Biggest cultural shock you have come across?

Interesting thread.
Quencher where are you from? I'm intrigued where in the world they think British school children are like that?
Brasty what is it about the workplace culture in France that was a culture shock for your friend? I think I have 'acclimatised' now although I still find all the hand-shaking and kissing a big waste of time and still get frustrated that people talk too much out of turn in meetings and on training courses.

About 10 years ago we were on a family road trip around California. We thought it might be interesting, while in San Diego, to walk across the border into Mexico. Firstly, there was no border control going from San Diego into Tijuana, just a gate to walk through.
Our then 7 year old son's first words on seeing the 'housing' was "What happened here?"
Walking around we were constantly harassed by beggars, even our children were being asked for money by children their sort of age. We didn't stay any longer than 30 minutes and spent longer waiting in the queue to get through border control back into the US.

I went to Samoa a couple of years ago and I was so shocked by how enormously fat nearly everyone is. But it's really hard to get decent meat so everyone eats horrible fatty off-cuts that are shipped in from Australia and New Zealand. Decent food was really expensive but I couldn't bring myself to eat the crap that the locals have to. I lost 5lbs in a week

There was a C4 programme about it recently.

Yup Chavelita I was expressing mild frustration to a friend over my cleaner's knack of turning up just as DS2 is nodding off in my arms and her response was "of course, she's been with you over a year. You need a new one."

I need next month's trip back to the UK so, so badly.

Oh god, the servant culture of the Middle East. I knew it existed, but I assumed that ill treatment happened behind closed doors, because surely you wouldn't openly abuse and exploit someone?

Nope. Local acquaintances openly talking about their maids being forbidden to leave the house ("because the last one ran off"), issuing instructions to young women from SE Asia (who are forced to buy domestic uniforms from their own wages) without making eye contact let alone saying please or thank you, passport confiscations. A small boy fell over in the playground last weekend, and understandably cried for his mother. His mother actually checked to see that the nanny was busy before going to him herself. Every time I think I've adjusted to how batshit mental it is, someone excels themself.

God, yes to all of this. I once saw a small child fall into a pool at a party in Dubai, and his mother shouted to their housemaid (let's not go along with calling them the 'nanny', when it's seldom if ever true) who was collecting glasses to jump in and get him out. When I was probably goggling at her like a codfish, she did a sort of slightly self-conscious smirk, and gestured down at her outfit. Presumably I was supposed to grasp that she didn't want to wet her clothes, whereas the maid, clad in one of those pastel trousersuit uniforms, wouldn't mind.

And yes, the depressing swiftness with which new arrivals bought into the entire khafala system including passport confiscation and 'othering' of their maids ('Oh, they're happier sleeping on a mat on the floor - it's their culture) and apparently genuinely thinking they're being 'savvy' when they pick up maid tips from people who've lived there longer eg:

'I change my maids every year. I find it keeps them on their toes. The ones that stay longer get slack.'

'Just call an agency and ask them to email you some maid cvs. Print them off and put them on your desk. She will see them, for sure, and will not be able to contain herself. She will ask if you are replacing her. Then you can say that you were waiting to see if she could get more done and to your liking. That will get her back on her toes.'

And when one British 'madam' had had a conversation with her maid who was upset because of the suicide of a friend (who'd been a maid in Saudi impregnated by her employer), she was told 'Maybe you should change your maid for a more positive one.' (Actual quotes.)

And these people will have been until very recently ordinary lower-middle-class Brits living in suburban semi-detached houses in Nuneaton or Birmingham.

Flying Aeroflot.

Yes exactly Matador
Switzerland made me realise that visiting a country, and actually living there, are very different things. Also heard the same from a friend who worked in France and could not get on with the normal workplace culture there. Moving abroad when you are retired, is very different to moving when you have to work in a place with local people.

Dipping into chicken soup with a ladle and bringing up the chicken's entire head and feet. We just drank the stock.

Me too brasty, never knew I was such a rebel until I moved to Switzerland.

I found the German part of Switzerland's petty rules, difficult. In England I am a law abiding citizen. In Switzerland I was a constant breaker of rules, often unknowingly, who got told off by strangers.

Lurking

Additionally, it is not true that Honduras “bans citizens from owning guns” nor that Switzerland “requires citizens to own guns.”

From Snopes

www.snopes.com/politics/guns/hondswitz.asp

Lurking Yes, the Swiss are definitely the most law-abiding people I have ever lived amongst. Comforting when it comes to the rifles, irritating when they micromanage your laundry habits.

