past a few girls. One of them smiled at me and gave me a compliment, and when we fully passed by the girl said something in Japanese to her friends and laughed. Haru immediately told me to wait there, and left to confront her (in Japanese) before returning to me and apologizing for what happened. I asked what happened and she just said "that girl was being cruel". Haruka declined to elaborate, but I remembered the warning she gave before. Having understood that whatever the girl did flew right over my head, I realized that I was out of my element, especially since my Japanese was kindergarten-level at best.
Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
My imagination is running wild with polite insults of the "You could wear anything" kind. Like "...so why did you choose this" or "...there's no use adorning a dumpster anyway".
#43
Lived in England and you notice alot less division based on different ethnic backgrounds. I didn't see as much of the "that part of town is the hood" like here in the states. The less fortunate didn't mean less morally corrupt.
Donkey boi 1 year ago (edited)
There are definitely areas that contain a majority of ethnic groups. Where I live, which isn't a large town, we have ONE family that isn't white. The big-ish town where I work, the residential areas around us seems to be divided by ethnic groups. Nigerians and Ghanaians to the NW, Jamaicans & West Indies to the W, Chinese to the S, Eastern Europeans to the SE, Indian & Sinhalese to the E & NE. There are white British dotted here and there, but mainly surrounding the clusters, like some kind of border marking. But not many "Bad areas". *I don't actually know which way is North, so I call 'North' the way our clinic faces.
#44
When I lived in South Korea, the culture around healthcare was completely different than in the states and is honestly among the things that 'radicalized' me politically. Here in the US you hear so much about people going without healthcare, sometimes for serious conditions, due to the cost. Over there accessible and affordable healthcare is so ubiquitous it isn't even a second thought. I remember early on in my stay there I was out playing soccer at a local field with some friends and locals and my friend sprained an ankle and get told to go to the hospital for it. For a sprain! We were confused initially, but were told 'why not? you are hurt so why not go see a doctor?' So we did, and it was like...maybe ten bucks equivalent. Hell, later on a friend had to get some minor surgery and all told at the end he paid like thirty bucks equivalent including for the prescription at the pharmacy afterwards. It absolutely blew my mind. It was just so easy, and cheap. And since Seoul is so dense you could find a doctor for just about anything within a few blocks of wherever you happened to be.
Among the many things I miss about living over there, that is a big one. How I wish we could have that here in the states.
Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
I hate the fact that the lack of health care in the US was advertised as "freedom of choice", and according to comments it occasionally still is. A choice that I can only make if I have the money is not freedom, it's serfdom or even slavery. Freedom you have to buy is freedom for the rich only.
#45
When I moved to New Zealand:
1. I didn’t know “tea” means the evening meal and “dinner” means the midday meal.
2. Taking a break at 10am and 3pm during the work day
3. Pies are gas (petrol) station food and people don’t really make homemade pies.
4. Taxes. They just deduct it out of your paycheck and that’s it. No BS with deductions and returns.
5. Even the private doctor was cheap. I had to pay full price to see the doctor and get antibiotics and it cost me 35 USD.
6. At the time I was there (2008) people texted way more and called way less.
#46
Lived in Mauritania for about three months. Not Mauratis. Mauritania. Africa, all the way to the left, third country down.
Free range animals. Donkeys Dogs. Goats. Donkeys. they're just wandering everywhere. Being an animal person in the US can get you some strange looks, but petting the local donkeys and scratching their butts to the point that they'd take verbal commands had someone asking me to teach them English so they could talk to the donkey. (I THINK they were half kidding....)
The place spoke 5 language (wolof suniki pulaar hasania arabic) so you could go like 3 blocks over and some people would either need a translator or just not bothering dealing with anyone from over there.
Trash. there's no pickup. Throw it wherever it doesn't matter. Combine this with the first point, and there are donkeys walking around with basically a**l beads of plastic poop plastic poopball plastic pooball (they did NOT want help getting those out).
Jess Smith 1 year ago
Mauritania was both the last country to abolish slavery (1981), criminalized it in 2007 (!!!), and has the largest proportion of its population be enslaved (according to Human Rights Watch, in 2018 2.4 percent, see https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/mauritania). (Yes you could probably make an argument for North Korea. But Mauritania is definitely up there.)
#47
I “jaywalked” constantly in Canada, not realising it was a no-no. The word jaywalk wasn’t even in my vocabulary. It wasn’t until my boyfriend practically dragged me back to the footpath demanding to know what the hell I was thinking that I stopped. He also finds it very scary to drive in Ireland because people jaywalk all the time, especially in the city centre.
