Cultural Shocks

[Stan]

2 hours ago, nudge said:

Garbage problems in many parts of SE Asia. In the streets, in the rivers, on the beaches. People literally letting whatever trash they are holding (empty bottles, plastic bags, empty packages of whatever etc.) just fall down and nobody batting and eyelid. Insane plastic pollution.

Locals swimming in the ocean fully clothed.

Drinking beer with ice - although I learned to appreciate it as it's definitely better than warm beer.

Chaotic endless traffic with no obvious rules (at first sight) and trying to cross a street in those conditions. Especially in Vietnam.

Extreme poverty contrasted with extreme luxury; like slums next to a huge 5 star hotel resorts and private villas or child beggars on the street with luxurious cars driving by. The huge gap between the rich and the poor. Especially in Cambodia.

Men with no uniforms but with AK-47s on their shoulders strolling in the local markets.

Loudness. Like, people talking over each other, chatting loud everywhere, phone calls with speaker on, constant shouting. 

My biggest one (after the garbage) is lack of personal space though.

 

Also the poverty thing I missed from your post.

Properly noticed this in India in high volumes when I was about 10/11. We're in a high-rise plush hotel and look out from the balcony and it's swathes of slums. Or when going to Taj Mahal and there's begging kids outside the entrance to the famous building.

I wouldn't say it was a shock, as such. More saddening and the feeling of helplessness when looking back on it.

 

Beer with ice I've genuinely never seen. I can only imagine it gets watered down quite quickly as the ice melts? Nevertheless, a warm beer on the other hand is revolting.

[nudge]

5 minutes ago, Stan said:

 

Also the poverty thing I missed from your post.

Properly noticed this in India in high volumes when I was about 10/11. We're in a high-rise plush hotel and look out from the balcony and it's swathes of slums. Or when going to Taj Mahal and there's begging kids outside the entrance to the famous building.

I wouldn't say it was a shock, as such. More saddening and the feeling of helplessness when looking back on it.

 

Beer with ice I've genuinely never seen. I can only imagine it gets watered down quite quickly as the ice melts? Nevertheless, a warm beer on the other hand is revolting.

Yeah I imagine parts of India are even worse... Somewhat expected at the main tourist attractions as that's run by organised gangs as a lucrative business (begging kids that is) but when you see it everywhere in the country then it's really disheartening. In Cambodia there's also a very large number of landmine amputees; have never seen so many people with missing limbs in my entire life.

As for beer - well local beer is pretty watered down anyway so ice doesn't make such a huge difference  We also usually drink from 0.3 or smaller glasses so it doesn't get warm/melt as fast as a big one would. In "fancier" bars the beer is always ice cold anyway so no need for ice; it's those smaller/beach ones that don't have/are not willing to use the fridges or are suffering from power blackouts as they don't have a generator where the ice come in handy... 

[The Artful Dodger]

Any time I go most places in England I'm absolutely shocked at the terrible sense of humour of most people, among other things.

[CaaC (John)+]

The biggest shock for me when I was a young lad and we emigrated to Australia in the late 60s and the liner SS Himalaya stopped at Port Said and Aden and we walked around with my mum and old man and I did not know what beggars really were but my old man being an ex-navy man explained what they were.

Two young lads run up to us wanting to let one of them guide us around, one of the lad's arms was all twisted and the other lad's arm was out of joint and his shoulder was more or less in his chest, all dis-figured, my old man picked the lad with the twisted arm to guide us around and gave him a few pennies, but as we walked along I saw a young child (girl) crying and sitting on a kerb with no arms or legs and a tin cup tied around her kneck begging for money I gathered.

I asked my old man why they were all like that and he said when they were born their parents would disfigure them the best way they could so they could grow up begging, I will always remember that and when we got back to our ship and I was in my bunk bed that night and I had nightmares about that experience.   

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 hours ago, Stan said:

what

When I went to China I was told to bring something to wipe my arse with in case I need to use a public loo there. It's true, and I'm glad I brought little wet wipes to keep my bum clean.

What nobody told me was I'd be shitting into a hole in the ground.

