Travellers and immigrants on Quora were asked: "What was your biggest culture shock going to Europe?" These are some of the best answers.
1. Your world gets a bit bigger
Multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity. The image of Europe I had in my head before I first came here is that it's filled with white people, and that's pretty much it. What an amazing surprise when I came here and saw people of all kinds of ethnicity and culture. I have never seen anyone of African descent before in my life. And this was how I first learnt that it's more meaningful to assign identity to people not by their skin colour, but by accent and language. This was how I learnt how a Frenchman is not just a white dude, but could be of ANY race and cultural heritage, who identifies his first language as French. Same goes with a Dutch person, a Brit, and so on.
Lilian Darmono
2. Was it two lefts, or a left and a right?
Lack of street signs. The signs are mostly general directions and since they use roundabouts instead of intersections, I'm not sure how it could be any more confusing for someone that doesn't know the lay of the land. GPS is the only way. But don't count on seeing the name of the street anywhere.
Amanda Hernandez
3. The sun'll come out tomorrow
So, having lived in Netherlands, and travelled around a bit of Western Europe for the past one and a half years, I have experienced a wide variety of culture shocks, ranging from minor to intensely surprising. However, this is the one which shocked me the most, and still confuses me sometimes: Long days during summer and short days during winter
As someone from India, a country close to the equator, the sun sets at around 18:3019:00 in the summer, and at around 17:3018:00 in the winters, so there is very little noticeable difference in the length of the day. Here in Europe however, especially further north, in the summers, the sun sometimes sets at 22:00, or even at 23:00 or later! Its even later in the northern regions of the Scandinavian countries. This also means the sunrise is quite early, at around half past 4 in the morning. The other extreme in the winter - sunrise at 08:15 and sunset at 17:15 or so. This was extremely weird on those days when I had classes from the morning to the evening, so there were some days when I saw little or no daylight.
Sometimes, even now, I find it hard to get to grips with this; in the summer evenings, when I return from the supermarkets or a dinner out with friends, its still bright outside and it feels quite weird!
Varun Adishankar
4. These boots were made for walkin'
The cities were actually walkable! Im sure there are walkable US cities, but the Atlanta area covers about 132.4sq miles, with a population of less than 500,000 within the city limits. Compare that to Paris 40.7sq miles, with a population of about 2.224 million as of 2014. The pedestrians in London, Paris, Edinburgh, Berlin, to name a few, were a shock to me. Even calmer cities like Geneva and Rome were lively. In Atlanta, I might walk a couple of blocks without seeing anyone in the middle of the day.
Sherry Chen
5. It never hurts to be polite
"Please, thank you and sorry" People use these 3 words abundantly. At restaurants, waiters are asked like this, can you get me a pizza, please? Theyre thanked when they bring something. This is also applicable to any laborers. Sorry, is used whenever needed. Indians use these words like they have to pay for using them.
Kaushal Barot
6. Quoi?
Language - words like boot, chips, shag, nappy, napkin. Even though in the US we may take a year or two in high school of French, German, or Spanish we really don't learn the language because we don't get a chance to use it. Great to find out most people spoke better English than anything we know.
Joel Oleson
7. I thought this was pretty non-existent these days. Guess not.
I had no idea how much class is discussed in the UK. Just from listening to comedy programs I was pretty surprised. I was also confused over peoples negativity to being (or being perceived as) middle class. (See any joke directed at Jack Whitehall lol) In the U.S. we talk about it as if everyone's middle class whenever or not it's true. So I viewed it in a positive or neutral light. it took me a while to realize that the UK actually had a rigid class system and upper class people had money since like the dawn of time. I mean I knew that existed but I didn't think it still had societal relevance.
Kaitlin Stopyra
8. Your home is an extension of yourself
People take care of their houses here; but public property is treated like a dumpster. Seriously. I've rarely been inside a home in the Czech Republic that wasn't beautifully kept. Czechs with houses spend lots of time in their yards/gardens planting flowers and bushes and keeping it all up: this makes for some beautiful homes. The houses are built with great attention to detail and constructed to last a century or more. Amazingly well built. Windows are underlined with rows of cheery flowers and everything just looks great.