When you ask someone how they are in Canada, they will very earnestly respond exactly how they’re feeling and ask you in return. It always feels like too much information. Half the time in Ireland, we don’t even really answer the question at all. It’s treated more like “hello”.
#48
Adapting to the work-life balance in the US has been quite an eye-opener for me too. In my home country, I was accustomed to a more communal life—long chats with neighbors were the norm, not an exception. But here, it seems like having a packed schedule is a badge of honor. It's a shift from community-focused to achievement-focused living. Even hobbies are often discussed in terms of personal development rather than leisure. It's a different rhythm of life aimed more at what you accomplish than who you're with. And the coffee! Back home, coffee time is a ritual, a moment to relax, but here it's fuel for the hustle. It's all a fascinating reflection of the American spirit, which I'm learning to navigate (with a large cup of joe in hand, of course).
#49
I spent some time living in Finland, the longest time I'd spent outside the UK actually, what struck me was how quiet it was. There's fewer people about, there's less bustle. People don't talk as much for as long, and not as loudly. And that's before I went to a more rural area, where I finally experienced true silence. In the UK even in rural areas you're never that far from habitation, so there's almost always the background noise from animals, people, or more usually cars. After coming back to the UK it's hard not to realise how loud cars are and how the noise pollution always affects you.
Edit: the weather also got to me. Not because it was extreme, but because it was so unchanging. Weather in the UK is always a gamble, sitting at the middle of 4 air currents leads to it being very changeable, but in Finland I could see the weather coming days in advance, and that was with the horizon hidden by hills, and not the ocean I used to.
#50
On the flipside, people from Alberta found it really shocking when I mentioned that sales tax in the UK is 20% AND it's included on the shelf price.
#51
Moving to Belgium from the US, the idea of business hours (publicly posted) being vague suggestions was hard to get used to. They’d list Weds 9-12 for example and then just didn’t open.
Nimue47 1 year ago
I am Belgian an have never seen this here. Would be bad for business after all.
Laugh or not 1 year ago
They didn't see the "close for vacation" sign, and assumed shops should be open all year around? Because otherwise it makes no sense.
Load More Replies... gerard julien 1 year ago
" then just didn’t open." maybe the person was sick or had another problem !!!! one case doesn't make a generality.
René Sauer 1 year ago
I read about a small museum somewhere in Japan that had as opening and closing times basically just "When I fell like it."
#52
That I cannot wear perfume in the office or some people will complain, while extremely aggressive body odor is fine.
Moved from South America to North America, and nobody prepared me for the BOs 😳.
#53
It was so jarring to see people wearing going out clothes and not having to go anywhere? like just sitting on the couch, watching telly in jeans. even worse if you're lying in bed in jeans...
one of the first friends I made when I moved here (Australia) would get up and get ready by putting on a bra, a face of make-up, jeans and a top, even socks and shoes... and then stay at home all day.
baffling.
and then I mentioned it to others thinking she was maybe a little conceited or weird and nope, they thought it was normal and they do it too 🤷🏻♀️
Ripley 1 year ago
That's not "normal" in Australia. It's probably entirely dependent on the kinds of people you associate with, their socioeconomic status, their age . . . You might wear jeans and stay at home, if they're comfy jeans, but not necessarily the rest. Source - sitting here in tracky daks and a hoodie.
#54
When i visited Turkey i was laying sick in a family members apartment. Suddenly the walls were shaking and i could hear very loud music coming from outside. A wedding was taking place. Such a thing would never be allowed due to rules and regulations in the Netherlands. But in Turkey, it is very normal.
#55
Time off from work is treated very differently in Korea vs the US. In the US it's normal to take a vacation of up to a week or more assuming you have the time off available. In Korea if you leave your job for more than three days then you need to look for a new job.
A soldier friend of mine told me this when he married a Korean. He had a bunch of leave time on the books. However his new wife wasn't going to get time off to visit his family in the US.
Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
And here's us Europeans getting 20-30 days of vacation per year and (depending on job/employer) being chastised if not taking them, because it might land the employer in trouble. Many people take three consecutive weeks off, especially in summer.
#56
15 years ago, I came to Germany for the first time and was really shocked by the Germans loudly blowing their nose in public.
#57
Nudity. Portugal there was nudity at the beaches and in the street.
Also kids drinking wine and smoking in the streets.
#58
Didn’t move there, but visited Canada once when I was a kid. Seeing road signs in English and French was wild for me.
#59
When I was studying abroad in Spain I was blown away by how prevalent smoking was. There definitely didn't seem to be the same stigma attached to it that there is in the USA.