5 hours ago, nudge said:

My biggest one (after the garbage) is lack of personal space though.

That was a big one for me in China as well.

 

10 hours ago, Stick With Azeem said:

I'm interested in knowing what are the different aspects of culture British, Americans and Australians etc find weird about each other cause they just look the same to me culturally.

For me, I found the culture shock to be pretty minimal. We already consume so much US media, they consume a bit of our media, we speak our language... it's not a difficult transition.

The biggest thing for me was everyone using farenheit to explain the temperature. I still just use my phone and have everything in celcius because I've never really bothered to understand Fahrenheit at all.

Actually that's not the biggest thing. The biggest thing was probably the work culture. In the US they expect you to work more hours a week than they do in the UK, and you get much less time off. And that time off doesn't include things like Christmas time off like we're used to in the UK (you just get Christmas off and some places give you Christmas eve off, or if you're like me you use one of your "rotating paid holidays" on Christmas eve) - you don't get Boxing day off unless you use "vacation time", you don't get as many days off for Easter (actually I don't think you get any days off for Easter because it's on a Sunday, so you don't get any days off for that).

The next biggest thing for me was... the driving. Not just that it's on the opposite side of what I'm used to, but the test was much easier to get the license... and in Southern California a car is basically a necessity. But then everyone drives so fucking slow in the US and in Southern California when it rains it's basically like a driving in a fucking blizzard to these people so you see all kinds of ridiculous shite. And compared to the UK or anywhere in Europe I've ever been, the roads in the US are literally crumbling.

There's some other minor shit that just comes down to the American mentality compared to everyone else - like part of my paycheck is automatically deducted for my payments for the company health insurance I'm on. Shit like that (or guns) that is sort of just engrained into the American political mindset so that's just the way it is.

[IgnisExcubitor]

Elaborating on the personal space, it's quite common for strangers to pull a child's cheek (or at times even kiss on the cheek) in a playful manner here(it's mostly innocent), something that is rightly frowned upon in foreign countries. I witnessed an incident at an airport once, where this Indian man playfully pulled the cheek of an American kid, shocking the child and the mother who thought the man was a creep. The kid's angry father was seconds away from punching the Indian, until everyone of us explained the issue and the poor Americans were just left confused. At least my fellow Indian learned a valuable lesson.

Another (mostly a desi thing) would be addressing strangers on the street as uncle, aunty, brother, sister instead of madam, miss and mister. I was guilty of doing when I was abroad while asking for directions, and the bloke just shot back, 'I am not your uncle, boy.'

 

[nudge]

2 minutes ago, IgnisExcubitor said:

Another (mostly a desi thing) would be addressing strangers on the street as uncle, aunty, brother, sister instead of madam, miss and mister. I was guilty of doing when I was abroad while asking for directions, and the bloke just shot back, 'I am not your uncle, boy.'

Ha it's the same here in and honestly I much prefer being addressed as "sister" instead of "madam"  

[carefreeluke]

Living in Spain..

Manners. I know the British are perhaps overly polite but I have come to realise through living abroad that there's a certain British etiquette that is very unique and I don't believe exists anywhere else in the world. I'm talking about the please and thank yous and general manners but also that sort of almost awkward behaviour you get in public places, saying thank you to anything, saying sorry when it's not your fault etc. 

In Spain, the culture is a lot more direct and there's a lot less of the above. I'm not saying Spaniards are rude but the sort of behaviour above is a lot less common which coming from that British experience was and still is a bit of cultural shock for me. Stuff like waiting to allow someone to pass in a tight corridor or street will never get a thank you in Spain and when it does it comes as a surprise. I'm not saying this makes the general Spanish person rude but just it's a big cultural difference. Brits can be overly thankful or polite but there's also that sort of etiquette in this area that I believe only a person who has lived in the UK for a very long time can understand what I mean. I miss that when I'm in Spain.