Even the smaller flats in the [unattractive] apartment blocks that some people live in are cozy usually comfy and people pay attention to making them look nice and airy. They have a special system where everyone on the floor and building take turns to sweep and keep the entry halls and stairwells spic and span.
But if I go downtown to the centre where the shops are it's a bit of a mess: cigarette butts, wrappings, a bit of graffiti that is never painted over. Lawns in parks or surrounding apartment blocks go unmown for what would be an unacceptable amount of time in the US...
Lance LaSalle
9. It's like living in a musical!
Tremendous amount of spontaneity relating to art, culture, music, etc. No such thing as street musicians in Singapore, and in Indonesia most buskers are poor, doing this just to get money. In Europe, street artists are so good at their craft! Whether they're playing guitar and singing, or painting portraits, it's all done with such love and care. Standard is pretty high. True they do it for the money as well, but that's not the only reason. They want to share their art with people in the streets, and this is a big part why they're doing it.
Even as a teenager I could tell the difference, and I found it so inspiring. It was also the first time I saw amazing street art. Graffiti is a severely punishable offence in Singapore, who doesn't even allow chewing gum, and in Jakarta, they're all just tags and scrawls. In Europe you see beautiful artwork and gallery-grade paintings all over public places!
Lilian Darmono
10. Why would you go all the way to Europe and then eat a taco?!
Distinct culinary practices. Every country had a distinct culinary experience. French pastries, Londons array of pub foods, Italian pizza and gelato, German bratwurst. I know, I know, Im grossly oversimplifying. But every place had a distinct food-culture. Problem was, I couldnt find anything resembling a taco or tamale in most cities. Or good Chinese takeout. But doner kebabs kept me satisfied for the time being.
Sherry Chen
11. Don't do drugs and stay in school!
I was pretty surprised that just outside my school tons of middle and high-schoolers would smoke like it was nothing. I only knew about some smokers in my high school in the US (never in middle school!!) and they would never smoke in front of everyone like that. You would probably get suspended for smoking on school property in the US, but in France, it wouldnt be surprising to share a smoke with your teacher!
Asya Grechka
12. It looks so cute!
Cars stood out as much much smaller. Many smart cars and tiny vehicles on tiny roads. I was driving in England which was already a shocker being on the other side of the road, but had to drive through narrow metal posts going through an old village. The car barely squeezed through. In Amsterdam one of the vehicles looked like a toy.
Joel Oleson
13. This person knows how to shop!
In European cities, I can go to the markets and buy enough high-quality ingredients to make a nice meal for two for around $20 - 25. In the U.S., Id be hard pressed to walk away with the same stuff for less than $30 - 40, and the quality of many ingredients would be inferior, to boot. Its terribly interesting to see how the prices of certain products reflect local markets and habits: at the supermarket in one Swiss town, I was able to find good Alpkse (alpine cheese) and fresh produce for astoundingly low prices, while cans of beans or mushrooms were about five times more expensive than in the U.S. In Europe, it is affordable to eat fresh. Processed and packaged foods often cost more, not less, which is backwards from the way many U.S. markets work. Europe is a cooks heaven, and a microwave warriors hell.
Curtis Lindsay
14. Sad to hear that this happens globally
When I first moved here I was hanging out with a young crowd; still at university or around that age. I was surprised to find out how badly low-paid workers were treated. Stories of having worked for weeks and then being refused wages, mass sexual harassment and general abuse of workers were rampant. I've moved into higher social spheres since then and I think that a lot of these things have changed in the last decade, but it was clear that the most unfortunate had far less respect for their own labor than in the USA, where many of these practices would have reported to the Better Business Bureau. Maybe this has changed. But the poorest workers here live on shockingly low wages. Happily, the middle class is actually pretty big: most people make the average wage, which is livable and comfortable.
Lance LaSalle
15. I feel like this should be the standard, not the exception
Traffic rules: Coming from India, I was surprised that even pedestrians need to follow the traffic signals. It was even more liberating to see that no more matter be it a Mercedes, Audi or a BMW, the driver comes to a screeching halt, if he has to, at the zebra crossings. That never happens back home.