#60
When I studied in Spain in college, I was shocked at the amount of men that would make clicking sounds at women. And I guess that’s their way of cat calling? Not everywhere, but particularly the grocery store it seem to happen a lot and I’m not saying all Spaniards are chauvinistic but wow I was surprised.
#61
From Canada to the US. Road construction was completed in weeks not months. New buildings would be built in months not years. You are basically allowed to park anywhere it doesn’t say you can’t- which is not many places even in most cities. Americans are much friendlier people than Canadians. Americans don’t expect companies to rip them off and actively do something about it when it happens. Government corruption isn’t accepted as a way of life and knowing the right people isn’t the only way to cut through red tape.
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 1 year ago
Sorry, but Americans absolutely KNOW that companies are ripping us off, and the government is fully corrupt.
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Rose the Cook 1 year ago
As an Australian in China how closely foreigner's whereabouts are monitored came as a shock. In Australia once immigration lets foreigners in they can change where they live or work without restrictions.in China if we want to change jobs or addresses we have to report to the local police station. Even if we keep the same address we must report every year regardless of the length of our current visa. This is taken very seriously, recently a new person moved into our apartment complex and reported a strange foreigner where she shouldn't be ( in their opinion.). This resulted in very embarrassed police on our doorstep to confirm that I was in fact the foreigner registered here.
Mister Al 1 year ago
Where in China are you? I'm in Shanghai and yes, if I move I need to register, but I don't need to go in every year.
Load More Replies...
Boo 1 year ago
Emigrated from US to Scotland almost 30 yrs ago. The only things I was taken aback by was having public transport (non-existant in the rural area I came from) and the accent lol. It took about a year to understand the thick Scottish accent, and even now, some of the newer slang gets me lol. But when I go south, I struggle to understand some English accents just because I don't hear them often. I'm used to getting the question "what part of Ireland do ye come fae?" My accent is really, really messed up 🤣
Simon Green 1 year ago
I am a Brit who left the UK when I was a year old and lived in Africa until I was 7 then moved to Hong Kong until I was 29. I went back to England for the first time to see friends and I was on a train and I was amazed at seeing chimneys on houses. I'd never seen one before.
Bruce Mardle 1 year ago
Probably the vast majority of them haven't been used for many years. I'm lounging near a chimney blocked by an oil fire that hasn't been used since the '70s. Dunno how far back you'd have to travel to see a coal or wood fire.
Load More Replies... Stardust she/her 1 year ago
The quality of education in India and the US is very different. When I studied in the USA, it was mostly slow paced and kind of chill but I didn’t learn much. When we moved to India the pace quickened and I found myself needing to memorise a lot because I was way behind. When I started preschool in the USA I was mostly taught basic reading but when moving to India my brother started preschool and he learnt almost everything I had learned till first grade
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
As an Australian in China how closely foreigner's whereabouts are monitored came as a shock. In Australia once immigration lets foreigners in they can change where they live or work without restrictions.in China if we want to change jobs or addresses we have to report to the local police station. Even if we keep the same address we must report every year regardless of the length of our current visa. This is taken very seriously, recently a new person moved into our apartment complex and reported a strange foreigner where she shouldn't be ( in their opinion.). This resulted in very embarrassed police on our doorstep to confirm that I was in fact the foreigner registered here.
Mister Al 1 year ago
Where in China are you? I'm in Shanghai and yes, if I move I need to register, but I don't need to go in every year.
Load More Replies... Boo 1 year ago
Emigrated from US to Scotland almost 30 yrs ago. The only things I was taken aback by was having public transport (non-existant in the rural area I came from) and the accent lol. It took about a year to understand the thick Scottish accent, and even now, some of the newer slang gets me lol. But when I go south, I struggle to understand some English accents just because I don't hear them often. I'm used to getting the question "what part of Ireland do ye come fae?" My accent is really, really messed up 🤣
Simon Green 1 year ago
I am a Brit who left the UK when I was a year old and lived in Africa until I was 7 then moved to Hong Kong until I was 29. I went back to England for the first time to see friends and I was on a train and I was amazed at seeing chimneys on houses. I'd never seen one before.
Bruce Mardle 1 year ago
Probably the vast majority of them haven't been used for many years. I'm lounging near a chimney blocked by an oil fire that hasn't been used since the '70s. Dunno how far back you'd have to travel to see a coal or wood fire.
Load More Replies... Stardust she/her 1 year ago
The quality of education in India and the US is very different. When I studied in the USA, it was mostly slow paced and kind of chill but I didn’t learn much. When we moved to India the pace quickened and I found myself needing to memorise a lot because I was way behind. When I started preschool in the USA I was mostly taught basic reading but when moving to India my brother started preschool and he learnt almost everything I had learned till first grade
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