When people leave the comfort of their home and familiar surroundings to visit (or stay at) an unfamiliar environment, the adjustment period can be fairly intense, especially if the two locations are completely different, such as going from a small rural area in the US to a large Asian metropolis.
But we can also experience the uncertainty, confusion, and anxiety that comes with this change even when moving from one place to another within the same country.
So when the question "What is the biggest culture shock you have ever faced?" was posted on Quora, people who have gone through it immediately started sharing their stories. We collected the most interesting ones to show you that sometimes, no matter how much research you do, there are things you simply can't prepare for!
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I am an Indian living in United States since last six months. These two countries are very different in many ways which we already know. I am going to write about the cultural shock I faced at personal level.
I was born with deformity in one of my arms so I definitely don’t look like a normal person. And, I grew up around people who inadvertently made me feel I wasn’t one of them. Going to any public places would make me so conscious as everyone’s eyes would be on me. They would stare at me all the time, would feel sorry for me, ask me questions. Sometimes I would not be in a mood to give any explanation, but would still do just because I don’t want to be rude. After all these years, I started living with a belief that anything of this would never change.
I moved to US, and, it’s been six months, not a single person has looked at me as something was wrong with me, not a single person has asked me any question about why I am like this, not a single person thought or made me realize that I am not normal.
I appreciate them for respecting every individual as they are. This has definitely made me a lot more confident person than I ever was.
I would like to share my culture shock experience after I came to Germany from India in 2016.
(The incident is not exactly about me, but I witnessed this).
It was my 2nd day in Germany and I had to travel to the university for completing some paperwork formalities. I chose to travel by local public transport bus. It was peak hour time so the bus is fully occupied by passengers. I was standing in the bus and after 5 minutes the bus stopped at one stop. The driver got off from his driving seat, stepped down from the bus, and came to the middle door of the bus. The reason he came was to help a handicapped person to get on the bus by unfolding a wheelchair ramp
All people were there, nobody made any noise nor any angry faces. I was stunned by looking at the scene that happened. Because in my country I have never seen such a gesture by a bus driver to help a handicapped person and that too during peak hours in a crowded bus.
The second cultural shock was just after 5 minutes when I stepped down from the bus at my destination stop. I saw the same person crossing the two-lane road on Zebra Crossing using his wheelchair. All the cars (more than 8–10) stopped on both sides of the road. There was no noise, no horn nothing. After the person successfully crossed the road, vehicles went off.
This moment really gave me goosebumps, that how can people behave so nicely and show such gestures and follow rules.
I had a similar culture shock but from the opposite perspective. I found it absolutely unbelievable that wheel-chair users had to books train tickets in advance and then go through a whole and very cumbersome process of being lifted into trains with a special lift instead of hte trains just being level with the platform. Also, the number of times I've seen lifts (elevators) installed AFTER a set of steps is mindblowing. The cherry on top was when I read on my university website that the 'Disabilities office' was not barrier free so you had to make an appointment to speak to them in another building if you are a wheelchair user. People are nice, but not nice enough to lobby for literal structural equality.
Right here in the United States. I am a white woman, born in 1948, raised in Ohio. When I was around 16–17 years old, I took a bus to Florida. When I got off the bus, I had to go to the bathroom, so I stepped into the first bathroom I saw that said “women.” I then left the bathroom and stopped at the water fountain for a drink of water. Imagine my shock when I turned around and found a group of people yelling at me and telling me to get out of town and saying I was a very sick person, etc. I had used the “colored” bathroom and drinking fountain! I had never heard of such a thing and to this day (52 years or so later), I still find it disturbing.
Federal law and federal enforcement made the South abandon those age-old customs, but the remembered prejudices live on in the older people there. Generation by generation, the South is outgrowing those hateful habits. It will take more generations, but eventually the prejudices will fade. BUT FORTUNATELY, brave protestors will hasten the process. Our Black brothers and sisters will not wait for white people to gradually change their ways. The time for that is long passed.
A month back I moved to Brussels. Just after checking into my guest house, I came out to see if I could buy anything to eat.
So, I stand on the side of the road near the zebra crossing. There were no crossing light signals, so I kept standing thinking I would cross the road when its empty.
30 seconds on the road and I see cars are piling up. I have no clue, WHY?. 1 minute and I start wondering.
Then I see the the person first in the line calls me up. I thought he might be asking for direction. I reach out to him, he screams something in FRENCH.
I reply: English?
He went on like: “Cross the road, you stupid!”.
I ran across the road, stopped and realised they were stopping for me so I can cross the road. Pedestrians first.
Well, I couldn’t blame myself too. Dude I am from India, I am not used to such respect on the roads.
I try that in India, I might never see the road again.
When travelling around Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam I saw how much people appreciate immaterial things compared to the UK. One night in Vietnam I stayed up drinking with friends and convinced them to come to the beach to watch the sunrise, thinking we’d be the only ones there. The beach was packed with families & the children played all around. When the sun came up the whole beach burst into applause. It was such an amazing moment & made me realise in England people are too busy to look at the sky and appreciate the beautiful things in life, and I vowed to not become like that again.