Devang Sanghani
16. My plan: eat BOTH dinners
Early dinner. I guess this is more common in Western Europe. I have noticed the Dutch, and even some people in Germany, happen to eat dinner at around 17:00 or 18:00. As an Indian, this is quite early! We normally have some snacks at around that time, and eat our dinner at around 20:00 or so. So I was surprised when I visited some of my friends places and they had dinner quite early.
Varun Adishankar
17. The last part of this comment is so important for Americans to hear
Something like suburban sprawl can be observed here and there in Europe, particularly around the very largest cities, but its of a different nature and is much less prominent than it is in the U.S. On my first visit to France, I remember being absolutely shocked to see that when cities end, they stop, and then the countryside begins. Things that ought to be near each other in the major cities usually are, and there is a logic to why things are located where they are. Also, Europeans dont often unceremoniously rip down historic structures just to make room for prefabricated commercial buildings. Fascinating concept!
Curtis Lindsay
18. A completely different culture
Freedom of children and the elderly. Elderly women going about their business in Rome, riding bikes in Amsterdam. In Berlin parks and the Paris metro, I saw children running about with their friends, unattended by adults. Now compare this to the U.S. Helicopter parents everywhere. In high school, I had friends whose parents required them to text them whenever they got somewhere. I had (female) friends whose parents wouldnt let them ride in cars with female drivers (?!?!) Parents here wouldnt dream of letting their children loose on the city.
Sherry Chen
19. I feel like this is how it should be everywhere
The news in Europe is what the US news used to be about 30 or 40 years ago-free of talking heads giving their own opinions. CNN Europe and Sky TV don't have any shows with anchors la MSNBC or FOX or CNN even-it's just news and sports and weather updates with nothing else. An anchor might give a throwaway opinion on something in between news stories, but it's not an hour of discussion and analysis with a particular political bent like the US.
Charlotte Lang
20. It sounds like people just keep to themselves more
I am Russian and was never raised to believe in God. I was always atheist but I learned to avoid this question growing up in the US. People would become pretty aggressive if they found out I was atheist, and many would try to save me. If someone did ask what my religion was, I often just said I was a Christian to avoid conflict.
In France, it is the complete opposite. Wearing any sort of religious symbols (such as a small cross necklace) is prohibited in schools. Most of the people I know here actively resent religious and I have not met a single person that has tried to show me the light in all of my 8 years living here.
Asya Grechka
21. Frankly I want a continent wear sweatpants are the norm
Europeans tend to dress more stylishly and up for everyday activities than Americans do. The difference isnt drastic, but its definitely noticeable until you get accustomed to it. I found that locals reacted much differently to me when I wore slacks and a collared shirt than when I was knocking about in shorts and T-shirt. In Europe, gym clothes are usually only for the gym, although you may see many college students dressed down," especially in the summer months.
Curtis Lindsay
22. Too many rules to remember!
Greeting new people, esp. the opposite sex - this is something I still find hard to get used to, because it is not really the same in different European countries! When I went to Switzerland, whenever I had to meet my Swiss friends girlfriend/mother/other female friends, I had to get used to a new greeting - three cheek kisses on alternate cheeks (either left-right-left or right-left-right). I found it rather hard to get used to at first! I think the three-kiss greeting exists here in Netherlands too, when you meet a woman, and I still dont know how different the greetings are in other countries! Bottom line - very confusing for a foreigner!
Varun Adishankar
23. Let the sunshine in!
I got into the habit of checking the weekly weather updates and would feel extremely happy on days that it would be sunny and warm. I would see even more happier people than myself who would just lay on the parks or town centers soaking in the sun right from the afternoons upto nights with little cares for anything around. They seemed to be in bliss!
Devang Sanghani
24. It sounds like the latter would cause HUGE indigestion
People eat out at restaurants to have some quality time with friends and family. They will order a drink and sit for hours and talk to each other and after sometime they will order a meal. A family dinner on a weekend may last up to 3 hours easily.
In India, people go out to eat, just eat. They sit in a restaurant, order food, food arrives, 20 minutes and dinner is over. In that 20 minutes, everybody concentrates on eating, they barely talk.
In Europe, even after finishing your meal and paying bill, you can sit and talk, nobody bothers you. In India we always have waiting lines outside good restaurants.
Kaushal Barot
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.