[Spike]

A few things I've noticed about America in general

• They cannot and refuse to queue. The 'me first' mentality extends to a lot in life, from waiting in line, to driving etiquette. Of course, some people are much more polite about it.
• They are always hustling. Everything is about saving, spending, and earning money. How they can curb necessities to purchase luxury goods, for instance. It doesn't help that every company, goverment agency, institution, and what-have-you is also doing the same thing to the citizens. 
• Obsessed with race. Everything is acutely related to race, from gerrymandering voting lines, to applying for a job; sometimes your race is more important than who you are. It's ridiculous; and exhausting. 
• The first time I was on a highway I saw a sign that said 'Food exit' that directed drivers to places like McDonalds, and Starbucks. I still laugh to this day. They are also everywhere.
• Diners (most are usually 24 hours) are bloody well awesome. Americans know their greasey breakfast food and they serve it up with litres of coffee. It sounds shit because it is, but at the same time it's bloody fantastic. There is not much like crawling into a greasepit at 2am and ordering chicken and waffles. Of course there are always healthier and lighter options but they usually come with two large pancakes anyway.
• Their bars are fucking miserable. Most are food first to drive up profits. Most of them will sit you down at a table, where you are pretty set for the rest of the night, usually with a young person kissing your arse for tips. There isn't much moving around and mingling with people you don't know. Americans tend to keep to their own social packs. A lot of neat independant bars are disappearing for the corporate slick 'sports bars' with 300 90cm TVs, apathetic bar staff, chrome fixings, and $11 'not quite a pint' craft [formerly] beers.
• They are very insular in nature, they all live in their little bubble and hate having it disturbed. I think most walk around without considering the other's around them. This doesn't happen as much in the south, where a lot of people are contradictingly the nicest and most biased people in the world haha. 'He is a wonderful person, even if he is black' haha
• Their craft beer scene is fantastic. Spoilt for choice is the beer drinking in America. Fair prices, extensive imports, and many local brews. The only problem is that they tend to follow trends and a lot of brewers will try to outdo eachother. In a very American manner instead of making the best IPA they can, they'll try to make the hoppiest. Instead of making a perfectly balanced sour ale, they will make it sour to the point of spitting it out.
• Their junk food is pretty damn good. Buffalo wings, possibly the best pizza on earth (there are so many pizzerias it'd be a shame if they didn't have it), hot dogs, overly meat sandwhiches, burgers, etc. Shame they don't have pies and fish & chips as well. 
• People like to blame others on their problem. If Karen the blonde bitch doesn't get her cafe mocha on time, it's the barista's fault that she is now late for work. 
• The word 'cunt' seems to hurt them on a psychological level.
• The public transport sucks, even in cities with 'good' public transport.
• They love their 'emotional' politics too much. Abortion, drugs, homosexuality, guns, etc. All valid political discussions but a politican can easily win a seat in a conservative county by being 'pro-life' despite the fact that on further examination his economic issues would sent the county into the dumpster.
• Most talk shit about America and don't realise how great their country is. They bitch and moan about how America is the worst in the world, but get all mad when one mentions how bad they'd have it in a country like South Sedan. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

I've never seen a "Food Exit" here or in any of the places I've been in the US, but now I want to. Agree with a lot of what @Spike said, but I think because America's so big and there's pretty big differences between states not all of what he's said rings true with my own experience.

[Azeem]

7 hours ago, nudge said:

Ha it's the same here in and honestly I much prefer being addressed as "sister" instead of "madam"  

If you want to trigger a woman in her 30s here, call her ' aunty ' 

[Azeem]

Saw a video on twitter, where a couple was stopped on a highway in Russia by special forces, they took out a brief case from the car with drugs, girl was crying and the man was tied up when all of the sudden they took out a ring and the he proposed the girl, and the girl started crying in happiness. It was a proposal, apparently they weren't special forces. 

Is it normal for Russian standards ?

[Stan]

10 hours ago, Spike said:

• People like to blame others on their problem. If Karen the blonde bitch doesn't get her cafe mocha on time, it's the barista's fault that she is now late for work. 

I hate this. Boils down to just not taking responsibility for their own time-keeping and discipline.

See it so much here as well. Especially with public transport. A train or tube can be on time but they'll get to work late and blame the public transport. How about leave earlier and get an earlier train/tube, so that you're not rushing around for your first meeting or appointment?!