Castles in Germany
I have never actually seen such castles. These kinds of structures always seemed magical to me. When I saw that there were such structures in Germany, I realized that castles were not just fairy tales.I was very excited when I first saw it.I've never seen anything like this before. I felt like I was living in the middle ages.
Japanese Toilets.
Well what’s all the hype about a toilet?
As the airplane arrived in Narita Airport, I, customarily, for some reason, go to the toilets. (I dislike using the plane’s toilets when we’re near landing)
Big surprise.
When I opened that cubicle, I nearly got disoriented. Random buttons in separate menu screens astounded me.
I mashed all the buttons and I realized that there was a heater, a bidet water sprayer when you have to take a dump, and on some toilets, they open automatically when you come in. They even have an option to play music to help you concentrate when… doing your stuff!
I literally said “OH MY GOD!” in the cubicles, and pretty much everyone knew that I was a tourist, but you know what? Screw them. Lemme enjoy my time with this gracious toilet.
I was literally in front of the Lamborghini of Toilets. Let me bask in all the glory.
EDIT: Forgot to mention that the music mainly masks the sound you make when relieving yourself or taking a dump
Hello all, I am an Indian and I visited Pakistan 4 year ago. The biggest culture shock I faced in Pakistan was how nice the people were to me despite being an Indian. I visited Lahore with my grandfather (he lived in Lahore before partition) and the people would always ask if we were Indian (we were Sikhs so I guess they can tell by the turban). I remember the first time it was when we visited a dhaba and the guy came to take our order, he asked us if we’re from India and when we said yes these were his exact words: “Tussi sadda mehmaan ho, tusi muft ke liye hi kha sakade ho” (You are our guest, you can eat free). We refused the offer but had no choice. This happened everytime, I had heard many stories of people talking about their grandparents in Punjab (india) and talked a lot about their friends before partition from elders. People there were very nice, I wish I could go again if getting visa was not so hard. Aside from visa, the biggest issue was trying to understand the Urdu-influenced Punjabi, otherwise it was amazing experience for me.
There’s a pop-On one side, every meal is potato based. On the other, it seems not a single meal is eaten without a tomato in the form of sauce, pizza, salad, etc.
I grew up on the potato side. Every day was a form of potatoes - usually roasted as a side with a form of meat. To switch things up, there were also boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, and so many more I can’t think of.
Then I crossed the line. Obviously I’d had tomatoes in the form of pasta sauce or marinara, but never to the frequency or variety that they have on the other side of the border (yes, I’m being dramatic. Bare with me).
culture line in Europe called the tomato-potato line.
It was like my taste buds had exploded. Every meal had a new flavor and depth that I had never experienced. The tomatoes were different too - better quality, grown near to the location rather than being shipped hundreds of miles. So much more spice and taste can be incorporated into a tomato based dish.
Though I may be biased, I then vowed to never stay in potato territory for food. I learned to cook, reducing my potato consumption to maybe once a month, and have since relished in the variety of foods there are to try from so many different cuisines.
This map is absolutely wrong, and it's more related to what you personally order at restaurants during your travels. I worked for many years for a Spanish university, and receiving foreign students was a part of my duties. Many of them said to me that Spanish meals were always fried. This shocked me, because we of course eat fried meals, but not that often. Indeed, the problem here was that they always ordered fried tapas.
I lived in the Netherlands for a couple of years then and my Dutch boss invited me to her wedding. There was a beautiful ceremony in a romantic castle and after that we were served some tiny snacks and petit fours.
After that we took a group picture and then the wedding manager announced that those who have a fork and a knife pictogram in their wedding invitation could proceed to the dinner hall and the rest can go home and thanks for coming.
So there we were, hungry and stuck in the middle of nowhere. Until one of our colleagues called her husband to pick us up by car and bring to the nearest train station where we bought ourselves döner kebab.
I still don’t get it, why should someone treat their guests differently. If you can’t afford a wedding dinner for everyone, it’s perfectly ok with me. You can go for an intimate wedding with your family or close friends or just serve cake, I don’t care. But not treating your guests equally completely blows my mind even 20 years later.
Yes that's very common here, you'll either be a reception guest or a day guest, only the last one gets wedding dinner. I am not married yet but if I ever do, I'll only plan to invite a handful of guest and have dinner with them all haha.
Plastic surgery in Korea.
I know it sounds quite normal as so many people now are doing it. It seems like not a big deal but allow me to explain a little bit.
What shocked me is how many Korean people obsess with changing very small parts of their looks. They can always point out something they dislike about their looks and usually, it is something that wouldn’t even be noticed by others.
One of my coworkers decided that she wants her forehead to look a bit more round so she spent over $5000 to take some fat from her butt (she’s skinny, the butt was the only place to take that fat of course) to put on her forehead. I heard the liposuction was very painful.
At first after the surgery, her forehead looked swollen and after two months, it looked exactly like her ‘original’ forehead. I mean, what’s the point of going through that much pain and money to get a change that is not noticeable?
