When traveling abroad, one need only set one foot in a foreign country and realize just how different their culture and customs are to ours.
While Americans would certainly expect this in countries on different continents, where they speak a different language, they might find themselves surprised that even our northern neighbors in Canada still have a noticeably different way of life to ours.
And likewise, visitors from abroad, be it Canada or Cambodia, will likely find themselves startled at things Americans find commonplace.
Redditor kerris2508 was curious to learn about things which are everyday occurrences in some countries which foreigners might find bizarre, leading them to ask:
"What is something that in your culture is normal, but in another place is a weird thing?"
All in one shopping!
"Getting a sausage from a hardware shop."- effjayyelle
Self-sufficient babies.
"To leave the stroller. with the sleeping baby inside it, outside a café, while the mom/dad sits inside, if the weather is good.
"Denmark."
"It's a common thing all over Scandinavia/Scandinavian Peninsula."
"I'm specifically mentioning Denmark because I live here."- Lumisateessa
Don't be fooled by their gaze
"In Vietnam, when you order in places with menus."
"The waiter will stare at you when you chose food."- The-tank-has
Staring Jon Hamm GIF by NETFLIXGiphyMake up your minds!
"Using a puzzling mixture of metric and imperial measurements, for example, measuring cooking ingredients in grams but measuring body weight in stones."- TailsxCream4Eva
A dark sense of humor?
"Some casual Iranian sayings of endearment:"
“'I want to eat your liver'.”
“'I will sacrifice my life for you'.”
“'My stomach is tight for you'.”
“'Wishing your breath to be warm'.”
"Not endearing, but 'dirt on your head' if you are upset with someone, essentially meaning that you should be buried'."- fatdonkey54
Read my lips. No, I'm serious.
"Pointing to a direction with your lips."- The_Crow
Luv U Better Flirting GIF by LL Cool JGiphyA unique, national holiday.
"Celebrating a chubby, mystical, groundhog that can predict the end of winter based on its shadow :o."- Senator_Morgana
Be proud of your home, wherever you go!
"I wouldn't say this is part of my culture, but in both Kenya and India, when you go to the movies they play the national anthem on screen before the trailers and everyone has to stand up."
"I'd been away for so long that I'd completely forgotten this craziness and was visiting my mum, went to watch a movie, everyone stood up and I was so confused until the memories were unlocked."- ArterialSludge
We're all family!
"Addressing strangers using terms used for family members like brother, sister, uncle, aunty, grandpa, etc."
"The most common being brother/sister."
"We have unique words representing all 4 variations of little/big brother/sister."
"And guess what, one day you would be calling a girl 'baini' (little sister), that girl be calling you 'dai' (big brother) and a couple weeks later you are dating each other and ditch the sibling style addressing."
"Then you either call each other by name or come up with nicknames."
"I'm from Nepal."- secCcosMOS
Im Good Fx Networks GIF by Reservation DogsGiphyWorshiping the ground you walk on.
"Touching elders' feet as a greeting and sign of respect."- ScallionUnited192
No restless leg syndrome here!
"Standing while working."
"Bet you’ll never guess where I live."- Th3MysticArcher
Nothing wrong with saving yourself...
"I dunno if it's a culture thing coz some do it, some don't : bride and groom have to tell whether they're virgin or not to the priest / someone who'll perform the wedding...in front of people."
"And they will perform some kind of ritual or some sh*t."
"I wasn't even aware of this thing until a year ago."
"No way in hell I'll do that in future."- calloftheVoid__
Oh My God Reaction GIF by LifetimeGiphyNothing wrong with a little affection
"Men holding hands while walking."- born_of_water
"Brazilians, and most Latin people, are super physical when it comes to showing affecting to everyone."
"Even strangers."
"it’s normal to meet someone and hug them and kiss them in the cheek."
"I was shocked when my best friend, who’s a Canadian, said she never hugs her friends because it’s really weird to do it there."
"LOL."- brazilian-queen
Depending on where you're from...
"The Pledge of Allegiance."- Guska-siilka
Some places are luckier than others
"Constant disasters."
"I thought it was normal until i saw a video talking about how my country is screwed."- thinkwithmorethanone
An effective healthcare system? The Very Thought!
"I love the Dutch healthcare system."
"Went to the doc, everything was arranged."
'No calls, all visible in online environment."
"A message your prescription can be picked up outside the pharmacy with code xxxxx."
"I pick it up from an automat, no need to wait in a line."
"And the next appointment was already made online automatically."
"All free of any charge, love it."- Remseey2907
Health Care GIF by Creative CourageGiphyBidets are due for a comeback.
"Apparently, washing our a** with water."- themachinedoll
Will cash soon be a thing of the past?
"Paying for everything via phone."
"Even some beggars will have a code for people to scan so they can donate."
"Cash is really uncommon nowadays."
"Most people don't carry cash anymore when going shopping except old people."
"We use AliPay/WechatPay in China."- Thetrucksimfan2
Thats quite a variation on "red sauce"...