10 hours ago, Spike said:

•  The word 'cunt' seems to hurt them on a psychological level.

@Berserker

[The Artful Dodger]

11 hours ago, carefreeluke said:

Living in Spain..

Manners. I know the British are perhaps overly polite but I have come to realise through living abroad that there's a certain British etiquette that is very unique and I don't believe exists anywhere else in the world. I'm talking about the please and thank yous and general manners but also that sort of almost awkward behaviour you get in public places, saying thank you to anything, saying sorry when it's not your fault etc. 

In Spain, the culture is a lot more direct and there's a lot less of the above. I'm not saying Spaniards are rude but the sort of behaviour above is a lot less common which coming from that British experience was and still is a bit of cultural shock for me. Stuff like waiting to allow someone to pass in a tight corridor or street will never get a thank you in Spain and when it does it comes as a surprise. I'm not saying this makes the general Spanish person rude but just it's a big cultural difference. Brits can be overly thankful or polite but there's also that sort of etiquette in this area that I believe only a person who has lived in the UK for a very long time can understand what I mean. I miss that when I'm in Spain.

I agree with you that there is a certain etiquette in Britain which I'm fond of, however< I think it is under threat now. Maybe showing that I'm getting older, but I find the rudeness of people increasingly prevalent and brazen. I fear we are becoming Americanised.

[Azeem]

Dodger knows.... 

[Inverted]

When it comes to other Commonwealth countries, I've not had huge experiences. 

Australians are slightly confusing to me, because their sense of humour can be quite similar to Scottish people, but I think Australians seem even more uninhibited than Scottish people. I think Scottish people generally aren't shy, but we have limits on how assertive we'll be in certain scenarios. It's more modesty than shyness - like being a try-hard is the worst thing you can be. Australians generally don't seem to have that, they're more American in that respect.

I'm thinking of when I was in a class with a lot of different English-speaking nationalities. For me and most of my Scottish classmates, it would be considered weird to speak out excessively in class. Over the course of a class, you might answer a couple of questions, and maybe ask one if something confuses you. To do more would be to draw too much attention to yourself. The  large group of Australians I met in uni didn't seem to feel that way at all - they're very eager to show when they know the answer, and very eager to offer their own opinions, or say when they disagree with the lecturer. 

Canadians are also a lot more similar to Americans than I imagined them to be. I pictured them as being reserved, but they're very outgoing and forward just like Americans, but just maybe slightly more polite about it. 

[The Artful Dodger]

1 hour ago, Inverted said:

When it comes to other Commonwealth countries, I've not had huge experiences. 

Australians are slightly confusing to me, because their sense of humour can be quite similar to Scottish people, but I think Australians seem even more uninhibited than Scottish people. I think Scottish people generally aren't shy, but we have limits on how assertive we'll be in certain scenarios. It's more modesty than shyness - like being a try-hard is the worst thing you can be. Australians generally don't seem to have that, they're more American in that respect.

I'm thinking of when I was in a class with a lot of different English-speaking nationalities. For me and most of my Scottish classmates, it would be considered weird to speak out excessively in class. Over the course of a class, you might answer a couple of questions, and maybe ask one if something confuses you. To do more would be to draw too much attention to yourself. The  large group of Australians I met in uni didn't seem to feel that way at all - they're very eager to show when they know the answer, and very eager to offer their own opinions, or say when they disagree with the lecturer. 

Canadians are also a lot more similar to Americans than I imagined them to be. I pictured them as being reserved, but they're very outgoing and forward just like Americans, but just maybe slightly more polite about it. 

Had some terrible experiences in Mexico a few years ago, they were as bad, if not worse than the Americans.

[Harry]

Culture shocks of places I’ve been:

India

1. The disregard people appear to have for the value of their own life. (People would rather run through the middle of a busy intersection to save 30 seconds despite a 25% chance of death, similar with overtaking on roads - on a cliff top road they will overtake on the cliff edge shoulder around a bend to save 5 seconds)

2. The huge contrast in extreme wealth and poverty. I remember partying with this rich dude in Delhi who covered his entire house in Persian rugs, and we had his driver in the car park waiting for us to come out of this bar, who was 22 hours into his shift, and being paid overtime of $1 to go beyond his usual 12 hours, whilst I ordered a red bull & vodka inside for $30.