Yeahhhhh Korean toxic beauty culture is a thing and it’s really bad, to the point where it just about drives the equally bad bullying culture and the “pretty privilege” culture - except pretty privilege is beyond just a societal norm, your looks almost determine your lifestyle in modern-day Korea. I really wish it wasn’t like that. And insecurity too, in people of all ages - HUGE problem. Im glad I live away from that part of the Korean culture here in the US, but I have so much family there and I see a lot of people get so insecure and unhappy over things that really shouldn’t matter :(
While walking on the streets of Tokyo, I realised that the streets are cleaner than any place I have seen (except Iceland of course).
This was not the culture shock though.
I was shocked when I couldn’t find a bin on the street to dispose off the empty bottle of water I had grabbed.
One of the locals in the hostel told me that they have very few bins on the streets.
It amazes me how the Japanese are still able to keep the streets so clean.
I have been to quite a few places around the world but I am yet to see the Japanese level of commitment to cleanliness.
Not the biggest but the most recent - I learned that Americans don't tend to have electric kettles in their homes.
Every home in the U.K. has a kettle. (It may even be true to say that every home in Europe has a kettle, though I can't absolutely confirm that.) When you move, the kettle is the last thing to be packed and the first thing to be plugged in at your new house.
The fact that some Americans don't have kettles is the clearest possible indicator of the differences in our cultures.
Most Americans just use stovetop kettles. This isn't the first time I've heard people note the difference but I can never quite understand why this is so shocking, don't both boil water?
An electric kettle stop by themselves, when the water is boiling. There's no need to watch it.
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Sounds like its based on if tea or coffee is the preferred drink in that country. That person might ask themselves - how much do i use my kettle outside of drinking tea, how much would i use a kettle if i preferred coffe above tea?.. probably not much. Which should have given them an answer instantly🕵🏻♂️ 🧠
Exactly! It doesn't make sense to own a kettle if you don't have regular use for one. Kettles are lovely, just not everyone needs one.
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Every American house has a coffee maker of some kind. I only drink tea once in a while so I have a stove-top kettle for that but my daily brew of choice is coffee.
Every American home does not have a coffee maker.
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Switch out kettle for coffee pot and you are close here in the U.S.A.
Do you have a gas or electric stove? Even a gas one seems to take longer to boil water than a kettle, but electric ones are abysmal! I use the kettle to boil any water that I need for cooking too, as it takes so long to boil from cold on the stove.
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My first trip to England, I wondered why we didn't have them. I have had one now for 5 years and it just makes sense... tea, pour over coffee, ramen...
Yesss. And heat up some water quickly for mopping the floor or for boiling potatoes or pasta. I would rather give up our coffee machine than the electric kettle, although I drink way more coffee then tea.
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I hate this whole, "Americans don't use kettles" thing. No, it's not part of our culture like it is apparently in the UK. Do they think we don't use hot water? Most American homes don't have endless counterspace for bean warmers and electric kettles and god knows what else an Englishman thinks is "proper". Go to Target or Walmart, you literally see dozens of electric kettles for sale. But, "nobody" has them? Got it. First, an electric kettle is likely to be kept in a cupboard due to counterspace, so spying on your friend's countertops to see what they have is stupid. Second, many people just heat water in the microwave since it takes about half the time. And lastly, people here are more likely to use stove top kettles than electric ones. But no, we don't have kettles at all, all the stores sell a large variety of them, but nobody buys them and they just sit there. English Logic -- Not very smart, can't see past their own nose.
Isn't the kettle used for tea? Most Americans drink coffee that is brewed in an automatic coffeemaker. No need for a kettle
Staying at the Luxor, and being tea drinkers, we had to go down to Starbucks and buy a cip of boiling water to make tea. Couldnt find a kettle anywhere. Will take a small travel kettle next time.
I got rid of my electric kettle because I prefer to do it old-school way. Just sentimental, I guess.
I grew up in the US but lived in Australia for 14 years. I had an electric kettle in Australia and loved it so much when I moved back to the US I bought one (different plugs so I had to leave my Aussie one behind). All my American friends and family have marveled at my electric kettle and got themselves one.
I have to say that I've never owned a kettle. But I don't like hot tea, so why would I? I have a coffee maker and it gets used every day!
We use our electric kettle for pour-over coffee as well as tea. I like fresh coffee best, not from a pot where it sits on heat.
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Wall current is 110-125v. Electric kettles are no faster than a kettle on the stove. We also don't drink all that much tea so having constant hot water doesn't fit into our needs. You're more likely to keep the coffee pot fresh throughout the day. That may be a Minnesota thing. Always offering to make your guests a cup of coffee.
OTOH, all American homes have an automatic coffee maker. We are much bigger coffee-drinkers than tea-drinkers.
I live in the U.S. and have an electric kettle. I’m a personal chef and every single one of my clients has an electric kettle. All of my friends has an electric kettle. I’m sure it’s not as ubiquitous but I know a good number of people with them.