As a student on placement in Switzerland about 30 years ago ... it was normal for her son to keep his army rifle (? not great at firearm ID) at home and fiddle about with in on the communal landing with no visible safety precautions whatsoever.

As there is no standing Swiss Army, all adult men are required by law to keep a working rifle in the house. Meaning that Switzerland has one of the highest %ages of gun ownership in the world.

And one of the lowest murder rates (210/218 - the UK is 188, and the US 112 ...)

YY to giant Germanic schoolbags - my DC could bivvy in theirs at a push and they cost an absolute fortune!

Prostitution can not be made safe. The New Zealand brothels are often awful for the women who actually have to work in them

What, as opposed to the illegal brothels? It can be made safer. I'm not suggesting it's a flawless system.

We saw loads ofJjapanese with brollies walking around Pompeii.

I saw a Japanese tourist with a full on flowery face mask in a Mediterranean town last year.

I wondered what the anti-niqab brigade would make of it.

It was like this but flowery, and because she had a much larger hat on than either of the women wearing hats here, you could see pretty much nothing of her face.

deploy similar in South Africa with maids. Although the jobs were very highly sought after - one friends maid was almost killed by her cousin who wanted her job! As if said friend would employ a stone cold murderer!

AprilludgateDwyer

I'm back working in Dublin, drinking during working hours is a sackable offence in most organisations here!

Prostitution can not be made safe. The New Zealand brothels are often awful for the women who actually have to work in them.

Walking through Camden years ago an being in amazement at the goths, punks. It was fascinating and stood there in owe of people's hair and piercing. Being scared of going the shops in the basements because they looked dark and dingy with black as predominate colour. It's a shame the place is not like that anymore.

The train not working and having to take a replacement bus. I had to change at Hackney and it was a culture shock. Walking through the backstreets was nothing like northwest London. I could not believe that there are places like that in Britain. The area has completely change now.

Not being able to understand a lot of accents. I expected everyone to speak like the queen. Excluding the Scots and Irish.

My biggest one was that lots of English people had very poor grammar. I knew anyone who spoke my native language who had bad grammar when speaking the native language. Fascinating that this happens with English born who reside in England.

People not having proper lunch at one o'clock and sandwiches being the go to food. Also, twelve o'clock being considered lunchtime at all. Not having three Square meals, excluding tea time, which means siting down at four o'clock after school and having real tea. Sapper at eight.

Tea not meaning tea but food. What is dinner? all very confusing.

Tv licence,

How you don't have to pay/bribe people to do things that are free.
Excellent customer service with all the prices labelled.

Shocked that there is street markets in England.

The trains actually works and carry people from a to b.

How loud British children where. At my school were told to model our selves on British children who were always quiet in class, respects their teachers, humble and nice to one another. Was I wrong and shocked at how they treated teachers. Luck of interest in school work and very few paid attention in class. I realised we were good kids. And there is bad and good children everywhere.

super. Oh, ok. I think it was just a bit of an eye opener as I hadn't really come across it much before, apart from in obviously 'sleazy' areas. Of course it's a safer system for the girls, I'm just opposed to it in general. (may be biased by life experience, not a prude overall)

Switzerland - tiny children on trans with enormous square leather schoolbags on their backs.

Oh and as a 15 year old who had held very few babies, being expected to hold a floppy headed newborn, and eat aniseed sprinkles on bread at the same time in the Netherlands. In fact the whole Dutch custom of sprinkles on bread...

Oh god, the servant culture of the Middle East. I knew it existed, but I assumed that ill treatment happened behind closed doors, because surely you wouldn't openly abuse and exploit someone?

Nope. Local acquaintances openly talking about their maids being forbidden to leave the house ("because the last one ran off"), issuing instructions to young women from SE Asia (who are forced to buy domestic uniforms from their own wages) without making eye contact let alone saying please or thank you, passport confiscations. A small boy fell over in the playground last weekend, and understandably cried for his mother. His mother actually checked to see that the nanny was busy before going to him herself. Every time I think I've adjusted to how batshit mental it is, someone excels themself.

Polly The US and New Zealand.

NZ has a similar system.

It's been in place for a long time. It's effective. In the same way that safe injection sites have proven to be a better alternative to drug addicts dying in the stairwells of hospitals. Nothing is gained by making either of those things illegal and imposing criminal penalties on offences. You're never going to get rid of prostitution, so it's better to regulate it as you would a business and make it safer for those involved.

I probably live quite a sheltered life but I was shocked at how many people in the US walk around with guns in their pockets whilst walking around Walgreen's