3. How jarring it is to see cows just standing there at an intersection inside the CBD of the capital city as if they live on the corner of this block.

4. The importance of sanitation on a countries ability to improve mortality rates and quality of life for its citizens

UK

Watching premier league in a pub at midday. Mid fucking day. Not mid night. Mid day

[Berserker]

15 hours ago, Stan said:

I hate this. Boils down to just not taking responsibility for their own time-keeping and discipline.

See it so much here as well. Especially with public transport. A train or tube can be on time but they'll get to work late and blame the public transport. How about leave earlier and get an earlier train/tube, so that you're not rushing around for your first meeting or appointment?!

@Berserker

Yeah i heard the yanks are pretty susceptible to it, but that's not the case for the aussies or the scots.

[Azeem]

3 hours ago, Harry said:

Culture shocks of places I’ve been:

India

1. The disregard people appear to have for the value of their own life. (People would rather run through the middle of a busy intersection to save 30 seconds despite a 25% chance of death, similar with overtaking on roads - on a cliff top road they will overtake on the cliff edge shoulder around a bend to save 5 seconds)

2. The huge contrast in extreme wealth and poverty. I remember partying with this rich dude in Delhi who covered his entire house in Persian rugs, and we had his driver in the car park waiting for us to come out of this bar, who was 22 hours into his shift, and being paid overtime of $1 to go beyond his usual 12 hours, whilst I ordered a red bull & vodka inside for $30.

3. How jarring it is to see cows just standing there at an intersection inside the CBD of the capital city as if they live on the corner of this block.

4. The importance of sanitation on a countries ability to improve mortality rates and quality of life for its citizens

UK

Watching premier league in a pub at midday. Mid fucking day. Not mid night. Mid day

Maybe they do 

[Berserker]

1 hour ago, Teso dos Bichos said:

@Berserker ay te Hablan pinche hija esquinera mia. 

No se haga la loca y mejor vaya a vender el culo por 2 monedas al ghetto con la perra de su madre como hace siempre que despues cuando lo ponen en su lugar se arrastra como la perrita faldera que es y va a llorarle a Rab y a los mods a los que siempre critica hijita perrita putita del ghetto mia.

[Azeem]

Time for google translate 

[Berserker]

5 minutes ago, Teso dos Bichos said:

solamente las esquineras como usted confunded una Frase con un parrafo. Tantos mekos que a tragado y años de ser fiel a los putos de La B, an echo un daño fatal. 

Aprenda a hablar Español y despues venga a hacerse la loca perra del ghetto. Al revez, tantas pijas y waska que tragaste vos y tantas veces que te rompieron el orto, al igual que a los putos de vokita en todos estos años y como la garchada que les pegamos en Madrid (de la que se rien hasta clubes Europeos como el Losc y el Frankfurt fijate en twittter ) que ya quedaste traumada de por vida y no podes discernir la realidad de la ficcion, no se sabe cuando estas drogado y cuando no.

[Guest]

23 hours ago, Inverted said:

Canadians are also a lot more similar to Americans than I imagined them to be. I pictured them as being reserved, but they're very outgoing and forward just like Americans, but just maybe slightly more polite about it. 

Depends on where you go. They are a lot more polite outside of Ontario. Here they are basically the same people as the USA, but in BC they are very much their own.

[Guest]

When I first moved here, Canada was an alien world. I was 6 years old and I had never lived in a suburb, nor was I familiar with the TV channels or the language. It took me about 6-7 months to be able to speak English fluently.

I never really properly adjusted. As I kept growing up I lived a latin lifestyle and people looked at me weirdly for it. I eventually got fed up and moved back to Peru (amongsts other motives too) in 2016. Now I'm back in Canada and I feel a lot more comfortable here than I did before I left. I still prefer Peru but I am not missing it as much as I used too, which is a good thing.