I don't drink coffee. A co-worker who maintained the coffee maker at work knew I only drank tea and bought an electric kettle for me to use at the office. Got one for home soon after (I was using a stove kettle before). Visited my bestie from childhood and she gave me a measuring cup and told me to use the microwave to heat water for my morning tea. She thought the appalled look I gave her was funny. I also don't understand why it bothered me, but it just seemed wrong
I'm not sure where you are getting your info but just about everybody I know in the U.S. has a tea kettle. Usually the kind you heat on the stove. It just sits right there on the stove. And they drink lots of tea.
I think the biggest issue is that Americans tend to boil water for tea in their microwaves which is a big no no in England. Most Brits that I know use boiling water to make their tea while Americans tend to just use very hot water. With my English friends not knowing how to make a proper cup of tea was always an issue. Being brought a tea bag and a little pot of very hot water in a restaurant was very upsetting to them. Tea just isn't that big a deal to us.
Yah, we tend not to have kettles, but have a ton of coffee machines. We love our coffee <3
A lot of us don't drink tea the way others do- ours is usually cold (especially in the south; it's just way too hot down here to drink warm beverages) so we use pots to boil water and the tea bags and then transfer it into a big pitcher with more water and, if you're in the south, lots of sugar. Sounds absolutely terrible, and it is, but we love it, so most of us (who care about what we put into our bodies) will only drink it occasionally or sparingly. I will say though, I love a good glass of Southern diabetes tea!!!
Love my electric kettle. It's the 3rd I've gotten in addition to the two stove top ones I had years ago. Boils water so fast. Never want to be without it.
I’m American. I have an electric kettle upstairs, one downstairs, and a special folding silicone one for travel. The thing is… I don’t drink coffee. Most Americans drink coffee and have a coffee pot instead
Americans had an issue for years where anything that was plugged in could not be exposed to water because there was no grounding (just positive negative plugs). The fear persists, and the sale of electric kettles are rare, my friend moved there in 2007, and no one knew what an electric kettle was at Walmart.
Most Americans have a coffee pot instead, or heat water on a stove or microwave if they really want tea.
Some American friends here in Portugal got very excited about their new purchase. "It's an electric water boiler!" . "You mean a kettle?" I asked. "No, no. It's Electric!" :)
I've had an electric kettle for years. Available everywhere. Favorite of dorm dwellers. Way faster than stovepipe or even microwave.
After living in Korea for a few years I can't live without an electric kettle and find it weird that other people don't have one in their home xD
I have a stove top kettle. Always have. Parents too. It's just a quirk across the ocean. I'd love an electric kettle. I may buy one after reading all this. Mmmmmm....warm Kava tea before bedtime. ....then I have to pee.
I have a stand alone kettle and a stove to kettle. I'm weird I guess.
We tend to drink more coffee than tea. I do have an electric kettle, though.
I use an old-fashioned kettle atop my gas stove. Electric kettles are OK, I've used them, too, but my current house doesn't have enough outlets because of its age.
Canadian here. Everyone I know or known growing up has had an electric kettle. I dont know if it's because we have a huge U.K influence over here, but it's weird if someone doesn't have one lol
I love my electric kettle! Bought it about a year ago and use it for tea every day. It boils much faster than the (gas) stove kettle and has a blue light around the bottom. 10/10 would recommend!
I am in the USA and I have had a kettle for quite a few years and many of my family and friends do as well.
I'm Spanish, living in Spain, and married to an Italian woman... We have a kettle.
Pease don't tell me they heat up their water in the microwave! The latest trend in Belgium and The Netherlands is to have a boiling hot water tap in the kitchen. No more kettles for those people. But mine stays where it is, right on the counter top!
Yes, 90 seconds in the microwave oven will heat a single cup of water very nicely. Why expend the electric energy to boil a whole kettle-full of water when you want just one cup full?
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Brian Woodcock 1 day ago I just had a 240 volt circuit installed in my US kitchen and I have a new UK kettle which boils 1 liter of water in 2 min 13 sec. The old American kettle takes 5 min 03 secs.
PLEASE READ AGAIN: This is •NOT• a Statement on •110-Volt Electric Kettles• •VERSUS• boiling water on a Stove Top (induction, gas, electric, or wood-burning), and/or, in the Microwave, or Any other Method [EXCEPT •220-Volt Electric Kettles•] i.e., 110-Volt Kettles take TWICE AS LONG as 220-Volt Kettles to boil water. If you are content with the efficiency of a 110-Volt Kettle - Bless your heart!
America is so big and monopolized that everything goes to one place, is processed then shipped back out. It sits in storage or transit for up to a year so all the tea we have available is barely better than swamp water. That's why our chocolate has milk parts in it and tastes like vomit, and why the apple we just ate was picked a year ago. Water is better than most tea here.
🤖 READ THIS: The Correct / Logical Reason Electric Kettles are not used in the USA is because our Electrical Outlets ONLY Supply HALF the Volts (110) as EU Outlets (220)! Meaning boiling water in an electric kettle in the USA takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R !! While 220V Kettles in the EU Boil Water Nearly INSTANTLY!