"Strawberry sauce and pasta."- SakuraSpice
Strawberry GIFGiphyCulture shock is very real, and takes some getting used to.
But rather than gape at things with an open mouth, try thinking about them with an open mind in your new surroundings.
And who knows, you might find yourself bringing these customs back home with you.
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I have been left utterly bewildered by what some people believe is acceptable thought, conversation, and behavior.
Like... "Do YOU hear you?"
It shows when a person lacks life experience and/or brain cells.
Words expose everything.
And sometimes shock is all that is left to grapple with.
Redditor nlwfty wanted to hear about all the things people have overheard that left them utterly stunned, so they asked:
"What's the most out-of-touch thing you've heard someone say?"
I once a friend's friend moan about how she and her husband were nearly destitute.
Almost penniless.
All while she was straightening up the house for the new au pair they had just gotten from Columbia.
The Who?
Over It Maid GIFGiphy"My boss once told me to have 'the maid' drop my car at the shop. WTF!!"
amboomernotkaren
Be Happy
"'You won't be happier at work if we pay you more, but we need to figure out why workplace happiness is so low.' This coming from a guy that made 10x what I did and was born into old money."
Dirac_comb
"I had a job that was paying below market rates and 'expected' daily overtime (unpaid, natch) and was trying to figure out how to improve morale. They were considering bringing in consoles and having video game nights after work... as if we weren't stuck there too long already."
"I did have the fun of leaving, then being asked to come back as a contractor to help out, and taking advantage of being on a short-term contract and giving no f**ks to suggest that maybe they should consider at least TRACKING the overtime people were working, even if they weren't going to pay for it since there was probably a whole extra job's worth of hours in there and maybe hiring another person might improve morale and reduce the risk of the kind of errors tired people make."
"Didn't stay long as a temp. Apparently telling the truth and discussing facts with your co-workers isn't good for morale >_< They told everyone I was leaving because I got a better offer (!), but I told everyone exactly what was really happening when they asked XD."
princess_ferocious
It hasn't?
"My dad (who is now the Director of Accounting for the school district I teach for) was talking about how my starting pay was way more than his starting pay."
"I said, 'Well, yeah... The cost of living has increased a ton since then.' This motherf**ker straight up said, 'No it hasn't.'"
"He started working there in 1992. This conversation happened in like 2017 (about a year after I started working there). Again, he is the director of accounting."
pjsans
Move On
"'You seem sad.'"
"My mother to my sister, at her husband's funeral."
blarg-zilla
"My sister's son was murdered. Two weeks later my mom asked her if she was over it yet."
NeverCallMeFifi
"One of my sons was murdered 12 years ago. Many people started telling me that I needed to 'move on' after 4-6 weeks. My brother refuses to say my son's name, so I no longer speak to him. Sending my deepest condolences to your family from a mom who understands losing a child to homicide."
PDXer328
Good Idea!
New Girl Facepalm GIF by HULUGiphy“'I don’t know why people get big mortgages. Just save up for a few months and pay cash for a starter home!'"
Hopeful-Moose87
People with money always seem to have a plan, unless the plan is sharing.
FInd the Treasure
Dragons Den Television GIF by CBCGiphy"When people were complaining about not being able to afford housing/food/living in general, one of the Dutch ministers (I think he was a minister or at least the leader of a party) said something along the line of 'well, find a rich boyfriend then'. ah, yes, that will solve the crisis!"
pastelchannl
Dumbfounded
"I went to an Ivy League college with lots of children of extraordinarily wealthy families. When discussing inequality and its effects on housing, my professor briefly mentioned how mortgages are out of reach for a growing number of Americans. The girl next to me stopped the class, and with a confused face asked the professor why people don’t just buy their homes in cash outright because 'surely the interest means it will cost them more over time.' The professor was dumbfounded. I found out later that she is the heiress to a major luxury brand that you have all heard of."
wildblue2
The Increase
"My former landlord and his wife dropped by to tell me and my financially struggling 20-something roommates that they were raising the rent, by nearly 25%. They said, 'We noticed on Craigslist that neighbors had higher rent so we’re doing the same.' The wife then earnestly reminded us that we’ve been great tenants but maybe we just needed to find some higher-paying jobs. 🙃."
agingcatmom
Not Me
"I was waxing a woman’s eyebrows once and she was complaining that sometimes after she gets a massage the pillow leaves a circular indent on her face and she can’t go out to lunch after. She then asked me if that ever happened to me? I was like ma'am I wax people for eleven bucks an hour; I’m not going out to lunch lol, let alone getting massages."
lomi08
Investments
Money Invest GIF by ProBit GlobalGiphy"Something like: Give a rich person $500 and they will invest it into $1000. Give it to a poor person and they will spend it in a week."
"Yeah exactly give it to someone who’s needs are met and they can save… give it to someone who needs to eat/pay rent etc they will spend it to survive!"
ExaminationLucky6082
You need money to make money.
One of life's biggest lessons apparently.
So someone give me some money.