If you live in a different country to your birth - cultural norms you find odd?

[Triffid1]

I am South African originally. As I was dropping DS (13) at his activity last night at 7pm, knowing I'd be picking him at 8:30, I was thinking how I just don't think I'm ever going to get used to the lateness of things for children in this country. I honestly don't think i was out of the house after 6:30 on a school night, ever, until I was about 16!!! Admittedly, we also started our days much earlier - school start was 8:05 I think.

And I admit, I find it even odder because you change your clocks so that it gets light earlier and dark earlier. And certainly where we are (SE England), everything happens LATER, not earlier. I'm also from Cape Town though so to be fair, it gets light much later so getting up in the dark was a pretty normal event in winter for us.

Does anyone else have anything like this that they find odd? Light please - I'm not looking to bash any other cultures just note the differences!

It's a life saving measure. The law changed in 1998 so that you can only buy 32 paracetamol tablets from a pharmacy or 16 from other shops. By 2013 it led to a 43% reduction in deaths from overdosing on paracetamol.

https://www.bmj.com/press-releases/2013/02/06/43-reduction-deaths-paracetamol-due-smaller-pack-sizes

Yes, they are really wide. I kind of miss just being able to put on the cruise control, crank up the tunes, have a coffee in the cup holder and just drive a steady 75 miles per hour to get places on the highway (motorway).

Oh, I understand why the roads are like that here…lots more history/architecture/previous roads to consider, but I do think people have to be a lot more wary/careful when they drive.

When you lived in south Africa did you honestly live in fear of crime?

Yes i meant funerals! An elderly person wearing them forty years ago would sound about right!

I recently returned from America with 1000 ibuprofen tablets 😂😂

Yup in a big plastic bottle :-)

I am in SW Scotland and its the same here. Folk will talk about your family not sending a representative to a funeral 50 years ago and i am not joking because this very conversation takes place at every funeral.

reluctantbrit - thank you for 'tilt and turn'! I've never known (until now) what to call German windows in English, or what 'anklappen' translates as (I know it's more widespread to say 'kippen'/'auf Kipp stellen', but dh has always said 'anklappen' and I got it from him). I grew up in a 60s new(ish) build in the UK and we hardly ever opened the windows, except in the bathroom, and the patio doors when people were using the garden. Seems unimaginable now - we're big on Lüften.

I know you asked the OP but I can honestly say no I never did, all my family and friends who are there don’t either. I go back every year for weeks at a time. We have experienced crime but don’t live our lives hiding behind triple bolted steel doors and electric fences trembling with fear 🙄

I was recently behind a couple who tried to buy Calpol and then 2 packs of normal paracetemol.

The lady at the till could only put two of the three items through but said that they could get the third one if they pay in cash, with a different card or go to the pharmacy next door.

So there are ways around it.

Thanks for this @SisterBethina I want to really want to visit Cape Town.

Johannesburg is too scary, DBro has been for work and was just car to hotel, car to work and car to restaurant if eating out.

Interesting about the windows - I don't think I've ever seen inward or outward opening windows. In Australia they're all sliding windows and always fitted with fly screens.

Also, thanks to everyone who replied to my questions about mourning practices and the grottiness of British streets!

to be fair, if you were driving into an exit road (so essentially going the wrong way down a one way road) that's a pretty huge mistake, with the potential to cause a serious accident. Not being "familiar" with that particular supermarket is a pretty rubbish excuse, people drive to new places every day.

You probably scared the crap out of the person driving towards you, particularly if it was at night. There's never any excuse for shouting, but if they had their kids in the car and some muppet came driving straight towards them out of nowhere (and didn't seem to be particularly bothered about it!) I can see why they got worked up.

Been in Belgium nearly 19 years. I don't think I have seen a carpet in all that time. Bathrooms/kitchens tend to be tiled and other rooms have laminate/wooden floors. Upstairs laundry rooms.

Family is seen as much more important - many dads doing school runs. If a family member dies, a notice is normally sent round at work, and someone will always go to the funeral, as in the boss or colleague will go to random MILs funeral who they never met to be supportive. Funerals tend to happen within days, not weeks. I was hauled into the office when my MIL died to explain why I booked "compassionate" leave to go to her funeral - 6 weeks in the future. A friend of dd was murdered by her mum's bf and even that funeral happened really quickly. 😨

Belgians do not socialise outside of work with work people. Work and home are entirely separate as a rule. This doesn't seem to change even if you spent every day with them for years. Very common for people to get married much younger. Quite surprised to see girls marrying their high school sweetheart. They don't go on to have kids much younger though from what i can tell.

Shops not open on a Sunday. When there is a midweek BH e.g. Ikea will open on a Sunday and will be absolutely rammed. I quite like this as general rule.

Kids get main pressies from St Nicolas on 6th December. Xmas is more of a food and family thing. With Xmas Eve and NYE being big nights for huge eating fests. All public transport runs on Xmas Day. Boxing Day is not a BH. St Nic's mate Black Peter has become more problematic in recent years, but you do still see blacked up people.

It's supposed to bad luck to cross on stairs

Healthcare is totally free. Except for your teeth. You have to pay for your dental healthcare.

Some people still just like attending funerals though.

When we stayed at relatives in Ireland we had to be absolutely silent when the list of recent deaths was read out on the radio. And then there was the discussion about which funerals they were going to go to.

I'm from Canada but now live in the UK, and I think it's absolutely bonkers that people find a 3 hour drive to see family long 🤣 I would regularly travel up to see family at the weekend (8+ hours on the road) and drove home on the Sunday. And would also drive 3.5h to my mums so we could do a day of shopping where she lived then drive home in the evening 😂 people here are like "hmm 45 minutes up the road yo go shopping....not likely"

I am from another European country.
When I first came here I could not believe how much the Brits went to visit their doctor. I think it might be because it’s free. We have to pay in my home country, but the standard is much higher and people don’t die in a& e waiting to be seen. You guys need to start charging and treat your colds at home!

😂

That was most likely to pay their respects to neighbours/friends/acquaintances though, not because they fancied going to a funeral.

@LadyAmroth
Not sure about Germany but in my country Christmas Eve is an additional day/evening, not a replacement for Christmas Day and Boxing Day so Christmas is a bigger thing than in UK.
In Poland it is still very much a religious holiday so for many people Christmas Eve is a day of waiting. They will have the meal, presents and then go to the midnight mass.
It was a working day when I lived there, but I think they are changing it to a holiday now.
With you on madness of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve before the meal. I ditched that tradition as soon as I moved to the UK. My late DM always raised an eyebrow when she visited at Christmas.
My Polish/British kids have always loved getting their presents on Christmas Eve and would riot if I moved it to Christmas Day. I really appreciated it when they were little as nobody was waking up in the early hours to check if ‘HE has been’.

I have craftily moved the Santa visit from morning of 25th to evening of 24th in line with most of Europe.
Kids are pleased and no longer the nightmare of 4am wake ups.

Having lived in England for 17 years, I’m still telling people how I really am when asked how I am, and boy do they get uneasy! I am not doing it on purpose, it’s a reflex.

Fellow south african. I find the bank holiday thing weird. Back home we call it a public holiday.

Day light savings is just bizarre, the fact that schools offer so little sport or any form of after school activity and that think it's weird that I walk barefoot.