In China, whether it is in movies, TV series, or comics, when characters need to cover their face, they always cover the lower half of your face. But the opposite is true in the United States
I am an Indian who worked in DUBAI for 6 months.
Unfortunately, the holy month of Ramadan fell in between the time I was there.
The biggest cultural shock in my life is that during ramadan, no one is allowed to consume anything in public by law, not even allowed to drink water. And mind you, the temperature in a “CONVENIENT” 50 degrees centigrade.
Respecting one’s customs is a good thing but forcing people to crave for water in such an uncomfortable weather is not just a shock but I felt that the law was itself archaic and unscientific. So dont get fooled by the glitz and buildings, Dubai is still middle east.
I am not a muslim and still I was forced to follow such practice.
All the muslims are supposed to follow the ramadan style of fasting by law.
So “RAMADAN IN DUBAI” was my biggest cultural shock.
I am going anonymous because I dont want to get jailed at the GCC airports for badmouthing the region. Frankly I dont expect much rationality and a fair treatment from the judicial systems there.
*Eating up the banana leaf*
My friend from MIT was going to Tamil Nadu with me. He was a complete American and didn’t know ‘Indian stuff’.
We went to one of the local restaurants and ordered a full set of meal.
In Tamil Nadu, food is served on a banana leaf. So when we went there, he was perplexed but didn’t ask me a question.
When we had finished our meals, I told him to stay here and take care of our belongings while I go to the washroom, and then we swap.
While I was not there, he started chewing the whole banana leaf
I moved to the US after getting married. My husband and I went to a restaurant on the very first day for lunch. We parked the car and went inside. Without waiting I simply walked and took a chair for myself at a table. I could see everybody staring at me like I've done a big crime. I turned around and found my husband standing near the door and laughing. Out of embarrassment I stood up, placed the chair back in place and walked away.
So then I came to know that a designated person specifically asks us how many people are there to dine and leads us to our table. You should enter only with him and not grab a table greedily.
I am from India and getting the table norm is: You walk in. Scan the area like a hawk. Find an empty table (sometimes an empty chair also would suffice). Sit and order your food.
In Germany most places are self seating. But there are those where you get seated too. If there's a hostess stand and no sign on it telling you to seat yourself, you'll get seated. If there's no hostess stand, you seat yourself. My culture shock was the hostility that was only barely masked by a customer service smile in the USA when you dare to ask for a specific table according to your preferences or needs because it messes up their seating plans. In Germany the servers and hostesses are less bubbly and people in general don't bend backwards for every little thing, but I still have a better feeling dining here. Waiters and waitresses are less likely to indulge AHs and are more honest. I have the feeling that most of them actually like what they do. They are genuely friendly versus trying to get a better tip friendly.
First few days in Australia. Friends invite me to go to the beach.
Friend reminds me, “Don’t forget your thongs!”
“Wait, what?! Thongs?!”
Thongs in Australia:
Well, duh. Thongs, flip flops, slippers, chanclas, they're for the beach.
I took a trip to Egypt. I chatted with a shopkeeper in Luxor. After ten minutes of pleasant conversation, he asked me if I was married. I said, no I have never been married. He said “You POOR woman! You have never been able to find a husband? I can solve your problem! Let’s get married! We will be a perfect couple.” I learned that this is normal, that American women will get marriage offers after a ten minute courtship. Egyptian men work fast. They let you know right away what they want. In the hotel, in Cairo, I walked down the hall and smiled at one of the employees. He sprinted over to me and wrapped his arms around me. I learned that smiling and eye contact with get women instant attention. Egyptian culture is different than USA.
Also, they regard it as an absolute character flaw if you're not married (like you said, you didn't "manage to find a husband", like no one wants you.
When I visited Germany and went to the local swimming pool. After paying, I was directed toward a door. I walked in and found myself in a big locker room. Thing is, it wasn’t the men’s locker room. It was a joint locker room. There were cubicles most people were going into to change, but some were changing right out in the open. There were separate showers for males and females, but while I was showering I witnessed several women, in their bathing suits, come into the male showers to talk to their male friends or family members as they were showering. Nobody batted an eye at this or found it unusual. Then, walking into the sauna area, everyone was naked, and it was mixed gender. I had heard that was how it was before this, but actually experiencing it was a bit strange at first.
I was in a nice hotel in Japan. I got in the elevator with a young Japanese woman. When the door opened, I waited for her to exit. She did not move.
I gestured for her to go. To my surprise, in perfect English she said
“In Japan, the man always goes first.”
I saw this custom in action, as groups of Japanese were men first and women following behind.
The first time I went to China on business, I casually strolled down Nanjing Road in Shanghai surrounded by sophistication and passerbys wearing Chanel and Prada.
Suddenly, a woman carrying a baby, dressed top-to-bottom in brand clothing stopped, lifted the baby up in the air allowing him/her to defecate. I was so shocked that had to stop and looked at the scene in horror. The baby didn’t wear a diaper under the onesie but rather had a deliberately made opening.
Surely, I thought this to be the exception vs. the rule until I saw it everywhere across China — moms allowing their children to go on the street and picking up their poops like we pick up after our pets.
In China, it is socially acceptable for kids to urinate and poop anywhere on the streets. Sometimes, you just see a kid while walking, squat and go!
It was when I went to Iran.
I was at a hotel and having breakfast. I poured some tea and the sugar was nowhere to be found. So I asked the waiter for it and was waiting for the crushed sugar that I’ve been using my whole life. Instead, he came back with small cubes of sugar..
So I took one and put it in my cup of tea and started stirring to dissolve it. But unfortunately, my tea got cold and the sugar cube was still intact.
And that’s when someone told me that I was supposed to keep the cube in my mouth and just sip my tea over it. I never got used to that and was never given crushed sugar for my tea even when I asked for it explicitly.
Visiting Maharashtra for the first time.
I'm your regular UP guy.
The girls here in UP have to stay alert and aware of their environment. Most girls don't take a stroll here unless with a group of friends or if her male relative is accompanying her.
But the Maharashtra is another picture, I had seen young girls and women loved to take a stroll in the night at 10.00PM after they finished their meal.
The girls usually go alone, and they don't have to worry about their safety. It was like Iiving in other part of world.
In my stay here in Maharashtra, I have seen guys are more respectful toward females.
Imagine, if you walked up to your crush and ask her out, she rejected you'll be furious. But Maharashtra guys take a ‘no' respectfully and let the girl. I had yet to met a guy who stalked the girl or harrased her because she rejected him.
Caste system.
Although, there are lot of castes here. People don't love to have their caste badge displayed.
Everyone mix with everybody, people don't stuck to their castes.
Female empowerment.
Parents don't discrimate among their daughters and sons.
Maharashtrian girls marry later, as that of UP. (The girls are usually married here when they turns 19)
Average Maharashtrian girl marries at 24, and surprising thing they are not forced into marriages. Parents make sure, their child will got best education irrespective of gender.
Yes. They have two faucets. One feels like walking on the surface of the Sun, and the other as they say, is your ex-girfriend’s heart.
You cannot have anything in the middle.
They do not combine in one pipe like in the rest of the world, so you have to alternate between the two, and see how it feels to have frostbites and 2nd degree burns at the same time.
Meanwhile a letter from UK arrives.
Bloody hell! My Hogwarts invitation!!
Silvana,
Firstly, we call them “taps” not “faucets”. We should know, we invented the language.
Secondly, a day may come when my Kingdom will work on improving the plumbing system to a more advanced technology, but it is not this day.
Also, my dearest Prince William has already delighted us with 2 perfect children, so we do not require your genetic material.
Yours Brexitly,
Queen E.
A single tap is a lot more common now! We have finally caught up! Even in my house that was built in 2010 all the sinks had single taps.
I had heard that London is very expensive. When I landed there, after couple of hours, I went in a local chicken shop (as they call it, it's basically a fried chicken shop) to get something to eat. I gave the order and asked 'how much'? The guy on the counter said "Three forty nine" and I thought "Oh My God, London really is expensive man... A chicken burger for three hundred and forty-nine pounds." I said sorry, I did not bring the money and went out of the shop to stay hungry rather than spending 350 pounds on a chicken burger.
In Pakistan, we do not use hundred most of the times when we are telling the price. For example, if the price is 150, I would say one fifty rather than one hundred and fifty.
Later I discussed this with a friend and you can imagine what would have happened.
The burger was 3 pounds and 49p.
Dong chim or poop needle
Dong chim is a popular prank that is played all over Korea. It involves using your index fingers to poke someone between the bum cheeks with as much as force one can muster.
This bizarre prank is very common amongst the children of all ages and is treated as normal amongst the adults as well. It is believed to have originated in Japan where it is popularly known as Kancho which literally translates to Enema
In the above image - a statue in one of the Korean cities representing the most played prank in Korea.
This prank is not only popular in Korea but is also very popular in Japan and Taiwan.
This prank is so popular that even video games are made on the Dong chim. The players are given an option to poke their fingers in the bottom of - the mother-in-law, gangsters prostitutes, ex-girlfriends and ex boyfriends.
Just to know about it is kind of a shock. I feel lucky that I did not get a chance to experience it
I just visited New Delhi, India for the first time, and here are the things that shocked me.
India is not the best place to visit during a pandemic and here is why. People spit literally anywhere and everywhere. You will find spit literally at every step you take on the street. It is so normal that no one is bothered by it.
Uber drives just casually spit from the car windows. Similarly, street vendors would casually spit on the pavement while they are talking to customers. This applies to everyone; the random people on the street, people at the hotel, people you see outside the malls etc. For the most part of the trip, I remember feeling anxious all the time because I was too scared of getting sick. We needed a negative PCR to go back to our country and I could not really enjoy the trip because I was paranoid and freaking out all the time.
We also went to see Taj Mahal and you cannot enter with any kind of food or drink. They had a bin next to the entrance for this which was completely covered in red spit inside and out. The whole area was covered in spit as well. I honestly cannot understand how people can be so carefree at a time like this. Pandemic or not, it is just unhygienic and disrespectful to others walking on the street.
I would like to share the cultural shock that my mother-in-law faced.
She recently visited us, here in Canada.
We took her for an outing on the other day she landed. As we stopped at a crossing, she saw a homeless, so she asked me for some change.
The homeless started to bless my MIL in English.
My mother-in-law closed the car window and turned to us saying, “wow, here beggars also speak English.” She continued, “if she can speak in English, why don't she get a job?”
I had to explain her that in Canada most of the people speaks English. It's just considered a language here, not like India where it is considered as one of the major skills.
For many Indian still speaking fluent English means that the person is qualified to get a decent job.
She also shared it with her friends on whatsapp.
Culture shock from reading this entry: “homeless” as a noun rather than an adjective.
I landed in Malaysia for the first time in 2010. After settling-in myself at residence, I called my friend who picked me up to catch up further. I told him let’s have tea and he took me to a local Malay stall that sells tea.
We ordered “Take away” and the guy hands me over this plastic bag full of hot tea with a straw.
I was totally shocked as to who drinks hot tea with a straw? Apparently, Malaysians. To top it off, some of the locals ask to add ice and call it ice-tea.
It was very shocking culturally experiencing it but I got used to it with time.
Ok so I read many answers to this question. But most of them were which they encountered outside their native country but I encountered it within my country and that too just a month ago.
My aunt recently shifted from Delhi to Ahmedabad. So in my December vacations we went to visit her.
My aunt told me that in Ahmedabad before marriage the girl can go and live with the boy’s family (on special occasions like Diwali or New Year) for few days with whom she is going to get married.
Based upon her stay, the girl can make her decision if she really wants to marry that guy or not.
And this is practiced by majority of people over there before marriage no matter from which background you are.
Whereas in Punjab or Chandigarh nothing of this sort happens.
But this cultural difference wasn't a shock instead it felt so good to know that such practices also prevail!
The Amish have a custom where the intended actually spend the night together. Can't remember the name of it, but basically a rolled up blanket is placed between them so no touching (or anything else) occurs. This allows the couple to spend time alone together (something they cannot do otherwise) to talk & get to know each other better. If they decide they aren't compatible after that, no hard feelings.
After landing in Copenhagen airport I was looking for a drinking water tap to refill my waterbottle.
I couldn’t find a tap around me, so I went to a security personnel and asked her.
Me: “ where can I get water? “
She: “ It’s there “
She pointed her finger towards a toilet.
I didn’t get her. I thought she didn’t understand my question or my accent. So I asked her again.
Me: “ I mean drinking water “
She: “Yes.. vand.. It’s there”
I didn’t dare to ask her again. I went straight to the toilet and searched the premises.
She saw me roaming clueless and came to me.
She: “ see mister, you can either buy a water bottle for 60 krone in the store or fill from the tap in the washroom. It’s the same water. “
Same water? Seriously?
I stepped inside the toilet and was shocked to see many people filling their bottles directly from handwash taps inside the toilet.
I know water quality in Denmark is great, but not to the extent that they supply that even to the toilets.
The biggest culture that I have really shocked is eating food with hands in India.
after washing your hands, you should eat food with your right hand.Indian culture, the left hand is commonly viewed as dirty and unsanitary, and therefore rude to eat with. Avoid serving, eating, or touching any of the food with your left hand.
and the other point is that Avoid letting the food touch your palms. Hold the food near the tips of your fingers when you're bringing it to your mouth.
That is a good experience, If you travel in India don’t be afraid .Try it!
In Norway I saw this
It is a common thing to put on train doors to indicate that this carriage will not have a conductor.
Coming from a less developed country this was a huge WTF for me.
You mark on which carriages tickets will not be checked???
It is like writing on it “Travel in this carriage for free! No one will check tickets here!”
Why would you make it so extremely easy for people to cheat??
Cultural shock in U.S!
I see girls with bare legs wearing skirts when its like -10C outside. I asked one - don’t you feel cold? She said no, cuz i am hot ;)
When I was in my teens/20s/maybe 30s, I put fashion over the cold of our Chicago winters, so skirts and heels in snow, ice, and sleet? Of course haha. Now that I'm older, I'll happily dress in the least attractive clothes as long as it keeps me warm and comfy!!
Note: this post originally had 61 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
A lot of these seem to be people from India being shocked and surprised that the rest of the world isn't like India.
TBF, some of them were also cultural differences within India itself.
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I'm from Southeast NC, US. I've been to Europe a few times. Had awesome experiences each trip. My biggest culture shock was from within my own country. I moved to southern Vermont, US, when I was almost 20. To be with a long term boyfriend. We got pregnant with my eldest son(16 now!) and married shortly after. Mistake. But, my biggest culture shock was the racism. People always think and say to me, "oh you're from the south-racism" and yes. There is racism here still. But the biggest racists, blatant, outwardly vocal racists, I've ever met. Were from Vermont. They were incredibly racist towards Asian people and Indian people. I don't know why people think that there are just white people. It's diverse, like everywhere, but the words they used, that I would hear, walking down the street passing people of Asian background or Indian, not Native American, Indian. I had never heard in my life. It was atrocious. I left quickly, with my baby. And went home. No ty.
Obviously not met Eastern Europeans. Most racist, homophobic, sexist people I've met.
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Domestic culture shock here: I moved from the Philly area to Omaha, NE about 20 years ago and completely flipped out when I hit Iowa. Turns out, vast areas of farmland (no trees, hills, anything) make me slightly agoraphobic and panicky. I also moved during tornado season, and let me just say that the last movie I watch pre-move was Twister (not a great idea).
I don’t tend to be panicky but I think being someplace as flat as that part of the country is would make me feel uneasy. Also not being able to get to a beach or see the ocean relatively easily. Tornados would be even worse!
Load More Replies... In Marrakech's big outdoor market there are no prices on things. You're expected to haggle the price with the stallholders. As a typical Brit this made me uncomfortable and I definitely overpaid for rubbish. Also the stallholders can be very pushy and some will follow you. The amount of mopeds on the road was a surprise as well, and many people riding them had children on their laps and neither wearing helmets. That would definitely get you pulled over by police in the UK.
I hate haggling with every fiber of my being.
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My wife & I visited New Zealand with our 2 toddler daughters in 1974. We had 3 experiences that surprised my wife & I at the time, viz. First: being laughed at in a supermarket when, not being able to find the milk, I asked at the checkout counter. Milk was sold in a separate store called a Dairy. Second: checking into a motel & being given 3 pints of milk for our overnight stay. Third: checking into a different motel & seeing a doona for the first time (aka duvet, comforter, quilt etc) on the bed. Also, parts of New Zealand are as picturesque as you'll see anywhere else in the World
I was there last year. Alcohol is only allow in the hotel bars that are well "hidden" (like on the 5th floor or something like that). If you have a special permit you can also buy it in the ONE place they sell it, but is a limited amount and you can only drink it at home (I didn't have such permit)
Well, statistically india is the country with the most people+open internet. Sooo, for every Us citizen there is like 4,5 indian people?
Load More Replies... A lot of these seem to be people from India being shocked and surprised that the rest of the world isn't like India.
TBF, some of them were also cultural differences within India itself.
Load More Replies... I'm from Southeast NC, US. I've been to Europe a few times. Had awesome experiences each trip. My biggest culture shock was from within my own country. I moved to southern Vermont, US, when I was almost 20. To be with a long term boyfriend. We got pregnant with my eldest son(16 now!) and married shortly after. Mistake. But, my biggest culture shock was the racism. People always think and say to me, "oh you're from the south-racism" and yes. There is racism here still. But the biggest racists, blatant, outwardly vocal racists, I've ever met. Were from Vermont. They were incredibly racist towards Asian people and Indian people. I don't know why people think that there are just white people. It's diverse, like everywhere, but the words they used, that I would hear, walking down the street passing people of Asian background or Indian, not Native American, Indian. I had never heard in my life. It was atrocious. I left quickly, with my baby. And went home. No ty.
Obviously not met Eastern Europeans. Most racist, homophobic, sexist people I've met.
Load More Replies... Domestic culture shock here: I moved from the Philly area to Omaha, NE about 20 years ago and completely flipped out when I hit Iowa. Turns out, vast areas of farmland (no trees, hills, anything) make me slightly agoraphobic and panicky. I also moved during tornado season, and let me just say that the last movie I watch pre-move was Twister (not a great idea).
I don’t tend to be panicky but I think being someplace as flat as that part of the country is would make me feel uneasy. Also not being able to get to a beach or see the ocean relatively easily. Tornados would be even worse!
Load More Replies... In Marrakech's big outdoor market there are no prices on things. You're expected to haggle the price with the stallholders. As a typical Brit this made me uncomfortable and I definitely overpaid for rubbish. Also the stallholders can be very pushy and some will follow you. The amount of mopeds on the road was a surprise as well, and many people riding them had children on their laps and neither wearing helmets. That would definitely get you pulled over by police in the UK.
I hate haggling with every fiber of my being.
Load More Replies... My wife & I visited New Zealand with our 2 toddler daughters in 1974. We had 3 experiences that surprised my wife & I at the time, viz. First: being laughed at in a supermarket when, not being able to find the milk, I asked at the checkout counter. Milk was sold in a separate store called a Dairy. Second: checking into a motel & being given 3 pints of milk for our overnight stay. Third: checking into a different motel & seeing a doona for the first time (aka duvet, comforter, quilt etc) on the bed. Also, parts of New Zealand are as picturesque as you'll see anywhere else in the World
I was there last year. Alcohol is only allow in the hotel bars that are well "hidden" (like on the 5th floor or something like that). If you have a special permit you can also buy it in the ONE place they sell it, but is a limited amount and you can only drink it at home (I didn't have such permit)
Well, statistically india is the country with the most people+open internet. Sooo, for every Us citizen there is like 4,5 indian people?
Load More Replies...